and we're done

I just wanted to say how great it was to run with all of you...and by run, I mean walk a lot, jog a little, and limp a little more. This was such a great experience and I am so glad that I got to be on our particular team (especially you last minute alternates)! I really do hope I get to run it with some or all of you next year (and by run, I mean run). I promise to email pics as soon as I can get them uploaded!

Rock Chalk - Jayhawk - KU

My curiousity got the best of me. For all the non-jayhawks:



I'm not gonna lie... I don't even know what to think.

treadmill hills are my bitch!

Last night I did the treadmill/hill workout Anne posted about. I didn't expect it to be fun! Seriously- fun! I felt tough!

I hate- HATE- running on treadmills. But, I live in a pretty flat town so it's hard to do hill workouts without driving up the canyon so the idea of doing hills on the treadmill suited me. It's a pretty good workout. When I do it again I'll increase the time on the hills. WBR has lots of hills!


Anyway- try it. You'll like it.


PS- Sorry about the swear but... I like to swear. Don't judge me.

Introduction...

Hello fellow team mates. Let me introduce myself. My name is Matt. I too am from the Kansas City area, in fact, I have a bachelors in economics from the University of Kansas... Rock Chalk Jayhawk. What a great season. Amazing Final Four....Anyway, more about me. I am married and have two little girls, Savannah 3 and Emily 18 months. I have been running for about 7 years. I made it a goal while on my mission in Montana to run a major marathon. I hadn't run more than a few miles at a time when I made the goal which made it a somewhat monstrous feat. I don't have the typical runners body either making it that much more unattainable, or so I thought. A year after I got married became the time to begin training. I read books, magazines, and websites about training, the right shoes, diets, stretches, injury prevention, chaffing, etc etc. I settled on a training program by Mr. Chicago Marathon himself, Hal Higdon. I began training with the goal of running the Kansas City Marathon in the fall. I can still remember, like it was yesterday, the first time I ran 10 miles as part of that training schedule. To me training became a series of mental hurdles. I had never run 10 miles before, but I would never fear it again. I ran the Kansas City Marathon that fall and caught the bug as they say. My wife thought I had gotten it out of my system, but a few days after the race I was already planning for the next one. I know its crazy. I have since run the Chicago and St. George Marathons, and a hand full of other races from half marathons to 5K's. I look forward to the Wasatch Back with each of you...

hello

Well I would have to agree with the love/hate relationship with running, that others have spoken about. I was talking to someone yesterday, and was telling him about all this running madness in my life right now, and he said, "wow, you must really love to run" and I told, him, no actually I hate it, but when I was little my mom would always make me eat my vegetables, and told me I would eventually like them. And guess what mom was right. I love veggies now, even broccoli!!! So I feel like if I keep doing enough of this, I'll learn to love it. Right? Someone please tell me this is worth my time! please?
When I'm not having an internal battle about running, I live in Vegas and do hair. I love my job. I get to hangout with fun people all day,talk and be creative, what could be better? I'm also in school studying interior design. But am on the 8 year track, because it's really more of a hobby than a goal for a career.
I just finished my first triathlon a couple weeks ago, and that i can say I loved. I am planning on another one at the end of the summer. I love to hike, and spend lots of time every summer up in Zion climbing around. So yeah, that about sums it up for me. I cant' wait to meet you all. This is going to be great! (i hope!)

just me...

ok here's me.


my name is katie bailey (obviously). i'm from las vegas but i'm moving back to p to the rovo in june. i love to run and have been doing it most of my life. i've done a couple of marathons and hope to get into the st. george marathon again this year. i qualified for the boston marathon my first year but didn't get to run it so that's the plan for this year's st. george. i've done the wasatch back before and it was by far one of the funnest races i've ever run. if you have not done it yet prepare yourself for a good time. my favorite smells are chlorine and swiss army cologne. i hate fruit and literally almost anything good for me. =) my favorite time to run is also in the rain. oh and i never train which is really terrible of me and my old coaches would be so upset if they knew. =)


i can't wait to run with all of you. it's gonna be a blast!

