Meet M&M- Aka Marathon Mommy- Aka-Kelly

I love getting to know everyone through their introductions. Please keep them coming! What a great group of women we are going to have with us!!

My running background- Attempted to run cross country in high school and realized I was much too slow to be a runner. (kind of ironic now!) I finished out the year, each race just trying not to be the last one across the finish line. My dad teased me that if I stopped chatting with other runners I might actually finish before them. :-) I continued running just to stay in shape, usually around 2 miles. When I moved to Oregon, I heard about this race called Hood to Coast where you stay up all night running and I remember thinking people were crazy!! When I was pregnant with my first baby, I found out my work was sponsoring a team and they would pay for everything. I knew I needed a goal after I had the baby, so I decided it was perfect. Our captain gave us an awesome training schedule and 6 months after my baby was born I ran Hood to Coast and my obsession was born. That was 7 years ago!! My goal after baby #2 was to run a marathon. I ran the Newport Marathon in 2005 and it was actually horrible. I had felt so ready and it did not go how I expected. I felt miserable by mile 7 and had to walk/run the last 19 miles. Well, I was determined to do better. Now I am training for marathon #7 and I am sure you have heard my goal is to qualify for Boston. I have learned something from every marathon I have run. . My proudest marathon was the one I ran 5 months after baby #3! I have AMAZING running partners who meet me at 5:30am and push me to be a better runner and person. They have been there for me in good times and bad. (and they give me a hard time when I sleep in!) They also happen to be very speedy (3 have run Boston and our own SuziePetunia is very, very close!). :-) Some of us even did a triathlon together

My favorite thing is to share my love of running with others. I am working on becoming a personal trainer, but for now I just love encouraging others to run and race. My sister in law Kristyn is one of those. I am so so happy that she will be on the team with us. You will love her! I have loved this blog and have met many wonderful women through it. Wasatch Back will be one big party and I can't wait! And, no worries about being slow. This race is all about having fun!!

I do have interests outside of running! I love anything active- playing sports, waterskiing, snowskiing, taking my kids to the park. I am kind of a school nerd and love watching my kids learn new things. I am not naturally organized, so I am always trying to figure out how to do things better. I love being with people and my goal is to have the whole world be one big playdate. I enjoy getting to know other people because I feel like we all have something to offer and deep down we are all just doing our best. I love learning people's stories!

My dad was my biggest cheerleader and the first one I called after a race. When he passed away in 2007 I thought I would quit running. Little did I know, running would be my solace and my way to connect with him. I know he is still cheering me on!

My Name Is...

Melanie G.

Can I just start off by saying I am so stinkin' excited for Wasatch Back! I am mom to 3 boys ages 11, 9, and almost 5! My running days started exactly 20 years ago during High School. Aaagh, I'm old! I ran track for 4 years. I was totally NOT a long distance runner. I mainly ran the 400 meter and I was FAST . Ha ha. Not anymore.

Twenty years and many pounds later I decided I better start doing something about my fitness. Actually, I have ran a few scattered 5K's throughout the last 8 years. Last summer the true running bug hit me. After I finished my first 5 mile race I was stoked. The next Saturday I stepped it up for the long run and trained to run my first (and only) Half Marathon a month later. I ran the Half and loved every minute of it!

My boys bring me great joy and an equal amount of stress. Don't they all! My youngest has spastic quadriplegia (Cerebral Palsy), seizures and a Severe hearing loss. He uses a walker to ambulate and ASL to communicate. His days are filled with therapy. I find running to be my own "therapy". It clears my mind, makes me stronger physically (which is needed when packing 35 lbs around all day), and most importantly gives me a sense of accomplishment. Running longer distances teaches me so much about myself and I want to share it with my children.

My two oldest have both ran 5K's. This year I will be running the SLC Half with my 11 year old. I am really excited! We live in Perry, Utah. I can't wait to meet all of you:)

Q & A session #1

Ok so apparently not everyone know how these things work.  So here is your chance to ask all of your questions you can think of.  Lindsay and I ran the Texas version in October so between the two of us we should be able to clarify things a bit.  

Yes you request a start time (when it gets a little closer to the race).  I am hoping our two teams will be able to get the same time (I plan on emailing them to make sure of that)  We started at 8 am here but we (as in Lindsay and I) were talking about it this last week and think that maybe something more like 10 or 11 would be good so we could all get up there in the morning and not have to get hotels (helps keep the cost down a bit)

Speaking of cost here is where things start costing:

1.  We rented 15 passenger vans down here.  They made it really nice to have a little bit more room for everyone and everything.  But this was the first year for the race in Texas so van rentals weren't hard.  I have heard from another friend who has done Wasatch back that most people use suburbans.  I think these would work just as well especially if we could have roof racks to put some of the stuff  :)

2.  Shirts... Lindsay did great shirts for us here in Texas and has a good hook up with a place that did a great job at a very reasonable price.  We are going to try and get these going soon so we can get them just how we want them and you will be able to pick/pay for your own online.  We opted to just do t-shirts for the end of the race because I know I am picky about what I run in and I suppose everyone else might be too.

