Surgery

I wanted to give you all a quick shout out from the sidelines. I am not sure who filled my spot on the team, but I just wanted to say thank you!

The events that have come up since my last post have confirmed that there was no possible way for me to run. I ended up requiring surgery at the University Of Utah hospital and have still not recovered. It is going to be a long road back and I may not run for a very long time but it has been a blessing in many ways.

I just wanted to thank you all for your support.

Erin is there anything you need me to do in order to change names on the race registration site? I want to make sure things are covered because you are a busy girl, I don't want you to be doing a bunch of extra things...let me know.

Roxanne

Don't Run with Strangers

I'm Cameo and I am thrilled with the invitation to run with all of you. I have watched this blog for a few months now, but being incompetent on the computer I have just learned how to post on a blog. I am the mother of 3 kids, Rachel (9), Reed (7), Kate (3) and the wife on Jason. We live in Payson, UT. I stay home and he teaches exercise and sports science at UVU. We will celebrate our 16th anniversary next month. I have been running for about 14 of those years, but couldn’t run a 2 blocks in my youth and I am not kidding.

Now, running is just part of who I am, it’s just what I do. But I will admit I don’t usually run with strangers;) but I can tell from your intro’s it won’t take long to become friends.
The day my friend “Mel” invited me to join the team I was swimming in emotion. My mom is battling breast cancer and that particular day was in the hospital fighting for life. It took a few hours for me to figure out that if my mom had to go through something so life changing, maybe running this race could be a token of my love for her. I will admit, spending a few days with new friends is as much out of my element as seeing my mom lying in a hospital bed; both are really hard for me to do. My mom is doing better and I know I will only be a better mom from trying something new too! Thanks for the invitation.

Shirt, version 3

Hot Mommas!

Here is version 3 of the shirt. Note the changes: oh mama removed; names updated; color added to front for more 'pop' (adding to the sleeve was too hard with people ordering short and/or long sleeve)

As soon as I have the .pdf version, I'll ask Erin to email it to everyone. Take a look at your name. Is it spelled right? Are you on there? Also, check for your teammates as well.

Then, when all is checked and double checked, post a reply. Let me know how you feel and what you'd like to order. I have to have an approximate number before I can get prices. I'll need to know what size you'd like, and whether you'd like short and/or long sleeve.

Whoo hoo! I can't wait to run in those mountains....

Volunteer information...

Ok here is what I have gathered from the web site on what being a volunteer includes/involves.

Sign up for shifts will open on May 6th

Volunteers must:

~be at least 16 years old and have a valid drivers license
~provide their own transportation to and from their assigned location
~wear their official volunteer T-shirt while at their assigned location
~be physically able to perform their assigned duties
~be willing to fulfill any assigned volunteer time
~be willing to fulfill their entire shift at an assigned location

Time Commitment
Shifts are 4-6 hours

Duties
Crowd Control
Course Direction
Exchange Point Mgnt
Time Keeping
Course Supervision

Perks
Race Official T-shirt
Race Packet
Access to all events

Jenny O. Can't wait to get "Back"

I am Jenny O. I am Kari A. neighbor if you know Kari. I am so excited to be running the Wasatch Back! I have been dreaming of running this crazy race for awhile, but everyone I know thinks I am crazy. I just did my first half marathon in Moab a month ago. It was the most fun I have had for myself. What a rush running can be. My husband thought I was crazy, but when I finished he said he wants to do it next year and beat my time!
I am 31 and have 3 kids I started running after my second when I couldn't loose the baby fat! or just plain fat! I ran the Moab race in 9 min. miles and finished in 2hrs 2mins. I hope that is a good pace for running. I really have no idea what a good pace is, since that was my first race.
I am excited to meet everyone and spend a lot of time in a van and running with everyone. I love to be social and hear about others lives and stories. I look forward to meeting all of you and hope we have a great race together and have lots of fun!

Team #2 Leg Assignments! and a few other things that need some attention!

