My Fitness Journey Part 3: Marathon Momma

Training for my first full marathon was great, but tough in the Arizona valleys.  There are very few hills which produces a consistent pace as long as you can keep it up.  I trained, increasing my mileage every week.  Four weeks before the race and one week before my ominous 20-mile run, I found out that I was pregnant.  Now, it's pretty sad to think that after a year of disappointments, I was not as excited as I should have been to find out I had gotten pregnant.  I had wanted to be a mom for as long as I could remember.  However, I was so close to accomplishing a goal that I had worked so hard to achieve and all at once, I wasn't sure if I would be able to.

First piece of advice: if you have a question like, "Should I run a marathon if I am pregnant?"  Do not google it.  It will only make you more confused not to mention make you feel like an awful person for even considering such a thing.  "How dare you put your child's life in danger for a selfish thing like running in a race."  Well, good thing for me I had a close friend who was an experienced OBGYN.  He reassured me that  as long as I had been training well, I kept my heart rate in check, and I stayed hydrated, I should be safe.

My detailed marathon training and race is a story for another day.  However, long story short, I came in around 4:43:00.  Very disappointing after doing a 3:00:00 20-mile training run 3 weeks earlier.  I was 9-weeks pregnant on race day and I didn't run again after that day for over a year.

Staying active while pregnant was important thing to me, but I did not run. I had learned in school and while working in my field, that exercise during pregnancy is a very positive thing.  I had a healthy pregnancy, a healthy baby girl, and a quick recovery.  I jumped right back into exercising as soon as I could (although I probably should have jumped a little less than I did since I experienced my first full-on peed pants while doing jumping jacks in a class 6 weeks after little Lucy was born).

Exercising with a baby can be tricky. I ran a lot while Lucy was little because I couldn't take her to the gym while she was less than 6-months old.  I talked my husband into buying a BOB jogging stroller, which is the best investment we've ever made, (next to our double BOB that we got after baby #2).  I started teaching group fitness again and slowly gained my body back.

I was pregnant with my second child a couple of months after Lucy turned one year old.  It was an initial shock, but I was so happy.  I continued to teach my group fitness classes until I was 35 weeks and my doctor told me I had to slow down or he was going to come too early.  Of course I stopped teaching for the next 5 weeks and he came on his due date.  Figures.

I made a goal to run a race between every pregnancy. Although the only race I ran between my first two was a 10K Turkey Trot, I decided that I wanted to set a new goal to run at least one half marathon between every pregnancy.  Races are such a good target to aim for.  There's a specific date and distance to work towards and a specific time if you are feeling extra ambitious.

I ran my first post-baby half-marathon in March 2013 when little Liam about 5 months old.  It was the Diamond Valley half-marathon in Hemet, CA. I came in right around 2 hours which I was pleased with considering it was a very disappointing rocky dirt path for 12 of the 13 miles.  I had reached my goal of running a half, but decided later that year that I was going to try for another 26.2 miles.

Ever since I had tried to run my first marathon, I always knew that I wanted to do another one.  I didn't want an excuse when people asked me how I did.  "Yeah, I came in over 4 and a half hours, but I was pregnant so..."  No more.  Ryan signed up for the 2014 Phoenix Marathon, so I did too.  Whatever made me think that it would be possible for both of us to train for the same marathon is beyond me.  But we made it happen.

My training and race-day stories are for another day.  My goal for this marathon was to run the whole way without walking except through the aid stations while I re-hydrated.  My underlying goal was a sub-4-hour race.  If it didn't happen I was okay with it.  Let's just say that this Marathon Momma came in at 3:59:21 to be exact.  I could not have been more happy and pleased with my efforts and results.

I'm not sure if or when this momma will run in another full marathon, but if I do, it will not be anytime soon.  One thing I can say is that believing you can continue to grow and thrive in doing something you love is priceless.  Always aiming for something a little better than where I am now is a goal in all facets of my life: as a mom, as a wife, as a friend, daughter, and sister.  I love having fitness goals that I can measure and check off.  The feeling of success in achieving something that you once thought impossible is unreal.  So thankful for this journey and for the road ahead.

