After the race, we went back to the hotel, showered, got ready, and went to Red Robin for lunch. I was craving a burger and a beer. I was too hungry to take pictures but it was delicious!!
Then we went to Bridal Veil Falls. It was gorgeous!! I was not brave enough to climb the rocks to get closer to the falls.
Then we had some time to rest before our next adventure – ziplining! It was so much fun!! But I will admit that I was nervous. I’ve been ziplining once about 6 years ago.
I was scared! I kept thinking of all things that could go wrong. I know, crazy! I knew that the only way to get over that fear was to volunteer to be one of the first ones to go. I was also worried about the hand brake (afraid I would not brake in time) but the first time is the “hardest” one and then the rest was easy. I became a pro and would have zip lined the rest of the day!!
Afterwards we were hungry again and decided to eat Mexican food. Well, that turned out to be an adventure. Mexican food and margaritas go together, right? Someone suggested “Los Hermanos” in Provo. Well, it turned out they only had non alcoholic beverages. I searched Yelp and called two more places but neither had alcoholic beverages. Finally, we went to Joe Vera’s. Yes, margaritas with tequila! The food was OK. I ordered a dish with one taco and two tostadas. However, the tostadas had so much stuff on top of it (chicken, beans, guacamole, sour cream) that it was soggy and I couldn’t eat it the way a tostada should be eaten.
The next day was my flight back home. Marcia, Mary Beth, and I went downstairs for breakfast. Then it was time for the whirlpool to relax before my ride to the airport.
The weekend went by fast but it was still a wonderful trip!
State #37 is in the books! And here’s how it went.
Pre-Race I was looking forward to this race because I was meeting up with some blogger friends. My flight left Chicago at 6am and then I had a short layover in Denver. Then my flight left again at 9:25 am and I landed in Salt Lake City at 11am. There I met up with Mary Beth and then waited for Marcia to arrive before we picked up our rental car and made our way over to Provo.
Once in Provo we had lunch and then checked into our hotel. Then we went to the expo to meet up with the rest of the bloggers. Afterwards we went to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner and then back to the hotel to get ready for the race. Plus it had been a long traveling day and I was tired.
L to R: Judy, Marcia, Mary Beth, Holly, me, Teresa Photo credit: Holly Wilson
About the Race The race starts at Provo Canyon and it was mostly downhill. I was excited about it but knew that it would mean trouble because the quads would not be happy about it. It is also a point to point course and there were buses taking us to the start line as well as from the finish line back to the parking lot where we left the car.
Pre-Race The race began at 6am. That meant a 3am wake up call to get ready, drive to the mall parking lot, and get on a bus to take us to the start line. It was in the high 50s which was nice but it was cold in the canyon. We still had to wait about an hour for the race to start. Those two things are my only complaints: 1) early wake up call and 2) long wait time for the race to start.
I drank 16 ounces (two servings) of Pomegranate Blueberry Generation UCAN at 6:30 am and filled up my two small water bottles with Berry UCAN Hydrate.
Gear Oiselle Long Roga Shorts, Oiselle Flyout Tank, Pro Compression Socks, Headsweats Race Hat, Brooks Launch 4
The Race It was still chilly once the race began and I started running with a jacket. The plan was to toss it once I was hot but I ended up wrapping it around my waist. I just couldn’t bear leaving it on the course. I never got too hot because the course through the canyon was shaded and the sun was behind us.
The course was mostly downhill with some inclines and flat areas. But the flat areas didn’t really matter because the downhills really take a toll on your legs.
I was doing really good for 9 miles and then my quads couldn’t take it anymore. The last 4 miles were my slowest (13:17, 13:38, 13:04, and 12:12).
The view was AMAZING! I took some walking breaks and soaked it all in. I’ve run in over 30 different states and this by far has the best views.
Post Race I’m pleased with how this race went. My “A” goal was to finish under 2:30 and “B” goal under 2:45. My finish time is 2:34:59. I did not train properly for this race. My longest run was 10 miles so I knew I was not going to PR.