3.  As far as gas is concerned we just filled up along the way and kept the receipts and split it up evenly at the end.

Ok so my brain is fried and that is all I can think of right now.  Leave me your questions in the comments and I will get you (and the rest of us) some answers.  Even if you think it is a silly question ask it because chances are someone else is thinking it too  :)

Oh yea and we are still waiting to meet about 20 of you  :)  don't stay hidden!

Help! We need a team name.

Okay Peeps-- I am soliciting your help and we need it asap. Mandy will be registering the second team soon and since the name "Mommies Got Back" is taken (by some excellent runners, I am sure) we need our own identity. Think, think, think--and then reply to this post with your ideas. We would love suggestions from Team 1 people too--the more, the better.

Also, those of you who are supposed to mail Mandy a check (see the recent email from Erin for the list)--it would be very helpful of you to get that done right away so she doesn't end up carrying several hundred dollars. As soon as a few checks start coming, we can get that registration done. They are almost at 500 teams (with a 650 cap) so we really need to do it!

I'm Jen and sorry, but I'm the slow one

I know it's not a contest or anything, (oh wait, I guess it IS a race) but I really am slow.  Sorry if my team had great expectations of winning the whole thing!  

I am really excited to run this race and I love that I get to train and experience this incredible journey with all you girls.  It will be fun getting to know you and finally meet you all in June.

O.K. on with the introductions:

I am 34 and have been married for 15 years and 4 months (threw that in there for you, Angie) and I have four kids; Justin's 14, Abby's 10, Caroline's 7, and Logan's 3.  They keep me busy to say the least.  They are all very different and wonderful.  I am learning as much from them as they hopefully are from me.

A year after baby number 3 and I noticed that my body wasn't just jumping back into shape.  Weird.  So I decided that I better start exercising.  I started running a little and lifting weights and doing all sorts of different cardio.  But after I lost the weight I discovered that running was the only cardio exercise that I really enjoyed.  In fact, I loved it.  I didn't care about losing weight anymore.  I was happy just running.  Later that year I ran my first 10K and was hooked.  Racing was exciting, nerve racking, made me want to throw up and then when it was all over, I wanted to do it again!  I ran it again the following year.  The following spring I was talked into running a half marathon by a friend the day before the race without really training at all.  She didn't show up but finishing that race was so cool.  A marathon was not even in the realm of possibility for me until that day.  I was just never athletic.  Ever.  Then a month later I injured my IT bands riding a horse.  I was in denial and kept running on them until they were so bad it was impossible.  So I spent the next year and a half not running and being pregnant with #4.  I used to dream about running pain free.  (And I was fast in my dreams.)  I used to cry when I'd see other runners on the road.  NOT running was killing me.  But that year and a half was the best thing for  me.

The kid's elementary school sponsored a running club for the kids.  If they ran 25 miles during the year they would be eligible to run the last mile of the Ogden City Marathon thus completing a marathon during the year.  A vision formed in my mind and I could see me finishing the marathon with the kids running at my side.  It was my new focus.  I started training and it came true.  It was one of the best moments of my life.  

So now to date I've run 3 marathons (Odgen '07, '08 and Salt Lake '08), 3 1/2 marathons, 3 10K's and one 5 K.  I still struggle with my IT bands.  But I think I'm learning how to deal with the flare ups a little better.  Running teaches me so many life lessons, like patience for example.  It's my time for me.  It gives me an identity.  It keeps me feeling alive.  It has shown me, more than anything, that nothing is impossible. 

Great idea to do some introductions! I'll go next...

I'm Angie, a.k.a. Tall Girl Running for those who have humored me enough to venture into my blog from time to time. I'll turn 37 two days before the Wasatch Back Relay in June (what better way to celebrate, eh?). I'm definitely no spring chicken but hopefully I've still got a few good decades left in me. I've been married to the same husband for 17 1/2 years (if any of you have been married that long too, you'll know why I included the "1/2". Every month counts at this point!). I'm Mom to two beautifully talented daughters, which is cold, hart fact and not just biased opinion. My oldest is Savannah who just turned 15 last week and my youngest is Sophie, all of 8 years old. Both my girls are the light of my life and provide both my greatest joys as well as my greatest challenges, all on any one given day.

