Where did December go???

Well, Merry Christmas everyone! December has been a busy busy month! I have no clue where it went! Work has been busier and Jon was busy finishing up his LAST fall semester ever!! 4 more moths until he graduates with his masters!! Wahoo!! Then it's off to TX for us and I can mostly run all year round comfortably outside. None of this snow, earmuff and face mask business!!

I realized that in past posts I didn't mention that I had the opportunity to run a race on Thanksgiving day (at least I don't think I did). It was in Orem, UT and it was called the "4mile earn your turkey run". It was such a cold race! The starting temperature I think was like 24 degrees if I remember correctly. It was really worth it and I had a great time! Of course, I can't forget to mention that Jon was waiting for me at the finish line! What a trooper! I was at least sweating and a little warmer than he was- shivering on the sidelines with his earmuffs! They had hot chocolate at the end of the race- you better believe that we took full advantage of that!!


Other than that, this month has just been a normal training month. I am very excited for the SLC marathon in April, but I know I have a long ways to go. To help me along though, Santa and my husband got together and left some things under the tree for me that will be a great help in my training!

First thing I received (thanks to my Christmas bonus) was a Garmin Forerunner 405!! I have been eying this beauty for a VERY long time. The only disappointing thing about it was that it is supposed to come with a USB stick that helps you configure it to your computer so you can keep track of your splits, GPS information... etc... and unfortunately, there was no USB in my box :-( Jon and I went through all of our wrapping paper to make sure we just didn't miss it or throw it out, but alas, I have just concluded that it was a fluke accident. I am still able to look over the information on the watch itself and I can still use it without connecting it to my computer, but it would be nice to have! We're going to call Garmin on Monday to see if they can send me one. Fingers crossed!



The 2nd present was a RoadID wrist band. There are a lot of accidents with runners and if you aren't carrying your id and something happens to you- how do they know who to contact or what your name is or who you are?? These little bands are comfortable and keep you safe. It has a very light metal plate on it with your name engraved on it along with emergency contact information- if your information ever changes you can order a new plate. Or I believe there is a pay/month account where your wrist band only has a website/1800 number and a pin number on the back so you can update your info if you move around often. Sorry, no picture of mine... I don't feel like blurring out my personal information... if you don't like it... tough. It's pink though! :-)



Thanks, Jon (and my Christmas bonus!)! I was able to wear both today on my long run. I ran the longest I have run since pre-foot surgery! 16 miles!! It was crazy cold (19 degrees!!) but it was worth it and I am happy I finished instead of caving and calling Jon to come and get me at a random location. I stuck it out and rewarded myself with a trip to the hot tub at the gym and ice cream later :-)

As 2009 is coming to a close I just want to mention that I only set out to lose 20lbs. That's usually a very overwhelming goal (don't get me wrong... it was..) but, I was able to conquer and even go above and beyond that. I don't want to sound like I have big head or whatever, but I am really proud of all that I was able to accomplish on my own. I couldn't have done it without all the support from my sweet husband, Jon.

Now to work on some new resolutions for 2010... what are some of your resolutions??

Snow Canyon Half pictures

As promised- here are pictures from the Snow Canyon Half Marathon. Enjoy!

all of my goods laid out the night before

Our awesome motel room.. haha

About to get on the bus to the start

Ending on the track!

I'm done!

Jon and me.
I heart him.
Hopefully he'll run w/ me someday... maybe in the next life ;-)

Snow Canyon Half

So, I realized that I hadn't posted about this yet and it has almost been a week- yikes! I don't have much time to post at the moment but wanted to say that I am alive and well. I am actually very surprised at how good I was feeling this week. I was only a little sore on Sunday (the day after) and I was only sore in my upper back. I'm counting my blessings here because I was expecting to be completely wasted after this one.

A few things:

The course was gorgeous! Red rock everywhere! We had a gravel trail we ran on for about 3 miles and there was a cactus or two. It felt really cool to be running in the "desert". My shoes are still a little red from the sand/dirt but no biggie.

The weather was amazing! The high for St. George that day was 75 degrees! I was wearing shorts and a racing tank. Talk about a complete opposite outfit from the week before! I was wearing earmuffs for goodness sake!

