Running--then and now

Once upon a time there was a young teen who got talked into running on the high school cross country team.   She had never really run before.  Actually for that matter, she had never really participated in any sport before, but she decided to give it a try.     She pretty much hated it at first, but kept with it through all four years of high school.  She never did get to be very competitive, but she grew to love running and love the camaraderie of the cross country team.  It is still of my opinion that cross country runners are the smartest, nicest people around.  

Over the years, running has stayed important in my life and running and walking are still my preferred ways to exercise.   But I don't really like racing anymore.  I've done a few races over the years--

A couple half-marathons, a Ragnar, a bunch of 5k's, but for the most part I like to run slow and only a couple times a week. Any more than that and I tend to get injured.   So for the last couple of years I've had the routine of walking most days of the week and running on Mondays/Thursdays only.   It's a routine that keeps me challenged, fit, and uninjured.  And I like being uninjured.   

Fast forward a bunch of years and Cami chose to run cross country in high school too.  Watching her run always made me feel so nostalgic and I was proud of her for sticking with it all four years of high school too.  She also did lacrosse in high school and at BYU. 

Then she married into a crazy running family.  The kind of family where her mother-in-law has run like 20 marathons.  Her father-in-law has run 50 mile trail races.  Even Garrett is hoping to qualify for Boston.  You know that kind of crazy.   

So it shouldn't have surprised us too much when just a few months after she was married, she announced that she was training for a marathon.  And she actually did it.   She trained hard for several months, fighting off a couple of injuries along the way, but this past weekend she did it!   

Cami ran an entire marathon!   

And Garrett did it too.   It wasn't his first one though, so I'm mostly bragging about Cami this time!   

Neither one of them quite met their time goals, but Cami was within a couple of minutes, so she's already talking about trying it again!    And Garrett still wants to qualify for Boston, so I foresee many more long runs in their future.

Meanwhile...this runner here is still quite content with her 10-minute-mile pace treadmill runs twice a week and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. 

Running in the Lead

When I was in ninth grade a friend talked me into joining the junior high cross country team with her. I had never participated in a sport before (the joys of being an oldest child) and thought it might be a fun way to stay in shape.  Haha.  Fun wasn't quite the word for it.   I slogged my way through that season and vowed never, ever to run again unless someone was chasing me.

During the next summer, however,  the high school cross country coach contacted me and encouraged me to run for the high school team.  I'm not sure if it was a problem of selective memory or me just enjoying feeling wanted, but somehow I agreed to do it.

In the next three years I never rose above being a middle-of-the-pack runner, but somewhere along the way I grew to love running.   I loved the people on the team, I loved the exhilaration of finishing a race, and I loved the time it gave me to think.  My senior year, I was elected to be captain of both the cross country team and the distance team in track-and-field.  It was an honor for me and I wish I had more pictures of that time of my life, because I look as exhausted as humanly possible in the one picture I could find.  (I am with my friend Mia)

I never did run competitively after high school, but I have since used running as the main way to keep in shape during my adult life.   Although it is clear from looking at the extra pudge that has made its home around my middle, that I have not been running as often as I should lately, I am pleased that my family seems to have caught the running bug from me as well.    Not only did I introduce Glen to running, which has led him to run 4 marathons and several triathlons, but my kids also seem to enjoy it.  Cami runs on her high school cross country and winter track teams and Emma and Adam participate in their elementary school running program.   Ellie's not quite old enough for it yet, but she's already let me know that she's excited to join next year as well.

A couple of times a year one of the schools my children attend will host a race.  In the fall, it's the elementary school.  In the spring, it's their high school.  My kids insist on running in both.  The high school race was about a week ago.    Ellie and Adam opted to run in the one-mile fun run, a high spirited race that winds around the school grounds and ends with a lap around the track.   Here they are taking off at the starting line...

Adam got a cramp in the middle and ended up finishing at 8:29, which although a tad slower than last year's time, is still considerably faster than I could run a mile these days.
 

Ellie, as you can remember, has a broken ankle. I tried with every last ounce of my motherly persuasion to convince her that she should sit this year's race out and rest her foot instead.  She, being the stubborn Goold that she is,  would have nothing to do with it though and attempted to run anyway.  It was a very long mile filled mostly with walking, but she persevered the entire mile and even managed to cross the finish line in a hobbling sort of run.   Sadly, instead of being glad that she finished,  she ended up disappointed with her "almost last place finish".  I was quick to remind her though that she was first place in the broken ankle division.