Free music

So last night I put together a playlist of some of my favorite songs to run to and would love to share it with you guys. If you're interested in a copy, email your address to me at anniesblog (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll mail one to you asap. I promise not to sell your contact information to any third parties. *wink*

And please don't feel obligated to send me music in return, I'm just generous like that. However, I wouldn't turn it down if you did...

did i happen to mention that we have a full team?

shout out to jason from the boards for being our 12th and final member of heaven or hell.
welcome kiddo! make yourself at home!

also we may need an alternate or two if any of you drop out (but just be aware that if you do i'll come straight to your house and punch you in the throat).

yet another intro...

Okay Anne...here's your intro. First of all, I would like to start by saying thank you to Anne for even getting me to do this race. I have never been a runner. I've always kind of despised it actually. This year I will be turning 28 and decided that I needed some new goals to work towards. One of my friends asked me to do the MS 150 with him (150 mile bike race)...and I said yes. What the?!! I don't even own a bike! So when I told Anne that I was doing the bike race she kind of jokingly asked me to do the WB. I said yes. She had to ask me a few times to make sure I was serious because she knows I don't run. So, yes...I'm serious. I have been training hard core every day for the past three weeks...don't worry Anne, I am taking a day off ;o) I am up to speed with the training program. I'm a pretty determined person. I live near the University of Utah so I have access to great hills and running paths. It is weird how running can be so addicting! I'm way excited to meet everyone! This will be awesome! Thanks for letting me be a part of your team!

My Intro...

Well, I guess it's my turn to introduce myself. Let's see, I live in the SugarHouse area of Salt Lake City, UT. I'm originally from Kansas City - go Chiefs and GO KU!!! Rock Chalk baby- National Champs! Sorry, I had to throw that in. Anyway, I went to Ricks my freshman year, served a mission in Peru, and graduated from BYU about 5 years ago. I now work at Goldman Sachs as an analyst.

I love to run; but this is a newly found hobby of mine. About 11 weeks before the Salt Lake 1/2 Marathon, a friend told me about it. I didn't hesitate to start training for it. It was nice to do something that I enjoyed and have a goal to work towards as well. So, the race was about a week ago and I loved it - people are right, this is addicting - weird. I finished in just over two hours - a little disappointing since I thought I had finished in under two hours - oh well. I'm now training for a triathlon that will be in July and, of course, the Wasatch Back, now that we have found a team. So, thanks for having us! We're excited. I'll see if I can get Matt to get on here and introduce himself as well. We're looking forward to meeting you (i've already met one, I'll let Anne tell the story - it's pretty funny, actually. It's got to do with a co-worker of mine, a text-to-land-line, and me calling her not knowing who in the world I was calling!) Anyway, good luck with the training we'll see you all soon!

Continuing the theme...

Much like Christy and Chloe, I HATE to run, but I absolutely love bragging, er, talking about it after the fact. (If you need proof, check out the Christmas card I sent out last year!!)

I started running last January and after my first race (I jumped right in with the Cherry Blossom 10 miler) I vowed never to run anything longer than that. I went back on my word though when I registered for the St. George marathon a day later. Best/worst decision I've ever made. I've definitely become addicted to racing and hope to run a marathon every year until I die. This year it's the Marine Corp Marathon in DC. Running has literally changed my life, I can't get enough. My favorite time to run is when it's pouring rain, and I can't run without music.

Some non-running facts about me:

-I graduated from the U (GO UTES!!!) in Human Development and Family Studies. Mainly because it was the easiest major and I thought that I'd have humans to develop and my own family to study, but 6 years later I have neither. So instead I've spent the time working at the US Senate, for an eccentric lobbyist, and the coolest crew of people at an accounting firm you'll ever find. In short, having a blast.

-I am from Salt Lake, but have lived in DC for the last 6 years which has provided me with some amazing experiences and stories. Like the time I got a free week off of work because someone found ricin in the office down the hall from mine, or the time we had a serial killer on the loose in the area. Life has been exciting to say the least!

-When I'm not running or thinking about running I like to take pictures of DC with my holga camera and sleep through movies.

I am so excited for this race and to get to know all of you guys. We're going to have such a blast!!

intro

I think Anne's ideas of both posting intros and doing a cd exchange are great. Or maybe a playlist exchange.

