I’m Weird-Post #3

I’m Weird-Post #3

I’ve been hesitant to compose another “I’m Weird” post because, well, I would like someone to continue reading this blog. (Hey I can pretend even if it is only my mother who reads it.) And I don’t want to scare away potential readers with my strangeness, but it may be time for me to reveal yet another weird fact about myself: I LIKE to exercise, and I particularly like to run. Now I know that is a shocker since I don’t “look like” a runner or an exercise buff, and I am fairly UNathletic, but I still like to do it. When I was younger I loved tumbling and gymnastics (Although my gymnastic career came to a screeching halt when I broke both bones in my right forearm trying to perform a dive cartwheel off a spring board in gymnastics class, and I never did learn much beyond back walkovers and being able to walk on my hands the length of the gym-although I can still stand on my head.) I enjoyed “aerobics” in the 80’s. And in high school I occasionally got up early enough to do the “20 minute workout” on TV. I liked (and still do like) to read fitness articles and try different new exercises. From 1992 until the Logandale church burned down in 2009, I did “aerobics” with a group of ladies every morning in the Logandale church cultural hall. We did “step,” Tae-bo, yoga, and regular-dancy aerobics. It was fun to learn complicated step routines some even using two steps. (We fantasized about performing these awesome 2-step routines where we traded steps and places-not only choreography- but formation changes-they were awesome-. But we never felt comfortable performing in our spandex and t-shirts for anyone other than our children who happily played in the back of the room while we visited and exercised in the front-the ultimate example of Mormon Mom Multi-tasking: We held pre-school, group therapy, and got our exercise for the day all in the same daily hour. My kids still have fond memories of “aerobics” and some of their first and best friends were made during this daily exercise hour. And in our family instead of saying, “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings,” We say, “It ain’t over till the fat ladies do sit-ups,” since the children at aerobics knew it was almost time to go when we worked on abs (our last exercise.) We still remember one little boy yelling, “Hurry, we don’t have much time! They are doing the sit-ups! They are almost done!” ) My freshman year of college, I began to run. First it was just “one-time around the indoor track after my ballet class.” Then I decided to see if I could do two, and pretty soon I was doing 5 miles. I found that I LIKED to get up at 5 a.m. and do 5 miles on the indoor track. (Totally weird-I know-college students are NOT supposed to LIKE to get up early.) It was a great time to think, and it made my day go sooo much better. (I think it reduced a LOT of my freshman year stress.) And in addition there was no pressure to “look good” since the only people on the track at that hour were 60-year-old professors-although once I did get asked out by a boy who worked the early-morning janitorial shift in the Smith Fieldhouse. I continued to run through college, after marriage, and even ran in addition to my daily aerobics with the ladies-just cause I LIKED it so much, but I usually only did 5 miles daily. Then, a few years ago, I had a friend convince me to train with her for a half-marathon. I did. And I did the half-marathon-13.1 miles baby! Then she wanted me to train with her for the Valley of Fire full marathon. (That’s a full 26.2 miles) This is a HORRENDOUS marathon which my brother appropriately dubbed the “Pure HILL” marathon (with the option to change the vowel in HILL to an “E” at the runner’s discretion.) I agreed on the condition that I would only “train” with her and not run the actual marathon. However, after 3-4 months of training runs on the actual course, I thought, “What the heck” and ran my first marathon, and it was FUN! Since then I have run 2 more full marathons and many 1/2s. (I like running the fulls, but the time commitment for training is prohibitive.) It’s been fun in the last few years to have a couple of my daughters old enough and interested enough to run with me. (Although I’m afraid I don’t run as fast as they do.) Analise ran the “Alien Run” ½ marathon with me-this was a midnight run near area 51. We ran with headlamps and reflective vests. Many of the runners dressed as aliens. We didn’t. And unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) we did not spot any aliens. We also ran the Halloween ½ down Provo Canyon together. We wore Halloween costumes and joined with hundreds of other costumed runners trotting down the canyon. It was a fun, fast, and very entertaining run. This past October, I ran the St. George full Marathon with Analise-her first full marathon. Again fun. And Lynae and I ran the St. George half marathon in January (Lynae’s first ½ marathon-she thought the track workouts in the spring were a breeze after running the 1/2.)(I may get an “F” on teaching my daughters cooking and sewing skills-although they have both thanks to diligent grandmas, but I get an A+ on teaching them to clean and exercise J ) I’ve alluded to my morning runs in several of these posts. I love the time it gives me OUT of the house with no distractions (like laundry or phone calls etc.) I love the time it gives me to think and plan. (Most my church lessons are prepared during these runs.) And I love being out in the early morning often before the sun is up. It’s weird-I know. In fact, so weird that I remember telling a cross-country runner that I dated in high school that I would NEVER run, that although I liked to exercise, running was just insane. Yep, I’m weird, and I’m eating those words-"I will NEVER run"-….daily.

Me finishing my first full marathon-Valley of Fire-2004

Kay & Analise Alien run 2010

Some of the costumed runners before the Provo Halloween Half (Analise and Kay are on the right in the front- batman and superman-not super creative costumes-but we like superheros.)

Kay finishes the St. George Marathon-Oct. 2011 and somehow she (instead of Analise) ended up carrying EVERYTHING.  Note the cell phone in one hand and camera in the other.  The ipod clipped to my shorts and pockets bulging with tissue, advil, fruit snacks and other running necessities.)

Analise finishes the St. George Marathon-Oct. 2011 carrying NOTHING!  The mom ALWAYS has to carry/hold stuff for the kid, even if the kid is 19 and the mom is trying to run 26.2 miles :)

Lynae ready to run the St. George half.  It was raining and we are so NOT used to rain and also we are so NOT those runners who have all the cool supplies (like the runners belts-which would have helped in the St. George Marathon where I ended up carrying everything-special water bottles, and stylish running attire, including rain paraphernalia).  So here's Lynae in a garbage bag ready to ward off the rain during the run.  But we did feel pretty cool (and always do) when we finished before some of the runners with all the running "gear."

P.S. I'm just realizing now that I have posted several of the most UNflattering pics of myself, and I'm sure my daughters won't be too happy that I posted race pics of them either (Although I think THEY look great.)  Of course, no one looks good AFTER running and therefore it is pointless to try to look good before, so of course all race pics are devoid of make-up and nice hair, and the picture above gives my diclaimer on race-fashion.