Ogden Marathon 2012

So let's back up. Back up to May, to be exact. In between those two sweet spring babies was a marathon. I ran the Ogden marathon alongside Anna and Charlotte - #2 for all of us. The experience has been numbed a bit since it was a few months ago. I really wish I had written everything down right after. Lesson learned.

Here's the rundown. We were chatty on the bus ride up - half nerves and half excitement. Okay probably more nerves than anything else. I had gotten about 3 hours of sleep at best, so I was worried about having enough energy to crank out 26.2 miles. As with St. George, the bus ride up to the starting line seemed to go on forever and ever ... and all I could think was how I needed to run it the entire way back. But we eventually pulled up and headed to join the crazy long lines to the porta potties.

We barely made it through the porta potty line before the gun went off. Guess that stress was a good way to get my heart rate up and going for the race. We were herded along with everyone else across the starting line and then ... GO. Overall we kept a pretty decent pace. It was a bit quicker than what we trained at, but I was feeling so set on coming in under 4 hours that I didn't care.

Forgive me if this middle part is less than descriptive for actually being about 4 hours long, but in my mind it all kind of blurs together. The weather was great and the course were beautiful. I expected that considering I grew up in the area, but while running I was able to really look around and take it all in. The way the light was hitting all of the grass and farmland was pretty awesome and created a bit of a distraction every now and again.

Around mile 13, my fear became a reality: that familiar and dreaded IT band zing in my outer knee. But not just my left knee this time ... both of them. BOTH! Not funny. It was stabbing pain with every step I took, but what was I supposed to do? I stopped for a minute to readjust my IT band band (That name sounds weird. It's gotta have a real name, right? It's not just something that sounds like a stutter.) I said a few pretty fervent (probably more desperate)  prayers and tried my best to focus on something else. Anything else. Cut to mile 18 - the pain had gradually dulled enough that I no longer wanted to trip just so I could sit down and make the pain stop. Happy!

I love Anna's halfhearted thumbs up in the right hand photo. And I also love that if you pretend I'm not running, it almost looks like I'm doing a Richard Simmons dance move. See, friends who think I don't dance? Don't blink or you might miss it. 

Anyway. So we kept running. And then we ran some more until we were on the last stretch of the race. And that last little bit felt like the longest stretch eeeevvveer. Grant Avenue basically never ends. As much as I love my dear Ogden, I've never hated that street more in my life. Did you know that there are pretty much no trees along that stretch? Very few trees. No shade. Just a hot, wide, barren street speckled with delirious runners. I so wanted someone to just run up and dump water over my head Superbowl style.

Somehow, the stretch got smaller and the chutes finally appeared. Running through them I found our cheering section! Almost my entire family, some awesome friends, and then Shanna again (Shanna has some strange magical power to appear at random spots throughout the course when you least expect it. It's pretty great.) 

Seeing everyone gave me more energy and helped me make it through that last little bit without tripping across the finish line (a genuine fear of mine). FINISHER! I came in at 3:58 (under 4!). We were all able to beat our PRs and walked away happy about that.

Shanna's killer signs

Some of my cheering squad

With St. George I was plagued with post-race blisters. I'm happy to report that this wasn't the case with Ogden! HOWEVER. This time around those blisters were replaced by a few blackened toenails. 1 3/4, to be exact. I'm hoping those little suckers can hold on throughout summer and decide to fall off sometime around winter when I won't need them to look as presentable for others. I'm including a photo, but keeping it small so you don't have to see all of my scary looking toenails.

 ** Funny story about those scary looking toes: When they first turned black I thought it was so funny looking. One Sunday I asked Kambri which of my toes is the ugliest. Now, I asked this thinking that, of course, my black toenails would the winners. Right? Kambri surprised me by quickly pointing to my pinky toe and saying, "That one." Dang. Guess I shouldn't ask if I don't want an honest response.

It's been a few months since the race so my IT bands are slowly healing. I won't be running much for the next little bit in hopes of healing faster. I'm thinking about #3, though. Ogden again or maybe Top of Utah. I'm so happy to have discovered such a love for running in the last 3 or 4 years. It's given me a lot of really great experiences and through those experiences I've learned a lot that doesn't even directly relate to running. Three cheers for running!