I've been running now for six years. As my blog moniker implies, I'm a tall gal... six feet even, to be exact. Although I had the height and natural athletic ability, I never played sports on a high school level. I particularly disliked basketball because it required way too much running (20 years and thousands of miles later, the irony of that is not lost on me). I started walking to lose the baby weight that was still literally hanging around two years after my second daughter was born. Walking turned to jogging. Jogging turned to running. Running turned to obsession.

To date, I've run three full marathons, six half-marathons and a smattering of shorter distance races. I'm not built to run and my long, lanky limbs just don't move efficiently enough to be a fast runner. But I'm a determined runner nonetheless and what initially started as a hobby has become in every sense a lifestyle for me. I define myself in only a limited number of ways and "runner" is one of them.

Besides running, I stay busy here in southeastern Idaho by working part-time as the billing clerk for a local chiropractor, volunteering for school, church and community activities, attempting to stimulate my creative juices by keeping up on my blog and just enjoying life and all that comes with it one day at a time.

I am VERY excited about being included in the WBR this year! It's been a race I've wanted to do for a long time but have never known enough fellow lunatics-- errrr, runners-- to do it with me. I'm an inheritently shy personality and will never be accused of vying to be the center of attention, but I very much look forward to meeting my teammates and creating together an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime!

See you all in June!

Angie
tallgirlrunning@gmail.com

Hi! My name is...

Erin Bailey  :)  And you are?  

Lets get some introductions going!  Since most of us don't really know each other this might be helpful.  I'll go first and then I hope you will post to.  I have just sent out invitations to be contributors to everyone who wasn't on here before.  So if you didn't get it or need it again let me know and I can re-send it.  

Again my name is Erin.  I can be introduced many different ways:

1.  I am the wife of Bart who is very tolerant of my crazy ideas and my insane drive to out-do myself in every project I take on {which is pretty much everything cause I have a hard time saying no to people}

2.  I am the mom of 1 little boy - Hunter who is 8 almost 9- and 1 little girl - Jorden who is 6 almost 7.  They keep me on my toes and in the drivers seat carpooling them from one activity to another.

3.  I am the oldest sibling of 7.  We lost my little brother 2 months ago, but out of this tragedy we try to find inspiration, and for me that is in my running.  He loved to run with me when I was home and always made it fun.  This spring we (as in everyone who wants to join us) will be running (and riding) in the events at the Salt Lake City Marathon in his honor.  You can join us to - it would be great training for Wasatch Back {look the training schedule says 12 miles - what is one more?}  :)  Come check us out www.RunningForMichael.com

4.  I am a friend.  I have amazing friends that I run with in the very wee hours of the morning - as in when the sun is not even close to being up!    Some of my most important and dear friendships have come through running.

Ok your turn!

One small Change and the happenings of the teams

Ok... on small change, a mix up on my part - sorry!

Amy P is on team 2 and Roxann B is on team 1.

Mandy I am going to have people send you money.  Can you send me your address.  Thanks  

That being said I will get emails out to everyone who has not paid yet with your information as to where to send it within the next day.

We are defiantly going to have two teams.  I have emails from people so yes the last 2 spots will be filled I am just waiting for confirmation from the people who emailed me fist before I finalize it.  Our team 2 should be a registered team in the next week or two so no worries we are all in!  

Any other questions, concerns, or just comments email me info@theribbonspot.com.

Thanks

Erin

Our 2 team makeup...

Ok Ladies, I'm home finally!  Disney World was amazing, but exhausting.  Now it is Wasatch Back on my mind - and the Salt Lake City Marathon  :) - so here is where we are.

It occurred to me that we need to sort out teams now in order to get registered and not pay extra fees for subbing people back and forth.  Drum roll please....

{how to decipher the symbols  $ = paid and * = I need you to email me so I can get you on the email list and so I can at least know you last names  :)}

Team 1 

1.  Erin B. (me) $

2.  Kari A.

3.  Lindsay E. $

4.  Patti D.

5.  Sarah G.

6.  Kelly M.  $

7.  Kristyn M  $

8.  Jill C.  $

9.  Chelle B.  $

10.  Michelle *

11.  Amy P.

12.  (Kari or Lindsay one of you talked to me about a friend let me know which one of you it was and who your friend is)

Team 2

1.  Roxann B.  $

2.  Angie R.

3.  Jennifer P.

4.  Melanie G.  $

5.  Emily F.  $

6.  Marianne L.

7.  Mandy H.

8.  Jodi W.

9.  Sarai F.

10.  Megan S. *

11.  Landy *

12.  Emily F. - I have this person on a list but I can't find any emails or comments from them... is this a real person or someone I made up?  Help I am loosing my mind

Ok so what we need to do now.  Someone who has not paid on team 2 we need you to collect money from your teammates and get registered.  Someone speak up and let me know you can be this person.  You don't have to do anything except get the checks in the mail and then register the team online.  The fee for the whole team has to be paid at once so we need to get the money to someone quickly to make sure we can get registered.  After we get a second team registered we will sort out switching people to the right teams in their system.  Here we go!  Email me team 2 people :)

We did it!