This was the HARDEST course I have ever run. That includes Derryfield (my high school cross country course). The last 3 miles were uphill! Whoever planned the course must have had a lot of fun because really... it was awful! I still did really well- but if it weren't for those last 3 miles- I would've finished in under 2 hours. I was on track to do it and as soon as the lady pacing with me yelled out "5k left!" and we turned the corner my heart sank. Oh well, better luck next time :-)

Pictures are coming!

What you've all been waiting for!

I posted the real post about this race on our family blog. I am working on turning that blog into a book and I really wanted that in there, so sorry. Click HERE to read it!

For now, here is a picture of my costume! There are more pictures on the other post!

Happy Hallows-eve!

Mu-ah-ah-ahhh! That was my attempt at a really spooky laugh. ;-)

Anyways, today is Friday, October 30th. Do you know what this means???? Halloween is tomorrow!!!!! What does Halloween bring (other than candy we shouldn't be eating)?? A very insanely COLD half marathon in Provo, UT. It has been so cold this week, but apparently it is supposed to warm up tomorrow. That's great and all for the actual valley floor.. but for us insane people running in costumes in the canyon along a river- it doesn't matter how much it's going to warm up. It's going to be FREEZING! There is no way around it and denial will just make you colder.

I'm not going to lie, I am really nervous for tomorrow. Not just because it's going to be cold, but because my mileage this last week has been really skimpy. My last real long run was on the 17th because I had a 5k this last Saturday. I'm just neverous that I am going to fall flat on my face and just seriously drag myself after mile 7. That's what happened last time. After mile 8- I just wanted to eat dirt and go home haha... I know that sounds weird- but I was dying! It was my own fault- I kicked up my pace WAY too early like I was running a 10k. I have been praying that I won't make the same mistake again. It'll be hard not to on this course though. The first 5 miles are down hill. This down hill isn't your run-of-the-mill down hill... it's STEEP! Steep like- make sure to waste a whole stick of 'Body Glide' on your feet to try and prevent blisters. Yeah, it's that good.

Anyways, so those are my thoughts for tomorrow. Stay tuned... I'll be posting pictures of my entire outfit later this evening! I know, you're all dying to see it ;-)

BYU Cougar 5k Run

Today was awesome! Jon and I got up and got ready and headed over to the BYU track to pick up my race bib and shirt. Then- we headed over to the ESPN College Game Day set up. That was pretty cool- other than I'm too short to see anything haha... Lots of flags and signs, cheering, booing.... everything you'd expect :-) It's homecoming week and BYU is playing TCU today.. actually they're playing now... and BYU isn't doing so hot at the moment.. anyways! After a while we headed back to the track and we caught a few of the kid races- so cute! I hope my kids will want to do stuff like that some day.

The 5k race started at 9:45am and we ran the parade route. I was a little nervous but I warmed up for about 15 minutes and was ready to go. I felt pretty confident :-) I know it's kind've boring when someone just gives a play-by-play of a race... so I'll spare you from most of it.

University Parkway went well- nice long hill. Although, I got stuck in a pack of like 10 people who kept slowing down and when I tried to pass one of them, they sped up. Sounds like driving, huh? It's just like, really??? Either run faster or just let me pass you- I just need like a few feet! Then the down hill- 900 East was great! Passed a lot of people up. Only downside of the down hill... because today was the homecoming game different places around Provo were serving a Blue Pancake Breakfast and I passed up like 2 and even though it smelled great- it's nothing something you want to smell when you're running. Gross.

Anyways, during the last mile I got a cramp in my shoulder so that slowed me down a little. When I finally entered the track to finish there was a small group of people who were running together and they were being kind've ridiculous. For example, one genius decided he was going to jump a hurdle because it just happened to be on the side of the track and he almost didn't clear it. Honestly. Just run! Maybe I'm a party pooper... but you're less than a lap away from the finish... just run!!


I finished strong and was really happy with my time. I finished in 27:07. For those of you who don't know- this is a pretty big deal for me. I haven't seen numbers like that since WAY before I had foot surgery. It's definitely not my PR of all time- but post surgery- it is a PR for me. :-) I'm really happy with this race and want to know the best part about it? Last year, I ran this race in 33:10. I shaved off SIX minutes! Wahoo! Here is another piece of fact for your enjoyment. In 2004 I ran this race in just under 25 minutes. I know I still have some work to do- but for now- I am happy :-)


One week until the Halloween Half!!