That being said, Charlotte pretty well summed up the experience with this awesome little ditty:

Well done :)

Yes, I'm sure! I think.

Sayonara chocolate molten lava cake. And raspberry cheesecake. And cookie dough on a spoon. In a little test with ourselves, Anna and I are going off all sweets until the marathon. Actually, it's already happening - I haven't had any treats since Sunday! To some people this is probably called normal eating ... but not this girl. It's not as if I'm eating Reeses and cookies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but I do have a hard time saying no.

So far this week I've said no thanks to dulce de leche cake (that looked AWESOME, by the way), lemon meltaways, chocolate nuggets, cookie dough & brownie cookies, gingersnap cookies, and a few more things that I won't bother to list because it's making me hungry.

Technically this is only for about 1 1/2 months. And let's be realistic - I'd never be able to cut treats out completely. We just booked a cruise for June and my willpower can only hold out for so long. But maybe I'll have more power to say no to mediocre sweets and only settle for quality stuff. And say yes to all sorts of awesome fruit options. The real test will be this weekend when I have to make a cake without eating any of it. If I can pass that test, I think I'm golden! Wish me and my willpower the best of luck.

On your mark ...

I don't want to jinx myself, but I'm running again. And I'm just so excited I could jump up and down ... assuming my legs aren't too tired. I had such a great experience with St. George and I've wanted to run another marathon for awhile now. I signed up for Ogden last year, but had some lingering IT band issues that seemed to love me a whole lot more than I loved them. So I began stretching and then stretching some more. Babying it. Becoming BFFs with my foam roller. Apprehensively testing it out over and over again with 3-4 milers, which usually ended in pain and disappointment. And having to spend even more time with my nemesis -- the elliptical. I am the only one who hates that machine? It's Awful with an actual capital A.

I started thinking that maybe long distance running just wasn't in the cards for me again. But here's the thing: without a good goal for exercise, I'm useless. I can come up with just about every excuse in the book. I've proven to myself that I always feel good after a workout, yet I can still convince myself that an hour of The Bachelor (shame on me) or grazing through Ikea will produce the exact same effect. Yes, something intimidating like a marathon is what I need to shove me into a routine. Not to mention how great I felt while training for St. George. I want that again.

Are you feeling like this woman yet? If so, sorry! You have my blessing to stop reading now. I try not be one of those annoying people who think you're just dying to hear about the size of their running blisters or what crazy stuff the wrong kind of gu does to their body. Rest assured I won't ever burn such knowledge into your brain. The less gross material people have to blackmail me with the better.

And now back to rruuuunning! (It helps if you read that in a sing-song voice). So what to do about that pesky IT band, huh? Well, I went back to the physical therapist, stretched a million times more, tried a few new strengthening things, said a few prayers, and here I am - 2 months in and so far so good. I'm doing a few things differently this time around, namely more strength training, some yoga, etc. I'm continually worried about injuring myself, but all I can do is be as careful as I can. My fingers are tightly crossed that I can make it make it through training injury-free, because if not I have unpleasant visions of having to spend the rest of my workout life on that bleeping elliptical. No thanks. I'll need to take it slower, so I've decided to forgo being concerned with time at all - just get across that finish line without limping. The quietly competitive side of me will have to stuff it and just enjoy the fine scenery.

And so here we are. Running. And stuff. Stuff like listening to some great music while running. I have no doubt that when I get up into my higher mileage I'll start listening to Stuff You Missed in History Class or This American Life (both highly recommended) and some mellow stuff. Anything over 15 miles and my mind starts screaming for something different. But until then - some old songs, some new songs ... working wonders. So for anyone looking for a few song suggestions, here are some that have been great for me:

• What the Water Gave Me - Florence + the Machine
• We Found Love - Rihanna
• Hurricane - 30 Seconds to Mars
• Punching in a Dream - The Naked & Famous
• Sandstorm - Darude
• Paradise - Coldplay
• Strobe - deadmau5
• Princess of China - Coldplay & Rhianna
• Ramalama (Bang Bang) - Roisin Murphy 
• Paradise (techno remix) I can't find the right link for this! I'll update it when I do ... cause it's pretty great
• Sleepyhead - Passion Pit
  
