10 Reasons to Run the St. George Marathon

I'm tired of writing about the Paleo Challenge, so I'll write about what's coming up this Saturday. 5 days to go, so definitely a taper week of only a couple easy runs. Ahhhh. So, why do I run the St. George Marathon? (This is my 11th year, and I actually ask myself that question in the middle of some long runs) . . .
1. It's a day for "ordinary people to do something extraordinary."
2. Nice volunteers cheer, give High 5s, and hand us drinks, fruit, Gu, ice chips, cool washcloths at mile 24, and Popsicles.
3. We get the road closed and don't need to dodge vehicles :)
4. Signing up gives us goals and plans, organizes our training, pretty much all summer long.
5. We get beautiful views of sunrise near Snow Canyon State Park, the volcano, and sunny St. George
6. After we finish Veyo Hill (mile 7) and the next few uphill miles, we get lots of fun downhill in the second half.
7. It's fun to be a part of a sea of runners and the running community (twice I've done it with kids, and thousands of other runners give kudos to the kids)
8. It's inspiring: for instance, to see a runner pushing a wheelchair "runner" up hills, to see one runner who carries a big American flag, to see runners assisting blind runners, and on and on.
9. The homemade signs make us laugh. My sister Jody and I always say that all the signs are for us, like the "Go Grandpa, Go" and "Run for Rabies" ones.
10. For the medal, for the chocolate milk, for the red, white and blue Popsicles, and, after 10 St. George Marathons, for the annual free pasta dinner :)

Crossfit - Paleo Challenge, Review

Wa hoo! I actually waited up and ate half a Costco (read: massive) chocolate, chocolate chip muffin. Didn't make me throw up. Just liked it. Tired of only looking at refined carbs, but I am a little stronger and leaner. I'm five pounds less and according to my unofficial measurements one inch less around the waist and one inch less around the thighs. My arms have lots of blood vessels to trace, but they usually have those anyway.
Yesterday my running partner said my back looks like a fitness competitor. We plan to do our final group workout and take the ghastly "after" pictures today.

Final Thoughts:
Surprise: I do have a modicum of self-discipline, can make Homemade Oreos three times in one week and not eat any.
Surprise: No major withdrawals after a lifetime of sugar ingestion, but the treats still looked good to me.
It definitely helped me to know that I had the option of one cheat meal per week. That way, I could say that I COULD choose a cookie, etc. even though I CHOSE not to use them. It's a mind game.
Doing the Challenge made me think about food too much, but that evens out a life of rarely thinking about food except which dessert to order.
Biggest surprise: I never really craved chocolate but did look longingly at breads
Vow: I will now go to Chili's with my daughter for the promised and delayed molten chocolate cake birthday treat. I will also add in chocolate milk for a recovery drink, didn't feel like I could stomach a paleo-approved option for recovery after long runs.
Surprise: I did eat a lot (would have guessed that protein would have filled me up longer, but I'd get hungry again pretty quickly) but still lost weight
Not really a surprise: It is easier to keep doing something (get into patterns) than begin doing something (yep, week one was the hardest)
Doing the Challenge made me think about sleep. I'm not a happy person if I don't get enough sleep, and waking up early, especially on long run days, made the sleep hours difficult. I did look forward to afternoon naps when the alarm clock started ringing on a three or a four.
It is actually easier to make up the mind once and just say no (sugar, breads, chocolate, dairy) than have to weigh things out and decide every day. That will be the challenge now, since I don't intend to stay strictly paleo but should be more judicious with treat foods.
Happy Surprise: Did some stronger weights and had some faster Crossfit Workout times a few pounds lighter.
Sad surprise: 5 pounds less but no faster on timed runs
(Update on running times in next week's 5K run and then the St. George Marathon, but based on training runs.)