Long overdue

My husband is the sweetest. He really supports my running (even though he thinks anyone who runs for fun is crazy) and helps motivate me. I mean seriously... he goes to all of my races and waits for me to finish. If that's not love... I'm not sure what is ;-)

Anyways, before I ran my first 1/2 marathon in September- he was apparently going to every athletic store in Utah County to try and find a "13.1" car decal so he could give it to me at the end of the race as a gift. He spilled the beans the night before the race because out of all the stores he went to- no one had any in stock and he was really bummed. How sweet is he for at least trying? I had NO clue that he was driving all around the state just to find a silly decal. In the end, Runner's Corner in Orem, UT put him on their call list for when they got the decals in.

A few weeks ago, they called him and told him that the decals were in and he could come get it any time. I never even asked for the decal but I think it's so cute that he really wanted me to have one :-) Yesterday afternoon we finally put it on my window. One of my co-workers asked me about it today and was like "What's the 13.1 all about?" I had to explain it to him and he looked at me like I was crazy. Well, maybe I am :-) But, that's another topic for another day. Anyways, here it is! My decal from the hubster.


PS: 11 days until the Halloween Half Marathon and 18 days until the Snow Canyon 1/2 marathon!!!

Halloween Teaser

15 days until the Provo Halloween Half Marathon. This event is going to be so awesome! I am really looking forward to it. It's going to be uber cold because we're running in the canyon and along the Provo River! Is this giving anyone else chills??? No but really, this is going to be really fun. Jon has volunteered to hand out race packets the day before the race- so nice of him :-) Well... maybe i asked him to do it... but he totally could've said no. We do get free stuff if he does it :-) free shirt for him and running cap for me! See? It's worth it! Anyways, if you're in the area and are running the mileage to do a half- you should really do this half marathon. They're having a raffle at the race, free shirt, and finisher medals for everyone- awesome! I'd tell you what my costume is... but then i'd have to... nevermind. So, here is the teaser. I'm showing you part of my costume... a very close up picture of the costume. Enjoy!

Long Saturday Run

This last Saturday I decided to do 12 miles. I realize that some of your mouths are dropping and ready to accuse me of being crazy. Maybe I am- I haven't been tested for that yet ;-) It was really enjoyable though. I did have a lot of highs and lows throughout the run, but overall- it was great.

One thing that I really need to stop caring about is how fast/slow I go. I recently joined dailymile and I have fun looking at the "leader board". This keeps track of who is running the furthest. You want to see crazy people- head on over and look at it!! Jon and I have fun looking at the distances some people do and they say something like "this was a shorter run for me" and it was like 9-10miles! The only downside of looking at this is that I get caught up in people's paces. There was a girl who did a long run (14-16miles) and she maintained a pace of under 8 minutes! I just can't fathom how!! I am struggling to make sure I stay under 10min miles on my long runs. In shorter races I can do under 9min miles... but honestly, I couldn't do that for over 6miles.

This long run I did- I ran it slower than I ran my first half marathon and I am hoping that this isn't a sign of what is to come for my next 2 halves! Yikes. What I really enjoyed about this run was that I was able to listen to a book on my Zune. My husband was nice enough to help me get the book on the Zune and compiling all the tracks by chapter. He got a program that can do that- it's pretty cool! Anyways, it kept my brain focused on the story and not on the run- if that makes sense? It was really enjoyable!

Anyways, here is the run :-)

So. Cold.

This evening after work I decided to do a 5+mile run. I put on my "knickers", long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt and colorful gloves. I figured that would get me through. I wasn't completely wrong... but by the time I was 3 blocks away from being done and home- I was so stinking cold!! I'm not sure what else I really could have worn... earmuffs? I really need to invest in a "running jacket". Like a REAL running jacket. Not a hoodie or a thin zip up jacket. I've been meaning to buy one... but I was planning on not really needing it until Halloween/early November. I honestly thought I would have more time to prepare for the cold and to buy items that I've either gotten rid of or have just gotten really old. The last time I was seriously running in the cold was the winter before I had foot surgery. That was 4 years ago! Hah, that makes me sound like a serious slacker when I admit to how long ago that was!

