Because I believe...

...that every long run deserves a blog entry.

(This is Kristin by the way.)

I am way behind in my blogging here.  Yay for the new Blogger changes- especially the return of spell check!  Woot.  If I have not visited your blog lately, I am catching up on that too.  Don't worry, I have not abandoned you, by bloggy friends. 

Let me start catch up with my most recent long run.  I 15-miler with Danna.  I only made it through like 14.  Rough at the end- I even got light headed.

Danna and I have been a little lazy with our running lately- especially at Girls' Camp.  I was especially out of shape and gaining some nice new fat deposits is seems.  Well, this 15 miler started around 6 and was hot and muggy!!  We went through a ton of water and Gatorade (both for drinking, and pouring on ourselves.  I even accidentally poured Gatorade all over myself at the very end). 

We ran into Larry Payne around mile 9 and he joined us for the final few miles.  At first I refused him.  "No way Larry- I'm pooped.  I can not run at your pace today."  Well, he insisted and went at our pace, and was great entertainment, and a helpful distraction for the rest of the run!  He even did the final mile+ with Danna when I got light headed and stopped. 

After the run, I iced at my house in the way I always do.  Sticking my feet right on the ice packs.  I know they always say not to do this, but have you ever put a towel (even a paper one) on your ice and still had the cold get through adequately?  I have never had a problem just icing directly.  Until now.

So, I'm embarrassed to say- I got a cold injury.  Does it classify as frost bite?  Not sure, but I got it bilaterally on my heels and a couple toes.  It was totally scary and freaked me out.  Then it got super painful- just like a bur, and I couldn't walk on it for a few days.  Who else does this happen to?  No one!  I have never heard of a cold injury among my real life acquaintances, friends, or family.  Unless it was a legitimate winter-time thing.

I made D come over and assess my injury (she's a nurse) and it had a freaky discoloration and blisterage.  After a few days the crazy pain quit- thank heavens!!!  And now I am walking normal again. 

Oh dear.  Please be careful icers.  I have learned that chemical cold packs get colder than regular ice, and if you insist on direct contact, just use ice in a Ziploc.  This advice came from the guys at the wound clinic.  Also, a foot in a bucket of ice water is perfect! 

I still believe in icing.  It makes a big difference. But I also believe in non-amputation.

Love, K
XOXO

Water Running and Elliptical Cross Training

Hey! It is Suzy. I've been out of the running loop since the awesome Ogden Half-Marathon (anyone for the Ogden full next year?). I was disappointed that once I pinned my number on my pregnant belly, it was difficult to tell I was pregnant from the front. I was sure to mention it as we passed people. As well as yell it out at the end so people would cheer for me and I wouldn't stop and walk.
I went on a 4 mile run the Tuesday after and my legs felt like jelly. I tried to jog about a week later and found that my belly had increased exponentially in size during that week off. Too much pull on the muscles to run comfortably any more. So where does that leave me? No more runs with Danna and Kristin. :( Just a lot of water running and elliptical cross training.
Why those two activities? Danna and Kristin once told me that those two exercises are equivalent to running. For elliptical work, mileage is a one to one ratio. For water running, time is a one to one ratio. I don't know if that is really true but it makes me feel good about my exercise as I wait for my little one to arrive.
When I water run, I use the same water belt that many use for water aerobics. I have a hard time telling how hard I am "running" because I don't sweat. It also takes me a minute or two to try to get the right running motion down instead of a swimming kick. One day I "ran" next to another lady in the pool. She was pretty fast. I asked her what her secret was and she told me she was "riding a bike." No wonder she was so much faster than me!
I can only manage about an hour long water run. (I think I once did an hour and a half) I just don't have a waterproof ipod to listen to and no friends to talk to. Boohoo for me. I do like the weightless feeling and the time to relax my pregnancy muscles. Yeah for me.
Danna and Kristin, of course, miss me terribly. They ran Ragnar with my husband just because they miss me so much. (It was a good choice. He runs much faster than me and isn't even close to being as emotional as I am at this point.)
I am curious to see how labor will go and my recovery will be after consistently exercising. And maybe 16 years from now, we will have a cross country star in our family.

