Walk like a Grandma...

Sunday morning, after two days of running and I am hunched over and my hips hurt. I am walking like a grandma. We finished the race in 27 hours and our average was 9 minutes and 15 seconds per mile. Not too bad. We were thinking it would be about 10 and a half minutes per mile.
The running was grueling...sitting in the car okay...and finish line fantastic! I ran at 6:30 p.m., 3:30 a.m., and noon. We were able to take a nap for a while Friday night but then we used an office in Midway to lie down and that was so nice until we woke up and realized it was not over yet we had one last leg of the race to do. That was the most chalenging part of the entire race, getting to relax and sleep and then wake up and not want to move let alone start running again. I was a big baby about it.
People were so great along the last leg of the race. It was along roads in this little town and everyone was out with their hoses spraying us down offering us water and cheering us on. That helped so much because it was so hot. As soon as I finished the last leg, I had so much energy and wanted to help the other runners too. I was out spraying them with squirt bottles and getting people water.
Rith was our last runner and it was so great to see him coming over the hill onto the field to meet us all and run into the finish line together. It was so great knowing that we all finished this challenge and did well at it.
We are already talking about next year but I will make sure that I streach more after the races and then I will not feel like an old lady.

Twas The Night Before the Big Race...

and all through the house, we are searching for all the little things that is needed. Running clothes? Check. Shoes? Check. Ipod? Check. Entertainment for our car time? Check.

Two days ago, I descovered that I really get irritated by change. What? Me? I have certain people on my team and even though they are 40, they are so afraid that they are not going to be in their cars with their friends. Are we sure that they are old enough to run this race or are they 12? Whatever. So we have rearranged ourselves and changed the legs that we are running. It makes no difference to them that we have been training for the legs that we had and that we had picked them months ago. Rith has a different leg that is much different than his previous ones and well I get the easiest leg of the race.
I am kinda disappointed in that. It is just not the same satisfaction in my mind. Oh well...I will get it over with in two days and I am sure that we will have a great time no matter what.

Wasatch Back

What was I thinking?!? You say do you want to run a race and I will say sure even before I know details. That happened to me two months ago. "Hey Nichola, so do you and Rith want to run Wasatch Back?" "Yeah sign us up!". Later we would find out the information about it. First, that it is a relay race that will last us what 30 hours and 180.5 miles. Second, it costs us over a hundred dollars each(we could have paid for almost all the concerts that we wanted to go to with that money and danced the same calories away). And lastly, we do not have very much time to train. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Well the race is coming up on Friday. I am trying to be ready for the whole thing and I guess that I will see how prepared I am for it on Friday. It did get me up off my lazy ass and started running again. I am now at that point that I miss running if I skip a day and that is nice to be back to that feeling. I am hoping that when I go out to California no one will ask me if I am pregnant...I guess that that is the best thing that will come out of doing this race. Well that and the bragging rights! I will get pictures up of it next week.

I almost fell off the treadmill...

I was so happy the other day when I was running on the treadmill at the gym. I should never be overly emotional on the treadmill because I just forget what I am doing. I was not planning on becoming emotional but there on the news was people getting married. All these gay and lesbians finally getting married. I was so happy for them and the United States that I almost started to cry! My eyes were all blurry and I was so distracted that I was not focusing on running straight and caught the edge of the treadmill and crashed into the handle bar.

My pain was worth it though. I am so happy that people are allowed to be who they are and the discrimination that has been happening against gay people has been so frustrating. I have been a Christian all my life and really took time to figure out what I thought about the religion and issues and Bible. Well my conclusion has always been that Jesus kicked it with people that were seen as sinful. Prostitutes, liars, and even someone that he knew would betray him and cause him to be killed. That in my book means that Jesus would have hung out with me, the drug dealer on the corner and any other person who does not fit into the perfect category.

Sex and The City

I do not think that men get Sex and The City...As I watched the movie I realized that they just could not understand the impact that that show made on the women who watched the show. The pressure to get married and saying good bye to all you married friends as one by one they get married. I remember the feeling that I had when my best friend was married. I had this strong bond with her and knew that everything was changing. Weddings of our friends are not happy...we are happy that they have found someone but we have to say goodbye to those times that they rely on you. This may be selfish but OK...It is important that your friend needs to hang out with someone when she is heart broken and alone and the husband takes your spot. We never were too busy with guys to hang out with our girl friends and if they were we sure did not like them. We loved to get together as much as we could and talk about anything. Guys think that the women on Sex and the City were so dirty but if they were to listen to conversations that women have they would realize that we do talk about sex the good the bad and the very bad. That is the appeal of Sex and the City, those girls stick together no matter what and are able to say anything to each other. That is every woman's dream to have girl friends that they can brag about their guys to, have around when their worlds come apart, and laugh with about all their lessons learned. Plus they may not be hot...but they sure know how to carry themselves and believe that they are fabulous!