St. George Marathon Weekend 2009

This was my 6th St. George, my 11th overall, and my 2nd or 3rd hardest marathon to finish.  I didn't train as well as I would have liked (again), and ended up with pretty sore left achilles.  I'm guessing it was from running with bad form as I leaned into the strong headwind during the uphill sections of the course.  I ended up walking the last 6 miles.  :$  At least it was a gorgeous day!

Look at that sunny St. George sky!

I promised Scott I would walk if anything hurt at all during the race.  I need to be ready to backpack around Europe next week!  EUROPE!  Hooray!  We are SO excited!  Hope my achilles feels better by then.  Oh dear.

I just about stepped on this little friend.  I figured as long as I was walking, I might as well enjoy the scenery.  I'm pretty sure people thought I was nuts to stop in the middle of a marathon to take a picture of a huge spider in the road.  Now that I've typed that out, I realize it was a pretty weird thing to do.  Oh well, it seemed like a really great idea a the time.  I love bizarre desert critters.

I seem to meet up with our dear family friend Kathy Wilson at the same spot on the course ever year, and every year we both seem to be having a hard time at that spot.  Coincidence?  Maybe.  I think it's probably one of the Lord's tender mercies.  We have pulled each other through some pretty tough spots, this year was no exception.  I think this was Kathy's 40th or 50th marathon.  Who knows!  This lady can run!

Dear Kathy, see you between miles 19 and 20 next time!

I love seeing Scott at the finish line.  I keep thinking we'll get him out on the course one of these days...

This was my Dad's 10th St. George and 28th marathon!  Way to go Dad!  BTW, we totally didn't plan to be blue shirt, black shorts, white hats twinners... that just happened!  Great minds think alike!  I love running with my Dad.

Me, my Dad, and my cousin Melissa

My Dad and Kevin Tipton at the 10 Year Club banquet.  I'll get there eventually.

The next day we got to spend some quality time in the dental office.  My Dad had Scott make an adjustment to a tooth, and my Mom had my Dad clean up an abscessed tooth for her.  Family fun!  A big thanks to Laura-Lee for coming in to assist last minute.  

Now Larry has had his daughter and two of his sons-in-law work on his teeth (don't worry, they're all dentists).  Good times with the Staples family.

We polished off the weekend laying around, watching General Conference, and eating great food.

This picture says it all.  Nothing like laying on the floor with your dog on a lazy Sunday afternoon.  Thanks again to my Mom and Dad for a great weekend.

NYC MARATHON PHOTO OVERLOAD

My fellow marathoners know how important it is to set out your gear the night before the race. Knowing I have everything I need helps me get pumped for the race.  I love the pre-race inventory!

Me with the folks on Staten Island before the race.  We were on the island for 3 hours in the ridiculous cold before the starting gun went off.  It takes a lot of time to get 38,000 runners corralled into their starting gates on time, so I understand, but THREE HOURS!?!  This was not necessarily my most favorite part of the race... more about this later.


Largest gathering of runners in the world = world's largest gathering of port-a-john's.  

Just after the start on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge from Staten Island to Brooklyn.  

There were helicopters, coast guard boats, fire engines, etc. etc. etc. cheering us on as we began the race.  Oh yeah, we're pretty much a big deal. 

A sea of runners merged at about mile 8.

I heart Brooklyn! Running through this borough was pretty much a huge party. There were bands, a gospel choir, dancers, cheerleaders, and thousands of screaming supporters.

Brooklyn also brought us "Larry the Lighthouse."  I said to my mom, "I'll be damned if I get beat by a guy in a lighthouse!" No worries, Larry ate my dust.

All kinds of people set a goal to run a marathon, no matter what their physical 'limitations' may be.  NYC was definitely no exception.  People like this guy are my inspiration and a reminder that there is no excuse for putting off my goals.

Manhattan!!!  This is on the bridge going from Brooklyn to Queens (just past the 1/2 way point).

Before the race I read an article in Runners World about 81 year old Stanley Rygor and his cute wife Kathleen who have been giving runners a much needed boost with their accordion folk songs since 1985. Of course I had to get a picture with them! This race is loaded with wonderful characters like the Rygor's.

This is coming out of Queens into Manhattan... my back started to spaz out (standing in the cold on Staten Island for THREE HOURS = back problems for Katie), but the roar of the HUGE crowd gave me enough of a boost to make it to a first aid station...

Where there just happened to be a chiropractor!

These guys saved the marathon for me. I wish I could find a way to thank my miracle workers. There is no way I could have finished the race without their help. Thanks guys!

Running into Central Park was a true religious experience... a running revival!  Hallelujah!  

I don't think there was any other way I could have finished this race... I got the most amazing surge of energy when I saw the finish line.  It was a truly indescribable moment.  

I am glad to have run 6 marathons in one year, but it's not something I plan on doing again anytime soon.  I'll likely run 2 big races next year (St. George and ?), but might also try a mini-triathlon.  Any suggestions?

There really isn't anything quite like hugging your husband after thinking about him for 26.2 miles.  I am a ridiculously lucky woman to have such a supportive man.

The 3 amigos have done it again!  A huge thank you to my Mom and Dad for spending a wonderfully unforgettable weekend in NYC with us!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD AND GRANDMA!!!

It's really convenient that my Dad and Grandma share a birthday. I hope the two of you don't mind sharing this b-day shout out.

Grandma... I LOVE the special bond we share. You are an amazing example to me. I love you and hope you have a marvelous 85th birthday!

p.s. I hope I look as good as you do when I'm 85. You're one foxy lady!

Dad... We had NO idea when we ran the Arizona Rock-n-Roll Marathon this past January that we would BOTH run FIVE more races before the end of the year...

Thanks for being the greatest running buddy I could ever ask for. I love you Dad and hope you have a fabulous birthday! See you in NYC for #6!!!

My best worst marathon yet

Worst:

1- Freezing cold rain from start to finish

2- My legs never warmed up and cramped from mile 20 to the finish

3- I set a P.R. for my slowest time ever

Best:

1- I finished the Grand Slam of Utah!!!

2- I proved to myself that I will finish a race by any means necessary (I walked and did the 'old man shuffle' for the last 6 miles)

3- I left it all out on the road

I'll post more about the race later, as well as some wedding photos... there are SO many great pics to choose from!