Ok all, get a move on

Hey all- the lavender run is now only about 10 days away! This will be a fun race, come and run it with us! It's less than 20 bucks too! Be sure to sign up with our team name- she runs like a girl. Leave a comment and let us know you are registered! Happy running! Love Danna

https://www.aiyevents.com/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=15

Kristin's Ragnar Race Report!!

Yes, I did the CRAZY Ragnar Relay Race with Danna and a team of 10 other people this last weekend!

For those who don't know anything about this race, here's a quick summary:

• We run 190 miles (Logan to Park City) through lovely canyons and over mountains and everything!
• You run in a team of 12 (2 vanloads of 6 people) and each runner runs 3 legs of the race.  Each leg is about 3-9 miles and they all vary in difficulty.
• There is a baton, which is actually a slap bracelet, and there is always some member of your team running- even in the middle of the night!  The race takes 2 days!
• Each team is responsible for supporting their own runners with drinks, supplies, etc.  You basically drive up to the runner and ask what they need several times throughout their run.  You run water, Gatorade, GU (in my case- always chapstick and a kleenex much to my team's amusement) across the street to them- which all the other vans are doing.  It makes for some seriously crazy street situations as you can imagine.

Well, all I can say is...I don't know what to say.  In the words of Charles Dickens, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."  :)  I mean, it was a totally unforgettalbe adventure, and I'm glad I did it!  It was completely unique from any other racing or running experience.  But it was HARD, a lot of work, sleepless, hot at times.

Here are a few interesting things from my experience:

• There were vans, buses, and Suburbans EVERYWHERE- all decorated according to their team name and theme.  And people went all out!  One truck was converted into a huge mammoth- humongous tusks and all.  Many were completely covered in paint, or tape, or posters, or vinyl letters and pictures.  It was amazing.  Every clever thing you could ever think of that has to do with running was on some van or another!
•  For those of you who have been asking- no there was never any stinkiness or B.O. smell!  When I got home, Matt said I only smelled like sunscreen.  Amazing, huh?
• Our van got a break for 5 hours.  We set up camp in a church parking lot and tried to catch some Z's.  None of us actually slept except for Tom, who was then rudely awoken by the sprinkler system.
• I had great team members.  Or van consisted of Ben, Tom, Rick, Emily, Danna and me.  Aka: (respectively) our fearless leader, a most delightful and pleasant person, easy-going nice guy who runs super fast, lovely girl who was tough as nails, and BFF.
• The PTA in one town had commandeered the high school and were selling tickets to sleep in the school, use the shower, eat, and go to the flushing restrooms.  Heartless and genius at the same time.  I bought a bathroom and shower ticket. That locker room was a mad house,  A flesh pot, if you will.  A soap and water mess full of desperate women with their toothbrushes and shower tickets.
• Some teams came in full costume.  We saw leather-clad gladiator women, running in boots and fishnets, men dressed as female nurses with polyester dresses and big blond wigs, and couples dressed in wedding attire!  The women ran with veils, the men with bowties and cummerbunds. 

Our team name was "La Muerte Fea" (Ugly Death).  I was runner #7.  I was the first in our van to run.  My first leg was at like 3 pm in the killer heat!  Seriously- hottest run of my life!  Dump water on me!!  It was 4 miles.  I learned that most Ragnar runners are not chatty, don't run in a clump, try to pass you if possible, wear ipods, and have vans who follow and leap frog them closely.  I learned how to stretch on the run.  The van doesn't rest when you finish.  Cool down is sitting in the front seat fanning yourself. 

My second run was the night run.  About 4 miles again.  And hilly!  Y'all know I don't do well with hills, right?  I was STRUGGLING on some of those miles and so were the runners near me.  I passed most of them.  I secretly wanted my van to go away so I could walk or crawl.  I wore the required reflective vest, "butt lights," and our team's LED flashers.  I felt like a small Christmas tree.  I whined to Ben and he would hear none of it.  I realized later that my run was only a "moderately difficult run."  Most team members had "hard" and "very hard" runs.  I'm a weeny, but...hey.  I learned this run that your van can get backed up in traffic and make you miss your pass off by a lot.  Sorry van # 1!  That I need to have my outfits, ice, and meal in one easy to grab sip-lock for when I finish a run, and not have to dig through the trunk over and over at every quick support stop for the next runner.  I learned that out-houses are not sanitary at night when all runners are sleep deprived and stumbling in the dark. 

