Speedy Chi

39/15

2012-01-31T06:25:00.000-08:00

Wow, I'm 39 and have been married for 15 years. What the heck? I often say that I really don't mind getting older. I can honestly say that. I read someone ask on a FB status, "Would your 20 yr old you be proud of who you've become today?" and as I thought about that, I realized that she would. I had never thought about that before. I get down on myself a ton for messing up, but if I look at my life in that light ~through the eyes of my 20 yr old naive, selfish, insecure self~ I am pretty happy with how I am doing. I do really think getting older is great. Ron and I will have been married for 15 YEARS tomorrow. I can say the same thing about us. I'm pretty proud of how we're doing. It. has. not. been. easy. But the fact that I love him more now than I did then is pretty telling for me that we are doing this right.

Zion 100

2011-09-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

So I'm all signed up for the Zion 100. I actually went and bought the map of the course, downloaded a training schedule *shutter* and started training. I do not do training schedules very well. I have always hated "having" to do a certain number of miles at a certain pace. It makes it not fun for me, and I've always said if it's not fun I can't do it. This time I'm going to do it smart and follow a training schedule in the hopes that I can finish 100 miles. The heaviest days in the schedule for first-timers at 100 milers are 30 miles one day and 20 miles the next, then two days off, then lower miles for three days (10, 12, 15), then do the heavy miles again the next weekend. It focuses on those high back to back mile days and then the rest to heal, instead of speed days like you would in a marathon. I really like that about it. It counts "time on your feet" over a couple days time rather than speedwork days and careful counting of mileage. Every time I try to do speedwork, I get injured in some way.

Speaking of injuries... I've been doing nothing but treadmill all summer and have developed a strained hip flexor. I ran outside today 10 in the morning and 7.5 in the evening and didn't hurt a bit. I guess the longer stride and faster pace on the treadmill was hurting my hips. I'm so glad it's cooling off so that I can run outside now! It feels so much better. I never thought I'd say that. I've always loved the treadmill so much. I think getting older makes you have to constantly change the way you do things with the way your body is reacting.

Anyway, the long run days are going to be Fridays and Saturdays. They kinda have to be, I think. There may be Saturdays when I can't due to family stuff, so I will have to juggle on those weeks. But for the most part, I am going to try and do them Fri/Sat. On Fridays I'm going to try to wake up at about 5:00 AM and run for about an hour and a half until Noah needs to be up and getting off to school. Then after the last boy leaves for the bus at 8:20, I will put Sarah in the jogger and jog her to school the 2.5 miles, drop her off, leave the jogger and run while she's in school (2.5 hrs) and get in however many miles I can do in that time, then jog her home. I don't know how many miles that is going to amount to. Then I have to do another long one the next day sometime, someway. It might be in the evenings, which requires I eat really carefully. Big meals eaten at any time of the day don't sit well in your gut during a run in the evenings.

Fictionist - Choose the cover contest

2011-04-29T20:18:00.001-07:00

Click the 5th star!

Article in the local paper about the race

2011-04-25T10:20:00.001-07:00

Mischief fails to spoil race

Kevin Jenkins • kevin@thespectrum.com • Published: April 24. 2011 4:55AM - Last modified: April 24. 2011 7:39AM

IVINS - Clear skies didn't stop someone from apparently trying to rain on long-distance runners' parade Saturday by changing race signs that sent race participants in the wrong direction.

The runners in the Red Mountain 50K, a race about 31 miles long, were generally nonplussed but happy by the time they reached the finish line in Ivins, however.

"(It) is kind of unfortunate, but it's OK. Things worked out," Ari Theodore of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Salt Lake City , said. "I got more bang for my buck."

Many of the race's fastest runners put in an extra half mile to four miles after a directional sign near the ninth mile was moved and chalk arrows were erased and replaced with new arrows indicating an unscheduled right turn, race director Jeremy Frehner said.

"(The race) is just such a grass-roots thing, when we have those elite runners out in front and they get (detoured) a mile ... it's just crazy," Frehner said, indicating there was no way to adjust runners' recorded times at the finish line to reflect what they had actually accomplished.

"Unfortunately, a lot of people have run a 60K today," he said. "I don't want to cast blame. ... (But) if they (the culprits) think it's funny or accomplishing something with doing something that malicious, where they put people's lives in danger, they need to change."

The course began by following 12 miles of public-access trail from the junction of state Route 18 and Pine Valley Road before joining the paved road and wending around the Gunlock Scenic Byway.

Shortly after mile 9, a pair of chalk arrows directed runners to turn down a dirt trail where horses were running. The trail eventually ended up a hill at a T-shaped junction without signs indicating where to go next, said Krissy Moehl, a Seattle resident who is one of the world's top-ranked ultra-trail runners.

While some runners turned one way and others went another, Moehl turned back toward the aid station at mile 9. Along the way she met another runner who had done a trial run on the course.

"He said, 'I don't remember crossing this river,'" Moehl said.

The runners were able to help direct later racers in the correct direction, but Moehl estimated she had passed about 50 runners on her way back down toward the aid station.

"Which is scary for a race director when you've got all these runners going off different directions," she said.

"Everyone had a real good attitude. They still finished and it was still a really beautiful day," said Bryce Thatcher, who is one of Moehl's corporate sponsors.

His wife Melanie said Moehl jeopardized her lead to help correct the situation, including the time she spent standing around discussing options with other runners. Moehl still finished first in the women's category, however, with a time of 5:04:01.

Moehl also completed a rim-to-rim-to-rim run with a friend Tuesday at Grand Canyon National Park , running 42 miles with an elevation change of 11,000 feet in 9:12:29, breaking the previous record of 9 hours and 25 minutes.

Scott Dickey of Murray was the first man to cross the finish in the 50K, with a time of 3:36:21, which would give him a pace of 4 minutes and 20 seconds per kilometer.

"I was just looking for a 50K that was kind of fast," Dickey said. "I ran a 50-miler a couple weeks ago. ... It was OK but wasn't as fast as I wanted to do. I was pretty sick about six weeks ago with pneumonia ... so I wasn't 100 percent."

Jim Magnan of Tucson, the men's winner in the 30K race that began west of Veyo, said he learned of the race over the Internet and bargained with his wife to participate in conjunction with a Santana concert she wanted to see in Las Vegas.

"We're just kind of squeezing all the living we can into one weekend," Magnan said, indicating the couple had also visited Zion National Park a day earlier.

"I'm preparing for a 50K in Yosemite the first Saturday in June, and I wanted to run something different and interesting," he said. "This was really easy on my mind. ... I carry a camera and I probably took 20 pictures along the way. ... I was just looking to run in some pretty country."

Magnan finished with a time of 2:18:44.

Tanna Bayola of St. George was the women's top finisher in the 30K, with a time of 2:36:01.

"I do a lot of cross-training," she said. "I just want to keep running, keep a smile on my face. As long as I'm smiling, I'm going to keep running."

Red Mountain Ultra

2011-04-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

I have to be honest and tell the story behind the second place plaque. I have no idea what my time was either. It almost doesn't matter, because I don't even know for sure how many miles I ran. What happened was a land owner that lives in the mountains that we were running through apparently doesn't like this little race going through his backyard. So, he got up early this morning and erased the chalk arrows on the ground at one of the forks and redrew them pointing to another path. It wasn't too horrible because that path, although a few miles longer, eventually lead back to the main path so most of the people that went that way, including me, were okay. The sad part is that once we got off on that wrong path, there were several other forks that could lead people off into the bush and far far off the main route with no way to end back up eventually on the right trail. There was at least one other woman that was ahead of me at one point and ended up about a half and hour behind because of that disaster. There was a professional ultra marathon woman that noticed that people were going in two different directions at one point, so she ran back a few miles and told someone that some of the runners were getting lost, then she got back on the path and started running. She is the one that won the thing, even though she ran probably an extra 5-6 miles. She caught up to me and passed me at about mile 24. Her name is Krissy Moehl. People had been telling me at the aid stations that I was the first woman they had seen pass, which made me so excited, but I was confused because I knew that I saw other women in front of me. It still was pretty fun to have them say "Second Place Female!" when I crossed the finish line, even though I know I didn't really earn it.

I did have a great run though, and I attribute it to a couple of things.

*Advil! 2 at the starting line, 2 at miles 15, 21, 24, and 27. I still cramped a little and had the usual fatigue, but no aches like last time. No hip or knee issues. Overall it made the run just completely different than last year. Hallelujah and thank you, Ibuprofen.

* No headphones. I know, I can't believe it either. But it made it so much more enjoyable to be totally on the ride with the other runners and not just locked in my own head. I was able to chat with other people and joke around. It kept me going, I'm sure, when if I had had music it would have been much harder.

Starting line is really as miserable as it looks. Cold and windy. I loved the jacket I took with me, having learned from last year. Dry-wicking wool. I also wore Pearl Isumi sleeves, which I loved having on once the jacket got too warm for my core, but the wind was still blowing and would have been cold on my skin. I shed them at maybe mile 14 and hung them on my belt. No weight at all. A great purchase.

There are several peaks on the trail that have great lookouts. I promised myself I would take enough time to take some pictures. These views are the highlight of this run.

Before you hit the pavement you run over three washes. Last year there was not a whole lot of water in them. I just jumped over without getting wet feet. This year two of them were deep and wide enough that we had no choice but to stomp through them, getting wet up to our mid-calves. One other woman and I spent about 20 seconds at the first big one trying to figure a way across without getting wet. Finally I just jumped in. It was three miles later at mile 12 that we would get to change shoes anyway.

One other thing I did different was bring a new pair of shoes that had only been run in once, to put on at mile 12 (which for me was actually more like mile 13 since we got lost, remember.) I think that helped. I noticed a big difference when I put them on. More cushion and support.

Gunlock

Gunlock Reservoir

I wasn't sure if I was going to see my family at the finish because it is a really busy day with basketball games and family Easter Egg hunts. Ron was sweet enough to swing it with all the kids. Thanks, honey. You rock my world.

Oh, and I saw a friend that happened to be on a bike ride on the course! She took these photos and texted them to me.

I ran with this nice guy, Ari for the last maybe... 8-9 miles. I know it helped to chat with someone at the end. He's done the Wasatch 100 and actually finished. Very cool.

I got home and immediately started to feel sick. I was worried the whole time about the Ibuprofen making my stomach hurt. I don't know if at least part of what I'm feeling now is so much Meds. Blehhhh

Taking Flight

2011-04-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

My kids have asked me many times, "If you could be any animal, what would you be?" Most people say a bird. That's always what my kids say. I always say something like a horse or a cheetah that can run really fast. They think it's weird that I wouldn't want to fly. To me it's the same thing, and horses don't have to eat worms.

Earlier this week I was on the treadmill at the gym. A few minutes into my run, an elite runner that I see there every once in a while showed up. He's so much fun to watch. (But probably only to someone that is fascinated with running.) He is small, probably 5' 5" and always sets the treadmill on something outrageously fast, even for a person with long legs. There was one point when he was gliding over the speeding tread at 12.5 mph, that he held his arms out to the side like he was flying. His legs were moving forward and backward, obviously, but his body was just gliding so effortlessly like he was flying. I'm embarrassed to say it... but it made me emotional. I don't know what it is about running that I think is so beautiful. I think watching a really fast elite runner is like watching a bird flying. So graceful... and completely created by your own heart and muscles and joints and effort. It's all you. That is a thing of beauty.

Today I was on the treadmill again and kept that image of him in my head, just gliding effortlessly over the moving ground. I have been convinced for a long time that so much of this running thing is mind over matter. Today's run felt a little like a short slow flight, but a flight nonetheless. I will carry that image with me on every run from now on.

GDO pt. 2 - The Pics

2011-04-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

On our way!

Top of the world!

Girls Day Out!

2011-04-16T07:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend is a scout campout, so Ron took the three boys overnight. Just me and Miss Priss for most of the day today and most of tomorrow. I got in the car right after they left with a couple of bagels, the baby backpack (which she is way to big for) and some water bottles, not knowing where I was going to go. I just knew I wanted to be outside.

We ended up in Snow Canyon. I just parked at the first spot I saw and started off with the map. I'm a horrible planner-aheader, and also very impatient. Those two qualities combined make for what some more positive people would call "spontaneous," but it's really just bad planner plus very impatient. Usually I get lucky on these adventures though. Today was no exception. I just let Sarah roam and hike on the Three Ponds Trail. We also did the Whipple loop, which is really cool for little kids. There's a little slot canyon to walk through that she thought was cool. We found some secluded little caves that she played around in for 20 minutes. She also learned the very most important survival skill for camping women... the squat. First try and not a drop of pee on her feet or pants. She's a natural outdoorswoman. I couldn't be more proud. I finally had to just put her in the backpack and drag her out because it was getting late. We spend the next hour at the sand dunes in perfect weather, running around on the cool sand... Perfect day. I would love to post a gazilion pictures of Sarah that I took with my phone here, but for some reason they aren't going through email like they usually do so easily. These are the ones I took when I got my real camera and sat down at the sand dunes.

