18? Say Whaaaaat?

Some of my friends from the Desert Sharks Triathlon Club (great club by the way, I encourage new athletes to find a club, you can learn a lot from others) put on the innagual SOJO Marathon, Half Marathon, and 5k.  I went out to help them with MCing, and of course had to get a little race action in myself.

I toyed with the idea of the marathon, since I haven't done an open maraton since Ogden last spring, but alas I haven't been doing long runs over 13 miles except 2 back in late June/early July.  I was curious to see what would happen when I got to 18-20, if my body would just plain revolt or if I still had enough endurance from Ironman and the rest of my season.  But I don't love running in pain for almost 4 hours, just isn't my idea of fun  :)  So I chose the 5k which also left me more time to help out, which is what I was really there for

Anyway, a couple hundred 5k runners I believe, a flat course, nice sunshine and semi cool temperatures.  Long story short (since 5k's don't have a ton of details), I won the women's race and finished 5th among the men.  My friend Charity finished 2nd only about 2 minutes behind me......pushing her year old son in their Chariot - debates are still out about whether he beat mom or not  :)   I wanted to break 20:00 (haven't run an open 5k since last year although my triathlon 5k's usually feel better than open because I'm good and warmed up), but ended up doing a little better than that!  The course was unfortunately short, only 2.82 miles, but I ran that in 17:06.5, and after some figuring in the head of my husband, I was on track to run an 18:50 something!!!   SO excited about that!  I've only officially broken 20:00 once, so to break 19:00 and be in the 18's?  So cool!!  I'm glad I was able to be excited about it as sometimes I don't give results the excitement I should.

The next 4 hours were spent welcoming finishers of the half and full marathon in, including my good friend Jonathan who just finished his 78th marathon in 3:50 I believe.  It was fun to watch people cheer their family in, fun to watch people smile and be excited to be finishing - or just being done, that was probably it  :)  I also announced awards, and have to say it was a little strange to announce my own...  The race directors faced a few challenges, but what race doesn't?  They did a great job and should do even better next year.  Check them out (think they're moving to October) for some Saturday morning fun!

More fun...

...and maybe I'll actually end my season now.....maybe....probably  :)

Only posting briefly as my husband and I actually are making a real little trip out of this, sans kids and actually staying in a hotel - gasp!

The race was great though.  Lots of friends which is always great.  Very warm temps nearing 100 which is a little tough, but sure made the warm and super clear water even better.  First out of the water, felt good to push it a bit, loved the sleeveless Xterra suit I got to try for this one (more on that later).  Haven't seen splits yet, but I finished 1st overall, 5 minutes ahead of 2nd place.  Sounds good to me  :)  1:14 I believe, hopefully the course was long today as that's about 3-4 minutes slower than my favorite personal Chrissy Wellington  :)  but I did probably only push 85% today. 

My husband raced and did great, his 3rd tri, 2nd overall.  It was awesome to get to watch him start and come out of the water.  I also saw him on the bike and run.  He was 5th in his age group which is great for a big sprint field like this one!  Great job babe!

We're having a great time so I better get off the computer now, but hopefully I can add some race pics and details later.  Chao!

