My Story

Rough draft:
(This is going to sound cocky, but I am just writing the highlights.)

In Junior High School a teacher/coach (Mr. Hamblin) told a group of us that he needed some people for the track team. I thought, “I'll try it. It will get me out of class for a while." Little did I know that after trying out all of the different activities (you should have seen little 65 lb me trying to throw the shot...hilarious) I would find that long distance running was the most awesome sport ever!

The first track meet, I won by a long way. I didn't know much about the races. I just knew I wanted to be in the front. When my teacher told me I was pretty good, it made me feel even more excited about running. So, I kept running.My freshman year in H.S. was an eye opener. I found out that I wasn't going to run and just be the best. I still loved it and enjoyed the workouts. (I especially liked that I was better than some of the boys.)

I came in 35th in State in Cross Country that year. I was always worried I would get lost.We never really had a coach for track. The coaches from the other events would help out when they could. We were basically told which direction to run and we would go. Looking back, I wish I had run a little harder during practices.My freshman year in track was awesome! I won a lot of races and enjoyed being with my teammates. I came in 12th in the State that year. And most importantly I beat the school record in the 1600 meter. One race I actually beat everyone by an entire lap. (lucky actually)

That summer my dad took me to my first 10K. I was so scared. It was like cross country all over again, I was afraid I would get lost. It was out in the desert in St. Johns, AZ. (Coronado 10K) My dad said not to worry, that he would be at the end of the race waiting for me.On the last stretch of the race there was a man in front of me who looked really tired. So I tried to beat him. When I got close behind him someone yelled, "It's the first girl!" He looked over his shoulder and immediately started running faster. I can't remember if I passed him or not, but I was so excited to be the first girl it didn't matter.

When I was done I looked all over for my dad but couldn't find him. After about 30 minutes I started to get worried. I finally saw him finish and I went out to meet him. He walked right past me and got sick behind a trailer. For some reason, I thought that was funny. I felt great and he couldn't stand up. Sorry dad.

That was the best 10K I have ever run. I won over all women, and of course, overall in my age group. I was 15 years old.I ran a 42 minute 10K! For anyone who doesn't know what that means, it is an awesome time! Awesome! A 10K is 6.2 miles. I ran 6.7 minute miles per hour!!! That was a great, great day. And the trophies were huge!

My sophomore year was almost the same as my freshman year. (No cross country though. I missed it.) I came in 6th in the State and broke my own school record for the 1600. Also, I finally broke the school record for the 3200 meter.My junior year was great! I won all of the races that Trisha Hoffmaster was not running. I never beat her. It has always been a thorn in my side I guess. I would lead the entire race. She would pull ahead at the 300 mark. I don't know why, but every time it surprised me. No matter how fast I ran she would pass me there. Then in the last 100 I would almost catch her. It was so close that they actually had to ask a 3rd judge to decide the ending of one race. (I guess if I had stuck out my tough or something I could have won...haha)

That year I beat my own school records in the 1600 meter and 3200 meter. I came in a very close 2nd in State. (Only .3 seconds, after Trish of course.) But it was a great year!I have not animosity against Trish now. I don't know where she is and I haven't seen her since the State track meet in 1998, but she was a great runner and I hope she went on to win more races.That summer I was determined that I would not let Trisha ever beat me again. I ran everyday during the summer and even into the fall after school had started. I was feeling really good. My practice times were so good that my father and I thought it would be cool for me to start training for the Olympics in Korea in 1998. (Huge goal, but I was running 13 miles in under 1.5 hours without any training or a coach. So a lofty goal but why not?)

Then in November of my senior year I got really sick. We all thought it was a chest cold and would eventually go away. Well, by the middle of January I was coughing up blood and could hardly stand up. I had been about 90 lbs at the beginning of the summer and by January I was down to about 85 lbs.My parents were finally able to find a Dr. who knew what was wrong. (It was a very small town and we had to travel 4 hours to a doctor.) I had allergy induced asthma. Simple, but if you can't treat it because you don't know what it is, it can kill you. I am very blessed to still be alive! I had collapsed a lung and bruised a kidney from coughing so much. I was only eating bananas, crackers and Sprite.

