TOP of UTAH

Yesterday, Steve and I left the kiddos with my mom and pop while we sneaked away to Logan for his marathon.  We spent Friday evening birthday shopping for the twins, having dinner and just enjoying a little one-on-one time.  But the main reason we were up there was for Steve.  He woke up at 4am, dressed and went down to the lobby on the Holiday Inn Express we were staying at to meet the shuttle that would take him to the start.  I stayed in the room snuggled up in the bed, just watching the clock as I imagined what he was experiencing-the anticipation, the cold, the build up of adrenaline, etc...I finally got my self dressed and stopped off at WalMart to pick up an umbrella because Mother Nature had played a little joke on us that morning by raining.  I made it to the finish line with my new umbrella protecting me from the rain as I watched  5K runners.  This year I had signed up to get text message notifications of where Steve was a long the course and it actually worked this time.  I kind of liked that.  It helped me anticipate exactly when Steve would be crossing the finish line.  The timer above the finish line hit 3:00 hours and I knew it would not be long until I would see my runner.  There he was about ten minutes later running towards me.  I just can't help myself when I see Steve during his races.  I yell and call his name.  Many of the people around me looked as if I had two heads, but truthfully I didn't care.  I am always so extremely proud of Steve.  He works hard during the months leading up to his races.  He runs on his days off, whether he wants to or not.  I know he sets the bar high for himself to achieve a certain time, but I am always tickled that he comes in as early as he does.  I was inspired by watching him run some of these marathons to tackle my first half marathons.  I obviously don't achieve the excellence that he does, but I have learned that you run your own race and have learned to be proud of my accomplishments.  I hope he remembers those lessons he taught me as he continues to challenge himself and run future races.

THE FAMILY THAT RUNS TOGETHER...

 Saturday, June 18th...the family was up and dressed at 6:00am in the morning and we were driving to the Pavilion at the River Trail in South Jordan.  Steve, the kids and I signed up to run in the Country Fest 5K.   We did this race with the kids a couple of years ago and had a GREAT experience and the kids have been asking to do another race.   The weather was perfect and the race started on time.  Steve and the kids began in the front of the pack while I took my usual place bringing up the rear.  I started with my friend Mikki by my side, but as soon as I began to "run" I realized I needed to start of a little slower and waved her ahead.  The sweetheart that she is, she tried to encourage me to stay with her, but I told her to go ahead and make her best time.  So I was on my own and to be honest, I don't mind it too much.  It makes me very self conscience to "run" with someone.  I don't run for long and feel like such a loser, so it is just easier to run alone and go at my pace.  I do try to challenge myself.  As the continued down the path I could see Mikki and one of my girls running together.  What an awesome feeling to know that there was someone encouraging my daughter along too.  I did not see Steve cross the finish, which told me I was doing better than I had the last time I had run this course.  I kept pushing along and began to made my way through the neighborhood.  I actually enjoy that portion the most.  I love the pretty houses we run, or in my case, wa-og by.  As I was about a half way through the neighborhood, there I saw my angel.  Steve was there to help encourage me, as he has done in all my races, through the remainder of the race.  I love to see his face.  He always makes me feel like I am accomplishing something and that I have ALL the abilities to do it.  I crossed the finish line a little after 45 minutes (my goal was 45minutes).  Mikki, who had come in 6 minutes before me and all my kids along with Steve, stood there at the finish cheering me in.  Gotta love that family of mine!!!

 We hung around for the awards.  Steve knew he was getting an award for his age division, which was a FIRST place.  He also came in FOURTH overall...holy cow that man of mine can run FAST!!!

We hung around through the other awards to see if any of our kiddos had placed and we were glad we did...

BECKY won a 1st PLACE medal

BELLE 2nd PLACE medal

&

KATIE took a 3rd PLACE medal

in their age division...They were all tickled and I must say, I was a pretty proud mama.

As usual, I am very blessed for my family, especially Steve that supports me and is my biggest cheerleader.  He makes me feel like I can do ANYTHING and has helped me to do things I would never have dreamed I could do.

