HOW? + Hobblecreek Race Recap!

(shoes, ((shoes before and after race that I’m obsessed with… FMTIB50 will get you 50% off)) top, shorts, socks, a bottle that I carried most of the way and kept dumping on myself)

Before the race recap, I need to talk about the most important thing–> Brooke is officially double digits.  HOW? I don’t know how the last ten years went by so quickly, but the next ten better go by slower.

She makes everything in my life brighter and has done that since the day she was born.

I love this sweet girl more than I could have ever imagined and cannot wait to celebrate her all day.

Let’s get chatting about Saturday’s race.  In 2019 I ran this course in 1:20:23, and on Saturday I ran it in 1:18:18… very happy with a 2:05 course pr.  I wanted a 1:17:XX, but the effort was THERE, so I’m thrilled with it all.

I woke up at 4:30 am to take a quick shower and eat.  I picked up Emilee at 5:05 and made our way to where the buses loaded everyone.  We used the bathrooms quickly and met everyone in line at 5:30 for the buses.

The trickiest part about the morning was that there weren’t enough busses (I guess a bunch of them didn’t show up!), so the race started 40 minutes late (7:40 am).  I was grumpy about it because it was getting warmer and warmer and the change in timing threw off my nutrition because I was starting to feel hungry again by the time we started for food… not just gels.  I like to be pretty exact with the timing of what I eat leading up to my race, so it tested my inability to be flexible with things that are out of everyone’s control.

The race started, and things felt smooth.  The first 4ish miles are fast downhill, but if you don’t stay in control of your pace and put a speed limit on yourself, you will crash and burn during the middle rolling miles and the flat final miles.  My good friend Jess’s husband, Adam, wanted a 1:17 (even though I knew he would run much faster ha) and that was my goal too, so we decided to run together.  For 7.5 miles, he was the best pacer.  He told jokes, would cheer when he saw a hill up ahead, and kept things so light and fun.  I don’t know anyone that gets excited about uphills while running a 5:XX pace, but his energy was contagious.

At 7.5, Adam said he was going to go ahead because he felt so good, and he crushed it with a 1:15.  Running with him—> I was in the 5’s.  After he left—> I went into the low 6’s.

At around mile 7, I passed the third place woman and then was passed at mile 9 by a different woman.  I held 4th for the rest of the race.  Both women that I saw along the way were so nice and great examples of women supporting women.  I loved it.

I took my gels at miles 4 and 8 and drank from my water bottle along the way.  I took a water and electrolyte drink at every opportunity and loved dumping water over my head.  My stomach was off for a few miles throughout the race, and I kept almost puking but did my best to change my thoughts to thinking about how the rest of my body felt better than ever.  Nothing felt too tight or painful (tired for the final miles, but that is to be expected), and I was so happy about that… we tapered well for the race!

The last .1 is on the grass to the finish line.  It is crazy how hard that simple change felt because my legs were wobbly from pounding on the pavement from the 13 miles leading up to it.   I was thrilled to be finished running, but I didn’t need to lay down on the ground like I sometimes do or cough like crazy, so I’m considering that a win!

The crew did amazing!

Toby and I first met at a race in 2012, and I have loved her friendship over the years.  Her daughter is running for BYU this year, and I cannot wait to see the amazing things she accomplishes.

The medal!   The next one I will be running for is the marathon.

Runner’s Corner knows how to feed their runners after a race… yummy fruit, huge slices of bread, and shakes.  Fruit after a race is pure heaven.

They also know how to keep kids happy at the end of a race!

The cool-down felt terrible.  We all felt awful.

Because of the late race start and hanging around the end of the race for so long, I was not loving running another 6 miles in the heat.  Andrew joined me for the last 2, and he made it possible for me to finish.  I think I was low on salt because once I had some, I felt a million times better.  20 miles for the day!

Time for the random things:

*Skye told me to ‘RUN FASTER’ each time I saw them ha.  She reminded me that I slowed down at the end, and she was not wrong about it.  She keeps me humble.

*The race was marked perfectly, and the aid stations crushed it by having water/electrolyte drinks right when I needed them!  It was so fun to see my old coach, Hawk, cheer for us along the course at the race.

*I looked at my watch less than ever before during a half, and I loved it.  I want to get better and better at running according to feel rather than #s because my best races/runs happen when I do that.  It helps me feel connected to my body; the more I learn to trust my body, the better experience I have in every aspect of life.  Our bodies are so incredible.

*I took Imodium before the race because I couldn’t go before but I am wondering if that is why I felt nauseated for a few miles.  Has anyone else ever had that happen?  The nausea could have also been because I was racing hard.

*There was a little drizzle of rain at mile 6ish, and it felt so good.  The cloud cover was helpful but still pretty hot and humid (but still much better than my race in July).  I cannot wait for the temps and dryness that come with the St. George marathon in October.  All the hard work we have all done in the summer will pay off this fall.

*I didn’t race with my phone or my sunglasses with me.  They say people change… and those might be my two biggest examples of that.

*I took first in my age group, wahoo!  I’m enjoying running faster times in my 30s than in my 20s.  We all chose the right sport that allows us to keep going with it for so long.  It is never too late to start or go after your goals.

*I was not cold after the race, but my lips were blue.

*Squatting for this picture was very painful.  Very.

—————————————————————————

Feel free to tell Brooke happy birthday today:). I will have her read them today!

Tell me something great from your weekend!

Would you rather run in humidity or in a headwind?  Or is there a different weather situation that you dislike more?

If you could only eat one fruit for the rest of your life, what would it be?