I did feel very sore for the rest of the day but that didn’t stop me from doing other fun activities (going to Bridal Veil Falls and Ziplining).
L to R: Mary Beth, Marcia, Holly, Teresa, me Photo credit: Teresa Bird
Final Thoughts I am glad I ran this race. I don’t mind traveling and running a race alone but it is so much better and fun with more people. The race was well organized, with plenty of water stations and the volunteers were wonderful. There weren’t too many spectators (once we left the canyon) along University Avenue leading to the finish line.
The weather was perfect too! We definitely did not get the heat wave that hit Chicago and other parts of the country during that time.
I love races that give out free photos! There is a video that goes with the photo of me crossing the finish line. I couldn’t upload it here but it was cool to see it.
As mentioned in this post, I’m attempting to get my own BQ. I am excited to be training using again the Hansons Method. In a nutshell, this training is based on the concept of cumulative fatigue. You train your body to run often so that you are frequently running on tired legs. The idea is to run this way so that during the last miles of a race you are prepared to push through the final miles. I purchased a new Hansons Method Marathon Plan and now will be running 5 days (instead of 6) a week.
Week #11, June 5-11
MRan 5.02 Miles T Did not run W Ran 5.12 Miles TH Ran 5.02 Miles F Did not run S Ran 13.10 at the Utah Valley Half Marathon S Did not run
I decided to do the Lake Michigan Marathon on September 3rd. I have not registered for it (cannot imagine it selling out) and am excited to train for it.
Monday’s run went great! Faster than I was supposed to but it must have been the weather or knowing that Tuesday was the last day of school.
Finally on Summer Break!!! My last day was Tuesday but I feel like I’ve been off for weeks (I am currently in Utah in vacation mode). I was done by 4pm and waited for two of my coworkers to finish up before heading out to eat and drink. A different room will be waiting for me in August.
I did not run on Tuesday but instead did my workout on Wednesday. I did not want to get up because I wanted to cuddle with Lola. My workout was 2M Warm Up, 10×1 min @95% effort w/90 sec jog rest, and 2M Cool Down (done at the gym). It went better than expected! I love that I am able to set up my workouts on Garmin Connect and then have it sync to my phone.
On Thursday I went back to the gym for a tempo run. In total I ran 5.02 miles (1M Warm Up, 3 Mile Tempo, and 1M Cool Down).
Friday was a travel day to Utah where I met a few bloggers and then Saturday I ran the Utah Valley Half Marathon. I am planning to have a recap soon. It was a fun but challenging race. The course was beautiful but it was mostly downhill and my legs were sore and tired by mile 9. I got a beautiful jacket instead of a shirt. I love the colors!
Total mileage for the week: 28.26 miles Total mileage for this training cycle: 238.97 miles Total mileage for the year: 287.16 miles
I’m linking up with Holly and Tricia for their Weekly Wrap and Courtney for her Training Recap Link Up!
As mentioned in this post, I’m attempting to get my own BQ. I am excited to be training using again the Hansons Method. In a nutshell, this training is based on the concept of cumulative fatigue. You train your body to run often so that you are frequently running on tired legs. The idea is to run this way so that during the last miles of a race you are prepared to push through the final miles. These plans are 18 weeks and have you running 6 days (easy, speed/strength, tempo, and long runs) a week with one rest day. I am not sure when I will qualify but am determined to get there.
Week #10, May 29-June 4
MRan 4.02 Miles T Did not run W OFF TH Did not run F Did not run S Ran 2.02 Miles S Did not run
This week did not go as expected. I missed way too many runs. I only ran on Monday and Saturday – and not even the mileage I was supposed to. I had zero motivation and was tired. Moving is taking longer and much more difficult than I thought. I am not done. My goal is to finish by Tuesday morning.