• Turn Me On - David Guetta feat Nicki Minaj
• Rapture - iiO
• Young Blood - The Naked & Famous
• 300 Violin Orchestra - Jorge Quintero
• Some Chords - deadmau5
• Titanium - David Guetta feat Sia 
• Stereo Love - Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina
• Stronger - Kelly Clarkson
• Eyes - Kaskade feat Mindy Gledhill
• Rocketship 2010 - Shiny Toy Guns
• Helena Beat - Foster the People
• What You Know - Two Door Cinema Club
• Mr. Saxobeat - Alexandra Stan
• Slip - deadmau5
• Cosmic Love - Florence + the Machine
• Exogenesis Symphony (1, 2, & 3) - Muse 

To sum up, I like to run. And I'm hoping to do it more without injury. And because I'm a bit superstitious, I'll going to end this post with a hearty KNOCK ON WOOD. No really, I'm actually knocking on wood right now. I'll give you a virtual high-five if you'd do the same for me!

Aprilandstuff

My poor neglected blog. If it weren’t for my Photo of the Week it pretty much wouldn’t exist. It’s just that my mind is racing everywhere. Thinking of all the things I want to learn, see, read, photograph. The time I want to commit to my family, building certain qualities, reaching goals. HOW TO GET MYSELF TO DRINK 8 STUPID GLASSES OF WATER EVERY DAY. Followed by wondering how to make it all happen and how to do it all perfectly on the very first try (yeah right!). Patience has never been my strong suit and I’m trying to teach myself to slow down and not become discouraged. I’m not the only one who feels like this but I often wonder how some people make it all look so easy. Piece by piece, I’m guessing. Paaaatttiiieennnce, Jess. But in spite of my jumbled mind, April really was a good month. Highlights (documented though Instragram, of course. So convenient!):

I took a calligraphy class. Not the Old English kind, but the Copperplate style with the intent to kinda do my own thing as soon as I get the basics down. It’ll be worth it just to address my own envelopes and make them pretty and unique, which I guess means I’ll be looking for excuses to mail things. Also: Gift tags! Labels! Logos! Invitations! Endless pretty possibilities. Practice, practice, practice ...

We went horseback riding for Michelle’s birthday. My horse fear: stumbling, falling, and being trapped underneath. Ironically enough, my horse (Roanie) was older and seemed a bit lazy about picking his feet up off the ground at times. Bad Roanie. Cue random stumbling and my racing heart. I thought we were going down more than once. 

We took a random little trip out to the Salt Flats and ended up in Wendover for dinner. That makes two times I’ve been there this year. My Wendover quota is officially full. No offense, Wendover Will. It's just that I can only handle you in small doses.

ALSO: Charlotte had a birthday, my Five Guys hamburgers cravings have been hitting with full force, I still have the cutest nieces and nephews around, really started liking this show (am I super late to the bandwagon?), the spring rain has smelled really great, I found my newest favorite workout song as well as my newest favorite cool down song, and I killed it with the last three People magazine crosswords puzzles. Successful month, I'd say.

And still three more days of April left ... anything could happen.

... and then I ran for a really long time.

Anyone else feel like time is just flying by and disappearing without even asking? I meant to post this last week but as per usual, life happens. How rude. (Eww. Olsen twins Full House flashback….)

Okay so St. George Marathon. I DID IT! Over the last couple months I’ve talked to pretty much everyone I know who runs, desperately trying to glean all the experience I possibly could. I heard first marathon horror stories, success stories, embarrassing stories, etc etc. A pretty broad spectrum. And it seemed that those first experiences weren’t always directly tied to the runner’s preparation for the race. I can honestly say that I tried my hardest to put my time in and stay on track with my training. I’m not the fastest runner or the most experienced runner, but I sure tried. Hard. And so with that I was confident that I could at least finish. Possibly hanging on by a very thin thread, but finish nonetheless. But it was those other unknown variables that kept my mind swirling. The weather. How my body would react if I tried the gels/bars they were passing out. WHAT IF I SLIP ON AN ORANGE PEEL AND FALL? (Oh wait, almost really did that)

Well, I can gratefully say that this first marathon was a really good one. Great, in fact. And I feel so lucky for that because I know that isn’t always the case. It was sunny, the atmosphere was (of course) exciting, and things just seemed to fall into place. Let’s just say that one very appreciative prayer was said on Saturday night.