My Fitness Journey Part 2: My First Half Marathon

After I accepted my 5-mile knee flare-up, time passed, and I graduated from BYU and went on to attend Arizona State University to pursue a master's degree in Exercise and Wellness.  I wasn't married and I didn't want a grown up person's job, so I decided more school was the best option.  In graduate school, I realized that I had a much more flexible schedule and could really focus on my fitness.  I began working out every day.  I recognized a HUGE change in my fitness level as well as my body shape when I went from working out 3-4 days a week to 5-6 days a week.  I would often go the the gym, do about 45 minutes of cardio like an elliptical or a group fitness class, then another half hour of strength training.

I met my running mate in the midst of adjusting to that Arizona sunshine. His name was Ryan and he enjoyed running.  I still remember the first time we went running together.  We went around the block for a 4-mile run (which in the East Valley is easy to track thanks to our early Mormon settlers).  I couldn't believe how fast he ran!  I thought I was going to die.  I hadn't ever really tried to push myself into running faster.  Up until then, I had been okay with my natural mediocre running pace.

However, as things got more serious with Ryan, we ran together more often.  I enjoyed running with him, not only because I was falling in love with him, but he was making me a faster runner.  After we were married in December 2007, he talked me into training for a half marathon.  I told him it was impossible because my knee wouldn't allow me to run much more than an hour.  However, as convincing as young love is, I trained for the 2008 Bryce Canyon Half Marathon.  I ran a couple of 8-mile runs with a 10-miler just before the race.  

In training for my first half-marathon, however, there were a few things I had failed to think about.  First off, I had been training on really flat terrain in Arizona.  When I say flat, I mean not a single hill in sight.  The first half of the Bryce Canyon Half is is steep downhill.  To illustrate how steep it was, I passed a sign on the road warning drivers of the 6% decline.  I had not trained running downhill at all.  I had never considered that it was necessary since running downhill should be easier, right?  Well, about mile 7, my quads were done.  It was pure mental toughness that kept me going.  I tried to use my quads less, but then due to that unnatural gait, I began to feel it in my hips.  

Despite the fact that the downhill section crippled me, I approached the finish line and saw Ryan running back to me.  I didn't wear a watch and had no idea how long I had been running.  He quickly informed me that I was only about a few hundred feet away from the end and at about 1:48:00.  I booked it and finished right around 1:49:00.  I couldn't believe it!  My knee survived and I had kept a pretty good pace.  Of course I walked like a 90-year-old lady for about five days, but I concluded that as long as I only ran a couple of times a week and supplemented with cross-training, I could make this work.

Working in the Fitness Industry after I graduated from ASU was busy.  I was a health coach in corporate wellness, I had dozens of clients at a personal training studio, I taught various group fitness classes, and even taught a couple of classes at the county's community colleges.  I loved getting paid to work out and help people catch the fire for healthy living.  

In 2010 I decided to run another half.  I had been training with occasional sprints on the treadmill and increased my speed significantly.  My brother decided to come down and run it with me and Ryan.  The course was completely dirt... well, since it had recently rained, it was partially mud as well.  It was a smaller, completely flat race, but was a lot of fun.  

I actually learned a couple of really great lessons while running this race.  Both of them having to do with your attitude and mental connection to the physical outcome of your race.  I had started running with an ipod and an emotionally touching song came on right around mile 10 as the race started to wear on me.  Okay, since you are curious and must know what song it was, please don't judge. It was the Backstreet Boys song "Perfect Fan." I love my Momma. I may have cried, but it helped me keep up my pace. The music you listen to can really make or break your race, choose wisely. 

