CAUTION: Treadmill in Motion!!

I guess karma wanted to teach me a lesson this fine Thanksgiving Day.  A few days ago a co-worker told me about a gal who flew off the treadmill while doing the gait analysis.  I laughed hysterically and wondered how on earth that could even happen.  Well, although my experience was a little different I now see how one could fly off a treadmill.

After Holly and I finished up our leg workout we headed down to the "shoe shop" for a little Thanksgiving Day 10 mile run.  I was running along when I decided I wanted to dump out my electrolyte drink and get water so I pushed what I thought was the STOP button and hopped off.  Apparently, I pushed the FAN button not the STOP button.  I filled my water and attempted to get back on the treadmill.  Now let me just say that it was dark, I just have the T.V.'s on and no lights and the movie was turned up really loud.  So I couldn't see a whole lot and I heard nothing.  Anyways, I stepped onto the treadmill while drinking my water and suddenly I was eating the treadmill, I guess I wanted a pre-feast snack.  I couldn't figure out what on earth was happening.  I kept trying to get up and wondered why I couldn't, I soon realized that there was no way I was getting out of the situation so I gave up and let the treadmill take me where it may.  I rolled across the Shoe Shop floor and my water went flying.  I was laughing uncontrollably and looked up at Holly, she was looking at me like "what the heck are you doing?"  She thought the treadmill was off too and couldn't figure out what was happening.  I decided we had better take some reenactment pictures so that I could share this exciting morning with you.  Enjoy!

BAM!!  I literally ate the treadmill, luckily I didn't get treadmill burn on my face :) I got it lots of other places though!

Somehow I ended up sideways, threw my water and started rolling..

and rolling! These aren't the most flattering photos ever but oh well!

I think our reenactment photos are quite accurate and hilarious!  Even though I didn't see myself, when I finally composed myself and started running again I kept picturing the whole thing.  I could not stop laughing and let me tell you it is hard to run and laugh at the same time.

I got a little beat up

The pictures don't really do it justice...it hurt!  Well, it actually didn't hurt right away but after a few minutes my leg, hand, elbow and shoulder started burning.  That darn machine took my skin clean off!

It definitely made for an entertaining morning and don't worry Mr. Bell I have written up and signed a waiver ;)

So what did I learn from all of this?  Well, first of all I need to learn not to laugh when others fly off treadmills or anything else for that matter.  Secondly, I now know to make sure that the treadmill actually stops when I tell it to.  My kids now believe me when I tell them that treadmills are dangerous and not to be played on.

We ran 10 miles and from the very beginning I was just not feeling it.  I am so grateful that as much as I wanted to quit I didn't.  I pushed through and I didn't even let that treadmill bucking me off get to me.  Now I can go enjoy Mama Jex's feast without feeling guilty.

Here are a couple small things that I have been grateful for today.  As I was getting ready I had the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on and Avril Lavigne came on and sang the song that made me think of my dad during the Utah Valley Marathon.  Today is definitely a day that I wish I could see my dad.

As I sat down to write this post my favoritest show of all time, Three's Company, came on.  Oh, that Jack Tripper cracks me up and he has always reminded me of my step-dad Mike.  I'm not really sure why but he has.

Lastly, I'm so grateful that Mama and Papa Jex are willing to make a huge Thanksgiving Feast for just the 6 of us.  I guess my sis and her kids aren't coming until dessert.  So thank you Mama and Papa Jex for going through all of that work just for us.

Have you ever flown off a treadmill?

I have now :)

What are your Thanksgiving Day plans?

Did you get a workout in this fine day?

I hope that my little treadmill mishap has brought a smile to your face :)

Food is Fuel!

Let me just start by saying that Halloween has done a number on me. 

Here we are with the Garcia's after trick or treating.  This is the day that started my downward spiral ;)

For some crazy reason I have had ZERO self-control this week.  I am usually pretty good at choosing healthy foods that will fuel my body to perform the way that I want it to.  This week I caved into temptation with candy that normally wouldn't tempt me AT ALL!!  The problem is that I go to work all day and barely eat anything and by the time I get home I am a ravenous beast.  The candy has been in my face, as my kids can't put anything away, and it's quick and easy.  I have been replacing my meals with candy, cookies, donuts and pretty much any garbage I could stuff into my pie hole.  I would eat crap and then feel guilty about it so I wouldn't really eat dinner, I would make a smoothie, this post has the recipe, and call it good.  I went to the gym every morning and weighed myself and when I wouldn't gain weight I continued to feed myself garbage.

I honestly felt like crap the whole week, my workouts suffered and I felt bad about myself.  Although my weight didn't go up I felt like a fat cow.  Last night as I was conditioning the older gymnasts one of the girls asked me if I "diet."  I told her that I never diet but that I try to make healthy choices, I then explained that I had not made such good choices this past week.  She said, "who has??"  I realize that it's completely normal to cave into temptation sometimes but we MUST have moderation in all things.  That is what I haven't done this week.  I usually don't deprive myself if I am really craving something but I try to keep it under control.

We must use food as fuel.  I have noticed that when I make healthy choices and eat right that I have a lot more energy throughout the day.  I am amazed that I have the energy that I do when I usually only get 6 and a half hours of sleep.  This week however, I had very little energy.  My workouts were not good, I almost feel asleep in spin class on Wednesday for heaven's sake :)  I took a nap which I rarely do and have been a bit of a slug all week.  Throughout the week it didn't really hit me as to why I felt so fatigued.  This morning as I was struggling through my 14 mile run I realized that what I had been putting into my body was causing me to feel this way.  I guess the old saying is true: "You are what you eat."  When I eat good, healthy foods I feel good but when I eat CRAP I feel like crap!!

