MMmmm breadsticks

I love the day after I get a hair cut. My hair feels soft, no dry ends and it looks great. So I'm truly ready to ride in St George this weekend because it's really all about the hair. No not really because it (the hair) hides all day in my helmet. I am excited to ride in St George this weekend though. Warm weather, good company and a relaxed ride. No worries about time and pushing it-- just out for one last fun ride in beautiful surroundings and weather and top it of with a dip in the pool and then dinner at the Spaghetti Factory and warm breadsticks with whip cream topping. MMMMmmmm. This ride is not about the hair or the weather or even the ride--it's all about eating the breadsticks and whip cream at the end of the day guilt free!!!! Can't wait.

This is a picture at the finish line of the triathlon. Scott and I with Lynn and Jacob who persuaded us to enter.

Jack now known as "flipper boy" trying on Scott's wet suit.

Jack and I showing off our wetsuits and muscles.

Jack and I at Cascade Springs this summer. Just thought I'd throw this one in for fun.

Herriman Sprint Triathlon

http://www.zazoosh.com/photos/335090303
http://www.zazoosh.com/photos/335010649
http://www.zazoosh.com/photos/335011230
http://www.zazoosh.com/photos/335090441
(you'll have to copy and paste)
Here are some very flattering pictures from the triathlon. I thought I was looking cute in my wet suit until I saw this picture--oh well.

The triathlon was incredible. I am looking forward to the next one but with a lot more swimming time prep before hand. Swimming in open water with no walls to hold on to to rest plus being in a race with people witnessing my slow progress is a little nerve racking. I was in the last wave of racers to start and so my goal was to not be the last one in the water. I did it but not by much. One good thing of being in the 40+ female group is everyone else has started and cleared out of the first transition area before I've even begun but the downside is that it leaves you feeling like you're bring up the rear (which you are) and that you must be very slow. I didn't get passed by anyone on the bike or run but I was feeling like a I was trying to catch up to Scott, Lynn and Jacob the entire time. I forgot that the timing chip starts as each person starts their own race--so of course it doesn't matter that we all started at different times.
The transition from the swimming to the bike was easy because it was down hill right off the bat but the bike to running is funny because your legs are a little bit wobbly at first. The picture of me walking is really me running. Yes I know that pictures don't lie but I really was running just running very slow. This is how a 10 minute mile pace looks and I really didn't stop once. I had a hard time convincing Scott that I didn't stop and walk because of this picture. My other running pictures look really funny like I'm going to break my hip or at least throw something out of joint. Oh how humbly zazoosh pictures can be. And I forgot my viser to wear during running so my hair is all weird from being wet and then wearing a helmet. I glad I could provide some entertaining pictures for my posterity.
All in all I was nervous but determined, tired but exhilarated and happy at the results but now fired up to be faster and stronger next year.

LOTOJA 2010

Here is a link to pictures taken from zazoosh at lotoja my number is 6818 you can type in to see more-- http://www.zazoosh.com/photos/343011183 . (you'll have to copy and paste)
I rode leg 2 which started in Preston ID and ended at Montpelier, ID--47 miles-- 20 which were up hill-- exhausting--6mph and telling myself that I didn't feel any pain in my legs-no pain no pain was my mantra for 2 hours. It took me 3 hours and 23 minutes---I was thrilled to be close to the three hour mark. This year I wasn't as prepared for the climbing as last year but the last two years leg two riders have averaged 3 hours so I feel good about my ride.
The down hill on this leg was only approx 4 miles after all that climbing-- not cool-- but I tried to make up time hitting 40mph+ on the downhill. What an incredible rush!! Lots of rolling flats after that between Ovid and Montpelier that was just plain work when riding by yourself. No trains to catch onto this year. The leg ended with an overpass into Montpelier which left my giggling from exhaustion. After climbing up to 7400 ft in elevation an overpass was almost too much for me to climb over and coast into the transition area.
Next year is already in planning. This year I really slacked off on climbing rides. My strength and even endurance was down from last year and I didn't like that one bit. I'm going to train smarter this next year--train during the winter and not eat any cream puffs. Plus I'm going to throw swimming in the mix.
Scott Kettle also rode LOTOJA this year but he was one of the super riders who rode the full 206 miles by himself. Incredible!! He rode the entire ride faster by himself than our relay team rode it. Again INCREDIBLE. This is his 2nd year at LOTOJA. I didn't see him at the race but talked to Sharon the week after at the store.
So much fun to ride and be active. So many people of all ages and sizes that are inspiring and make me want to healthy and active and enjoy life to the fullest.

