Haunted Half Marathon 2013

Friday night (October 25th) before we went to bed I told Kobe that I would be waking him up at 5 a.m. so he could get ready for the big race.  He walked into my room at 4:56 a.m., apparently he was excited!!  We got all dressed up and headed out the door at 5:25, hopped in the car with Holly, Jorge and Kaden and headed up to SLC.

On the bus ride Kobe was quiet but super excited.  We got up to the starting line at 7, the race didn't start until 9 so we had some time to kill.  The weather was pretty much PERFECT.  It was cold at the starting line but not freezing like I thought it was going to be.  There was a headless horseman at the starting line which I thought was awesome, it was really cool.

These pictures are in no particular order, they are simply here for your enjoyment :)

The race started at 9:00 on the dot.  We started back by the 2:10 pacers but Kobe passed them pretty quick.  Kobe started the race a bit too fast, I kept trying to get the boy to slow down but that was no easy task.  He started to pass the 2:00 pacers which I knew was a mistake but there really was no stopping the boy.  At around mile 3.5 I told Kobe that if he didn't slow down he was going to be in big trouble.  He finally slowed down and we were doing good until around mile 6 when we decided to make a pit stop.  There was a line but I figured it would move fast...WRONG!  I don't know what people do in those Honey Buckets, quite frankly I don't want to know, but the line was not moving.  Pretty soon we saw Holly and Kaden, they hopped in line too.  Finally after we had been stopped for about 6 minutes we gave up and carried on.  I think our long stop did Kobe in, his legs were not very happy.  I could tell he was struggling but we just kept moving.

I LOOOOOVE IT!!

We stopped again near the Hogle Zoo and took off some layers of clothes, it was getting hot!  I was hoping that once we lost some layers it would help the boys but it didn't.  Kobe was not wanting to eat but I had to put my foot down and force feed the child ;)  I kid, I kid!  I gave up on the Shot Blocks and such and went straight for the Skittles, if you haven't tried the Dark Side Skittles do it today, they are the best.

Little running buddies.

There were some pretty nasty hills but overall I LOVED the course.  The hills were near mile 8, 9 and 10 (I think) these were rough miles.  At mile 11 or so there was a Honey Bucket so we stopped.  Again, the line was moving soooooo slow, maybe more than 1 port-a-potty would be good since people like to hang out in there.  We were stopped for another 5-7 minutes, seriously?!?

Finish line!

I kept telling the boys to pretend that we had just started our run and that we only had 2 miles left, they can do 2 miles in their sleep.  That didn't work.  People were amazed at the boys, they kept asking if they were doing the whole race....uh, yea!!  People even asked if Kobe was running the race when we were at the starting line, seriously?  No, I like to make my smeagoly son stand out in the cold for 2 hours so he can watch his mama start a race ;)

At one point Holly and I started getting a little nutty.

I was flying, check out that cape!

Love the fall leaves

Haunted Half Crew

Aaaaaand they're done!  The medals are awesome and even glow in the dark.

My very favorite part of the race was near the end when we got ready to enter the finish line area.  There were lots of trees with fallen leaves on the path, beautiful fall colors and then I looked up and saw a ginormous pumpkin face.  

How awesome is that??  Pretty dang awesome, if ya ask me!

Kobe kicked it into high gear at the finish line and we sprinted in.  Mama and Papa Jex were there cheering us on and McKenna and Jake were handing out medals.  We finished and I grabbed Kobe and gave him a big hug, I may have been a little teary!  We were starving so we went and grabbed some Little Ceasars pizza which was free for the runners, I never knew Little Ceasars could taste so good.  Kobe ate a couple of pieces of pizza and a couple of donuts, I've never seen the boy eat like he did at that very moment.  

We loved having Mama and Papa Jex there!!

We hung out with Mama and Papa for awhile and took some pictures.  The race finished at Memory Grove Park which is beautiful.  It was a great day, I loved the race and I especially loved running with Kobe!!!

Super Heroes!

Kobe's finish time was 2:32, my Garmin time was 2:16, I stopped my watch at our stops.  16 minutes worth of stops is a little cray cray but oh well, we finished and that's all that matters!

Christmas card option #1;)

Man cub and man child

Option #2

And Option#3...wait a minute Jake looks as if he is taking a dump so maybe we shouldn't use this one.