These times alone with Sarah are becoming more frequent since Ron has been called as the scout advisor for the Deacons. I really enjoy the time with Miss Priss to do whatever I want. All day today I've felt like I am in heaven with no errands to run, no one to get to a lesson, nothing that HAS to be cleaned and nobody waiting at home for something to eat. However, I have realized something about myself as the night started coming on. That is that even though I am most comfortable alone, it's not good for me. Alone with my thoughts and I can bank on ending up depressed. I really need to stay busy and surrounded by my responsibilities. I'll enjoy the day alone tomorrow, but I'll be glad when the stinky boys get home. : )

2011-04-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

Sarah digs the Chariot. It's more like riding in a convertible than a stroller. The only problem is that there isn't a brake or a safety strap. I have to pay more attention. And the front wheels swivel, which make it so much nicer when turning a corner, but it turns sometimes when I don't really want it to. Overall, it's easier to run with.

I'm debating signing up for the Red Rock Ultra again. I feel the need to cross a finish line.

HAIR

2011-02-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

I have hair issues. It makes me crazy more than anything else about me, and that really says alot. I don't like it long ~ It's straggly and frizzy. I like I okay short, but when it's short I get funny comments. Mainly from men. "Why did you do THAT?" I don't like it blonde because I have dark eyebrows and it doesn't look like it matches. With bangs. Without bangs. Long bangs, short bangs... It's naturally dark blonde with some fairly light streaks throughout, but it's mostly mousey. I just dyed it darker than I ever have. I felt like I maybe found something I could live with, but I am getting more uncomfortable comments from people than ever before. My family saw me a couple of weeks ago and flat out told me it's awful. What's a girl to do!?

These are the two extremes. I think I like it best somewhere in between. Although I'm convinced I'm never actually going to like it no matter what.

A walk on the Beach...

2011-02-11T13:04:00.000-08:00

I have become such a baby about the cold that we haven't been running outside at all for months. Today was a beautiful day, (still freezing to me when we started but it warmed up after a while) so we ventured out after the boys left for the Klondike camp out.

The flood plain is cleared of all the shrubs and Tamarisk trees that are usually there, and there is a huge beach in it's place. Sarah loves sand and rocks, so I let her play for a bit. I love this age (hers) and watching her discover things and enjoy the simplest things so thoroughly.

We didn't get much further before coming to the section that was destroyed in the floods. The river changed coarse and is now flowing where the path used to be. Grrrr..

Last day of Summer break!

2010-08-10T11:36:00.000-07:00

And the first run outdoors that I can remember. I don't think I've run outside more than 4 times this summer. And that's okay. Today was perfect temps probably still in the 70's at 8:30 when I left, which is unheard of during August, so even though there was other things that needed to be done this morning, I left the kids and did a very. slow. 13 miles. Noah had a birthday party at 10, so I woke him up and told him he was going to need to get himself ready for that, and that he also was going to have to just stick a ten dollar bill in an envelope for a gift because I wasn't about to skip the run for a trip to Target. Did I mention the ten dollars was Noahs, because I didn't even have any cash? Ryan had just walked in from a back to school sleep over party, so I told him his thank you to me for letting him do that (We don't usually allow sleepovers. A story for a different post.) was to watch Sarah while I was gone. The reason the run was so slow was because I went to (choke) Crossfit last night with Ron. I felt like I need a little change. A little push with the resistance training. It was fun and I think I'll keep going.

A few new favorite things

2010-05-14T13:17:00.001-07:00

BTW, I found out by reading the results of the race that my time was 5:25, not 5:35. I'll take every minute I can get, thank you.

So I got some lotion for Mother's Day which I LOVE. I'm kind of a connoisseur of skin care. Mainly because I have the worst skin ever.

Burt's Bees Radiance Body Lotion. It stays on! Not just for a little bit. AND it's got just the slightest bit of shimmer in it. Who doesn't love a little shimmer? Not like the usual shimmer lotions that make you look like you sprinkled glitter on yourself. Not noticeable. Just makes you glow a little. I love finding a favorite, especially for something that is so troublesome for me.

Another relief is finding a good recipe that people in my house will eat, AND that doesn't require extra trips to the store. We've got a little bit of a food storage, and when money is tight I try relying mostly on that and just go to the store for produce. Over the years I've collected quite a few great recipes from Relief Societies which just use basic food storage. It's gratifying to pull out those binders, go to my own pantry and be able to make a little something. Cold cereal is so expensive. This granola recipe can be stored in a container and my kids eat it as cold cereal or as a snack. (Some kids require adaptations. But really the things that make it work or not are the honey and oats. You can vary all the other things to taste. Or cut out some of the oil to make it a little lower fat.)

6 C. rolled oats
1/2 C. brown sugar (make it as sweet or unsweet as you like)
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 C. toasted shaved coconut
1/3 C. sesame seeds
1/4 C. sunflower seeds
1 C. chopped nuts of choice

Mix well, then add:
1/2 C. olive oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 C. honey

Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 30 min.
Last five minutes add 1/2 C. raisins or other dried fruit.
Add chocolate for a sweeter version.

Another recipe... My husband loves artisan bread when it's fresh, but it's expensive and doesn't last more than a day. A friend of mine makes great home made/only from food storage Italian hard rolls or bread. I can't make it as well as she can, but it dresses up a food storage dinner. Make it as a loaf or rolls. It's a time consuming recipe with three rises. Start it early!

Beat until frothy:
3 1/2 C warm water
2 T. Sugar
8 tsp. powdered egg whites (or 4 regular egg whites)
1 T. instant yeast
Then add:
2 C. flour (whole wheat, white, or a combination)

Let sit 30 minutes to ferment, loosely covered with plastic wrap

Slowly add 6 C. more flour and knead for 6-7 min.
If using WW flour, ad 1/4 C. olive oil (optional)
At the very end of kneading add 1 T. salt
You can also add some herbs here. Like a little Rosemary, if you want.

Let rise in bowl for 1 hr.

Punch down, form into loaves, balls or whatever.
Sprinkle with a little flour
Let rise 1 more hour.
Just before baking, brush with beaten egg whites.
Bake at 400 for 20 min. (or 15 min. for rolls.)
Mid way through baking, slash the top with a knife a couple of times.

My son makes this for me. It's such an easy, cheap chocolate fix. Not to horribly fattening either.

4 1/2 oz dark chocolate (unsweetened is fine if you want to add sugar to the egg yolks. For me, the darker the better!)
4 large eggs separated

Melt the chocolate
Whip the egg whites to soft peak stage
Mix egg yolks (and sugar, if using unsweetened chocolate, to taste)
Add egg yolks to cooled chocolate. Mix quickly!
Add whipped whites to egg/chocolate mixture and fold until it's well incorporated.
Chill in individual serving cups.
Sprinkle white chocolate over the top, or more dark chocolate, because... why not!?

Ryan made a batch of this on Mother's Day and put it in 6 little cups. I go pick one out every day... such a great, perfectly sized chocolatey treat!

Post Red Mountain Ultra

2010-04-26T12:19:00.000-07:00

So, the thing that looked like a fairly well groomed dirt road was, in fact, a trail. Much of it looked like a jeeping trail in Moab, with big boulders and holes and huge hills. I've never been trail running ever, so I was ill prepared. It's so fun though, jumping over the rocks and sailing down the hills that you really don't notice time going by or how hard you're working. It wasn't until I got to the pavement at mile 12 that I realized I couldn't lengthen my stride. My glutes and hamstrings were just tight as a knot. There was a spot right at the top of the highest point on the trail section where you could see out in both directions and it was right when the sun was coming up. It was so beautiful I had to stop for a sec and just take it in. I wished I had taken my phone for that. (When I got to the car, I looked at my phone and Ron had been messaging me, thinking that I would have my phone on me facebooking about it! I'm so sure. : ) )

I got to the pavement thinking I was feeling pretty good, and I was in second place of the women. That kind of inspired me to try and push it a little. I kept saying to myself that I run 17-20 miles on a regular basis, and it just won't be that big of deal. I was drinking that disgusting Heed electrolyte drink (tastes like corn syrup, but supposed to be great during a race) and a lot of water, but I was stayed totally cramped up the whole rest of the way. THEN the road we were running on had no shoulder and no road closures, so we were running on the slanted sides, which really killed my ankles and knees. I was in so much pain at different points that I was sure I wasn't going to finish. I just felt like I couldn't quit though. I hobbled along the rest of the way. It wasn't until mile 28 that a group of 3 women passed me. I was bummed, but at the same time felt like I was really just lucky to be that close to the finish line. Brother, what was I sad about!? That would have been fun though, to have taken second. There were only 75 people running it total, so it doesn't say a whole lot, but still.

I always think it so funny to see the people passing me. I look at them from behind and they honestly look like they are moving so slow, but they're passing me! It makes me realize how slow I'm going and makes me laugh. Then there's always the guy in the cotton Tshirt and basketball shorts and shoes that don't even look like running shoes and he's flying past everyone at mile 15. There was a Mr. Uber-Tech there too, with all the latest and greatest shoes and clothing and accessories that was also passed by Mr. Basketball shorts. It is a great statement about how not to take it all too seriously. (Mr. Uber-Tech was rubbing himself down with one of those massage sticks at the end. He just didn't want the gadget fest to end.)

So I came in 5th of the women. My time was 5:35. It could have been much worse, so I'm happy. Ron was driving the route to find me and met up with me about the last 1/2 mile. Josh and Noah got out and ran the rest of the way with me. That is always my favorite part. One of them commented on how slow I was going and how easy it was, and I told him it's because I hurt so bad. Then he asked, "So why are you doing this, again?" I just said I was wondering the same thing. I told Ron when I was done that I was never going to do anything like that again. I seriously didn't ever want to ever put on a pair of running shoes again. I'm sure now I will, but I don't know if I'll ever do that race again. There just is no training that prepares you to run on a slant like that. I couldn't take it and I couldn't figure out a way around that. I think I'm going to ask the race director what the secret is.

I'm really not tempted to work harder and run more trails and try and do it better next year. I got home and just felt so glad I could stay home in the mornings and clean my house! I don't have to go running! Yeay! I think I had a running overdose and now I'm cured. I started cleaning today but realized I really can't bend or get up and down the stairs. I think I will wait to clean for a few more days.

I'm signed up for the St. George Marathon in October.

Red Mountain Ultra info

2010-02-24T20:38:00.000-08:00

http://www.redmountain50k.com/course.htm

This looks like it will be a fun race with pretty scenery. It looks like dirt roads are the "trails." I think it will be a perfect transition into trail races and longer races. There's aid stations every three miles the whole way. That is really uncommon for an ultra. I'm really excited! I'm going to start taking my camera on some of the trails I'm starting to train on. I've posted a couple on Facebook already. It's incredibly beautiful. I wish I could take you along.

I Un-did it.

2010-02-11T07:22:00.000-08:00

I withdrew from the Wasatch 100. How can I train for a trail that is 5 hrs away? I can't. Yet. I signed up for a 50 K in Central Utah in April though! Red Mountain 50 K.

So, most of the women with babies and preschool age kids are in a babysitting co-op, where everyone takes one day a month and watches everyone else's kids (that needs a babysitter) for a three hour shift. They asked me back when they started it if I wanted to participate and I declined. Sarah was a baby and would sit in the jogger, and I just frankly... wasn't ready to leave her anywhere yet. Now that she hates that jogger I am ready. I left her at a friend's house once already this week and I babysat yesterday. I'm going to leave her today from 9-12 for a long run. Here's some pics of the muffin decorating I attempted to do with the kids yesterday.

That was super crazy. Babies and Kindergarteners.

I did it...

2010-01-04T12:38:00.000-08:00

I applied for entrance to the Wasatch 100! I got on the site to check about the registration deadlines and noticed that it is on the 9th on January... five days from now. So I had to send it in without thinking. Which, by the way, is the best way to sign up for something like a 100 mile race. I'm totally psyched and completely rested, as I haven't done a thing for months now. I've never run trails in St. George so Ron is going to show me a few mt. bike trails that I can run nearby. It's exciting to have a new goal. I've been bored.

Long Run Rant

2009-11-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

(The little aspen trees on the side of the path are just about the only color of fall to be seen around here, so I had to document it.)
I did my first long run (20 miles) since the marathon on Saturday. I haven't felt like myself since the marathon since I haven't really been running any significant distances. I've found I really don't feel like I've gotten a workout unless I do a longer run. I've been doing more strength training and slow jogs on an inclined treadmill. It feels really good to be stronger, but it doesn't help me feel relaxed and happier like distance running does. When I went on Saturday I left Sarah home with the boys, knowing that Ron was going to be in and out of the house. I wasn't sure how long I would be gone. I really shouldn't have been gone that long, but I couldn't stop. It was so beautiful out and it felt so good. I think it's a small price for my kids to pay for a mentally and physically healthy mommy, right? This is the first time I've don't that by-the-way. I don't normally abandon everyone and I don't expect to make a habit of it.

