Canyonlands Half Marathon 2009

Were baaaack...and we had so much fun! Here's a little recap of our eventful weekend. We left for the kid less trip Friday afternoon with Lorens parents, sister Jen and family and headed off to Green River. We totally slacked getting a hotel in Moab so we ended up in having to stay there instead. We were bummed at first but after staying in the Holiday Inn Express it was worth the drive into Moab! It wasn't the fanciest hotel Ive ever stayed in....but it had the best service Ive ever had in a motel. The king sized bed was super comfy, the pillows nice and fluffy, the room had a nice flat screen, there was a pool, a hot tub, a full breakfast bar and I mean FULL, the lobby served hot cookies every night, they delivered a newspaper by our door every morning...this place was exceptional.... so we ended up being very happy there in Green River.

Friday night we went into Moab to pick up our racing packets and the town was a hoppin! I started getting excited, there were people everywhere. The weather was warm and we were loving it! After that, we headed back into Green River and went to bed semi early to get some good rest before the race. I ended up waking about 4 am saturday morning and couldn't go back to sleep. I started getting pretty nervous. All I could do was think....Was I going to feel good? Was I going to have to pee or worse off have tummy issues? Would I beat my goal? Get injured? all of these question's were running through my mind and I couldnt shut them up so I ended up just staying awake and I started getting ready for the race.

Saturday morning after breakfast we headed into town and parked the car so we could load up on a bus and get shuttled up the canyon. It was very cold and we were dropped off an hour and a half before the race started. I was miserable! I was wearing a skort and a light jacket and was freezing! I didn't like that part at all. It absolutely sucked! Another thing I hated about this race was the crowd. There were 3,500 ish people there to race and it was just too packed. When the race started we were all squished together and I couldn't find my pace very easily. I was weaving in and out of people and it bugged me. I finally got settled in but in all the chaos got separated from Lorens sister Jen. I just had to go....I was struggling finding my own place in the race so I just had to concentrate on the race. I tried to stick with her and kept looking back to find her but it didn't work out. We ended up running the whole race separately. Before the race we did talk about that possibility so I think it turned out fine.

The weather started to warm up quickly and then it became quite hot. I wasn't used to that at all because Ive been training in the cold so that was hard. I really pushed myself too because I wanted to beat my previous time. My last half marathon in October was 208:45. This marathon time was 157:15! I couldn't believe it! I shaved off 11 and a half minutes. I was completely shocked and extremely happy. Training sure pays off! I think weight lifting did too. Loren and Jen did great too....Loren ran it in 137 ish minutes and Jen in 214 ish minutes. We were all very happy! The last few miles were extremely hard, but it was all mind over matter. I couldnt believe the people who were stopping the last mile. I tried to encourage people around me to keep going becuase we were so close...... but some people just stopped. They started the race off to fast and hit the wall just before the finish line. I couldnt believe it! I kept asking myself.....why stop the last mile? This race also got me thinking about the marathon. Its in a month and I cant believe I am doing it! Ive got to double that race....Oh man! But I'm doing it....I know it will be the hardest thing Ive ever done but I'm ready for the challenge! I have made a plan in my mind and Im sticking to it!

After the race, we went into the Arches and hiked. Jens kids had a blast and I loved being there too. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world. That night we went back to the hotel and hit the hot tub and that was heaven! Sunday we went to Goblin valley and I was in heaven there too. When I was single I was a big hiker and camper and these places were my favorite places to go. I miss those days and cant wait to start taking the kids. I need to bring that part of my life back. I love the outdoors and the peace I find there.

So all in all... the trip was fun. The company was wonderful and we all had a great time being together. It was fun without kids, but nice to be home again with them. I sure missed them but I have to admit that I didnt miss changing bumms or looking for and filling up sippy cups all day....I really hate doing those things...especially the sippy cup thing!

Heres some pics of the trip.






Oh by the way...someone in our house has pooped on the potty! Can you guess who?

Not who you were expecting...Yeah...ME NEITHER! Lia just might be fully potty trained before Rowan!