Here’s my rundown. This is definitely longer than what I generally post so I’ll have to ask you and your attention span to please indulge me.

We got down to St. George on Friday evening and stopped by the expo to pick up my packet. Talk about intimidating. Everyone looked so elite and I couldn’t help but think how much I didn’t fit in. But everyone now and again I’d see a “normal” looking person like myself and instantly feel relieved. See? We can do it too! After the expo and a quick trip to Walmart we settled in for the night. Too bad “settling in” didn’t really entail too much sleep considering my nerves were eating away at me. Finally I decided to just get up, get ready, and get myself in line for the bus.

On the bus ride up I sat next to a man who looked like he’d done this a thousand times. The whole drive he was taking down a ginormous sub sandwich. Sheesh. If I had tried to eat an entire sub sandwich right before the race there would be guaranteed puke by mile 3. We rode through the city which was pretty alive for that time of morning. Then we made a turn toward the canyon and the city lights disappeared. As we went further up all I could see in the pitch black was the steady stream of buses up ahead of us. It was almost eerie but slightly pretty, much like my lightening bug Panamanian bus ride last year. Yet the feeling that we were all doing this together gave me an odd sense of comfort.

We were greeted at the top by spotlights and TONS of people. I got off the bus and headed straight for the porta potty lines, knowing they would be ridiculously long and there wasn’t much time before the gun went off. I chose a random line and was surprised to find my roommate, Charlotte, right in front of me. What are the chances? I’m still convinced it wasn’t coincidence. We were able to talk and stretch together which helped calm both our nerves. I had done the majority of my long runs alone and had intended to run the marathon on my own as well, but having someone to start with sounded nice.

We were barely through the line when the gun went off. We rushed up to the crowd and made our way to the starting line. We threw our jackets off to the side, hugged each other goodbye, and started our longest run yet. For the first 3 or 4 miles we yoyo-ed back and forth with each other until we randomly fell into the same comfortable pace. Having never actually run together it was strange for it work out as it did (we ended up running the entire race together which is something that helped us both a quite a bit).

It was really pretty up there. I took water and Gatorade every chance I could and just kinda got into a groove. The sunrise hit at about mile 8 (?) which was definitely a sight to see. About mile 12 or 13 my left IT band starting tinging a little and my right hip flexor tightened up. Not ideal but I did kind of expect it at some point. I could also feel my toes start to curl around the top of my orthotics which I knew would mean blisters. This hadn’t happened in my previous long runs so it was kind of a surprise. But I was able to focus on other things and forget about it for the most part. By about mile 16 I had had enough of my waist pack and decided to carry my gels and throw my pack to Charlotte’s family when we saw them next. And by mile 18 or 19 this was us:

I was surprised by how good I felt. Maybe it was race day excitement. Maybe it was running with someone (did I make training harder on myself than it needed to be??) But no matter – we were feeling good.

By about mile 22 I saw my parents on the side of the road – fresh with some flat Coke to give me a little more energy for those last 4 miles. My awesome dad had agreed to run that last bit with me so he jumped in at this point (I know, I know – frowned upon by officials. But it helped.) And so we went – finally making our way down to St. George. And can I just say how awesome all the spectators were? There were people lined up all along the road cheering us on. Sometimes they’d even call us by name which startled me every time until I remembered that our names were on our bibs. There were even a few misters on the side of the road to run through which felt more refreshing than I can even tell you.

My “wall” snuck up on me when we hit St. George, yet by some miracle I kept moving. I’m continually surprised by how much of running really is mental.

I didn’t know the route that well so every corner we turned I hoped I would spy the finish line. But it seemed that we kept turning and turning. AND TURNING. Until that final turn when I saw the banner of balloons. By this point I was so ready to be done so I pulled some extra ummp out of somewhere (still not sure where) and just went for it. The sooner I crossed that finish line the sooner I could stretch out my aching muscles, right? My dad left the course right before the chutes but I could still hear him cheering me on as he ran on the side. I looked to my left and saw my brother and his cute family holding up signs and cheering me on.