Ok ... we are officially full with 2 teams!  Wooohooo!  I will email out this weekend info on who is in and what to do next.  Is there anyone who would like to do the registration for the other team.  If not Kelly said she would collect money and do it.  We are all going to get ready as one team and then when we get there just pin on different numbers  :)  So don't stress about the teams divisions yet... I am working on that.  Thanks

And as always.. email me with any questions concerns jokes funny stories... I just like to get mail  :)

Erin

info@theribbonspot.com

The much anticipated post...

Ok I know I have been MIA but I think you can all understand why.  I need to get back into things that are part of real life so why not start here  :)  Thank you so much for all of your kind words and thoughts you sent my way.... they truly helped more than you can know.  I have all of the emails I got and continue to get in a folder and I re-read them when I am having a hard day (which is almost everyday still).  So onto what you are all waiting to find out....

I believe we are only 2 people short of a second team!!!!!  Here is the information I have so far... (in no particular order)

1.  Me (Paid)

2.  Kelly M. (paid)

3.  Chelle (paid)

4.  Roxann (paid)

5.  Kristyn (paid)

6.  Emily F. (paid)

7.  Jill C (paid)

8.  Mel (paid)

9.  Sarah 

10.  Lindsay E. (paid)

11.  Sarai

12.  Megan S.

13.  Amy P.

14.  Jodi

15.  Jennifer

16.  Landy (?  who emailed me about her?  Let me know if she is in or any info for her)

17.  Michelle

18.  Emily L

19.  Mandy H

20.  Lindsay's cousin (hey when you get home call me and give me her info... and catch up on the last 2 months!!!)

21.  Kari A. (? Are you in?  Please?)

22.  Angie

23.

24.

Ok so here is what we need to do.  We need to get another team registered - soon - so they don't get filled up.  As of this afternoon there are 444 teams of the the 650.  Here is the catch though... you have to pay the whole teams registration fee when you sign up.  So here are our options.  Someone who can carry the cost for a week or two go do it and everyone will send their checks to you... or option 2 is to get every ones checks to someone first and then register.  Either way we need to get money in so no one is stuck carrying the whole thing and we can all have fun!  What are your thoughts?  Email me or post  :)  (Erin's email is info@theribbonspot.com)

Also if you are on this list or it is someone you brought to the group email me some info... like last names maybe and/or and email address  :)  Thanks!

Prayers for Erin

Hey Ladies,

I just found out that our beloved captain's brother was killed in a tragic accident. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. She will be running the Salt Lake Marathon in memory of her brother. I am sure she would love it if many Mommies could join her.

Check out her blog here.

We love you, Erin!! Please let us know how we can reach out to you.

Can we convince 7 more people to be crazy with us?

Ok ladies.... here is where we stand: (sorry this is so long in coming we had site issues with our business and it has consumed a lot of time to get it all worked out - but I'm back now)

17 People have gotten to me.... This is who I have: (if I missed you please email me)

Chelle, Me, Jill, Sarah, Kelley, Angie, Lindsay, Kristyn, Roxann, Melanie, Jen, Sarai, Megan, Jodi, Jennifer, Michelle, Landy?

I would love to see if we can come up with a few more in the next few days and we could have 2 Marathon Mommy teams!  We can sort out who is on which team once we get them both registered.  Think of friends and relatives and send them an email today to get them in on the fun...

How does everyone feel about that?  Let me know your thought... here or in an email

info@theribbonspot.com

Are you one of our last 3?

Ok so we are still missing 3... if you want to do this (and I know you want to) please email me at info@theribbonspot.com and I will tell you how to get in!

Team #382!!!!

Well I made it official!  We are team #382!  Mommies got back are in the race!  It will be $85 a person for registration.  Once I have money from you, you are on the team.  We found that people were a lot of talk and not really in it till they paid, so once you pay we will count you in.  Send me an email to info@theribbonspot.com and I will get you an address to drop it in the mail to.  As far as other costs that will need to be decided on as we go are van rentals (after doing this last weekend all most a must) shirts and gas.