AF 1/2 Race Recap + You are GOING to face pain… so how are you going to face it?

That final sprint to the finish line= so much lactic acid filling up every inch of your body.

The morning started at 3:30 a.m. when my alarm clock went off.  I slept horribly but that is to be expected on race night, right?  I ate 1.5 bagels on the way to the start but made a big mistake and didn’t bring a water bottle.  I brought my hydroflask in the car but forgot a disposable water bottle to take in the bus and for the start.  I started the race thirsty and had some cramping because of it.  I tried to take in as much water/gatorade at each aid station and I’m so lucky it wasn’t hot because that could have really ended poorly!

The starting line is at a reservoir.  It could not have been more gorgeous.

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Utah hit a bit of a cold front at the perfect time and there was even some lightning and light rain as I was driving to the buses.   We were all shivering at the start and for the first few miles my feet were so frozen that they really hurt with each step. I knew that they would warm up and at about mile three I never thought about them again because they felt great again.

The race gave space blankets in the gear bags which was so nice because they kept us warm.  We even kept them on during our .5 mile warm-up.

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The race started right at 6 and we were off.  I ran near my friends a bit but I ran alone for most of the race.  At mile 5 I threw away my gloves and hand warmers and felt really great.  I knew I was going to have a great day out there.

The majority of the race was a blur (that’s what happens when I am really focused… I don’t notice a lot of things going on) but the best part was seeing Andrew and the girls at mile 9 which is the hardest part of the course.  You get some rollers in there and after a lot of downhill in the first half your legs are trashed on those rollers.  My breathing felt great but my legs felt dead when I saw them.   At mile 10 I saw my running partner Jenn and that was a huge boost too.  Love seeing my people out there and needed to at these points because the final miles are rough on this course once your legs are shredded.

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Along the course there are so many incredibly encouraging signs from cancer patients (all proceeds go towards cancer research), survivors and families that have lost someone to cancer.  They make you so so thankful for the survivors and also for the opportunity we get to run each day.  The signs make this race so incredible and I’ll always be back to continue to support it.  The entire race has a completely different feel about it because of its cause and I know that is what draws so many people in Utah to come do it.

I saw Andrew and the girls again at the end and it was so nice.

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Another podium sweep for the Runner’s Corner women (only one of the guys on our team ran the race and he finished in 1:13 and was also on the podium).

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Final results.  My gps didn’t start working/connect until about 5 minutes into the race and it kept beeping way after everyone else at each mile but my fastest mile was 5:57 (super downhill mile) and my slowest mile was 6:43 (rollers) but I finished with a 6:07 mile (mile 12) which I’m happy about.

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Love having them here!

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Brooke wants to adopt Emilee’s dog!

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And we all enjoyed the post-run eats.

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Here is what I won which is crazy because the other day I was telling Andrew I wanted one of these backpacks and had no idea that it was going to be a prize.

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And now for a few random thoughts that are kind of all over the place:

*Kneader’s french toast needs to be at the finish of every race from here on out.

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*Races are my version of partying.  I’ve never been a late night person so it’s nice that running/racing is done in the very early hours of the day so I can get out with my friends and do my version of partying ha;)

*I try to go into each different race that I do with some sort of thought or mantra for the morning.  For this half-marathon I went into it thinking about how I know I am going to face pain in that 2nd half of the race and probably a lot of it.  I think once we acknowledge that it is going to hurt, we are able to better decide how we are going to face it.  Are we going to be afraid of it and let it slow us down?  Are we going to let it take over our thoughts and turn our thoughts about ourselves to negative ones?  Are we going to quit?  Or are we going to be brave?  Are we going to welcome the pain because we know that pain is part of the package deal of reaching new goals?  We can take the pain and let it fuel us to greater things.  We can talk our brains into holding the pace because the hard thing to do is often the right thing to do.

