"If we don't suffer enough we won't remember it."

I ran 4 miles at about a 7:15 pace then two more with my sister who is in town from Oregon.  The two with her were at about a 9 min pace. 

12 miles avg 7:13 pace.  I ran a hilly route from my house out past Timp View High School, up by the Provo Temple and back.  I felt better at the end than the start.

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon avg 7:20 pace

3 easy miles with two of my sisters, Laura from AZ and Kelly from OR, and by easy, I mean easy, avg 9:42 pace.  We ran from my mom's house (two doors down from mine) to the Orem Cemetary to my dad's grave and back.  I always admired my dad's work ethic.  He was the hardest working person I knew.  As I stood on his headstone stretching we talked about how his hard work and all the stress he put himself under may have contributed to his early death.  He died of brain cancer at age 60.  As we walked away we said, "See you later dad," and I said, "What if he was listening to us talk about how we think he worked too hard and made himself sick?"  I miss my dad.

I ran the Wasatch Wellness Run.  Provo Canyon School, where my husband works, was one of the sponsors and they paid my entry fee.  I ran from my house to the start of the race, 6.8 miles away.  When I told my son Canyon that was my plan he said, "You're going to run a 10k to warm up for your 10k?!"  I said, "Yes." 

I got there right before the race started and saw Maryanne in the bathroom.  I came out and told my kids, "Maryanne is here.  That means she's going to be first and I'm going to be second.  She'll get $100 and I'll get nothing."  I was ok with that, after all it didn't cost me anything to register and the shirts were actually really nice. 

The race started and in about 2 miles Maryanne was probably a minute ahead of me.  Far, but not so far I couldn't see her.  Then at mile 3 I realized I was getting closer to her.  The race went from 7-peaks, around the mental hospital, then around the Provo Cemetary then up 900 East, around Kawanas Park and back to 7-peaks.  At mile 4 going up 900 East, in the middle of 2.5 miles of uphill, I realized I was really closing the gap.  I thought, "If someone said, 'I'll give you $100 if you catch that girl,' I'd at least try."  I figured I could catch her, but didn't know if I could keep up if she sped up much.  At mile 5 right as the downhill started I passed Maryanne and she didn't seem to speed up.  I kicked it in the last mile, which was my fastest mile and took 1st!  Then I ran another 5 miles for a total of 18 miles today.