The Fabulous Alta Peruvian Lodge 8-K

And fabulous it was!!  I've raced A LOT and man, this one impressed me big time!  No there weren't screaming crowds everywhere and thousands of athletes (just under 100 to be exact), but this race has its mystique.  My wedding anniversary is today, 8 years for us, and this was our little date.  We dropped the kids off at Grandpa's about 2:45 and headed up Little Cottonwood Canyon for the 4:00 race.  Check in was fast and easy and then we walked up about 1/2 mile to the start.  Good chance to warm up on a great day.  Seriously so beautiful up there.  Sunny skies, slight breeze coming up the canyon, nice green mountains around us.  Anyway, money was tight and my husband Jeremy paced a friend of ours 9 miles of the Wasatch 100 the night before, so he went for a trail run of his own up there while I ran the race.  Great compromise since we wouldn't run side by side anyway.  Forgive the lovey-dovey pics, but we were kid-less and it is our anniversary weekend  :)This wasn't a triathlon so the pressure wasn't on like usual.  I always want to go fast because it's fun, but all I wanted today was top 3 overall or an age group place or win since they have some awesome prizes!  I saw two ladies whom I know are very fast road racers, and talking to one of them there was another fast lady there who took second last year.  So now I had 3-4 to contend with, but that was it, so it eased any pressure some.  I just wanted to go out there, have fun, and hopefully earn a sweet prize.Ok, so this is a 5 mile downhill race, and when I mean downhill I mean downhill!  I heard something like 2000 ft drop in those 5 miles - yeah, wow.  Can't say I've ever done anything like this.  We started just above the Lodge and ran on the road down.  I can only recall about 30 seconds of the race where I could really think about my form and moving the legs forward, the remainder of the race was was applying the brakes, just a matter of how hard depending on the pitch of the road.
So the race starts and I settle into 3rd woman overall.  Didn't even worry about the 2 ladies ahead of me.  My optimistic goal was 30:00.  We roll past mile 1: 5:33.  Yeehaw!!!!  Hit the 5k just under 17:00 - yeah definitely a PR, but I'm not really going to count it as my official 5k PR.  This course is way faster than any other.  Aid station with water at 2.5 miles, took a little just to sip, didn't really need it.  I wasn't really out of breath during the race (not breathing easy either though), but I did deal with side aches.  I think just the fact that I was going so fast and landing a bit harder than usual.  Not too bad, but a little annoying.  I loved that there were a few spectators here and there down along the road, how awesome!  Anyway, the last mile was the steepest down and my legs were feeling it by then.  I never looked behind me for the 4th place woman, don't like to do that, just want to run my race.  I was only passed twice and each time they were coming up on me I thought "please be a man because I don't want to have to run down a woman".  Yeah the last guy that passed me about 1/2 mile from the finish?  Some 60 something year old......nice.  You can't see the finish till you're 200 yards from it and it was nice to see.  Came through happily in 3rd in 29:45!  Just a second under 6min mile pace!!  Whohoo!!! So we hang out down at the finish for about half an hour then jump onto shuttles and head back up to the lodge where a raffle was waiting.  You drew a number and came away with a prize.  I came out with a Utah Natural History t shirt, but they were giving out gear and such as well.  Very nice for everyone to leave with something.  Then onto the post race food.  Probably the best part of the night eating on the grass listening to the live chill music band playing out there.  And would you check out this food.....I mean DINNER and DESSERT!  Such good food!And a great atmosphere with all the racers out there eating (there were tables, just full), listening to music, and eventually listening to the humorous announcer doing awards.  Speaking of awards, I have to tell you how stinkin excited I am about my prize, definitely one of the best ever, if not THE best.
An overnight stay for 2 at the Lodge anytime during the next year which includes dinner and breakfast for two as well as a $50 cash prize!!  Thank you Alta for paying for our anniversary trip to St George this next weekend!  No we don't stay high class, just a chance to get away and be together is great.  Don't think we're wealthy because of all the racing I do and my pretty bike, quite the contrary actually, we're a young family, it's called a very helpful sponsor, Powertri, (but no, my bike was not free).

Overall winners, L-R, Danny 3rd, Patrick 1st, Devra 1st, Mary Ann, 2nd, and myself 3rd

After awards and dinner and dessert, lets not forget the chocolate cream cheese cake!, Jer and I hopped in the hot tub and enjoyed the nice water, views of the mountain, and talking with a few other runners.  What an evening!  So much fun.  We both got to do our running thing, came away with a great and super useful prize and were able to spend time together on a very nice evening.  I highly highly recommend this race.  Started on time, mile markers with people on them calling out splits every mile, shuttle back up, everyone leaves with a prize, awesome OV and AG prizes, excellent food, and use of the facilities, all for $28-$35 - SCORE!

It's so great to be able to get out and be active with my husband.   I love that he's active and fit now...and hot  ;)  Thanks for coming love, what a fun way to spend time for our anniversary.  I hope I can earn us an even better trip for our 10th  :)   Happy 8th Anniversary!

And the lucky lady is!.......

Jamie!!




Congrats Jamie! She is a great friend of mine, runner, and mother of 3 who just had most of her left lung removed this summer due to cancer. She's got a great attitude about it, and everything for that matter, and Jamie, I expect to see that great attitude come into play now with your Handful Bra. We're talking sporting that awesome almost full body scar baby!! :)

That was fun, thank you guys for entering, and THANK YOU HANDFUL for the generous giveaway! Can I just say that as much fun as this is, choosing a winner (well I didn't exactly choose, it was a totally random draw by my 6 year old) is SO NOT EASY! I'm rooting for all of you and wish I 'had enough for the whole class'. Powertri is placing their order today, so we should have stock by the end of next week, and you can use my 15% off code, so if you get the chance to buy one, take it! Husband's usually like lingerie purchases right? Well believe me, there's no lace or anything here, but you'll look gooooood in it nonetheless ;)