I'm still cold though- even after the run. Jon always asks me why my body doesn't produce heat. ever. Poor blood circulation? I don't really know. Oh well- time to sit back and drink my first cup of hot chocolate of the season :-) That'll warm me up!

Before I post the run- I'd like to announce that I have officially signed up to run the 2010 Salt Lake City Marathon this April. I am really nervous about it. I have my two half marathons coming up in the next month- we'll see how I feel :-) Oh and last thing- my costume for the Halloween Half Marathon will be revealed soon! Get ready!

20 lbs down!!!

As most of you know, last March I put my foot down and decided I needed to do something about my weight gain from the past 3 years. I decided to stop talking about it and really do something about it. I had to throw out all the excuses and the "I'll do better tomorrow" phrase.

It was all worth it though. I have now lost a total of 20lbs from since I started counting. I did it in six months and I'm happy with that. It wasn't easy by any means, but I am glad that I have had Jon's support. I couldn't have done it without him.

If you're trying to lose weight and just feel like you're too busy or have no time to really commit to that- I think that's a bunch of bologna. I've heard tons of people say they work full time or have kids and just can't make time. You can always make time. Even if it's just 15 minutes- do something! You'll be so much happier that you did. Foot surgery is what really stopped me in my tracks 3 years ago and ended a lot of my running. My doctor told me I might never be able to run the mileage like I was ever again. Little by little though, I have overcome that and I have proved to myself that if you put your mind to it and have a support group- you can do anything.

I have to put a shout out to those who really inspired me. First, my oldest sister, Shannon (15 years older than me). She worked her fanny off and went from never ever exercising to going at it for 1-2 hours a day and she looks fantastic. She would call me and tell me how she was throwing away all of her "fat clothes" and had to buy new clothes- I won't lie.. but I was jealous at the time haha.. I wanted to buy new clothes!! She ran a 5k w/ me this last May and she beat me!! I think that in itself says a TON!!

Second, my mother-in-law, Anne. I always thought she looked great- but this last year she lost 20+lbs by changing small things and adding in cardio and weights and sticking to a tough regimen. I hope that I look like her when I'm her age! My father-in-law, Clyde looks fantastic too! I'm really proud of all their hard work and they really inspired me to get back at it.

I'm still not done though- I have 9lbs left to go. I am hoping I can do it by Christmas! Heh, and for your amusement- I took a picture of my progress on Wii Fit for the last year. I would get on it whenever I lost more weight on our home scale. Don't mind the "goal of 117.5". That's not my final goal- but it's my next goal that I'm aiming for :-) Also, for those of you who know- when you do the "body test" and it looks at your BMI and your weight and then it tells you "that's overweight" or "that's normal". Well, I'm happy to say that it no longer tells me that I'm overweight! My Mii does a dance and gives me the thumbs up :-) Awesome.

PS: I'll try to find some before and after pictures good enough to post.. hehe. I never thought of taking a before picture... I'm sure I can find something though!

9/22 run

Last night I ran the "Oak Cliff Run". Well, at least that's what I call it. If you've ever been up to the "Y" you'll know this hill. It's long and awful. I was just so excited because I ran the ENTIRE hill without stopping to walk. It has been a very long time since I've been able to do that! You see all these people pass you in their cars and you watch and hear their cars struggling to get up the hill as you're running up it. It makes you feel strong :-)

My shoulder started to hurt a little bit towards the end. It was a little odd, but I got through it. There was one part of the run after a down hill and I felt like I was flying and doing great. I was coming up to a fence doing my thing and this guy steps out from behind it onto the sidewalk- I nearly collided with him! How awkward! At least this means that he didn't hear me coming and I wasn't pounding my feet on the ground or anything :-)

Racing Cane 6k

Today I tackled the 6k (3.7mi)! I was really nervous coming up to this race because it has been a while since I have done a shorter race. I have mostly been doing 10ks and then the half marathon. It's a whole different mindset when you're running less then 6 miles for a race. At least for me, I can't just stay at a comfortable smooth pace for a few miles and then kick it up. For me, smaller races mean- all or nothing. I know... that's probably really dramatic- but it's true!