Wednesday was the end of May and I am happy to say that I ended the month having run 115.45 miles. That is my highest month so far! You can read my monthly review here.
On Friday I received a few items for my running cruise in July.
The cruise starts in Seward and ends in Vancouver.
I spent part of the weekend looking into a marathon to do in the fall. I am thinking of either the Lake Michigan Marathon on September 3rd or the Quad Cities Marathon on September 24th. Also, I am not sure what to do training wise – hire a coach, somewhat start over with the Hansons Plans (week 6) or purchase a 16 weeks training plan from Hansons Coaching Services. What I like about the latter one is that it is 16 weeks (I have 14 weeks till the Lake Michigan Marathon so I know I haven’t missed much) and it consists of running 5 days instead of 6 and it is also based on the number of miles a runner can and wants to do each week (I am thinking 30-40). I need to decide soon so I can start training tomorrow.
On Wednesday I joined a new gym, Formula Fitness Club. I checked it out about a week ago and like it a lot. I like the variety of classes and looks and smells cleaner/nicer than my current gym. Plus they provide towels, soap, shampoo, conditioner, and blow dryers. The parking situation is OK (my current gym offers free parking all day). There are various locations in Chicago and they offer free parking for 2 hours which is enough time to take a class and shower, if needed. I checked out the two locations that I will most likely be going, South Loop and West Loop, and there is also free street parking available till 8am. That will come in handy if for some reason I need to stay longer than 2 hours at the gym (I’ve stayed longer than 2 hours running on the treadmill during marathon training) or if I am in a rush and it is so much faster to park on the street then drive to the lot, park, and walk to the gym.
Tuesday is my last day of school and Friday morning I head out to Utah to run the Utah Valley Half Marathon. I will admit that I did not pay too much attention to the logistics till last week and realized that the race starts at 6am. Sigh. That means a very early wake up call since we have to take a bus to take us to the start line. Oh well, it will still be a fun race and it will make me happy to run in another state.
Total mileage for the week: 6.04 miles Total mileage for this training cycle: 210.71 miles Total mileage for the year: 258.90 miles
I’m linking up with Holly and Tricia for their Weekly Wrap and Courtney for her Training Recap Link Up!
I cannot believe May is almost over. Even more I cannot believe we are almost halfway through the year. I have not done a monthly review in a long time so here is one for May.
Miles Ran/Last Month:115.45/90.22. I did 19 runs this month for a total of 23 hours, 21 minutes, and 41 seconds.
Highest Mileage Week:38.13. This was during the second week this month and it took me 7 hours, 45 minutes, and 41 seconds.
Races Planned/Completed:2/2. The Cinco de Miler was for a friend to celebrate her getting a Master’s Degree in Counseling. She did not attend commencement but instead asked her family and friends to run with her. I also ran the Soldier Field 10 Mile which I signed up for back in November when it was $59. I’ve run it in the past and have always enjoyed it. This year was no exception. The weather was perfect, plenty of parking and I felt great for most of the race.
Current Ache/Pain:Sometimes my knees hurt. I need to do a better job of icing them. On the positive side, my IT band does not hurt as much when I foam roll.
Current Challenge:None.
Current Book: None, but I need to get a copy of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck for book club next month. Have you read that book?
Current Song:Won’t Go Home Without You by Maroon 5. I can listen to this all day.
Current Treat: Cold Brew Coffee from Starbucks. xSo good.
Next Race(s):Utah Valley Half Marathon on June 10.
Current Excitement: I am excited about my race in Utah. I will be running with Holly, Marcia, Mary Beth, and Teresa and am looking forward to meeting them (I met Marcia in March 2015 at a race but have not seen her since that race). My last half marathon was the Buffalo Half Marathon last year so it is time to do another one. Also, in July I will be in Seattle for one day and then head out to Alaska for a running cruise in which I will also run a half marathon and cross off AK off my list for state #38.
Linking up with Marcia, Patti, and Erika for Tuesdays on the Run.
