Tis the Season

 The season... you know, that one time a year I update my blog?!  

So who's up for a re-cap of Kelly's race season, yeah, me neither but it's gonna happen so surf on over to another blog or get ready to read and leave me some FEED BACK!

This season's goals where short and sweet, 2 triathlon's and 2 running races all pending a successful recovery from my ankle surgery and remaining ...ah-hem, injury-free.  Soooo, how'd that all work out for me?

Injury Recovery

As you may remember, or in the case of those who are new here the last post is a good catcher-upper, I have been recovering from major ankle surgery.  -RECOVERED- for the most part, at least that was until my last race, but I'll come back to that.  I was nearly recovered enough for my first event but as the fates would have it my request for registration (which was rolled-over from the 2010 season) got lost in transgoogleation and the Salem Tri was a NO GO.  Considering my ankle was still a little iffy at that point I didn't cry too many tears of remorse over it.
I was terribly dedicated to my recovery and religiously stuck to my physical therapy, I also added a few new weapons to my athletic arsenal.  I got a trainer AND a coach.  That's right, I need both...because I always need someone to preach to me the same things I preach to everyone else!  Plus, fitness knowledge is like computer technology, it's continually growing and developing.  In other words, what you thought you knew about fitness yesterday, is not necessarily the fastest/easiest/most effect way to operate today.  I am always surprised at what I still know about, and not so much surprised by what I don't!  I love learning from other people who have gained their knowledge by tried-and-true experience and didn't just come by it in a book. (Although book knowledge is valuable, I find hands on education a better fit for ME.)

Salem Spring Tri 2011

Okay, so as mentioned, this one didn't happen for me.  But it's the one that started it all!  I missed the first go-round with my sister because Little J #3 came along and I found myself sitting it out this year as well.  Boy that one year was great.  Once again I was the support crew, a job I take seriously mind you.  I hoot and holler, scream and cry, shoot and video, I'm a one woman cheer squad and you'd better not be blocking my view! ;)  So, here's a shout to Jared, that hunkalicious husband of mine that always proves he can do anything he sets his mind to, I'll try not to be jealous of all the podium finishes in your 1st full season. <3 U

Freedom Run 2011

I love the Freedom Run, it's a great race along the parade route, through the heart of Provo, that's lined with cheering crowds who are, obviously, cheering for yours truly. :)  What's even cooler is this race is always a group thing, the last two years it was a family affair and this year it was family AND friend's -what could be better?  Finishing a race and then turning around and cheering your peeps across the finish line is awesome, it's cool too when they spank your pants off, *cough* -MARISA-, and are waiting for YOU to finish like they just came out of the powder room without a drop of detectable effort on them.  Also, Jared beat me this year which was awesome, I can't believe this is my husband that swore he could run no further than a mile for the first 7 years of matrimony!  ...Good job honey, I won't go easy on you next year. ;)

Herriman Blackridge Tri 2011

This year I raced as an "Athena", which politely states that I'm a 150 lbs+ female athlete, niiiice.  So it's obvious I'm not going to be standing on a podium with the elites anytime soon, but I'm going to pat my own back on this finish. FIFTH PLACE, thaaaaat's right -----> KELLY, goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, warfare, strength, strategy, and skill, finished 5th.  Let me also add, that this group of 150+ ladies surely put on a show worthy of the title ATHENA and while I'm getting dangerously close to getting kicked out of the club, I'd be happy to duke it out with that group of hard-as-steel ladies anytime.
Other than the stiff competition, my race went well till the run where I lost ground with my ankle giving me fits, but it was still a great finish and a fun race.
This race was also all about family, Jared finished 4th (4.8 seconds off the podium) in the Clydesdale division, our nephew Juston finished 5th in his division and niece Amber finished 2nd in her's... Top 5 all around!

