Daddy Daughter Running: Striders Winter Racing Circuit Half Marathon

It's been just over a week since we finished the 4th race of the 5-race circuit. I am a little behind on my journaling.

It was a half marathon up in the valley. This is the first half of the Ogden Marathon. It was great to see what we will be up against. We were bussed from the Red Moose Lodge to the starting line, Red Rock Outfitters Ranch.

First let me start out by saying that preparing what to wear for this race threw me off. The weather had been warm for the past few days and I knew it would be chilly at the start but figured after I got running it would be warm. So when I packed my bags to spend the night at my parents' house (i try to spend the night at their house before a race just so i don't have to get up any earlier than i absolutely have too) I brought two choices for shorts, capris and short shorts. For a shirt I just brought a short-sleeved shirt with my thin long-sleeved shirt as a just in case. I really thought I would be wearing the short shorts and short-sleeved shirt and didn't need to worry about bringing anything else. When we woke up early that morning I put on my carpris and short-sleeved shirt and headed out the door. When I got outside it was SO warm. 54 degrees at 5am warm! I wanted to go back in and change my capris to the shorts but my dad was riding me saying we were going to be late. All I have to say is LUCKILY I had brought my long-sleeved shirt in the car along with some gloves because it was freezing! I swear I never think ahead. I thought, well it is warm in Ogden so surely it will be a nice warm run. Nevermind the race is up in the valley where it was 20 degrees COLDER! Yes people. I am not kidding. I was so freaking cold. Thank goodness I left on my capris but really I was whining because I hadn't put on my pants and thick long-sleeved running shirt. I didn't even want to get out of the car. And I didn't. I sat in there with the heater on full blast until my dad dragged me to the bus. I hate being cold. Lesson learned: Just because it is warm at your house doesn't mean it is going to be warm at the starting line. Especially when you are climbing x number of feet in elevation. Have on hand different outfit options.

By the time we got to the starting line the sun had started to come up but it was still so cold. After using the port a john I stood next to a running truck trying to suck any heat off of it that I could. My dad found a friend and chit chatted the entire time. By the time they were calling us to get ready we realized we hadn't stretched at all. Hell, I couldn't. It was too cold to do anything.

The gun sounded and we were off. Now, you always try to take off slow at the start but it is really hard to do because you get caught up in the action of everything. Plus the start of this race was downhill, so we were going even faster than normal. My dad said he looked down and we were in the 7 min/mile range. I try not to look at my watch during this time. I just try to let my body do the work without any extra effort. If I am going a little faster because I am on a hill, I just try to enjoy it. Once the excitement slows down a bit and the road levels out then I back off on my speed. But not my dad. I think the watch really starts to freak him out because he instantly gets on me to slow down. But here is the funny part. He is always in front of me. He will yell to me that we need to slow down and I will say, Go ahead. But he just keeps on going. At one point, just after he was telling me I was going too fast, I slowed down to talk to a friend. We chatted for a bit and then I realized my dad was way ahead of me. I told my friend I needed to go because I needed to go slow down my dad. But for some reason when my dad huffs and puffs it is always my fault for going too fast.

So we get a few miles into the half marathon and suddenly my dad casually asks me what to do if his leg is cramping up. I tell him to stretch it. We keep running though. I ask him where it is hurting and he tells me. Finally I just stop running and make him stretch for a second. We continue running. He says his hamstring is still hurting. Lesson learned: Stretch, no matter how cold it is, before a run. One of my dad's friends (the guy who has run over 100 ultra and regular marathons) comes running up next to us. He quickly shows my dad a stretch to try. On our next walk break my dad does it. It seems to help a little but I tell my dad to continue stretching it throughout the race. He didn't complain too much about it but it is still hurting to this day. No one tells you how hard running is on your body.

Well, we continue doing our thing. We seem to get into a groove of our 5:1 running ratio. I never really felt like it was going great but I knew I could finish. I think it was the cold in the morning. It really threw off my attitude. My running felt heavy and I never really felt that zone I usually get into when I am running. Around mile 9, where there were some rolling hills, I decided my outer shirt needed to come off. I was just beginning to get a little too warm and I was hoping it would give me some extra energy to feel the cold air. Well I was smart enough to put on my shirts knowing that I might want to take off my outer shirt. I had threaded my ipod under both shirts and had my running number on my under shirt. So when the time came to take off the outer shirt all I did was lift it over my head and tie it around my waist. Before the race I told my dad to do the same thing but do you think he listened to me? NOPE! He always says his long-sleeved shirt keeps him warm but doesn't over heat him. You would think he would have learned after our 20-mile run that sometimes it is nice to not be wearing a long-sleeved shirt. So after he sees me take off my shirt he tells me he will want to do that within the next couple of walk breaks. We hit the 10 mile marker and he decides that he wants to take off his long-sleeved shirt. So while walking, he starts fiddling with things. Because he didn't prepare like I did, he has no idea where to start to get his shirt off. For heaven's sake, give me your hat and glasses I tell him. Next thing I know I am holding his short-sleeved shirt. He's trying to figure out what to do with his ipod when finally I walk over and yank it off his shirt. Then as he is attempting his long-sleeve removal he realizes his watch is TIGHTLY secured over the shirt. So now he is walking with one arm out of his shirt and the other arm stuck because of the watch. I am laughing at the show. He yanks on his watch and it goes flying across the street. He finally gets his shirt off just as a girl runs by and starts laughing. It was so funny. One guy said it looked like a yard sale was happening with him shedding everything. He FINALLY gets his short-sleeved shirt on and replaces his watch, which has stopped working because of the fall it took. I hand him back his hat and glasses and help him tie his shirt around his waist. Our 1 minute walk break turned into a 5 minute comedy show. What a production. Lesson learned: Be prepared for clothing changes while running.

The last mile is always hard. I think your mind just knows it is almost over and it starts mentally breaking down. It really starts getting hard for me. I always have to dig deep just to keep going. Somehow I need to work on that because the last mile is always killer, no matter the distance I just went. Once I round the corner and can spot the finish line is when I get a little mental push. The crowd and everyone yelling helps you find that extra energy to make it over the finish line. My mom and aunt Jodi had come up earlier to do a run of their own and we knew they were at the finish line so looking for them helped pass some time.

We didn't really have any goals except to finish strong. I wouldn't say I exactly finished strong but I did finish ok. It could have been worse but it could have been better. I am proud of our time, even with all the mishaps along the way. ;) We learned a lot of lessons during this run. Be Prepared pretty much sums it up.

**STATS**

Distance: 13.11 miles

Time: 2:10:05

Pace: 9:55/min/mile

Temperature: 37 degrees (it was COLD)

Time of day: 8:00 a.m.

Merrill and Adam Arnell. Merrill came in at 1:36:24 (7:21/min/mile). That is crazy to me!