Go....Live Your Dream.

I'm full of bad ideas. I get them way too often and unfortunately I typically don't realize they're a bad idea until after I've put them into action and paid the consequence. 

My latest terrible idea: Running an 8.9 mile race with a 3,585 ft vertical ascent up at Snowbird Resort after only running about 4 times in the last year (with the longest of those distances being about 3 miles). Oh yeah, and the race happened to occur the day after I had a fever, headache, and vomiting/diarrhea. Yes, I just admitted to having diarrhea on a public forum.  You're welcome.

This was me, minus the boots.

So to say that I was "unprepared" is the understatement of the century. But I didn't want to waste my $35 (because I had obviously splurged :P), so I laced up my trail shoes, threw on my Camelback, and got my butt up to Snowbird.


My family went with me for moral support (aka I forced Jordan into taking the kids so that they could watch mommy set and crush goals) and we all met Kelly and Allison in the waiver line. At the time I wondered why we had to fill out 2 separate waivers, but about 2 hours later that would all make sense :(

Luckily, my friends had done what most guys wish they could do and picked up a random girl, Kim, in the bathroom. Kim was from Cali and running the race alone....but not anymore!! She joined our crew as we got prepped for race time. And by "prepped" I mean we stood around, took pictures, and gossiped while watching other people warm up.

The race started off uphill, but doable. I was able to run most of it....at least the first 0.2 mile. That running quickly turned to fast hiking which then turned into regularly paced hiking followed by slow hiking with multiple breaks.

Luckily the scenery was gorgeous and I was able to take it all in as I plugged along. As a mom who stays home with her kids 24/7, the thought that cycled through my mind repeatedly was how enjoyable the silence was. 

The other thought I kept having was how I wish Jordan and the kids were with me to experience this. It's amazing how all I want is a little alone time, and when I get it, I immediately miss everyone and wish I wasn't alone. Oh, the dichotomy of being a mom.

As we climbed and climbed...AND CLIMBED, I kept thinking about how I would never again trust Kelly Gibbons to talk me into anything ever again. This was KILLER and I was contemplating finishing the whole time. "Maybe I can find a shortcut", "Should I ride the tram down?", "When in the hell will this be over?!!" were all nagging thoughts going through my mind. 

When I finally summited, I was overjoyed!! I had arrived. After a quick bathroom break and sitting to eat and enjoy my waffle, I got back on my way. "I'm sure it's all downhill from here!" I thought. 

Boy was I way off.

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?!

I wanted to quit SO bad...but if there is one thing I know about myself, it's that what I lack in physical ability, I more than make up for in dedication and determination. Alongside my "I hate Kelly" thoughts (jk Kelly) were constant "Thank you God" thoughts. "Thank you God that I am able to be here today. Thank you God for giving me a healthy body that I can push to do crazy things. Thank you God for allowing me to live in such an incredible place where scenery like this is just my backyard. And thank you God for giving me a beautiful family who supports me in everything I do."

Those "thank you God"s quickly turned into "Dear God please don't let me die" as we came around the corner and stared our descent in the face. Not surprisingly multiple EMS personnel had been strategically placed here, but when I asked for a helicopter ride out, they politely declined. At this point in the race I did seriously consider giving myself a mild traumatic brain injury in order to justify being flown out but apparently "helicopter rides are really expensive" and since I'd be strapped to a board and unable to take in the scenery, I decided against it.

Kelly found me on our last ascent and we made our way down the front of the mountain together. Catching up and talking to her was such a nice time that I didn't even realize how long it took. And when we saw the finish line there was actually an angel hovering over it. I even caught it on camera:

We crossed the finish line together and for the first time in my race history ever, I came in DEAD LAST for females under 99 years old. I'm so glad they emailed me to confirm that. 

All in all, I'm so thankful that I had this opportunity, but mostly I'm thankful that I trusted myself to do it. The greatest gift anyone has ever given me is confidence in myself. My dad instilled that in me and Jordan fosters it daily. But what REALLY reinforces that confidence is frequently making decisions to push myself out of my comfort zone and proving to myself that I can do whatever the hell I want to do. If I want it, I will get it. And above everything else, that is the legacy I want to pass onto my girls.