When in Utah, you do things you can only do in Utah. Like sit on grass with no bugs in it, enjoy being outside without sweating, attend the temple, stock up on cute shirts with sleeves on them and long shorts, eat cafe rio, shop for essentials at Deseret Book, order fry sauce with everything, visit friends and family who have returned to reside in the motherland, and run a race on a Saturday. Even if the last two mean waking up at 3am to get down to Provo in time for a 4am bus pickup. I checked the weather and dressed appropriately for the actual race, but I severely underdressed for the hours we'd be standing outside beforehand! Brrrr! At least the new Provo City Center temple is breathtakingly beautiful all lit up at night. (Errr...I mean morning...) Kasey and I saw Carly and had a crazy group hug that induced the first set of tears for the day and I knew it would be a good day.
It was freezing up in the canyon and I was so cold I ached.
I've never been so happy to see a campfire. People saw my poor bare arms and legs and compassionately moved me right up next to the fire, where I joined another woman with Raynauds in crouching down next to the coals and massaging the color back into our fingers. We all had ash on our hair and shoulders by the time the race began, and I could not have cared less. That fire saved me! With every mind huddled around in little groups in the woods around tiny bonfires in the dark, it felt a bit like we'd shown up for the "Barkley Marathons"!
Being up in that canyon for a couple hours before the race began was a special experience. There was good comradery, and watching the sunrise up behind those massive magestic snow capped mountains was glorious.
The race was amazing. Fast fast fast and downhill. I hit 5 miles in 50 minutes, and 6.2 miles in 62 minutes...a 10k PR for me for sure. Then at mile 7 I started to have some tummy trouble. Bad. I thought I might have to stop in the bushes. And not in the kind of way that anyone wants to stop in the bushes. Ever. TMI? Whatever. I just kept running and debating what to do and by some miracle, turned a corner and found an unoccupied port a potty (labeled "honey bucket", could there BE a worse name for a portable toilet? Hahahaha). It was perfect timing, but unfortunately the stop I made ate up a serious chunk of time. I think I could have PR'd at this race if I hadn't stopped. BUT I also might have had a serious disaster if I hadn't stopped, so even though I didn't break a record, I saved myself from public humiliation. That's a win!
Even with a bathroom stop, I still managed to finish in 2hrs 21 minutes...almost 9 minutes faster than the bentonville half! Talk about a fast course! Almost all of our training the past 6 weeks has been up and down Tiger Blvd and the Crystal Bridges Hill at Compton Gardens. To run downhill was such a treat! Killer on the quads but so worth it for how fun it was to feel like a fast runner.
These women. I love them. They are "sole sisters!" (Ha! See what I did there?) I love that when I got in Kaseys car at 0dark30am, we could have sat in complete silence the whole drive and still felt like we'd conversed when we got out. Instead we laughed and asked ourselves "what are we doing? Why did we sign up for this? No one should be awake at 3am! That's still yesterday!" And pepped each other up with pre race talk that only a training partner knows how to do. When I saw Carly I hugged her for like 2 minutes straight. Miss her already. Thank goodness for technology that keeps us emotionally connected to people we are physically far away from. I refuse to lose this girl! Being in this with friends I love made me all nostalgic and lovey feeling. Running through Provo canyon as the sun came up was a spiritual experience. I loved looking up at the snow capped mountains and bridal veil falls, and turned off my music as I passing under blooming tree canopies so I could hear the rushing Provo River next to me. It was a feast for the senses and I really made an effort to take it all in. That high lasted all day long.
I am actually kind of glad I didn't or at this race, because it will now remind me that I don't have to be at my personal best to have a wonderful experience. It was an unforgettable day. Thank you to my people for being there!
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