Idaho Falls Half Marathon

This marks the 4th state in which I've completed a race. It was such a beautiful course--I mean who could complain about a sunny morning in the 50s (55 F = 12.7 C)? 

I'm glad I decided to go a day earlier than I was initially planning because Delaware, Anaheim CA, and Florida are all at sea level, whereas Idaho Falls is 4,705 ft  (1,434 m) above sea level.  

Preparation 

I thought it would be the elevation that would get me, but no. Not in the least. It was the dry air. The morning of my first practice run, I realized there was not a single drop of moisture in the air, and it made breathing difficult (not to mention the bloody nose I got later that day--TMI, I know!). I kept tweaking my morning runs until I found something that worked to combat the dry air. 

If you have a race in a similar climate and are from a humid place, this may be of use:

1. Use a nostril saline solution twice a day. 
2. Dab a Q-tip into Vaseline and lightly coat the inside of your nostrils (just the end of your nostrils; you don't have to go far...lol).
3. Hydrate a lot more than you usually would the day before your race and drink a cup of Gatorade before you go to bed.
4. Repeat steps 1 and 2 race morning.

This worked like a charm!

Race Day

To say that the course was gorgeous would be an understatement. It went along Snake River, looped into some parks, and entered a stunning desert area with all the beautiful plants and scenery that entails. Once our course met up with the marathoners, the top 4 came speeding past us. I have nothing but awe and respect for them. They were at 17-20 miles at that point and still doing a 6/7 mi/min pace. Much respect to the female marathoner who sped past me! She won the top female award. 

I was happy with my time and was within 18 seconds of what I was aiming for, which was crazy! 

50 States? 

It was a relaxing trip, and I enjoyed my time there. I'm glad I did it.

I joined a few East Coasters before the race. They were 50 Staters (complete a half marathon in every state). I asked about it because it sounds like a great way to see every state, and I'm glad I did. To paraphrase the warning they gave me--

"Be prepared to spend a lot of money, and some states are difficult to get to, let alone host half marathons." They proceeded to tell me about a state that I have zero interest in visiting, how much money it had cost to get there, and how far away the airport was from the venue. 

Yeah, I'm not doing that. There are some boring states that I have no interest in, ha ha! I think hitting 25 states would be a better goal for me because I can skip ones like that. 

Oh Look, a Race!

 Stay safe out there, my friends in the 302! I could taste the smoke this morning.

The weekend weather lately has been making my half marathon training difficult. I'm debating if I should start taking a random day off in the middle of the week just to get a distance run in. The half marathon is at the end of July, so I have time, but I'm getting nervous, ha ha! 

Last Saturday was one of those random days of fun. I got up extra early despite the rain and went to a park I haven't been to in ages to get a drizzly run in. Lo and behold, I spotted familiar faces setting up for a race. Did I walk over and sign up for it? Is this even a question? Of course! 

I had zero regrets! It was such a fun, spontaneous race, and I got to see my running friends. The drizzle turned into heavy rain right when the race started (because of course, but it was warm outside, so I didn't mind). I ended up running a 10:30 mile (injury, injury, injury), so I was extremely happy with my time. I hope that I can get back to 9:00 minute miles soon. One of my goals for this year was to get down to an 8:30 minute mile for 5K and below, and a 10:00 minute mile for longer races. 

As I sit here typing away, I hope the smoke clears out because I'm going stir crazy. I'm sure a lot of us here in the 302 are. Seriously, is it just me, or has the rain been insane this year?

Race Report: 31 May 25

Waking up at 6 am for work: no thanks. 
Waking up at 6 am  on a Saturday to get to a race on time: *jumps out of bed* LFG! 

Last night was one of the most intense thunderstorms I've ever experienced. The thunder shook the house the entire time. I've never felt thunder like *that* before. A tornado warning blaring late at night capped it all off. Thankfully there was no tornado, but as I sit here writing this, I am tired.

I wasn't tired this morning though! I've been looking forward to this morning's race for a long time. It's one I have to commute to, and dealing with the aftermath of monsoon levels of rain and a chilly, windy morning (in May, no less) is irritating because I can't just throw all of the necessary BS into my bike's basket and lock it up. I have to figure out a way to get to the transit center with dry shoes and socks and not freeze my butt off that doesn't involve a lot of shit shoved into a hip pack or flip belt. #CommuterProblems 

I ending up grabbing an old, battered pair of dollar store flip-flops this morning and shoved my racing shoes, socks, and a dry rag into one of my clear runDisney bags (they fold nicely into a flip belt). I begrudgingly put on a light jacket that I knew I'd end up tying around my waist during the run (it was just too darn cold, and I wasn't sure if it was going to rain or not). 

So I headed out the door, hobbling on the flip-flops because there was no escaping the water (let me just say those things were painful). They lasted until the first patch of dry ground, and I was none too happy to take them off. I dried my feet with the rag and put on my shoes and socks. I tossed those horrible things into a trash bin--it's no wonder they were shoved to the back of my shoe rack!

If you're a fellow commuter, who also has to deal with the logistics of this sort of morning, I salute you! We can trade tips and tricks!

The race itself was exciting. It was one of the more social ones. The sun was out! The scenery was gorgeous, and I had a great time. My leg is getting stronger. This is the fastest I've run since I pulled this groin muscle. I didn't place, but I don't care. It's about having a good time and free beer. ;)

Are you a fellow commuter? What tips and tricks do you have to share? I'd love to hear them. I've thought about bringing a little lock and bag and just locking it to a tree or something. 

Race Report: 18 May 25

Today officially marks 1 year since I've started participating in local 5Ks and other races, and what better way to celebrate by running in a 5K. I didn't anticipate this groin strain and the amount of time it is taking to heal when I originally signed up for this race, but it's getting stronger, and I wasn't going to miss this race for the world. 

It was a beautiful, sunny morning in the 70s with a breeze (which later turned to wind--rough to run against, but it felt good to cool down). I settled in at a pace that was pushing it, yet comfortable enough as to not strain my injury.  It was fun, calming, and I cheered my running friends along as they looped around the turning point. 

By the time I saw the finish line, I felt strong enough to go a little faster, and so I did (it was not a sprint even though I desperately wanted to). I crossed the finish line with my arms in the air and happily accepted a water. I walked it off, pulled out my phone, and--shock, elation, and a torrent of emotions filled my senses. 

I placed 3rd in my category! I thought I'd never see a medal again. The sheer, misty-eyed joy that ran through me was indescribable. It's given me much needed hope: there is light at the end of an injured tunnel. I will get through this.

After the initial shock, I met up with my running friends, and of course, we partook in the free beer. Running + beer = life. 

It was such a wonderful race, and I am not going to stop anytime soon. 

State Tracker

As the title suggests, this is where I track states I've raced in other than the lovely 302, of course! I count any race—5Ks and beyond. I suspect that this list will grow, at least I hope so! 

States 
in alphabetical order

• California
• Florida
• Idaho

Welcome!

Hello world!

Just call me Running Fan. As is obvious from the title of this blog, I love to run and participate in races. There really isn't anything else interesting about me, but I figured I'd create a place to write about my running adventures, injuries, and...running. I started from nothing last year and now have two half marathons under my belt--more on "Couch to 5K" in another post.