My other lesson came in spontaneous positive reinforcement to my fellow racers.  The course had a couple of spots where we had to turn around and run back.  Obviously this meant that we were running opposite some of the other runners in the race.  As I watched them, I noticed that not very many people looked like they were enjoying themselves.  I started high-fiving some of them and giving them encouragement.  As I did, I felt a surge of energy shoot through my body and speed up my pace.  I came in right around 1:44:00, five minutes faster than my first race and on a much flatter course.  I contribute much of that to my encouragement to the other runners. 

My brother did really well too.  He trained in Provo, Utah at about 4,500 foot elevation, so coming down to Arizona took off a ton of time for him.  We headed home after the race.  Later as we looked up our official times, I checked and in shock realized that I won 3rd place in my age category!  We had left before they awarded the winners their medals.  Not only that, my brother finished first in his category.  I felt kind of silly asking them to mail us our medals, but so happy we won! 

Since I had done so well in this race, I realized I wanted to keep going. I soon afterward looked for an upcoming marathon.  I figured that if I kept up that pace the whole way, I could get a 3:30:00 time on a full! If only that was how it worked...

My Fitness Journey Part 1: Chubby Little Legs to My First 10K

My fitness journey started on a little canal road in the Salt Lake Valley.  My chubby little 7-year-old legs pedaled my pink banana seated bike while I followed my brother on his bike and my dad as he ran along the shoulder of the narrow paved path.  My dad was a diligent daily exerciser and has been for about as long as I can remember.  He would run in occasional 10K races, but often stuck to his 4-mile route.

I am blessed with good genes: good teeth, strong fingernails, and an amazing heart.  Not just to love with, because that's important, but physically, my heart is about as strong as they come.  I remember in junior high (after I grew out of my chubby legs), being one of the first runners to finish the mile in my all-girls PE class.  In high school I remember running an 8-minute mile without ever really trying.  I didn't play sports because my parents decided that dance classes were sufficient, but I wasn't a dancer either.  I'm not sure why I didn't run for the cross-country team or try out for track, but I didn't. I probably thought it was nerdy, so I didn't.  But I was nerdy.... moving on.

The first time I ran more than a couple of miles was in high school with my dad.  One evening, he needed to check off his routine 4-mile run and I tagged along.  I know I slowed him down.  And to be honest, about halfway through I thought I was going to die, but I finished and he supported me the whole way.

Upon graduating high school, my parents got me a gym membership and some personal training sessions.  I was intrigued with my trainer's exercises and programs that she prescribed for me.  Why should I do this lift?  Why should I do it so many times?  I could not believe that she really wanted me to come to the gym at least three times a week and do cardio for a half hour or more.  That was a lot to ask!  I had never worked out regularly before.  How was I supposed to make time for all this now?

Having a personal trainer was actually how I decided to look into studying Exercise Science. Although I jumped around a few different majors, I finally settled into Fitness and Wellness Management. I LOVED my classes.  I learned about weight lifting and cardio training as well as nutrition and other health-related topics.

My first official race was a few years into college when  I ran BYU's Rex Lee Run 5K.  I think I came in around 27 minutes.  Although I was now immersed in learning about the fitness world, if I worked out four times a week I was doing pretty well.  I fell in love with the group fitness cardio kick boxing classes they would have in the indoor track.  Hundreds of girls at 9:00 pm gathered for therapeutic punching and kicking while the enormous speakers blared above us.  With the stresses of college studies and dating, I made these "therapy sessions" top priority.

I eventually got the courage to run in my first 10K.  I trained for the Provo Freedom Run on the 4th of July (which is now a family tradition).  As I increased my mileage and frequency, I began to feel pretty good.  That summer I focused on running nearly every day, at least four or five miles.  However, that proved to be a bad idea.  After the race my knee flared up any time I tried to run more than 45 minutes or so.  I would hit the 5-mile mark and the pain would surge.  I tried a brace, but it did not help much.  I accepted the fact that I wasn't meant to be a distance runner.  And I was okay with that.