Wasatch Back 2011

Not sure if anyone checks this blog anymore??? Hey, I have two openings on my Wasatch Back team this year. Does anyone want to run it again? Let me know ASAP... I need to get it figured out by the end of the week:)

Vegas Anyone?

Hey All!

I think I've mentioned it before, but didn't get any bites. It might have been too soon after the WB.

Kristyn M and I (Tiffany N) are running the Vegas Ragnar and we have TWO spots open. I know some of you lucky ladies are running the St. George marathon the week before so you can't do it. But anyone else out there, if you're thinking about the Saints and Sinners medal, please contact me or look over the course. We have a mixed team, so guys and ladies are welcome. The hardest leg is already filled, I think everything else is pretty doable. I haven't officially assigned legs, someone just wanted that leg so being generous, I let him have it. We have two rooms at the Red Rock Casino that is the Finish line. So showers and shelter will be waiting!

If you're not interested, please ask around. We've been trying to fill these spots and have had a lot of maybes that have turned into no's. I've even started a blog. If you're signed up by this Fri (Sept 11) it's $85. You can email me at tiffsdr@yahoo.com

Thank you for all your continued correspondence, you've all been very inspirational to me!! I loved running/getting to know you before, during and after the WB.

Good Luck with all your endeavors!!!

Tiffany N

Anybody missing flippy floppys or shades???

Hey everyone, this is Tiffany N. I keep meaning to post, but forget or just don't do it when I'm online. Anyway Mommies Got Back Van #2, I found a pair of black flip flops in my car. They look like they're about a size 9 I'm guessing. Let me know if they're yours.

Energizer Runnies, Mandy mailed me a pair of sunglasses that she thought were mine, but aren't. They are dark grey-ish. Hopefully you can tell from the picture. So, if you're missing some, let me know.
I'm just wondering, has anyone come across the Ragnar stickers? I really want mine. If we can't find them I think we can get more from Ragnar. I emailed them but they directed me to someone else and I need to email her.

Here is the recipe for the bread I made. I get the 9-Grain and Dough Enhancer at Kitchen Kneads in West Jordan, UT. For those of you out of Utah, they do mail for a pretty decent price, but usually you can find stuff locally or online. The dough enhancer has a very long shelf life, about 20 years, so it's nice to buy a big bag if you can. If you have ANY questions please call, I'd love to help you with this. I've made and experimented with this a lot and it is one of the best recipes I have, I love it!

Wheat-White Bread

In a bowl, let proof:

2T yeast

2tsp sugar

2/3 C WARM water (105゜- 115゜)

In mixer put:

4 C whole wheat flour (about 2 2/3C kernels ground)*

1 ½ C white flour

4 tsp dough enhancer

4 tsp salt

¼ C oil

½ C honey

2 2/3 C hot water

Mix until combined, then put in yeast mixture, add 2 ½-3 C more white flour. Mix about 10 minutes, turn out on a floured surface, divide into 3 equal portions and shape into loaves. Put in (sprayed with Pam or equivalent) 8x5 loaf pans (dough will be sticky), let rise. Put in cold oven, then turn oven on to 350゜ Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until darkish golden brown on top. For extra soft bread bake 25-27 min., but make sure it’s done too.

*I usually substitute 1C of the whole wheat flour for a mixed grain, like 9-grain cereal.

Come Run in Idaho!

Hi Gals!

I'm not getting a dime for promoting it, but I wanted to put a plug in for the Mesa Falls marathon and half-marathon in Ashton, Idaho on Saturday, August 22nd. It's one of those incredibly fun and well-organized small-town marathons, boasting breath-taking scenery, a nice embroidered shirt, a unique medal and a free huckleberry milkshake as part of your race swag. They also offer a pre-race dinner the night before for $5.00 and a well-stocked "runner's breakfast" for free the morning of the race. The half-marathon course is somewhat challenging: it starts on a mountain trail for the first three miles, followed by a three-mile long incline as you come out of the Targhee National Forest, but then you're greeted with beautiful rolling hills as you make your way across the rural farmlands to the finish line, where there's lots of food and music to celebrate.

To be fair, I do have a hidden agenda: we recently finished our basement and have lots of room for guests. I'd love to have any of you who are interested in running Mesa Falls stay with us... free of charge, of course! We live just 20 minutes south of Ashton (in Rexburg), so coming and going would be a breeze. I thought I'd put it out there first for my Wasatch Back peeps but if it doesn't fit in anyone's plans, I'll post on Marathon Mommies too. There's many of you I didn't have a chance to get to know better at the WBR and thought this might be another opportunity. As of now, I'm planning on running the Mesa Falls half as a training run for the Top of Utah marathon in September... but even if I don't run MF at all, my offer to stay with us still stands!