Ok team two.... The much anticipated leg assignments!

Runner #1 Tancy
Runner #2 Cameo
Runner #3 Jennifer P
Runner #4 Melanie
Runner #5 Saria
Runner #6 Angie R
Runner #7 Mandy
Runner #8 Amy P
Runner #9 Emily F
Runner #10 Bethany
Runner #11 Tiffany
Runner #12 Marianne

Ok... now that all legs have been assigned on to other things....

Our teams are full (as you can see)! Now how to get all 24 of us through this craziness!

VANS VANS VANS!

From the sounds of it the consensus seems to be to not rent the big vans. In that case we need to make sure we have vehicles. Who has them and can we use them. I would like to get some definitive answers on this, so if your family can survive without your large vehicle for the Friday and Saturday please email me if you are willing to let us use them.

VOLUNTEERS!

We need to decide on this quickly! We have two options.

1. Each team is required to provide 3 volunteers. Do you have someone that would do this? If so lets get them signed up.

2. We have the option to pay for volunteers (some or all). It is $120 per volunteer that we don't provide (that is $10 per team member per volunteer so if we pay for all 3 it would be $30 per team member). We only have the option to pay for volunteers until the 13th of May so we need to get this taken care of NOW! Email me with your opinion/thoughts.

GEAR!

Ok I am starting to get my lists back in order (now that the SLC marathon is over I can get my brain back) but I know we are going to need at least 2 (preferably 3) sets of reflective gear per team. Ragnar requires 2 but we found that it was a little easier to have an extra set in the off van so when we switched we weren't so rushed. I have 1 vest and a head lamp and wouldn't mind getting another but does anyone else have any? Let me know

Along with the gear comes vehicle decorations :) It helps the runner on the road identify which one is us.... so just start getting your creative brains flowing....

INTRODUCTIONS

I think I have gotten invites out to everyone for the blog. If you need it again just let me know and I will get it right out. We still need to hear from the following :)

Kari A ~ you better get on this or I might start sharing things you don't want the rest of them to know :)
Sarah G
Lisa B.
Jenny O.
Marianne L.
Tiffany N.
Bethany G
Cameo
Tancy

Training Question

It's two months and counting 'til the Wasatch Back! I can't believe it's so close... seems like so long ago that it was first proposed.

My question for those who've done this kind of relay before (or anyone for that matter): How important is it to do two or three different runs over the course of one day to be best prepared for the 24-hour relay? Right now, I'm running three days a week, a short recovery run (4 miles), a medium tempo run (8 miles) and a long, slow run (12 miles) mixed in with three other days of crosstraining. While I have done double workouts in one day (crosstraining in the morning and running at night), I haven't yet attempted to do more than one run workout in a day. I'm sure doing two run workouts in a day wouldn't be too tough, but I'm wondering how often I should do them and if I should even add in a third. I'm often known to overcompensate and overtrain, which never has good results, so I don't want to risk doing too much with the race coming up so quickly.

Ideas? Suggestions? Two cents?

Team #2

Are we still looking for team member #12? I don't want to ask around if the spot has been filled but if it hasn't... I would love to do what I can to get the team filled so we can get our leg assignments.

Have we figured the final cost for the vans and volunteers?

Shirt, version 2

I hope everyone had a nice, relaxing Easter.

Here is the second version of our shirt. Please note the changes:

Saying on the back changed, team names in all caps, 'oh mama' added to shirt front of running momma (I thought that would be a subtle touch, but am not married to it), names added around border (will wait to totally finalize that one), and pink toned down a bit.

Now for the good stuff... more opinions. Compare the two. What are you thinking? It is a little cramped, but hey, we are 24. What do you think of the two pinks? Would you prefer to change it to blue?

Lastly, be thinking of your size and what you want to order: long sleeve and/or short sleeve. Shirts are Hanes Beefy-Ts. They are unisex. I usually am a small in most store things, but like to have a bit more room with T-shirts, so I like mediums. They do shrink a bit, but not too much.

