Ogden Marathon

 Done.

And I feel great about it!

I’m not the type of blogger that runs with a camera in my hand, in reality… I like to run with almost nothing. I depend on the aid stations for fuel and luckily Ogden Marathon is known for their amazing volunteers and aid stations. There was cold water, powerade, fruit, cliff bars, Gus, cold wet sponges, candy and even cookies at one! Other then my shuffle and Garmin, all I had in my belt was extreme jelly belly's.

Here is the run down!

We headed to Ogden on Friday night to drop by the expo to pick up our packets and browse the different booths.

The expo was filled with vendors. I was actually waiting to purchase some compression socks while I was there but nobody was with the booth and I waited for a good 10 minutes? CEP you let me down. I almost figured they were free.. but the price tag on the socks told me otherwise. I did pick up some extreme jelly beans for the run. Jelly beans > GUs

After the expo we headed out to eat some dinner! We were all pretty hungry and everywhere had at least a 45 minute wait! No, thanks. We headed back to our hotel to just eat at the restaurant there. There was no wait and it was reasonably priced. Win Win!

I have a pretty sensitive belly when eating out, (especially pre-race) I ordered a simple grilled chicken walnut salad. They served some cornbread for us to share and it was gone in seconds! I also had a sweet potato in my purse that I pulled out and ate along side the salad.

After dinner we laid out our gear and got to bed, because we knew we had a early wake up call coming..

My alarm went off at 4:30am. I slept really well. weird how that happens when you don’t have twins in the bedroom next to you .

We quickly got dressed and to the buses. We waited a good while to jump on a bus.. race start time wasn’t until 7 and we didn’t want to wait at the top longer then we really had to. We walked right by the finish line to get to the bus.

see ya soon …

Once we got to the starting line, we huddled around one of the many fire pits that were available and then about 15 minutes before go time I decided to take a final bathroom stop. There was plenty of porta-potties there but for 3,000 crazy runners there were still some pretty long lines. Which caused me to miss the actual GO by 2 minutes. I was glad I was able to make it because I didn’t have to stop the rest of the race. No pictures because I didn’t actually carry my phone with me. Maybe one day..

I decided I would stick with the 4:15 pacer. I would of loved to sub 4 this marathon, but with my hip injury I decided that finishing this marathon would be good enough and running through the finish was more important then a sub 4. I was prescribed a lidocaine patch to help me get through it. Because I missed the the pacer at the start I caught up to him pretty quick- and stuck with him for the first 8 miles. I was feeling good and pretty confident so I picked it up a little and got ahead to the 3:45 pacer! I felt great by the half way point. I grabbed some water and a orange from a volunteer and kept on trucking.  My hip was starting to bug a little but nothing that was telling me to stop. At mile 14 there is a pretty good hill and that is when I lost the 3:45 pacer.  I slowed down a bit through a aid station to eat a banana and drink some powerade.

At about mile 17 we passed over the dam and headed down the canyon. It was downhill for the rest of the race! The canyon was beautiful and there were a few spectators out cheering us on. At this point, my hip was really hurting, I could feel the pain in my IT and down into my right foot. I slowed my pace down, I had already made it this far, I could finish.

Source

I walked through the next aid station, had another banana and water with some extreme jelly beans. I looked behind me to spot the 4:15 pacer catching up.  I decided that was my goal so I’ll stick with him. He was very encouraging and helpful. I was able to stick with him until mile 25…. Endurance wise I felt great, but my hip was throbbing and my toes were on fire. I couldn’t keep up anymore.. I faltered and fell back.

The last mile was onto the main road leading to the finish. Spectators were lined down both sides of the road. That gave me a little extra push and I sped up a bit and was able to cross the finish line in 4:16

One minute behind my goal. ONE MINUTE. I’m okay with it though. I did it and seeing my husband and kids on the side cheering me on was downright the greatest thing in the world at that point. I also have to give a big thank you to GPP and all my friends that were there to support me.

The Ogden Marathon Course is beautiful! At about the half way point we ran along side a lot of horses that galloped along the fence with us. We ran alongside Pineview Reservoir and over the dam, down the canyon with tall mountains and a waterfall.

Source

Overall, it was a great race! It was an amazing experience. The race was very organized- start to finish, marked well with amazing aid stations and volunteers.