I'm Chloe. I'm not the best runner ever, but I love it (in the sense that I love to be able to talk about it after I do it). I ran my first marathon last year, and will (hopefully) be running St. George again, and LV for sure. I'm originally from the Bay Area, but currently live in Provo and I LOVE IT (like I love doing laundry) but will be here two more years for grad school.

I haven't been training very well, but that will all change as soon as this damn cold is gone.

Oh, and I swear, which is why I'm single...in case any of you wanted to know.

How's that by way of intro, Anne?

my name is christy and i hate to run

Good call on the intros Anne. Hopefully everyone will join in.

So... I'm Christy. Feel free to call me Cropper or Cropstar.

<-- This is me. I'm ridiculous.

I hail from Orem UT but have lived in Las Vegas NV since 2000. I went to USU and now work as a structural engineer. Also, I served a mission in Madagascar. Boo-yah!

I love reading, rock band, photography (still learning), travelling, the Dodgers, music, dancing, meeting new people and looking in the mirror (hey, at least I'm honest about my vanity).

I am not a runner but I have been running for about a year. I hate it but I love it. See... the actual running part- hate it. But as soon as I finish my run THAT is when I get that RUNNERS HIGH and I feel awesome. Combine that with the fact that whenever I'm not running all I want to do is run and now I'm addicted! Plus, I love the running community. Never met a nicer, more supportive group of people. And it's been so awesome to watch myself go beyond what I thought were my limits. I also love getting a finishers medal. I wear it with pride for the entire day after a race.

I'd also like to say that I love you all and I'm so excited to do this race with everyone. Thanks for joining the team!

Intros??

I've been thinking, we never really did introductions. Now that we're pretty much set, I say we all post a little something about ourselves so we can get better aquainted with one another. I'm also curious how everyone knows everyone (if they know anyone that is).

Another idea. I'm a music junkie and my running playlist is getting a little old. Would any of you be interested in doing a music exchange? Think about it, you put together your favorite playlist, make a bunch of copies and you get a TON of different music back? Sounds like a great deal to me!

GOOD NEWS!

Hey folks!

We've got some good news. We're ONE person shy of having a complete team! Hurrah!

Please welcome Anne's friend KELLI, my friend BRIGHAM, and two new friends from the Ragnar message boards, BRIAN and MATT!

I'm pumped! I've been drinking green tea all day! I go to church every sunday! Are you gonna bring the demons out?! This is my hat now. This is TOTALLY my hat!

Sorry... I couldn't resist.

St George Marathon

Since we're all running addicts it's time to start thinking about what comes AFTER the WBR.

October 4, 2008 - St George Marathon!

Chloe and I have already registered as a group. There is 3 more spots available in the group if any of y'all want to register with us. When you go through the registration process the group email is my email address. If you don't know it... well, ask me.

Group registration means that if our group gets picked we ALL run. If we don't get picked NONE of us runs. Anyway- let me know if you are interested. There's not much time left to register.

PS- if I don't pull for the St George full I'll be registering for the LV full in December in case anyone wants to do it with me.

Damn hills

I'm just going to come out and say it. I hate hills. The thought of running 7 miles uphill does not sound at all appealing to me. When I run, I usually use the hills as an opportunity for a walking break, but since I've been training for WB I have made myself run up any hills I encounter. It pretty much sucks, but hopefully I'll be better prepared for whatever craziness WB has in store for me.

I've found a few hill workouts online. Hopefully you'll find them useful, I've found them to suck (in a good way).

Here's a treadmill workout for all you gym rats:

Warm up with 10 minutes easy running, then at a speed slightly slower than your tempo pace do the following:

3% grade for 90 seconds with 3 min recovery (2X)
5% grade for 60 seconds with 2 min recovery (2X)
7% grade for 30 seconds with a 60 second recovery (2X)

Cool down with another 10 minutes easy running.

