2012 Recap!

Here is my recap of 2012.  Feel free click any links that excite you, heck if you have 12 days go ahead and click them all but I won't feel bad if you don't!

McKenna and I went on our first girls trip which you can read about HERE, I will warn you that it is a very loooong post but kind of entertaining.

I made a job change that seemed like a good idea but it wasn't!

Jake, Jorge, Holly and I went to New York and Boston so that Holly and I could run the Boston Marathon, that was definitely memorable.

Did the Utah Valley Half Marathon while over trained, that was really somethin'!

I ran my own version of an Ultra Ragnar at the Wasatch Back Ragnar.  I actually quite enjoyed that, crazy huh?!?  I would love to do an Ultra Ragnar again!!!

I ran the American Fork Canyon Half Marathon which I loved with all my heart, this was the only race that I actually raced.  I PR'd but didn't get the time I was hoping for...boo hoo!

 Ran the Freedom Run 10K another PR but again I was disappointed with my time.  I'm starting to see a trend, maybe I should be happy with my PR's rather than compare myself to others who are much speedier than me.  There will always be someone faster you know!

I ran a 20 Mile Half Marathon which sounds odd and it was!

I started pacing races which is my favorite.  I paced the Top of Utah Half Marathon and loved every second of it!

Paced the Mt. Nebo Half Marathon and found one of my new favorite races!  If you want to PR this is the race for you.

Another PR race would have to be the Big Cottonwood Half Marathon.  That was an amazing race.  I totally forgot to post this fancy video they sent me.  They made videos for every runner which is just awesome!  Big Cottonwood Video!  You can try the link but I don't know if it will work or not :(

I ran my most favoritest race EVER!!!  No race will ever live up to the Nike Women's Marathon!  That family trip was amazing...SO FUN!

I quit the job that I thought I wanted!  It turns out that lazy people annoy the crap out of me, wow that was blunt wasn't it?!?  I got so sick of people complaining that their heart rates were high...DUH!  That's sort of the point.  Obviously working out is hard otherwise everyone would do it and there wouldn't be a huge obesity epidemic.  I know I am strange because I actually enjoy torturing myself but seriously if you were paying $35 an hour for a trainer wouldn't you put a little effort into doing what you are being told?  I had to hold my tongue so many times when people complained about my workouts being too hard.  Seriously, if they wanted hard I would give it to them, I was actually really nice to them :)

I quit as soon as I got back from our San Francisco trip and truth be told I wasn't working enough to make it worth it anyway.  Basically since I quit I have been caring for McKenna with her migraines or either one of my kids for different illnesses.  I truly do think that everything happens for a reason and I think that I needed to be home these past 2 1/2 months.  It was hard for me to accept that training wasn't for me.  Rather it was because I wasn't a good trainer, motivator or that I just didn't fit in where I was working or maybe all of the above.  I know that I needed to be here for my kids no matter how horrible I felt about myself being a jobless twit.  Where do I go from here?  Quite frankly I don't know.  I am working on getting certified as a cycling instructor but will that really be enough?  That is a good question.  I guess I am on a quest to find what I want to be doing.  Actually, I know what I want to do.  I want to get paid to workout and blog, is that too much to ask?  Not, if you ask me :)

Paced the Halloween Half Marathon, this one was tough for me, I don't think I was quite recovered from my marathon but still managed to finish in time!  I was shocked!

The last race I did was the Thankful 13 Half Marathon.  I loved the race but it was very hard for me!  It was a great way to kick off Thanksgiving!

That is 8 half marathons, 2 full marathons, a 10K and partridge in a pear tree!  I also ran 2 5K's with Kobe which was sooooo fun!  Jake and McKenna ran them too but Kobe and I ran together.  I really wish I would have done a blog post on those races.  If Kobe could run every race with me I would be pleased as punch!  I ran a grand total of 2405.59 miles (I don't know how I ended up with such an odd number, that will drive me crazy for eternity) and here are some other interesting facts that the DailyMile told me.

2,516 Total Miles (I thought this was what I ran, I was so sad when I found out that it included my walks)

426.40 Total Time

48 Lbs Burned

329 Total Workouts

0.10 Around World

351.92 TVs Powered

132.42 Gas Saved

918.30 Donuts Burned

It looks like I can eat a few donuts if I so desire ;)

Overall I would say it was a year full of awesome races, fun trips, lots of trials and even more self doubt.  Maybe my new year's resolution should be to believe in myself a little more.

If you made it through that post you should get a medal! 

10th Day of Christmas!

Wow, can you believe it's already the 10th day?  Hallelujah, this blogging every darn day is hard work.  I might have to retire after this 12 day adventure!  Let's get on with it shall we?