Stay away from cream puffs

I'm still alive but moving very slowly. I'm in desperate need of warm sunshine, fresh air and physical activity. I have been recovery from an attack the first of January from a large plate of cream puffs from Costco. A whole pile of them jumped me and I had to consume all of them to survive. It was not a pretty sight. The side effects have been dogging me for the last two months. But this next weekend I will shake off the deadly fat coils (well not quite shake off just move around and manipulate) and squeeze into a pair of bike shorts and hit the roads in Moab. It will not be a pleasant sight for my fellow cyclists but I'm hoping it will jump start my soul to get moving again.

Lost my live in babysitter!!

Alas-- I have lost my live in babysitter. Cole has moved on to greener pastures--well in his mind anyway. He has moved to a basement apartment with friends in Lindon. I'm hoping and praying that he finds the nearest bus stop to travel to a new job which he's still looking for and then receive a paycheck and be able to pay his rent and buy food, toilet paper, soap and deodorant. All this needs to happen in the next several days. I must give him points for just heading out the door with courage and adventure leading the way. I think he had more courage because he was acting on a full stomach and had recently used a fully stocked bathroom.
Good luck I say go get em baby, you can do it!!!! Go see what you can accomplish in this big world. Do come see us on Sunday and we'll feed you dinner and give you your birthday present then get on back out there and make a difference.
Oh yes when you're back on Sunday I do need you to take out the garbage, it's past full and please fix the Christmas lights that have come loose and I need you to help me move some furniture around. Oh and also can you stop by every morning around 8:30 for an hour and watch Jack so I can go running. I just started back up again a week ago and was doing really well. Also, I made some Christmas tree cookies tonight and I'm eating quite a few so please come back and eat them so i won't have to.
Other than that go have a great time starting your new adult life and please clean up after yourself and say please and thank you and don't forget to turn off the stove--I know I taught you better than that.
And to everyone else--if you see a tall skinny with sort of long hair kid acting like an adult please be nice and give him a ride or a buck to buy a hamburger or better yet- A JOB!!!!

And pray for his momma to find another a babysitter and stop eating all the cookies!!!!

It seems like my posting days ended with LOTOJA and I'll admit that I've felt like my life's purpose ended also. I've been wondering what I'm supposed to do when I get up each day and Scott's been wondering what I actually do each day since I stopped riding. Not a whole lot I say and he sadly shakes his head. Yes I've been in a funk since I stopped riding. Why did I stop you say--well the week after LOTOJA I took a break, then I got sick for a week and then the weather turned cold and rainy and before I knew it a whole month had gone by with no riding. Scott felt sorry for me so a week ago he took me down to St George and I rode in their fall Tour de St. George. It felt great to be back on the bike although the ride had a lot of big hills and after 67 miles my fanny was screaming to get off the bike. The weather was beautiful in the afternoon but chilly at 8am when we started. Jack had a ball staying in a hotel, being the center of attention of 4 adults, swimming at the pool and getting free cookies from the waiter at the restaurant because he was hamming it up. The weekend was awesome. Just the thing to pull me out of my funk.
I finally pulled out my running shoes again this week. I'm starting all over again it seems but at least I'm doing something and it feels good to move. I've had to accept the hard fact that at this age if I let up at all that I'm not so quick to bounce back and if I'm not paying attention to what I eat all my hard work is for nought very quickly.
I do have some motivation back though to cut out the mindless grazing. Scott is taking me on a second honeymoon for our 20th wedding aniversary coming up in January--somewhere warm with beautiful beaches. I'm all a flutter with excitement.
I have been doing something with my waking time besides eating---I'm painting. I've finally made a decision on colors and I've painted my hallway and bathroom and now I'm working on the kitchen. It's moving slower than I'd like it to--too many interuptions from the three yr old and yes even the 18 yr old but I'm excited that I was finally able to make a decision on the colors and I love how it is turning out. A dark gold (the color of dry mustard) in the hallway and bathroom, and green in the kitchen. It looks great with my Autumn Leaves dark orange/red in the living room. I'm definitely a autumn person.
I hope everyone is doing well. Lori it was fun to see pictures of your trip to Korea and Laura I love looking at your photography pictures. Do you only take pictures of beautiful people?
Have a fun and safe Halloween!!!

