Utah Valley Marathon

We stopped at Hertz when we landed in Salt Lake City to rent a regular ole car for our trip and ended up with this sweet little convertible instead. Little did we realize that driving a convertible is not exactly the same as the mini vans that we are used to. After a little trial and error, Marla was driving this baby like she'd been doing it all her life. We will always be grateful to the girl at Big O Tires that taught us about the "gangster swag" art of driving this low profile car. We had a great time driving this over the next several days with the top down through the cool crisp air.

After training, injuries and back to training, I completed my first full 26.2 mile marathon. Below are pictures from not only the gorgeous marathon but also five of the most fun days I could have asked for. I was lucky to share this experience with these wonderful friends.

Rhonda, Sheryl, Marla - waiting to start the race. It was a bit nippy but not as cold as I thought it may be. We started around 6,000 feet elevation and we could definately feel the altitude when we ran.

Marla was coordinated enough to run and take pictures at the same time so all pictures from the actual race are from her. Our first 6-7 miles were along a beautiful road with farms and green for miles. Above is Provo Canyon where we ran past rivers and waterfalls.

This is one of many aid stations with powerade and water. Some also had gu, oranges and bananas. I tried to refill my bottles as quickly as possible and get moving on my way.




Sheryl and Sam coming through the tunnel.

Elated to have finished the marathon.

Sam, Sheryl, Marla, Rhonda

Love the medal they gave us. I didn't know what to expect from a marathon but it was definiately harder than I thought it would be. I felt great for the first 16 or 17 miles but the rest of the race I felt a bit dizzy and out of it. I just kept trying to put one foot in front of the other to the end. I've heard about hitting a wall at mile 22 and I hit it for sure and just had tunnel vision trying to get to the end. I hoped for a time of about 4 hours but those last 6 miles or so I slowed way down and ended up finishing in 4:08. Close to goal but not close enough which is a good reason to try again. I've already been searching for the next good race and have a few possibilities in mind.


Marla and I flew up to UT on Thursday and had the opportunity to see many places. One place we stopped was a great little bakery that a friend had recommended. We bought enough to last a few days. This is us enjoying a few bites after our pre-race run the day before.
It was quite the yummy dessert.

We spent our first day in Salt Lake City touring a lot of church buildings and Temple Square. This is the roof of the conference building where there are amazing gardens.

We stayed out WAY past my bedtime and visited the beautiful Salt Lake Temple.

This is also the top of the conference building.

The day after the marathon we toured Provo Canyon by car and a little by foot. I was hobbling like an old lady but it was too gorgeous to pass up seeing. This is on our way to Bridal Veil Falls.

This was our first day in Utah. We visited Ensign Peak and hiked to the top where the wind was pretty wild.

We felt like we might blow away from the strong winds. Check out our hair.

It was so nice having my own personal tour guide (thanks Marla!). She took me to "This is the Place". We didn't get to tour the whole place but I got a glimpse of what is there and some super yummy carmels.

We tried to go to this running store but it was closed.

We really liked the sign in the front though, especially since we were still seriously feeling the pain from the race.

These are out of order - this is back to Bridal Veil Falls. We had this beautiful view when we passed the falls during the race. The green was so lush compared to what we see in AZ.

There was more snow this year which left the river running high.

I love the sounds of running water.

Bridal Veil Falls - so beautiful!

We met back up with Sheryl and Sam at Sundance. Another amazing view and the weather was perfect. A little crisp air that was clean and smelled so good.

Have I ever mentioned I don't like to fly?

It was worth it for such a fun trip though.

This was the first big trip I've ever had away from my kids and it was much needed. I missed them but boy did I enjoy a little peace and quiet. It gave me a chance to charge my batteries and be a better mom (sometimes) as well as reach a personal goal. I will cherish this trip forever!