RUNNING SCARED

Steve ran in what will probably be his last race of 2010...the Provo Halloween Half Marathon. What a fun race to finish the year off on. He joined lots of other racers in costumes as the ran down Provo Canyon. He pulled out the "Scarecrow" costume I made him several years ago when we dressed up together as Dorothy and the Scarecrow. We had heard that it is a pretty fast course and that many people can PR on this one. So I was a little nervous that with the costume on he might not have a fabulous time, but he managed to finish with a time of 1:22...which is pretty darn good. Not a PR, but he 2nd best 1/2 marathon time.
I am gonna gush a little. I am so proud of Steve and his ability to do so well when he runs these races. I love standing around the finish line and watching the other racers come by. Then the moment comes when I get a glimpse of him. It is not usually so easy to pick him out as it was this time (not many guys dressed like scarecrows running ). I get so excited. I get so torn between taking pictures of him running or cheering him on. I usually choose the cheering and miss getting some better shots.

OGDEN HALF MARATHON

Woke up at 3:45am. Steve and the kids were sound asleep as I dressed for the race. I applied my "13.1" temporary tattoo to my arm, braided my hair, used the foot powder that would help prevent blisters, made sure I had my bagel and Powerade and was out the doors of the Marriott by 4:30am and on my way to be loaded on the buses that would take me and the other 2300 Half Marathoners to the start line. That is when you really begin questioning your sanity. The bus just keeps going and going up the mountain and you keep thinking, "that should be 13 miles...shouldn't it?" The bus finally stops and we file off the buses and feel the crisp air. Luckily there are barrels that have fires lit in them. We all gather around and try to stay warm for the next hour and a half until we begin the race. Some people are chatting about past races, PRs, and injuries they have had. Some, like myself is eating a light breakfast while downing some powerade or water and thinking about what the race had in store for us. About 40 minutes before the race the lines at the port-a-potties begins to form and people begin to shed layers of clothing and dropping their gear bags off to be driven to the finish line. Time to wander over to the start line. I don't line up anywhere near the front. I walk/jog and try to stay out of the way of the REAL runners. So I am more towards the back of the crowd. People around me are stretching and it is now that the excitement of what we are about to accomplish can be felt in the air. At 7:00 am the crowd of people lurch forward and then slowly make our way toward the official starting point. As I cross the timing mat, I press start on my Garmin watch and begin my wa-og of 13.1 miles and hopeful that I will better my time from last year.
The first 4 miles I am feeling pretty good. I want to be doing 14-15 minute miles. I am on track. It is beautiful as I am wa-ogging. At about mile 2 I strip the knit gloves off and drop them to the side of the road for someone to collect and donate to DI, but my hands have warmed up and it is silly to carry them along with me. I am still in the "slower" pack of people. I jog ahead of a woman with the green shirt and then slow down to a brisk walk. Within minutes she is jogging past me and I watch her slow down to a walk. Aww....someone I can pace myself with. We both seem to know this and we continue the "dance" of alternating leads for 4 miles. It is then that I pull off to a port-a-potty and when I come out she is gone. This is when the race began to take a negative turn. Something just started not to feel right. I stop at each water station, have a drink of water and visit the port-a-potty(I know TMI)I'll just leave it at that. Put each stop is adding minutes to my time and no ground is being covered. I am watching my goal of crossing the finish line quicker than last year slipping through my fingers. I am trying to remain positive, "...at least I will finish...remember to run your own race...just doing it is important..."

After mile 10 you are officially out of Ogden Canyon and there is a HUGE group of people to cheer on racers. This feels so good. Kind of the boost ya need to help you go those 3 more miles. I thought it might be enough, along with the messages that have been left by other runner's families, to push me to the end . But shortly after I completed mile 11 I can feel my body aching. Every step brings a new pain along with the discomfort I have been feeling throughout the canyon. I pass by a bench and for a breif moment think, "I should stop and sit there....Steve would come and look for me everntually..." But I don't. I pass by the bench and will my legs to keep going. It is then that my "KNIGHT in SHINING ARMOR' came out of no where. There was Steve who had walked up the trail to walk along with me for the last 2 miles. I was so grateful to see him. I explained to him the troubles I had and my frustrations with knowing I would not attain my goal. He told me I was still making good time considering all the stops I had to make. I know he talked to me as we walked on the trail, but unfortunately I can't tell you what he said. I was focused on finishing. Then we came around the corner onto the street that would lead me to the finishline. That is when Steve left me. He ran ahead to take pictures of me finishing. This, in my opinion, is the longest mile in ANY race. When you can see the finish line, yet it doesn't seem to be getting any closer. I am focused on the music playing on my nano...it is then that Miley Cyrus's THE CLIMB comes on. I know, way corny, but seriously I needed it. I was feeling so defeated that I had not made my goal, but then I hear Miley singing,