Favorite Things Friday - A girl's best friend

No, not diamonds, at least not for this girl. This bra, the Handful (yes that's it's name, isn't it awesome?!) is I dare say, my very favorite piece of workout clothing. Nothing makes me feel cuter than this bra, and yes, vanity is everything sometimes. I mean honestly, in my head, thinking I look good makes a huge difference in my confidence level come race day. It really does. I just think you race better when you feel confident about yourself. And I'm not prancing around shirtless all the time, I feel cute with it under my tech shirts and jerseys too. You can see it in almost all of my photos this year. Let me tell you more about it.
I've had this bra 6 months now. My first thoughts upon seeing it were three things. It's way cute, but is it a yoga bra or will it really support me, and as a triathlete, will it dry quickly? Let me address those 3 points.
Cute - SO cute! I love the colors (black, white, pink, nude, cocoa), and the pink matches my Powertri kit perfectly. Again, I'm back to the vanity, yes :) I love the thin straps, so flattering, and the back? LOVE it! The bra comes with removable pads that looked kind of bulky before I put it on, but they so totally work with this bra. Ladies, you know what I'm talking about here when I say I have grown, fed, and loved my 3 children, and as a result, the girls definitely do not look like they used to. Lets just say push up/padded bras are my friends (gentlemen if you're still reading, sorry to burst your bubble, but those beautiful babies you like to help create really do take a toll on all of us women). So I was so so so super excited upon donning this lovely creation, and just loving what it did for me. I had shape all of the sudden! And it looked natural too! Oh and those pads? Very good at concealing the whole 'headlight' effect too, definitely no worries there.
Support - does it support? Yes it does. Do I realize I'm not exactly the best girl to talk about needing a lot of support? Yes, I do. I've gotten smaller as my dear children have grown, but I've run through pregnancy and nursing and know how stinkin hard it was to deal with bras then, and I still know I never want any bounce even now. And this bra does its job. I've worn it during all types of training, and at every race but 1 this year I believe, including Ironman St George which includes a marathon of course. I've never felt like I was bouncing. That said, yes, the Handful is probably not the best high impact bra for those larger than a C. But that doesn't mean it can't be a great weight room, yoga, spinning, etc bra at the gym where let's be serious, it's a meat market anyway, so you might as well look good :)
Fabric - I was concerned as soon as I held the bra that it wouldn't dry quickly. I was worried these lovely shaped and gently lifting removable pads would just be sponges and leave me wet my whole race, but......NOT SO! I was pleasantly surprised to have no issues at all with it drying. I haven't paid enough attention (because it hasn't demanded it), but it's for sure dry within 30 minutes or so of being on the bike WITH the pads in. *I did hear of a lady soaking and then freezing the removable pads though and then putting them back in the morning of a hot bike race, interesting!*  No chaffing issues with this bra either. The fabric is very comfortable and seems to breath really well too, and I've never seen my pink one with sweat stains. The bra is easy to get on and off, which is always important. Sizing is great, and if you're falling between two sizes, I say size down. Oh and it comes in it's own little wash bag, so machine washing is a breeze.
Cost - $39.95.  No, not your Target $10 clearance special, but so worth it.  You get a bra that you'll really like the way you look in, a bra that does it's job, and it'll last a lot longer than a cheaper sports bra.  Look around at other online athletic retailers, really well made bra's typically go for $30-$50 .  This bra is worthy of it's cost.

So there you go, I love this bra. As there slogan states, "It flatters, not flattens". It feels good, does what it should, and looks great. So I thought how much I'd love one of you to have one so I contacted the good people at Handful Inc. And, drum roll please..........they're giving me a code to give to one of you for a FREE bra of your choice off their website (you only pay shipping). That's a $40 value ladies!! I'm so excited! So here's the deal. I'm super impressed that Handful was willing to give away a free bra, so I want to help them out. If you will become a fan of Handful Inc on Facebook (they send promos to fans by the way), you can have a chance at your own FREE Handful bra. Just post some brief little schpele here on my blog about why you'd like a Handful too, and let me know that you became a fan, and poof, I'll enter you in the random drawing. You have until next Thursday, Sept 9th at 11:59pm to post a comment below, and then I'll announce a winner on Friday Sept 10th. Cool? Awesome!

Your favorite tri shop Powertri carries these wonderful bras now, and I seem to recall a 15% off code on my blog somewhere to help you out  :)  Go in and try one out or order online, you won't be dissapointed.