It's important to fuel our bodies with whole grains, protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats.  I try to stay away from sugar and anything white as much as possible.  There are some great treats out there that are sugar free, but be careful because there are also some out there that will do a number on your gut ;)  But that is a story for another time...or not!!  Some of my favorite sugar free treats are Jello, Jello pudding, Sugar Free Stephen's Hot Chocolate and I have a chocolate, banana, peanut butter smoothie that is quite delicious.  I buy the Adam's all natural peanut butter so there is no added sugar and it is FABULOUS!!!  If you are like me and you like to have something sweet after dinner try fruit, it seems to work for me most days.  I found THIS that I really liked, I didn't watch the video but scrolled down to the text.

Here is a picture of a good mix.  Pizza with whole wheat crust, veggies, turkey sausage and turkey pepperoni, Cantaloupe, Salad and Chocolate donuts.  I think treats are fine in moderation and after you've had a good meal so that you are filling up on the good stuff, leaving little room for the treats.  This was a my go to pre-race supper for my summer races.

Sorry if I have bored you to death but this has been on my mind all day!

Do you notice a huge difference in how you feel depending on what you eat?

Do you struggle with making good choices and then beat yourself up about it?

Halloween Half Marathon!!

Today was spent running 13.1 miles while looking at all sorts of crazysauce people in costumes.  I have never been so entertained and loved every minute of it.  Holly and I decided to be twiners and I think we looked quite dashing ;)  We chose not to participate in the costume contest but thoroughly enjoyed watching those who did.  People are quite clever!

Due to the slow speed at which people were using the Honey Bucket's we ended up near the back of the first wave of runner's.  I usually try to be near the front because I can't stand being behind slow people.  The first 3 miles were spent at a pace much slower than I would have liked to have been at.  I tried to use the mad driving skills of Jake as I weaved in and out of people.  Although I hate when Jake cuts people off, I must admit that I did a lot of that.  People probably wanted to trip me or something but I had to get out of the crowd.  So if I cut you off I am truly sorry :)

This race went so fast I looked down at my Garmin and was so surprised to see that we were already at mile 10, it was an amazing run.

Going into this race I didn't have any goals.  I was really afraid that running in a hot hat and tutu would drive me crazy.  I also didn't want to go too fast down that mountain and injure myself.  I wanted to go and enjoy it and that's exactly what I did.  Holly and I ran it together and had a great time.
I finished in 1:37:30 with an average pace of 7:27, placing 10th in my age group.  This wasn't my fastest time by a long shot but I had fun and that's all that matters :)

It's VERY important to stretch after a race :)  Jake thought I was weird but oh well!

Poor Kenna was stuck at gymnastics and was so sad to have missed this race but we had to get a picture in front of the hearse :)

This race was AWESOME and I can't wait to do it again next year.  I love the shirt and medal!!  Would it be weird to wear a Halloween shirt year round?

Did you do this race and if so what did you dress up as?

Is it weird to do a race and not actually "race" it?

I think not, it's much more fun that way :)

Active HeadBands Winner!

And the winner is.....Rachelle Wardle! 

True Random Number Generator
Min:
Max:

Result: 5

Congratulations Rachelle, it looks like you can get your green zebra striped headband :)  I just need your email address so I can let Active Headbands now that you won!! 

I guess since I am already signed in I may as well do a post.  Last week we went to California for a little family vacation.  It was so nice to get away from all of the stresses of life and just relax...or not  ;) and have fun!  Jake got to fly down for work so the kids and I hitched a ride with the Garcia's.  I was real nervous about driving all the way to San Diego with 5 kids but they were actually really good.  Jackson who is 2 is the craziest little guy and oh so entertaining.  He was driving Holly crazy but Kenna and I found him to be quite hilarious :)

 

I don't know about you but I LOVE to workout on vacation.  When we got to San Diego I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Hyatt Regency had an AWESOME little gym.  Sunday night I did a quick little shoulder workout just for fun.  Monday morning Holly joined me and we did chest, triceps and abs I then ran 10 miles.  This was really the first time that I have felt like I had a good run since my marathon.  It felt amazing and I was glad to be back to normal.  I had read that however many miles your race is that's how long it takes to fully recover, so 26.2 miles will take approximately 26 days to fully recover. So I guess that was just about right.    As much as I wanted to run outside it was dark and I didn't want to go and get myself lost so I stuck with the treadmill.  Monday the kids and I went with the Garcia's to Sea World where we met up with the Prestwich's, Jake was busy with work.  I decided that the Shamu show isn't nearly as exciting now that there isn't the risk of someone getting eaten during the show ;)  We had a lot of fun and afterwards we met Jake at BJ's for some dinner.  Here is where I was introduced to my new love...PIZOOKIES!!!  Don't worry Jake is fine with it :)  If you've never had a pizookie you must drive to the nearest BJ's and get one...I don't know where the nearest BJ's is but trust me it's worth the drive no matter the distance!!!

Tuesday we started the day with a little back and biceps and I ran 14 miles and again it felt great.  I knew I was heading to Disneyland where they have the most delicious cookies and I was going to partake :)  I finally found a cookie after hours of searching...California Adventures had some remodeling going on and I couldn't find my favorite little store with the cookies but after studying my little map I found a new place :)

Wednesday morning we were in a new hotel by Disneyland and they had treadmills but no fancy machinery so I just busted out 8 miles and called it good.  Disneyland was awesome, it wasn't very busy which was a nice surprise.  And Kobe actually went on EVERY ride...that never happens.  I don't know that he will ever go on a few of them again but I was proud of him for at least trying them.

