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!

Time For A Cleanse!

I’m sure you have all heard about the juice cleanse craz that all the cool kids are doing.  Well, I decided to go ahead and jump on that band wagon.  That’s right, I asked good ol’ Dr. Noodle (AKA Google) all about a one day cleanse.  I came across this website, the complete idiot’s guide…sounds about right.  I chatted with Holly about it, Jorge is big into juicing so we knew he would be excited about it. 

On Saturday Jake, Holly and I headed to Costco to purchase oodles of fresh fruits and veggies.

There's more, I just couldn't get it all in the shot.

Jake was going to participate but decided on the way to Costco that it wasn't really going to do him any good.  My reason for doing said cleanse was to reset myself.  I have had lots of horrible sugar cravings and Big Mac Attacks as of late and I wanted to flush all the bad out and start fresh.  I thought a day full of vitamins and nutrients would do me good.  It would set me up to start eating a bit cleaner.  Jake had no intention on changing his eating habits so why bother.  I think he actually changed his mind at least 15 times in about a 30 second time frame, if you think I'm kidding I'm NOT!

I woke up Sunday to this lovely message.

I drank my glass of warm HOT lemon water, I burned my flipptiy flappin' tongue, and headed on down to the Garcia residence.

Juice numero uno consisted of carrots, red bell pepper, celery, romaine lettuce, the juice of one lemon and a Fuji apple.  All I could taste was the bell pepper for.the.rest.of.the.day!!!

I had to suck down my juice quite quickly which made for a not happy tummy.  

I was SUPER full when Holly texted beckoning me down to make my lunch time juice.  I thought being that juice #2 was only grapes and strawberries that I would like it.  5 cups of grapes and 15 strawberries=not too great.  It was way too sweet.  I forced myself to drink about half of it but that was all I could handle.  I would surely barf had I finished the thing.  I put the remaining juice in the fridge thinking I would finish it later.  Well friends, later never came.

YUCK!

I went to church even though I was VERY nauseous.  It was the Primary program otherwise I would have stayed home.  I decided I would stay until Kobe did his part and then I would leave.  You know when your mouth gets all watery right before you throw up???  Gross, I know, but that was happening pretty much the whole hour I was at the church house.  I thought I was going to lose it a few times.  Thankfully, I made it through the first hour, just barely, then I zipped on home. 

Holly texted me a little while later saying that she was home and had juice #3 ready for me.  The mere thought of drinking one more ounce of juice made me sick.  I sauntered down to her house and told her that I was DONE!  

I felt like I had the stomach flu, I never threw up but man did I come close.  I knew I would be spending most of the day in the bathroom but I did not sign up for the nausea.  I wanted to be cleansed to an extent but this was taking things a little too far.

Out of four 32 ounce juices I made it through 1 and a half #FAIL.  I guess it wasn’t really a fail because what I did drink definitely cleaned me out. 

I ate some toast, oatmeal and a pear and that was that.  I woke up feeling great!  Will I do it again? The verdict is still out on that.  Did it do what I wanted it to?  I suppose it did and then some, colonoscopy anyone ;)  Do I want to go home and have some juice?  NO freaking way!! I’m glad I didn’t snatch up the Jack LaLanne juicer I was scoping out on KSL.  Jorge has a Jack LaLanne Juicer which is what we used and it is AMAZING!

I will say that if you have any interest in doing a cleanse, do it the right way.  Make your own juice with nothing added.  There are lots of cleanses you can buy but doing it this way is cheaper and #awesomerawness! 

Now I will make better choices when it comes to what I stuff in my pie hole.  I will also be sure to order these right quick!!  All those vitamins have made me so smart...obviously!

I LOVE!!!

You can use promo code CHV and get yourself some for 40% off but hurry because inventory is limited and this offer expires September 30, 2013.  Go to ProCompression.com and get some quick!!  You can also get sleeves in the chevron design.

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!

Steph's 8 Steps to Recovery!