This is one of my favorite quotes ever.   I’ve thought about it a lot when it comes to real life problems/situations but it is a great one for running too.   I didn’t repeat the entire quote in my head during the race but from miles 10-12 I repeated often, ‘harder right’ because I want to do the hard things in life because I know they bring the best results.  I also thought about this quote during my marathon last October.

PS this is a quote I talk about with my kids a lot too so when I think about it for myself it makes me really want to follow it because of how bad I want my kids to use this in life:

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*Something else I thought about when I was so tired and wanted to slow down was that at least I wasn’t running 50 miles:). <— that race ate me alive so now that I finished that, I can always think about it to help me to avoid quitting different races.

*I was 20 seconds off from my PR in 2015 from a similar course.  I didn’t look at my watch much or really know when I was going to finish (I thought I was at about a 1:23:30 finish) but after I finished I started wishing that I would have known how close and pushed it a bit more.  But then again, I was really pushing it and it was nice to race more off of feel than what my Garmin was telling me to do.  You can always look back on an effort and wish you did something different or you can congratulate yourself for how awesome you did.  Let’s choose to congratulate.

PS I am sure that if I ran a flat course I would be much closer to a 1:25 fitness wise but most of Utah races give you downhill miles in the beginning of a race to make up for the altitude. I’m always very happy if I can make it to the podium based off of my effort though!  We trained through this race without a taper so I’m excited to see what a tapered half will look like!

*Love the hat and shirt that you get with this race!

IMG 9064*Super excited to start running with Merri too!

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*Walking yesterday was rough.  My legs were very sore yesterday so hopefully they are better today.

*Andrew told me my race face makes him nervous ha… I get so in the zone I look really angry!

*I think I might be switching fuel for a little while.  I took a Huma before the race but then used this gel at mile 6.  It’s a lot thicker which I don’t love but the flavor is great and I felt that caffeine boost big time.

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PS does anyone else wish they could brush their teeth right after they eat a gel ha… they feel stuck to my teeth when I eat them.

*I ran without my phone!  This was my first half ever that I raced without a phone/music and I loved it.  It was so nice to only carry a gel and to really focus on running.  Next up—> racing a marathon without a phone/music.  I think it really helps me to concentrate on the task at hand personally and I’m loving it.

*I meant to do a 2-3 mile cool-down but kept getting lost on the way back and I didn’t have my phone which resulted in a 4.7 mile cool-down.  I need to make sure to take my phone for all of my runs outside of a race.

*I finished the race and my lips went blue asap.  This happens every race for me along with a case of runner’s cough.  Whenever I go at a hard effort, I start coughing like crazy when I stop.

*The race gives out your drop bags with an awesome tag on them too which makes things so easy.  You don’t have to write your name/number with a sharpie and afterwards it took them about 20 seconds to find my bag.

*Very very grateful to do this life with Andrew!  He didn’t have work on Saturday!  I’m so thankful for all that he does to encourage me with my passion.

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Who is your biggest cheerleader for your running?  

When is your next race?

What percentages of the time do you run with your phone?

What time do most races start where you are at?

-In Utah we start EARLY… usually in the 6 o’clock hour!

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73 comments

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Wow, am I the first to comment? Yippee! Girl, you are BLAZING FAST!! I am so proud of you! And to run that fast while being thirsty?! Amazing.

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HEY YOU! Oh thank you so much! Definitely learned from that mistake haha… never again. I hope you have an incredible day Stacey and tell your little guy hi from me and Skye:)

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My biggest cheerleader for running is my son. He is always impressed with my medals :)

My political race is August 1 (and possible September 12 if there is a runoff). But I am tentatively planning on the the Tomato Head 5K August 10!

I run with my phone 99% of the time. I do have the Apple Watch where I don’t need to run with the phone, but using the watch for music via Bluetooth drains the battery quickly.

Most races in the summer in Nashville start at 7 or 7:30.

Have a wonderful week! 38 days till the election!