 After the fun run, we went to cheer on Cami and Emma in the 5K.  Emma was nervous about not having a running partner, but she did fabulously without one and ended up very pleased with her 29:40 time (a PR for her).

Cami didn't set any PR's, but still managed to finish respectably...

And  look cute while doing it...

I'm so proud of my little speedsters...

Now it's my turn to follow their lead and lace up my running shoes too!

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Post-Ragnar Awesomeness

When the Ragnar was over on Saturday afternoon, I was sleep deprived, hungry, sore, and addled with the beginnings of female hormones.  The whole way home I had pessimistically conjured up images of the mess that would await me when I arrived home---the messy house, the disheveled, grumpy kids, the dinner that needed to be cooked, the laundry that needed to be done, etc.  I was suddenly wishing we'd all run a little slower. 

Oh, me of little faith. 

Instead of a dirty toilets and grumpy kids, I came home to a clean room (for the first time in months) and all the Saturday chores done.  The kids were happy, well-fed, and out of their pajamas.  In other words, Glen had worked very hard to make sure that I came home and could unwind and recuperate from 3 days on the road. 

I snoozed, I showered, I changed into freshly laundered, non-sweaty clothes, I bubbly shared funny stories from the race, showing them pictures....I was feeling much better. 

Then I laughed as my girls suddenly thought that running in a Ragnar race was the coolest thing ever.  They even donned my goofy clothes and went outside to "play Ragnar" together.   I was happy to be photographer for them, but I opted not to join their team. 

Then, the day got even better...

Without me ever saying a word about dinner, Glen picked up my favorite meal from Olive Garden (Chicken Scampi) and knowing that I'd been depriving myself of dairy and junk for several days, threw in a slice of Cheesecake Factory Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cheesecake just for fun.

Since the invention of the dinner, there have only been five dinners that were rated the most enjoyed, the most pure. This one left them all behind.

After dinner, I meant to kiss my sweet husband and tell him how much his thoughtfulness and hard work had meant to me.

But I fell asleep instead, so this blogpost (and some belated kisses) will have to do.


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DC Ragnar by the Numbers

Ragnar  (RAG-nahr):  You and 11 of your closest friends running 200(ish) miles, day and night, relay-style, through some of the most scenic terrain North America could muster. Add in crazy runners, inside jokes and a mild case of sleep deprivation. The result? Some call it a slumber party without sleep, pillows or deodorant. We call it a Ragnar Relay.

My Ragnar experience by the numbers (the short version):

200 mile race--Cumberland, Maryland to DC

Team full of moms to 51 kids and counting
42 times I thought about flaking out beforehand

33 hours--it took us from beginning to end

13 miles total for me

12 "Hot Tamamas" on one team

6:00am start time

3 hours of sleep

2 vans driving us to our next legs

Runner #1--that's me! 

0.6 extra miles I ran when I got lost on a trail in the dark of the early morning

0 junk or dairy I ate in the week before the race

And here is a longer, more detailed report on my experience for those who just can't get enough Lara pictures: 
I was in van #1.  Both van #1 and #2 were decorated with the vinyl lettering just like this.  We got a lot of comments on the "51 kids and counting..." line on there.  That averages out to 4.25 kids per mom! 


Here are the girls in van #1 after decorating the car.  At this point none of us had run yet and we were NERVOUS. 


Our car decorations were mild compared to some of the vans we saw.  This one was one of our favorites: 

When we weren't running, we all wore matching Hot Tamama shirts and striped knee high socks. 


From the hours of 6:00pm - 7:30am all runners (even those not currently running) were required to wear their reflective vests, headlamps, and tail lights.   All three of my legs were between those hours, so I wore the whole get-up every time.  The vest was itchy and big and  the headlamp kept slipping on my sweaty forehead, but since two of my runs were on busy roads with narrow shoulders, I was happy to be a glowing light on the side of the road and not some sad looking roadkill.  (I'm the second from the right in this photo)

With heavy fog and clouds like this looming overhead for much of the race, we were seriously worried about getting dumped with rain.  Happily though,  other than a few of us running in a drizzle, the heavy downpours completely missed us.  And I'll take our 70 degree, cloudy/drizzly day any time over the 100 degree Ragnar some of my teammates ran last year. 