We've got room for several runners or a small family. Give me a shout via e-mail if you're interested or have any questions.

Angie

tallgirlrunning@gmail.com

Energizer Runnies finish line pictures

Here are the finish line pictures. I had a blast doing this. You guys were great company. Like everyone else, I wish we could have had more time to get to know everyone else in both teams. I definitely look forward to see you all in future races.

Energizer Runnies

Hello there fellow teammates! After more than a week I am finally caught up on my sleep. I'm so grateful for the whole experience. Thanks so much to Erin and those who contributed so much! I'm sure we all worried at some point how things would work out since most of us started this journey as complete strangers. Funny thing is... I never really felt like we were strangers with the blogs and all! I feel blessed to come away with new friends. My only regret is not having sufficient time getting to know you awesome ladies in van #2. The six of you were always enthusiastic, reliable and upbeat. Thanks so much for this experience everyone!

Finish Pictures?

Hey Energizer Runnies! I'm looking for the pictures snapped at the finish line. I think Mel and Sarai both had cameras out. I know we certainly don't look our best, sopping wet and freezing cold, but I'd still love to see them.

Thanks again for all the fun, all of you. I'm still riding high from our adventure, and trying to figure out when I'll be able to do it again. Sorry I didn't contribute more to the fun costumes, goody boxes, t-shirts, etc. It really made the whole experience more fun and special, so thanks to those of you who took the time to do it.

I posted about my race on my personal blog. You can see it here if you want to.

Have a wonderful summer, everyone! Hope to see you on the blogs or at races in the future.

Amy P.

Let's do it again!

I just love these races. I have only done 2 but can’t wait to do more. The women I’ve had the privilege of being stuck in a car with for 2 days are amazing. We survive solely on willpower, wheat thins, string cheese, an occasional caffeine nip, and adrenaline. I find myself doing things I said I’d never do (nor have ever considered doing): running in the sleet, rain, and lightning for fun; sleeping (well, being horizontal and stretched out, if you call that sleeping) in what looks like a homeless tent village (i.e. a high school auditorium) for 3 hours; jamming myself and my gear in a car and living out of it for 31 hours; wearing a Wonder Woman costume in the middle of June because frankly, you feel like Wonder Woman when you see your legs on the course outline; paying serious cash to do this; and wishing, wanting, and hoping that I can do it again soon—very soon.

There is something about the finishing of that last leg that is so emotional. You are so tired. Your body aches. You just want to find a ditch somewhere and lay in it until an ambulance finds you. You only can move your legs because someone else down the line is depending on your transfer of a silly metal bracelet and that’s the only way out of this nightmare. You think of anything to just keep moving. And once you hit that ‘one mile to go’ marker you think about the sadistic person that created it and why it is really seems like 2 miles to go… and then you realize you see your teammate cheering you on to the transfer chute. You see the honey buckets. You see the person calling your number into the officials. Life suddenly gets better. You feel a little bit better. You (perhaps) smile. Or swear. Or both. And then the tears come. You’re done. You finished your part. Now to cheer on your team. And think about doing it all again—when is the next race and how quickly can I sign up?

I keep using the word ‘again’ when writing about this experience. The draw to this event, and running in general for me, is the release. I love the ability I have to get my body into a groove and push it. It is a time that is solely mine. As a mom, that is a rarity. It is a treasure. And my teammates feel the same way. We marveled at the fact that we were all able to get away—away from the household chores, the piano lessons, the baseball games, the violin concerts, the playdates, the doctor appointments. While we thought about our kiddos and hubbies, and missed them, we focused on ourselves and our abilities. We tucked in a little bit of time to celebrate our physical selves, rejuvenate our mental status, and enjoy the solemn moments while running at sunset, sunrise, in the elements, etc. I hope that as my kids get older, and see me get older, they can be proud of my accomplishments while wearing my running shoes. They’ll know that I can make cookies, provide service to others, change the bed sheets in record time, and make a mean meatloaf. But, they’ll also know that I take time for me to better myself according to my 3 Rs: through reading, through religion, and through running. My time away from them, in a car with 5 beautiful others sweating and stinking something awful, makes me a better mom. And a better wife.

So here goes that word that I keep using…Again, thank you to those who allowed me to run with them, and will run with me again. And again. And again. Thank you to Dave, Lincoln and Kate for supporting me in this quest again. And most important, again I express my sincere and heartfelt appreciation for the ability and responsibility of motherhood.

