I run for me

In elementary school I loved field days for the races...I liked getting the blue ribbons. I was fast but for only a short distance. In the 6th grade I started to get horrible side aches and I was no longer getting the blue ribbons. My PE teacher pulled me aside and he taught me how to breath correctly. I continue to keep side aches away thanks to him. ( I wish I remembered his name)

In middle school and high school I played competive sports and only ran when I had to. My senior year of high school though I started to like running for exercise, but I think the most I ran was 4 miles and it wasn't very fast. 

A couple years later I had a roommate who ran cross country, I remember going for a "run" with her and I about died. I decided maybe I wasn't a runner. I picked up biking/spinning/run/walk and pretty much used that as my exercise until I had kids. One thing I have always enjoyed though was being out side. I just love it. I love blue skies and full sun.

In 2007 I was a new Mom to a very fussy baby and when I say fussy I mean FUSSY! Chris and I always say she just hated being a baby. The only thing that would get her to settle down was a walk outside. She loved being outside. One day I decided if I was going to do this everyday I needed to jogging stroller. I found a nice used one on craigslist and together she and I would go for a run. That running turned into therapy for us both and I was hooked! 

It was nice that I lived in an area with so many runners. When I wasn't pushing a baby I had friends I could join. I remember finishing my first 5k and was so proud of myself. Crossing that finish line was the start of me loving races.

St. George was my 4th marathon but my first when was I wasn't recovering from a baby. St George had always been on my bucket list since I started running. I had signed up with a group of 4 other people and I think I was secretly hoping we wouldn't get in. I had just ran the PHX marathon and wasn't sure I really wanted to train in the hot AZ summer. My previous marathons weren't the best experiences. My first (Utah Valley)I was pretty clueless as to what I was doing. My baby was 8 months old. It rained almost the whole time and I was freezing. And when they say, "all down hill" it really never is. This AZ girl was not use to running hills. It was also a huge let down to not have anyone at the finish line. I had just finished this huge accomplishment yet I didn't really have anyone to share it with. My time was 4:35 and I was just excited that I finished. My 2nd (PHX marathon) went better then the first and it did make a huge difference to have family there at the end. This is where I set my PR at 4:13. I was happy with my time but it then gave me the ich to finish under 4hrs. My 3rd marathon I loved the training. I had 4 other friends running it and we trained together the whole time. It was so fun. But I think I put too high of expectations on myself. I think I just figured I would do better then the last two without even trying. I was also hurt going into race day. My IT band was just not right. I crashed and burned at the half way mark, Its a miracle I even finished that race. I was super disappointed in myself! Looking back my baby had just turned one and having all 5 babies via c-section really did a number on my body. Im not making excuses I could have done way more to prepare for this race. My time was 4:29 When that race was over I knew I had to do another and give it everything I had.
Training for St George was rough. It was hot and miserable. I started some runs at 4:30am and it would still be in the high 80's/90's. All my friends who signed up had to pull out for one reason or another. I had to dig deep for that race but I did give it everything I had. My 2 sisters were running it and had they pulled out I would have too. Come race day I was ready. I had guilt issues with leaving my family so I could "run", so I just wanted it over with. Running out of town races messes with my head. I always wonder if it's worth it. I'm still not sure haha. My sister, Mandy told me she wanted to stay together and not listen to music she told me to trust her and we would get under four hours. I was nervous to take her advice but i decided to put my earphones away and Just have a conversation with my sister. We talked for 3 hrs straight. The time flew by, hills came and went. When we got to 20 miles I knew I could make it under 4 hrs. I put my ear phones in and headed for the finish line. The only part of that race that hurt were the last 2 miles and I believe it's because I had trained so hard. I was eating right, cross training, getting good sleep. It was amazing knowing that because of my hard work it was paying off. I finished that race at 3:53. I was so happy and it was very emotional. Chris was following the race on his phone and called me the second he saw I crossed the line. Hearing his voice be so happy for me really made the race that much better. My parents were at the finish line along with my two brother-in-laws. Chris was holding down the fort at home. It's  a memory I won't ever forget. Of course now that I reached my goal of under 4 hrs now I want more. If I improve my time by 13 min I could qualify for Boston.
Running for me is therapy. It keeps me going. It gets me outside.