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AHHHH just 38 days until your election… I wish I could come vote. The Tomato Head 5k will be the perfect way to celebrate the election and your win:) . Love that your son is so proud of you. Have a beautiful day Tonya!

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I told my cousins that I ran with that next year I’m doing the half. I didn’t expect 3/4 of the 10k to be uphill haha. I kept thinking “ok the down hill has to be around this corner” it didn’t go down hill until probably that last mile! But it was still fun!

You did awesome!

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I’ve heard the 10k course is so hard and YES TO THE HALF NEXT YEAR!! I am so happy you are back running pain free. Have a wonderful Monday Jenny!

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Congrats on your race!! I was wondering…do you do any kind of calorie counting/macro counting during training cycles, or is your approach to nutrition more intuitive even when training? I’ve struggled with disordered eating in the past too and was just wondering how you approach fueling your body appropriately without letting the “food” thoughts (I think you know what I mean!) take over.

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HEY BROOKE!! That is a great question. I do zero counting of anything… it’s been a very long time since a relapse for me but counting calories/macros is like playing with fire for me. I love the intuitive eating approach and truly try to eat what sound good to me (or what I have time for with kids ha:) each day. Have you read Intuitive Eating yet? Have you worked with a professional? Both of those things helped me out big time.
I always tell myself that I have zero control over my first thoughts but from there I have all of the control and can choose to keep thinking about food or to move on with my day. I’m always here for any other questions. My running is better than ever when I truly fuel myself (I have a post about that scheduled for later this week…) and it’s amazing how much better I feel and the less I think about food when I am eating more dense meals and more fat. I had way more thoughts about food when I wasn’t eating enough… the more fat I eat each day the less I think about food because I’m satiated! You can do hard things!

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You look so fierce in that first picture! & your legs look so strong! Great job girl! 6:16 pace?! Rockstar!

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ASHLEY… it’s time we hit up a lunch date. I want to hear ALL about your trip. I might have been extremely jealous:) Thanks so much love!

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6:00 seems super early for a race although innsummer time it makes sense. Races in TN are more at 8:00, some 7:30.
So what was the temp? It’s not that cold here So
Hard to imagine that.

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I should have included that. I think it was around 35 at the start. It warmed up a lot over the miles but it never got hot. 8:00 seems so late to me ha because they do races so early here. Have a wonderful day Mary!

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Yay congrats! I think you accidentally posted your phone number though – in the photo with your bag! I think you definitely want to blur that out ;)
Great post and congrats on your speedy race!

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Ahhhhh you are the best! Definitely didn’t realize that! Thanks for having my back Krista! Have a beautiful day!

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Of course! I am big on privacy and I am sure you are too so I knew immediately it was a mistake :) Have a great day, too!

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YES!! Seriously, thanks again!!!

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Hey Janae, I can still see the phone number I think. Maybe check again? This is 4pm eastern time here.

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Awesome!!! You ran such a great race!
My dad is probably my biggest cheerleader. He was a state (Virginia) champ cross country runner in high school and still ran when I was a kid, so he gets it.
I signed up for the Twilight 8K in my neighborhood, which is an evening event in mid-July. Should be fun!
I run about 90% of the time with my phone, but just stuck in my belt. I’ve only recently started listening to music on my Aftershokz.
Most races are at about 8 a.m.
I’m always impressed by the swag for the races you run, then I realized that somehow Maryland seems to think runners want beer after racing (yuck) and maybe they would have better swag if they didn’t waste money on that, LOL!

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I love the relationship you have with your dad! So special and what an incredible runner! Oh that Twilight race sounds like a blast. You need to come race in Utah if you ever get a chance ha… I don’t think any road races here have beer ha… just a lot of sugar:) . Enjoy your day Corey!

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I am just so freaking happy for you. I feel like this is your year and you are unstoppable and I can’t wait to see what else you have in store.

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Thanks Megan… and next Jimmy round we WILL be there:) . LOVE YOU hahah!

