Wasatch Back Adventures

Dan and I ran the Wasatch Back last week and it was our 3rd Wasatch Back (Dan has also done a Ragnar Race in Vegas as well). I am so proud of both of us for doing this but I’m definitely glad it’s behind us! It was a ton of fun though and we did really well. Dan was a beast and has been getting up at 4:30 a lot of mornings to train. I had one of the easier legs but I was still nervous because I have had a lot of back problems since I got pregnant. But it was a good goal to keep me running and I’m glad that I did it!

My first leg was only 2.7 miles but it was really hot! Dan switched with his brother and ended up with a really hard run up to Snowbasin. But he rocked it. My second leg started at 2am and it was 5.9 miles but luckily it was downhill. I did really well and felt good. I alternated between being terrified of being alone in the night in the desert and loving the beauty and quiet all around me!

The people in our van were Dan’s cousin Tyson and his wife Mallory, Dan’s brother Mike, and his other brother Mark.

I was able to get a few hours of sleep at a park and then I slept another 2 hours in the back of the car so even though I was really tired, I was able to function. I think it helped that I have been awake in the night so much with Owen! Normally, I’m a mess if I don’t get sleep, but I have definitely adjusted after having a baby!

I decided to try the “run walk” method and I think it worked great. I’m a slow poke runner but for all my legs, I ran for 3 minutes then walked for 1. I kept that up the whole time and I was able to put in slightly faster times than if I had just run at my slow pace the entire time. It also helps mentally because I feel like I can do anything for 3 minutes, so even if it’s hard, I know I can rest soon. Then by the time I’m done walking for the 1 minute, I feel ready to run again!

I was pretty scared for my last run because it was in the middle of the day (hot!) and I was just tired and still had to run 5.5 miles. But I tried to practice my positive thinking and focused on doing a good job and being strong. I kept telling myself I could do it and once I got started, I felt good! There was a pretty big hill at the end of my last leg but I managed to make it up. I was so happy to be done!

Ragnar Hill was intense as always. Mark and Tyson were machines and plowed up the hill at an amazing pace.

The view was pretty awesome!

I had tons of fun being with Dan the whole time, and as usual, he took care of me and was constantly checking on me. He is the best. Since I’m nursing Owen, I had to pump every 2-3 hours which was amazingly awkward and annoying. Luckily, the van was all family and I’m not super shy, so I just covered up and used my hand pump. Everyone got used to it after the first time. We considered trying to sell my breast milk to some crazy runner people, but decided to keep it for Owen .

We finally made it to the finish line and Dan was our final runner. He run up this huge hill in Park City and did awesome! I was so ready to be home but it was fun to celebrate with the team. The team was all family-Dan’s uncle, dad, 3 brothers, cousins, sister, and brother in law. Go AnniHILLators!

We got home and our sweet baby was sleeping soundly (my awesome mom stayed with him). My foot was pretty messed up with a stress fracture (I think) so after some ice, we hit the sack. Owen cooperated and I only had to get up to feed him once in the 13 hours that he slept! Not too shabby!

The next day we had to get up and go to church and get ready for our trip to Yellowstone the next day! Sheesh, I was just a little stressed, but luckily we had done most of the packing and organizing before the race so it wasn’t too bad. A big post about our trip to Yellowstone will be coming soon!