B+C+B+C+B+C: Hayden Half win!

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Hayden Half win!

Pretty sure I haven't worked this hard in..... ever.
Maybe Charity's birth.
And a few college races (one particularly grueling track 10K comes to mind).
But this was 90 minutes of insanely intense physical and mental endurance. I pushed it so hard I seriously thought I'd collapse at the end (and kindof did).
When I crossed the finish line at Honeysuckle Beach I beelined it straight into Hayden Lake. The freezing water and warm sun felt absolutely amazing as I shamelessly soaked my screaming muscles, praying I'd be able to walk again.

And praying a huge THANKS to Heavenly Father for answering my prayers and getting me thru that [self-imposed] ordeal successfully. My original goal was to go under 1:30. I missed that by 30 seconds.
But I don't really care - I gave it my all. I even finally broke in my last pair of free shoes I collected from business trades in UT (I miss the perks of that job, when I could take advantage of local deals). New shoes feel so amazing.
And I just wanted to WIN in this case (though I should focus more on hitting my time goal than winning, since that's theoretically more within my sphere of control).
I especially wanted to win because my parents drove all the way out for it. 2 hours roundtrip. Super nice of them. Wanted to make them proud.
So - today's racing torture was courtesy of that chick standing on the #2 podium.
She rode my tail the ENTIRE. TIME, Never let up.
Passed me on almost every uphill (check her short muscly legs!) forcing me to utilize my long legs to cruise past her on the downhill (kinda scary letting myself go!).

She had her hub and son cheering her on at 6 different spots on the course!! Now that's support! (though I'm in no way belittling what Brian does - playing with the kids at the beachy finish line - I get what I get and won't throw a fit) If it weren't for her, I probably would've ran at least 5 minutes slower. It was a super tough course - constant hills, lots of turns.
But gorgeous. Northern Idaho is so pretty.
I had to keep repeating positive phrases in my head over and over and over to keep the negative thoughts out.
It was mentally draining.
I remember thinking at the 6 mile mark that I should've signed up for the 10K cuz I'd be almost done by now.
It's so crazy to me to think of running DOUBLE what I ran today. I doubt I'll ever do a full marathon again. Halfs (halves?) are hard enough. I'd have to be back in 2:49 shape again to even consider it.
And I doubt that will happen - the self discipline of my college days is long gone.
The other girl in the photo wearing a pink jersey is Merissa. She's my new friend. Because she's wearing the same racing shirt.

See.... this is a big reason I love being on the Spokane Swifts team. Insta friends at every race! Easy to spot them!
She's done 2 Ironmans. That's NOT on my bucket list, nor is putting my hand in a blender. They both seem pointless and painful. But kudos to IMs out there for dedication!

So - every race doubles as a fantastic workout, meaning I should reap the benefits of being in good shape and do more races! Soon! Yay! I've got the next 3 weeks of races planned out (tentatively). So excited!

The girl in the photo below that is my friend Mandy. Met her at MOPS and library storytime. Awesome girl.

The kids hung out in the car reading stories for a bit while I was doing my thang. Lovelovelove it when they all get along. Brianna is such a good little reader to them! She gets totally animated and reads so expressively. So grateful. Charity looks s'darn sweet here! I just want to eat her.

They LOVED the finish line party. There was a giant inflatable to run and bounce in, lots of food and treats, fun woodsy areas to run around, etc.

A few complaints (because I'm a race snob and have an opinion about everything): Way too expensive. $85. Ridiculous. That'd pay for THREE half marathons in Utah. And the awards ceremony.... a full 90 minutes after I finished the race. Annoying to have to stay around that long. Bag the awards ceremony and just pass out medals as winners cross.
Also - there wasn't enough food for the slower marathoners. Very poor planning on the Race Committee's part - common sense: have LOTS of post-race food for starving runners.

This is the most rambling post I think I've ever written. Congratulations for following all the tangents to the end!

1 comment:

Amanda said...: Congrats! I was 7th woman.
I'm telling ya, do it next year. They reverse the course every year, and I swear it's easier on the even years. The downs are more gradual, easier to gain productive speed. And those really heavy hills during the second half will be out of the way before the halfway point!
Again good job, maybe I'll see you at a swift workout soon ; )
O ps; they had SO MUCH FOOD last year, maybe they over corrected. Oops; October 18, 2015 at 9:51 AM

Quotes I want to remember

"The Lord knows our bearing capacity, both as to coping and to comprehending, and He will not give us more to bear than we can manage at the moment, though to us it may seem otherwise. Just as no temptations will come to us from which we cannot escape or which we cannot bear, we will not be given more trials than we can sustain."
- Neal A. Maxwell

"It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters. We become enamored with men's theories such as the idea of preschool training outside the home for young children. Not only does this put added pressure on the budget, but it places young children in an environment away from mother's influence."
-Ezra Taft Benson

“Perhaps there has never been a time when we had greater need to pray and to teach our family members to pray. Prayer is a defense against temptation. It is through earnest and heartfelt prayer that we can receive the needed blessings and the support required to make our way in this sometimes difficult and challenging journey we call mortality.”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Live the gospel as conspicuously as you can. Keep the covenants your children know you have made. And bear your testimony! Don’t just assume your children will somehow get the drift of your beliefs on their own.
-Jeffrey R. Holland

"We hold in our arms the rising generation. They come to this earth with important responsibilities and great spiritual capacities. We cannot be casual in how we prepare them. Our challenge as parents and teachers is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of their premortal faith."
-Neil L. Andersen

"Certainly there are times when getting the family together to read the scriptures does not stack up as a spiritual experience worthy of a journal entry. But we must not be deterred. There are special times when the spirit of a son or daughter is just right and the power of these great scriptures goes down into their heart like fire. As we honor our Heavenly Father in our homes, He will honor our efforts."
-Neil L. Andersen

President Hinckley admonished both men and women to be nurturers. He said, ‘How much more beautiful would be the society in which we live if every father . . . and . . . mother regarded [their] children . . . as gifts from the God of heaven . . . and brought them up with true affection in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord.’ ”
-Susan W. Tanner

"Children are like trees. When they are young, their lives can be shaped and directed, usually with ever so little effort. Said the writer of Proverbs, 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it' (22:6). That training finds its roots in the home. There will be little of help from other sources. Do not depend on government to help in this darkening situation. Barbara Bush, wife of former U.S. president George Bush, spoke wisely: 'Your success as a family, our success as society, depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house.' "
-Gordon B. Hinckley

“I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion.”
-Henry B. Eyring

“Reverent behavior is not a natural tendency for most children. It is a quality that is taught by parents and leaders through example and training. But remember, if reverence is rooted in love, so is the teaching of it. Harshness in our training begets resentment, not reverence.”
-Margaret S. Lifferth

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."
- M. Russell Ballard

“As parents, we should remember that our lives may be the book from the family library which the children most treasure. Are our examples worthy of emulation? Do we live in such a way that a son or a daughter may say, ‘I want to follow my dad,’ or ‘I want to be like my mother’?”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Security for our families comes from learning self-control, avoiding the excesses of this world, and being temperate in all things.”
-Kent D. Watson

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Hayden Half win!

1 comment:

Pageviews last month