To start the morning- it was so cold! Thankfully, the race started at 8am so by the time it started the sun was up and it was getting warmer. We started at Mountain View High School in Orem, UT. I felt pretty good during the first mile and then when I hit mile 2- I kicked up the pace. I started picking people to pass and once I passed them up- I picked more people. I haven't had a race like this in a while! It was hard but really relaxed... if you can call it that?

I finished strong and ended up having under a 9min pace! That's BIG for me! Six months ago I was at 10+ min pace/mile. I was really happy with that. The only thing that I was really bummed about was my place in my age division. I went over to the fence where they were posting final times and there it was. 4th. You may be thinking "That's great!" While that is pretty cool- I was only a few seconds from taking 3rd and getting a medal. If I was like 5th or 6th- there wouldn't be any "bitter" feelings. But 4th? Really?? I was so frustrated! I know, I really shouldn't focus on that... but it's hard not to. Especially since I really gave it my all. There was nothing else I could've done to go any faster.

I'm bummed that I won't be able to run this race next year. Next year I'll be in the 25-29 age division and the chances of me getting a medal in that age group is high. Humph. Hopefully when we move to Houston this summer I'll be able to find more races there. There aren't the same amount of races there like there are in Utah. Utah is very unique in that respect. Oh well, maybe next time :-)

Little of this... little of that

So, for the past few days I have been looking at this blog and trying to figure out how to spice it up. As I was reading it.. I realized that I had failed to mention a ton. Like how I signed up and was doing the Spanish Fork half marathon!!! I just kind've sprung that one after I finished. Oops. Let's face it... you can't really spice up a blog when you haven't informed anyone of anything! Sorry about that- I'll work on it though.

Life just get's busy. It's especially busy this year. Jon is finishing up his last year of his masters and I am working full time and trying to reach my running and weight loss goals. Other than life being hard sometimes- life has been good to us and I can't complain.

Well, for things coming up: Tomorrow I am running the Racing Cane 6k. It's a charity run for children in the Dominican Republic. They have weird race distances (6k, 3k and 1k for kids) because this race benefits the children there who travel an average of 3k each way to school - many without decent shoes on their feet. I'm excited for it because we'll get to donate some shoes, but I'm also very hopeful that I'll be able to go all out on this one. Although, my boss had a mandatory business meeting today and provided pizza... this was my lunch break and I normally go home for lunch- so I didn't have any other choice but to eat the pizza (it was delicious... but I hope I ate it early enough so that I won't feel it on the run tomorrow!)

Other races I'm doing: I am for sure doing the Snow Canyon Half Marathon in St. George in November. It'll be a fun getaway too! The other half marathon I want to do is in October (Provo Halloween Half). I'm still weighing the pros and cons of that one and once I decide if I'm going to do it or not- I'll post it. :-)

9/15 run

This run was slow going at first and I had to make a pit stop along the way. After that- I felt pretty good.

Saturday 9/12 Run and lastnight's exercise.

This was my run from Saturday. I started from home and headed to a point on the Provo River Trail. I was able to use my fuel belt for the first time! I really liked having it. It has two small water bottles and then a pouch to keep stuff in. It's a glorified fanny-pack!

Anyways, I had my cell phone on me and I was able to call Jon if I needed. I ended my run a little short because on the way to the trail I was chased by a few dogs on 500 N :-( so he was nice enough to pick me up so I didn't have to be chased by those dogs again. Next time I do the trail, I will probably start directly on the trail somewhere else so I don't have to run down 500 N again. My only other complaint was that there were TONS of gnats all along the trail. Okay, I know I was right by a river... but still! I had bug guts all over my shirt when I was done... gross. I'm foreseeing a hat and sunglasses next time :-)



Then, last night, we went to the BYU indoor track so I could do mile repeats. It was raining all day yesterday so the outdoor track wasn't an option. It was really hot and muggy inside, but it was still a good workout. I felt like I was in high school on XC again- hehe. Charlene, I thought of you and all those awful mile repeats "scar face" would make us do on the 2nd mile of the course... ugh... haha... only last night wasn't as bad :-) Then I finished off at the gym for 30-35 mins on the elliptical.

