Bryce Canyon Half Marathon Weekend

So all the miles put on my shoes, endless sweaty runs and months worth of training schedules dictating what to do each day finally came to a head yesterday with my very first half marathon at Bryce Canyon. My brother, Dainon, has done it twice before and said the terrain was not too difficult so I thought it would be a nice one to start with. In March I signed up Todd and myself and got busy with the training. When it finally came close enough, Todd admittedly was unable to get the training in and his knees were bothering him enough, so he said he wouldn't be going with us. :( I scrambled to find a friend to go with me, my brother and his friend, Erica. Luckily April, who has run a few half marathons and a few triathlons this year agreed to come with me!
Friday we headed out to Bryce Canyon and stayed at a brand new Best Western--the carpet and paint still smelled fresh! After picking up our packets, grabbing some pizza, enjoying some music from a genuine mustache-clad, guitar-playing cowboy, and a quick dip in the pool/hot tub, we headed to bed. Though we TRIED to sleep I think the only one sawing logs (literally) was my brother. The race was starting at 6 a.m. so we drug ourselves out of bed at 5 a.m. to prepare for the run. The weather channel informed us that although the day would warm up to be the hottest of the year, it was a chilly 50 degrees when we started. We arrived at the starting line while stars still appeared overhead--no sign of the sun.
Runner friends of mine have talked about the "race atmosphere" and how fun it is. Now that I've experienced it, I would have to agree. Everyone seems to support one another and there is a lightness in the air that is hard to explain. I felt strong the entire run, with the help of my music, the hydration stations and my Shot Blocks. What was entirely hilarious to me was to see people ducking, some not-so-discreetly, behind trees to "take care of business"--even after only 2 miles! I could have gone without seeing the lady ahead of me running in pink shorts with clearly a brown mess between her cheeks. EEWWWWW! While I refused to be numbered among those, or the ones waiting at the long lines at each port-a-potty along the way, I secretly prayed that my innards would hold until I finished the race. At mile 11 I picked up my pace a bit, then again at mile 12. I'd have to say that last mile was the toughest, though I still found a surge to sprint through the finish. It was an emotional thing for me, so much that I almost started crying. First things first for me, though, at that was finding water and yes, a toilet.
Total time was 2 hours, 5 minutes. I'm happy with my time. It's a start and maybe I can better it on my next race. Yes, although today I'm extremely sore and fatigued, I'd have to say I'll be doing another one. Running is an addiction I NEVER thought I'd have. In fact, I was one of those in high school who thought the cross-country team was just plain crazy. Though my knees complain often, the rest of me loves running.

Since none of us wanted to run with a camera, we had to wait until we were shuttled back to the hotel to take our finish-line photo. This is me and April tired, but feeling great!


We stopped on our way out to at least get one photo of the beautiful Bryce scenery that we were able to enjoy while on our run.


We had to stop in Beaver on our way back to get some delicious cheese curd!


What can I say? Without our kids, we acted like kids! Thanks for coming April and to Dainon and Erica for making it a great weekend!


I think my kids will want me to go away every weekend because of the weekend Todd gave them. Friday night, they stayed up late visiting Grandma Startup, eating pizza and watching a movie. Then they got up Saturday morning and went fishing up AF canyon. I guess that's why I couldn't get them on the phone after my race. Though Alli only caught one tiny fish, the kids thoroughly enjoyed using all their mini fishing poles. After grabbing their swimsuits, they headed to Grandma and Grandpa Hillam's to play in their little pool with cousins while Todd helped to get the yard ready for Missy's wedding. Then he got them Slurpees! Mom NEVER gets them Slurpees! All of us were worn out, but had a great time this weekend!