It's A Peg's Life

Slept in and swam with Dane!  Felt great and swimming form is much better and I feel faster than I was 6 mo ago, thanks to the help of Lynne (the Master's Swim coach) and my hubby :).

Vinyasa Flo yoga at Hot Yoga!  So awesome.  Helped me gear up for our big day tomorrow, which will be a lake swim, bike and run!  YOLO!

Today was pretty epic!  Dane and I had Caden (our incredibly awesome 16 year old son) drive us out to Sand Hollow today and he stayed and watched us do a lake swim.  We had all of our bike gear in the van and needed it to change.  The swim was much better this week than last.  Last week I panicked big time and the water was freezing!  This week the lake warmed up a bit and I felt a lot more comfortable.  Dane is such a fast swimmer and biker!  He kills me, although I can dominate uphill :).  Anyway, the water felt great and the bike was awesome!  We biked the STG IM course.  The last part going up Snow Canyon was a beast!  We got home and decided to run just a little to test out the legs and HOLY COW they were tired!!  I can't imagine how I'm going to get through the run part after the bike.  Where there's a will there's a way :).  Today helped me build some confidence for the big day, but first I've got to get through the Boston Marathon haha.  That almost seems like it's going to be easy after today, but we will see.  I can hardly wait!! 

Rest

Rest

Dane and I arrived in Boston late Wednesday evening.  We slept in and then did an easy 8 miles along the St. Charles River.  We stayed at the Kendall House Hotel which is near the river so we just started from the hotel and did a loop.  We stopped along the way to see some of the sites in Boston.  The weather was pretty cool and a little breeze was blowing to make it even cooler, but it was a very memorable run because it was so fun :).

Love BOSTON

Swam at Harvard!!  I was incredible!!  McKelle (our daughter who is on a mission in Nashville) has a friend that goes to Harvard, Irfan, and he and his roommate could get one guest in each and they were kind enough to meet us there, and we could continue our training for the IM while we were in Boston.  The pool was super cool!  It was built with those little tiny tiles that were used to build pools long ago.  I haven't seen a pool quite like that one before.  It was awesome except for the fact that one of the edges of the pool was super high and the other end was not so high, but high enough.  I am not a girl that flipturns and so it was a little adjustment for me at first.  All in all it was an incredible experience just being there.  It was an awesome fitness facility and we LOVED it!!

Rest but walked a TON in Boston.  We moved to a hotel near the starting line of the marathon.  We rented a car for the move and it was later on in the evening.  While we were at the rental car place, I noticed a man and a darling lady, who I could tell was a runner for the marathon.  I, of course started a conversation with her hubby and found out that he and his wife are from Utah!!  As soon as I met his wife, I knew that we were going to be good friends.  She was here from Woods Cross and all alone, so we exchanged numbers and met up on Sunday at the finish line of the marathon for a minute for pics and then met up at the start of the race in Hopkinton Park.  She's darling and I LOVED meeting her and making a new friendship.  Love that about my running friends!!  It's like we are all best friends from the get go :).

Rest!  Moved to a hotel near the start line of the marathon and went to at the same building for church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) that we went to last year.  Sacrament meeting was so good and we also stayed for Sunday School. 

We left our hotel and parked to a train station and caught the train into Boston.  Parking is a nightmare downtown (we found that out last year).  We were trying to get into the city so I could get my pic taken at the finish line of the marathon with all of the runners from Utah, but we were too late, unfortunately, and I was sad about it a little bit.  My friend, Sheryl, Lisa, Amber, Karen, my new friend Kristen, and another friend waited for me.  Sheryl, Karen and I were at the marathon last year and I wanted to see them and walk by where I was at the first blast last year.  It was very emotional for Sheryl and I at the finish line.  We embraced and cried and cried some more and then we took pics with our bawl baby faces, haha.  I was so glad to go to the finish line and the bombing sites before I ran the marathon the following day.  It was healing for my soul and I was so glad that Dane and Sheryl were there to share in that healing process with me.   

RACE DAY!!!

Oh how I've been looking forward to running this marathon again and having a much better experience than last year.  For those of you who don't know, I ran the Boston marathon last year and was the closest runner to the first bomb blast.  My experience last year was so incredible until the last few minutes.  Just a few snipits from my experience last year--

At mile 24 I saw my dear husband and he was snapping pics like crazy.  I was feeling so great and so I pulled away from the friends that I started out with (Sheryl and Karen and Jana), but they were not far behind me.  They were not able to finish the race last year and did not get a medal :(.  I continued to push through the last two miles, but right before I reached the finish line I heard the LOUDEST blast and I thought for sure my left ear was going to be deaf after that!!  Seriously, the loudest thing I've ever heard.  My first thought was that it was a celebratory thing, but I quickly realized that it was just the opposite--a bomb!  WoW!!  I was right next to it!  I did feel some debris from the blast, but that was all.  It was like a protective bubble was around me and I am so grateful each day that I still have my two legs, two arms and an unharmed body.  What a tradgedy for those that lost limbs, but most of all those that lost life.  My heart aches for them and as this year's marathon approached, I would find myself tearing up over the pain of this event, which in past years, has always been such a celebratory one to an even that was full of pain and utter chaos at the finish line.  

This year was very different from last year.  Runners were out to prove something and THAT WE DID!!  The people of Boston were incredible and cheered us on the whole way.  There was not a point in the marathon that I didn't see people cheering.  It was a proud moment for all of us patriotic runners!  We definitely sent a message to the world that we will not cower and we are BOSTON STRONG!!  

Throughout the race, I ran with Sheryl the whole time and we talked about family, Boston and many other subjects that kept our mind occupied.  Also, my hubby was keeping me up to date as to how my friend, Amber was doing, as she was trying to qualify for the Olympic Trails (so exciting for her and I only wish that I could run that fast haha). Sheryl was in zombie mode at mile 25 and ready to be done.  Dane was at that point with his camera and I had to physically run over to Sheryl and pull her over so Dane could get a picture of us, haha.  It reminded me little kids--one leading the other one along haha.  It was great :).  I felt incredibly good for running 25 miles, but my whole goal for this race was to finish with Sheryl.  She told me to take off, but I couldn't and I knew that she secretly wanted me to stay with her and she even said so after the race :).  I guess that's how you know your BFF's because you know what the other is thinking and wants, but they just don't want to say :).  It was truly an amazing experience.  As crossed the finish line with my dear friend, we hugged and cried and then when I saw the medal, which was so much deserved last year, placed on my dear friend, I cried some more.  It was one of those sweet, tender moments that I will never forget and I felt so proud to be part of this historic moment. 

LOVE BOSTON

BOSTON STRONG!!