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Congrats on your race!!! So awesome and inspiring! I love that quote by Pres Monson- I’m taking that with me for my marathon this year! My husband is a huge supporter for me- he believes in me more than I do most days! I just love your blog! It helps me be more excited for running :):):)

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Thank you so much Alicia and PLEASE keep me updated with your marathon training this year. I’m cheering you on too and I love that your husband is so supportive of you! I hope your Monday is a great one so far!

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Wow, you are fast!! Congratulations! It sounds like you had a great day, despite forgetting a water bottle.
My husband and sons are definitely my biggest cheerleaders, but my sister and sister-in-law are too, with their good luck texts before races, encouraging texts during training… Family really is awesome!
Races out here usually start early as well. It can be hard sometimes to set that alarm, but you’re right, it’s nice to have most of the day left to do things after you’re done ?
No races for me on the calendar for quite a while, so I’m really doing well keeping a good base, doing lots of strength and core work, and yoga at least once a week. I think mentally I needed a break from racing. So, we’ll see where this “break” takes me.
Have a great start to your week ?

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Thanks so much Wendy! I love how many cheerleaders that you have in your life and I am sure that you are all of their biggest cheerleaders too. You are building an amazing base and I am so excited for you.. breaks are NEEDED.

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Janae!!!! Congrats on an AWESOME race! I was so excited when I saw your post on IG :)

I get blue lips after a long run or a hard effort too! Good to know I’m not the only one. I feel so self conscious when people point it out.

Besides my husband, my training partners are my biggest cheerleaders. H is always proud of me even when I’m not. My friends are good at calming me down before a race so I can focus and run.

Races usually start between 7am and 8am. I prefer the early races. It can get too hot or too sunny after 8:30/9am.

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Everyone points out my blue lips too… don’t worry, you are not alone. I love that you have such great training partners and an amazing husband… having them is the best. YES… those later races get so hot. I hope your Monday has been great so far Elizabeth!

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Thanks for sharing.
I am my biggest cheerleader.
Have a great Monday riding the high from a great race!!

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Thank you Erica! I love what you said… we all need to be our own biggest cheerleaders. Hope your Monday has been great so far!

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CONGRATULATIONS!!! You are so fast and such an inspiration. Great job and another great race and another podium finish!!

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Thank you so much Joy! I hope you are doing well and having a great day:) .

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Oh wow oh wow oh wow I LOVE that pic of you at the top – you look strong a fierce! You should get a painting of that made. Congrats on an amazing race!

I also get the blue lip problem after really hard races or workouts, no matter what the temperatures. Yup, even in the summer. It must be all the blood rushing to our leg muscles and away from our lips haha.

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Thank you so much Victoria! What is it about the blue lip stuff… I think you are right on with that theory! I hope your day has been a great one!

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Way to go, Janae!!!! I ran the Mammoth Half Marathon yesterday and Deena Kastor (!!!) gave us a pep talk. She said running is the perfect opportunity to really challenge ourselves and grow, so that when unexpected life challenges arise, we are tough and ready for them. The race was at 9000 feet so we got some downhill miles in the first half, but the final mile was uphill and, for me (who lives at sea level), one of the hardest miles I’ve ever experienced (the finish line was at 7800 feet). Congrats again on the strong race!

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DEENA GAVE YOU A PEP TALK… oh my goodness, I love this so much and I have to share this if that is okay:) . HUGE congrats to you, you rocked it and finishing on an uphill at such a high altitude, UNREAL. Congrats Emily!