"I can almost see it

That dream I'm dreaming

But there's a voice inside my head sayin,

You'll never reach it,

Every step I'm taking,

Every move I make feels

Lost with no direction

My faith is shaking but I

Got to keep trying

Got to keep my head held high

There's always going to be another mountain

I'm always going to want to make it move

Always going to be an uphill battle,

Sometimes you going to have to lose,

Ain't about how fast I get there,

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side

It's the climb"

I totally began crying. Not a pretty tear dropping down my cheek, but the full on blubber with the ugly look on my face. I began to run, as much as my legs would let me, until they lead me over the finishline. And as I crossed they announced, "...Nikki Weber just finished..." over the loudspeaker. I get my medal for completeing the race. And that quick it is over. My official time 3:39:26. Definitely not my best time, but I DID IT and I FINISHED!!!

Ogden Half Marathon

Saturday, May 16th was the Ogden Marathon.

This was my 2nd half marathon and I was blessed to have one of my good friends, Stacey, running it with. She was so sweet to stay with me at my "slow" pace.

We boarded the bus that took us up into the canyon about 4:45 am. Once at the starting area, there were barrels that had fires blazing in them...thank heavens because it was stinkin' cold up there. I ate my bagel that I had brought with me and drank some of my Gatorade. We ran into our friend Wendy's husband as we were warming our selves and enjoying visiting with him as the start approached. Before we knew it, 7:00 was there and the race had begun. We walked the first mile at a speedy pace to get up the hill.
The rest of the course we tackled with intervals of walking and running. Once we crossed the dam for Pineview Reservoir there were more down hills that were fun to run down. Not long after we got back into the city, Steve met us on the trail. It was perfect timing because I was getting a little achy at that point and he was just the "shot in the arm" to get me moving again.
Once we turned the corner I knew I had a GREAT chance to meet my goal. Last year I had completed the course with a time of 3:44:58. And my goal for this year was 3:30. So we made our way down Washington Ave. and the finish gate did not seem to be getting any closer (so frustrating)
Before I knew it we were crossing the finish line and the time on the clock said
3:23:51

CANYONLANDS 5 MILE & HALF MARATHON

March 21, 2009 in Moab, Utah

Steve and I participated in the Canyonlands 5 Mile & Half Marathon.

We signed up with a bunch of friends from our neighborhood back in November. We had a friend who was kind enough to arrange for hotel rooms to accommodate 16 runners and some of their families. Through his efforts we essentially had nothing to worry about other than training to complete our own races.
Steve signed on to run in the 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) And when he crossed the finish line his time was 1 hour and 29 minutes. I was so very proud of him and was there to watch him cross. But I have finally come to the realization that I am unable to cheer him on and take photos of him. I did manage to get a picture of his shoulder (it is the blue shirt in between the two people with orange shirts on). I was so proud of him for doing such an awesome job. I just admire his ability to push himself. I chose to run in the 5 mile race and had a goal for completing it in 90 minutes. I managed to finish in 1 hour and 16 minutes.

PLAYING CATCH UP

We have been pretty busy around here, but thought I should take a little time and fill you in on some of the fun things going on in the Weber's house and our extended family.

My brother, Vito, and his wife, Mabel, had their second child a few weeks ago. A cute little boy that we call Lil' Louie. He was named after my Dad and my brother. They make a cute little family and I am so excited to have the chance to see the little guy and take in all the baby scents and touches.