Thursday morning I did hill repeats for 5.25 miles and finished up with 8 miles total.  Then it was off to Disneyland/California Adventures for one last day :(

Friday morning I ran 10 miles knowing that I was going to be stuck in the car all day, meanwhile Jake was enjoying his quick flight home.  We went to Seal Beach for a little bit and then it was off to St. George.  Saturday Holly and I went to the Gold's in St. George and did abs and I ran 8.25 miles.  It was nice to know that each day I got a workout in and I could enjoy my cookies without any guilt.  I ate a total of 1 Pizookie and 3 Disneyland cookies and let me tell you they were delicious!!  We were there for 3 days so at least they were spaced out right?!? 

Do you workout on vacation?

I DO NOT take vacations from working out...I love it too much for such craziness :)

Have you ever had the pleasure of enjoying a pizookie?

If anyone knows of a BJ's close by please keep that information to yourself, such goodness should only be enjoyed on vacation ;)

GIVEAWAY!!!!

So I told you a looooong time ago that I had a company offer to give away a $30 gift card on my blog.  I have been stubborn long enough!!  I never believed Jake when he told me how stubborn I was but lately I am starting to see what he means ;)  I said I wasn't going to do it until I got 50 followers but oh well, here it goes.  Take a look at the picture below and try to figure out what I could possibly be giving away...here's a hint it's NOT Kobe, although the day I took this picture I would have given him away ;)

Here is the original picture that I showed you months ago, let's see if you can figure it out with both pictures.

NO??  Okay the company is Active Headbands.  I absolutely LOVE their headbands, they are so cute and I wear them daily.  They really do stay in place and keep my hair somewhat under control.  They have a great selection and they are very easy to work with as a company.  I have an extremely pea sized head, I know it doesn't look like it but it really is ridiculously small.  While placing my orders I simply tell them of my quandary and specify the size the headband should be.  They make them special just for my freakishly small noggin.  They ship out really fast!!!  My daughter also loves to steal my headbands, they aren't just for running ;)

There are many ways to enter!!

1. Become a follower of my blog :) And leave a comment saying you did.
2. Become a follower of their blog HERE!  And leave a comment saying you did.
3. Like Active Headbands on Facebook HERE!  Leave a comment on their Facebook page and comment on my blog saying you did.
4. Follow them on twitter and leave me a comment saying you did.
5. Go to their website http://www.activeheadbands.com/ and leave a comment telling me what your FAVORITE headband is.
And last but certainly not least you can post this giveaway on either your blog or Facebook page.

I will chose a winner on October 23rd.  I know that is a long ways away but I will be out of town for a while so please bare with me :)  Of course, there are so many ways to enter it may take you that long to finish all of your entries ;)

What Running Has Done For Me!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how running has changed my life.  First of all, it got me my job at 26.2 Running Co.  Did they hire me because I am ridiculously fast?  NO!!  The fact that I am a runner probably didn't have a whole lot to do with them hiring me.  However, had I not been a runner why in the world would I want to work at a running store?  I have acquired A LOT of new responsibilities at work over the past month or so and I ABSOLUTELY love working there.  I love the environment and the people.  Not only do I get to talk to other adults all day but I get to talk about running.  What could be better?  For years Jake wondered why I never told him anything.  Well, for starters I had nothing to say.  I didn't really think he cared that I cleaned the house all day and changed 12 diapers.  I KNEW he didn't care about my workout, he doesn't love the fact that I am a workout FREAK.  I feel like I have a purpose again and I actually have something to talk to Jake about.  The ol' shoe shop can be quite entertaining!!  When my youngest started 1st grade I had a VERY hard time, everything I had known for the past 9 years changed.  I felt like no one needed me...I was a lost, lonely, little lamb.

I have met or gotten close to some of my best friends through running.  Running with someone for hours gives you a lot of time to talk and get to know each other.  I had "known" Niccole for a few years but didn't really get to know her until we started running together.  Holly and I got to know each other during the Utah Valley Marathon 2010.  The bond that running can create is amazing.  There is nothing better than having someone there to help you through a long, hard run and vice versa.  And no matter where you are running, whether it be in a race or just down the street, other runners love to talk!  Runner's must be some of the nicest people around.  I have always been an extremely shy person who would never just run up to someone and say "Yes!  I finally caught you!"  Yet, that's exactly what I did at my last marathon.  When I tell people that story they can't believe that I actually said that to the dude.  But guess what?  He didn't care, he gave me a big ol' smile and said he was coming to get me.

As a runner injuries are bound to happen and having someone to talk to who understands is vital.  When I was injured I would cry to Jake and he just didn't get it, "so don't run, who cares?"  He didn't understand that telling me not to run was like me telling him not to breathe.  Runner's get it!!  My boss was telling me how he ran up to Bridal Veil Falls a few weeks ago and when he was done he jumped into the cold river.  I said "Oh, that sounds fun!"  Although I was totally joking...I don't think he thought I was ;)  He said, "Runner's get it!"  Although, I was kidding I knew why he wanted to jump into that river.  Not only would it feel awesome after a hot run but it would act as an ice bath.  Non-runners DO NOT get why on earth someone would take an ice bath.  As runner's we do a lot of strange things that people just don't get.  Every Thanksgiving I do a LOOONG run and I love it!  My family thinks that I am CrAzY!!!!  I run on vacation and again my family thinks that I am crazy.  I don't run for weight loss, I run because I love it!  People wonder why I can't take a day off once in a while, why would I want to.  Why don't people want to take a day off of having fun once in a while?  I do take Sundays off, they weren't meant to be fun anyways ;) I'm totally joking!!  