Nanci before her LOTOJA days!

Pictures of LOTOJA

Of course Scott and I took our camera but it stayed in the bag the entire time. Lucky for us others actually pulled theirs out and took some snapshots.

Stacey and Chris were two of my roommates the night before plus as you can see fellow cyclists with our matching tattoos!

This was our Leg 3 team.




This is me heading up the last part of "queen of the mountain." It doesn't look like I'm going up hill but the camera lies--Scott H. was holding the camera at an odd angle.
I was breathing heavy, trying to talk to the group in the truck and of course trying to smile for the picture.

This is at the top of "queen of the mtn." At the crest of the hill I sprinted to finish and caught this guy before we crossed the time line and then felt guilty so I coasted in with him instead.


Scott taking off on Leg 4.


This is the 13 of the total 25 that crossed the finish line together.

This is part of the team that hooked up after to have dinner together.

LOTOJA 2009 The Novel

I have to say that I never thought we would be able to repeat the great time we had last year at LOTOJA because it was so much fun and everything worked out so well, but we pulled it off---this year was fantastic too and had some additional bonuses.
1. The weather was warmer by a few degrees so absolutely perfect--low 70's when I was riding around 10am. We got new team jackets that we didn't need to wear riding but were able to wear them in the morning and evening so we added cool factor points to our appearance.
2. We added two more teams of 5 each so we had 25 cyclists riding around with the CR England jerseys on. At the feed zones/relay exchange points there was always a group of at least 10+ of us standing around in matching jerseys or jackets so we made a statement. What that statement was I'm not sure but it could be we're having a lot of fun riding and hey we even have matching jerseys. Cool! When we crossed the finish line there were 12 of us together and it just looked cool to have that many of us in a line.
3. I rode leg 3 which was 45 miles from Montpelier, ID to Afton, WY with 3 other teammates. This consisted of 2 climbs totaling 18 miles climbing 2300 ft, 5 miles which where 7%. I did the "queen of the mtn" portion, 3 miles of 7% in 23 minutes. I topped out at 46 mph on the descents. I was able to hang with one of my teammates, Stacey, 27 yrs old and a very strong climber up the first climb and we just cruised. We were both surprised when we reached the summit so quickly. After the descent, we caught onto a train of guys riding 20mph heading to the next climb and I was pumped that we could hang with them. They were fighting the wind for us and it saved us a lot of work but we were still riding up an incline so we were working to hang with them at that speed. Stacey took a turn pulling (riding at the front) but I stayed at the back thrilled to be there. They pulled us into the neutral feed zone right before the start of the big climb--the queen/king of the mountain climb.