This was an awesome day, I loved every minute of it!  I would highly recommend this race.

Countdown to AWESOMENESS!

T minus 3 days until the big rodeo, or race, depending on where you pin your bib ;D  The day Kobe did his first 10K he decided that he was ready to do a half marathon.  Kaden decided that a half sounded like a good idea and decided to do it with Kobe. 

This pic was at the Freedom Run 10K..LOVE!

I informed them that one does not just wake up and run a half marathon and that they would have to train.  They still wanted to, I thought perhaps they were a little crazy and that after a couple of runs they would change their minds. 

I came up with a training plan and we got right to it.  We (Holly and I) eased them into it with a run/walk.  I’ll be truthful and say that the first few weeks were rough…really rough.  I tried to talk Kobe out of continuing on multiple occasions but by golly that boy is stubborn (don’t know where he get it, yes I do…from his DADDY ;)  The Saturday of our first 5 miler I actually told Kobe that I was giving him one more week and if things didn't get better that we had to be done.  Patience is a virtue my friend!  I had many days of being extremely inpatient and had to keep telling myself that the mere fact that they were out there trying was awesome in and of itself.  How many 10 year olds do you know that are willing to train for and complete a half marathon??

Get ready for a picture overload my friends...

This lovely picture was taken after one of our first runs.  Kobe sprinted around the church, leaving me in his dust, and then collapsed on the grass.  Death by running! 

One day we were running along and I saw a toy horse on the side of the road.  I found it funny for some reason, then I looked back to see Kobe picking it up.  Kobe finished the run carrying the ding dang thing.  The horse became our mascot.  (Did you notice it in the picture...don't confuse the horse with Koda ;)

Most of our runs ended with Koda and McKenna waiting for us in the front yard.  I so wish Kenna could have joined in on the fun but that darn gymnastics has done a number on her knees.  #gymnastsarepeopletoo McKenna's pediatrician told me when she was about 5 that her hips are aligned as such that she would be a FAST runner.  She did run the mile the fastest last year and was asked multiple times to join cross country.  One day I am sure she will take the running world by storm...is that a saying?!?  Either way, I'm sure she will. 

SELFIE SATURDAY!!  We were photo bombed by a biker. 

When Kobe is done running he is DONE and sits down wherever he may be.  It's actually quite funny. 

Lou is showing you how AWESOME Kobe's first 7 miler was.  That boy was on FIIIIIIRE!!  He kept telling me he was on fire and he was.  His last mile was his fastest and he wanted to keep going.  I wish all runs could be like that.

I told the boys to do the Monica pose, I guess they did it ;) 

Me and Koko Monicaning (yes, that’s a word) it up.  Don't worry it's not weird that I do the Monica pose like we are BFF's even though we have never met, it's normal. 

Selfie Saturday again, why is Kobe’s mouth always open?!? 

My favorite picture ever, I will cherish the time we have spent training for this race and I CAN NOT wait until Saturday!! 

Last Saturday we took the boys up Provo Canyon to enjoy the beautiful fall leaves.  Our canyon has been closed so we hadn't fully enjoyed the fall colors.  Kenna wondered what took us so long to run 8 miles but I guess when you throw a photo shoot in there it takes a long time.  

Nice bum where ya from?

Another favorite running picture, probably because you can’t see my ugly mug ;)

Throughout our training we often ran to Mama's house, I don't think I've ever seen her as much as in these past couple months.  We all looked forward to our visits.

As in any training cycle we had good runs and horrible runs but I wouldn't change any of it for anything in the world.

We are doing the Haunted Half which is sure to be a partay!  I can't wait to see how the boys do and I can't wait to see McKenna and Jake at the finish line handing out medals.

I'm actually a bit sad, okay I'm SUPER sad,  for this to be coming to an end.  Luckily, Kobe told me the other day that he wants to continue training and do the Thankful 13 as well.  So let's keep our fingers crossed that he loves it and will continue on.

That's all!

A New Addition!

Let me just catch ya up on a few things, okay?  About 6 weeks ago we bought ourselves a little Yorkie dog, Koda!  He is just about the cutest little thing you have ever seen but man alive he is NAUGHTY!  We are new to this whole dog thing but thought it would be “fun!”  I must say that I find this little mongrel to be more work than a newborn baby.  In some ways he is much harder than a baby but then again he does sleep at night so that’s a plus.  