Once I know everyone's vote on the shirt, I'll get prices and sizes. We'll do one final proof once we get some more input.

Thanks!

Shirt, version 1

Here is a rough draft of the shirt. I am sure the person I am working with totally was rolling his/her eyes with all my comments and links to blogs and such. But, it is not a bad first try. Take a look at it. Critique. Keep in mind we can change color schemes, fonts, text, etc. We can especially change what I have put there. It was my lame brained, half-witted attempt to connect our two hot momma teams. Also, if we decide to do names, we can put them around like we did for Texas.

If this is a total NO WAY JOSE, please say so. I can easily choose something else. Make your voice heard. Keep in mind, at the end of the day, you only have to wear it for one or two pictures. Or, it can be part of your weekly wardrobe. Majority rules here ladies.

No word on price yet. It will depend on the final numbers.

Happy Monday!

Lindsay

Hi all. I have a friend named Lisa Bickmore, who is interested in running with us. She has run many marathons, most recently completing the Lake Tahoe and Sacramento Marathons in the last year. If the spot is still open, please let me know and I will get her in touch with the right people.

Amy's Intro

I believe that there is only one other person on Mommies Got Back that knows me, so allow me to make a proper introduction. My name is Amy Hardy. Here is a picture:




I am a 33 year old mother of four children. I was born in raised in Southern California. I made the move to Utah in 1997 to attend the U. I met my husband who was born and raised in Utah and the rest is history.

It would be easier to list the sports I haven't been in rather than list the ones I have been involved with. My love for movement started when I was very young. However, it wasn't until I was about 16 that I found the joy in just running. I picked up running three miles on my own and I kept running those three miles (give or take a few) until I decided that I could do more. That decision to do more came last year.



Of course I haven't just been running the past 17 years. I have many different athletic interests. But always, those interests are intermingled with running. Its the sport I always come back to. The one that makes me smile.



Here are some things I've learned about myself in the last 17 years of running:
-No matter how much I run, or don't run, my weight NEVER fluctuates (a blessing and a curse).
-Life isn't all about running, but life isn't as fulfilling without running and movement in general.
-If I try really hard I can run without brushing my teeth. But my legs absolutely refuse to turn for me if my hair isn't pulled back or if I don't have Vaseline on my lips.
-My best thinking is done when my feet are hitting the pavement.
-My best miles are 7-9. In those miles I am in heaven, full of peace and euphoria.
-I can't help but smile or laugh when my run becomes ridiculously hard.
-Almost always I get choked up during the last stretch of a long run. My mind goes to my favorite marathon running uncle who lost his fight to Cancer. His memory inspires me to no end.
-Monotony is my nemesis. My angst against sameness directs the routes I choose and the path I take.
-Training kills my cravings for sweets.
-Races are worth the money. They're incredible motivators for training and goal setting.
-Without running I have insomnia, back aches, and therapy. $100 for a pair of running shoes every few months is cheaper than fixing the above.

Here's another picture of my first race last year. I decided to do a half marathon for my first running race. I'm the second from the right in the blue long sleeve shirt.








It helps to have people surrounding me that are inspiring. The Mommies Got Back blog has been one of many sources of that inspiration. I am so looking forward to meeting you all! I'm proud to be a member of your team.


Here is another major source of my inspiration:



See you in June!

Help!

I am so sad to be writing this post but it is now out of my hands...Do you remember my intro about my struggles this year with Meniers disease? It has only gotten worse over the past few months and has rendered me useless as a wife, mother, neighbor, church member and a RUNNER. Most days are spent just getting through the basics and many are spent in bed or throwing up. I have been trying everything available to get it under control but nothing is working and it is only getting worse.

This leads to the reason I am posting...I am sad to say that there is no way I am going to be able to run this race. I have been hoping for a miracle but now it is time for reality. I don't want to leave the team with an empty spot so I need your help. Does anyone have a friend, sister, neighbor, who wants to run in my place?