And then the finish line. Can I just tell you what an amazing feeling it was to cross that line? To know that all of my hard work had paid off and I had just run my very first marathon. 26.2 MILES! And with a final time of 4:05:54! My goal had been to get 5 hours or slightly under so to see that as my finish time made me one happy girl (with some very achy quads). 

My only “battle wounds” were a sore IT band and some blisters on my feet. Not bad. I keep getting asked if I cried when I crossed the finish line. I was close, but no tears. But you know what did in fact get me teary eyed? (everyone get out your Kleenexes) All the support I got from family and friends. Some of my family came down to support me and those who couldn’t come made it clear they really wished they could be there. I had countless friends who were so thoughtful to send me good luck phone calls, text messages, emails, Facebook messages. And then afterwards to see how it all went. I was a bit overwhelmed by just how many people took the time to remember and cheer me on. I’m definitely a lucky girl.

And there you have it. St. George Marathon 2010. Not sure if I’m crazy or not, but that following week I signed up for the Ogden Marathon in May 2011. Fitness by fear, right? Here’s to a second as good as the first!

Big Fat July

Oh July ... where did you go? Thanks to you I'm kinda exhausted. Three words sum it up: working | running | camping. Is the absence of "sleeping" screaming at you like it is me? And August isn't exactly looking to be any more restful. Which is fine because c'mon -- it's summer. I've always been partial to spring and fall, but aren't there just a gazillion fantastic things about each season? Except maybe that part of winter (around late February) when I mean seriously, Mother Nature -- enough is enough. But right now we're focusing on SUMMER! Sun! Swimming! Camping! Creamies! Remembering to reapply your sunblock! Excessive use of exclamations!

The 45 second July recap starts ... NOW.

Logan Canyon & Bear Lake

  

Six Lakes

Sunday (birthday!) dinner. With standard Venable water fight.

Make that another round of Logan Canyon & Bear Lake

Another Sunday dinner. Always notable.

And a whole lotta this. ALL. THE. TIME. (Don't let me fool you -- I'm actually liking it. Training by fear is the only way to go.)

And I'm spent. Good night.

Reason #109 why I love my 4-10 work schedule // Part II

Remember this uber-relaxing pool day? Well friends, lesson learned: REAPPLY YOUR SUNSCREEN. How did I let that one slip? Well, I’m usually pretty good with it. Especially since living with Shanna in all of her Utah Cancer Specialists goodness. But this particular Friday it was warm, I was tired, and I got lazy. Not so smart, Jess. Not smart at all.

By that night I swear I was on fire. Radiating heat like never before. I silently prayed for another random June-in-Utah rainstorm (or better yet -- snowstorm?) but nothing. And by the time I woke up the next morning I knew moving around and searching for my aloe was useless considering, well, EVERYTHING HURT. Too dramatic? Maybe. But dramatic seemed in order considering my skin felt like it was eating itself alive.

Weird thing is this: the burn on my legs seemed to fade pretty quickly, but it left behind a friend. Something equally uncomfortable. Something that stole my ankles right out from under me. SWELLING. Considering the burn on my legs seemed fine at that point, I wasn’t sure what was causing the swelling. So Google and I went through some of the possibilities:

• Long airplane flight/road trip? Oh, I wish. Greece or Italy, please.
• Early stage elephantiasis? Um, no thanks.
• Pregnancy? Not that I recall.
• Increased age? Hmm. Maybe?
• Starvation? Certainly not.

After much deliberation (but not really) I decided that it had to be a result of the sunburn. And so my ankles, followed by my feet, continued to grow. Awesome. Every girl’s dream, right? Wrong. Very (very) wrong.

BUT FRIDAY. Glorious, wonderful Friday. For whatever reason my feet decided to come back to me on this day. To let me fit into my running shoes and get back on my training schedule. To let me wear something besides pants in this 90+ heat. To let me look like I still have some femininity left in me.

So, without further ado ....

WELCOME BACK, ANKLES!
I sure missed you. 

I thought about not posting a photo for this ... reasons being: #1 feet are gross and #2 feet are gross. But I'm gonna go ahead and get over it. Plus, what's a post on my blog without a picture?