My final run was again in the heat at like 11 am.  Hot again.  Body tired.  No got sleep.  Need sprinkler.  Need cheer for me.  Maybe chafed?  Knees stiff.  Feel energized that it's my final leg.  A few other vans spray me with mist, and cheer for me.  One particular van of girls drives next to me and chants, "And I! WOULD! WALK! 5! HUN! DRED! MILES! AND! I! WOULD! WALK! 500! MORE! just to BE! THE! WOman! WHO! WALKED! A! THOU! SAND! MILES! TO! FALL! DOWN! AT! YOUR! DOOR!"    I finish and feel great!  I get hyper and slap happy and silly and sing to my team mates and hang out the window a lot.  I watch them all run killer final legs and I am in awe of them.

So, what do you think?  Would you ever run the Wasatch Back?  It's wild!  Would I do it again?  Ummm, ask me in a few weeks.  It's like I just went through labor and you're asking if I want more babies!

XOXO

~K

Giveaway winner!

Thank you so much to all who participated in our little giveaway!  It's fun to see the new followers and check out your blogs and stuff.  We chose a random winner via random.org.  It chose comment # 9.

And the winner is...

Teamarcia!!

Good job girl! 

Now you need to go pick which Jeff Galloway book you want and email us your choice and your mailing address.  We are excited- hope you enjoy the book!

XOXO
~K, D, and S!

What the crap have I done?

PS:  Don't miss our recent giveaway!  Tell your friends!

For me, running is a lifestyle and an art. I'm far more interested in the magic of it than the mechanics.

~Lorraine Moller, Olympic Marathoner

Hi.  It's Kristin.

Have you ever heard of the Wasatch Back?  It's a Ragner Relay race starting in Logan and ending in like Pennsylvania.  Ok, more like Park City, but still.  It takes two days for your team to accomplish it.  It's crazy, and supposedly really fun.  It consists of sleep deprivation, hills, and sweaty smelly group members.  Thus I was not interested.  (Have I ever blogged about my strong aversion to B.O.?  Like, stronger than most people.)  

Danna has been working me this whole year.  I have been strong.  I have resisted.  

A team member dropped out of her group and it's an "easy" role.  I thought about it.  I said no again.  Danna asked again another day.  I thought about it.  I said no again.  Then the final day for changes past and I was in the clear.  

So how is it that I am now all signed up, you ask?  I have no idea how this happened, but here I am.  Freaked.  Totally freaked.  Feeling too old for this nonsense.  Too wimpy.  Too nasally sensitive.  I need encouragement, people.  Help me.  Pray for me and my PF.  Who decided to flair up again this week after weeks of arch supported bliss!  (PF = plantar fasciitis).  

Curse you, Danna, and your zealousness and ambition!!!  (**fist shake**)

Anyone ever run this race?  Tell me some details.  Anyone have a wimpy girl in your van vomit adn weep and ask you to run her third leg?  Just checkin'.

XOXO

~K

100th post!! And a Givaway!!!

Don't miss D's previous post, also from today!  It's about the Lavender run.  

Hey lovely readers!  Thanks for sticking with us (or joining up with us now).  We love your comments and emails.  We wanna do a little giveaway to tell you thanks.

Danna and I have really liked Jeff Galloway's books, especially when we first got started.  We studied those things like crazy.  They really helped in so many ways and I still use a lot of the things I learned in almost every run.  So we're giving away a book of your choice.  Here are your options:

Jeff Galloway's newest book: 
Galloway Training Programs
or
Galloway's Book on Running
(Or if you don't want either of these pick the one you like best on Galloway's site and we'll get you that one!  You can decide after you win.)

 Here's how to enter: 
(PS:  You must make a separate comment for each entry!)

1.  (Required entry)  Become a follower and make a comment telling us you did (or make a comment telling us that you already are one).  You do this by clicking "follow on our side bar.  :)
2.  Post this contest on your blog and make a comment saying you did so.
3   Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter and make a comment saying you did.
4.  Add us to your blogroll (blog sidebar) and make a comment about it.

The contest will end 6/20 at midnight!  We'll pick an entry by random selection (random.org).

Good luck!

~K, D & S