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Let me just start off by saying that the P.F. Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon was SO much fun! I recommend it to anyone wanting to run a marathon, it's flat, fun, and for just about everyone! Seriously, we saw people of all shapes and sizes, age, race and I'm assuming religion (not that that matters, but it sounds good).

Attitudes from friends and family, and events leading up to this marathon were mixed and unexpected. The Ropers were never too inquisitive about everything, other than a few comments and questions about who will come down to watch, where they'll stay, and will we be ready to run in time? Being so close, the Ropers were always in the loop on how our training progressed and when we missed runs (which there were quite a few) and what injuries we were dealing with. The Webbs never really had any input on the subject until we got down to AZ. Surprisingly, most all their comments were pretty negative: "you're stupid" "you're crazy" "gotta be pretty dumb to run a marathon;" all the comments that most everyone THINKS when one thinks of running a marathon, but nothing that should be SAID to the already nervous and anxious runners preparing for their first marathon. But, despite what anyone else thought or said, the day arrived.



Our start time was 7:40 am; according to race packet info we were to show up at least an hour before our start. Needless to say, due to the anxiety of our first marathon and having driven down from Utah (a good nine hour drive) just a few days before, and having such an early morning race, Millie and I went to bed the night before with a little help from Ambien! Getting up and getting there was easier than expected. The morning started out crisp (a cool 45 degrees or so, practically balmy compared to Utah temps this time of year). Tevia and my parents dropped us off at our corrals (starting areas) and went down a ways to watch us begin the race. Millie's family was planning on meeting us around mile five or six, then eleven, seventeen, twenty and the finish line. My family opted to hang out at home all day, watching our progress on the computer then meeting up at the finish line. Millie's family drove up to the five mile point just as I was passing by and Rhonda jumped out of the car trying to snap a picture as I rounded the corner. Millie was a little behind me and stopped to remove and hand off her jacket to them. Mile eleven; Millie's fam was eagerly waiting my arrival. I was still feeling pretty energetic, but it was good to see them in the crowds and boosted my excitement to keep going. At Mile sixteen or seventeen they were a little late again and arrived just as I was passing by. So they took a trip around the block and honked as they passed coming the opposite direction. After waiting for Millie to pass the seventeen mile mark the Ropers headed to the finish line. For me, mile 20 came pretty fast; much faster than I had anticipated, and I was quite surprised at myself that I hadn't once stopped to rest or even slowed my pace to walk; but by this time my legs started to feel tight and I thought, "I'm making good time, my only goal was to FINISH the race (no time limit set for myself) and I don't want any injuries now, so I should take a moment to stretch a bit before the second half of the race." (anyone who has run a marathon would probably agree that it IS equally divisible into two equal halves, the first 20 and the last 6.2) As I tried to slow to a stop I almost fell on my face, my leg muscles must have become so programmed to the rhythm and motion of running that when I tried to stop them, they just kept moving! So, I thought, "well, if they want to keep moving, I might as well let them." So I did. However, about a mile down the road I decided to give it another try and stretch out a bit, muscles that move involuntarily can't be a good thing. After a quick stretch I started off again... trying to get going again after stopping in the middle of a marathon is NOT an easy task, but I went on and was able to keep close to my same pace (about 8:30 min mile) until the end of the race.



I crossed the finish line in 3hr 52min without a single family member to witness it; oh well, I was just happy to have finished! The Ropers got held up in traffic and were trying to find a place to park and the Webbs/Walls ended up leaving late from Glendale thinking I wouldn't finish so quickly. However, they all arrived shortly after and it was good to see them all there while we waited for Millie. Millie finish about an hour later with a finish time of 5hr 5min. I'm glad everyone was able to be there for Millie as she finished, I think she looks SO cute in the pictures of her around the finish line!



It really was a great marathon! We look forward to running it again next January (Jan 17th, 2009) and we hope to see you all there; and not just as a spectator, but IN the race! Many of the Ropers are already gearing up for the event. After completing it myself, there's no doubt in my mind that everyone in our families and circle of friends could complete the marathon with us next year... it just might take some longer than others to finish, but WELL worth the experience!

Millie and I will also try to get into run the Disneyland half marathon this fall. We'll keep you posted on how that comes along!

Although the trip down to Patagonia, AZ really had nothing to do with the marathon, I want to include some of the "fun," or maybe memorable, highlights of that leg of the trip.

We: Bret, Tevs, their boys, my mom, Millie, Ellery and I, headed down the day after the marathon (on Monday) to go visit our grandma (my mom's mom) Borrego, who is staying there with one of her daughters after experiencing various health problems. For those of you not familiar with where or what Patagonia is, feel free to google maps it, or just click HERE. Be sure to zoom out to about half the state level to get a real sense of it's location.

