Gotta Run Now

Do you have any favorite fitness apps? Here are three apps that make it easier for me to eat right, to exercise and to keep track of my workouts.

Map My Run (MMR): Lately, I've been using this app to keep track of my running, riding and even walking my dog. I found some "challenges" in which I am entered for prizes depending on the kinds of workouts I do. For instance, I'm doing one where I could win some dog food for Zoe just for taking her for a run or a walk. On November 1, they're starting a new challenge in which you could win a $100 Amazon gift certificate for logging 30 minutes of daily exercise.
My Fitness Pal (MFP): This is great for keeping track of my calories, carbohydrates, protein, etc. You can use the phone app to scan UPC codes from items you're eating to make it really easy to input your food.
Nike Training Club (NTC): Having this app on my phone makes it easy to do a workout anywhere. There are a number of workouts to choose from and it's …

The day after I ran the St. George Marathon, my husband and I drove to Park City, Utah. Somehow I managed to keep up with him on our downhill and uphill walk through the historic town. He even told me that he could hardly tell that I had just run a marathon. I wondered if he was just being nice because I was still pretty sore. I tried not to cry too hard when I saw that the restaurant where we ate had a restroom down a long flight of stairs!


From there, we drove to the Park City Ski Resort. I think that I must have been ice cream depleted after all of my marathon training because right after finishing the marathon, I ate an ice cream sandwich. The next day, ice cream still sounded good so we sat in the warm sun and ate ice cream while watching people glide up and down the mountain on a zip line. It was a great afternoon.

Originally, we had planned to drive up to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons after the marathon, but because the national parks were closed, we had to make some change…

On my recent vacation, besides running the St. George Marathon on October 5, my husband and I did some sight seeing. Our stop in Durango, Colorado, was a highlight of our trip. On our first day there, we were amazed by the fall colors: golden, orange and red. We liked walking through historic downtown Durango where we ate delicious Fired Up Pizza.

The next day, we drove to Vallecito Trail, which is close to town. That's where we began our 4-5 hour hike only four days after I ran the marathon. I was a little sore, but it was probably good for me to stretch my legs. The river was a beautiful blue-green and the views were wonderful. We crossed a creek while balancing on a log. My marathon legs were a little wobbly, but I didn't fall in!



After 3 1/2 miles of hiking, we stopped at a turn around point to eat the sandwiches, nuts and fruit we picked up at a grocery store. You can't beat having lunch while sitting on boulders overlooking a rushing river!

The next day, it snowed! …

On the way from our home in Texas to the St. George Marathon, in Utah, my husband and I stopped at his sister's property in Williams, Arizona, which is just a few miles from the Grand Canyon. No one else would be there, but it was a perfect place to stop on the way and car camp. Here's what happened two nights before my marathon - that night that they say is so important to get a good night's sleep for a marathoner!

After two days of driving, we set up camp by attaching our car tent to the back of our car. After being amazed at the sky full of stars, I climbed into my sleeping bag and quickly fell asleep. I heard my husband get up in the middle of the night to air up our mattress that we were sleeping on and then to fiddle with our broken portable heater.

Then I woke up because my toes were so numb from the cold. I got up and crawled out of my sleeping bag to find my hand warmers and slipped them into my socks, but the hand warmers didn't feel warm. I wondered if it w…

Last Saturday, I ran theSt. George Marathon. Coming in at 4:35:01, it was one of my slowest races, but because I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to finish because of some previous leg pain, I'm especially happy to report that I did indeed finish.

Plus, among the five marathoners named Tina, I came in at second place!

Course: You've probably heard the course is a net downhill, but there are some uphills. The uphills in the second quarter of the race did me in. By the time, the easier section came along with lots of downhills, I was worn out.

Weather/Clothes: At the start, runners were wrapped in foil blankets and stood around fire pits. I wore arm warmers and a jacket that I could bag up and throw to the side of the road during the first 6 miles of the race and pick up after the race. At the beginning, I carried hand warmers. Towards the end, people were handing out cold wash cloths and popsicles. I was never uncomfortably warm in my running skirt and tank top.

Volunteers…