Stacey finished the queen of the mtn portion in 21 minutes and I was pumped to find out I was only 2 minutes behind. She is such a strong climber. She thought I would catch her on the down hill because I like to let go and fly and she is more cautious but she let go and flew too so I never did catch up to her. The last 15 miles into Afton I was riding by my lonesome but with a little help from a tailwind I was riding 30 mph at one point. Oh the beauty of a tailwind. I kept checking my bike computer because I couldn't believe I was riding so fast by myself. I worked harder than I have ever done on any ride and I felt it, but I was able to finish this leg in 2 hours and 43 minutes(that included a 5 min stop to refill water bottles) I had desperately wanted to ride this leg in 3 hours and after my training rides I expected to come in about 3:10. Never did I think that I would be under 3. I know that riding with the group of guys really helped out my time but for me to even be able to hang on with them is just incredible. By the time we had reached the neutral feed zone to refill the water bottles my hamstrings were buzzing from working so hard. I sort of squatted down to fill my water bottle and for a moment I thought I would not be able to stand back up. Oh the rush to push yourself so hard and succeed.
I ended coming in to Afton 5 minutes behind Stacey and our other teammate Amy was 5 minutes behind me. What an incredible ride. We were laughing and cheering and then the next riders were gone and we had to scramble (actually a funny stiff looking quick walk) to the cars to get to the next exchange point.

A group of us started the last leg together, Alpine to Jackson Hole (47 miles) and we had others join us along the way to finish with 12 of us. We finished in 12 hours and 22 minutes.
Scott rode 127 miles again this year and I rode 92 miles. I was so excited about riding leg 3 that I didn't even care about riding the last leg but I'm glad I did. Snake River Canyon into Jackson is absolutely beautiful, it's fun riding with the bigger group and we try to relax and enjoy the ride until someone gets excited and kicks up the speed. I was still feeling strong and full of energy for the last leg. I had refueled in the car with my PB&J and a can of flat coke. Not a big fan of coke but our support crew had it on good authority that drinking a can of flat coke will give you the needed caffeine and sugar boost. I sucked the whole thing down (that in itself is a miracle) and felt good to go.

Actually NOT one of the bonuses....The last 3 1/2 miles before the finish line my previous ride started to catch up with me. My hamstrings were ok this time but my quads were twitching and I was desperately looking for the finish line. We crossed the finish line, I got off my bike and my quads rebelled instantly. Both quads seized up and cramped like I've never experienced before. During moments of that intense of pain it is hard to have a conversation and people kept trying to talk to me, I just wanted to cry and yell at the same time. It took almost an hour for the pain to stop and then I was fine. Good to go. Let's go for a ride. The most bizzare thing ever. Later after talking with a fellow teammate who is a nurse I was told next time to sit down wherever and massage the muscles til the cramping stops. Now I know. Plus I should have eaten a banana at lunch for the potassium. (I tried but the banana was too ripe and mushy--gag!)

4. A group of us met up for dinner that night at the Silver Dollar Grill and had a party eating and rehashing the day. We were a little loud with the stories and laughter but oh what fun we had. We did a repeat the next morning at breakfast--laughing, telling stories and talking about what to do next year. We'll meet again for a barbecue in a week or so and rehash it all over again because we're nuts and we just can't get enough of it.

5. Absolutely one of the best weekends ever!!!! A fabulous way to end my cycling season and kick start my 40's. I trained hard, I rode hard and I feel great being 40. I'm looking forward to cycling next year as an even stronger, faster40 yr old!!!

6. The icing on the cake. Scott thinks I look good, "pretty darn good" (as George of the Jungle says), in my cycling shorts even if I am 40.

I'll get out for several more rides I hope before the cold has me hanging up my bike but officially I'm done riding and the 5K training starts. I'm supposed to run the AF Halloween 5K with my sisters. I better get moving.

PS..... NOT a bonus either but definitely a memorable moment of LOTOJA 2009: Coming up to a group of 50+ male cyclists straddling their bikes in a line on the side of the road watering the weeds. A very unique irrigation system. Stacey, Amy and I wanted to yell several things but before we could they were done, on their bikes almost running us over and down the road. Very serious competitors.