And last but not least running has given me my sanity!  Being a working mom is HARD!  I never feel like I am getting everything done.  I am having to let things go that I DO NOT want to.  But every morning as I am working out and running, I appreciate it all the more.  That is "my" time and no one can take it from me.  For me running is the only thing that is keeping me somewhat sane right now!  Thank you running :)

I don't know what made me think up all of this non-sense.  But I also have to share how excited I am that I got into the Boston Marathon!  It finally hit me yesterday.  I was running along when The Black Eyed Peas started singing to me.  "Keep on reaching for your dreams, cause it ain't crazy as it seems!"  The song is called "Own it" and that is exactly what I am doing with this marathon.  "Go out and own it!"  Growing up I didn't really do a whole lot, I didn't do sports or run or much of anything.  I studied a lot and got good grades but I NEVER felt like I was good at anything.  Do I think I am a good or fast runner?  NO!!!  People tell me I am fast but I don't believe them.  All I see is how many people are better or faster than me.  But I realized that there will always be someone better or faster than me and it really doesn't matter.  I got into the most famous marathon out there and I am going to Boston.   

 I am actually shocked that we are going to Boston.  I really just wanted to qualify, I honestly didn't think that I would RUN the Boston Marathon!  The thing that I am most excited about is that I plan on enjoying this marathon, no PR for me during this one.  I want to soak up every last bit of it, not be miserable.  I would love to run with my camera, so what if people think that I am crazysauce?

What has running done for you?

Am I alone or do you think runner's are AWESOME?

Top of Utah Marathon!!

For starters let me just say that I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this race.  Of course, we did get rained on, correction POURED on, correction HAILED on!  It actually became quite comical, the only thing I could do was laugh and I did a lot of that.  At the starting line it started pouring and everyone started to scramble about, a gal grabbed a big lid to a plastic container and 5 of us jumped under it with her.  They announced that the race was going to start so we had to buck up and go stand at the start.  As crazy as it sounds I actually didn't mind the pouring rain at all.  I warmed up fast and just tried to enjoy the view.  I loved the dark sky and clouds.  The leaves had started to change a tiny bit in some areas.  I just soaked up the beauty of it all.

The last couple of weeks my right quad has been hurting quite a lot, I was actually nervous to run this race for fear that I would injure myself.  I went to "Jorge's House of Pain" TWICE this week and he reassured me that my muscles were "mirroring" which I guess was a good thing.  The massage hurt just as much on the left quad, it was just as knotted up but for some reason I was only feeling it on my right...weird!  So I went into this race with really no expectations.  I knew I should take it slow and not try to PR or anything crazy like that. 

The first lots of miles my leg hurt pretty bad, I was worried but I kept plugging along.  At around mile 13 or so it was pouring like crazy and I was soaked, my capri's were soaked and clung to my legs which I think acted as an ice pack.  My legs started feeling GREAT.  At about mile 16 we could see a titch of clear sky and Holly said "I am going to run to that blue sky" or something along those lines.  So that's what I did.  I suddenly felt AWESOME!!  I saw my cute little family at mile 17 and that made my day.

As I was running along I realized that I was passing runner after runner and it felt great.  People were starting to slow down when I was finally feeling good and picking it up, I haven't checked my speed but at this point we were out of the canyon which meant no more down hill.  People were awesome and were cheering me on the rest of the way.  At one point a guy looked at me and said, "You look great...you feel great don't you?"  I said "Yes, I do!"  That was at about mile 19.  Shortly later a dude passed me and told me that I had been pacing him for quite a while and that I was rocking it.

At mile 19 my stupid Garmin got paused somehow.  I didn't realize it for about a mile I guess.  Mile 21 was where my dedication miles were supposed to start but since I was feeling AWESOMESAUCE I decided that instead of miles, I would spot someone up ahead that I wanted to pass and do that for my people.  First on the list was a guy waaaay ahead of me in a black and white shirt.  I started to second guess my awesomeness ;) for a bit.  I didn't think I was EVER going to catch him, but I had to do it for Kenna.  When I FINALLY caught him I said "YES!  I finally caught you, I have been trying forever."  He looked at me like I was some kind of crazy person and said "Well...here I come."  But guess what?  I never saw him again :)

I continued to pick people out and push until I got them.  It was quite enjoyable!!  Then at mile 23 when I was feeling awesome as ever, some guy got the crowd chanting "Pink, pink, pink, pink"  I was wearing pink and that made me have great happiness in my heart.  After it hit me how awesome that was I got a bit teary for a minute.  It was nice to get teary because people are awesome rather than because you are in terrible pain. 

Between mile 24 and 25 this guy caught up to me and said "You are killing it!"  I looked over to see a face that I had seen at least a half a dozen times or more throughout the race.  He would pass me, I would pass him, he would pass me, I would pass him, and on and on.  We ran together for a few minutes and then I think he may have had a voodoo doll or something that he started stabbing needles into because I got the worst side ache EVER!  I slowed down drastically but continued to push through the pain.  People must have been able to see my pain cause everyone kept telling me how close I was to the finish.

Then as I turned the last corner Tammy popped out at me and said "Come on!  You are 1st place in your age group!"  I tried my hardest to push through the pain but it was so hard.  She ran with me and continued to cheer me on telling me how awesome I was.  I was in such a zone that I didn't even notice Jake, Roberto and the kids cheering me on.  I finished the race and was a lone, little, lost lamb.  I got emotional from the support that Tammy gave me.  I looked up and saw Wendell from our Ward.  I don't know him very well but decided to cry to him for a minute ;)  Then I saw the two cutest little children of the corn that you've ever seen. 