Shirts?

Erin and I ran the Texas Ragnar and we ordered shirts for our team. Thinking we'd do that again, I thought we'd get the ball rolling... so we can come to a conclusion, and not save everything until the last minute (money and sanity wise).

I don't mind coordinating it again... and I don't mind handing off the baton, so to say. So, if you are a graphic designer, married to one, have a burning desire, etc. have at it.

If not, here is the shirt we did for Texas.

Here are the other choices we selected from: (keep in mind, we can change color schemes, fonts, etc.)
choice one
choice two
choice three

We can use the same company (The Graphic Cow). They were super easy to work with. We have to order a minimum of 24 (any combo of long/short sleeve, just all the same color). Shirts ended up being roughly $9/piece. We only had one team, so we each got both a short and long sleeved shirt. How does that sound? Since we have 24 running, you could order as few as 1 or as many as you'd like (we had one who ordered 3, one for each of her legs).

They have roughly 1459760 different designs. Here's the hard part: selecting one. Please think about what you do and don't want. For example, refuse to wear a neon purple shirt (can't blame you there), please let it be known.

Here are my questions to y'all...

Since we are a combo of two teams, anyone have anything creative that can combine Mommies Got Back and Energizer Runnies? (My feeble brain keeps coming back to either Oh Mama or She's Got Legs)

What do we want to be the center theme of the shirt? Motherhood? Mountains? Running shoes? Dots? Flowers? Kittens? Rainbows? OK, no kittens or rainbows allowed.

Do we want to include everyone's names? My hesitation is since we are (hopefully) going to order these early, if someone drops out, and someone comes on board...well... you get the picture.

Now, I am sure I have sent your mind o' spinning. Give it some thought.

We are preparing for a snow storm here in OKC, so I have some 'in house' time to think, too.

Happy Running!
Lindsay

Better Late than Never.....(right?)

Hello Runnin' Friends!


This picture is a little teaser for all of you Wasatch Backers! This is me (in 2007) heading out for my night run at the Wasatch Back. It was 5 miles of running in the dark at 1:45 a.m.. I LOVED it. It was my favorite leg of the race. Can't wait to do it again!

It's time for my overdue introduction.

My name is Chelle (pronounced "Shelly") and I love, love, love to run. I also LOVE to do yoga and have been known to talk for hours with people about both. Wanna? We'll have plenty of time for that when we're stuck in a van at the Wasatch Back!

Yes, I am one of those crazies that is in love with running. I started running right after I got married (14 years age). Before that, I was a running wimp. And I mean a BIG wimp! Example: I begged my Mom in junior high to convince my P.E. teacher that not all of us can run the mileage she was requiring us to run. Umm.... it was maybe 2 miles, if that!

And that is what I love about running. Running truly has changed my life for the better, on the whole. I feel like I can do more in life, and I learned that from running.

So, I am busy, busy (just like the rest of you!) I even feel too busy to update my blog these days, I've decided to share some "basics" with you here and then link to some of the running posts that I've written in the past on my personal blog. I love to read anything about running, and if you are the same... these might be fun to look at (or not!) ; )

I live in SLC with husband (Chris) and four kids, ages 11, 9, 7, 5 (notice how the pattern stops at 5? yep, we're done!!)

I love raising my kids, reading, playing piano (but mostly just end up nagging my kids to practice piano), doing PTA and anything involved in my community, overanalyzing and philosophizing about life (I get myself into trouble with this one, but makes for such fun conversation!) and my second most favorite thing beside running is YOGA! I love it!

Here are some links from my personal blog where I've shared running experiences:

About the Wasatch Back 2007

About the Salt Lake Marathon 2008

About Why I Run

About a Half Marathon (Race Report)

About running and weight (ugh!!)

I can't wait to meet all of you!

GO TEAMS!!