Doing some research...

2009-10-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

I started looking up how one begins to train for 100 mile race. None of what I found out really surprised me, but I'm questioning whether I really want to be as selfish as it would require. Here's just a few things this one ultramarathoner does throughout the year before a 100 mile race:

1. Two workouts a day, both at least 10 miles. (Okay, maybe manageable)
2. Long runs are all at least 22 miles. (Doable)
3. Every 3-4 weeks run 25-50 miles instead of the usual 22 miles. (Mini Chi would freak!)
4. Weight training 2-3 times a week. (When?)
5. All weekly long runs should be on a trail with hills. (Anyone know a nanny?)
6. Track workouts of 800 meters at 80%-90% effort. (Ouch)

Obviously I would have to do those things to be ready to run on a trail for 100 miles, but looking at it broken down like that, it's clear that I would have to be away from my family for hours every day. A nice idea, but unless I don't ever want to sleep, probably not going to happen. I do have a goal though, to wake up and run before my kids need to get up for school so that it doesn't take up half my morning anymore. I can get it out of the way before I start the day. I set my alarm last night for 5:00 AM, and then turned it off at 11:00 PM before I fell asleep. I'm such a chicken. I really, really hate getting up early.

Tomorrow. I'll start tomorrow.

P.S.

2009-10-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

The headband is called Bondi Band and they are on the web.

3:40!

2009-10-03T15:04:00.001-07:00

This is the only picture I have of the starting line because it was SO COLD I could not take off my gloves. I was shivering so uncontrollably. I wanted to try and get in to the bonfires but it was so packed already I couldn't have gotten close. When we had to take off our sweats and put them in the bags for the trucks to take back, some total strangers and I huddled up together until the gun went off. It was painfully cold! OH, and Stacey, the DJ at the starting line said that the only state that wasn't represented in the marathon was VERMONT!! Funny huh? It was quite a party going on. Things have changed since I did this marathon 13 years ago. I was surprised to only see one person I knew from Salt Lake and just a couple I knew from St. George.

I'll be happy with a personal best of 3:40. I also have to attribute that faster time to the fact that I didn't have to use the potty once after I started running. I usually have eaten and drank the whole hour before the race starts. This time I didn't start drinking till the race started. I ate a GU and drank a whole bottle in the first half mile and drank A LOT during the race, but still didn't need to pee. That makes a huge difference considering the lines at the pottys. Thank you for the playlist suggestions! It helped so much to have great music at the points that I really wanted to start walking.

I found lots of nifty new things at the fitness expo picking up my number the day before. I was glad to have them. The greatest one was this headband. It's just a strip of really thin spandex-like material. Perfect because it covers your ears when it's cold, but it's not super thick and HOT like most sweat bands and ear warmers are, so I could wear it the whole race and it kept the sweat out of my eyes but didn't heat me up. I can't read the label very well, but I think it says "bana band." Some girl cut strips of spandex, put a stitch in the back and is selling them for $8.00 a piece. I bought three!

I also got a little belt made out of the same stuff that holds about 8 GUs. Really soft and lightweight. It's call the "Spibelt." I can't remember how much a paid for it. They're on the web.

I also love the Nathan's Bottle Holders. I was lucky enough to have a niece volunteering at mile 13 so I gave her a bottle of my favorite energy drink to hand me. It was a miracle I saw her because I didn't realize I was at mile 13, so wasn't watching for her. She just happened to be the girl I took a cup of water from and said, "OH! AMY! Got my bottle?" and of course like a good little niece, she did. Yeay for Amy. I've blogged about the Nathan's things before. I like them better than the other's I've tried because they hold on to your hand tighter so that you barely have to grip the bottle. It's also padded so it's more comfortable. They also hold about 3-4 GU packets in an outside pocket.

At the fitness expo I sampled some stuff I had never seen before by Cliff Shot. It's a recovery drink. It was so yummy and it has a few things in it that Perpetuem doesn't. I asked if I could buy some and the guy looked kind of surprised and said, "Uh, no. We don't have any to sell." Ok, so thanks for the sample. Then about 10 minutes later he chased me down and said, "Hey, we don't have many people that love this stuff so why don't you just take this." and handed me a $40.00 container of it for free. Yeay for free crap! It has a little bit more sugar, less fat, and more protein than Perpetuem. Exactly what I think Perpetuem needs to change. I mixed them together for the start of the race and the bottle that Good-Little-Niece Amy handed me.

When you're not an elite runner, so much of a race is finding all the "stuff" that will help you get to the finish line without the blisters, chafing, cramping... whatever. Many a race was ruined for me because got some weird problem happening in the middle of a race from eating something wrong or bad choice of clothing. I think I found a great combo of products that work for me. For the people that are done with the thing in 2 hours they don't have to worry so much about those things!

Registration for the Wasatch 100 is in January. It's a draw for a number, so no guarantee I will get in, but I will let you know so that you can all sign up to run a leg of it with me as a pacer! You know you want to.

Thanks for your encouragement, y'all!!

I'm not even going to look

2009-09-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

at this catalog. I'm not at all tempted by this adorable top.

Positive thoughts... positive thoughts... positive thoughts...

2009-09-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

I'm just doing speedwork and hills this last week before the race. I don't have any injuries bothering me right now, so I think I have a good chance of doing pretty well on Saturday. I would be happy with a 3:40, even happier with a 3:30. I'm not sure if that's achievable for me but I'm trying to think positive. If I get another 3:50 I'll be disappointed. Come on 3:30!

The cure for all ails.

2009-09-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

I've been in an especially bad mood lately. Sorry everyone. My brain is tired. That's the only way to describe what I've been feeling. Overwhelmed maybe. Stressed out. I forced myself to the gym today even though I really would like to stay in bed for a week, and now I'm fine. Exercise is magic. Running is the best kind of exercise (I think) because putting one foot in front of the other doesn't take a lot of concentration or skill and you can let your mind just go somewhere else and meditate. I came home feeling like I can now face my life, which is, by-the-way, pretty great. I have nothing to whine about. I feel so sad when people say to me, "I don't know how you do that. I could never do that." They so totally could! And if I could get them to come with me for a few weeks, they would see how easy it is once it's a habit. Anyone can be a runner, excepting those that have some kind of injury. You just have to decide you are and do it. I think the world's problems could be solved by our leaders just taking a long jog together before any meetings or policy decisions are made. Maybe I'll send a letter to someone and see if I can get that put into law. If anyone reads this blog that doesn't run, I challenge you to try it for 21 days straight, except Sundays. They say that's as long as it takes to make it a habit and get over the hump of starting something new to where you enjoy it and see benefits. 21 days... you have been challenged.

P.S.

Going through the carwash.

Marathon Madness

2009-09-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

"Marathon Madness" was the name of the mixed tape that Ron made me while we were training for the St. George Marathon 13 years ago. Yes, that's right. I said "we." Ron ran it with me and never put on a pair of running shoes ever again. Gotta love a man that will make a mix tape! This will be the first time I've run this marathon since then. I was signed up to do it last year, but at the last minute decided to go to NYC and watch a taping of SNL, which turned out to be the funnest time of my life. The marathon last year was pouring rain and cold, so it was a good choice.

So, now I need to put together my "marathon madness" mix for this marathon. I'd love your suggestions for the playlist. I'm going to put some of my choices on the Project Playlist that is playing on my sidebar.

17 mile monday and new goals.

2009-09-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

Mini Chi giving me a low "five" at mile 4. I think that's the last time I'm going to make her run with me. She broke my heart today when I put her in the jogger. That was the last longish run I will do until the marathon too.

So last year I was thinking about trying to do the Iron Man St. George in 2010, but since I don't own a bike and don't really want to train for three sports, I have decided that a triathlon is maybe not for me. Smart, huh? After the marathon I've decided that I am going to start training for the Wasatch 100. Doesn't it look like a beautiful running trail? I'm not a fast runner, but I really can go as long as I have fuel. It's exactly a year from now. Think I can do it? I kinda think I can. I like that no one I know (except my old neighbor, Kelly) has done it. Every runner I know is doing Ragnar and the Iron Man and I've never liked being trendy. So a hundred mile race it is!

JOY

2009-09-15T14:42:00.001-07:00

20.5 and more favorite things.

2009-09-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

DMSO, check. Lots of water, check. Hammer Gel (bleh), check. last two packets of GU, check. Bottle with Perpetuem, check. Tissues, check. Diapers/wipes, check. Blankie, check. Binkie, oh... forgot the binkie. Go back home, add half a mile to the run. Binkie, CHECK. Sunscreen for Mini Chi's legs, check. Body Glide, check. Foam knee strap thingy, check. Nano, check. Phone, check. Garmin, check.
I always feel kind of bad doing this to Mini Chi. She cries when I put her in the jogger because she knows she's going to be stuck there for quite a while. She always calms down when we get started though. She looks back at me and smiles every once in a while and grabs the cord to my headphones to listen for a while. I'm going to miss her during the race.

We did 20.5 today and felt mostly good. 12 miles right on the button my knee started hurting. The same mile marker every time. I was even wearing the knee band too. Race day will be a crap shoot if that acts up. The pain went away within a few minutes. I hope if I baby it until then it will be okay.

On to some favorite things...
Athleta has formed a dangerous business relationship with GAP. I have a GAP card, which can be used at Banana Republic, Old Navy and GAP, and now Athleta. This means that you can use the rewards at any. one. of. those. stores. This is dangerous because now I can justify buying the things from Athleta that I like for me and tell myself I will use the rewards at GAP for the kids. (They have to have clothes, right?)

This hat calls to me.
These boots do too.
This hat... this HAT!!!

I ate a whole wheat bagel before the run today and I think it was just the thing that helped me feel good the whole way and after.
The K Swiss Running Skort. It is really light weight, the seams are thin so there's no chafing, more breathable than the Nike one that's twice as much. I can't wear a running short after being spoiled with this skort. I need a few more.
This Under Armour jog bra is different than any other. It's kinda silky and super thin seams so no under arm chafing. That is the spot that always kills me after a long run in any other kind of top, even when I use the body glide. I really hate running with my tummy showing so I wish they had this in a full yoga style top. They don't, so I'm going to be crossing the finish line in my underwear. Sorry.
I am 10 pounds heavier and one size bigger this year than this same time last year. Thus, this is my lunch every day. Cooked greens (this one's kale), onions (sometimes leeks), fresh tomatoes, some chicken, white balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper on top. If I feel rebellious I'll sprinkle some parmesan on top. I know, it's an acquired taste.

Treadmill Friday

2009-09-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

I watched Bronco on The Mountain with the other coaches of all the Mountain West teams. Ha!

I wasn't sure I was going to be able to run at all today because of the night I had. See, we have this puppy... He sleeps in a crate, like all good puppies. Last night he started barking at 1:00 AM, so I go out to let him outside, and it is too late. His crate has a couple inches of urine in it. Yeay. From watching Ron deal with this same problem a few nights ago, I learned that I don't want to push the crate out the door before letting Bob out, because if I am outside with him when he gets out he'll jump all over me with his uriney feet. So I decide to open the door to the outside, which is right next to the crate and then open the crate so he can run outside. A little urine on the floor is better than all over me. BUT when he got out of the crate, before he went outside, he SHOOK pee all over the kitchen. Once he was outside I pushed the crate out, checked out the damage and left it to deal with in the morning. (I have a hard time sleeping once I've been awake for a while, so I thought it best to try and get back to sleep as quickly as possible and salvage some of the night.) BUT I couldn't go back to sleep because of the thought of the pee now drying all over everything and the phantom smell of urine in my nose! SO I got back up and spent the next hour cleaning the kitchen, then went back to bed and spent the next hour listening to the puppy barking to be let back inside. I do not do well without a good night's sleep, so I'm pretty proud I got to the gym at all. (See, the story completely relates to running and not at all about family, which I try to not post about at all, except Sarah.)

PS. The puppy will remain outside indefinitely.

Coral Canyon Trail

2009-09-10T10:33:00.001-07:00

Whenever we are driving to and from Coral Canyon, I see paved trails going off into the hills. I love running on these trails, so I decided today to venture over with Sarah in the stroller and check them out. I figure I need to do some hills, I might not be running a lot, because I'll be pushing the stroller, but a fun break from the usual. This is what it looks like from the bottom.
I turned on the Garmin so that I could keep track of how long these paths are, expecting to be hiking around for quite a while and just turning back when I needed to. I got around the bend at the top of the hill and... after a half a mile found myself at Highland Park. Hmmm, the adventure wasn't quite as exciting as I thought it would be. Of course when Mini Chi saw her favorite park she screamed to get out and play. SO, I walked for a total of a mile and played at the park. Oh well, now I know.
It is a really beautiful trail though. That's Pine Valley Mountain in the background.

