EXTREME MAKEOVER 2012

So this had been a really weird year for me.  It started out with me doing P90X over the winter and then I started running pretty hard in the spring and I injured me knee just after running Boston with Kellie.  I got a cortisone shot 2 days before Ogden Half and ran with Kellie again with no knee pain. I thought that I was out of the woods until I ran a 20 miler on the 2th of July and at mile 12 the knee pain was back.  I tried running for a couple of weeks and the pain would not go away.  I decided to go to a physical therapist and let him diagnose the problem.  I did get another cortisone shot around the end of July and that didn't help at all.  My IT band was the problem and I was told no running only biking and swimming.  Thanks to a really good friend he gave me his old road bike.  I quickly turned into a biker.  Riding 80+ miles a week and trying to stay fit somehow.  My PT told me that I needed to run at least a 12 miler pain free before I could run the marathon with Kellie.  So last week I went out and ran 13.5 with no pain!!!  I was so excited but very nervous that my knee would hold out for 26.2 miles????

The morning of the race I just had to go to the elite area and wish all of my friends luck and take advantage of the short bathroom lines.  I then went and found Kellie and Heidi and then hurried and got in line for the race to start.  It was really weird to be back that far and see so many people!  I loved how everyone was so talkative and upbeat compared to the front of the race!  Everyone is so serious at the front!!!  I do like the back for that reason but I don't like dodging people after you cross the start line.

I stayed with Kellie for the entire race.  I did have several thoughts of taking off but I didn't want to leave my PREGO wife alone and I really had nothing to prove.  I couldn't PR and I really want my knee to get better so I decided to obey the Dr's orders.  Kellie and Hedi ran great through 7 and then at Veyo Hedi pulled away from us but was not to far ahead of us.  I know that Kellie hates uphill so I knew that she would make some time back up on the downhill, but I really didn't push her at all because she is PREGO and I wanted her to feel good.  We hit the half point and I was so excited that my knee was holding together.  Kellie was doing great and was on target for a sub 3:40 which is great for being 15 weeks prego.  She ran great through 18 and then had a little emotional breakdown but after we hit the misters she was fine again.  I was making sure that she drank alot of water and that she was taking her gu's.  She again was surprising me how well she was running.  We were passing people like crazy, I knew for sure that we would break 3:40!  When we hit 24 she took a really long water break and then quickly came to me and said that she was going to pass out!!!!  She fell against me and I caught her and walked her over to the sidewalk.  She laid right down and really didn't move!  After about 2 minutes I told her that she was DONE!!!  She said NO!  Just then a nice girl came over and brought us a cold coke.  Kellie drank it and then stood right up and wanted to run again.  SO mile 25 was a 13:40 and then at mile 25 we had some good walk breaks.  She was not going to quit!  I kept asking her if her stomach hurt or any other parts of her body besides her legs and she assured me NO!  We hit the last turn to the finish where our boys were standing waiting for us.  Kellie and I ran to them and gave then hugs and kisses and again Kellie had a little breakdown!!!  We told then by and finished the race!  We saw....well I should say I saw a lot of people cheering for us the last .2 miles.  I was so glad that me knee didn't hurt, and that my wife and unborn child had finished the race...I got Kellie to the grass and sat her down and then proceeded to get her whatever she wanted to eat.  She had a few more breakdowns and then quickly pulled it together and chatted her way back to reality!!!

I have really enjoyed this year of running with Kellie.  I ran Boston, Ogden Half, Ragnar and St George with her.  I ran the Salem Days 5k with her and my son and then ran the Payson 5k and a scout fundraiser with my son.  He has turned into quite the little runner!  I only ran one race this year for time and it was in January and it was only a 5k!  I learned a lot about what running really is and how it is different for everybody!  I hope to be able to PR again someday in a marathon but I really look forward to watching my boys grow up and hopefully run a marathon again with my wife someday!  I look forward to biking in some road races and training smarter so that I can run for a long time.  I had a blast this weekend, it was so nice not worrying about a certain "time" for the marathon.  Friday night before the race we had so much fun with Scott and Kelli and Brandon.  I have not laughed that hard in a long time.  Congratulations to everyone for finishing "THE HOTTEST MARATHON".  I look forward to seeing all of you at some races this year. 

Went to the gym tonight and did 4 miles on the bike and then 3 miles on the treadmill.  Legs felt great but I really hate the treadmill!  I then did several weights on the legs, and then did some stretching.  I hope to have a good winter so that I can have a good painters half.  Hopefully work will slow down after next Thursday and I can get some good morning miles and some good biking miles in the day time.

Went to the gym tonight and biked for 6.2 and then ran for 6.2 on the treadmill.  It sure feels nice to run again.  I hope to get out Saturday for at least 8-9 miles.  After next Thursday is over work should slow down a bit and then I can get out in the mornings again.

Felt good to get out and run in the morning.  Wanted to go 9 but was short on time so I only got in 8 miles.  The temps are perfect, I wish that we would have had this weather last week for the marathon.

Got out after Kellie and Heidi and ran up to the mail boxes in Woodland Hills and then back down Woodland Hills Dr, which is a good downhill until Salem Canal Dr.  I took it pretty easy on the way to the mail boxes and then on the way down I tried to stay around 6:45 trying not to pound the knee to bad.  When I hit mile 5 I wanted to see if I could run a 6:00 min mile.  The last time I ran this fast was on the 26th of July.  I started the first .25 around 6:11 and then was able to hold the last .75 at 5:57.  I wasn't totally tired at the end and I felt like I had some more in the tank!  But really just wanted to see how everything felt.  I hope to run more now that my bid has been turned in, unfortunately I don't find out if I got the job until Nov 4th!

Ran up to the mail boxes again.  This time it was via Woodland Hills Dr.  The road is steeper if you go this way, with less downhill so you dont tear your knees up.  I took the uphill at a good steady pace and then ran the flat and downhill at about the same.  It was a nice quiet morning once I hit the mailboxes.  The traffic coming down Woodland Hills Dr was annoying, it is not fun running uphill with all of those bright lights shining in your eyes.  Running down Loafer Dr, I wanted to just walk and enjoy the quiet and the night view of the valley.  Feels good to get out and run again, I need to string together a few good days and really see how the knee reacts.

see ya tomorrow

Went to the gym around 8:20 and rode the bike for 6 miles and then ran for 5 miles.  I wanted to lift weights but I was way to sweaty to sit down on any peice of machine!

Had to go and look at a job in Heber so I took advantage of being up there and went and ran the trail that goes along Deer Creek.  We ran 6.5 out and then back.  It was good to run with Dan.  The weather was 30 degrees when we started but once the sun came out we were stripping clothes!  Well just shirts!  No pain and the knee is feeling great!

Got out on the bike today, rode around West Mountain with a guy in the ward.  He really kicked my trash today.  We finished in 2:05.  THis is not my fastest 40 miler, but I have not been on the bike for a long time