Things I would of done differently-

1. Wear gloves! My hands were freezing until the sun came up over the mountain.. It was 33 degrees at the top and I had some old sweats I was wearing, I threw my pants of at the beginning but kept my jacket on till about mile 4.  A fuzzy, comfy robe would have been a been a bit more convenient, then I wouldn’t have to pull anything over my head.

2. I could of probably taken off a little faster at the beginning. Everyone I think starts to falter in the last few miles and I think I could of improved my time if I didn’t pace myself the whole race.

3. The time markers were placed after aid stations! It was my goal to hit the half way point at 2:00. So when I hit the aid station I though that was that. After snacking on a banana and downing some powerade I hit the strip at 2:01. Lame. I would of preferred to hit the time strip then the aid station. Wouldn’t that make more sense?…

Things I really enjoyed about this course-

1. The fact they had oranges and bananas at some aid stations! My stomach hates gus, and nothing can beat real food for fuel!

2. They had wet sponges at one aid station, which felt pretty amazing.

3. The whole course!  Pineview is one of my favorite places to wakeboard, and Ogden canyon is a place we often drive through all year around. It is very scenic and the views are amazing.

4. The race volunteers and sponsors went above and beyond my expectations! 

War Wounds-

Well, I came out of this with two blood blisters. They are located under the toenails of both feet. (The toe right next to the big toe.) I will spare you a picture. It’s disgusting. Last night my right one burst after getting caught on a door jam during a toothbrush war with Bee.  It hurt. A lot. Then today, I dropped my brush on it, slammed it against the wheel of the shopping cart, was stepped on/hit at least 4 times by the kiddos and then to top it off, I dropped the box of garbage bags on it. Seriously.. Its pretty swollen and throbbing. Help me Dr.. or anyone that has dealed with such agony.

Here is a video of my crossing the finish line!

Ogden Marathon finish!

Cartwheel. Heck, yes.

P.S Thanks to all the readers who recognized me and said hello!! Love it.

If you haven’t entered my lulu giveaway. You better get on that. Click here

Q. Favorite race? Ready go.

Q. Any other blister sisters out there that feel my pain..

Q. What do you carry with you on race day?

500 Giveaway!

Hey guys! This is my 500th POST!  I think that calls for celebration!
I’m all packed and ready to head up to the marathon expo but before I take off, I wanted to thank you all for your support and kind words of encouragement this week! I can’t think of a better way to say thank you then with a giveaway!
Yesterday I headed up to Lulu lemon to exchange a top and I didn’t leave without something for you!!

Source
$50 GIFTCARD!!
To enter:
1. Be sure you’re a follower of bodyofmother!
2. Tweet/FB giveaway and leave a comment you did.
3. Leave a comment saying what you would get with the GC if you won!
That’s it! Giveaway will end Tuesday May 22, 2012
On your mark get set GO!

source
* I am not affiliated with Lulu lemon at all. This is simply a gift that I purchased for one of you!!
Wish me luck! Off to tackle 26.2!!
Good luck to all other runners/triathletes competing this weekend!

BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Put two chicken breast in the crock pot with some BBQ sauce and what do you get?

A healthy and easy dinner! I love the crockpot and the fact that it is oh so simple! The whole “Set it and forget it’ concept sure comes in handy on crazy days!
I whipped up my own version of some Honey BBQ sauce mixture using organic ketchup, worcestershire sauce and agave!!

Honey BBQ Sauce
Ingredients:
1 C. Ketchup
1/4 C. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 C. Agave Nectar
Directions:
Mix all ingredients into a bowl until well combined!
Shredded BBQ Chicken
To make the BBQ shredded chicken all I did was place 2 frozen chicken breast in the crockpot and topped it with the honey BBQ Sauce and let it cook on high for about 8 hours. It took me 10 minutes to put together and after a busy a day, I was happy to have it all ready for me when I got home.  It came out perfectly!
Brent beat me home, and get this… he actually remembered to snap a pic of his sandwich! (You know your married to a food blogger when….) he he!