On the way down to Patagonia we stopped by the Sonora Desert Museum. My family had been there once before long ago and it was a neat little place to go. The drive out is actually very pretty, if you enjoy desert views and large saguaro cacti (which I do). The museum is much like a zoo, only most of the animals on display are snakes, lizards and arachnids living in terrariums. Even so, the kids, including myself, really seemed to like it and I recommend it to anyone. However, if you do take small children or are adverse to the scorching summers that Arizona can concoct, I suggest going during the winter months... the weather was perfect for us!

We left the museum and headed south on I-19. A short way down the road Enok started to say "poo poo" (Enok, Bret, Tevia and Ellery were in the Wall's van, Millie and I followed behind in our car with Jarek and Malik). Tevia asked Enok if he went poo and he said "no," but they could faintly smell it. Enok was clean. Ellery on the other hand had squeezed a small one out. We all pulled over and Millie performed clean up. I few miles down the road Enok started to say "poo poo uh oh, poo poo." Tevia asked Enok if he was poopy, again, "no." Instead of pulling over again, Tevs thought she'd be sneaky and just take Ellery out and change her on the floor of the van while driving. However, she sorely underestimated the power of Ellery's second wave poops. Tevia went to lift up Ellery's dress to check her only to find her entire front side COVERED in gooey sticky poo. This is what Millie and I have come to call a "front butt splosion" (yes, splosion - as in explosion). Although I was not in the vehicle at the time of discovery, I'm sure it was a sight to witness. Bret (driving) does not handle bodily excrement all too well, not even of his own children, even less so of others'. The van filled with screams from my mom and Tevia at sight and smell of the mess as Bret did well just to get the windows rolled down and keep the car on the road as he hurried to the nearest exit; all the while Ellery remained perfectly calm and nonchalant as though nothing at all was the matter. As usual, I got to do the really bad clean up. We took Ellery out and I striped her down in the parking lot of a gas station and started scooping the gooey yum yum off of her with baby wipes. Thankfully, Tevs had a gallon bottle of water in her van that we were able to use to wash the rest of Ellery down. I only wish we would have gotten pictures of it; one of those things you just have to see to fully appreciate! Good thing I decided to pack a change of clothes for Ellery that morning, and if you notice the pictures of her (in the previous blog post) at the museum and the video of her in Patagonia, same day, different outfit. That's my girl!

On to Patagonia. Patagonia can hardly be considered part of the United States as it is south of Tucson, and if you've ever driven anywhere south of Tucson you would know what I mean. All the road markers and signs are in Spanish and there's not an English voice to be heard on any radio station. Most of the homes (in the "main" part of town) are brightly colored with an older model minivan and usually a lowered truck with "Gutierrez" or "Hernandez" decal lettering on the back window, not to mention the quintessential dirt yards with thousands of yard decorations and old tires for fences. My aunt's place was up on the hill overlooking the big city.



It is a blip on the map. There's nothing more to do there than go back in time and see what life was probably like in a border town in the early 1900s, just add somewhat newer cars and less horses.

The trip down and the run itself went very well.

We drove down Wednesday afternoon, nine hours in the car with the wife (who worked a shift the night before and was running on less than four hours of sleep) and a 21 month old daughter who was never one to sleep in a car - you would have thought it would have been a nightmare of a drive. But Millie got some sleep on the way down, and although Ellery didn't fall asleep until we left Flagstaff (with two hours left in the drive) she was really pretty good... thank goodness for video ipods and episodes of Spongebob!!!

We stayed with my sis and bro-in-law Tevia and Bret Wall (and their boys) which was great for several reasons. First of all, it's good to see them, our visits are too few and far between. Second, Ellery LOVES to play with Enok (Bret n Tev's youngest boy), and I think Enok really enjoys having someone else around that is as energetic as he is!

On Friday night we went to Brian and Jo Lynne Hutchinson's (my adopted 2nd parents) for dinner. It was a great meal that helped us with our final efforts to load up on carbs. Jo Lynne made her world famous (or it should be at least, since it's the best I've ever encountered in all my travels and explorations) flan. Basically pure carbs (sugars)! I believed it helped out in my marathon performance, which is covered in part three of this blog sequence.

The entire trip was great!!!

We spent time playing with the kids in the nearby park,drew pictures with sidewalk chalk in the driveway, played with the boys and their toys, and went to the Sonora Desert Museum on our way to the beautiful booming metropolis of Patagonia to visit Granny B.

And since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll let these pics do the rest of my talking:

So, the pictures Millie posted from the New Year's festivities just don't give the night justice. During the Wii Olympic games I managed to set not one, but two world records (for the 100m and the 110m hurdles). Here is video of on of those world record runs.

Usain Bolt, eat your heart out!

We brought in the new year with my family at my aunt and uncle's house. We spent most of the night eating lots of yummy food, playing the Wii,Jacob broke a couple world records in the Olympic Game,and of course sparkling apple cider.
We got to watch Carson Daly in New York, yay! (but not really)
Fireworks are always a must on New Years Eve!!

I think Ellery partied a little bit too much last night!!!