Wasatch Back 2011

Last week I went and ran in the Wasatch Back, Ragnar Relay.  It's pretty much awesome all bundled up in 2 days of crazy runners.  I started out Thursday night going to Brigham and picking up my sister and sister-in-law.  It worked out perfect because Linda just came and took us all with her.  She joined us in Logan for the per-Ragnar Party.  We stayed in Logan, had a fun night at Olive Garden and then woke up, bright and early at 4:00 a.m.  I say bright because I woke up to my sweet sister-in-law BEV turning the light on and telling me that I had slept through my alarm.  Hum....sounds like when my older brother Jerry would be home at all odd hours of the night and come in my room yelling at me telling me that my coach had just called and I was late (AGAIN) for practice.  (We started basketball practice at 5:00 a.m.)  Anyway, I got all ready to rumble since I was the first runner to go.  IT was so cold in the morning, I was glad that I went and bought at least some running Capri’s to wear.  We got checked in, safety briefed and at the starting line.  I started my first leg of 7.1 miles.  It was such a fun run.  It was good because I average an 8:45 min. mile, which for me is practically a new record.  I am not the fastest one out there!!  We were on our way.   My next leg was only a few hours later since I traded with Betty since she wasnt' going to be there till later.  I ran her 1st leg of 5 miles.  It was pretty good as well.  Then I was all finished for the rest of the day...Time to Cheer and Relax!!

I LOVE this picture of Regina and I.  She is absolutely wonderful.  I love her!

DeAnna running up Avon Pass.  Might I add that she Totally ROCKED IT!!!  She never stopped going up that hill, not once.  When she finally saw the 1 mile to go sign she kicked it into a higher gear and got like 10 kills.  She rocks.  Here I am spraying her with yet again another coat of sunscreen.   (I do have to add that my sister is my hero.  She is at this moment in Primary Childrens Hospital with her youngest baby Rossi in intensive care trying to get her better from her pnemonia. She hasn't skipped a beat with her optimisum and Faith.  She will forever continue to inspire me.  I pray that her name sake Daisha DANA will be like her Aunt DeAnna) 



Bev, Me and DeAnna right when we got to the starting line.  Can I also mention how awesome it was to run with Bev.  I got to know her better, being able to just hang out and be silly with her was so much FUN. 

Betty, Bev, Me and DeAnna getting ready to roll at the last exchange.  Good morning sunshines!

Betty and DeAnna doing the Ragnar Cheer, if you were wondering what the Ragnar cheer  looked like.  This is it!

 

Shanna, Me, Jentri, Bev and Regina.  All my sister in laws excluding the oldest of Tate's siblings, Wendy who was in Maine with their Mother touring :)  Aren't they HOT?  I am so lucky to have been blessed with these women in my life.  I seriously love them so much and am so so lucky to be a part of their amazing family!!!



It's crazy to think that this all started 3 years ago with Shanna and I tagging along with our friends Betty and Jeremy.  At that time Shanna had never ran in any races before, and I had no clue what Ragnar was.  I think bak to that time and consider it one of the best Times in my life. I loved those 2 days.  It had little to do with the running, and more to do with the connection I made with Shanna.  At that time, I couldn't have told you that we had ever talked about the Gospel.  We talked about the Temple and goals that were wanting to be achieved.  A year after we finished that race, I got to attend the sealing ceremony of Shanna and her husband and their 3 beautiful children.  Another Best day :) 

I think alot of the reasons why I run.  I certainly don't have a runner's body, or the natural ability to just go out and lose myself in a nice long run.  It's a struggle, a daily thing that I have to mentally prepare for.  Running has brought me closer to people in ways that I never thought possible.  It has brought me a lot of satisfaction in knowing that I have trained for a hard race, and been able to finish it the best I could.  I will probably never WIN a big race, but that doesn't matter to me. I feed off of the mental aspect that comes along with running and the pain that follows and how good it makes my body feel after I have completed a nice long run.  I went running while in Orderville.  I ran down the KOA hill and through the canyon to Glendale and down past the Orderville sign, past the Tortoise and Hare, past the rodeo arena and on home.  There are so many times in high school when me and my friend, Josh Sawyer would bounce a basketball up that highway 89 to Tortoise and the Hare, sit on the old wooden fence, talk for a minute and then head home. In college that Orderville sign represented that I was finally HOME, that i had made it back to visit my family.  The red and white hills represent something that runs deeper than the color.  I love that.  It's a feeling that brings back memories of trying to make myself better.  It use to be all about Basketball.  Now it's about making myself into someone I can be proud of.   Tate has asked me what my "thing" is.  I instantly reply with, YOU, Kasen and Daisha.  My family is my Thing.  He said that doesn't count.  His thing is elk hunting, he has loved elk since he can remember.  His dream has always been owning an elk ranch, being able to be a part of that is something huge for us right now.  He is in alot of ways, living his dream.  I don't have something that I am that passionate about.  Maybe that makes me dull, maybe that makes me less interesting and educated.  I don't care.  I fee like I was born to be a Mom, and in a lot of ways, that completes me.  But in other ways, running helps with the process of being the best mom I can be.  It helps fulfill a competitive side of me that I don't think will (or want) to go away.  I think it's important.  Being a mom, the natural part of me thinks I am being extremely selfish by running in these races and taking time out of even a whole weekend to go and run.  (sounds pretty lame to most people)  I don’t' know why it is that  I feel guilty.  Maybe because it's the fact that I didn't nurse Daisha as long as Kasen because I went and ran Ragnar and left her with Tate f 2 whole days.  It's a constant mind battle within myself.  This summer I have filled it up with weekends where I will be leaving to do this race or that run.  I have another 1/2 marathon in July with Bev and DeAnna, then Epic with my Firth friends and then Top of Utah 1/2 in August with my sis in laws.  I almost think that is too much, what am I doing?  Why do I have to feel this way?  Tate doesn't seem to mind, I think he is very supportive of this phase I am going through.  Until I understand it all, I guess I will just continue to tell myself I am being selfish by doing this and then trying to talk myself out of thinking it's selfish.  Maybe that's another part of the intrigue? 

   A lot of this probably doesn't make much sense, but I am sort of just typing without really thinking right now, putting into words the best I can of what my life is like right at this moment.  ~*Sigh*~