THE RACE!

All right, friends. Look at this picture. I have to be totally honest with you. I almost didn't post it. I look absolutely hideous! Seriously! But, then I thought, how should I expect myself to look after running 13.1 miles? Oh well, at least I am standing and have a smile on my face, right? This is me with my sweetie, Brett and my SIL Amz. This was Amy's first 1/2 Marathon ever. Amz has a 10 month old (her 5th) and she only trained for 2 months. She hasn't ran since her Jr. Olympic days in Jr. High. So, it's been a long while for her! Anyway, she finished and I was so proud of her despite her injuries and temptations to only run the 5 mile race-- she pushed through and did the whole thing! I was so proud of her!

Anyway, this was a great race for Brett and I. I felt GREAT the first 7 miles. I was even running a sub-10 minute mile. The scenery was gorgeous and the air was crisp and I was feeling good. Brett and I were having a great old time people watching and just chatting. By the way, Brett is so good to stay with me during our races. He could go much faster, and finish sooner but always opts to stay with me because, he says, that is why he is running, to be with me. Isn't he sweet?! I'm so glad he enjoys running too, it's a great thing for both of us. Anyway, at this point in the race, I decided to take a shot of "GU". If any of you are not familiar with this substance, it is just what is sounds like: gu. It's this jelly/jam-like substance that is "specifically formulated to energize your body during exercise. Using GU during your regular workouts will keep your mind alert and active, and your muscles going strong. GU Energy Gel contains the optimal balance of carbohydrates for the body during exercise to deliver a quick rise in blood sugar and maintain that glucose level for up to 45 minutes during exercise. GU also contains essential amino acids, anti-oxidants, muscle buffers and herbs." Anyway, I don't know why, but I decided to take a few swallows of this stuff. I never train with it, and never really use it at all, so I don't know what possessed me to eat it, but at the time it seemed like a swell idea. About 10 minutes after I took this stuff I started feeling yucky. I felt like I had rock the size of my fist in my stomach. I had to slow down a little bit and for the rest of the race I felt that rock in my tummy. I don't know if it was just because I don't train with the stuff or what, but I will never take this stuff again, and I will not be taking any sponsor offers from Clif! :o)

Needless to say, we did finish in 2 hours 11 minutes! And, a whole 5 minutes faster than my time last year! So, I was happy with that.

This is a picture of the back drop for about 11 miles of the race. This picture was not taken this year. This year it was cold and the sky was gray, but you get the idea of the red cliffs and walls that surround you as you run through the canyon.

This is not a picture of me, but you get another idea of the scenery.

This was a great race overall! I only came away with 1 injury.......I think I'm going to lose 2 of my toenails from running!!! I know, gross! Brett says not to worry, that it's pretty common for runners!! So common, that I found a toenail necklace made by a ultra-marathon runner. Click here for photo, if you dare! Anyway, I can't have missing toenails!! That just wont do! Especially since we're coming up on flip-flop weather! I am so bummed!I 'm hoping they'll stay on! I'll keep you posted. Well, not literally. I don't think I'll post a picture of my foot with 2 toenails missing. I'll just write about it.