Turning 40

I have been anticipating turning 40 all year. Waiting for this major milestone to happen and now that it's here I had a tiny little panic attack. No longer can I use the excuse that I'm young and inexperienced. I expect wisdom and knowledge from those individuals who are 40+ and now I'm one of them. A little daunting and scary if people are looking to me for wisdom. I'm still trying to figure out pretty much everything in life. I can say that I have figured out one big thing that has opened my eyes and helped me in countless ways---As a teenager and a twenty year old I thought I knew not quite everything but most everything and now I know I know nothing and have everything to learn. Good luck to me I'm going to need it as I'm already forgetting what I was even talking about!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LORI!

Happy birthday to you - Happy birthday dear Lori - Happy birthday to you.
Is Lori the last of us to turn 40? Nancy, when is your birthday. I can't believe that Christy will be turning 41 in October. How I used to envy her for being the oldest back in the day that we were patiently waiting to drive, date, etc. Now, I'm glad its not me. . . . Yet.

LOTOJA countdown!!

I can't believe it's September!! Three more days and I head to Kaysville to pick up my LOTOJA packet then Friday we leave for Logan (actually Preston, ID) that's were most of us are starting the ride. The last two weeks have just flown by and I'm excited for this weekend. I've been riding Suncrest and Emigration canyon to beef up my climbing skills and hopefully I'll be able to keep up with my riding pals to summit as queen of the mountain. Not "the numero uno" queen of the mountain but I'll crown myself if I can make it to the top and still have something left to finish the rest of my leg of the race. I have mapped out my 46 miles down to how fast I have to ride each mile to finish in 3 hours. I might be obsessing a little.
The weather is supposed to be absolutely beautiful this weekend--mid 70°'s--so by the time I start riding 10am ish it should be perfect. Hopefully my stomach will be calm, my legs strong and the wind at my back.

Week of Cycling

Yesterday our group rode Emigration Canyon to East Canyon--3hours 22 minutes of climbing--4600 feet of climbing to be more exact. 40 mph on the descents--5mph the slowest on the ascents but I was able to keep moving and didn't have to stop. I even passed some guys on the way up and they never caught me. Doesn't mean a lot but it gives me a little mental boost. Not to say that I didn't get passed--I did but at least I mixed it up and did some passing too. When we reached East Canyon Resort we took a water/restroom break. Scott heard some guys talking about the two hot chicks in pink jerseys that passed them (Stacy and I were wearing pink jerseys). He got a big kick out it. (Ok I'll admit so did I although I was more excited about the "passed them" part) I either need therapy or need to repent of my vain foolish ways. I'm having way too much fun with this cycling thing. My mother is worried about me. Working so hard to exhaustion climbing mountains then flying down them is a drug---maybe there needs to be an intervention.
We came home via the Tour of Utah stage 4 route, stopped on Traverse Ridge, ran into Alison Hayes and her kids and watched the Tour of Utah cyclists come by including Dave Harward . Incredible day!! Got home around 3pm and crashed. Poor Cole and Jack--they have been abandoned for the bike. It's nice that Cole is home and willing to watch Jack for us as long as we don't take advantage of him too often.
Thursday morning stopped by Thanksgiving Point to watch the start of Tour of Utah stage 2. Saw Dave and his team. Pretty cool. I was trying to be low key so I wouldn't interrupt his focus but he stopped and chatted for a minute.
Friday Scott, Jack and I went to the Miller Sport Motorcross Park to see stage 3, the time trials and this was really cool--we got to sit down on the cement barricades next to the track and see the cyclists when they started and as they finished--so up close and personal. In fact we were sitting on the barricade and one of the cyclists on the Rock Racing team stopped right in front of us, picked up his bike and said take this please. Scott held his bike for him while he caught his breath and then he climbed over the barricade and rode off. Kind of silly to be excited about that and we don't even know his name other than his team, he's Spanish and was in the top 10. Just really cool to see professional cyclists up close. We were able to see Dave Zabrieske and Floyd Landis up close as they finished also. (Both Tour de France veterans--Floyd Landis won the Tour de France 2 or 3 years ago but he lost the title due to doping.)
Anyway--it was exciting to see this kind of event and the caliber of cyclists right here in own backyard.
3 more weeks til LOTOJA---I'm feeling pretty good about riding one of the mountain legs especially after our ride Saturday. I know I can finish a climb of 8% grade and I'll be able to do it in the time I need to.
Keep moving---Fall is almost here. Yeah!!! Colored leaves, jackets, crisp air, fresh peaches---what a beautiful time to be alive.