I ended up finishing in 3:34:and some odd milliseconds.  Not a PR and NOT 1st place in my age group.  Jake and Tammy had received a text at mile 21 that I was 1st in my age group and not one single girl passed me the last 9 miles of that race.  I was so sad to see that not only was I not 1st but 11th in my age group.   But I will look on the brightside of things, I qualified for Boston again and I can't complain about that!  Holly qualified again too WITH an injury.  She did awesome!  The only way I can keep up with that girl now is if she is injured.

It was such an awesome race!  I got to run most of the first 16 miles with Holly and I felt awesome the last 10 miles.  We headed back to Jake's grandparents house for our ice baths, etc.  The grandparents are amazing!  They think we are nuts but hey, so do we :)  Jake tried to explain to Granny that we had to "carbo load" and take ice baths.  As we were driving to Logan on Friday his grandma called to say that they had bought us 3 bags of ice for our baths.  I just love them to pieces!!  As we arrived after the race soaking wet and freezing cold Grandma said "Are you sure you want to take an ice bath after all of that?"  Heck yea Granny, bring on the ice...just kidding we didnt' really say that :)

My sister in law, Stephanie, ran as well.  She PR'd by like an hour and a half or something crazy like that.  Way to go Steph!!!

What kind of GU etc. do you use?

I tried ROCTANE GU and holy schmoly it is awesome.  Okay, it still has that horrible texture but wow it made me feel awesome.  I would highly recommend it.

Do you take ice baths after races or long runs?

For sure, I really notice a difference in how my legs feel if I take an ice bath.  However, I am pretty sure the water in Logan is way colder than the water in Springville :)

P.S. Sorry if there were tons of grammatical errors but it has been a looooong day :)

Hobble Creek Half Marathon

Better late than never I guess!

For some strange reason I was more nervous about doing the race than any other race this year.  I am not exactly sure why but I was shaking like crazy this morning.  It may have been because my right ankle bone has been bruised and it hurts with every step I take.  I fashioned myself a little ankle pillow that worked wonders on Friday so I attempted that again.  I could feel the stupid bruise the whole morning leading up to the start of the race but it magically went away as soon as I started running...happy day!  The bro-in-law was kind enough to drive us to the buses, it was a very entertaining ride...let's just say it was 5 a.m. and he may have still been sleeping ;) plus the fact that I kept forgetting that I was directing him...oops!


Aimie, Holly, Steph (sis-in-law, yes we have the same name) and I jumped right onto the first bus and off we went.  It is amazing how far the bus ride seems for a 13.1 mile race.  Before I go on I must share a funny story about the SIL.  After we ran the Freedom Run with the Garcia's we were getting ready to walk to our parade spot but Steph had mentioned that she would really like some chips.  I told Jorge, "Steph wants some chips!  We need to get Steph some chips."  He kind of gave me a strange look and said something along the lines of "why the heck are you talking about yourself in the 3rd person."  I explained to him that her name was also Stephanie Anderson and that I did not need chips but rather my SIL needed some chips :)

So after being up at the start of the race for what seemed to be 3 days we finally started, 30 minutes late but who was counting.  I really wish this race could start on time for once, 7:15 is already really late but then add another 30 minutes and by the time you get out of the canyon it's 500 degrees. 

The first 5 miles FLEW by, I couldn't believe how fast they went by and I was feeling great.  Bobby Jo caught up to me and we tried to chat for a bit but I was having a hard time talking so that didn't last too long.  At about mile 9 I started to struggle a bit but made sure to embrace each downhill and GO!  At about mile 10 I heard my name.  I turned around to see HOLLY!!!  I couldn't believe it.  She has been injured for the past month and was lucky to be running the race.  I was worried about her the whole race, so seeing her made me feel so much better.  I was really struggling by the time she caught me and we had a horrible hill to attack.  Once I FINALLY caught my breathe we were able to chat and have a good ol' time, just like the old days :)  I am so grateful that I had her for the last 3 miles, she really made me forget about the fact that I was dead and wanted to lay down and take a nap.

We passed a few people there near the end and some tricksy gal passed us at the very end.  I could tell that Holly didn't like that too much but I was unwilling to fight for it.  We finished at 1:34!  I couldn't believe that I had beat my Timpanogos Half Marathon time.  This was definitely a harder course but then again I didn't really push myself at the Timp race, I just enjoyed it.  Holly, Aimie and I earned our Top 100 Women finisher necklace, yipee!  That was my numero uno goal and pr-ing was my other goal.

I must say that I have the best little family.  This morning Jake had made a motivational sign and put it on the door.  Kobe wrote "Go Mommy, Run Lil Mama Run!" on the back of his shirt and when I ran past him he turned around so I could see it.  And McKenna made me my favorite shake and had it for me at the finish line.  It really means a lot when you have supportive family and friends there to cheer you on :)

All in all I would have to say it was a pretty good race, I finally got that blasted necklace that I have been wanting for some time now.  I placed 11th in my age group...holy crap people are speedy! 

"That Was DELICIOUS!"

Today started out with a lovely shoulders and abs routine, followed by hills repeats on the treadmill.  It was a great workout for a total of 10 miles, 5 of which were hill repeats.  To make it through those last 3 or 4 repeats I came up with a little game.  I focused on the words LIFE FITNESS that are on the bottom front of the treadmill.  I waited to hear each letter in the song that I was listening to and would not move onto the next letter until I heard it.  I told myself that I wasn't allowed to look at the treadmill display until I heard all of the letters.  It actually helped me A LOT!!  It took my mind off of the misery that I was experiencing.  I got home and Kobe was disgusted by my sweatiness.