On the 10th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a necklace from Scott James Jewelry!  Actually I will be giving away 2 today so your chances just increased!  Here is the necklace you will get.

Oh, I love it!

Now instead of wearing your race medals around town you can just add charms for each race that you do.  I don't know about you but I don't like to wear my medal any longer than 3 days ;)

I absolutely LOVE my necklace.  I may not have realized just how much I loved my necklace until I thought I had lost it forever.  I will admit that since receiving my Tiffany necklace from the Nike Women's Marathon I have not worn my beloved Scott James necklace.  I had worn it everyday for well over a year so when I got a shiny new necklace I was excited.  I needed to shine up my SJ necklace so it was just easier to wear the new one.  My friends, after the day I have had I promise from this day forward to rotate the 2 necklaces equally!!!  I loved the San Francisco race so much that I really don't think any race will ever live up to it.  I didn't have the best race but having never been to San Francisco made it amazing!  I wanted to remember that race from that day forward so wearing the necklace each and every day reminded me of the race and of the wonderful family trip we were able to take.

This morning as I went to get my SJ necklace I FREAKED out to see that it wasn't in it's spot.  I was fighting the tears with every ounce of my being, okay I cried :*(  I realized that that necklace meant more to me than anything.  I have charms from different races.  Races that came with many, many memories.  With my necklace gone I felt lost and helpless.  I almost called up Scott himself seems how we are practically BFF's now ;)  I hoped that he would have mercy on my soul and tell me to keep one of the necklaces he had sent for the giveaway. 

Here is my necklace way back when I first got it.

I racked my brain trying to figure out what had happened to my beloved necklace!  I am quite OCD, on certain things, and I always put my jewelry in the same place...ALWAYS!  I thought of a place to look while driving home from Costco, just to come home and be disappointed not to find it.  I nearly cried AGAIN!  I finally decided to look in a piece of our luggage we had taken to San Fran.  I was sure I had seen it since then but figured it was worth a shot.  And lo an behold I found it!!  I was so happy that I shouted with joy and hugged my little necklace with all my might.  I shined it all up and it is beautiful again :) SEE.

Each charm has special meaning to me.  I got the chain, 26.2, run and stone at the Utah Valley Marathon Expo in 2011.  You can read all about the race HERE!

A week later I added the Ragnar symbol, race recap HERE.  I bought the charm before my first leg of Ragnar and will wear it as a badge of honor for surviving that miserable race ;)

Holly gave me the ultra charm for my birthday right after my "Ultra Ragnar" you can read about that HERE.

While at Ragnar Holly and I talked to Scott about getting a Boston charm, for THIS race!

See all the charms have precious memories attached to them, I treasure my necklace.  I also have cute little runner girl earrings that Holly gave me.  Next on my list is one of their super cute rings, check them out on their website.

So like I said I have 2 necklaces to give away, so get busy.  You know the drill right?!?

Like Scott James Jewelry on Facebook HERE!

Go to their website and tell me your very favorite thing.

Share this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter or your blog!

Be sure to leave a comment below for each thing that you do.

Before I recap the giveaways I have a dumb Steph moment to share.  I just went to pick my kids up from gym and I walked past a fellow, he said "what's up?"  To which I said "good!"  Ha ha ha, what a dorkus! 

Don't forget there is still time to enter some of the giveaways.

On the 10th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a Scott James necklace. Ends 24th.

On the 9th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a stocking full of GU. Ends 23rd.

On the 8th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a Twete Bird headband. Ends 22nd.

On the 7th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...$20 to Yogurtland.

On the 6th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a Handful brazier.

On the 5th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...4 FREE meals to Costa Vida.

On the 4th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a bottle of Sportlegs.

On the 3rd day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...Good2Go protein bars. 

On the 2nd day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a pair Pro Compression. 

On the 1st day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...Terra Miaaaaa.

And the winner of $20 to Yogurtland is...

Coupon PersonDecember 20, 2012 1:18 PM

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Congrats!!  Email me (kyt1976@gmail.com) and I'll mail you your prize :)

Nike Women's Marathon 2012

I'm going to start by saying that I had read up on this race and most of what I had read was negative.  I don't get people is all I can say, there was not one negative thing about this entire experience!  We decided to go to the expo on Thursday to try and avoid the long lines that I had read about.  We got there, snapped a quick picture and quickly got our bibs etc.  We didn't have to wait in line at all!!  I thought the expo was great, it was small compared to Boston. Then again the race was put on by Nike so of course they wouldn’t have a bunch of other companies there trying to promote their stuff…makes perfect sense to me!!