It has been almost 3 weeks since I started PT and I have now been allowed to run 4 times.  I am up to 33 minutes of a run/walk.  It’s short but wonderful.  I was able to do a 15 minutes routine at the gym yesterday and I was on cloud 9 all day.  Today was the BIG 33 minuter and it was nothing short of AWESOME! 

I pretty much felt like Kobe after my run!!

It’s amazing what a tiny run can do for ones outlook on life!  My last injury lasted for 4 and half months and it was MISERABLE!!!!  

This is how I felt every time I saw a runner on the street during my first injury, wanted to punch them in the throat!  I've been a lot less hostile this time:)

I thought I would give you some pointers on having a speedy recovery if heaven forbid you ever get injured.  These are not  USAFT, FDA, RDA or FDIC approved just Steph approved, you’re welcome!

Step 1:  Admitting that you have a problem.  I think as a runner it’s hard to admit that you are injured.  Luckily, for me both of my injuries have come on with no warning at all, I just woke up one morning and I was broken.  I think a lot of runners ignore things until they too wake up one morning unable to run.

Step 2:  Cry yourself a river, build a bridge and get over it and REPEAT!!  This weekend was especially

emotional but things are looking up so hopefully the breakdowns will lessen.

Step 3:  Make an appointment with a doctor of the Sports Medicine, this is an important step that I think a lot of people skip.  They will determine if an x-ray, MRI, CT scan or pregnancy test is needed.  You don’t want to assume physical therapy can fix you…they can’t fix broken bones, just for your FYI ;)

Step 4:  Rest
             Ice-like it’s your job. 

             Compress-PRO COMPRESSION BABY. 

             Elevate-I’m not so good at this one, who has time to lay around?!?  Not me! 

  I have this fancy ice pack…you should get one!

I can just strap it on my calf and go about my business.

I have been living in my Pro Compression socks.  I wear them to the gym every single day, wear them to work on occasion (I need to get some sleeves, sometimes neon socks just don’t go with my work outfits…IDK)  I slather my angry little legs in Deep Blue each and every night and slip on some Pro Compression.  Then I sleep with my ice pack on my calf, it’s really mad!!!

Step 5:  Go to physical therapy A LOT!  I have gone every day since June 27th and notice changes almost daily.

Step 6:  Be obedient!  If the PT says not to run maybe you should listen.  If you finish your prescribed workout STOP.  Yesterday I left myself just enough time to do what I was told.  I felt great and of course wanted to keep going but alas it was time to go.

Step 7:  Massage.  I need to get massages more often, I think massage is HUGE in recovery.  I get a massage each day at PT but I should really schedule myself a session at Jorge’s House O’ Pain!

Step 8:  Cross train.  I have been doing the spin bike and the elliptical.  I used to despise the elliptical but decided that if you concentrate REALLY hard you can indeed get a good workout on the old ski machine.

Last but certainly not least avoid chiropractors at the finish line of races.  If you don’t know anything about them for heaven’s sake don’t let them touch you!!!!  I’m 99.9% sure that had I not let that whack a doo smack me around that I would be fine right now…’nuf said!

Now go back up to Step 4 section C.  I know I talk about Pro Compression fort knightly but seriously get cha’ some!  Right now they are having a HUGE sale.  Head on over to ProCompression.com and use promo code JULY for 40% off EVERYTHING!  You also get FREE shipping!  The socks are awesomesauce…FAAAAACT!  They also have running visors and sweet hats.  Jake has a PC hat and loves it!  Get on it peeps, the sale ends August 4th!  I think I’ll pick myself up some of the new retro stockings!!  Happy shopping!

Here are just a few of my Pro Compression stocking all hung in a row to dry.
 I am told that there will be a PT graduation this week, YAAAAY!! 

I love going for the entertainment but would love to be done and back out running about the town with my RBFF.  Baby steps Stephanopolis, baby steps!  Perhaps the retro socks will be my graduation gift!

Freedom Run (Walk)10K!

I don’t know if you are aware of this or not but Pro Compression’s 4th of July socks have healing powers!!  It’s true, I would never tell a lie AND you are reading it on the Internet machine so it much be true.  I know this post is a wee bit late but what can I say, I’ve been busy.

