3 reasons running makes you better than her.

I combine two of my passions in this article on Family Share ~ running and writing.  Don't let the title deceive you.  Let it inspire you.

Ragnar 2015

I have always wanted to try Ragnar, but with it being so expensive, and my priorities on other races, it just hadn't happened yet.  Ragnar is a 200 mile relay-race from Logan to Midway consisting of 12 runners.  Josh's company, Deseret First Credit Union, decided to put a team together.  I was an alternate in case any one dropped out.  Well, turned out several people dropped out, so I got picked to run.  Meet (half) the team: Spencer, Matt, Kaylee, Me, Abby, Steve.  Strangers here, BFF's at the end!

Originally I was supposed to be Runner 6, which consisted of 3 separate legs: 6.9 miles, 2.3 miles, and 2.6 miles.  But last minute, another runner wanted to switch from a harder leg to that one.  So I became Runner 7.  My first leg was a 5 miler.  It started around 4:30pm and it was 92 degrees.  I am not trained to run in the heat, so it was pretty hard.  Luckily, there was a guy who lived on the route who had a hose just spraying the runners.  He was my favorite person of the day.  I also saw some sprinklers and made my way through those.  I did it at a pretty average pace.

First leg, done!

Most Ragnar runners have to find a place to sleep like high school football fields, or school floors, etc.  We were lucky enough to have a runner in our van whose brother lived in Mountain Green.  He let us crash at his house.  I got my own bed and even my own bedroom!  It was a dream!  My next leg was a 4 miler and I started at about 6:30 in the morning.  My perfect running time!  I ran on a trail the entire time next to a highway.  It was actually really beautiful.  This next picture was right after my leg.  Rockport reservoir.

There is A LOT of waiting during this race.  We got to know each other VERY well, and spent our time cheering on other runners, sitting in the porta-potty's, or making cool rock formations...

On the way to my last leg, we got pulled over.  It was ridiculous and unnecessary, 

but luckily no ticket!

I was SUPER nervous for my last leg.  It is known as "Ragnar Hill" and is the hardest leg in all of Ragnar history.  2800 feet elevation gain over 10.3 miles.  I had a few motivational quotes on my phone, and wrote my kids names on my arm as well a boy (Hayden) who is about Ian's age.  He just woke up one day and couldn't walk.  After a lot of tests etc. they determined he had some kind of stroke.  Anyway, he is getting back to walking with a walker and he and his mom inspire me every day.  He had recently gone on a hike and made every step.  He said it was so hard for him but he did it.  It was (and continues to be) so inspirational and I thought about him a lot during that run.

After running a flat mile, the hills came and they came fast.  I came to a fork in the trail, and there were no signs telling us where to go.  A group of runners decided to follow the main trail, so I followed.  Unfortunately, about a mile in, we realized that we had made a wrong turn.  So we had to run another mile back to where the route was.  Who would have known that we were supposed to run up a STEEP grassy hill instead of following the main trail.  Apparently, we were.  This was at the top of the hill, and trust me- it was A LOT steeper than it looks!

This was almost to the top of the summit!  It was SO beautiful, but SO hard!  Below is a map of the elevation and mileage.

It was very anti-clamatic to finish that run!  I was so happy to be done and felt very accomplished.  I was excited to see my team and to receive my own special medal just for conquering the hill.  However, when I got to the finish line, my team wasn't there and they had run out of medals.  I waited for about 45 minutes (I had no cell service), and finally some volunteers drove me a couple exchanges down to where I met my team.  

But here am I with my team crossing the final finish line.  DONE!

 Most of our team:

The greatest support system and running coach there is:

Finally got BOTH my medals!

 Some of my swag:

Ragnar, I'm not sure if we'll meet again...maybe when my kids are all grown.  You are a beast, but I conquered you!  Until next time.

Ogden Half Marathon

I just wanted to share a little bit of my Ogden Half experience.  This was my 2nd half marathon, my first being the Ogden Half last year.  This year I was able to train and run with my friend, Whitney.  We spent the night before at my parents house in Ogden so we could drive just a few minutes to the race.

After a restless night, we woke up at 4 AM to get ready.  And here's my 4:15 AM face...

We loaded the bus at 5:00 and drove up the canyon to wait for about another hour+ for the race to start.  Luckily it didn't rain while we were waiting, but it was pretty cold.

As soon as the gun went off, it started raining.  Luckily, I enjoy running in the rain and I loved every single minute of those 13.1 miles.  Last year I took it really easy and slow, but this year I pushed myself just a little bit and finished 17 minutes faster than last year.  I was very happy with my time!  There was no time for socializing after the race though, as I quickly became aware of my frozen fingers which soon became my frozen body.  I couldn't wait to drive home and dive into a hot bath.

I took it pretty easy the rest of the day, and enjoyed a night out with the hubby where I enjoyed a big fat juicy burger and cheesecake.

Can't wait for next year...should I consider doing the full?

My Top 10 Songs of 2013

Since music is pretty much my favoritest thing ever, I decided to make an annual list of my favorite songs of the year. This list does not mean that the songs came out that year, just that they were my favorite during that time. I will also try to give some brief explanation of why each song was important to me. As you can see, Imagine Dragons is a definite favorite of mine. I also discovered a band that has been around for a while, but I never really heard of - Muse. It's probably my next favorite band, even though their song got number 1. Okay, here goes:

 10. Counting Stars - One Republic 

This song basically just has some lyrics that I really like, and a really catchy tune. 

 9. Some Nights - Fun. 

This song starts with amazing harmonies, and that's what hooked me. I really like the voices of this group. 

 8. Demons - Imagine Dragons 

This song is on all the time, everywhere I go. And most people I talk to absolutely love it. I think the reason (at least for me), is because it reminds me that I have my own "demons" and makes me think of how I am going to conquer them. I also really like the music video. 

 7. Feel This Moment - Pitbull ft. Christina Aguilera 

This song is one of my most favorite to run to. It helped me through learning to run a 5k, and adding on even more miles. It definitely keeps me motivated. And I don't know why, but I have a special place in my heart for that old "Take On Me" melody. 

 6. Love Don't Die - The Fray 

I just love the music in this song. And the lyrics are really good too. 

 5. On Top Of The World - Imagine Dragons 

This song makes me happy! When I listen to it, I think of all the fun times my family and I had over the year, and remember how blessed we are. 

 4. It's Time - Imagine Dragons 

This was one of the first songs I put on my Running playlist. Whenever I did a race, it would be the first song to come on. "It's time to begin..." would get me motivated for my run. Now it is a tradition, I guess you could say. Every time I race, it is - and will be, the first song I hear. 

 3. Roar - Katy Perry 

Okay, I have to preface this by saying that I do like Katy Perry, and this song is really catchy. However, the lyrics are completely plagiarized. I can name about 7 different songs that use each phrase. However, it is fun and my kids love it. And as corny as this may sound, the biggest reason I love it is because it reminds me of my best friend. End corniness. 

 2. Radioactive - Imagine Dragons 

This song is incredible. I don't even know why. Their voices, the music, etc. I just love it. It's amazing. The music video? Worst ever. 

 1. Madness - Muse 

There are so many reasons I love this song. The style of the music and feel of the song is awesome. When I listen to it, I HAVE to put my earphones in, turn it up loud, and close my eyes so I can hear everything. I don't know why this song speaks to me, but it does. Maybe it reminds me of all the "madness" that I went through over the year. The "mist of darkness" that I walked through, but have stayed strong. It's beautiful.