P.S. Check out those veins! Thanks Marmie ... or better yet, thanks Grandpa Call!

Ready or not!

I'm behind. So it's a good thing I'm not being graded on my blog. Anyway, a few weeks ago this happened:

It was a lot of fun ... even if my fans accidentally missed my victorious finish :)

After some anxious waiting, at the beginning of May I found out we got into the St. George marathon -- my second attempt that will hopefully (fingers TIGHTLY crossed) be injury-free. As I crossed the finish line at the Ogden half I couldn't help but think about how in October this will be my halfway point. HALFWAY. Yeaah ... just go ahead and turn right back around. Oh dear. What am I getting myself into? But then the fear passed and I got excited -- really excited. I might hate it. But I also might LOVE it. And there's only one way to find out ...

Chips + ice cream + gummy bears = ick

So I was in Ogden last Saturday and decided to run at the parkway … just like old times. It started off as an okay run but pretty soon my body started rebelling. This may or may not have been because of my not so smart pre-run decision of eating kettle cooked potato chips and Death by Chocolate ice cream. Hindsight is 20/20. That being said, I need to explain myself. I’m usually pretty smart about eating good stuff when I know my body is going to need it in order to torture itself for a couple hours straight. But I was at my parents’ house. And they sometimes buy potato chips (POTATO CHIPS!) And I’m sorry, but I’d like to see you try resisting something named “Death by Chocolate.” Frankly, my body should be thanking me for not breaking into their food storage and scoring myself a can of cream soda to wash it all down with. Oh and then there were the gummy bears on the drive down to the parkway. I tried to convince myself that they would be of the same value to me as sport beans or gels. Which, for the record, they were not.

Anyway. So there I was. Dragging my poor little potato chip-ice cream-gummy bear filled self down the pathway, hell-bent on getting my allotted mileage for the week. I tried really hard to distract myself so as to stop thinking about collapsing on the nearest grassy spot. I put on all my favorite songs … dreamt about camera lenses … planned out my dream house with pretty shutters and tulips in the front yard (and a hammock) …. but no luck. It was only after I started people watching that I forgot my gnarled stomach. Have you ever people watched at the parkway? Almost as good as the mall (although not nearly as good as the state fair). Pretty sure I saw it all. Examples:

• A man running barefoot. BAREFOOT! I’m told it’s all the rage now, but I’m just not on that bandwagon quite yet. And not to mention running barefoot in a public place? With shards of glass just waiting to git ya? No, but thanks anyway.
• A couple furiously making out on a blanket during their “picnic.”
• Rollerbladers! Each spring I say that this is going to be my rollerblading summer. Maybe it really will be this time.
• Some very unhappy looking runners. Which I suppose isn’t so amusing because that’s probably what I looked like as well.
• A sketchy group of kids huddled together down by the river. Nothing good ever happens with a sentence like that.
• WAAAY too much buttcrack for this time of year. Or ever. I swear it was attacking me from every direction.
• THE BIGGEST DOG OF MY LIFE. Seriously. Freaked me right out.
• All the tweens at the skate/bmx park trying to impress each other with their mad skills. And since when did 11 year olds start wearing skinny jeans? Is it cause of those Jonas boys?
• And. Saving the best for last. I saw a man, locked out of the parkway bathroom, franticly rush to a nearby NOT VERY TALL concrete barrier and do his business. Considering the height of the barrier, the absence of full trees, and the fact that the park was hoppin’ with families enjoying the spring weather … well, I got a kick out of it for sure. The frantic look on his face was pricess. And before you decide that I’m some sort of peeping pervball, I didn’t see a thing. I averted my eyes like any lady should when a stranger nearly pees his pants in front of her.

See? SO much better than worrying if my stomach is going to eat itself alive.

What’s that? You want another pic of cute Easton? Okay I suppose I could do that. For you.

 All together now .... aaaahhhhh. Cute as ever. And holding on tight :)

superpost

I feel like I've been slacking on my blogging. I could come up with a million excuses, but does it really matter? I suppose it's just a blog. Now if I were getting paid to blog … well that’d be a whole different story. But unfortunately I’m not. If only.

Had a great Easter … Venable style complete with air soft guns and raw eggs flying everywhere. This is why my family is the best.