They had a HUGE hamster wheel so what's not to like...you tell me?!?

We got some free stuff and were off to explore the beautiful city!  We went to NikeTown and found our names on "the wall!"  Yay, I made the wall...I didn't make the Boston poster and I still haven't gotten over it!

Kenna's "Blue Steel" in NikeTown!

Sunday morning we left plenty early and got to the starting line at about 5 a.m.  We weren’t sure what traffic would be like and didn’t want to take any chances.  At about 6:30 or so we took our drop bags to the buses, which I thought was VERY organized, they put a sticker on my bib saying exactly where my bag would be at the finish line.

WOW, I'm super greasy...it's cool to be greasy trust me!!

26,000 people all lined up was quite the sight!  The first mile we were barely moving, I believe we had a 9:00 minute mile :/, then I saw a couple of people running on the side walk.  I decided they were brilliant and did the same thing.  We ran through the city for a mile or so and then we were down by the Piers.  We ran past Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghirardelli Square.  This is where it started getting really exciting.  Hill after hill, after hill, after hill and then guess what?  More hills!!!  I would say my hill training definitely paid off.  While everyone else was walking or huffing and puffing up the hills Holly and I ran up with no problem at all.

I wish I would have ran with my camera because I can’t even come close to describing the beauty that surrounded us.  It was a very misty, foggy morning!  PERFECT running weather!!!!  The runner’s, and the hills, disappeared into the fog and it looked AWESOME!  It was actually pretty nice not to see how huge the hill was that we were about to climb.  Some of the hills seemed to never end.  The race directors were so smart because there always seemed to be an amazing cheer section on all of the hills.  They were a great distraction and really got us going. 

We ran near China Beach which is where we went exploring a few days earlier.  The houses in this area are AMAZINGLY huge and wonderful.  It was uphill, of course, but I didn’t care because I loved looking at the houses.

Yep, we ran right up that hill!

This picture brings me much joy so I wanted to share!

I felt great the first 10 or so miles and then I started to feel a little crampy.  If you are a man you can skip this paragraph.  Of all the relatives that I wanted to come on this trip with us the only one who showed up was my “Aunt Flo!”  I hate that woman!!!!  I really needed to go to the bathroom and thought that if I did maybe I would feel better.  I stopped really fast and then we were off.  I was feeling much better. 

At about mile 11 the half marathoners split off, that seemed to be a HUGE chunk of the runners which was really nice.  At most races after about mile 3 or so it starts to spread out and you find the people who are your pace.  Until mile 11 it was very crowded.  This is also where my legs started to feel a little weird.  The uphill/downhill running was starting to wear on me.

Mile 13 was for Kobe!!!  We were in Golden Gate Park, I felt like I was in another land!  It was BEAUTIFUL!  Actually the ENTIRE race was gorgeous!  If I ever started to feel tired or weak I just had to look up and take in my surroundings.  I seriously enjoyed every second of this race!

I'm not sure, do you think I was excited to see my cute family?!?  What a DORK!!

At around mile 14 or 15 we saw our families…YAY!!!  That was just the boost I needed to keep going!  Holly was having some tummy troubles so we decided to stop for another bathroom break.  By this point we knew we weren’t going to be setting any records so we figured we may as well be comfortable and enjoy it.

See that windmill in the back...AWESOME!  I had to get a picture of it...now I just need to crop my ugly mug out of it :)

At about mile 17 we ran past a cheer section with cheerleaders from one of the colleges.  They were cheering a bit and then I yelled something and they really got going.  It was so fun to have them there. 

Holly had her phone and snapped a picture of said cheerleaders :)

The next few miles looped around a lake/golf course.  It was a looooong loop but I knew at the end of it we were on the home stretch.  This is also where McKenna’s mile 19 was.  I’m so glad she picked one of these later miles where I really needed to get my mind off of what I was doing. 

At mile 22.50 I started wondering if my little leggies were going to hold up.  The entire last half of the race my heart rate was low, I had great energy but my legs DID NOT want to listen to me.  I kept telling myself that I could go faster, I wasn’t feeling weak or tired at all.  It was just that my legs felt non-existent!!  I tried pumping my arms faster hoping that my legs would follow but nothing seemed to work.  I finally decided to just suck it up and be happy that I was still running…along the ocean. 

We knew we were getting close and I just prayed that my legs wouldn’t give out on me!  I felt exactly like this…

Yes, that would sum up EXACTLY how my legs felt!  I think those ladies are awesome but I can't help but laugh my head off everytime I see this.

Mile 25 was for Jake so I just kept chugging along…no walking, or crawling, was allowed!!

