Wasatch Back 2011

Dan and I ran in the Wasatch Back last weekend and we had a great time! We did it for the first time last year and Dan also ran the Ragnar race in Las Vegas.

I have been running a lot this year and really enjoying it more than I ever have. I run with some women at work during our lunch breaks (before it finally got hot this week) and that has made it even more enjoyable.

It was mostly Dan’s family but my sister ran with us this year as well which was really fun. Dan and I were in separate vans but Steph and I were in the same van so we partied it up together. She is a great runner and did awesome.

The other people in our van was Julie (Dan’s sister), Joe (Dan’s brother), Tyson (Dan’s cousin), and Tyler (Tyson’s friend). We had a good time together and got really friendly really fast (that tends to happen with you’re in an SUV together for 30 hours).

I was a little worried about the weather because it has been so cold and there is still so much snow, but those 2 days were ideal for running. It got pretty frigid at night and we almost froze to death, but other than that, it was awesome! The temperatures were low and there was a nice breeze so it wasn’t too hot at all. Dan ran the “Ragnar Hill” up Guardsman’s Pass and there was several feet of snow that they had plowed just for the race!

What a crazy goofball. Joe is the tallest, skinniest person I know but that makes for a fast runner . He was a speedy gonzalez and even got this sweet sombrero and a free meal to Café Rio during one of his legs! The short shorts were hot too. Julie kept telling him to change them!

My sister is a hot mess and she just kept adding on clothes as the day went on…put sweats on over her skirt, then a jacket, the socks (but kept the flip flops), and finally the safety vest that you have to wear after 7:30pm. And her sunglasses broke so she decided to wear them like this. I was proud to have her and Joe as teammates. Hot mess.

This is me at the end of my last run down Heber Canyon which was beautiful. It was in the morning and the weather was awesome and I really enjoyed it. I knew there was a bit of a hill at the very end because I ran it last year, and I’m proud to say I ran the whole way up the hill (didn’t do it last year)!

Here is Steph finishing her last leg and handing off to Dan’s cousin, Tyson.

Showing off our medals at the finish line. We were exhausted and glad to be done!

The hardest part of the Wasatch Back is the lack of sleep. It’s hard to run, but it’s much harder running in the middle of the night, a few hours after your last run and doing it all without any sleep at all. I don’t do well without sleep and I can sleep anywhere at any time so I took advantage of my wonderful talent and I definitely got the most sleep out of our whole team! Being in van 1, we were able to have about 4 hours to sleep outside from 3-7am and I was out that whole time. Everyone else was too cold or uncomfortable, but I was fine! Then at the finish line while waiting for van 2 to finish, my sister and I zonked out on the grass for 3 more hours! It was heaven and definitely helped a lot.

The race was definitely a success and I am proud of myself and Danny for training and doing a good job. We had fun and will probably do it again next year. I have a few other races this summer that I am looking forward to and as long as I enjoy it, I will keep running!