Age 2: The Year Champions Are Made.

2009-09-09T18:02:00.000-07:00

The Beam: 10

The Front Roll : 10

Costume: 10

Creativity of Choreography: 10

(Whew... looking this good in leg warmers is hard work.)

The Tumble Tramp: 10

The Hurdles: 10

The Rings: 10

Not bad at all for a fist day.

Running is expensive?

2009-09-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

I never thought about it before, but I am noticing after cleaning out my stroller after a run that I spend about $6.50 a run in GU! Yikes. I find it at Harmon's for $1.29 a piece and just buy the whole box because I go through them so fast. I haven't found anywhere online that sells them at bulk prices low enough to pay the shipping costs and still save money. Costco has diamond rings but can't sell GU? Ron has some Hammer Gel in the fridge that I am going to use until I am forced to either find something else I like or find it cheaper in town. Hammer Gel... Bleh.

GU: Very expensive.

Liang Gu: Not so expensive.

Drive to Kolob Canyon/New Harmony Fire

2009-09-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

This time of year in Southern Utah is sooo beautiful. Cool breezes makes it bearable to get out and enjoy some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. As we were driving up Kolob Canyon I was thinking about how we live in this area that people come from all over the world to see. How blessed we are. We don't get out and enjoy it enough. I repented of that today and renewed the annual National Parks Pass. We are going to venture out on these trails this fall.

We also drove across the highway from Kolob to New Harmony. That is where the wild fires have been burning out of control all last week. It destroyed several homes and other structures.

Sleeping beauty on the ride.

Rise and Shout!

2009-09-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

That's right folks. It's football season. I don't know if I ever feel quite as happy as I do after the Cougars have pulled off a win. The blue and white gets me all.... gitty.

Drum Lesson Wednesdays

2009-09-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

On Wednesdays Noah has drum lessons in Coral Canyon. I noticed on a map that there is a big park near his teachers house, so I thought I'd take the kids and check it out while we were waiting for Noah to be done with his lesson. We ended up staying for two hours. Those of you in greener areas of the world might not understand how cool it is to find a fun green spot nearby to hang out. Notice that the park is abandoned because people here aren't in the habit of playing outside unless they're at a pool. It's one thing I really miss about SLC. Playing at a park in the summer.
My phone doesn't do this view justice. It was a really beautiful view!
There is a rock climbing wall and three different playgrounds, plus a huge grass hill to run up and down. I think we are going to make this park visit a regular on Wednesdays.

Thursdays, in case you are wondering what we do on Thursdays, is piano day. The kids have lessons one right after the other in the afternoon. We wait for each other at Blue Bunny Ice Cream on Main Street. Across the street there is a little cafe called "25 Main" (It's on 25 South and Main Street. Get it?) Anyway, Stacey, you would love this place. Excellent cup cakes! The food is... meh. But a very hip and cool little joint. Anyone that visits should check it out. Today we got an assortment of cupcakes... Chocolate Cappuccino for me, Strawberry Cream for Josh, Peanutbutter Cup for Ryan, Chocolate Chocolate for Noah, and we took home a Banana Cake and Orange Cream for Dad. All of them excellent! (for $2.75 a piece it better be!) I still have dreams of opening a bagel shop/bakery one day kind of like 25 Main. They don't have bagels though so Stacey's and mine will be better. And it will be called... something in Portuguese. Haven't decided what yet. Possibly "Puxa Vida." It's catchy and no one would know what it means.

Note to self.

2009-09-02T13:54:00.001-07:00

long runs on days when there is a major forest fire nearby =

infections. Stick to the treadmill on those days in the future.

Plea for sidewalks where there clearly needs to be a sidewalk!

2009-08-31T13:33:00.000-07:00

Please put a sidewalk all the way down 1450 South and all the way down River Rd to the jogging/bike path! Everyone that uses the path has to walk along this glass-ridden-zero-shoulder-55 mph-River Rd. to get to it! Thanks.

17.5 again today and it's getting easier. I just might be ready to run 26 in a month. No pains today at all.

17.5 friday (and a few more favorite things.)

2009-08-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

I ran 17.5 today as an experiment. Just over a month to to the marathon and I have so many injuries going on right now I wasn't convinced I could even do it this year. I pushed through and by about mile 14 I felt fine. There's a few things that I will take with me on race day for sure.
If you get "jumper's knee" or patella tendonitis, it can feel like a stress fracture in your shin. The strangest pain I've ever felt. The tendon really wasn't where I was feeling the pain. It was sharp pains in my shin and up my femur. Someone suggested I try the knee band and sure enough... It was just tendonitis. It still can hurt a little running around a corner but the pain goes away after. Thank you $9.00 foam band thingy.

This stuff is magic, I swear. Anything is bugging me, I rub this on it before I run and within a few runs I have no more pain. It takes a few times using it. It isn't a pain cream. It really loosens things up and helps them heal somehow. You can get it at natural food stores. I haven't researched about it, so please no one tell me it's poisonous or something. I do know that it's the thing that Michelle Pfeiffer uses to kill her cheating boyfriend when she combines it with White Oleander in that movie. ("White Oleander is a Good movie, btw. Depressing, but good.)
Oh man, how did that picture of Mini Chi get there?! Oh well. She would tell you that the things you need to take along on a 17.5 mile run are a soft blankie, some animal crackers, and a baba.

More favorite things. For real.

2009-08-28T14:21:00.001-07:00

My skin is horrible. I have BAD sun damage from years on a swim team, laying out, and now running every day. I also have worse acne now than I did when I was a teenager. What is UP with THAT?! My dermatologist calls it "the wall flower's revenge." Whatever. Anyway, this stuff twice a week is pretty awesome. I found it at Harmons in the Natural Foods section. It shrinks your pores and makes your skin really soft and tones down some of the bad color. Ryan took some pictures while it was on my face...

Sarah was scared of me and wouldn't look at me. Here she is bawling while mommy was a green monster!

More favorite things.

2009-08-28T13:58:00.001-07:00

Ooooo, I'm angry at Blogger for not letting me post pictures right now! What's going on?! I simply can't write a story with no pictures so it will have to wait!

My favorite things of the week

2009-08-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

The GU and the Perpetuem can keep you going for any distance if you can carry enough of it. Go easy on the chocolate Special K though. I made the mistake of eating three bowls before my run yesterday and was a little... slow.

If I were on Facebook...

2009-08-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

...tonight I would remind everyone that it is Sarah's birthday tomorrow. ~Sigh~ but I am not, and that is a good thing. We attempted FHE tonight and it ended up as no dinner and eating popcorn on the trampoline. (basically, just let-the-kids-do-whatever-they-want night.) It was relaxing. One of those spontaneous bonding times that happen only when you just drop everything else and just let yourself be still.

"What's stuck to my foot?"

Chocolate eyes

Birthday Beauty. I can't believe you've been here for two years.

(My boys were there too. I promise.)

Monster Run

2009-08-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

I went to the Rec Center today to run because it was supposed to be 110 degrees. I drop Sarah off at the cool daycare first. This is a picture of just a small corner of the room. There is bean bag chairs, flat screen tv, an outdoor playground. It's pretty posh. Then I head up to the treadmills, and on the way pick up a Monster drink. I've never had one before and don't normally drink caffeinated drinks at all, but I'm so sick of feeling like a slug. I'm trying to get my training mojo back. I decided I was just going to sip it a little and hopefully it would give me just a little energy to get some kind of run in. I sip, and sip, and sip sip sip.... 20 minutes into the "jog" I'm still not feeling anything from it. I end up drinking the whole thing over the course of my hour-long run and THEN I feel it. The shakes and jitters started, the headache hit, the crankies hit. It lasted most of the day and also started to feel nauseous by about 6:00 pm. It was horrible. Then we went to a pizza joint for dinner and I was thinking I felt to sick to eat anything, but then realize I'm famished by the time the pizza came, so I ended up eating almost an entire medium pizza. That was a terrible experiment that I will never repeat with a Monster stink-drink.

2009-08-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

The running blog is quickly turning into an anything-but-running blog. I'm distracted by more important things. I did run today though, AFTER I cleaned the house and paid some bills and did a little planning. Which meant that it was 95 degrees and I almost didn't make it home because I was dying of heat stroke. I went 13.5 miles. I'm going to start TRYING really hard to get up before the kids and the heat for my runs. I'm not a fan of waking up early. But I'm going to TRY. Really hard. Seriously.

I've never heard of this album, Heatstroke, but it's such a cool cover I'm going to look it up.

My Reason to Be.

2009-08-16T14:06:00.001-07:00

I love the way she says, "NO?" when she doesn't want to do something. (Not "NO!" but a sweet "No?") I love how she runs with her arms behind her like she's trying to take off in flight. I love the bounce in her step and her gorgeous brown eyes that remind my of my favorite thing to eat; dark chocolate. I love that she is the youngest and I get lots of personal alone time with her while the boys are doing their big boy stuff. I love that I was able to have a home birth with her. It made it really the most special day of my life and bonded us in a way that in indescribable. I love her femininity; the delicate way she holds her hands and brushes the hair out of her face, wipes her nose, eats, holds a crayon, walks. Every way she moves is feminine. I love that she usually wants me most but still calls me Daddy. I love buying her clothes, doing her hair, taking her shopping and watching her run away from me, but checking over her shoulder to make sure I'm still there. (If I'm not, she'll come back looking. So cute!) I love how when she sees strangers she'll freeze and move her eyes as far in another direction as possible, thinking that if they are out of her field of vision, they must not be able to see her either. All the while standing still directly in front of them. I love thinking about her as a baby, and at the same time getting excited to watch her grow up, be in school, make friends, fall in love. I'm going to love every minute of her life. I love imagining what things she might like to do. Will it be dance and gymnastics? Sports? Both? I LOVE HER and she's turning 2 in a week!

Bob and Kamikaze Kitty

2009-08-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

Pictures of kayaking the Napali Coast

2009-08-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

These were dolphins! We saw a sea turtle a few feet away too.

This wasn't a very well thought out picture.
Going in a sea cave.
Coming out of a sea cave.

Our guide using a flag as a sail.

Inside an open sea cave.

St. George is BIG TIME!

2009-08-13T10:40:00.001-07:00

It's official. Allied Waste is offering curbside pickup of reyclables! I don't have to lug three bins of garbage to the recycling bins in the grocery store parking lot anymore. I still have to take glass though. I'm not sure why the list of things that can be recyled with them is different than the city's list. Oh well. This is a great start. I was surprised by the number of neighbors that had signed up for the service. quite a few blue garbage cans appeared in the neighborhood. That will add up to a lot of stuff not going in a hole somewhere and maybe save some trees. Good for us!

First Day of School Long Run/Turn Short Run.

2009-08-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

My jogging path isn't much to look at, but I love it. I thought I'd celebrate the first day of school with a long run, but my knee started hurting today in a way that I've never felt before. It's got me a little worried. So the 17-miler turned into a 12, and alot of it was walking.

AND....

$20.00 if you can guess who this is.

First Day of School!!!

2009-08-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to get them out the door, I forgot that they don't yet know who their teachers are or what rooms they're in. I hope someone helped them out once they got inside and realized they had no idea where to go.

Now, I've got time to begin the important work of going with Sarah to her tumbling class two times a week. We are getting ahead of the curve for BYU Cheerleading tryouts in 2025!!

Good news and bad news.

2009-08-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

The bad news is that GI Joe has horrible language and a little too much sexy stuff for my pre-teen. Which is tragic, because he would love the gadgets and weapons and karate fighting and cool characters. By the cheesy dialogue it is clearly made for kids about 10-15, but they made me mad with the language and cleavage. He will have to wait for the clean-play version. I sat up and told him all about it when we got home.

The good news is that there was a preview before the movie that got me so excited for summer 2010!

YES! Can you get a combination than Avatar and M. Night Shyamalan? Guaranteed to be cool.

Going to preveiw GI Joe tonight

2009-08-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

to see if it's okay for Ryan to see. I've only seen a trailer and I'm already thinking no.

Okay, and I have another reason for wanting to see the movie. You probably don't remember the movie "Step Up." I saw it and BOUGHT it. I'm a little dance-obsessed. Channing Tatum plays GI Joe.I don't think he's going to break dance in GI Joe though.

PS There was also a "Step Up 2" for those of you that just got excited about seeing the first one. Laugh at the acting and script. Respect the sport.

Mobile uploads of Hawaii trip

2009-08-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

View from our back patio on a rainy morning, overlooking Hanalei Bay.