As you may or may not know, I assume only Holly (because I pay her) and Jake (because I make him) read this but just in case I will explain some things.  Ever since Mr. Whack A Doo Chiropractor karate chopped me I have been injured.  I made a doctor’s appointment with Dr. Weenig where he took x-rays and  assured me that nothing was broken.  He figured, without doing an MRI, that I had some angry tissue around my calcaneus and that a bit of physical therapy would do me good.  I headed up to Steve Orrocks office for a visit.  We worked out a fine deal and I have gone to PT every day since June 27th. 

Steve suggested that I wear a boot to give my muscles etc. some rest so I could heal.  On Monday July 1st I asked Steve how he felt about me walking the Freedom Run 10K.  He said with the right tape job I should be fine, although he did think me a bit crazy for wanting to walk that far.  After much thought I decided to walk the 10K in my boot.  I could walk A LOT faster in the boot with a lot more comfort.  It seemed safer to me.

I had three reasons for wanting to do this “race” so badly.  First, Kobe decided to do the 10K with Kaden.  Although I would have rather run with the boy child, I was happy to at least be able to see him a couple of times.

Second, I had the perfect shirt to wear.  Holly gave me this cute lil’ tank for my birthday.

Third, I got fancy and magical stockings from Pro Compression.

Holly, Kaden, Kobe and I got to the starting line early.  Once we got the kids all settled Holly and I started walking.  YES, Holly is the bestest RBFF ever and chose to walk the race with me rather than run.  She has also been getting some physical therapy which has made it quite entertaining, we really bring the party to Orrock and Mendenhall Physical Therapy.  We knew it was going to take a long time to walk it so we gave ourselves a head start, we didn’t want the kids waiting around at the finish line forever.

When we got to the parade route we waited for the race to catch us.  We got to see the leaders which was super exciting.  We also got a picture with these fine looking super heroes.

If you ever want to feel like a superstar/celebrity walk a race with a boot on.  I got so many people commenting on how amazing it was that I was doing the race in a boot, people are easily impressed is all I can say.  Although it wasn’t too bad getting the cheers ;)  So in addition to wearing a tutu and fancy stockings add a boot to your ensemble and you will get more cheers than the girl running in underpants with stars stuck on her butt...okay maybe not!  

At about mile 4 Kaden and Kobe caught up to us and man they were cute.

Kobe's cute little smile reminds me of every picture taken of me on my first marathon!

We took a bit of a short cut near the State Hospital so that we could see our cute boys again.

By the last mile the metal bar on my boot was digging into my leg which was not so comfortable.  My ankle felt great, my leg not so great.  We finished, found Kobe and Kaden and walked to our parade spot.  We walked 7.5 miles in all.  Kobe and Kaden had a great time and decided that they want to train for and do a half marathon, they are awesome!

The darndest thing happened next, wait for it…I woke up the next day HEALED!!!  Okay, maybe I wasn’t completely healed but I could walk without a limp.  I'm pretty sure those 4th of July Pro Compression socks be magical :)  I hadn't walked without a limp for 2 whole weeks.

Steve didn't see that coming, he said so himself.  Although I am still on the mend and continuing to visit Steve Orrock and friends daily I am getting better every day and have hope that I will be running again in no time.  If you are ever in need of a physical therapist call Steverino, he himself is an athlete and won't pull any of this "stop running" crap that PT's love to pull.  Everyday is a party at PT, not only is Steve a barrel of fun but so is his staff.  It also helps that Holly gets to join me everyday, you know you have a true RBFF when you are injured at the same time.  Holly has some angry muscles that are causing her some grief but she is still able to run.

Maybe these stockings have magical powers too, hmmmmm?  

You can get some for 40% off with promo code TUBE.  These retro socks are the bomb.diggity.  You can order some HERE!

One more thing, I am in LOVE with Duck Dynasty!  Totally random but I have it on right this very minute and I just can't get enough of it.  If you have yet to experience Duck Dynasty PLEASE do me a favor and watch it NOW!