The race began in Cumberland, Maryland...a little town tucked away in the Appalachian Mountains.  The scenery was breathtaking, but being in the mountains meant that we had to run up and down those same beautiful mountains.   My legs weren't too horrible, but a few of my teammates had runs with elevation gains of 600-1200 feet, which made me tired just thinking about.  Here's a glimpse of the terrain that we were running in at the beginning of our race....

One of the hardest parts about the way the race is designed is that immediately after running your leg of the race and handing off the baton (which was really a slap bracelet), that instead of leisurely cooling down and "walking it off", you had to jump back in the car and make sure the next runner got to their leg on time.  We spent a lot of time here in my friend, Kim's van, and I daresay that by the end of it we were all a little loopy on snack foods, sleep deprivation, and runner's high.  There may or may not have been some potty humor, the occasional good-natured swearing, and lots and lots of laughter along the way.  

After running straight for 33 hours through the gorgeous mountains, cute little Civil War era towns, right by the DC temple,  and into the bustling city, the last runner finally sprinted across the finish line at the National Harbor of DC.  For as much fun as we had, we were completely  thrilled to finally be done with the race....

and more than happy to claim our awesome looking medals (which can double as beer openers in case you're wondering)...

At the finish line we snapped a few more pictures (like this one with my good friend Andrea)...



And this goofy looking group self-portrait....


And found one of our favorite team names of the race....Green Legs and Van. 


Then we rushed home to our awesome families who held down the fort while we were away for three days. Once home, it was a toss-up as to which would come first....shower or nap?  

(you can see which one won at our house)

All in all, I'd have to say that the race went swimmingly well ( or should I say runningly?). 

The weather was great, the company fun, we remained injury free, and best of all...
we did it! 

We ran 200 miles over hill and vale, through country, town, and big city and did it with smiles on our faces (at least most of the time anyway. )


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Race Day

Those of you who know me well know that I'm a runner at heart.  That doesn't mean I'm very fast or even that I run very often right now, but it's still my favorite way to exercise.  And I still get so nostalgic for my high school cross country days whenever I run in or visit a  race.

A couple of years ago our school introduced an amazing and empowering new program called,  Girls on the Run .  When Cami first joined that  inaugural group I thought it was just about running and I was thrilled even for that, but it turns out it was so much more.  Along with the season of training to run a 5k together, they also learn about healthy eating habits, developing a healthy body image, and effective ways to deal with stress.  It truly is an inspired program which I've been proud to have my girls participate in.

 Since the girls must be in 3rd grade before they can join, this was Emma's first year to participate.  We were somewhat disappointed when, after the season began, we realized that the final race was held on Sunday this year.  We debated about what to do, since we definitely did not want her to miss out on the feeling of accomplishment from running the 5k, but also did not want to run on the Sabbath.  Serendipitously our high school was sponsoring a 5k run this past Saturday.  We were a little hesitant that it would work for Emma since it's an entire month earlier than her official GOTR race would have been and she hadn't worked up to that distance yet in her practices.  However, in the end,  we decided that being surrounded by the familiar faces of people from her elementary school (some kids, mostly teachers), would make it the next best thing to running with her team. With Adam an eager miler in the fun run, thus began our family day at the races.

Since Glen consistently runs 6-7 miles at a time, he got the job of accompanying Emma.  My heart melted when we went to cheer them on in the middle of the race and found them sticking together like glue with Glen giving Emma little pep talks to keep her spirits up.  *sniff* 

I thought I was taking the easy job when I agreed to run with Adam.  It's only a mile after all and he's only in first grade.  I really didn't think it could be that bad, but I was....WRONG!!  Adam's legs may be a lot shorter than mine, but that kid of mine is a fast runner.  I was feeling pretty stupid at how much I was struggling to keep up with him, but when we crossed the finish line with a mile time of 7:30  I didn't feel quite so badly anymore.  I'm pretty sure I haven't run that fast in about 20 years or so. 

Afterward they were both beaming with pride and my eyes were watery.    Watching them work hard and run through the pain is a sight that never fails to inspire me. 

Way to go Emma and Adam!

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