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 ...

with my great friends, Jeanette and Amber Yes. I know. It's been a long time. I have been writing plenty of entertaining blog posts in my head while training but I don't seem to find the time to put them down in actual writing. But don't worry, you haven't missed (too) much. Short update: We are not in Germany anymore. After a little two-week stint back home in Flagstaff, we are now in Utah ! Hooray! I love myself a little Utah vacation! We got into town on Tuesday night just in time for the Wonder Woman Hill Climb on Wednesday. I warmed up with a swim in the morning, a visit to 7 Peaks Water Park with the whole family, and a 20-mile ride to the race venue. Certainly my kind of day! The hill climb was put on by Coach M and was basically a lovely reunion of friends! So fun! I had no idea what to expect. I had never done that climb since it's just a little outside of my usual Utah cycling radius. So I decided to just see what the real cyclists (I don...

Baggersee Weingarten Let's see.... I've been in Germany now for 4 weeks and have had the privilege to swim in 5 different lakes. Let me count how many times I have swum in a lake in Arizona since moving there 2 years ago... That would be 1 time in Lake Mary during the MountainMan. And I am not planning on swimming in it again until this year's MountainMan. As you might have already guessed:  I am in heaven !  Baggersee Weingarten So are the kids. Appropriately dressed in German swim wear.  That's my mom next to me in the picture above. You see where I get it... Growing up we would either go on a hike or bike ride every weekend and take a dip in various lakes along the way. Good memories!  My niece Lynn at Bad Waldsee This lake was especially fun. It was basically at the center of a beautiful old little town. I saw people walk out their front door and go for a little swim. No motorized anything allowed as on most lakes here. Pl...