Dear Santa,

Maybe this will sound selfish or just lame... but I really really really want this:
It's a Garmin Forerunner 405. This thing is.. or should be on every runner's wish list. It keeps track of your distance, pace and time. It also keeps track of elevation and you can link it to your computer to keep track of your workouts. You can set your desired pace on the watch and it'll beep at you if you go too slow. Some women wish for sewing machines or kitchen aids but this year, I really would like this. The problem? It's really expensive!! Time to start saving up I guess. Humph.

Unless of course Santa puts it under the Christmas tree this year :-) wouldn't that be nice!! Anyone want to donate to the fund? jk. Unless you really want to.

13.1 Miles down!!

I posted about the half marathon on our normal blog, so instead of repeating myself, just click here.

I figure it's okay to post race stuff on our normal blog anyways :-)

Help!! Stuck in a rut!

So, I realize that this blog is probably VERY boring- and for that- I am really sorry... well, not really.. but kind've ;-)

I know I haven't posted very many runs lately. I promise I have been running. Since Jon has come home, I have been a little bit of a slacker. Can you blame me? We've just been really busy. We've had a lot of get-togethers w/ friends and family. I had a lot of fun though, don't you worry :-) it was ALL worth it! Esp. the night we had Criddle Famous Cherry Pie. If only I could learn how to make it. Although, if I did... I would make every excuse ever to make it every week and we all know that that would not help my waistline!

Anyways, I am here to tell you that I am stuck... in an endless feeling rut. I have lost 16lbs since I started my journey back in March. I'm coming up on 6 months at the end of September. I have 4lbs to go to meet my first goal (lose 20lbs in 6 months). It's realistic to finish and to meet it.. but I'm telling you... these last 4 lbs are going to be the hardest of them all! This last month... I have fluctuated between... oh fine.. i'll just tell you- b/c i'm sure you're just dying to know! 127-129. I will have lost 20lbs (from when i started counting) when I get to 124. I'm so dang close!!

So, I'm going to ask any of my "fans" (haha) for some help... meaning people who are reading this because they have lost their favored Harry Potter or Twilight book, who stumbled onto this thinking they were going to get motivated by a stranger or just my sweet husband who reads it because his "google reader" tells him I posted something new.

I'm asking YOU for some motivation. Anything from quotes, stories, tips, recipes (can't pass those up) or just something to kick up my exercise.... I would greatly appreciate it.

C'mon.. wouldn't you love to see before and after pics? Not that I really thought to take a real "before" picture... but I'm sure I can find one somewhere.

After I finish these last 4 stinking pounds I will have 9 to go to get to 115... and there is this amazing light yellow dress in storage that is dying to be worn again and I don't want to have to suck in to China to get it on- haha!

Oh and btw- for those of you who have no idea- I am 4'11" and 115lbs is a perfectly fine weight for my height. So, no worries, I'm not completely out of my mind ;-). But for now... 124... HERE I COME!!

8/1 run

Whew... it was hot outside!! I'm glad I took my h20 bottle with me- even though it slowed me down a little.

Tomorrow is the big day!!!

So, I won't lie, I am so completely nervous for the Pioneer Day 10k race tomorrow morning. Yes, I did run the Freedom 10k run and did pretty well.. but that race didn't have foothill drive in it.

Want to know the scariest part? I looked up last year's results for the race... only 83 people ran it... 83!!!! Usually the races that I run in have 500-1200 people! This is going to be the 2nd year that they are holding this race.

So.. here are the possibilities of what may happen tomorrow:

• Everyone who ran it last year thought the race was a bust and won't run it again
• They'll invite all their friends and family and more people will be running it
• There will only be 10 people and I will come in 10th.

Oh well, come what may, right?


A side note:

The good thing about running races? A lot of people don't think about this but races provide opportunities for service. As you're running your guts out and sweating out your ears- you're actually supporting causes like breast cancer, mental illness and hunger awareness, etc... See.. I might be crazy- but to run with a purpose other than to pin a number on your shirt isn't that bad. I will continue to pay to run races and I will be even more excited when that race is for service. Tomorrow I will be supporting Wasatch Mental Health patients.

7/10 morning run

I'm not a fan of running early in the morning... but b/c my night is going to be very busy... I had no other choice. I love Utah and the mountains... but the only thing I don't like is for how long the sun takes to come up over the mountains. It was a little chilly, but the sun finally came up and over the mountains right when I was finishing :-)

One more thing... 3 more lbs down.. totaling: 13lbs! Lastnight I went shopping for clothes. Well, I should specify... JEANS! I have been in desperate need for jeans b/c the pair that I have been wearing the most have gotten very baggy and very worn out. I bought a size 6! It has been FOREVER since I've seen that number :-) It was a very happy night.