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Of course, share away! :)

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Congrats on such a strong race! You look so fierce and on fire! I love that Andrew brings the kiddos to your races!
I don’t have a race picked out yet but I’m getting the itch to sign up for a trail race. I’m thinking a trail half and luckily we usually have a ton to chose from around here!
I’ve done most of my racing with my phone so I can listen to music or have the option to listen. It hasn’t been much of an issue to carry it since I usually run with a vest and it just slides right in to the front pouch.
I think that’s great to start racing so early! I imagine Utah starts early to avoid the heat; we don’t have that problem in the NW! Races here usually start around 8-9 which I feel is way too late. I love an early start; my favorite marathon starts at 7 and although it makes for a really early wake up, it’s great being done with so early.
Have a great day!

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Hey Jenny! It really is so great that he brings them (and probably harder than actually running the race himself ha. Oh I am so glad that your vest makes it all so easy to bring. I’m with you… I love the early start and I hope your next one starts early. Thanks so much and I hope your Monday is a great one.

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I too just discovered Clif gel. I think they taste a lot better than Gu and will be using them from now on. Ran a marathon on Saturday and even though the Clif gel at mile 17 tasted great, I still couldn’t get myself to take one more at around mile 21, which might have helped me finish stronger. Maybe next time!

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HUGE CONGRATS ANGELA!! That is so awesome. That happened during St. George last year for me… during those final miles I couldn’t keep anything down. Congrats and I hope you recover well!

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I am SUPER jealous of your early start times for races! Here in central NY the start times are usually around 8am. For those of us who are early runners 8am feels like a lunch time run and it starts to get hot/humid!

Did you notice they didn’t enter your place in your age division? I assume that’s because you were so speedy and came in first!

Congratulations on another great race!

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Oh wow, 8 am does feel so late especially when racing in the heat/humidity! You are strong Bridgette! So I think that they take the top three out of the age group awards! So the girl that took first in my age group had a slower time than I did if that makes sense. Thanks so much and I hope your Monday is great so far!

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I love reading your race recaps, and learning how to race. I have run a lot of half marathons and even fulls, but lately I am working on racing them, and that is really hard to learn when to push and when to not go out too fast, and especially how to fight through the tired legs and fatigue.

My husband is definitely my biggest cheerleader. He is always willing to watch the kids so I can go out and do what I enjoy.

I am racing the Heber Half this coming weekend. I raced drop13 two weekends ago, and did great but it was not the race I was hoping for so I am hoping that I can dial in the mental game and race Heber.

Congratulations on a great race! There are so many fun half marathons in Utah in June.

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Thank you so much Collette and I am SO exciting about your racing goals. It is a weird thing to learn how to pace them and at one point you can really go full out during a race (hence why the 10k kills me because you start out so fast ha). PLEASE let me know how HEBER GOES! I am so excited for you… this is your race.

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So awesome for you! I bet you loved having him and the kids there! My husband is my biggest cheerleader and goes to all my races and bikes next to me on long runs and tells me how awesome I am even after a simple 3 mile run. He’s the best.

Races usually start around 7, I guess just depending on the time of year. My next one is a marathon in October…………it will only be my 3rd marathon ever, and my first was 2013 and I finished in 4:04, then I did 4:30 in 2015, and I am soooooo hoping to break 4 hours this year. Training starts next monday!

Have a great week!

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Oh I love that your husband is so supportive of your running, it is the absolute best. THIS IS YOUR YEAR… sub 4 is all yours Loribeth. I’m cheering LOUD for you!

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Congrats on such an amazing race!!

My husband is definitely my biggest cheerleader!

My next scheduled race is Mr. Toad’s Wild Race in December and then the Dopey Challenge in January.

As long as I’m running with other people, I typically don’t take my phone. I’m about 50/50 on races though.

Most races here start between 7-8am. Crazy. I like the 6am start time :)

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Can I come do those Disney races with you?! They sound like so much fun! Seriously… the 6 am start is where it’s at. I hope your day is a great one Marissa!

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Another great, strong event for you! You’re building a record of performance. Injury-free HRG at the same time!!

