London's Run~~2011

So, I ran my first half marathon yesterday...and it was awesome!! Even though I had already ran a full, that was a year and a half ago so this still felt like a big challenge. When I got there it was freeezing cold (high 30's) and I was in short sleeves and running capris. So, I stayed in my car until about 20 minutes before the start and blasted some tunes and the heater :) by the time I got out of the car the sun came up and it was warming up! I was so pumped for this race, I had my plan all figured out. I wanted to run a 2:20 time, which was reasonable, and to do that I would have to keep a 10:40 pace. I would also need to eat a gel every four miles...so I used my sports bra as a pocket to put two gels in :) hehe. Nobody could tell! So anyway, the race itself was super fun, I kept a glorious pace throughout and ended up running a 2:18! Haha, two whole minutes faster than planned! Kind of a big deal!! Anyway, I felt so good afterwards, I can't wait to run another one in two weeks!! Haha....it never stops :) Then the Ragnar is in four weeks, I'm so excited! We finally have our entire team so I can sleep easy at night. Anyway, I think I will make London's Run a tradition for the rest of my life, I love it!!

10 Miler...I'm ready!

Well on Saturday I did my first double digit run in like 7 months, a big fat 10 miler that actually felt really great! I kept up pace the entire time and I feel like I can push it a little faster come this Saturday at my very first Half Marathon! I've done London's Run the past two years, but only the 10K, so this year I decided to go all out and do the Half. I'm very excited because I think I will be able to actually make a time goal! My goal is 2:20, and I will be happy with a 2:25. Then- and this is really stretching myself- I'm going to do ANOTHER Half Marathon two weeks after. It's called Ethan's Run (named after a sweet little boy who passed away from heart defects) and it is run through the hilly locale of Las Sendas in North Mesa. I did this one last year (10K again) and I can honestly say it is the most challenging one I've done. I'm mostly treating this as a training run for the Ragnar Relay in 5 weeks, so I'm keeping away from the time goal and just focusing on running the hills strong and just finishing. I think it will be fun, I'm trying to get the entire team to do the 10K because it will be way good for us all to practice some hills in race mode. So yeah, that's the nest couple weeks running-wise.

Normal life-wise? Work, school, and playing. I would say my life is pretty easy, eh? Have a good week!

Life is about to get a lil crazy!

So, this is my schedule for this semester, if I move to full-time work (and I think I will!) It's gonna be wonderful...I think.

Monday- work, from 7 til 6. Come home, eat, run, do some homework, shower, bed.
Tuesday- work, 7 til 1. School from 1:30 til 4:15. Go home, internet class, relax or gym.
Wednesday- same as Monday
Thursday- Same as Tuesday, but with choir practice from 7pm til 10 (!)
Friday- work from 7 til 6. Go home and party!
Saturday- get up early and run anywhere from 6 to 20 miles (depends on where I am in marathon training!) then nap time, chores, errands, and party!
Sunday- Sleep in, church, relax, dinner, family time, bed before 11 (hopefully!)

I knew that this semester would be crazy, but not until now, after writing it down, did I really realize how much I have taken on. But honestly, there are people who have much more on their plates than I do! I am fully confident that I can do all of this, plus other things that need to be fit in such as scripture study, ward activities, races, small road trips, service, ect...you get my point. Routines are good...until I get sick of it. Which according to my calculations will be sometime around March...haha. Wish me luck!

On a different note, I am so incredibly lucky/happy/excited/scared out of my mind to be able to announce that I got into the East Valley Mormon Choir! For those that don't know....that's like the MoTab of Arizona. No joke. Our director takes nothing less than perfection (or as close as we can get in this earthly life) and the result of that is a sound which I have never heard or been a part of in my entire life. We are working on an oratorio that our director's brother composed. It's called Messiah in America, and the most wonderful part of it is that every single word is taken from 3 Nephi. The power of this music overwhelms me at every rehearsal, and I am so SO SO happy to be a part of it! Our performances are in March, everyone will have to come check it out!

Running updates--
London's Run 1/2 Marathon- 2 weeks.
Ragnar Relay- 6 weeks.
Pat's Run- sometime in April
Utah Valley marathon- less than 6 months.

I love running, and I love doing races and events like this even more! The Ragnar will surely be a fun time, basically it is 12 person teams doing a 200 mile relay over the deserts of Arizona. Needless to say, I am excited!!

Well this has been long and mostly rambling pointlessness, but who cares! I do what I want!