October 3rd was our "CHOCOLATE SHAKES & ONION RINGS" day. The story goes that on October 3, 1993, Steve and I went for a drive to a diner in San Diego named Kooky's. And there I ordered onion rings and chocolate shakes to take home for dinner. We then sat in my little Toyota Paseo and talked about "us". And at the end of the conversation, he was going back into the dance club we had been in earlier in the evening, and before leaving he said, "Should I tell her (another girl he was casually dating) that I have a girlfriend?" And I said, "Yes, you should tell her you have a girlfriend". And that is how "we" started. And we have celebrated that buy getting shakes and onion rings. The kids love this celebration and now know the story. And neat little tradition that we started.

That same day we drove down to St. George anxious to watch Steve run his 2nd St. George Marathon. Saturday morning started off quite wet. The kids and I left the hotel and got to the finish line early to await Steve's arrival. The whole time we waited it rained. I was not sure when Steve would cross the finish line. He had never run in the rain. But there he was at 3:06:59 crossing that finish line. I was so surprised that I got caught up with screaming, "I LOVE YOU STEVE" and "YOU ROCK" and forgot to focus the camera on him. He was so glad to have me and the kids there cheering him on, but did say that someone else should be in charge of the camera when he is racing. I got so excited last year to see him running in that I forgot to take pictures. I was so proud of what an excellent job he did.

This fall Steve and I took on the task of coaching Katie & Becky's soccer team. Steve actually was mostly the coach. I filled in on the days that he had to work. They were a cute little team and we had a very good time coaching and are even considering coaching in the Spring.

Ogden 1/2 Marathon

This past week I had a few sleepless nights. The reality of participatiing in the Ogden 1/2 marathon was finally setting in. I had dreams about not packing what I needed, not knowing where to go, getting to the Expo late and not picking up my packet. So when Friday finally arrived I was quite relieved. I just had to sit back and let everything happen. Before Steve and I left for Ogden, my good friend Annette called and said she would be stopping by. Next thing I knew there was a 6 foot bird standing in my foyer holding a sports bottle, a pair of socks and a note that read:

From one old bird to another,
Knock your socks off...
Run like the wind is beneath your wings.

What a great way to get sent off.
Steve and I drove up to Ogden, checked into our hotel and then walked over to the Expo. This was pretty cool. I had partcipated in 5Ks before, but this time I got to walk over to the section that said 1/2 Marathon...CRAZY!!!! I was then given my bib number 5689 and my drop bag for the next morning. The excitement was rising in me.
It was time to "Carb Load". We met up with our friends:Brian, Suzanne, Stacey, Wendy and Tom for dinner and headed to Fazzoli's. Not the best Italian food, but they did have all you could eat Spaghetti for $5.99. We ate and talked, but by far the best entertainment was Tom and his "interesting" stories.
We said goodnight to our friends as we all went our separate ways to our rooms. I laid out my gear and went through all my stuff to guarantee I had everything I needed. We put on our jammies, turned on the Jazz playoff game and TRIED to relax enough to fall asleep. Sleep was not easy to come by all night. I woke up every 30 minutes expecting it to be time to get dressed. Finally Steve informed me it was 10 minutes to 4:00am and I decided it was as good a time as any to get up and get ready. Before I knew it we were out of the room and meeting up with the others in the lobby and we were off to meet our buses. It was then that the Marathoners and the Halfers parted ways.
I sat next to Wendy and tried to carry on a conversation so the reality of how long the bus ride was to the starting line would not be noticed. It didn't work well, I still noticed it was FAR!!! We got off the bus to find it was much colder up the Canyon than it had been outside of our hotel. We wandered over to where the fires were so that we could warm up. We also made a couple of trips over to the Port-O-Potties.

Now ordinarily I would not enjoy the site of a Port-O-Potty, but as nervous as I was it was a welcomed site.