We saw the finish line and our cute little families!  We crossed the line in 3:45:08 (my Garmin said 3:40 without the bathroom breaks), not my fasted marathon by a long shot but then again I wasn’t running downhill like in all Utah races.  The WINNER finished in 2:59 which made me feel better about my time.  We got our Tiffany necklace from a Firefighter in a Tuxedo…well hello there handsome ;)

He told me I earned this...

Hmmm, not only handsome but smart ;)

(This is a disclaimer for Jake...I don't really think he was all that so don't go get all jealous on me ;)

The finish area was beyond awesome!  We grabbed a bagel and banana, got our drop bag and tried to find our families.  Holly and I were stretching a little when I stumbled down a few stairs, I don’t know how I saved myself from certain death ;) I could barely walk straight.  I’m sure it was quite a sight!!!

We found our families and saw that Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan were getting their awards.  YES, I ran with Olympians!!! 

We found the chocolate milk by the “stretching” tent!  I'm glad they got the memo that I MUST.HAVE.CHOCOLATE MILK!!!  So awesome, they had a lady leading stretching/yoga.  They had tons of foam rollers too, we wanted to join in but there wasn’t much room and we had families waiting to get on with the day.   We ended up walking about 5-6 miles in the afternoon which I’m sure helped work out some of that lactic acid.  I am sore but I thought it was going to be much worse.      

I LOVED everything about this race, I LOVE San Francisco and I LOVE my family for coming with me to explore a new city!  I’m so grateful that I was able to train for and run this race with Holly!  This was by far my favorite race that I’ve done and I would do it every year if I could!

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?

     

How To Properly Prep For 20 Miles!

Do you want to know how to properly get ready for a 20 mile run???  I thought you would.  First, after your workout for the day you do the P90X Stretch DVD.  I desperately wanted to share my favorite part of this DVD but with all the laws and such I wasn't sure I could do such a thing.  If you have the P90X videos, PLEASE for everything holy, put one in and watch the little thing at the end of the workout.  There are people talking about being a BeachBody Coach and some kind of nonsense.  Watch for the buff man who says he wants to "Have the ability to move large shrubbery!" then comes the magic.  The little lady who does a HILARIOUS laugh :D  Oh, how it brings me such joy!  If you don't have access to these I am truly sorry because you are missing out.  I do the DVD just to see my favorite funny lady at the end and YES I do wait for it EVERY TIME!!

If you can you go to Holly's house to do the DVD because she mixes you up a special concoction...Nuun and Zip Fizz!  I love the benefits of Nuun but lets be honest...it's gross!  Mix it up with some Zip Fizz and it's not to shabby!

After you are done stretching and drinking you go home and take an hour long nap.  Then after being in your disgusting, sweaty, nasty running clothes for hours on end you can finally shower.  I was too tired to shower before, those stretches take a lot out of a girl.

You have to have a chocolate cake donut. this is important so don't skip it...trust me on this one!

Proper carbo-loading is a MUST!  My kids and I went to Brick Oven with a friend.  Our husbands went to Moab and left us husband-less so why not?  We had a great time and the best part was that my garlic bread was perfect!  The salad and pizza were quite delicious as well...and the cookie!

With Jake being out of town I was able to go to bed early without feeling guilty about it and I had my big ol' bed all to myself.  That paired with NyQuil equals a good sleep, almost 9 hours to be exact.  I LOVE sleeping in my compression socks, especially the night before a race or a long run.  I slathered my legs in "Magic Stuff" before bed as well, that stuff is amazing!

This was my last 20 miler before the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco on October 14th.  I am thrilled to the gills to be doing this marathon.  Who wouldn't want a firefighter...in a tuxedo...waiting for them at the finish line with a Tiffany & Co. necklace.  Having Jake and my kids there will be pretty awesome too!  I'm sure Jake doesn't love that our second vacation of the year is for another race, but I sure do appreciate his willingness to come and cheer me on. 

My 20 mile run went pretty well considering that I have had a HORRIBLE cold for the past week.  Other than hacking up a lung every once in a while I felt pretty good. 

While I was out running all over town Papa Mike took my kidlets to breakfast, what a great grandpa!!  Then I got out of the shower to see that McKenna was going on a cleaning spree.  I LOVE when she does that!!  She vacuumed the whole upstairs, steamed the hardwood floors, dusted, wiped down the bathrooms and even cleaned the toilets!  I knew buying her a vacuum at the age of 1 would pay off eventually :)

Man, I have cute kids!  Why did I ever stop having babies?!?  She was so tiny, she only weighed 15 lbs at her 1 year old check up...same with Kobe.  That was just a little side note of nothingness but oh well!  Have a great day!!