Honestly, I can't say I blame the kid :)

I have to share a couple of funny things that have happened in the past 24 hrs.  Last night, I walked into my bedroom to see that Kobe had dumped all of his Legos out on my floor.  Why he chose my room I will never know.  After asking him to clean them up 45,897 times I finally said that if he didn't clean them up I was going to sell them.  A few minutes later Jake came in and told him he had 1 minute to pick them up or they were gone.  Jake started counting and when he got to about 25 Kobe asked, "Why are you counting?"  He proceeded to tell him that once he hit 60 it was too late.  Kobe was frantically trying to get them all cleaned up and as he was hustling about he informed Jake that he was going to sell HIM on Ebay!  It was hilarious, the kid says the strangest things :)

I guess Jake didn't want to get sold so he decided to help the kid out!

And YES, my son loves to wear himself a wife beater :)

I wish with all of my heart and soul that I had a video of this next story.  Kobe and I went to 7 Peaks today and upon walking in the gate we were blessed to witness a 20-something year old guy trip.  This was no ordinary stumble, he tried and tried and tried to save himself.  We stood there in awe watching the dude stumble about.  After what seemed like 5 minutes of trying to save himself from certain death, he finally gave in and did a sort of dive roll onto the hard cement ground.  He rolled right out of it, hopped up and started running towards the bathroom.  He turned to Kobe and I and said "THAT WAS DELICIOUS!!"  I wanted so badly to make sure he was okay but he rushed right off.  We continued to laugh about it for about 25 minutes and we still find ourselves cracking up about it.  I want so badly to contact 7 Peaks to see if they caught this glorious stumble on video, I could watch it again and again!  Kobe said, "That just made my whole day!"  I must agree with him!

Okay, enough non-sense and rambling on and on about random nothingness.  I have an important question for you.

How do you feel about wearing a Fuelbelt during a race?

I have been very seriously considering wearing my Fuelbelt for my half marathon on Saturday, let me tell you why.  You see, on the Timpanogos Half Marathon I walked through each water station so as not to spill more water than I got into my mouth.  I am always in such a rush that I never really drink enough.  Plus, a blasted lady passed me at 2 or 3 of the water stops.  She just whizzed right by with her fancy, little, nerd belt.  I would catch and pass her, just for her to pass again at the next water station...AAARRRGGGGG!  I wanted to kick her in the shins...just kidding, well maybe not!!  So as I got to thinking about it, I decided that she may have been onto something.  With the handy little bottles you can continue to run while you drink, there is no need to stop.  But on the other hand, I have always looked forward to race day so that I could leave my nerd belt at home.  Decisions, decisions!  Tell me what you think :)

Big Mac ATTACK???

Seems how it's been a while I figured it was high time to do a post.  My workout today was an hour of core work, followed by spinning it up on the spin bike for about 30 minutes, followed by running 4 miles.  Nothing too exciting but I have an 18 miler planned for tomorrow, we shall see how that goes.  Last week I did a 20 mile run that was HORRIBLE!!  I don't know what the problem was, it may have been that I attempted it on a Friday which is usually my worst day of the week, energy wise that is.  Whatever the problem was I hope I never have to experience a run like that again.  I kept thinking that it was a good thing is wasn't race day or I would have quit the race.  It was that bad!!

I have to say that I am pretty good at training my kids.  For the past few weeks I have come home to this:

Okay, maybe she doesn't serve it to me while in a semi-lunge position but you get the picture

I guess she was sick of almost being late for gymnastics so she has taken it upon herself to make me my smoothies every morning :)  I must be good at training my friends too, because Holly showed up at my work the other day with a smoothie.  She is so nice.  She knows that I am too lazy to make myself a sandwich or pack myself a proper lunch and I guess she didn't want me to starve.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a picture of her in a lunge serving me my smoothie.

I hope I am not the only one in blogland that has REALLY bad nutrition weeks!  I may or may not have had a BIG MAC ATTACK this week :/  I may or may not have gone to the Brick Oven and had myself some delicious pizza and garlic bread.  And I am certain that I didn't buy a Dr. Pepper to go with my Hill's Bakery chocolate cake donut.  I can't believe that I am admitting to all of this, I blame it on hormones and promise to make good choices from here on out.  Normally, I wouldn't tell people of such things but I have noticed that people are always SHOCKED to find out that I don't make the best choices all of the time.  I want people to know that just because I love to workout and eat healthy, sometimes I crave terrible food just like everybody else.  I actually really hate the way I feel when I eat like this but for some reason I just keep shoveling garbage into my cake hole.  It is what it is I guess.

Do you ever have terrible food weeks?

Please tell me I'm not the only one!

Do you like Big Mac's?

I must admit that I love them, luckily I don't partake too often :)

Life Lessons!

I started out the day with some chest, triceps, back and biceps....whew!  I was feeling pretty weaksauce on the weights but as soon as I got on the treadmill I suddenly had energy.  It may have been the fact that I was running out of gym time and I wanted to get 8 miles in and anyone who knows me knows how obsessive I can get :)  I started out the first mile between a 8 minute mile and a 7:30 minute mile.  The next 3 miles I camped out at a 7 minute mile.  I was feeling great so the next 2 miles were spent at a 6.53 minute mile.  My quad started acting up a bit so I dropped back down to the 7 minute miles for the next 1.80 miles.  The last .20 miles were spent like this .10 at 6.18 min mile and .10 at 6 minute miles.  I was a big ol' stanky, sweaty mess but it was a grrrrreat workout!  I did 8 miles in 56 minutes and it felt AWESOME!  Although I hate being on that blasted treadmill, I find that I am able to push myself a lot harder then when I run outside...what gives?