Napali Coast hike with Sarah.Sarah slept on the way up Napali, but screamed the whole way down because she was so terrified.

Ryan
My view while I was laying out at the Hilton in Vegas the night before leaving for Hawaii.

This is the best ice cream I or anyone in my family has ever eaten. The owner was also very excited about the ice cream, as he had a different "favorite flavor" for everyone that walked in the store. In case you are planning a trip to Kauai, this place is down the road to the lighthouse near Hanalei.
You can't tell how good this was from the picture. Macadamia nut, banana, coconut ice creams with oreo crust from Hanalei Dolphin restaurant.
Hanalei Dolphin sushi. The sushimi wasn't dolphin, obviously. That's just the name of the restaurant. The sashimi was the best I've ever had. We told the owner that it's even better than the best we've had in Vagas, where we have eaten really great sushi, and he just laughed and said, "Yeah, Vegas sushi... bleh." I guess it does sound comical to compare sushi in vegas to that in Hawaii where it is caught a few minutes before a few hundred yards away.

It should be said here that while Hanalei Dolphin had the best sushi we ate while we were there, Postcards (also in Hanalei) had the best entree and desert. I think I didn't remember to take pictures of it because I had been Kayaking for 7 hours that day and just wanted the food to get in my tummy.

Back from Hawaii

2009-08-07T09:42:00.001-07:00

We were on Kauai, North Shore. Princeville to be exact. We did a lot of fun stuff this time. As the kids are getting older, we are able to do more than just sit on a beach all day.

These first pictures are of Tunnels Beach. It is so gorgeous with the cliffs of Napali behind it. (and Sarah in front of it.)

Ron holding Sarah in the water at Tunnels.

These next ones are of a waterfall, I want to say Keepu... but I'm sure that's not spelled right. This was so much fun. We got there and Josh went and jumped off the cliff into the water and then did the rope swing, totally shocking us. I was holding my breath it scared me so bad to see his little body flinging out like that! It was a highlight for sure.

This is my niece, Heather looking back, and Noah walking behind her through the sugar cane fields on the way to the waterfall.
Me and Sarah at the falls. She was really scared of waves or noisy water, like the waterfall. So I had to hold her facing me so she couldn't see them or she would scream.
Joshy on the rope swing. The local Hawaians were doing tricks on the rope that were pretty amazing. I would love to write a commentary on the Hawaiian hospitality (none) but I'll save it. Lets just say they are not exactly good Samaritans when it comes to tourists.
Joshy going off the falls! What a stud.

The picture below is Josh and my sister's son, Grayson. I love this photo because it's hard to believe they are biological cousins. My sister is fairly dark and her husband is even more so. Me and Ron are... not so much! Ok, not at all. The are in a truck on the way to do a zip line/kayak/hike thing on the same day that I kayaked the Napali Coast with some of the other adults. (Which was the highlight of the trip for me.) It was so nice of Ron to keep the kids that day and let me do that. It made up for the Costa Rica trip being canceled. Photos are being developed and will be back Tuesday next week.

My sister, Michele, her husband, Taylor, their kids and Ron with my boys on the right.

Gearing up for school, already/trip to Hawaii...

2009-07-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

All the back-to-school rigamaroll is starting already. Endless emails from the school with things to print off and sign and take back and visits to the school to meet teachers and get schedules and supply lists. I swear summer just started, but eveyone is always ready for it to end too. This year they are going to be rotating the kids through different teachers for different subjects for grades 4 and up. I think it's a great idea, especially for Noah, to keep things changing throughout the day. We've got a new plan for his diet to try and get a grip on the ADD for this year. It's going to be so hard to control what he puts in his mouth. We go to Hawaii next Tuesday, get back the 6th of August and school starts three days later.

The A/C in my car is broken. It's been 110 degrees lately.

I'm already planning Sarah's birthday on August 25th. Balloons, pink cupcakes, I'm not sure if I'm going to get her dress-ups or a doll house. Stay tuned.

Catching up on MJ videos

2009-07-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

Sarah enjoying a MJ video.

I was at costco yesterday and found a video called MJ Number Ones. It's the videos of all his number one hits. I was excited to show my kids "Thriller." They were unimpressed and just mostly thought it was weird. Compared to what they see done with computer animation, it just isn't that cool. Of course they are really missing the point that all of it was done without computer animation and those are actual people making their bodies move like that. ~sigh.
Then I watched the rest of it and realized that Thriller wasn't even his best. "Smooth Criminal" is about the best dancing I've ever seen, ever. I could watch it over and over, it's so amazing. I forgot how much I love the song "Man in the Mirror." It gave me chills. The last two were songs that he put out after he was a total weirdo in my mind, so I hadn't even heard them before and they're actually pretty good stuff. It's so sad that he was such a good looking kid to begin with and made himself into such a freakazoid! Tragic.

I can remember having the MJ poster above my bed of him in the yellow sweater vest. I bought it at The Keyhole. Hahha. Keri is the only one that read this that's going to know about that place, and that's sad : (. RIP Cottonwood Mall.

Angel's Landing - You can do anything for three hours!

2009-07-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

(My teeth look so gross with braces!)

Yesterday we took Joe to Zion and did Angel's Landing. I thought if he only has one night off this week that he is in Southern Utah, that ought to be the thing he does. That hike is steeper than I remember it being. It was really tough at some parts with Sarah on my back. It was nice to get out and do something different and so much fun. Sarah was so good the whole time in the heat.
My Beauty

Ashton and Alec (Ryan's friends), Ryan, and Joe Gordon

Correction

2009-07-06T19:35:00.001-07:00

I fried myself was an understatement. I'm totally blistered! I haven't burned myself this bad since I was a kid. It's three days later and I am just now starting to be able to bend at the hip to sit. It's only where my running shorts cover, so top half of my thigh - and rear end of course. Lovely. So on the bright side, I did get rid of that running tan line for Hawaii.

The picture isn't me. I just always feel like I need illustrations. Who wants to read something without pictures, even if they are all disgusting?

We are hosting a soccer coach from Kendal, England this week. His name is Joe Gordon, 21 yrs. old. Nice kid. My kids are mauling him. I took him and the kids and a babysitter to the rec center pool again while I ran and listened to Dave Matthews.

I love Dave Matthews, but It's hard for me to have my rock star fantasies-while-running listening to DM. So today I had to improvise and I was a guitarist.

Washington City Rec Center Day

2009-07-03T17:16:00.000-07:00

I love the new rec center in Washington. It's got a rock climbing wall, an awesome pool, the cardio equipment is great and the daycare is really fun too. (Apparently, because Sarah will actually let me leave her there.) I had a great run this morning 2% incline and building speed back up. Then did walking lunges around the indoor track. We went back to the pool a couple hours later in an attempt to get rid of the running tan lines on my mid thigh before Hawaii. I FRIED myself. I hope I can still run with my upper thighs so red.

A Quick Year!

2009-07-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

I deactivated my Facebook account today for the umpteenth time. This time for good though, really. I was just looking back over my posts and noted that it has been almost exactly a year since I opened the Facebook account and began my midlife crisis. It has been so much fun getting back in touch with old friends and meeting lots of new friends that I grew up with but never really knew. We had some great laughs on Facebook. I'll miss the pranks, the funny videos, the tagged photos, the drama. I hope I run into them sometime. I might just consider attending the 20 year reunion.

Having said that... Facebook is just not good for me! I have come to grips with it. I've gotta put my head back on. Now I've said it outloud and it's a commitment. If you see me back on Fbook, call me out!!
~
My leg is healing up nicely. The incisions are ugly right now, but I'm hopeful they will disappear. I'm found a great park in Little Valley that's got alot of grass that I think I might be able to do sprints on. I think the only way I'm going to get the mental energy to do speed work is somewhere pretty. There's a playground, so I can take the kids to play while I do it.

We have a new kitten and a new puppy... making things exciting around here. How did I live this long without a cat? Ludwig is so awesome. I love him. The puppy is a black lab named Bob, named after the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana where Ron likes to fish. I could take or leave the dog, honestly. Been there, done that.

Music... What am I listening to lately? A Fbook friend of mine turned me on to Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. Love their new album. Ra Ra Riot is also a new favorite. I don't know if there's much more new stuff that I am running with lately. Singles here and there, but no new albums.

~Sigh~ here I go, back to my life without my on line social network.

Surgery today...

2009-06-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

And no running for a couple weeks, at least. This morning I should be enjoying my last long run in a while. I'm headed to the Dr.'s office in a couple hours to have some veins "closed." I'm sick of my right leg swelling up every few weeks because my blood won't circulate.

YUM!

My beautiful jogging partner

2009-04-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

Sarah LOVES getting outside and playing now. She doesn't love getting strapped in the stroller for a run. On yesterday's run, about midway through, she turns around, opens up the back flap, grabs the cord to my earphones and pulls them out of my ears so that she can have them. I decided to let her keep them. So she listened to my tunes the rest of the way. I think I will give her the Shuffle from now on if it makes her stay calm and like the rides.

I did the same 8.5. I little slower because I'm worried about the pain I am having in my right knee since the last run. It doesn't hurt if I go slow. I guess I'm going to have to start over and build back up again.

I love running in the heat. I reminds me of the time when I fell in love with running at Jacob's Lake in 1992. I ran in the AZ heat all the time and just became accustomed to that. It feels good to me. The run yesterday was mid afternoon and probably in the 80's.

5 1/2 months to St. George Marathon

2009-04-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

I haven't done any kind of running for about 3 weeks, since I started homeschool with my 9 year old. I finally escaped today. If I were smart, I would have just done a light 4-5 miles. I went 8 1/2. Anything less than that and I just feel like I haven't worked out. I hate not being able to run in the mornings. I'm going to start just recording any and all working out I do, so that I can at least feel like I'm doing something when I can't run.

So... today 8.5 miles. It took me an hour and 20 min.

bleh.

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

2009-02-28T16:37:00.001-08:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Geneology - Ancestors

New Iron Man in Southern Utah!

2009-02-08T19:21:00.000-08:00

http://www.examiner.com/x-2490-Denver-Endurance-Sports-Examiner~y2009m2d6-St-George-Utah-to-host-new-Ironman-race-in-May-of-2010

I tried to post the link to the article here but couldn't get it to work. Anyway... Ironman... I think I'm going to have to do it. I don't ever ride a bike. I have a mt. bike, but never had a road bike. I guess if I feel like I have to do an ironman, I'm going to have to have a bike? Maybe I ought to try a triathlon first too? And the next obvious step before an ironman would be a century? Geez... It's not that I'm competitive. I actually hate competition. I just like a personal challenge. It's a year and a half away and I've been told one should take that long to train. Guess I'll get on it!

Winter blues

2008-12-29T14:04:00.000-08:00

I miss my trail so bad. Sarah is getting old enough to know it's not alot of fun to sit in that jogger for an hour to an hour and a half, especially when it's cold. So she doesn't cooperate very much anymore. I haven't been on the trail for probably a good three weeks to a month. Then the holidays, then I got sick. I jogged today on the treadmill at 6.5 mph, 1% grade for an hour. The inside of my knee started hurting. Is that just because I've been sedentary for a while? I'm thinking I'd be better off now starting a cooking blog.

There's a half marathon here in a couple weeks. If I can pull it together by then and actually get some good runs in without my knee causing problems I'll do it. If not, I'll start that cooking blog. I've got a great recipe for Pear Streusel I'm dieing to share!

Slow 7.5 and possible stress fracture.

2008-11-03T21:32:00.000-08:00

Just a couple weeks ago I actually said this to my husband:
Me: "There is ONE thing I really like about my body."
Ron: "Really?!!!" He has never heard me say anything nice about my body, so he was happily surprised. "What?!"
Me: "My feet. I think they're pretty cute. No weird bumps or lumps and they never hurt like yours. I can be pretty grateful for my great feet."
Knock-on-wood. Not a week later, I start noticing that at the end of a day, the ball of my foot right under my second toe hurts and when I lay down in bed it's throbbing. I'm thinking it could be a stress fracture. Strange to get one now though, when I have not really been doing alot of miles. The other option is that it's my flip-flops that are pulling weird on that toe and just causing it to strain a little. I hope it's the latter and that with the coming of Fall and Winter I will notice the discomfort go away as the flip-flops go away.

I ran this morning and noticed my usually fatigue, but decided that a slow jog was better than nothing, so just pushed through it. I stayed at a pretty slow pace, but noticed that it wasn't just grueling like it was a couple weeks ago. I'm able to keep it going for as long as I want. I actually don't mind giving up on the racing training. It's no secret I hate speed work.