Anyways... here is my run

6/27 run

Whew- I'm beat!!

6/25 run

whew... this one was a little hard- but I did it!

6/23 run

This is my run from last night. I won't lie, I was a little disappointed for how long it took me, oh well. here it is!

6/16 run

Today I was thinking about how many states I have run in. Either for races or just for runs while I was on vacation and I have to say... there are quite a few that I have run in. Here they are:

New Hampshire
Vermont
Maine
Massachusetts
Utah
Nevada
California
Oregon
Colorado
Arkansas
Florida
Texas

12 out of the 50. I think it would amazing to run in all 50 states- for me or for anyone. I think that would be a long shot for me. Besides, what reason would I have to go to N or S Dakota? Exactly... no reason at all!

Anyways, here is my run for today:

I did it!!!!

10 lbs down!!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am. Only 10 more to go... I have a feeling it will be a little harder to get rid of the last 10. Isn't that how it always is?

It would be awesome to lose it all by the time Jon get's home from his internship- I will have lost all this weight and be even cuter :-) Wishful thinking... I will sure try though!

Rain, rain, go away....

I hate rain sometimes. Whenever I have things planned ahead of time... it literally rains on my parade... not that i'm running w/ balloons or have a float with me.. but you get the idea :-)

I am awesome ;-)

Today was a "long run" day. Since my foot surgery, this is the longest run I have done. Runners, watch out.... I'm (almost) back in the game!!

6/3 run

I know... I'm boring and all I do is post runs. I wanted to do this run to see how I would do on it. I did O.K. not the best that I think I could have done, but I finished it.

weight update

Well, folks, since the start of my "weight-loss" I have now lost 8lbs!!!! I know I can do this! I know it's only been 3 lbs since my last weight post.. but I'm so close to 10! I am hoping by the end of next week that I will be down 2 more lbs. Only 12lbs to go to my original goal. It would be awesome to reach that by the end of the summer. :-)

I got soaked!!!

So, I got home and checked the weather and it said there was a 10-20% chance of rain. I figured that I would be safe... but when I decided to turn around it was starting to sprinkle. Once I got to a bridge- it just started to POUR! There was a really strong head wind as well. Yikes. No fun! Anyways, here it is.

Y Hike

This morning I decided to go and hike the Y. For those of you who aren't familiar w/ the Y hike- there is a huge Y painted on the mountain and you can hike up to it along some switchbacks. Anyways, here are some pictures from the hike. They're from my phone- so the quality isn't that great.

5/28 run

After dropping Jon off at the airport, I came home and decided that I didn't want to sit at home. So, I decided to go on a run. I'm glad that I did. I'll be going to the gym tonight, but I didn't want to have an excuse to come home and have a melt down. What can I say, I'm a softy and I'm really going to miss him.

Anyways, I'm still a little sore from some squats and lunges I did the other night, so I ran this a little slower than usual.

5/12/2009 Run

We just got back from vacation on Saturday night- so, there hasn't been much blogging :-) I am happy to say that even though we splurged a little on food in NH- I didn't gain any weight while we were there. That's saying something! I was able to exercise, but not as much as I wanted to. It felt good to get on the scale and not feel like I went backwards and had to start over.

Now that I'm home, I really need to crack down on my training for the 10k coming up in July. Yikes. I can do this!

As promised, here is the 6 mile run I did the day before we left for our trip to NH.

Hard work is starting to pay off :-)

So, I have been working my fanny off and it's starting to finally pay off. Of course, I will not disclose my weight here or anything... but I was stuck between these 3lbs and I couldn't get out of them. It get's really frustrating when you know you are working hard and all you are doing is fluctuating. There is nothing more aggravating than that. Jon and I agreed that I had hit a plateau. Since gaining weight from well.. life.. it's hard for your body to adjust sometimes to all the new things or bringing back the old routine that it hasn't seen for so long. Well, at least my body :-)

However, there is always satisfaction when you can finally get over that hump/plateau that you've been at for so long! I have finally managed to get out of those 3lbs! Thank goodness!! It was getting ridiculous :-) I've been walking to work every day, going to the gym and am there for at least an hour doing lots of cardio, abs, and weights.

