Saturday, March 21, 2009

Canyonlands 5 mile run

Trying new things is something I absolutely love, though it turns out there's not much that I'm really good at. There are some things that I have tried over and over again just to be with friends, meanwhile hoping and telling myself that someday I will enjoy it more or actually get somewhat decent at it. It's frustrating sometimes, but the experiences are always worth it.

So last fall April asked if I was interested in doing the Canyonlands half marathon with her this March. I'm not a runner, never have been. But it's a beautiful course through country we both love. Since I had just had a baby in August, I figured I could do the 5 mile run on the same day as the half marathon and signed up. And since being outdoors and being active are probably two of the most important things in my life besides my family, I was game.

At first I shrugged it off as a wussy race, after all, I workout at the gym every day, doing mostly cardio stuff. Then I started to get a bit nervous, I hardly ever run for those 40 minutes, I hardly ever run at a racing pace either. I knew I could do 5 miles though, so I just kind of let it go at that, not really training, telling myself it would just be for fun. That worked pretty good, but then when you tell people you're running in a race, there's an expectation that you want to do well, and I got nervous again. I heard that races were addictive, that once you do one, you'll want to do more, longer, harder, etc. I'm still wondering about that, but here's how it went.

My goal was to do 9 minute miles and finish in 45 minutes. I had never actually done this, but thought it was do-able. I told Tyler it would be unlikely though and to count on me at the finish line somewhere between the 50 minute and 1 hour mark. That seemed more likely considering how horribly Bailey slept on our trip down to Moab and the night before the race in the hotel.

I surprised myself by how well I did and also by how hard it was. My final time was 43:44, but I felt pretty dead when I finished. It did feel absolutely wonderful to see Tyler and Bailey there at the end though and I think I'd consider doing that 5 mile run again. What I loved most about it was the community of the whole thing. I loved how at the start line I saw people of all ages, parents with children, couples, groups of friends, etc. I loved how the city supported the race, how children waited on their front lawns to high five us as we finished up the last miles in town.

April did incredible on her 13 mile run and is considering doing it again or another race (this was not her first). For now, hit me up if you want to go hiking or waterskiing (you bring the boat please), talk books or movies, but like I said, I may do the 5 mile run again.

What is especially nice is that since we are in Moab, this afternoon after the race we got to visit one of the canyons and tomorrow we'll do a bit more hiking around before heading home. So here are a few shots of me hiking and playing in Hunter canyon.

03.21.09 Hunter Canyon 017

4 comments:

Mom & Dad Root said...

OH WOW!! We are so proud of you!! You ran a fantastic race! We aren't surprised at all! We love you! We're sure Baily will be right behind you in a few years!

Amanda the great said...

way to go dude! That's very admirable.

Aimee said...

Good Job! It's funny how easy a race sounds until you get close to running it. No matter how many I run (even the shorter 5k's) I am always nervous!
Once I have this baby and get back into shape (give me about a year) we should run a few races together. I ran the bear lake 1/2 marathon last year and LOVED it. I also run the 5k for the Art Festival every year and Race for the cure.

Anonymous said...

Holy cow!! You are fast! I really want to run a half marathon. Its something I've been wanting to do for a while. I don't think I could run it that fast. I hated running before... I was always the slow one in my P.E. classes, always almost puking at the end. I love running now. You are my hero.