It's pretty interesting to watch your body change with weight training. Running trims you down, but weights totally change the shape of your body. Bulges where their weren't any, cuts where there were none, stuff "lifting" where it was once sagging! It's a fun experiment. I've always known I bulk up really easily, so I have to be careful. My thighs are... not needing bulk! Your appetite is alot bigger with weight training as well. Your muscles are using purely sugar that's stored in them to lift weights, as opposed to sugar and fat with running. So, I really crave carbs now. Another thing to be careful of. I have to adjust everything with the new routine. It's been a good thing to break up my usual thing.

I've been having great days lately. Actually feeling happy and excited about things. The Holidays are coming up and I don't remember the last time I was excited about that. It feels so good. I hate that I need medicine to feel normal though.

Hey look, it's me posting!

2008-10-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

I was going to change the name of my blog, since I'm no longer training for something. But the title is even more true to life now that I am officially on speed. After the spring and summer of running my legs off, I realized I needed more than running to live for. I need to be able to enjoy the other blessings in my life as well. I wasn't getting enjoyment out of anything except the running. So, I got a prescrip for Paxil first. That may have quieted my mind a little, but made me very tired and almost got me killed in a couple car accidents. And now I am using Celexa. I think I'm on about week 4. I wasn't able to run the first couple of weeks because of the muscle fatigue, but definitely not as bad as with the Paxil. Today was the first day since starting that I went running outdoors and was able to jog the entire time and not have to stop and walk. I think the side effects are subsiding. I feel a little bit less dark. I can see things around me that could be enjoyable. I can see the reason why I might want to clean the house or be with the kids. It sounds rediculous, but seriously I can't see the point in it when I'm at my worst. I would clean the house and still feel lousy, play with the kids and still feel lousy... nothing brought any kind of peace or satisfaction. I can see a little light at the end of the tunnel for the past few days. So.... BACK TO RUNNING.....

I'm not going to just pound the pavement like I did before. Since it's not going to be my sole coping machanism, I'm going to try and get a more rounded workout routine going. My husband bought this awesome Hoist home gym that has everything on it. Pullies, smith machine, chin-up bar... it's fun. So, I'm going to start using that seriously every other day instead of run. I also have always had the desire to get better at yoga. I've always felt so much better when I have more flexibility. That's going to become my new nighttime routine. Maybe if I run less, I'll actually get faster too. I'll let you know. I mean, I'll let me know. I'm sure there's no one reading this anymore!

Run, run, run, run, run, run....

2008-09-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

haven't quit running. I just have no time for posting now that school has started for my three boys. I don't think my mom ever checked to see if I had done homework. I am working with my kids from 3:00 to bedtime making sure it's done. Ok, that and Facebook. I've become a little bit addicted. Addiction can be a good thing. Like in the case of running, right? I mean, I'm a stay-at-home mom, which by definition means I have no social life. I run and I Facebook. I'll give myself those things that are mine - outside of being wife and mommy.

Since running the July marathon, I've just been trying to keep moving. Every time I try and do some speedwork I start to feel knee injury coming on. I never feel any kind of problem when I do excessive mileage. I was wondering after reading Bryan's post about too many long runs and no speedwork if it would catch up with me. But, I think I might be one of those that is just made for an ultra. I would love to try one. So, I've been running about 75 mile weeks and feeling great. Working in alot of stretching at the end of each run and every night. I know that helps avoid my injuries. I have so much sun damage on my face from all my hours outside. It's pretty gross. It looks like the skin on my face is peeled off in some spots and left-over tan remaining, but it's not peeling. It's just huge sunspots. Think Phantom of the Opera. The visor needs to come along from now on.

One month to the next marathon. I really am going to try and do some speedwork this week. Maybe even tomorrow... we'll see... I feel my trail calling to me though.

I have found my reason for living...

2008-08-05T13:49:00.001-07:00

In most recent days I thought it was Sarah. I was sure it was Sarah. She is definitely the thing this past year that has brought me the most joy and fulfillment.

Then of course, there's running. Running is a reason to love to live. It brings joy and fulfillment one can't really describe. One must feel it to know. There are many of you that do.

Service too. Helping others makes me feel self-worth and a divine nature. Helps us to know from whence we came and what we are to become.

Romantic love is a good reason. Romance is fun and I like being in love.

But, I now am sure I know the thing... the reason for me to be.... what it is that is to bring me the most joy and happiness in this life. What will put a smile on my face every day and make me glad to be alive. Te amo, Facebook.

You know where you can find me after I get my kids off to school and do my AM runs from now on.

Must. Find. Friends....

Ok, today's the day...

2008-08-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

That I am going to start those goals! I failed miserably last week. I have kept the house reasonably clean, but that's about it. Today Sarah woke me up at 5:00 AM. Great chance to start those early morning runs? No. I fed her, put her back to bed, and when I realized I wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep, I got on the treadmill. I really, really need to get outside for some different terrain. Anyone know a good nanny? Katie?

Future Treadmill Girl

2008-08-02T13:49:00.001-07:00

Right after I took this picture she endoed off the front. I think she's done with the treadmill for a few years. Mini Chi turns 1 this month. So excited!..... so sad......

Could someone please come dust the mat under my treadmill. Gross!

Blueberry Galette

2008-08-02T11:39:00.001-07:00

Oh, and I made this yummy thing yesterday. Blueberry Galette. I found it in Cooking Light magazine. I think the only thing that makes it "lighter" than a regular blueberry pie, is that there is much less crust. There might be a little less sugar too, but certainly had all the butter of a regular pie. The Blueberries had a little sugar and some flour mixed in. Mine was like 4 inches deep of blueberries. We ate some for desert last night and then I ate the rest this morning for breakfast! (Sans ice cream.) So Stacey, what do you think!?

I miss my gym!

2008-08-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

TV remote was still missing since last night when we unfolded a blanket and, there is was! But for yesterday's treadmill run I was either going to be looking at a screen flashing tips on how to get the most out of my satellite subscription, or go run in 100 degree heat. (Because I have already failed at goal #1. I will get up and go running in the early AM.) The DVD player still works though, so the first disk I pick up is David Kress' Power Yoga series. Hey! If I'm watching this while I'm running, I may feel like I'm at the gym again. It will be motivating watching other people workout while I'm working out! It was actually really entertaining. Bryan has beautiful, flowing, curly hair. I bought the DVD about a year ago when I was trying to do more stretching. I only turned it on once and I realized I just don't have the patience for that kind of thing. I think I felt more limber after yesterday's run though.

New marathon, new goals...

2008-07-31T12:35:00.000-07:00

This has been the year of "ME." My kids haven't been involved in any sports since last fall. We only took them one one vacation this summer. I haven't been a room mom or even a helper for all of this last year. I've been leaving my kids for over-nighters with Ron (and sometimes without) almost every month. I've pretty much become a really selfish, neglectful parent for long enough. So, while I'm planning out my training schedule for running, I'm also setting a few goals to get me back on track with the important stuff too. And you know what they say about a goal only being a dream until you write it down... So here they are:

1. I'm going to get my running done before the kids wake up so I can be available for them the rest of the day. This also means I need to try and get to bed on time even though I'm married to a night owl.
2. I'm going to keep my house cleaned up every day!! (sobbing....)
3. I'm going to read to Josh every day. (I've made this goal 5 times before. I don't know why it's so hard for me. Could be because it's 10:30 pm when he brings me a book.)
4. I will make dinner every night. (I think I will try and make dinner every night?)
5. I will go to the temple every month.
6. I will read something every day. Magazines don't count. (Some of you working people laugh at that, but you stay-home-moms understand, right?)
7. I will make my calling at church a priority. Not too hard, once-a-monther.
8. I will not buy things I don't need. (If you're wondering why it's not "I will stick with a budget," it's because I know by now that just isn't ever going to happen.)
9. I will limit myself to one serving of chocolate a day.

So, by the end of this year when I've run a marathon in record time, I will be a great in-shape combination of June Cleaver, Martha Stewart, Suzie Ormond and Dr. Phill.

If anyone can think of a good #10 for me, I would accept any suggestions!

First run post-marthon...

2008-07-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

And the official beginning of training for the St. George Marathon on October 4th. I use the term "training" very loosely because as I've explained before, I kind of have to go with what I can tolerate on any given day. I am trying to stick as closely as possible with the training schedule in"Advanced Marathoning" by Scott Douglas and Pete Pfitzinger for multiple marathons : 8 weeks between races. (I actually have about 9.)

We have once again misplaced the remote to the TV in our room. I have a nice little setup in my room with a TV that turns and swivels in any direction I want, like towards the treadmill when I'm running or the bathtub when I'm tubbing. But, as with the phones, "people" tend to walk around with the remotes and set them down in odd places where we have to just discover them days later. It's hard to run on a treadmill with nothing to look at. I told Noah I'd pay him five bucks if he could find it for me. I was so surprised he gave up after 5 minutes. That kid will normally do anything for money. My kids earn alot of money around my house. Not by doing regular chores, but different favors for me. "A dollar to the first one to find a binkie!" is a common one.

Men at Work was on the playlist today. I said once before that Men at Work reminds me of playing D&D on Intelevision when I was little. But you know what else it reminds me of? Matt Sager had the coolest Men at Work tshirt in high school. The Business as Usual album cover that was yellow. If anyone ever sees Matt Sager, tell him I still want his tshirt.

3:56

2008-07-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

Not thrilled with the time, but at the time I crossed the finish line, I was just happy to have finished. Here's the condensed play by play of the weekend...

Arrive SLC Wednesday afternoon with three of my kids and await all of the Jensens to show up at my Dad's house, where we are all staying for a reunion, and I realize how stupid it is to try and sleep the night before the marathon with 20 other people in the house, so I book a hotel room close to where I will be catching the shuttle to the top of the canyon at 3:15 AM. I had eaten all the wrong foods that day because I was traveling and really trying to just survive the trip with the kids, not thinking too much about what I was putting in my mouth during the drive (a whole bunch of cherries.)

I got to the hotel when Ron arrived for crowd control at about 9:30 PM and started readying all my stuff for the morning. Uh oh, what am I going to eat!? A Marathon bar is in the bag of stuff that came with my number and timing chip. That's going to have to do, even though I've never eaten one before I run before. I decided to run with one of my bottles-with-nifty-hand-strap full of GUs. That was what I trained eating, so I thought that best than relying on Gatorade at the aid stations. Then I notice I forgot my Garmin, and one of the socks is not actually my sock, but one of my sons that I mistook for mine. It's rough, and doesn't stretch at all. I will have to wear that on the foot that is least likely to blister. Bad omen. I set the clock radio alarm, called for a wake up call, AND set my phone alarm. Can't be too carefull.

It is just not fun to wake up to that many noises at 2:30 in the morning! I get to the shuttle buses at 3:00 AM. I won't bore you with the stories of all the people I talked to. But it was a cool experience. I met a few very inspiring people that made me remember why I love to do these races. They got us to the top of the canyon 2 hours before the race was to begin. I started getting SO sleepy and shivering uncontrollably at the same time while I'm talking to this very friendly Brazilian guy named Carlos. He found out I know Portuguese, so he wanted to chat. I did alot of nodding because I'm very rusty.

5:30 AM race starts on a very steep downhill. My lower calves/achilles tendon is already screaming. That's not good.

Mile 8 I realize that there is no one calling out the time like in other races, and since I didn't wear my Garmin, I have no way of knowing how I'm doing. Oh well, maybe for the best. When is this downhill going to end!!??

Mile 12 I realize the cherries were a bad idea. My entire gut from the top of my stomach to my colon are on fire and my back is now hurting from my posture.

Mile 13 someone says, "Half way!" and I about start crying. I think I'm not even going to be able to finish, let alone get a decent time, so I decide to say a little prayer that went something like, "Hevenly Father, I don't know if this could be considered a righteous desire, but if it's at all possible to get my gut to stop burning so I can just finish this marathon that I drove all this way to run, I would be so grateful. If not, I totally understand because I kind of did this to myself, didn't I." I ran the next mile and the stomach was fine.

Mile 19 we come out of the canyon and into town where people are standing along the road. I was glad I decided to not wear the shuffle. It's so great to hear people cheer you on, even though sometimes when people would say, "You're almost there!" I would say, "YOU LIAR!!!" I think they knew I was a little out of my mind with discomfort and forgave me. I started watching for Ron and the kids at this point because he said he would try to be somewhere near mile 20 or 21. The blocks kept going by and no husband or babies. I started getting a little teary by mile 23 because I really wanted to see them, but I also knew that if I did, I would just tell him to take me home because I was in so much pain and I was going so slow I thought for sure my time would be pathetic. I really wanted to start just walking, but I knew if I did, I would be just one step closer to stopping altogether, so I just kept it to as fast a jog as I could. Still no one calling out the time. I had NO IDEA where I was time-wise.

Mile 24-ish, I notice that the mile markers have inspirational quotes on them. I hadn't read any of them until that one, and it said, "You are running with angels." That did it. I started crying. (If anyone hasn't read the book Running With Angels, get it and read it asap.) I hit another downhill at this point and some lady on the side of the road yelled, "It's all downhill from here!!" and I about punched her. The downhill was hurting so bad.