Is speed contagious?

I have a story for you all:

I was in Walmart tonight and ran into a friend of mine from my ward. She asked how the race was and how our team did, so I filled her in on the details. She got a good laugh out of the top ten list. :0) She said she actually saw our Van 2 at some point and talked with them for a minute. Anyway, I asked what team she was on just to see if I recognized them, and I didn't. Then I said, "How'd you guys do?" She replies, "Good".......long pause........"we won." My jaw drops and I was like, "WHAT!?! You won the whole thing?" It turns out that she was on Blaisdell's Beauties (the cute sparkly silver skirts we saw at exchange 6), and they took it all for the Women's Division in around 24 hours. That is crazy! I told her she earned herself a spot on Mommies Got Back next year! JK So I'm hoping that speed is contagious. Maybe if I spend more time with her I'll be faster next year! My friend, Stephanie, frequents Marathon Mommies, so if you see her around give her a big congratulations--maybe she'll show you her customized baton (her winnings--kinda lame).

Memories... light the corners of my mind...

Hello, all you certifiably crazy Wasatch Backers!

I'm finally back home in Idaho after our incredible adventure but before I even attempt to capture it in words on my blog, I wanted to take a minute to thank each one of you for helping to make this weekend a memory of a lifetime for me. Erin, THANK YOU for all the work you did over the last year in helping get us organized and on the road... literally. I was blown away by everything you put together with that goody box being the pièce de résistance! Thank you also to everyone else who did their part. Each of you were so kind and friendly and put my nerves about running with strangers at ease right from the very start.

After the race, I called my parents to thank them for helping with our breakfast but they told me it was their pleasure. I think it really touched them to see a group of women come together to share an experience doing something we love to do. For the short time they were around you, they could sense the qualities that make each of you simply wonderful human beings and they told me it was an honor to be a small part of it.

And finally, thank you to the five amazing women who shared my living quarters for almost two days. You know who you are! At the risk of confusing the others who don't know what the heck I'm taking about, I can't resist the temptation of listing some of my top memories of the Energizer Runnies, Van #1. Ladies, I miss you already!

-- Oogling Mr. Shorty McHotPants.

-- Forcing our first couple of runners to gasp for water until we finally got our act together.

-- Nearly missing an exchange and forcing a certain full-bladdered runner who shall remain nameless to make alternative "potty plans".

-- Watching for that damn bunny tail during the night run to help identify our van.

-- Diet Coke: The Cure-All.

-- Learning the Spanish word for the different road kills we encountered.

-- Desecrating (or was it beautifying?) the church lawn.

-- Waking up startled every 10 minutes in the school auditorium worrying my team had left without me.

-- Oogling Shorty McHotPants... again.

-- Eating homemade peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Heaven on Earth.

-- Falling asleep on the side of the road and missing our runner pass by because she was so stinkin' fast and we were so stinkin' tired.

-- Renting a Redbox movie at a Maverick gas station believing we were actually going to watch it.


-- Passing the huge bunny drum back and forth in the seat but never finding the time to tie it to the top of the van.

-- Finding our way through the entire Ragnar course without trouble only to get lost in Park City.

--Shivering in our boots (or flip flops) in the downpouring rain to cheer on our team through the finish line.

-- Oogling Shorty McHotPants. (Did I mention that already?)

In the News

Follow this link and look at picture #22

http://www.hjnews.com/photography/2009/06/20/wasatchback/

Two Quick Questions

1) Does anyone know who has the empty camera case? I'm pretty sure it's mine. Thank you for rescuing it from wherever I left it! I'll pay for postage to have you mail it to me. : )

2) And M.G.B. Van One: Is there an app for that? Or a beep for that? Just wondering...

: )

The Top 10 Signs you are last!

Here is the long awaited list of:
"THE TOP TEN SIGNS YOU ARE THE LAST RAGNAR RUNNER"