If you prefer the great outdoors, try this:

Choose a hill that will take 30 seconds or so to get to the top. It helps to be able to run through the finish, so running a really long hill and timing yourself, I think, is a little less effective. You choose the number of intervals based on your training/fitness level. I managed four at this point. Run as fast as you can up the hill, through the finish and then walk down the hill and do it again. As you get better, run more and longer hills.

I've done both and they're both hard, but they can only get easier, right?! Please tell me I'm right!!

Oh, and check this out...at the exact moment I was running in a torrential downpour complete with thunder and lightning this weekend, two tornados were touching down about 20 miles away from me. Coolest/scariest run ever. My shoes are STILL soaked.

How's YOUR training coming??

Saturday run for the LV kids!

Hey las vegas kids-
If anyone is interested I'll be running with the "Summerlin Striders" on saturday (4/26) morning at 7am. Here is the information for the run. Sounds like it would be good for any of us who wants to go. Everyone is welcome.

Next Saturday will be a 'reverse' run. We'll meet at the Leisure Center at 7am, run south on Pavilion Center to Charleston, then west on Charleston (toward Red Rock Canyon). Run out for a max of 40 minutes, then turn around and run back to the start. No matter your pace, in theory everyone will start at the same time (assuming everyone shows up to start together) and end in the same spot (back at the beginning) at the same time. Those that run a faster pace will just be that much farther out when we turn around. And, when we turn around, they'll be in last place. For once.

Reminders!

Hey y'all! We're getting closer and closer to this bad boy race! Can't wait.
I've taken a little break from planning/organizing but it's time to jump back on the train. I just want to remind you of a few things.

Currently we have 2 males, 6 females registered. Which means, we still need 4 guys! If you know anyone who would like to participate PLEASE LET ME KNOW! If I don't have a full team by April25th I'll be heading to the Ragnar boards to pick up some random male runners.

Secondly, we will be needing 3 volunteers to work at aid stations, etc. Again, PLEASE LET ME KNOW if you have any friends or family who would be willing to give a few hours to help us out. This is mandatory so we really need help with this.

Third, we will be needing 2 vans. We have one enlisted now (which I figure can act as our transportation for the Las Vegans up to Utah). But we need one more vehicle! PLEASE LET ME KNOW if you have a van or suburban available that we can use. Otherwise we will have to RENT one and that's just more money out of our pockets. Keep in mind that we'll need to split the cost of gas and van rental (if necessary).

Fourth, if you haven't requested which runner you'd like to be (give me 2 or 3 choices) I'll be automatically assigning you. Give me your requests by the end of April please.

And finally... I need money. For those of you who haven't paid me yet please remember to do so. It is $92.65 per runner. I'll kick you off the team if I don't have your money by the end of April. Consider this a gentle reminder ;)

There are some things that we'll need to think about as the race gets closer- lodging (camping, hotel, friend's or family's houses), food, team "flair", etc.

You guys rock!
with love, your team captain

just a random thought...

So I went and had a computer installed on my bike today, which really is nothing more than a glorified odometer, but it inspired some random thinking on my part. What if we could have odometers installed on us? I really wonder how many miles I have on me! How often would I need a tune up? For example this morning I ran 5 miles, then after work I rode my bike 22 miles and I just got back from swimming what I would guess would be somewhere around a mile and a half, so that's a good 28.5 miles just for today, not to mention all the walking I did while working, running errands, etc. Really I think this may be one of the questions I have for God, how many miles have I got on ME? Think about how many collective miles our team would have in the next 78 days we have to train. CRAZY!!

starving!!

So I am training for this run, but also for a sprint triathlon coming up April 12th and honestly I have never been so hungry in my life!! I've been pretty good about working out, before this, but I guess I'm finally actually burning some calories! Hallelujah for that... But seriously, I just started in on this swimming and biking thing, and it totally helps out on my running! So anyone that is looking for an extra boost, try it out! And it's way easier on your body!

oh goodness

So, I'm training. But I still might die. Just thought I'd share that.

heaven or hell... the story

OK so yes, maybe I did say there was a story behind the name. However, I never said it was a good story.

Admittedly I'm not a good maker-uper of names, titles, etc. So when I was registering the team I just went with the first thing that came to mind. It plays in a few different ways... you see...