Mile 25 we are running one street east of the parade route. It was so noisy I thought the parade must already be going, which would mean I didn't get in in under 4 hours. The course puts the runners onto the parade route for one block then turns us back up to the park and the finish line for the last half-mile. When we turned onto the block with all the parade watchers, I realize that the parade isn't going yet and all the little kids are standing by the police tape holding out their hands to give us "five." I smacked every single one even if I had to reach for it. That was THE BEST part of the race. It totally made it all worth it. I didn't see my kids till the last .2. They were standing with their cute signs, and I was glad I hadn't seen them sooner and hadn't given up. When I crossed the finish line and they said 3:56. I was in total shock. I know that's not a great time, but I really thought I was running about as slow as possible. I was really happy to have made it in under 4, considering. I've heard it said that I can expect to chop 15 minutes off a time from the July 24th Marathon in the St. George Marathon. That would be great.

My travel companions

Mini Chi at Playland.

We spent Friday at Lagoon with all the Jensens. This is Ron and I about to be shot up into the air on a crazy ride called The Catapult. It was the funnest 30 seconds I have ever had almost dying of fear.
Noah about to get on the climbing wall at Dick's after the marathon. (He's wet from playing in the fountain.)

Kick some pioneer booty!

2008-07-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

The first marathon I ever ran was the July 24th Pioneer Day marathon in 1996. My time was 3:52. Back then I was just jogging every day about 7 - 10 miles. This will be the first time for me doing this marathon again and the first time I've actually trained sort of smart for a marathon. So, It's kind of a special race for me. (For those of you that read this blog and aren't Utah natives, The Pioneer Day Marathon is on a State Holiday commemorating the pioneers settling in Salt Lake and I think it's the day the Utah got statehood? Anyone?) I tried to upload the map of the course, but it wouldn't let me for some reason. The course follows the route that the Pioneers took when entering the valley, down Emigration Canyon. I am from pioneer stock, so I run with a full heart for those people that sacrificed so much and experienced so much hardship so that I and my family could enjoy living in such a beautiful safe place as Utah.

July 24th is special to me for another reason. It's my mom's birthday! She passed away in 2005 of Ovarian Cancer. I would like to say I'm running in her honor, but she really thought that the whole marathon business was a stupid waste of time. I kind of take after my dad when it comes to masochistic athletic endeavors. At 72 my dad tore all the ligaments in his shoulder playing tennis. I suspect I might go down the same way. My mom was more of the book worm and symphony attendee. I try to do those types of things in her memory in hopes that she sees how grateful I am for her bringing so much culture into my life as early as I can remember. I work for the Art Around the Corner Committee, which collects sculptures for the outdoor exhibit around St. George City. I know nothing about sculpture, nor do I have any desire to own any... but I'm sure my mom is very proud that I hob-nob with so many talented people! She had us all well traveled as well. That was a great blessing as I was growing up to have experienced different cultures and have open eyes and mind to how the rest of the world lives. I really hope to give my kids that same gift. My daughter was born since she passed. We kind of named her after my mom. Her name was Sally, which originally was a nick name for Sarah. My daughter's name is Sarah. My mom told me if I ever named a daughter Sally she would haunt me. Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you.

Viva Las Vegas... Viva Coldplay!

2008-07-20T17:29:00.000-07:00

This was taken with my phone during one of the two only songs that I could see anything. I'm too short to be on the floor. After a few songs my neck was hurting so bad from trying to see that I just gave up and sat down. It was a great show though. They played all their greatest hits along with their new stuff. I'm paying for the lack of sleep today for sure.

No sign of Gwenyth, Apple, or Moses.

Jolly Green Giant

2008-07-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

7.5 miles with Chi and her "little" brother in front of the mid-life-crisis car. He kept me at 3:30 marathon pace for an hour!
My rock n' roll baby!
Sissy loves to play the pian-e-o with Chi.
Jam session with Ryan and Spencer. Spence is a fabulous musician. He played some original songs for us that were so beautiful. He has a great voice too. He's on a music scholarship to BYU and I expect to see him famous one day. (And isn't my oldest kid beautiful?! He'll be famous one day too with his own show on Food Network if his dreams come true.)

Headed to Vegas now for Coldplay tonight. I'm too old for this.

Could be I'm just..... tapering?

2008-07-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to run outdoors for a couple weeks now. I'm trying to make the treadmill workouts as tough as I can to make up for that, but I'm a little worried. Hubby's been out of town for - e - ver, but will be back tomorrow. Hopefully I can talk him into helping me tomorrow AM so I can get a good run in. Last one before the 24th.

On a positive note, Chi's here. We're going to the opening show of The Dark Knight on Thursday, midnight viewing. Then Coldplay on Saturday in Vegas. I'm kinda crazy to party so much before next week, I know. I think the Batman and Coldplay are worth it though. What's your vote?

They are calling Heath Ledger "Hannible Ledger" for his role in Batman, because he's supposedly as creepy as Hannibal the Cannibal in Silence of the Lambs, another one of my favorite creepy movies. I'm a sucker for creepy films. Such a tragedy that someone with his amazing talent and beauty is gone because of something so cliche as a prescription drug overdose. I loved him in A Knight's Tale.

My boys

I still hate you, Apple!!

2008-07-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

Now that I got my broken computer back, my shuffle decides to konk. I just thought it was out of juice yesterday, but it won't charge and won't turn on, won't light up when I put it in it's dock, nothing. I've got a mini that won't hold a charge, and this is it's second battery, so I have to leave it plugged in while I run. Maybe it says something that I can't run without music. But, I CAN'T!! I found Kerli yesterday on itunes. Me likey. Great runnablility.

I did a VO2 workout today... or was it intervals? Or it could have been splits or strides.... Maybe a tempo run. I'm not sure, but it was HARD and I did it for an hour.

12 more days. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!

21 miles on a treadmill...

2008-07-10T11:01:00.001-07:00

Woke up at 5:30 am... Ron out of town.

I could leave for the long run (at least 20 miles) with Beautiful Jogging Partner, but could run into problems with the heat (it's supposed to get to 110 today.) With no one to call for backup, I probably should just stay on the treadmill.

Give Baby a bottle and put her in the bed next to the treadmill. Grab a few GUs, H2O, Shuffle.

Five Miles... News is even more depressing when you can't hear what they're saying and it's set to music. Fires raging in California, Iran shooting off missiles, and Natalie Moralis is wearing a horrible outfit today. What's up with that? She's usually so well styled. Someone help her. I don't know if I can go a whole 20 now. I'm too depressed.

Ten miles.... Can the Today Show really not find anything more interesting to talk about? Boys awake and fighting with each other. Put Baby Sis in the TV room with them. That will keep them all happy...

15 miles.... Shuffle runs out of juice. Really!? I swear these batteries are faulty. I haven't been running THAT long. Oh, I guess I have. Geez, I'm slow. Get out the iPod Mini. I can plug that into the wall. Baby crying, probably tired. Put her to bed. Get 5-yr-old dressed and out the door with friends. (Whew!) Hitting the wall. Eat more GU. GU always brings me back from the wall.

Can I go another 5? There's always energy for another 5! I'll take one more GU just to be sure. Get it done before Rachel Ray comes on. Her clothes are bad every day.

20 miles... Oh my gosh, I did it. Baby still sleeping. Let's turn up the speed and just do ONE more...

21 miles.... AHHHHHH.....

This is why I run.

Monday intervals - BLAH!!

2008-07-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

I hate running fast. But I love how I feel afterwards!

Lady Liberty

2008-07-05T18:03:00.001-07:00

This picture has nothing to do with running, which is breaking my rule about posting about running only on this blog. But I just had to because I love it so much!! Everyone meet Katie!
She's always such a good sport about letting me take crazy pictures of her. I have a few. "Here, Katie! Hold this roman candle and let me take a picture and post it on the WWW!" Everyone needs a friend like that. (There's only strangers and Lisa here though, and Lisa lets me do it too.)

I ran 8 miles outside on my beloved path on the 4th, with my beautiful running partner, but it was 85 degrees when I realized I had forgotten the binkie, and she was beginning to show signs of heat stroke, as was I, so we called for help and finished the last 12 miles of my 20 miler on the treadmill. Yikes. I never quite recovered from the 8 miles in the heat. I wasn't feeling bad until I got home and got on the treadmill. I was nauseous and cramping. That was the toughest 12 miles I've ever done training. I'm keeping the treadmill on no less than a 3% grade all the time. I fluctuate between 10 min. miles and 8.5 minute miles on those long runs. I AM doing more speed work next week. I just love me my long runs. Can I fit one more in before the 24th?

I hate running fast.

2008-07-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

It hurts. But, it does feel great to know I am getting faster. I worked up to doing 8.5 mph intervals. I know, I'm slow. But I've never ever worked on speed, so for me that's great. I'm already surprising myself. I just might be able to surprise myself on the 24th!

The Marathon Sandwich

2008-07-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

My favorite since high school, before I was running marathons. I'm still mourning the loss of my Brackman Brothers. Einstein's vegi sandwich does not come close to the one you could get at Brackman's.

Whole grain bagel
Ingelhoffer mustard
Tuna or smoked salmon
Smart Balance mayo or avocado slices
tomato
all the greens that you can stuff under the lid

Eat Daily!

And don't forget dessert! Me in the Godiva Store in Summerlin, NV. last weekend. I hand picked my dream box of dark chocolates (about 6) and washed them down with a Chocolate Decadence, a dreamy version of a chocolate smoothie. I warned you about the addiction. The only other thing that could have made it more perfect is to have been eating it with Sarah, Chi, Stacey, Keri, Carrie and Katie with their own little bag of favorites. Bryan and Abel, I would have included you except I'm not convinced men fully appreciate great chocolate!

8.6 mile rest run

2008-07-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

I was going to just rest today, but Sarah had a different idea. I was holding her when I walked out on the front porch to get something and then turned back around and came inside. She threw a baby fit!! She just wanted to be OUT! So, I decided to take a jog.

More intervals tomorrow....

Magic Treadmill, make me FASTER!

2008-06-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

Treadmill today: Warm up about 1/2 hour (Cut me some slack, I'm menstral!), intervals at 7.5 mph on 3% grade for 20 minutes, intervals 8 mph on 3% for 20 minutes. I think the intervals on the first set are only like 1 1/2 minutes long, and the intervals on the second set are about 2 or 2 1/2 minutes. By the end of that set I was totally maxed out. I'm trying to work up to doing faster intervals than what I will be running in the marathon so that when I'm running in the marathon my speed will seem slow compared to what I'm used to. I hope by the end of next week I can do these intervals at 9 mph.

P.S. I weighed myself today and even though I have dropped a pant size this past couple of months, I haven't lost ANY weight!

Hilton Treadmill, Vegas

2008-06-29T14:06:00.001-07:00

We spent Friday and Saturday in Vegas and stayed at the Hilton. I was lucky enough to be one of the first to get to the workout room because every machine became occupied very quickly. The first treadmill I tried, I couldn't get to work so naturally jumped on the one right next to it. But that meant that every time some other poor soul came in thinking they nabbed the last treadmill, I had to tell them it was broken and not to waste the next five minutes of their lives trying to get it to turn on. I think I had to take out my head phones 20 times and tell somebody. I didn't do it once just to see if anyone else around me would take the job, but no one else seemed to think it was necessary and just let them figure it out. Lame!
If I want to finish the marathon in 3:30, I have to run an average of 7.5 MPH. I set the treadmill at that on a 3% grade. (If the treadmill is at 0% grade it's not like running on a road. It's like running on a slight downhill, right? Well, that's what the books say. Actually it varies from 1% to 3% grade being more equal to running on a road.) It was difficult, but I could do it. Just barely. I only have one month till the marathon and the books say that at this point I should be focusing on speed work instead of milage. WAAAHHH! I'm going to try and do just that. But, that means nothing to blog about. I might be quiet till the end of July. Keep your fingers crossed for a 3:30, or somewhere near that!! If I fail miserably there's always St. George in October.

First 20 miler

2008-06-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

OK, it was really only 19.6 miles. I rounded up. Here's the checklist for a long run with Beautiful Girl. (Are all you regular readers noticing how I coordinate the song of the day with what the post might be about? There is no end to my creativity or the effort I will put into every post to ensure it's entertaining to read. Those of you that only check in once a week are missing the full effect of the right song playing with each post. I recommend a reevaluation of your blogging priorities.)

Cell phone, check. Garmin, check. Shuffle, check. GU, check. Water, check. Diaper/wipes, check. Crackers for Beautiful Girl, check. Binkie with string, check. Sunscreen, check. Camera, check check check....

...And of course, Beautiful!