It took about 3 weeks for me to feel well enough to go back to school. By then it was well into Feb. Track starts in March. I was not even able to walk around a track once, much less run it 4 times for the 1600 meter.

That year, instead of a school record plaque, I got the "Hard Luck Award." I was sick again during awards ceremony, so I missed that too. I was able to go to State as a "water girl" so I could be there with everyone. It was a pity trip, but I loved it. I watched Trish win State the second year in a row.

I was so discouraged, and afraid to try to run, that I didn't run again for about 14 years. My pregnancies were very hard. I spent from 4-6 months until delivery in the bed or hospital. During my second pregnancy my pubic bone broke and I thought I would never walk again without pain.Two and a half years later when I got pregnant with my third child it broke again.When I got pregnant with my fourth child I was ready for the worst. It was another very difficult pregnancy. I spent 6 months in bed and my pubic bone broke again. Earlier this time, so it was a very, very long pregnancy.But, I was determined to be healthy and strong soon after. So I worked with a physical therapist for several months. By the time my child was 6 months old I was at my ideal weight, running and lifting weights every day. I had even learned to roller blade and had run a 10K in SLC, Utah.

Then one day I went for a roller bladding "date" with my husband. I promptly hit a rock, flew into the air, and fell right on the center of a driveway edge in the middle of my tail bone. Needless to say I was in a lot of pain for a long time. I didn't even try to run for several years.

Then, I got pregnant with my 5th child. My pubic bone broke again. My Dr. wasn't sure it would heal this time.Once again I was in bed for about 6 months and thought I would never feel better. I had a C-section and didn't recover very quickly. It took me another 2 years before I tried to run again.All of this time I thought of running every day. I would always smell track in the air around March and it about drove me crazy. I loved watching the "tracksters" out for their runs.

I finally started running again. My goal was to lose 20 lbs, run a few 10K's and run St. George marathon.

Soon I was running 6-8 miles a day, eating right, lifting weights, and working really hard for my goal. I wrote down what I needed to run each week to get ready and paid the fee in May to get on the drawing list.By the end of September I was ready. Really ready. My goal was to run under 4 hours.The day before the race I was rear-ended while taking my kids to the Dr.

I was able to run the race. (I would have gone no matter what anyway.) I ran a 4.27, which I thought was pretty good but I know I could have gone faster. I was worried I would run out of steam and I felt I had to stay with my partner. (My I-pod quit working during the first mile.) whine, whine, whine...At the end of the race I felt great. Too great. That's when I realized I could have pushed myself much harder, at least in the last 3 miles.

The next day I couldn't believe I wasn't sore. I was even ready to go for a walk/run. Then all of the sudden I was walking up the stairs and my shoulders and neck started hurting so bad I couldn't turn my head. I had whiplash. I spend the next 6 months in physical therapy trying to get that better.

Needless to say, I put all 20 lbs back on (for the second time.) Since then I have felt the physical and mental pain of not running.In May, 2006 I found a great running partner. We ran every morning for a while. We even did our own 1/2 marathon and ran a 10K in June. Then, she had to quit running with me in the mornings for personal reasons and scheduling problems. So, I quit running. I got used to running with someone and I had been running in the dark. WIMP! I regret not at least running on my tread mill.

I will think of running every day. Even 20 years after High School I can still smell track in the air.

I went for a run/walk in December and fell and sprained my ankle, bad. I cried for the whole day.

Then in April I ran again. This time I fell, hard, on my knee. It has taken a long time for that to feel better.Yesterday, June 16th, I decided that I couldn't take it anymore. I started running again. I ran 1 mile. It was very hard, but I ran the entire way. I have started again, and this time injuries will not stop me. I will work through them. I will be healthy. I will be strong!

That is my story.(Well, the running part anyway. The rest is just as weird actually. I woke up one morning with a 90% hearing loss, it came back 3 months later. I started stuttering and it stopped a few months later. Now, I shake and fall over. My memory is very, very bad, embarrassing bad. The shaking and falling over has been going on for about 9 months.) I am just cut out for a weird life I guess. You should hear the rest of the story sometime....