Pictures

http://www.zazoosh.com/photos/225011368

I don't know if this link will work but Scott and I finally have a picture of us riding together. Zazoosh takes pictures of all types of events and Scott and I are never together completely--always a head or butt or arm of each of us.

Anyway try it. Looks like you just can't click on it you'll have to paste the link.

Here is the picture of me chasing the pack up the hill. I'm the one in the red at the tail of end of the pack. http://www.zazoosh.com/photos/225016004

ULCER

The ULCER is over--111 miles of fun??? I'm still trying to decide. I realized yet again that I am a slow starter. It takes some time for me to warm up, find my rhythm, adjust my shorts, breath, fix my hair, clear my mind, run through my gears and have a little chat with myself and who knows what else before I can focus and just ride. Usually this all takes the first 10 miles and by then I'm busting to catch up with everyone who started riding right off the start line. I need therapy. I need to relax and I enjoy the ride because of course this is not a race. Ya right!!! Then why are all those people passing me?
I did work hard on this ride---more so than any other century this year and even last year--and I felt it Saturday evening, and Sunday wanted to stay in bed all day. Saturday evening I had to lie down for an hour or so and I could still fill my muscles twitching. That was pretty awesome in a weird way. The wind kicked up the intensity big time and I worked hard to stay up with people that I usually can't hang with but this time I did!!!

We started with a group 20+ with 11 riding the full 111 miles. As I said before it always takes me some time to warm up and find my rhythm so the first 15 miles I'm just trying to hang on with the first group thinking to myself the whole time crap I thought I was getting better and why is this so hard and why can't I just be content to get old, gain weight and sit on the sidelines enjoying oreos. Well I'll tell you why because about mile 55 on one of the few inclines of the ride I HUNG WITH THE BOYS!!! It was awesome!! This incline was not steep or even very long but after 55 miles you're tired and it is up hill so you might have to shift and maybe slow down but I didn't. I was on the back end of a small group of guys and I stayed with them and felt great. It feels so incredible to work hard and make it to the top of a hill, not puke and then keep going.
Our rest stop before heading north and the final 45 miles was a mental ok time to get her done and you can do this moment. We were heading into a headwind and a slight incline and the west side of utah lake just goes on and on and on. We caught a break and rode with a large group 30+ of other cyclists---a bona fide real peleton!!!! It was incredible. The first 5 cyclists do all the hard work fighting the wind and everyone else just hangs on for the ride. We cruised between 18-22mph and just had fun. Someone up front decided to kick up the speed after a bit and we got dropped. Not good. Back to5 of us fighting the wind by ourselves. This is when I started to get really loopy because I am tired and everything is funny but it's not and I dream of throwing my bike in the bushes and kicking it---but I didn't--instead I started to look at the top of every little rolling hill and focus on my muscles pulling and pushing my way to the top. This is when I use other people to push me too. I force myself to pass other people and keep going and not let them catch up.
On every century that I've done I reach the 100 miles and I think I'm done, I rode a century so where is the finish line but for some unknown reason to me a century ride is never 100 miles. 103, 106, 111. It is a sick sense of humor that someone has that they gleefully plan these rides and they surely know that the last 3 to 10 miles are just killing the riders. It's all mental because apparently my legs know when they have reached the 100 mile marker and they just want to stop moving.
Although there is pain it is good pain--pain that makes you fully aware of your body and the miraculous creation that it is. I feel so blessed and and thankful that I have good health that I can ride and push myself. When I'm riding I almost always have a moment where I think I am so lucky to be able physically to do this when I know that so many people struggle with their health. I love to feel my body working hard and feel it getting stronger.

I might be tired but I'll get over it and be stronger for it. Can't wait for my next ride.