We got him when he was 6 weeks old, he was soooo tiny!

Here he is after a trip to the groomers...nice ascot! 

He is hilarious and so sweet but soooooo naughty!  We do so love him, how could we not?!?

In other news, Kobe is training for his first HALF MARATHON!!! The dudes legs are only about 8 inches long so this is a pretty big deal.  He decided after his first 10K that he wanted to do the Haunted Half Marathon on October 26th.  I found a training plan and we have been following it to the T, Kobe checks it often which I love. 

Kobe is holding a horse which we found on our run, he is now our mascot.

Training was a bit rough in the beginning and truth be told I nearly gave up.  Kobe was determined to make it work and he has done amazingly!  I am so excited for him and Kaden (Holly’s son) to attack a half marathon.  I have so LOVED our runs together, it has taken a great deal of patience but to see them improving has been awesome. 

We got photo bombed by a biker :)

Kobe is all about the route.  I will say we have to run 4 miles and he says “I don’t care how far we are going, I only care where we are going.”   I hope with all my being that he makes it to race day still excited about running.  I love the time we are spending together training for this race.  It is amazing to me that his twiggle little legs are capable of running 13.1 miles…that be pretty dang far! 

When Kobe is done he is DONE!  I turned around today to see him sitting in the middle of the trail :D  And he always sprints to the finish, love that smeagoly boy!

This morning I got to pace the Nebo Half Marathon, which I LOVED, then we did a 6 miler!  We didn't start the 6 miler with the boys until 10 a.m. and it was 6000 degrees.  It was rough but we did it. 

Lastly, I am dying to do a marathon!!  I don’t see one in my near future since here in Utah it has a tendency to be snowy in the winter months therefore there are no marathons to be found past the beginning of October!  I would LOVE to do the Rock and Rock Las Vegas Marathon but it starts at 4 pm…who the heck can run a marathon starting at that hour?  NOT ME!!

I guess that's enough randomness for one day.  I'm out!

Frivolous Fursday!!!

In case you have missed my non-sense posts about absolutely nothing I have a treat for you.  Frivolous FURSDAY!!  Hee Hee Hee, I did just make that up…I think, unless you have heard it before in which case they copied ME! ;) 

Today as I was at the gym I said to myself, “WOW, these shoes feel amazing!  That’s weird I wear them all of the time.”  Then it hit me, it wasn’t my shoes it was my socks.

I had forgotten about these little beauties that the Balega rep gave me when I worked at 26.2 Running Co.  They have got to be the most comfortable socks I have ever worn.  I know it probably seems a little crazysauce to get so excited about socks but they really are amazing!  Needless to say I had a great run…it was like running on clouds.

I got home with just enough time to shower and get everybody packed up for a quick trip to St. George.  Jake had to go for work so we decided to make a little trip out of it.  It’s a good thing too because I am getting pretty pasty!  I can’t wait to sit and do nothing but bask in the sun…after my workout of course.  Gold’s has a giant gym in St. George so I will be going there to get my workout on!  Because I have an over protective daddy (AKA Jake) I will be stuck on the treadmill for the next 2 days.  I guess he doesn’t want me running alone, in the dark, in a strange place or something crazy like that.

I have some very sad news that has me quite perplexed.  I was assigned to pace the Haunted Half Marathon, which I was SUPER excited about because it is put on by Runtastic Events which does an amazing job!  I kept thinking about how close it is to my Nike Women’s Marathon and I freaked out and told the “pace master” that I was going to pass on this one L  I went back and forth as to whether or not I should do it but I have had a rule since my last injury that I would take at least 1 week off of running after a marathon.  The Haunted Half is 6 days after my race.  I would hate myself if I ran it and ended up with an injury.  I was set to do the 1:45 group which is very doable under normal circumstances but post marathon I’m just not sure I should go running down a canyon.

I have had great sadness ever since I backed out.  Of course I did do something really stupid that didn’t help, I went to their website and read all about how awesome it’s going to be.  Why must I torture myself…idiot!  I did have a brilliant idea that I’m trying to get my family excited about.  I think it would be so fun to volunteer for this one, you know give back to the community a bit J!  That way I could still see all of the fun costumes and be a part of an amazing race.  We’ll see what happens I guess.

Do you think I’m being lamesauce here?

How much time do you take off after a marathon?