After my wonderful workout I had to drop the girl child off at the gymnasium then Kobe and I headed over to register the kids for school.  McKenna kept telling me over and over that she hoped she didn't get a particular teacher.  I asked her why and she responded that EVERYONE says she is so mean.  I told her that in life we shouldn't judge people according to what others say about them.  She just kind of rolled her eyes and insisted that she better not get that teacher.  Throughout the day I have thought a lot about what I had tried to teach her.  I know there have been times in my life that I have listened to what others have said and have avoided certain people.  I wonder how many wonderful friendships I have missed out on just because I wasn't willing to get to know the people for myself.  Sometimes people have a very skewed view of someone and they try to make others feel the same way, why, I don't know but I feel it happens A LOT!  I hope that I can help my kids understand this and decide for themselves rather someone is mean or not.

Hopefully there is something to this whole "third times the charm" business.  Over the past month or so I have been to two different doctors to get my iron levels tested.  Well, neither one of them have actually tested my iron just a whole bunch of other crap.  So today as I was sitting chatting with the physicians assistant I asked her how my iron levels where.  She then went on to tell me that they didn't test my iron.  WHAT???  She said that if my iron levels were low I would be fatigued not dizzy.  That was the whole reason I went to the freaking doctor.  So needless to say I had to get my blood drawn AGAIN!  Let's all keep our fingers crossed that they actually test my iron levels this time.

I must share a delicious little smoothie with you.  I bought this V8 Splash Smoothie juice, added some protein and lots of ice and turned it into quite the tasty snack.  Now I am sitting here FREEZING to death but it was worth it because it was fabulous!

Sorry for the randomness of this post but I am so excited about something and I just have to tell all of my best buddies about it.  Starting at the end of the month I will be doing the optional level gymnasts conditioning.  I am so excited because I have always wanted to train athletes.  These girls are so strong and I can't wait to see how far I can push them.  I really hope that I will be able to help them address their muscle imbalances and avoid injuries.  The best part of this whole thing is that I will get to kick Kenna's trash and not get in trouble for it ;)  Just kidding, I am excited that I will get to be at the gym while my kids are there but rather than sitting on my duff I will be doing something productive.  At times I really miss training and this will give me my fix.

Do you find it's easier to push yourself on the treadmill or outside?

Do you have any delicious smoothie recipes to share with the group?

Timpanogos Half Marathon.bomb.com

This morning I woke up at 3 in the a.m. to go and run the Timpanogos Half Marathon.   This race was the bomb!!!  I met up with the fabulous Rachelle and some other bloggers and we hopped right onto the bus.  When we got to the start of the race we saw a Yoga class going on, although we did not partake in the yoga I LOVED that they had it there with an instructor and everything.  We saw Jorge right away, this was his first half marathon and he did awesome but you will have to hustle over to his blog if you wish to read all about it, I do believe he will have a video as well. 

Something quite cool happened to me as we were waiting to start.  A cute little gal said that she recognized Rachelle and I from our BLOGS!  I got so excited, I really didn’t think anyone ever read this thing.  Stephanie and Rachelle are SUPER SPEEDY!!  Go check out their bloggies too. 

This course was so beautiful and peaceful.  There weren’t very many cars which was so nice.  They started about 20 minutes late but I was actually a little relieved because it was still a bit dark.  I think the reason I enjoyed this race so much is because I didn’t go CRAZY!  I just went at a comfortable pace, I haven’t done a half marathon in 2 years and I was nervous about pacing myself.   Heaven knows I didn’t do a very good job at pacing myself at the Utah Valley Marathon and I did not want to feel like death again!  Here are my mile splits:
Mile 1            7.01 minute mile

2                    7.17                                       

3                    7.11

4                    7.18

5                    6.44

6                    6.49

7                    6.57

8                    7.11

9                    7.35
10                  7.40

11                  7.25

12                  7.50

13                  7.30

13.12             6.09
Finish time          1:35:11  that’s what my Garmin said!

                 

I averaged a 7.15 minute mile.  At the finish I felt great, which on one hand is a good thing but on the other hand that means I didn’t push very hard.  I know I could have gone faster but I really just wanted to relax and enjoy this one.  My last two races have been pretty horrible and I think this is what I needed to enjoy running again.  At mile 10, I hit a bit of a wall but it didn’t last for long because I just told myself that Holly would give ANYTHING to be able to run 3 miles.  So I did those last 3 miles for my little Holly friend.  She has an injury right now and can’t run.  I have been there and it is truly horrible. 

I loved everything about this race.  The shirt is ridiculously cute, the medal is super fancy and I got myself a massage by none other than Jorge of Jorge’s House of Pain.  And pain it was, the kind you enjoy of course…well, sort of J  Then I wandered over to a chiropractor and got meself an adjustment.  I have never been adjusted before but I think going to a chiropractor and getting massages is a good thing for any runner to do.  I also sucked down two cups of Winder Dairy’s recovery chocolate milk and let me tell you that it was DELICIOUS!

Another picture just to show you how cute this shirt is!

Those fellas at 26.2 sure know how to put on a race ;)

To be honest I was not looking forward to this race at all.  I found out that I was doing it Thursday night, Holly was signed up but because of her injury she transferred her number to me.  I had wanted to do this race but wasn’t signed up.  I was super excited to do it until I found out that it started at 5:40 a.m. which meant waking up at 3 so that I could catch the bus.  Saturday is usually the day that I can sleep in a little bit, like until 5:30 instead of 4:15.  I DID NOT want to wake up at 3.  Then in addition to waking up early I did not want to be alone.  I am a bit of a wussy pants.  Well, I convinced Rachelle to let me ride the bus with her.  At the end however, I was just wandering about all by myself.  I am actually pretty proud of myself for sticking around to enjoy the after party J I was planning on coming straight home.  Don't worry Jake and the kids didn't abandon me, I told them it was too early and not to come. 