Michelle and I learned how to make chocolate cake IN A MUG IN THE MICROWAVE IN TWO MINUTES. Amazing, right? Slap a little Hershey’s syrup or frosting on there and enjoy. It probably would have been best if we hadn’t discovered such a convenient way to eat so badly.


We ran the Salt Lake Half Marathon and overall it was GREAT. You feel like a rock star running down that last little stretch … everyone cheering, cameras flashing. LOVED IT.


I didn’t realize much I loved running until now …. mostly because this day right here did some damage and now I’m struggling to run. I’m only smiling in this picture because #1 as stated before, I'm a rock star and #2 the pain has subsided because my knee has gone numb. I had injured myself on my long run the week before (Side note: I ran over 14 miles! I was so proud of myself ..) and I think it just needed more recovery time. I’ve been seeing a doctor, doing physical therapy, etc etc but it’s looking like the marathon will probably be on hold until fall (I plan to make a decision after the Ogden half next week so cross your fingers for me!) I’m really bummed/frustrated/disappointed/{insert negative emotion here} about it. But it is what it is so here’s to more pain and training!

We spotted a cockroach scuttling across the kitchen floor. Well, technically I never saw it so the girls could just be making it up to give me nightmares (Which DID happen … two nights in a row. Cockroaches snipping at my toes in bed and scaling down from the ceiling onto my sleeping face). Michelle was kind enough to draw an amazingly realistic picture of it for me:

She is our hero because she exterminated it. With her bare hands. And then the real exterminator came to clean up the rest.

And last but not least – this week is moving week. We’ve found a place that we’re really excited about and it’s go time. Anyone who knows me well is aware that change can be a bit … challenging. Which would probably explain why I’m given so much of it. One of these days it won’t phase me – just wait and see. But the new place is great and guess what? WE HAVE A NICE BACKYARD. WITH TREES. AND A FENCE. It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to say that. I feel like I should hang up a string and dry my clothes on it like Marme did when we were little. And guess what else? To go with that backyard I bought a very pretty stainless steel BBQ on which to grill my pineapple. And I got it for an incredible deal. See? Change has some perks.

denial.

Last Saturday's phone conversation with my brother:

Josh: Hey, whatcha doing?
Me: A little online shopping.
Josh: Oh yeah? What are you looking for?
Me: A hydration pack for my long runs. I need something that I can wear around my waist to carry my water and gels and stuff.
Josh: Oh, so you're buying a fanny pack?
Me: Oh, no no. This is a HYDRATION PACK. It's different. It's for running and stuff.
Josh: So you wear it around your waist to carry things in?
Me: Yeah, my water and gels and stuff. It's gonna come in pretty handy.
Josh: So you wear it around your waist to carry stuff? Just like ... a fanny pack?
Me: NO. See, it's ....
*silence*

Touché. Call it what you want. But my HYDRATION PACK arrived in the mail yesterday and I already love it. So there. I did have my fair share of fanny packs back in the day, though. My faaavorite was this little pink and purple number circa 1992 (ish). I loved its handy little pockets and bright blue zipper.


Next on my shopping list: SHAPELESS SHORTS and RAINBOW SHAPED BANGS.

saving the best for last.

This weekend turned out to be a really great one for a variety of reasons:

#1 On Friday I finally had my shaggy hair trimmed. IT’S ABOUT TIME. It was that awkward length where I feel like it never looks attractive but is necessary to fight through in order to be long again. Lately I’ve been joking about my “mullet” because the back is growing faster than the front. So on Friday afternoon I sit down at the salon, pull off my hat with shame, and laughingly say, “Kim, please help me. I have a mullet.” Kim takes one look and quickly says, “Oh wow. You really do. Yes, we definitely need to fix that.” Oh. I was only half serious about the mullet thing. But apparently there was no need to joke because it was the truth. How long have I been embarrassing myself in public?

#2 That night we took Hilda out to dinner for her birthday. She has an obsession with Olive Garden so of course we ended up there followed by cake and ice cream. Last year I had grand plans of making her a faux hamburger birthday cake (this girl can eat burgers like you wouldn’t believe), but that idea fell flat on its face. So this time around I chose something a little more doable: an Andes mint chocolate cake. Eating chocolate with mint is preferred because it fools your mind into thinking you’re eating something fresh instead of buttery fat. And I got to use my pretty cake stand which was AWESOME. Anyway, Happy Birthday Hilds!