Location:

A handful of us are originally from and/or live in Utah which some (Utahns who have never lived outside of Utah) would consider Heaven. Also, the race is IN Utah. Another handful of us are from and/or live in Las Vegas, aka Sin City. That would be the Hell part of it (seriously have you ever BEEN to Vegas in the summer?). Alternatively, there are some (non-native Utahns) who would say Utah is Hell. I'm not going to agree or disagree with that.

The Race Itself:

I can go ahead and guarantee y'all that we're not going to win this race. Sorry if I'm dashing anyone's dreams here. Many of us have already admitted to our lack of training, fear of dying, etc. On one hand, running 15-18 miles (ranging in difficulty), not sleeping and being crammed into a van with 5 other people pretty much sounds like Hell. However, as Katie said, this race is UBER-FUN! Or so I've been told by every single person who I've ever talked to who has done it. Kickin' it with5 of your best friends (or future best friends) for 2 days on the ultimate road trip. Heaven? Yes indeed!

I think I had some other thoughts but I can't remember them right now.

I think we need to make team t-shirts! Mojica- wanna design them?

<-- by the way, this is the 1st image that came up when I googled the word "hell". I just thought it was funny. I don't know what it is but I want one! Good thing it will be available in a few days!

i'm a running nerd

hey everyone! i'm so excited for the race. i've done the wasatch before and let me tell you it was one of the funnest races i've ever done. and now that i've proven to all of you my running nerdiness (totally a word) i will just add to it.

with training in mind, unless you're aiming for a really good time in the race, time in training isn't incredibly important. what really should be focused on is endurance and consistency. if you run 4-5 times a week, you'll do good during the race. it isn't really necessary to run more than a ten mile run on any day during your training. let's say your longest leg of the race is 7.5 miles. during your training your body really only needs to go over that distance once, maybe twice. just take your longest leg of the relay and add 1-2 miles and that's the longest run you really need. of course doing more isn't bad either. =)

training for hills is a really good idea. both uphill and down. downhill is harder on your body than uphill which i'm sure you all already know. not all the legs have hills but it still helps during training.

seriously guys, this race is a blast. we're going to rock! thanks christy for setting it up.

sorry if i sounded like i know everything. believe me i don't. just thought i'd share the little a learned from the last wasatch i did. =) this is gonna be awesome!

I just might die!!!

I thought I'd follow suit with the uber expressive blog titles (I love abusing the exclamation point!!).

I think I'm absolutely insane for agreeing to run this thing, I really think I might die. I've kind of started training...well on the days I don't eat my weight in buffalo wings or banana ice cream, anway. I think I'm supposed to be up to 12 miles on my long runs, but that isn't happening. I think I'll wait until after my next race (next Sunday) to start real training.

Mojoman085, there are a few training programs on the official website that you can follow. One looks pretty easy with lots of rest days and relatively short runs and the other one, which I'm doing, is a running disaster, with the shortest run being 5 miles and only one rest day during the week. You can find them here. That should help you with your question about how much you should be running. You should check out runnersworld.com or find some runners forums for answers to your other questions. Chloe, whenever she joins, could probably direct you to some good websites. Personally, I just run without any regard to the effectiveness of my training, which is probably why my body is falling apart.

My mom is sending me an article about training for hills, which was written specifically with the Wasatch Back in mind, and I will share with you guys when I get it.

Thanks Christy for putting this all together, although I might be cursing you in the days, weeks and months to come (just fair warning). So I'm curious, what's the story behind our team name? Didn't you say there was one??

I'm way excited to get to know all of you, not to mention spend 36 hours in a van with 5 of you. Should be a blast!

TRAINING!!!

hey i've started training! pretty much running everyday a little more and more. my partner in crime...we'll call him "hurl-rod" has also been giving me pointers and pushing me along. Does anyone have any tips on how to make training more effective? how many miles should i be running and how fast before the race?

holy crap!

This is it guys! Welcome to our team blog. Hopefully everyone will feel free to post some fun stuff here- introduce yourself, give training tips, motivational stuff, funny stuff, whatevs.

You guys rock! Our team rocks!

ps-the race is getting close! has anyone started training yet? i haven't!