I was then that SOUTH JORDAN SOLE SISTERS (that is what the front of our t-shirts say)made their way to the starting line. Many of the group debated about stripping off the last of their warmer clothing. The sun was just beginning to peek over the mountain, but we were not quite feeling the full effects of that heat. As we stood there at the start line and I babbled as I do in my nervous way, I managed to stick my foot in my mouth and insult someone standing near me. I was definitely ready to run, walk, crawl under a rock...anything so I did not have to be reminded of my big mouth.
And then the race began. I had decided I would be walking. I went our running with Steve a few weeks ago and he informed me that my run is the same pace as my walk...4.0 mph...so why put all that effort in to go the same distance. I was quite lucky that my friend Suzanne, who really is a runner, she just ran in Boston last month, offered to walk along with me because she was having some knee problems. So we started our trek out of the Canyon. It was just beautiful: green fields with horses, Pineview Reservoir to look at, and towards the end of the Canyon there was a beautiful waterfall. Suzanne and I got to watch the Elite Runners make their way past us. I did pretty well, but as we came to the end of the Canyon I could feel the impact of the downhill on my knees. We rounded a bend at the end of the Canyon where spectators were standing and not cheering. It was really weird. They must not understand that the runners need that. It was actually kind of uncomfortable to walk by them as they are just looking at you. It was not long after that when my knees and left foot began to tell me that they were done. And then another angel came my way...Nanette and her daughter Jessie. They walked along with us and talked and helped get my mind off the pain that shot into my eye balls every time my left foot touched the ground. It was not long after that when I noticed I only had 2 miles left and Suzanne told me it would be the longest 2 miles of the whole rest. Steve ran by us and we saw another friend Eric go by and continued to hobble along. Many times the thought crossed my mind that I should tell Suzanne to go ahead and run off without me. I was so afraid my knee was just going to give out and I might have a good cry and I did not want to embarrass myself that way in front of people I knew and respected. Then we saw Wendy, who had already crossed the finished line with a time of 2:38 and had come back to meet us. She walked along and told us my friend Stacey who also was a newbie to this racing this had met her goal to run the WHOLE thing had accomplished that. WHOOHOO!!! I just teared up thinking of her. I could see the finish line by this time. And Suzanne could see her husband Brian and asked if I would be upset if she ran in with him...of course not...and then she was off, with her hand on his back as they made their way to that Finish Line. Wendy stayed by my side as we counted he stop lights. when I approached the last set of signals I told Wendy I want to jog from that point. I had wanted to run in...that was my goal...so when we got to the light I used everything I had to make my legs move in a running motion. I don't think I was going very fast, but I sure was trying and then I saw Steve and I LOST IT!!! I did, as Oprah would say, the "Ugly Cry". I could hear my children yelling for me, Steve was crying and telling me how proud he was of me. I crossed the finish line and felt so good, pain in my knees and feet, but I felt awesome. I went to where they were handing out the medals and the girl asked me, "do you want a medal?" I was thinking, "Are you kidding me...I just went 13.1 miles...of course I want my medal...I may wear it everywhere I go..." But what came out of my mouth was, "yes...thank you."
It was incredible...I MADE IT...I am not an athletic person. I have always wanted to have that talent, but just have never been good at these kind of things. And I had decided last summer I wanted more for myself. I wanted to live my life and stop being a spectator to it...I wanted to be STRONGER in my belief of my own abilities. I know that there are people that ran that race faster and other that went farther, BUT this was my race to finish...to accomplish...to believe in myself. There is a quote that says:

The woman that starts the race,
Isn't the same woman that finishes it.

I can whole heartedly agree with that. I also need to say I am so grateful for friends. They helped me so much: from the 6 foot bird in my house...Suzanne being willing to walk along with me when she proabbly could have jogged much of that course...Nanette and Jessie coming up to Ogden to watch all of the runners and walking along with me and running many of our friends in...Wendy coming back to meet us after having finished her own race and walking/jogging the end with me...and last but certainly not least Steve, my very best friend, who supported me from the time I told him my goal of doing this (even if he thought I had bit off more than I could chew) and then standing there at the finish line crying and telling me how proud he was. I am touched and in awe of all their kindness.

Boston & the Marathon

Thursday we left for Boston, Massachusetts. We took a red flight from Salt Lake. We landed at 8:15 am, found our luggage and then caught the shuttle into the city and our hotel. We had reservations at the the Boston Park Plaza.

After taking a very brief nap in our room, we joined our friends Brian and Suzanne and Suzanne's sister Camille at the Common to start our exploration along the Freedom Trail. It was a beautiful day...clear skies...temps in the 70s.