Stats: 6 hours 27 minutes of ride time 111 miles 17mph avg speed 32.4 max speed
8 hours 4 minutes of total time (rest stops and lunch---we chat way too much but lots of fun)
4500 Calories burned (my heart monitor) I wonder how accurate it is??? Funny that it was exactly 4500 calories this time.

Keep moving everyone and be safe.

I made it up Suncrest (Traverse Ridge) yesterday. Quite thrilled that I did it--it has been looming above me messing with my head but now I'm free and clear of the mind games. 4 miles that took me 40 minutes to go up and 9 1/2 minutes to come down. This climb is planned for several times in August now because of the 2 mile portion with an 8% grade. Fairly steep! It will help me manage my climbing in September for LOTOJA.

Saturday ride is good ol AF Canyon.

cheerio

Happy Belated 4th & 24th!!

July has gone by crazy fast. I'm still riding 3-4 times a week but still haven't been able to lace my sorry self into my running shoes and get out there. Cole and I have been working on house projects for two weeks and then last week we were in Lake Powell--yes "IN" Lake Powell. 100 degress + all week. We did a lot of floating in the water as a substitute for a/c. We did manage to get some wakeboardin and skiing in on the dawn patrol and evening runs--incredible. I've forgotten how much fun it is. The adults can still teach the next generation a thing or too.

I tried to limit the treats and sugar intake during the week but alas my addiction overpowered me. I brought home a little extra weight and now I'm kicking myself because I've got to lose it all over again.

I did manage to ride up AF Canyon again the day before we left for Powell. More suffering on the way up but the ride down was incredible--42 mph and that was coasting. Soooo much fun. I only hit that speed on the straight away by Mutual Dell and then it's 26 to 32 mph after that. AF Canyon is on the schedule 4 more times before Sept. I'm still slower than I want but I can see a little bit of progress. I'm still dragging during the day. Trying to keep the sugar to a minimum and drinking lots of water but my energy level is low---very frustrating. If anyone has any ideas please share.

Be safe and watch out for bears. (I haven't seen any up AF Canyon so I'm doing great--I did yell that breakfast was over so maybe that took care of them)

Fall Runs

Jaime and Laura, thanks for the concern. You don't sound like my mother--she wants me to quit riding completely and learn to knit but you can't be too careful when knitting you could poke your eye out and fall out of your chair and fall on the needle!!! I do get a little cocky sometimes and then something small happens like a little loose gravel or a car pulling out but it makes me more aware so it's all good.

I found some races that we could run together in the fall. There is Snow Canyon half marathon (St. George ) on Nov 7th. Save a Sister 10K & 5K on Oct 24th in St. George (might be appropriate for a girls trip), the Schutzenfest 5k in Midway on Sept 26. They are all held on Saturday. There are a couple more on Sept 5th but I don't want to run a half marathon a week before I go ride LOTOJA.

Any thoughts??

Hi Everyone!

Nanci - way to go on EVERYTHING. My wish would be to ride with you somewhere (not up a canyon.)Ugh. Does anyone use mtn. bikes on these rides or is it strictly road bikes. It sounds fun but PLEASE be careful. I just drove over to Cascade Springs twice last week for our Trek. In the morning when the sun is just coming over the mountain I would come around corners and be blinded for few seconds and just pray a biker wasn't coming. And boy do they go fast! I wish there was a separate trail for bikes because there are SO many bikes and SO many cars now. If I were you I would ride at 5am on a weekday then go back to bed. Do I sound like your mother? GOOD!
Laura - your pictures are unreal. You had us fooled at Dennys - you already are a pro.
Christi - I like your idea of getting together and running a marathon. Here's my idea. We go to the St. George condo this fall. (Unless we are still going to Angie's cabin.) We go for a marathon walk around the block together, swim a few laps (optional), then pig out and watch movies all night. Or go to Tuacahn for a musical. We need to get this on the calendar girls, or 2009 will be over before we know it. Lori - you're a pro at organizing things!!!