#3 Saturday I had a FANTASTIC long run. Which was a much needed morale boost considering the previous Saturday’s Long Run from Hell. Now to somehow make it 26.2. Pray for me.

#4 Remember this? Well, it finally happened. Definitely the highlight of the weekend (and then some). Everyone give a warm welcome to the handsome Cash Richard Venable!

He arrived on Saturday weighing in at 6 lbs 11 oz and 19 inches long. Isn’t he perfect? I’m so incredibly happy to finally have him with us. And you KNOW this kid is gonna be stellar because he started things off at 19 inches. That’s just good luck.

Can't beat that.

LACE UP YOUR SHOES, HERE'S HOW WE DO

I reeeally hate running outside during the winter. I applaud those who can, but I can't. The cold air makes the spot right behind my ears ache. Then it starts spreading to the rest of my head. Pretty soon all I can focus on is the notion that my head is going to explode at any moment and I just want to fall in the snow and die. Dramatic? Sure. But still not my ideal run. Not to mention that speeding cars + ice + snow = dangerous. So I spend my winter at 24 Hour where it isn’t 21 degrees. I still haven’t purchased a FM attachment for the pretty new iPod Santa brought me so instead of watching TV I rely solely upon music for entertainment. As I’ve been doing my training I put together a workout playlist which I have to say is probably my favorite ... ever. Yes, EVER. (At least until next month)

So for those of you who are looking for new workout music, I present you with my LACE UP YOUR SHOES, HERE’S HOW WE DO playlist. Get ready to have your socks knocked right off. Or not.

• Check Yes Juliet - We The Kings (proud originator of my playlist name)
• Time to Pretend – MGMT
• Kids - MGMT
• You Are the One - Shiny Toy Guns
• That's What You Get – Paramore
• Misery Business - Paramore
• CrushCrushCrush - Paramore
• Fences – Paramore
• Clearly anything Paramore
• Disturbia – Rihanna
• Cemeteries of London – Coldplay (starts out slow but hold tight -- it livens up a bit)
• Forever – Chris Brown
• Show Me What I'm Looking For - Carolina Liar
• Beautiful World – Carolina Liar
• Pretty Girl (The Way) - Sugarcult
• Just Dance - Lady GaGa (just overlook that it’s Lady GaGa and focus on the fact that is has a good beat)
• Pokerface - Lady GaGa (really -- overlook)
• Big Casino – Jimmy Eat World
  

Oh and don’t worry. It doesn’t end there. Once your cardio is done I’ve got a whole other playlist for your cool down and stretching! Oh, wow! You’re so welcome! Lots of unnecessary exclamations!

• Say (All I Need) - One Republic
• Be Still My Heart - The Postal Service
• One of Those Days – Joshua Radin
• Trouble is a Friend – Lenka
• Porcelain – Moby
• Breathe – Angels & Airwaves
• Say it Right – Nelly Furtado
• Cautioners – Jimmy Eat World
• Penelope – Pinback
• Last of Days – A Fine Frenzy

There. I'm always looking for new additions so if you have anything good let me know because in a month I might not dub this playlist as so great anymore.

And in other news: I’m very proud to say that I have stopped picking at my hair. I honestly don’t know how it happened. The day after I wrote my post I had a hair appointment. Usually after I get my hair done I don’t pick at it, but that’s just guilt-driven and always short lived. After that it’s business as usual. But that didn’t happen this time. I haven’t torn my hair apart for nearly a month now. Well I’ll be. Now onto the other MUST DOs …

bright & early saturday morning

We ran the Tour Legacy 5K/10K/bike race on Saturday morning. It was PACKED -- between the three groups there were about 1300 participants. It was really fun and great to be able to run on the Legacy Highway before it opened later that day. Won't be able to do that again without risking my life.

The news stations were there and we were really hoping to be on TV. We even put on our most determined faces when running past the photographers, but as far as I know that didn't help us make the cut. Even with my brightly colored tank top. So this'll have to do for documenting the event. Next time I'll work on running in a more attractive manner.