I wanted to show you the cute little bunnies that are hopping all over the trail in the mornings. It makes me feel like Snow White while I'm running. Except they don't follow me or bring things I need like ribbons and hair accessories. Maybe if I were to start singing...

What do follow me though are horse flies! Maybe because I wear my hair in a pony tail? Those bites hurt so dang bad. No one else I talk to that uses this trail has a problem with horse flies. For some reason bugs like me alot. Now this is where you say, "You just have to run faster so they can't catch you." Yes, thank you.

PS, On the road home I passed a really intense looking runner and he clapped for me. I didn't feel bugged by it this time. I thought it was very sweet. (See post "7.5 miles at Rebel Stadium.")

Hills Anyone?

2008-06-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

It was so beautiful right as the sun was coming up!

My plan was a long run starting at the church at Snow Canyon Parkway, along the jogging path on the highway to The Ledges, down Snow Canyon, and back up Snow Canyon Parkway. I wasn't sure how long this was going to be and I declined Ron's suggestion to ask Natalie, who probably knows, because I'm too proud, because she's a better runner than me, even though it was ME that got HER into running 10 years and five kids ago. I've got my Garmin. It will be an adventure to just get out there and see how far it is myself. I knew this was going to be hilly... but OMG...
I can run up that pushing the BOB.... I can run up this pushing the BOB... Yea, there's no way I can run up this pushing the BOB...
4.6 miles out the path turned to gravel. I didn't want to put Sallie through the jarring bumps. (even though she's got suspention on her sweet ride, it's not pleasant to go over gravel.) So at that point I canned my original plan and turned back.

And back down the hills...
My running partner.... windblown, weatherbeaten, but happy and beautiful as ever!!

Those 9 miles of hills took me an hour and a half! I came home and got on the treadmill for another two or three (miles, not hours) just because I am a proud masochist. At that point, Noah smacked his head on the hearth and started gushing blood. So glad we've got a bunch of doctors in the neighborhood. Thanks, John. (No stitches necessary for now, although it's still bleeding under the steri-strip. That's what you get when you call the radiologist for help with a bleeding head.)

I hate you, Apple!!

2008-06-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

My computer broke last Thursday for the third time. Last time I lost all my photos. This time it won't even turn on, so I'm betting I lost even more than that. I am so dependent on my gadgets now that I have a panic attack when they aren't working. My Garmin and my ipods all charge on my computer, I pay bills by my computer, of course I keep in touch with all of you through my computer. Last night before Ron handed over his laptop I said, "So now this won't work, this won't work, this won't work and so my life is pretty much over." To which he said, "Um, could we please not be so fatalistic?" Oh, ok. Proper perspective back. But I got a laptop out of it until mine is fixed.

I spent the last few days in SLC with Chi2. Did I get out and enjoy running in the green lush SLC spring? No, I rode the stationary bike one day and the treadmill the next! The bike was so hard because I haven't done anything but run since Sarah was born and we stopped the gym membership. How about "Buildings and Mountains" by Republic Tigers in honor of SLC. SLC is such a great mix of the city and nature.

Today I got started too late and it was already in the 90s when I was starting to run, so I stayed on the treadmill. It was scheduled to be a long run. I'm just sure I went went farther that it said I did!!!

13 mile tempo

2008-06-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to tell you what tempo it was. I'm slow. But I was going at a pace that I could stand for that distance and just barely. I'm so proud of myself! And hamstring was fine, didn't need GU. I've been stretching alot when I'm just home. I'm sure that's helping me lengthen my stride and pick up the pace.

Something about running with Sallie Allie in front of me helps me push myself more. It makes me feel like I'm not only doing this run for me. She looks back at me occasionally and we have these conversations with our eyes. I feel like she's telling me I can go faster for her. She says that before she nods off to sleepy land.

No signs of the groper that's been reported to be hanging out on my stretch of jogging path.

(Groper)

Why do some girls have all the luck? Maybe I intimidate him with all the crap a run with. I've got wires and straps and beeping things all over me, along with the stroller and all the bottles and baby stuff that comes with it. I told Ron that he has to grope me if I come home having not run into the groper. But I get home and he's not here either!! Ppffth!

(Groper)

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A DEPRESSING POST. DO NOT CALL 911. I'M OKAY, I PROMISE.

2008-06-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday Funk....

I read a book Thursday night that's put me in a really dark mood. I'm sure the author would feel bad to hear that. I think it's meant to be more hopeful and inspiring. It is a true story written by a man who's wife kills herself when she's 7 months pregnant with their first child. Her parents were both mentally ill and she started to feel the symptoms of her parents' schizophrenia and/or manic depression coming on. Her husband feels guilt that it happened because he ignored the promptings of the spirit 3 times urging him to go home. Why is this on my "running posts only" blog? Well, that story is mostly about his returning to dating life and falling in love again with a girl that has just won the Ogden Marathon. (This is where my heart starts pounding and I decide to finish the dang book instead of going to bed at midnight.) He starts running with her in the mornings while she's training for the St. George. When they start becoming more serious about each other, she confesses to him that she struggles with depression, and the running endorphin rush helps her cope with it. I totally understand that. I'm not a great runner, but I do love how it makes me feel. As I've thought more about that I realized something else. I use it for more than just the endorphin rush now. I use it to escape life. I get on a run or on the treadmill and I hide. If my kids are busy doing other things and Ron doesn't need me, I justify myself in just staying there longer than I should so that I don't have to join the world and act happy. Running is an acceptable pass time to those around me, but it serves the same function for me as staying in bed all day. I even get praised for my neglect of my home and family. People say I've got great determination and I'm inspiring. Ha Ha! Anyway, one thing that I came away with from reading this book, is how this man (his name's Abel, about my age, remarried to the marathon girl and has three kids) was able to take what he had just gone through and say to himself, "I don't know. I might have been able to save her but that's not what happened. I don't know why she did it. I don't know what the next life is going to bring exactly. But I refuse to be miserable. I will enjoy my life." It baffles me that I can't do that ...and my life is perfect! Nobody sick, perfect children, my husband loves me (I think), no hurricanes or earthquakes or war in St. George this year, my husband still has build jobs even though most people involved in real estate are losing their shirts. I am showered with rediculously enormous blessings daily and I can't enjoy them. Seriously, all the negative I have to think about it totally imagined. I got on the treadmill this morning and it was one of those days where Ron is out of town, Sarah fell asleep, Noah and Joshy entertained doing something, Ryan gone. I could just stay here for hours with my music, pretending I'm a rockstar

(This is what I'd look like. Oh, and I can sing and dance in these fantasies too.)

and not think about how empty and worthless I feel. But then I thought about Abel being able (Abel being able??!!) to really enjoy his life and just making the decision not to dwell on the negative. When the choice came for me after an hour of running to keep going till my legs just couldn't take it anymore or one of my kids demanded it, or get off and attempt to join life, I got off. I'm not going to lie and say I feel happy today. But I'm going to go through the motions until I can figure out a way to just not worry about stuff I don't understand and can't control. Conjuring up happy Shannon will be a longer process. And I'm not going to use running as a way to escape anymore. Maybe. Sometimes. Well, today I won't. (It's still better than that Zoloft that almost got me killed behind the wheel.)

Whew... It's a good thing this is an "invites only" blog. Know that there are only 5 people I have invited to read my blog and I feel safe writing this here because I think you're people that won't freak out on me or share any of this with anyone. Breathe in, breathe out. Tomorrow's a new day, a new run. Yeay life!

Jacob Lake memories...

2008-06-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

"There are stars in the southern sky

southward as you go.

There is moonlight and moss in the trees

down the seven bridges road...."
Waterslide day-off. Cute suit, Chi!!!

I was remembering yesterday how much fun it was to run at Jacob Lake through the forest... ALONE! How crazy were we to do that!? Dodging bullets and arrows from the deer hunters, side stepping the rangers with their blow torches doing controlled burns on both sides of the path. Good times. I don't think I would dare to do that today, just the alone part of it. I have such great memories of that though. I remember that my first run while I was there was with you, Sarah, and I almost passed out and threw up from the altitude. I remember saying, "I really, really do run! I promise." And you were like, "Uh, yea. Let's just sit down on this rock for a bit. Are you going to throw up?"

Shhhh..... Sarah sleeping

Shopping in Page! How cute is Sarah's suit, and how cute is LISA?!

Hey, Sarah.... remember, "We could totally die doing this." "Yea, but what a rush, huh?!" Here's to Jacob Lake!!! Chi, thanks for taking me with you to AZ that summer. That was all your idea and the best time of my life. I hope our next girls trip can be there.

Our bunk, and my bunkmate! Diggn' those pants. Look at my huge stack of Yanni tapes!

And of course, Tom. Look how kissable those lips are! Is it just me or does he look just a little bit like Lansing!! As Chi says, A girl does have her type. Hey, is Keri checking out Sarah's boobs?

I did the same 17 mile run today that I did last week, but this time a little faster. I didn't have the BOB today (thanks, Ron!) so I was able to test out the water-bottle-with-nifty-hand-strap that supposably makes it easier to carry. It was better than putting it on a belt, for sure, but not perfect. The strap is a little too loose, so I still had to grip the bottle too much to hang on to it. I might have to try a different kind. I could fit my cel phone in the little pocket that's on it, along with one GU, then I had to fit two GUs in my running shorts pocket. I really needed one more GU on that run. I'm hoping my body is getting more efficient at burning stored glycogen and fat so that I don't need to eat so much of that stuff while I'm running. Maybe I needed more just because I was going a little faster today. My hamstring's still bugging me a little. Not so much that I had to stop or slow down a ton, but I'm not going to be able to work on speed at all except on these tempo runs unless I stop alltogether and just start over, which I'm not ready to do this year. Maybe for next year!

"Sarah, Sarah quite contrara..."

2008-06-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

That's Noah's personalized version of "Mary, Mary, quite contrary." She's becoming a little stinker while I'm trying to run. She's happy if she's in the BOB, but I've had to stick to the treadmill this week because I'm shuttling my boys to and from basketball camps all morning. She should be crawling but hasn't seemed to figure it out yet. (Joshy never crawled and the pediatrician said that it looks like it has something to do with their hips being overly flexible), so I sit her down with a bunch of toys and turn on cartoons (I know, I know. Just shut it.) but since she really wants to be moving around she will only stay happy there for 10 minutes, maybe. Then I have to give her a change of scenery, so I move her to a different room with a brother and some different toys. She'll stay happy there for another 10 minutes, then I have to get off again to move her somewhere else. My hour-long run turns into a very choppy 2 hour-long run that never really even gets me warmed up! One more day of basketball camp, then I can hit the pavement, or the track for a long run Friday.

Sarah's still easier than any of my other kids when I've been trying to run. My first, Ryan screamed the whole time he was in the jogger, and screamed every minute he was sitting in a car seat while I was on a treadmill. Then with 2 kids or 3 kids they were too little to leave alone and I couldn't imagine having run with a double stroller in the city. I think that was when I was going to the gym with a nursery. Needless to say, I was never in shape at any time in between having my first and up to about a year before having my last. WHEW, so glad it's my time again! Can I hear an, "Amen" from all my mommy friends?!

Treadmill love

2008-06-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

I know I'm strange. I love the treadmill, probably for the same reason I love the track. I love my music and dreaming I'm a rockstar while I'm running. (I don't know if I mentioned that in my next life I play the guitar?) I can't pretend I'm a rockstar while I'm running on a road because I have to concentrate on not getting hit by cars or worried about what I look like to everyone driving past me. The time just passes with me playing the guitar on stage while I've actually been running hard without even realizing it. My treadmill is getting close to needing a new tread. It doesn't sound like it feels good, but like a good old dog, it's still happily working hard for me. Ferraby Lionheart was on the playlist today. "Crack in Time" was my favorite song. The lyrics are so great. I think I might actually be able to play that one on the guitar. It doesn't sound complicated. I think I'll look for the sheet music!

Don't burn out... don't burn out.. .don't burn out!!

2008-06-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to get to that phase where I wonder why I'm doing this. That means I'm over training - not in the physical sense, but I'm getting mentally consumed and it's becoming not fun, and when it becomes not fun I stop getting anything positive from it, and once that happens, I quit doing it all together. I'm going to back off a little and go back a few steps. I can't delve into the "training schedules" everyone says I have to follow or I won't ever reach my goals. I just can't do it. If I wake up in the morning knowing I HAVE to do speed work when I really feel like doing a long run, I'm going to start to hate marathoning. And I LOVE marathoning! I don't ever want to stop. I guess it may take me 10 more years to reach my goal doing it my way, but at least I know I'll still be doing it.

Meet Daisy

2008-06-08T05:47:00.000-07:00

Our little friend that lives in the hose pot.

I just rested and stretched alot today while reading "Advanced Marathoning" by Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas. My new hero is John Keston, pg. 47. Read about him!