As part of our Ironman training I convinced Jeremy to run the Moab 1/2 marathon with me this year. I have run this race twice and have failed miserably each time. I was determined to have a successful race this year. We arrived in Moab late the night before the race and barely had time to dash into the expo to pick up our bib numbers. Afterwards we checked into our hotel and I was immediately disappointed we were there so late. It was a nice room with a nice breakfast. The kids were just happy to ride in the luggage cart and "help" us unpack.
Cute little clean kiddos.
Early the next morning my mom, Jake, and Camille arrived. Camille was running the race with me and Jeremy, and the others were on kid-watching duty. While Camille, Jeremy and I hoped on the school bus shuttles, rode them up the canyon, and perched on chilly red rocks while we waited for the start, it looks like the kids had fun at the park. Jake is probably a fabulous monkey bar buddy.
Up at the starting line the three of us were shivering and waiting for the gun to go off. Then finally we counted down from five and we were off. Camille ran with us for the first mile or so, then dropped back to maintain a more comfortable pace for her. Jeremy and I tried to run a quick, smart race. He has never run a race before and the crows of people were making him excited. He kept wanting to dash ahead and pass the people in front of us. I've done that before and have paid the price later in the race so I held him back. It's a beautiful course down the red rock canyon next to the river. It wasn't too hot this year and I was finally feeling strong. It was awesome to run so long with Jeremy. Both of us felt like the miles were just flying by. At mile 11 Jeremy passed a group of runners ahead of us and I was stuck behind them for for a few strides. During that short time though Jeremy decided he was going to really push it the last two miles. We were on track for a fabulous time and I couldn't blame him. I tried to keep up, but it was all I could do to keep up my new faster pace. I didn't have the kick I wanted at the end, but I still finished strong. I also finished with a new PR! 1:40:48. I have not PR'd since my very first half marathon in Pennsylvania. Jeremy finished in 1:40:12. He's bummed he didn't break that 1:40 mark, but really he was thrilled with a time that strong for his first race. We both limped back along the course to find Camille. When we found her I ran with her that last mile and Jeremy wandered off to find our cheering squad.
Camille finished nicely and was really proud of her performance. Even though we didn't run the whole race together it was still fun to do it together.
We hung around the finish line for awhile until we remembered we needed to dash back to the hotel to check out. After quick showers the camping crew showed us where they set up camp. It was right along the race course next to the river. It was a great little spot. That first night we played cards, played frisbee, and played in the dirt.
The girls looked a lot like Toothless drawing in the dirt with their large sticks.
Kelton couldn't believe his luck that we let him play in the dirt all night long. And wow, was he DIRTY! He wanted to play peek-a-book and chase at the same time. His grubby little fingers covered his grubby little face and he chased Jeremy around the campground. So sweet!
The kids slept great that night and we caught a quick visit to Sacrament meeting in the morning before driving off to Arches. My goal this trip was to hike Delicate Arch with my kids. They were amazing hikers. Even Kelton hiked half of it on his own.
Up at the top I was awed by the beauty of the arch. I was also terrified out of my mind because it is not a child-safe arch. Kelton wanted to climb everywhere, even off the cliffs. I was having a series of mini-heart attacks during our entire picnic lunch. I was relieved to get that little climber down onto a safer ground near the bottom of the hill.
McKenzie and I as we walked underneath. She wanted to show me how brave she was.
That night Camille and Jake headed home, but we weren't done having fun. We headed back into the park the next morning for some more hikes. We hit the Window Arches and Turret Arch first. Kelton was really mad I wouldn't let him climb to his death off the cliff.
Our last stop before leaving for Sand Dune Arch. It was a little chilly that day, but the sand still felt good between our toes. At first Kelton wasn't sure what he thought about it, but soon was wiggling his toes with the rest of us.
Jeremy and my mom climbed up to the top of the arch. If you're trying to remember if my mom is still in a sling because of her broken collar bone, you are remembering correctly. She climbed up that arch with one arm. I couldn't believe it.
McKenzie was intent on showing the rest of us how brave she was and climbed to the top too. What a little daredevil.
Part of me was relieved when it was time to go home. I just couldn't keep Kelton off all of the rocks. Despite that stress, it was a great little trip. I hope my kids had as much fun as I did.
