Sarah Borst Jarvis

Citylauf 10k in Germany (June) I am basically writing this post for myself. Because, without fail, every time I have a race coming up I start to wonder: What did I eat/drink during my last race? How many calories should I take per hour? What about salt? What works and what doesn't? You'd think I would know these things but somehow I still forget. By now I am too embarrassed to call Coach M yet again and ask her. So after my nutrition at the Mountain Man Half worked out rather well, I decided to record it right here. Now I know where to look next time I'm clueless about what to pack in my race picnic basket. Here is what I consumed on Sunday before and during the Mountain Man Half: Simple. Nutritious. Yummy.  Breakfast (about 2-2.5 hours before the race): 1/2 cup quick oats 1 cup water 1/2 scoop protein powder 1/4 c apple sauce cinnamon (This is what I eat every morning. Usually I add nuts, raisins, and canned pumpkin but I figure the simpler the...

Ever since the ULTOT 2010* I couldn't wait for a repeat! We had to miss it last year, so imagine my excitement when I found out that we were going to be in town for this year's swim-bike-run-hike extravaganza to the top of Mount Timpanogos  at 11,749 ft (3582m) - and back down.  I was thrilled!  Good morning, Utah! To make things even better: Karl was able to join me! Now that's my kind of date !  He opted out of the swim since he already performed his annual swim - a river crossing - during a run  earlier this summer. I can't blame him for not wanting to jump into Utah Lake because  - let's be honest - it is just plain gross!  I was able to enjoy another solo open-water swim since I directed Karl to the wrong boat ramp at 5:45 in the morning. By the time we got to the right spot, the others had already taken off. Having left my wetsuit at home in Flagstaff, I slipped on my speedsuit  and dove into... the filthy s...

Race Morning The alarm went off nice and early at 3:30 am for the 6:10 am start. During my sleep I had erased Saturday's Half Marathon  from my mind and it was now a blank slate . What Half Marathon??? I like to claim that I am pretty good at 'playing pretend' and figuring out ways to trick myself. This time it worked pretty well! Check-in and set-up was nice and smooth. Keeping it as simple as possible. Nothing note-worthy until the usual The-race-starts-in-10-minutes-and-I-just-got-here-looking-for-the-best-spot-for-my-bike Heini shows up and asks: Can I squeeze in here? I was rather speechless but then my nice neighbor chimed in and gave him loud and clear  No! I kinda felt bad but not really.  Lake Mary looks anything but inviting which is why I hadn't swum in it since last year's edition of Mountain Man. But today I had no choice. So I sucked it up.  (Sorry. No swim or bike pictures. My support crew didn't show up until Mile 8 on...

Can you see me? No need to even set an alarm for this one! The kids wake up at 6am sharp every morning which gave me just enough time to eat breakfast, get dressed, and bike down to the start of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Trail Half Marathon . Love the simplicity of running races!  The plan was to run relatively easy . There was no need to run a 1:41 and place 3rd overall like I did in 2011. Last year I was worried that maybe there were lots of other girls attempting the Feat of Fortitude*, so I wanted to give myself the best chance of winning**. This year I realized that I could take it a little easier on Saturday and maybe still end up with 2 free entries. So that's what I did.   * Trail half marathon one day. Half-iron distance triathlon the next day. **The girl with the fasted combined time from both days wins.  Except that it didn't feel all that easy. Not physically and certainly not mentally. I was basically in need of an oxyge...

BB/BS Trail Half Marathon 2011 Remember how I ran a half marathon one day and then competed in a half-iron distance triathlon the next day last year? If not, you can read about it here and here . They called it the Feat of Fortitude and gave complimentary entries to girl/guy with the lowest combined times. I was fortunate to be that lucky girl, and so here I go again this weekend! Because, really, how could I pass up such a fantastic opportunity??? Never mind that I have been on the brink of losing it for the last few days. Not as bad as last time , but almost! Basically ever since we left my in-laws' home in Utah. I know: Some people don't get along with their in-laws but I happen to love mine and it's always hard to leave family, friends, and training buddies after a wonderful vacation. Throw in a (rainy) camping trip in Bryce Canyon on the way home, and not only the house is big mess but, apparently, so am I. Late this morning I just wanted to lie down ...