Canyon Lands 1/2 Marathon!

Last Saturday we went down to Moab where Muriel and I ran the half marathon in Moab. It was so beautiful! It was also, so hard!

Our goal was to run without stopping and we made it! Muriel was really optimistic about the whole thing. Every time we stopped at a water station Muriel always said, "Thank you so much for your support!" Also periodically in the race Muriel and I would give each other high 5 and say, "Go us! We're doing it! Only 6 more miles to go!" Heh. Every now and again we would yell out, "Wahoo!" to give our own selves some support. It was great running it with Muriel. Her optimism provided me with more energy.

Along the run we ran into a man that had a 5o in 50 by 50 t-shirt. I asked him about it. He told me that he and his son's friends had a goal to run 50 half marathons in 50 states by the time they were 50. So hardcore! I wonder where they would run in Alaska? We also ran into a man wearing a disco suit. It wasn't polyester! It looked somewhat made out of breathable cotton but... it was interesting. I asked him if he felt any heat and he said no, I also asked if he trained in it, he also said no. He did tell me he was going to wear it out to dinner. I thought that was pretty hardcore. I dont know if I would run in something that wasn't your typical "exercising" outfit. Hm.

Also, near the end of the race---mile 11--- you come out of the canyon and run on the high way. That is usually where you start having more supporters on the road waving you on. Every time we saw a little kid sticking out his hand in the street for a high five Muriel would say, "Let's go give them high 5!" It's sweet, but after running 11 miles it seems the only thing you're thinking about is, "I must finish.... I must finish... keep running.... keep running...." Thinking about going out of your way, even if it is 3 or 4 inches to the side, just seems too much. However, Muriel was ever the optimist and I can also proudly say we did give high 5 to every little kid who had his hand sticking out. :)

It was a good run. Matt didn't run it with us but he met up with us at mile 12 and shouted, "Don't stop now!" I was thinking, "Oh... geez, easy for you to say!" It was nice however to have the support. :)

It was really, really, hard and I almost wanted to cry at the end because I was so tired---I think I'll do it again next year. If you want to do it.... let me know! We should run it together! It's triumphant!