Welcome Fall

Fall has officially hit Utah and I couldn't be happier about it.

We've had gorgeous weather and the leaves this year have been bright and crisp.

Nothing better than spending Saturday afternoon with my two favorite people in the mountains.

Loved it so much we've done it two weeks in a row.

Saturday Number 1: Little Cottonwood Canyon

Saturday Number 2: Millcreek Canyon

My friend Mary convinced me to run 11 miles down Millcreek Canyon to her house Saturday morning, and I'm SO GLAD I DID.

I've never run down Millcreek and after our excellent run, I'm sold.

I love Millcreek.

(I can't believe I've been missing out on running down that canyon!)

I loved it so much, I dragged Mike and Charlotte back up the canyon Saturday afternoon to check out the colors and do some "hiking".

Picture taken on our morning run.

Pure heaven to be running with a great friend in a beautiful place.

This spider was huge. HUGE.

Can anyone please tell me how to get a toddler to look at the camera?

This was the best shot we got together and she's not even looking.

Oh how I'm going to miss my beautiful mountains when we move to Cincinnati.

There aren't many places where I'm as happy as I am when I'm in the mountains.

Welcome Fall. I'm so glad you are here.

Best time of the year hands down.

PS can you tell which time we had our fancy big camera and which time we took the pictures with our phones? :)

hmmm

This post is slightly disgusting. Just a heads up.

(Mom don't be mad, it's funny!)

So tonight while Charlotte and I were reading How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? we were looking at pictures and discussing what we saw.

We turn to this particular page and Charlotte points to just beneath the dinosaur's nose and says, "BOOGER!'

See that tiny spot? Yep that's what she pointed to.

I don't know whether to be proud, embarrassed or disgusted that she can point out a booger.

I guess it's good that she is observant and can point out fine detail??? Right???

That girl is so funny. She kills me.

Barn Dance

Our friends BJ and Katie have a house, complete with a barn in Coalville, UT.

They had the ingenious idea of throwing a barn dance in their barn.

Mike and I had been looking forward to this since we were first invited and let me tell you

the Stringhams know how to throw a good party.

No kids, excellent treats, a real barn, outgoing people, and country music.

We had such a good time.

Even though not everyone knew one another, no one was afraid to dance, let loose and have fun. Katie and BJ even had instructors teaching us moves. This was the real deal my friends.

I was surprised at how many line dances I remembered from good old high school stomps.

Oh man it was so fun to dance, even Mike couldn't resist from busting a move.

And a dance wouldn't complete without a couples' picture.

Ahh, so cute right?

Thanks BJ and Katie for a fantastic night. Let's do it again soon.

Ever been to a barn dance?

When's the last time you went line dancing?

Love/hate country music?

Let's hear it.

Chicago

I took my first trip ALONE, since Charlotte was born, to visit my friends in Chicago.

When I said goodbye to Charlotte at the airport, I totally cried. I sat waiting for my plane feeling guilty for being indulgent and selfish, leaving my family so I could have some ME time.

However once I landed and got in the car with my best friend Lauren, all of that went out the window. Call me selfish but I'm a big believer in MOMMY TIME. Yes, I did miss my little family SO MUCH, but I'm glad I could get away for a short weekend. I think doing something like this once a year is not only OK, but needed and a good thing to do.

I arrived Friday evening and went straight to dinner with a bunch of friends from the Elementary school I worked in while living in Chicago. I love these people so much. Besides Mike, they were my family while living away. They took such good care of Mike and I, I don't know what I would have done with out them.

We all picked up right where we left off. It was like I hadn't been gone for 3 years. Man, how I miss seeing these wonderful people every day.

Saturday morning Lauren and I had planned to run ten miles together. We were running partners while I lived in Chicago and I couldn't wait to hit the pavement with her again. However my body had different plans. I woke up totally sick and nauseous. Rip off. (Stop what you are thinking, I'm not pregnant. Just had a little bug hit me) So instead of running and hanging out I was throwing up between my friends' living room and bathroom. Pretty miserable. Poor Lauren . She was such a good friend and took great care of me.