You could probably make this even easier by just using store-bought BBQ sauce. Just watch out for HFCS, which is hidden in a lot of BBQ sauce and even ketchup!
I always like to incorporate some sort of veggie with each meal and I find that keeping a variety of veggies in the freezer come in handy! Most of which are popped in the microwave and ready in two minutes! Zap it and add some to this dish! Bing, bam, boom.
Today I headed out for my last run before the Ogden marathon, with a few girlfriends, my legs felt a bit heavy and sluggish and my right hip is still really bothering me. *Sigh. I know not every run is a good run.. I would just like to have a great one. I don’t feel 100% in fact I don’t think I even feel 80% ready for Saturday. I have so many different thoughts going through my head right now. Maybe I should of run more, taught less, maybe I should just run the half? Should I even run at all? If I can’t reach my goal time..why?!  UGH. Well, you know what they say.. “Don’t should on yourself.” I’m going to quit this mental game and just kick asphalt. –> pun intended.
Am I a bit frustrated? Sure.
But at the same time I’m still excited for it. I’m excited for the course, spending times with the other hundreds of runners that will be with me for 26.2. Most of all I’m excited for that finish line.  3 days to go!! Rest. Recover. Then RUN!
The 4 miles today wasn’t terrible, we were able to hold about a 8:30 pace the whole time. Afterwards, I headed to GPP and did this workout. Phew! Burpees are my nemesis.. Now, it is time to enjoy this taper!
Lunch today was full of fresh veggies! I haven’t had a salad in forever and this colorful plate was just what I needed! I didn’t have any grilled chicken for this salad, but I knew I needed some sort of protein source to top it, so I poached two eggs and placed it over a bed of crispy spinach, warm green beans and topped it off with some juicy cherry tomatoes and  bright peppers!

The yolks served as my dressing today, oh, how I love the drippy eggs!! The flavor combination was perfect and melted together perfectly!

I’m not teaching any more classes for the rest of the week to allow time for my legs to recover and be 100% ready for Saturday! (Not having sore legs? I don’t even remember what that feels like!) I am getting one last massage and getting my hips adjusted and stretched tomorrow with high hopes I’ll pull this sucker off on Saturday.
Can’t wait!!
Q. Best marathon tips?
Q. I’m making my playlist, any favorite running songs?

Red Rock Relay-Moab

 

The Red Rock relay in Moab is a one day relay covering 70 miles in teams of 6!

We all headed down to volunteer with registration since one of our friends helps run the show and she offered us some swag if we could come help. How do you turn that down?

We spent the majority of Friday, getting everyone set and ready to run the following morning. Each team was provided with team shirts, a captain hoodie, slap bracelet, race guide, and of course free tats. It was our job to set each team up with the bag of goodies.

Registration ran smoothly and went by quick. RRR is organized and efficent so really the only confusion was where you would place your temporary tattoo. RRR gear is also super cute! They had hoodies, half zip jackets, t-shirts, tanks, trucker hats and few other things and I wanted one of everything…Everything was made by Nordic Track which provides some high quality gear. RRR is all about keeping it affordable too! Jackets were only $35 (Like the one we all have on.) Which is amazing because you won’t find that at any other race!

After packing up a few things we headed to the hotel to eat dinner, which consisted of random snacks that were in the back of the van. Classy. So classy, I didn’t even take a picture.

We were able to get a full night rest before our start time on Saturday. Our team name was the GPP Barbies. Each of us represented our own barbie. There was Malibu, Miss America, Devil, Lucky, Gardner, Goddess and skipper.

I actually wasn’t going to do this race because it was the weekend before the marathon and life can get a little crazy sometimes when mom is gone. My team was actually all set with 6 runners already, but they invited me to come pace them. I asked Brent for the green light and it was a go. I am so glad I got to go hang out with these ladies! Mom’s need girl weekends. Heck. Every girl needs a girl weekend!

We started in Swanny Park right in the heart of Moab. You start running alongside the Colorado river, which is beautiful and surrounded with cliffs of red rocks and then climb over and through the La Sal Mountain range which is beautiful and green and can I add steeeeeep?.. Then back down into Moab and finish in the park!

We sent our first runner off at 9am. Ate some breakfast and decorated the van….(she had about 7 miles)

Complete with Barbies secured safely to the windows.

And we were off!

I ran the 3rd leg with Miss America Barbie, It was along the river which was beautiful but it was HOT. I was glad it was just over 3 miles.. I was dripping by the end.