Your thought about the phone/ music is interesting because so many use music to pump up the jam. So, you were pumped? Well, you noted the new gel and the caffeine boost. So, caffeine > music. For now. ; )

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Oh thanks so much Lee… it’s so nice to not be injured all of the time now. YES, music has pumped me up for many races now but you are right, I think that caffeine might be doing more of that ha. Have a wonderful Monday Lee!

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Awesome job Janae!! You are so speedy! :)

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Thanks so much Amber! I hope your week is a great one and please keep in touch!

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I LOVE Cotopaxi!!! I have that bigger version of that bag, you are going to love it! My husband and I are going on our honeymoon at the end of July to CO/UT/AZ to hit up some national parks and I told him we should go to Salt Lake City to his brother for a night (but really I just want to go to the Cotopaxi store ;)

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AHHHH congrats on your wedding! You are going to have to let me know your favorite parts about your honeymoon and I hope you love Utah a lot! Hahaha enjoy the Cotopaxi store… it is the best!

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You are amazing!!! Congratulations on another awesome race. And that first picture of you sprinting to the finish is total beast mode!!! :) Congrats on all of your hard work-you deserve it!

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Oh thanks so much Emily! That means a lot to me! I hope you are having a wonderful day and keep me updated with your running!

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Loved this recap! First of all — those pictures! The one of you crossing the finish line is definitely the best I’ve ever seen. And 3rd place! WooHoo! Please try the Science In Sport Gels. No more gunk on your teeth or the feeling like your throat will clog up with gel!
My next race is in Utah! I will be at the July 27 American Fork half. Will you be there? We are arriving in SLC on Thursday night and leaving Sunday. I’m hoping to visit any or all of the places you recommend. Is there a Kneader’s in that area? A great donut place? (Of course I’m taking your lead on all food!)

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Huge congrats, Janae! I love that ‘harder right’ quote :) My next race is a week on Sunday and it’s our local town half marathon which I’ve not run before (this is only its second year, and I was injured last year so I marshalled instead). It’s an 8.30 start but that’s a bit earlier than usual – I had a 10.30 start this weekend and that was quite civilised! I can’t imagine starting at six!! I generally run with my phone so my other half can track me, and also because I got a stress fracture on a run once and I was really glad I could contact him! Oh, and my biggest cheerleader – that’s him too :)

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Congrats on an amazing race! I always run with my phone with music, but I am challenging myself to go without sometimes. We will see how it goes!
What was the backpack that you won? I’ve never heard of it!
My next race is on July 4th – 4.5 mile run.
Do you still go to Burn Bootcamp? I’m a regular and am wondering how you incorporate in with your intense training.

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Rachel!! It was one from Cotopaxi which I am loving so much… it will be great for traveling, hiking etc! Yeah… that’s my goal the next few weeks! I need to get back… I keep taking breaks fro races so that I’m not sore but I am not doing well with strength right now. You are my inspiration to get back. Have a great night!

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I wasn’t really going to comment but I couldn’t get what you said about races being your version of partying out of my head. So I came back… We’re looking at adding some more expensive group fitness stuff for me to our budget- mainly so I’ll go out more and socialize. And it sometimes makes sense. And sometimes seems silly ’cause I can get a great workout alone at the cheaper gym. But fitness stuff is my partying! And it’s a chance to hang out with other people who see it that way too.

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My husband (and kiddos!) are my biggest cheerleaders, but then it is probably my parents, sisters, and closest girlfriends. But when I ran Boston, my law partners were apparently tracking me during a CrossFit workout and bragging to their workout group…. that made my day!
Next race is Pikes Peak marathon…. that will be my longest trail race to date, and I’ll be coming from basically sea level – it is going to be more of a hike than run, I’m afraid. I am doing a few trail 5ks to prep for it, but I”m not counting them at races because they are at 7:00 p.m., in Texas heat and humidity so they won’t be true races.
I usually run most races without phone/music – I sometimes pop in ear buds and listen for the last hour but I’m beginning to think that losing the weight of the phone would make it worth it not to have it. I ran Boston without any music, but had my phone because I didn’t want to go to the start without it and then couldn’t ditch it…. Maybe I will leave it behind next year.