BLEH.

Luckily by 3 p.m. I was feeling much better and regaining my energy. Lauren and I went to dinner that evening and chatted away. One of the benefits of feeling so sick was just being able to hang out with Lauren all day. We seriously just sat and talked all day, between mevomiting of course.

Sunday I woke up feeling much, much better and Lauren and I finally got in our ten mile run. Lauren lives in the country outside of Chicago and it's such a peaceful, beautiful place.

So pretty right?

Running with Lauren was so great! She hasn't run much due to injuries and she ran 6 miles of the ten miles like it was no body's business. She's a rock star, what can I say?

While I was out running and feeling good. Guess who was sick and throwing up? My poor little Charlotte. Luckily Mike was home all weekend with her and she was well taken care of. She had the exact little bug I had.

Poor girl. My heart hurt when I found out she was sick. Talk about feeling guilty for not being there to help take care of her. Mike took such good care of our bug. And I know this will sound backwards but he was kinda lucky she was sick, she slept most of the day and when she was awake was totally snugly. Hello, neither of those ever happen when I'm around. :)

Lauren and I spent the rest of the day going to one of my old wards and out to lunch with another friend from school. Then it was off to the airport to head home. I missed Mike and Charlotte tremendously while I was away but I'll be honest it was so rejuvenating to have a girl's weekend. Thank you Lauren for taking such good care of me. Besides being sick for a half the day on Saturday it was the perfect weekend away.

Perhaps..

Charlotte wouldn't FALL ASLEEP while eating lunch if she didn't wake up at 5:30 a.m.!

Even with the VERY early mornings, we still adore this girl and think she's hilarious.

Recipe

RECIPE FOR HUMBLE PIE

Ingredients:

1 marathon

80+ degree temperatures

Very small amounts of electrolytes

Directions:

First put a lot of time and energy into training. Then put it on a blog that you are running a marathon and want to get a PR. Wake up bright and early with your friends feeling ready and pumped for a good run. Begin running slow to conserve energy. Hit more hills then you were physically and mentally prepared for. Don’t forget to drink lots of water since it’s already warm and you’re sweating quite a bit. Only take GU at mile 9 and wait as long as you can to replenish your electrolytes, that way your body won't have all the energy it needs. Begin picking up your pace half way through the race and enjoy the beginning of downhill, even though you can begin to feel some twinges and cramping in your calves. Hit mile 18 with completely cramped calves, and dry mouth. Begin walking because your legs are done, DONE and will no longer allow you to run. Walk/run the last 8 miles and watch your goal that you were on track to reach slowly slip away from you. Finally after walking/slowly jogging for the last 8 miles cross the finish line 26:13 minutes after your goal time with a smile on your face reveling in the fact that you’re finally done. Your humble pie is done and you’re ready for a full helping for the next 24/48 hours.

So needless to say my marathon did not go as I planned or hoped. Truth be told I was pretty heart broken with the way things turned out. I had put so much time and energy into training for the last four months. I had envisioned and self talked my way through it all making sure I had a plan and would be ready for the big day. But things didn’t pan out for me. I’m just not a marathoner; it’s not my distance. I'm not one of those people who can just run marathons easily and enjoy them.

I learned a few things over the weekend and through out the whole marathon process.

I have the absolute best husband. He was a real champ through all the training and the actual marathon. I couldn’t have done it without all of his help with Charlotte and support and encouragement.

Second running with people makes all the difference. I ran with this darling girl for the first 17 miles. I finally told her to just take off and I was beginning to struggle. Then one of my dear, dear running partners drove all the way down to St. George just to run the last ten miles with me. She absolutely saved my life. She talked to me and helped me finish those last treacherous 8 miles. I know I wouldn't have finished it she hadn't been there with me. There’s nothing like the bond between running partners. Not even kidding.