Meadow Mustang 5K 2011

This little 5k was the first ever Jones family running activity, all FIVE of us were in on it and boy did we have...fun?  The oldest insisted that we run the 5k and she gave it her best effort with a time of 33:57. We crossed the finish line in style with a borrowed double wide jogger, that didn't fit between the finish line cones, and 3 very tired Little J's.
This run for me was ran the morning after a 9 mile evening run and I will confess, I thought about riding IN the double jogger and making the boys push me. :)

Ragnar Relay Las Vegas 2011

There's nothing about a Ragnar that sounds appealing to me, except of course the running.  I would rather get up in the morning and run 5 miles with a van full of my closest friends following, then stop at a buffet and eat and then run another 4 miles followed by a nights sleep in my own bed and then get up and run 6 more miles the next morning...with said ladies cheering me along the way.  -THAT- would be my perfect Ragnar, okay, so a stop at the spa and dinner at Sushi Ya would make it PERFECT.
But the reality of Ragnar is a 3 run marathon of non-sleep-sleep, port-a-Lou using, blister popping hell, coupled with rolled ankles and punctuated with great friends who after 37 hours look more like that girl in high school you would have looooved to slap.  (Okay, so that was ME this time around, and I could have used a good slap.)

Going into Ragnar I over did it and found myself battling an IT injury, before the race began, I thought it was O-V-E-R, but I wasn't allowed to bow out and my momma didn't raise no quitter, so I didn't.  I went into the race 3+ weeks 'rested' and horribly under-trained for the hills and not even sure I could run AT ALL. :-/

So to recap my race:

My first run went better than expected, I felt great, ran good and really enjoyed myself.  It was tough but still fun and I recovered pretty-darned-good.  It was great leap frogging with the support van and watching them cheer out the windows as we had done for 5 previous legs.

After my 1st run

My second run was okay, it was a long 4+ mile uphill night run that ended with 2 flights of stairs and a sprint up to the top of an amphitheater which kicked my trash! Then there was some head lamp malfunctioning going on so I got to see my team a lot more, bummer I know!  It was so much more fun than the first run, but man do I HATE hills!  Over all I felt good, the IT Band started clicking on the last stretch and I was POOPED, but I still felt pretty well recovered after a good stretch and some ice.

After my 2nd run (during my 3rd and before rolling the ankle)

 The third run...well, it wasn't really a run at all.  I rolled my ankle just moments after my support crew disappeared in the distance and took a really nice dirt bath with a little rock scrub.  I think somewhere along the way my mind, suffering from sleep deprivation, was thinking all sorts of ways that this happened.  The truth is, I have noooo idea.  No wait, it was Mickey Mouse, yes I SWEAR it was him, HE rolled my ankle. ;)  In all seriousness, it just happened and it happened just after someone passed me and that's all I really can say for certain really took place.  

(But in a fashion that can only link me to my mother, I must have a good story to tell.)  So as clear as I can remember it...

After I rolled my ankle I walked it off and tried to run, which wasn't going to happen so I walked/ran/walked until I rolled it over AGAIN.  I was so mad, I don't think it's really easy to understand why an injury would tick a person off unless you are a person that is pledged  by injury. (Last Ragnar I jumped out of the van ready to run my first leg and over ran 7 miles in the darkness of the Arizona desert and hyper extended my knee in my eagerness to get to the exchange point.  That basically ended my Ragnar and while they cancelled a portion of the race for us, I still felt that I didn't really run a 'Ragnar'.  I tossed my medal in a drawer and tried to forget the failure of my body to see me across the finish line on my own two feet.)
When I caught up to my van I was hurting and couldn't run, but I could not let myself stop.  That's when the most amazing thing happened.  My team mates, these ladies I call my friends, took turns walking with me.  At first I felt guilty that they had to add to their own mileage, they had each already finished their race, but then they some how wanted to walk with me.  It really was their unspoken support that carried me.  They each took their turn walking and listening as I carried on, and they saw me to the finish line.  They let me finish my race when they could have pulled me from the course.  The sun was hot and the desert baked us for over an hour and a half as we walked the 6 miles to the exchange point.  At the moment I was left to my own strength I collapsed and I required an IV for re hydration.  It isn't pretty and I certainly don't want a reminder of the drama I caused, but I will let this serve as a reminder of the love and support of the amazing women in my life who let me be me, even when it fly's in the face of reason. 

After my 3rd run

As with all things that happen in life, you live and you learn...and you swallow your pride and confess you're not perfect and you make just as many mistakes as the next person.  Just call me, Kelly Mistakesalot Jones! :)
As imperfect as I am the Lord has seen fit to give me the best sisters/friends/cousins on earth and I am a much better person because of who they are and I am grateful for them.  They know who they are, and if you don't know it already, you're amazing!  Thanks for putting up with me. 

I guess you could say I'm a gluten for punishment, OR, you can say that I'm motivated by the finish line and the better version of me that I see standing on the other side of it and the journey it takes to get you there.

It's a little blurry, SORRY!