We meandered through the city following the red path on the ground. We saw where Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and Mother Goose were buried

We passed by many statues, plaques, and memorials. It is just amazing to me how much of our countries history occurred in one place.

When we got to the North End (Lil' Italy) it was time for lunch. I had been looking forward to this meal since we decided to come to Boston. We went to a restaurant named La Dolce Vida and I ordered the gnocci. All I can say is, "Mmmmmmmmm". It was so yummy. Just as good as the last time I ate there.


We then continued our adventure and walked over to Bunker Hill Monument. It was quite impressive. I started to attempt to climb the 295 stairs to the top and decided I would sit outside and take in the warm weather instead.

We returned o our room, freshened up and then headed to Fenway Park. We boarded the "T" with a mass of Red Sox fans donned in the red, blue and white clothes. We got off the subway and just followed the herd to the stadium.
It was a pretty exciting game. The Red Sox were playing the Texas Rangers and we got to watch a Grand Slam. The stands erupted in cheers and screams. It was so much fun. We participated in the wave, sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and "Sweet Caroline". So much fun!!!
The next morning we headed over to the convention center. Steve needed to pick up his race packet which would contain his bib number and all other information he would need. There was such an energy in the building.
We went to the expo and walked around collected some samples and even made some purchases.

After leaving the convention center we walked past the Finish line. We took the opportunity to take some pictures of it.

Later that afternoon we took the subway out to Alewife and then a cab to Belmont. We met up with our friends Kim and Glen. We did a session in the temple and then enjoyed an evening of yummy food and good conversation at the Cheesecake Factory. It was great to spend some time with old friends.
Sunday morning we woke up and dressed in our running clothes and went the the Public Garden to jog and take some pictures. There were lots of people out running too. It was a beautiful morning and so neat to be running through a park in Boston. We spent more time taking pictures than actually running, but it was still a good time.

We also got to see the sculptures of "Make Room For Ducks" from the children's book. I thought I would join in the line.


We saw the swan boats docked as they waited to take Bostonians for rides on the little pond. It is just such a serene and beautiful place.

After getting showered and dressed, we board the "T" once again and took the line that dropped us off at the Museum of Fine Arts. This stop was high on my to do list. I love wandering the galleries in a museum and taking in all the art.


We walked through the exhibit of Egyptian and Greek Artifacts. That area was fascinating. Then we walked into a HUGE gallery with paintings lining the walls. It was breathtaking.

We made our way through different eras in art until we got into the impressionists. That was the best. To stand in front of a Gaughin, Monet, Van Gogh and then my fav...Renoir.


Steve's mother took the train into the city and met us at our hotel. Once we visited for a few moments we made our way to Fanuiel Hall and then back to Little Italy. It was time for Steve to load up on his carbs for the race. We went to Cafe Pompeii and had an enjoyable meal. We got there just in time. We got right in and did not have to wait at all, but when we left the streets were full of people waiting to get into the restaurants...and into Mike's Pastry.



That was a line worth waiting in. I had been anticipating having a Canoli form Mike's. Mom got one also and Steve got a Creme Puff. We took our white box, tyed with a string and headed back to the room to eat our dessert and watch Steve get ready for the race.
5:45 am, Steve got out of bed and got dressed for the race. It was pretty chilly that morning so he wore lots of layers that he planned to strip off before he actually started the race at 10:00 am. I had purchased a disposable jacket from Wasatch Running that the kids decorated by drawing pictures and writing supportive messages.
By 6:00 am he was out the door and on his way out the bus that would take him to the starting line. After he left Mom and I took our turns in the shower and dressed to find a place to stand near the finish line to watch for him to come in. We found our spot and stood out there beginning at 7:30 am. It was quite cold and long, but well worth it once the racers made their way to us.
As we waited for Steve, we got to see Lance Armstrong run in for his finish which was nice, but...
... I preferred seeing my star. When we saw him approaching mom and I and the people we were standing next to began yelling and screaming. We managed to get his attention because he turned and saw us and got a wave off to us before refocusing on his finish.
I love this picture of Steve with his mom after the race. You sometimes think that once you become an adult, that your parents don't still beam with pride at your accomplishments as they did when you were a child. This picture shows that is so untrue.

She was so proud of him and his HUGE accomplishment.