The second leg I joined was with Devil Barbie for this sweet peach.

This was a tough tough climb… props to all who completed this beast. The La Sal Mountains are no joke, but they do offer one of the most amazing views I have ever seen!

We had a lot of fun throughout the course.

Sunbathing

Yoga

Dancing

And even BURPEES for exchanges!

 

P.S Burpees in heels was harder then you would think! I almost fell forward every time.

The last leg I paced skipper. It was an enjoyable down hill through some neighborhoods and park right into the park finish! We even saw a rattlesnake!! It was next to a curb and some guy that was standing there warned us so we kept our distance as we ran past.

source for all elevation/course info

Our van met us right before the finish so we could get all dressed up for our big finish.

Hot pink heels with all the accessories. That’s how we run a race! Please note that I was also known as alzheimers barbie because I completely forgot to pack my tank top! (major sad face )

Men got medals and women got this cute necklace!

Sorry bad lighting- it has stainless steel pendants, with a nice thick chain.

I love the necklace and think it is a great change from the medals that I just hang up in the pile on the top of my dresser..

Pretty cute huh!

I love, love, LOVE the one day relays compared to the overnight. No sleep deprevation and you get to rest in a comfy bed..not a back seat. Bada bing bada boo. Done and done in one day!

Moab is also one of my favorite places to go, there is so much to do and the views are breathtaking, from the red rock to the tall pine trees. It’s a small town with lots of spunk.

No complaints. It was a great race!! Everything ran smooth and no serious issues. Each exchange was clearly marked and the course was designed with the runner in mind. All the volunteers and race officials were all friendly, and knew our to throw a good party.

Especially with this my friends who all amaze and inspire me each and every day!

Back to Reality

Hey guys! I just want to jump in really quick to say hi! I feel like I haven’t blogged forever and really miss you. However it is 11:30pm which is way past my bedtime. I just want to give you a heads up that I am still alive after RRR.
I got home yesterday from running the Red Rock Relay in Moab and spent the remainder of the day with my family and mothers of all sorts.

I’m one lucky momma for sure!
Today, was busy all-around. So, I’ll be playing a little catch-up in the next few days! Starting with a full RRR recap tomorrow.

I had a great time in Moab and can’t wait to tell you all about it!
Today I went to GPP for an amazing kettle bell workout, that had me dripping..legit.  I love that. Really, I do! It’s workouts like this one, when I give it all I can and by the end I am wiping sweat from my eyeballs.
I came home and took the twinners and pup for a quick walk/run to the park and home. Tikka, was pretty tired by the end of it.

Obviously.
We played outside for awhile, before coming in for snacks and my post-recovery shake..

It is really starting to warm up here and I’m soaking it up as much as I can! The twinners took a nap while I unpacked, did laundry galore and prepared a quick and easy dinner in the crockpot! It has been a decade since I last used the crockpot. WHY?! The crock pot is amazing, and I love the whole “set it and forget it” aspect of it! It is a wonderful thing on busy days when you have been running around all day and preparing a meal when you are hungry “now!” just isn’t in the cards.  Recipe to come!!
Here's your hint..

Brent came home and I taught Body Attack, which was another sweat sesh for the day. Followed by some grocery shopping, work meeting, and of course the Bachelorette to wrap it all up. I’m thinking this will be a good season….
Q. What was your workout today?
Q. Who is watching the bachelorette?
Q. Do you have a crockpot recipe you want to share?! (Feel free to link it up, in the comments!)

Shopping Spree

 

Workout: 1 mile run with fam, GPP, Body Pump

Did I shop today?

Sure did.

Did I spend more then I should of?

You know it.

Ooops. My husband was totally okay with it to. Just okay….

I promise it was all essentials.

I’m leaving for RRR in the morning and had to pick up a few last minute things for the race.

New running shoes:

Body Glide, Compression Capris, Socks, and a new running belt (Mine got stolen last week )

Ok, the socks may have been an impulse buy.

But this lulu top.. totally an essential.

Oh, and my costume.

 

You are just going to have to wait to see this whole shebang later!

This is going to be a fun race, in which I still have to pack for and I have to teach in the AM. Early… too early.

I’m calling it a night!

TGIF!!

Q. What are your running essentials?