Sarah Borst Jarvis

MountainMan 2011 Karen rocked her first Half! Good news: I am still alive ! Taper is just around the corner! I have never been more ready for a taper than right now! Usually I am not a fan of taking it easy but after the many sm ash festivities the last few weeks my body is trying hard to keep it together! Since I am either taking care of the kids, training, sleeping, or eating, there has been no time for a decent MountainMan race report. Are you wondering why I still manage to read other people's blogs and find time for Facebook? I can do those things while holding a spoon and stuffing my mouth. That's why. Oh, and I banned myself from using the computer while taking an ice bath . If I were able to type in the tub, I could've written 10 race reports by now. My body is hanging in there. My mind , however, is about to lose it. I must have left a few too many brain cells on the pavement lately. I can't think. I can't remember. I can't functio...

(Sorry for the delay. Having my parents here, then Karl gone, kids starting school, and training for Vegas does not leave much time or energy for anything but eating and sleeping.) Let's see. The Big Brothers Big Sisters Half Marathon seems so long ago. I need to dig around in my memory. Ok. Here we go: After a nice pre-race pasta dinner Friday night, I got up early and jumped on the trainer. (Remember the kids were with my parents? So the pasta dinner was our date. Nice!) Coaches plan called for 40 minutes on the bike before the run. I happily obliged. We all know how much I love running off the bike. (No sarcasm here.) Cruise to the race downtown . Lock up bikes. Good-luck hug. Warm-up. Ready to go! Wow! Running races are so simple. I love it. The race itself was pretty uneventful which is usually a good thing. I started out as the 4th girl, passed #3 after one block, and stayed in 3rd for the rest of the race. I never saw the fast girls and I never looked back. ...

10k trail run Thank you for all the encouragement ! I am signed up and the fun has already begun! The 10k trail race on Saturday was a blast! Have I mentioned that I love trail running? Well, I do! I find it so much (mentally) easier and more enjoyable than road running. I was having a great time behind my personal pacer (aka husband) until mile 5 when someone yelled: Second place lady ! To which I replied out loud: What the heck? Where did all the fast girls go that started ahead of me? Must have been 5k runners... So now the pressure was on. I got mad at Karl for misreading my thoughts and tried to pick up the pace which never really happened. Oh well... Not sure if I really finished 2nd or not, we left before awards. Karl was taking the boys and my parents on a hike . I still had some unfinished business: a 60-mile bike ride . After my legs had finally come around and joined the party, the cable to my front derailleur snapped and I had no choice but to cruise a...

My parents are visiting from Germany for a few weeks, which has allowed me to take a break from a few things lately. I love my routine but don't mind a little change in pace here and there. The last couple of week I have a day here and there at home with no kids . (The other days I was camping with them and my parents). Wow. That has never happened! I almost feel like a pro athlete . (Just a lot slower.) There is actually time for recovery ! I did not care one bit about recovery for more than 10 years but now, at age 30, I can tell that I really need it. I love to come home from a hard session, jump in an ice bath, take a hot shower, get back in the ice bath, elevate my legs, and put on compression socks. That is a 40 minute luxury I hardly ever have time for. Karl and I don't train together . We have two little kids. Karl does not swim (anymore). He rarely bikes (except for commuting). He is a much faster runner than I am. But last week we got to run together twice ! ...

close to finishing in Boise There are actually a few dilemmas with racing in Arizona but I won't go into detail because I have vowed to stop complaining (too much) about living here. Let it suffice to say that I have lived here for an entire year and not entered a single race. But I am happy to announce that this is about to change ! I have 2 (or 3) races coming up in the next 8 days and I am excited. First up is a local 10k tomorrow. I signed up hoping for a chance to finally break 40 minutes in a 10k. Afterwards I found out that it is a trail run , partly on single track. Forget breaking 40 minutes! Now I am hoping for sub 50. I am still bringing my personal pacer (aka husband) just for fun. With the help of my amazing sponsor PowerTri I will also be able to compete in the MountainMan Half next Sunday. I have been looking forward to racing this half-iron distance event ever since I barely missed it last year. (We moved into town a few days too late.) Although it is local, t...