Third I think, for me, in order to enjoy marathons I need to do them more often than every 7 years. I had totally forgotten the mind games and difficulty of a marathon even with good training. However this isn't the time in my life to be running marathons frequently. I'm glad I got the itch of the marathon out of my system and realized it's not the right season of my life for them.

And finally the most important thing I was reminded of, happened during the afternoon session of general conference. Yes running can and should be an important part of my life. It’s a good, healthy passion to have but there are much more important things in life. Being a wife and mother, and faithful church member needs to be my biggest priority, not making sure I fit in every kind of workout, hit every mile repeat at a certain pace, and run x amount of miles each day. Running is still going to be a big part of my life, I love it, it’s my passion but it’s not going TO BE MY LIFE. Make sense? I realized the last four months the marathon consumed me. It was all I thought about it. My life was planned around Saturday morning long runs. Much of the productivity and happiness of my day was based on how my run went in the morning. What? So wrong. I run because it’s fun and I love it and I lost that a bit with my training. I mean it when I said I was served humble pie this weekend. It was quite devastating to feel as poorly as I did, and not make my goal, but I know there is a deeper lesson to be learned from all of it and in the grand scheme of things this race does not define me as a runner or a person.

That’s all.

Thanks for indulging me.

And ps a HUGE thanks for all the texts, emails and comments. I was overwhelmed by all of your support, encouragement and faith in me. It meant more than you all know to have so many of you think and believe in me. I’m one lucky girl to have so many thoughtful, good people in my life.

Let's do this

Ipod for the last 6.2 miles...check

3 packages of Power Bar gummies...check

Running skirt...check

Burt's Bees chapstick...check

Black visor...check

Let's DO THIS.

2 years since my last attempt at a marathon. Ended up getting pregnant a month before the big race and decided not to run it.

5 years ago started training for Milwaukee marathon in Chicago. Injuries, anxiety attacks, and running solo led me to dropping out of the race 2 weeks out for the big day.

7 years since my last marathon completion and it nearly killed me. Had my worst marathon time.

8 years since the last time I ran the St. George marathon, threw up once I crossed the finish line. Had my second worst marathon time.

9 years since I ran my first marathon, the St. George marathon. Fun, perfect experience with my cousin Annie. PR for the marathon.

As you can see I really haven't had a good marathon experience since 2002, 9 years ago.

It's time to face my demons and tackle the challenge of 26.2 miles.

I've been afraid of marathons for years, even though I had completed them once upon a time. For a long time I never thought I would do a marathon again.

But after having Charlotte I needed to change things up and challenge myself. It's hard to feel challenged and stretched when all you've done is laundry all day.

Last year on October 4th, I signed up for the runner series guaranteed entrance in the St. George marathon and committed myself to another marathon.

I'm sooooo nervous, since I want to PR.

I'm so pumped since it's one of my dear friends first time running it and I know, I KNOW, she's going to kill it.

I've trained well, but it's a marathon, anything can happen that day and some things are out of your control, like the fact that it's supposed to be 91 degrees in St. George on Saturday and there's absolutely no shade on the course.

But...it feels good to be doing something hard and challenging.

It's like my girl, Kristin Armstrong said,

"I want to tame the beasts of doubt and discouragement."

"When life throws us some difficult miles, we want to know that we can suck it up and prevail."

"Regardless of what is revealed about us when we hit the wall, we have the opportunity for growth."

I'm ready to tame the beasts, I'm ready to suck it up and prevail, and I'm ready for some growth. (At least that is what I'm telling myself as I sit here and type with butterflies in my stomach. Ok I'm really sooooo nervous I could throw up.)

I'm ready. Let's do this. Wish me luck. Say a prayer for me. 26.2 here I come!

What have you done recently to challenge and stretch yourself?

Ever think of running a marathon?