Tim and I ran the Nebo Half Marathon "together" a few weeks ago and had the best time! When we first met ten years ago, Tim hadn't ever run further than the mileage necessary to pass the PT test in the military. Within a few months or meeting, I had somehow convinced him to run the Top of Utah Marathon with me. That was the first time...and the last time I ever beat him in a race. Since then we have run a lot of races and no matter the level of training, he is always so much faster than me. This summer he didn't plan to run any races so he has been focusing on other activities at the gym and doing very little running. I had signed up for the Nebo Half and planned to just go run by myself. But after a random conversation with our neighbors, he suddenly got the bug, registered for the race and headed out for his one and only training run. I secretly kind of hate that he can jump back into it so easily, but mostly I was just excited to have him with me on race morning.
For us to be able to run together, it always takes a little bit of arranging to figure out someone to watch the kids. My parents are always so supportive and immediately agreed to let us all sleep over at their house and keep the kids the morning of the race. Friday ended up being a busy day for all of us and by the time we finally fell into bed that night, I was more than a little nervous and wondered (as I always do the night before a race), why I thought this would be a good idea. Tim had a dermatologist appointment and ended up having a spot cut off of his face. The band aid, along with the headband, seemed to provide the perfect mojo for the race.
My mom and I took all of the cousins to see Mary Poppins at the Payson Community Theater. The production was really well done, but it was long....and much more dark than the Disney movie. I was actually surprised at how engaged the kids all were, I think I was the most anxious for it to end.
Tim warmed up his legs by going golfing with all of the "big boys".
After a very late night, and a lot of negotiating, we finally got the kids in bed, together, in one of the downstairs bedrooms. When I peeked in to check I couldn't help but laugh. They were curled up together like two little bear cubs...another reminder of how grateful I am that they have each other.
For Tim and I the 4:00 a.m. wake up call came way too early and we quickly gathered our stuff and staggered out the door. We had plenty of time to wake as we drove to Payson, boarded a bus, and rode to the top. Once we arrived at the starting line Tim found hot chocolate and I got a space blanket to try to stay warm. We stretched, stood in bathroom lines, and tried to get ourselves mentally ready to run. I don't think either of us had much of a game plan for the race other than to just try to enjoy the journey. Shortly before the starting gun, Tim kissed me goodbye and we told each other good luck. I started at the back of the pack and knew I wouldn't see him until the finish. Turns out his finish was pretty good, 1:42 and one of the fastest half marathons he has ever run. I think he was quite pleased with his effort, and certainly with how fast he ended up running. I was far enough behind that Tim had a chance to get a massage before greeting me in the finisher's chute.
Before the race started, I thought that my time would be at least 2:30 based on my training and how I have been feeling. I didn't want to stress about the time so I switched my watch to the heart rate screen and didn't really pay attention to the time. Based on heart rate I knew that I was pushing as much as possible so I tried to just settle in and have a good time. As I approached the finish I checked my watch and was pleasantly surprised at my time. Running a 2:12 would probably be depressing for a lot of people, but for where I am right now, I was thrilled. The canyon is one of my favorite places so as I ran, I just enjoyed the views and tried to remind myself how lucky I was to be able to run. I really did "run happy" and was pretty happy with my final effort.
Tim and I took our time hanging out in the park, taking pictures and enjoying the energy of the race. This was probably one of the few races either of us will run this year so I was so glad it was so fun.
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