 I am so glad I was able to do this race and Holly next year we will do it together and have a grand ol’ time.  Well, we won’t really do it together cause she is too speedy for me but we can go together J

                                                                               

The best part of this race is that I don’t have to feel pressured to beat my time on the Hobble Creek Half Marathon in 3 weeks, this one was so downhill that I know I will never be that fast again.

After I got all showered up real nice like we headed up to Park City for a little back to school shopping.  As we were driving home I remembered that Holly had brought me this little beauty...

YUUUUMMMM!!!!

What is your favorite flavor of cupcake?

Red Velvet tops my list...well, actually I love them all!

What is your favorite race, not just distance I want a specific race?

Timpanogos Half Marathon

                                                        

Oh My Hills!

To start out my Monday morning I did some shoulders and abs.  Shoulders have to be one of my favorite body parts to work.  I love the look of well defined deltoids.  I do, however, have a very hard time getting my shoulders sore.  I put myself through all sorts of torturous workouts expecting to be sore and I end up with nothing.  I think that throughout the day we use our shoulders so much that perhaps that is why they are so blasted hard to get sore.  Don't worry, I am constantly switching things up trying to "confuse" my muscles.  I guess they are just too "smort"!

Here is McKenna on the first day of 1st grade!  So cute!

Here's a funny story for your enjoyment:  When my sweet, little McKenna was in first grade she came home with a math sheet that she had done at school.  At the end was a story problem, after asking for the answer it said "how do you know?"  She wrote: because I am smort!  It was so blasted cute and hilarious that "smort" is the new "smart" in our family.


Also for your enjoyment, more pictures of the first day of 1st grade.  Kobe and I were soooo sad to have Kenna gone all day.  I cried and cried and if you think that it crazy you should have seen me on Kobe's first day of Kindergarten...I was a big ol' lonely cry baby.  Anyways, on with the pictures.

It's so funny to look back, I always thought Kobe was just a smeagoly little thing but he actually has some chub on those cute little cheekies!

I sure do love those little cornies!

 Sorry, for skipping about but now I have some more workout talk to get on with.  So here it goes!


Lately, I have been a little scared of speed work.  It seems like every time I do speed work I get aches and pains that I don't feel are normal.  I have read a lot of things saying that speed work is good but you have to be careful because you are more prone to injuries when doing speed work.  My dear little friend Holly is suffering with an injury as we speak :*(  This brings back VERY horrible memories of a year ago when I was out of running for nearly 4 MONTHS!!  4 MONTHS of misery!  I wasted a lot of time on crappy doctors which won't happen to Holly because I have referred her to the best darn physical therapist out there.  Because of my fears of speed work I decided to do hill repeats instead of sprints.  I thought perhaps I might die!


Here's how it went: 1 mile warm-up  The hill repeats were done at a speed of 8 minute miles (7.5 mph)
                              .25 incline 3.5%
                              .25 recovery 0% incline
                              .25 incline 4.0%
                              .25 recovery 0% incline
                              .25 incline 4.5%
                              .25 recovery 0% incline
                              ,25 incline 5.0%
                              ,25 recovery 0% incline
                              .25 incline 5.5%
                              .25 recovery 0% incline
                              .25 incline 6.0%
                              .25 recovery 0% incline
                              .25 incline 6.5%
                              .25 recovery 0% incline
                              .25 incline 7.0%
                              .25 recovery 0% incline
                              .25 incline 7.5% KILL ME NOW!!
                              .25 recovery 0% incline and a whole lot of self talk to get me to do one more :)
                              .25 incline 8.0% incline  HOLY CRAPINOLY, I thought I was going to die!
                              .25 recovery 0% incline
                               Run 3 miles at a comfortable pace.  Between 7:30 minute mile and the last little bit at 7:00 minute mile.  After I was done and fully recovered from the hill repeats I felt AWESOME and could have gone all day.  It's a good thing I had to get home to get the kidlets off to gymnastics or I probably would have stayed all day.  For the first time in FOREVER I was very tempted to go back to the gym.  I wanted more of the fun.  I went back and forth, should I go, should I not...on and on.  I didn't go back and it took all the wheel power I had not to.  I decided I had better get on with my motherly/slavely duties ;)  You know vacuum, change sheets, laundry and clean up the joint before it was time to get the cornies.


Seems how this was my first attempt at hill repeats I started out pretty easy.  It's a pretty good thing I did too because there is no way I could have gone above an 8% incline at the speed I was going.  And with my weirdness I didn't want to go below an 8 minute mile.  All in all I would say it was a pretty darn good workout.  The best part of all, is that I don't have any weird leg pains that I would normally have on a speed work day.  

The other good part of having an awesomely hard workout is that I can enjoy the delicious cake that I have made for the mother's birthday celebration.  I have never made this recipe before but if the cake is half as good as the dough was then it will be GOOOOOOOD!  And yes, I am CrAzY and I eat the dough.  It doesn't rightly matter if it's cookie dough, cake dough, banana bread dough, brownie dough, well I think you get the idea.  I LOVE IT!  And I have never experienced any of this so called salmonella disease that people speak of :)

Do you enjoy dough of any kind?

Is there a body part that no matter how hard you work it, you have a hard time getting sore?

Just shoulders :)