1. You are the last ones asleep in the highschool, when you are leaving the janitor asks "why are you still hear"

2. Every toilet is filled to the seat "with no splash back"

3. The volunteers stop shouting your # and team name!

4. The clerk at the gas station asked if you ran the race yesterday!

5. There are no more cones on the road to mark the course!

6. When you have killed 7 other runners but there is no one behind you!

7. When you don't have to follow the rules anymore, because there is no one else around!

8. When wearing the butt becomes embarrasing!

9. When the vendors give you food so they can pack up and go home!

10. When bystanders stop and ask "why are you running in the rain?"

This race was a blast! Makeing up this list sure did give car #2 a great laugh along the way, the list just kept getting bigger. It was a fun experience we had. I hope no one feels bad that I posted this list. It was just a big laugh, and in the end we weren't last it just felt like it. Everyone ran a great race! We had a great team, and I wouldn't had wanted it any other way! Thanks to all of team Mommies got Back. This was my first relay race, but certainly not my last. I would run with all 11 of you again. This was a great memory I will never forget. Thanks to van 2 for all the support. Thanks to Cute Patty who always jumped out of the car to give us water! Thanks to Emilee for filling in at the last minute, you are a great runner, you smoked the finish! Thanks for your great hummer along the way. Thanks to Amy P. for always smiling and making us laugh. Thanks to Lisa for trying to run the Ragnar hill sorry you couldn't finish it, but you are always a winner to me! That was brutal! Thanks to Lindsey for helping put this whole race together with Erin. Big Thanks to Tiffany for the great car! We couldn't have done it without you. It was a blast to make new friends. As we said in car #2 It was like girls camp on steroids but without the drama! What a great weekend!

A Tribute to Team One

It’s easy to get to a finish line when we know that there are many people arriving before and after us. I have discovered that it is not as easy when we are the very last one out on the course. Being the last can be demoralizing and spirit crushing. Moving forward becomes a grind. Quitting seems so much easier when you know that nobody is behind you to care and that there are some who are even hoping you do quit so that they can go home after a harrowing day of volunteering. If I was alone it would have been easy to hang my head down and walk away. But I wasn’t alone. I was with an amazing team and that made all of the difference.

During the Ragnar Wastach Back we were indeed the last team on the course. There was another team that shared that position with us. That team would pass us then we would pass them, but last place we were.

When we found out that we were the last ones on the course we were discouraged. None of us had ever been “last” in all of our lives! We weren’t sure what to do with that information. It was a hard pill to swallow. But our feelings evolved. We went from being downcast and despairing to laughing tears within about 15 minutes. Jenny came up with the brilliant idea to do a top ten list of “how you know you’re the last people in the RAGNAR”. It was recounting all of the ways we should have known that we were far behind the rest. Like when we woke up to complete emptiness in the gym that was once full of sleeping bodies; Like when we would show up to an exchange point and the volunteers would start clearing the area of cones, banners, and chairs.

And after we laughed about it we got to work on getting ahead. And we did.

Working together, laughing together, and living with one another for over 24 hours enabled us to unconsciously and collaboratively pick up the pace and kick some butt. Toward the end with approximately 16 miles to go there was a lightening storm that hit us on the top of the Ragnar, the steepest, muddiest, highest point of the entire race (at 8,900 feet high). We were forced to pick up our runner, Lisa, and we were given the option of driving to the finish line. We could have, but no. We trained for this! We had worked through our discouragement to get to that point. We were NOT going to drive to the finish. Giving up was not an option. So we ran. Through the storm. Pass vans full of people that had given up. Pass people who had lost their steam. And with smiles we met our last runner, Emeliee, at a stadium that was nearly abandoned and ran to the finish line together.

I have never been so proud of once being in last place. I have never been so proud of a team that I was on. I have never been more proud of the unconquerable human spirit.



To Lindsey, Chelle, Emeliee, Lisa, Patti, Jenny, Erin, Sarah, Kelly, Jill, and Kristyn: I love you all and and thank you for the unforgetable and absolutely inspiring experiences! And to you Energizer Runnies... I LOVED getting to know you. You all were so inspiring and fun!

I love you all!!! Quick Post

Hey Mommies Got Back and Energizer Runnies!

I will do a longer post, but I need to hang out with my kids for a little bit. :-) I wanted to say thanks to Erin for all she did to get this together and to everyone for providing fun, friendship, and laughs over the last 3 days! And thanks to Angie and her parents for providing the perfect start to our race! And just to let you know, the thing that was most hurt in my fall was my ego. My ankle is doing much better and I was able to finish my last 2 legs. Thanks for checking in. :-)

Energizer Runnies- I wish we could have hung out more, but you were way too fast! Congrats on tearing up the course. The results are in and you came in 26th of all the women teams, and 19th in our category!! You rocked it!!


Mommies Got Back- Speaking of results, I know we joked that they were cleaning up the course after us, but we came in 56th out of 81 teams- not too shabby. And we had a complete blast doing so!!!

I can't wait to share and hear more memories and pictures. I love all of you! Thanks for a fantastic weekend!