Congrats on your race, you are an inspiration to me- I talk to my husband like I know you and I”m like “You know, the girl who broke 3 in the fall” LOL. My next running goal (after the trail race) is a sub -3 …and you make me think it is possible!

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PIKES PEAK MARATHON! You have to let me know how it goes. I am so excited for you ahhh! And that sub 3 is all yours. I can’t wait to hear how you do it and I’m glad we are friends! Tell your husband hi too! I love that your law partners were tracking you, so so cool. Have a great night and keep me updated on all of the things!

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I’ve chipped from 3:48 at the end of 2017 (not my slowest, but that was when I realized I could really improve) to 3:11:25 in Boston this year… so surely I can get those 11:25 off :).
And thanks, I can’t wait to follow your journey and share mine!

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Oh my goodness, huge improvements! I have no doubt that 11:25 will come off!

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I was just thinking , WOW your races start so early!! Why is that? All the ones I have done have never started before 7!
My biggest running fan is my hubby! He is always at the finish line to capture the biggest smile on my face! All my family lives up north so I do get all the encouraging texts from them before and after!!
My next half will be in the fall! I have a couple smaller races planned for the summer, its just too hot in NC to run more than 6 or 8 miles outside in the heat!!

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Thanks so much for this post! My husband is by far my biggest supporter. He is always encouraging me and puts up with my whining and kicks out my doubts. He also doesn’t complain about the money I put out for races and shoes and doesn’t complain about training time so I’m SUPER blessed with that.
I appreciated your message in that post. I really need to work on my mental game. My last race, Utah Valley, I was super jazzed. I knew I would PR and prepped for it. I was so excited. We traveled there early so I would be fresh and then….. disappointment. I can’t put my finger on it, but I just didn’t do well that day. In fact, I cried as I passed the finish line because I was SO disappointed about my time. I immediately told myself to snap out of it. Here I was a grown woman crying like a four-year-old who just dropped my ice cream. I had to think of the things I WAS thankful for. It helped to count my blessings, but I’m still super sad about that performance. I know I need to let it go and move on. Positive vibes only from here on out.

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You are not alone in this. I cried the last time I did the utah valley marathon for the entire last 10k! We put a lot into these races and when we have a bad day it’s okay to feel those emotions! It’s those terrible races that make the great ones feel that much better! I’m cheering for you Lisa!

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My husband is definitely my biggest supporter! It makes such a difference!!
I’m running a half marathon this weekend! I’m not in PR shape, but still hoping to run strong. I love what you wrote about pain. I am going to be chanting BRAVE in my head on Saturday!
I rarely run with me phone. Once I had kids, I felt like my world got so loud and running became my chance to have quiet. Now, I just run with my phone if it’s a safety thing or if I am trying to run hard and need the music motivation.

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It’s awesome to see your running taking off again Janae. I love following along. It’s cool your training partner came and cheered for you too. I wish we had more races locally that were easy to cheer. You can argue Philadelphia is easy, but getting in from NJ and then finding a spot to park or wait for a train can be…a pain. Anyway, congrats again!

You should come and do the Big Cottonwood Half or Full so we can hang. Full and you can pace me…it would most likely to your easy pace right now though LOL.

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You are doing cottonwood??? Ahhhh! I will come cheer for sure!!! So thrilled about this! You are going to crush it??

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Congratulations on an awesome race! So jealous you start at 6 — on the east coast we rarely have races that start before 8, even in the summer :(
Did you all leave the house at the same time? Is is hard to get the kids out of the house that early?

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Do you have any easy fuel suggestions for people like me who don’t like the texture of the gels. I’ve tried numerous time and just can’t get past it, especially when running! I’m training for my first marathon so I am going to need to start figuring out how to fuel my body during runs. Thanks :)

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