Since the end of March- I have now lost 5lbs!!!

Okay, not as impressive as say my mother-in-law, sister, brother or the people on "The Biggest Loser"... but for me- it is so exciting!! From my highest weight recorded (which was last May) since then I have lost close to 10lbs (this includes the 5lbs I just got rid of hehe). It has been a very slow moving process- but I am happy with it. I have 15lbs to go until I reach my goal... and then about 5 more for my more ambitious goal. I am hoping that I will make a lot more progress this summer.

Wahoo!!!

4/18 Run

Here is my run from today! I am pretty proud of myself. I like running on treadmills and such, but running outside (especially and a really sunny day) really makes me happy :-)





PS: Thanks Jon for helping me get to my starting point and supporting me. I love you. I'll just have to figure something out when you leave for the summer.... no one will want to drive and drop me off different places :-)

4/13 run

Today was beautiful outside! I decided to run outside. It wasn't the "best" run in the world for me- but it still felt really good.

Bad Weather

So, like last Saturday- tomorrow is going to be cold, rainy and really windy.. so they say. Because of this, I decided to take that run head on today after work. It didn't go so well. I was on mile 2 and I'm not really sure what happened, but before I knew it... I was flying to the ground, left shoe off (and flying) and hands out infront of me to brace myself.

That's right. I fell.

I'm fine and all that, but luckily I had my phone with me (Jon made me take it and I'm glad he did). I called Jon to tell him what happened- just to let him know and he left in a flash and got to me really fast. He made me get into the car and my run was officially over. So, I won't lie- I'm pretty down in the dumps about it and tomorrow's forecast isn't looking so good.

:-(

Planned Saturday 4/11/09 Run

I found this run on Mapmyrun.com and I didn't want to forget what it was :-) This run will actually run a very small part of my 10k race in July.

"Why you all sweaty...?"

Napoleon Dynamite after practicing his dance moves :-)

Today after conference, I ran 5 miles!

It has been quite a while since I've run this far. The only confession that I have is... I didn't run it outside... I ran it at the gym on the treadmill. Not the best, I know. It was really cold outside and was raining and snowing a little bit. I didn't want to get stuck in that and get sick (because I always do if I'm out in the cold rain).

It felt really good. :-) My goal was to go 6 miles but, I was running out of time and I had to get back home so that I could take Jon to priesthood session (parking is a nightmare!). Either way, I'm happy with my work out :-) Hopefully the scale will be happy too.... heh.

Here is my shameless plug for the Zune... I love it! Jon has been helping me put movies on it so I can watch them while I'm on the elliptical or treadmill. The movies get me through longer runs- something to laugh about or exciting action scenes to get you moving faster. I know they have tv's at the gym and you can plug in and listen to whatever the tvs are on... but I'm never really interested in what's on- so this way, I can choose what I want to watch and it's better than sitting at home and watching it.

My only small complaint that is entirely my own fault (b/c I chose the type of zune I have): It would be better if I had a bigger screen (I only have the 8gb one-it's a lot smaller), but it's still pretty awesome. In case you care to know... I have watched: Princess Diaries (haha), Twilight and Stardust (awesome movie- you should really see it). Remember.. I said that mine is only 8gb and I have tons of music and these movies on there... well these and Enchanted and Cinderella (I'm such a dork).

Shameless plug over.

The last thing I wanted to say is that I signed up to run a 5k when we're in New Hampshire in May. I'm really excited because I'm getting some of my family to do it with me. A couple years ago- they would have laughed at me for asking them to do it w/ me. In the last 2 years a few of my siblings really got into gear and made it a goal to be healthier- and they have succeeded! I'm really proud of them and am excited that we can share something in common now and celebrate our accomplishments together- which doesn't happen too often because of distance and oddly enough- age differences.

I'm in for a real treat....

So, Saturday Jon and I decided to drive the 10k route. . . Oh.My.Gosh. Let's just say... they weren't kidding when they called the hill "Goliath". You know when you drive up a really steep hill (or in the mountains) and your car is trying to accelerate and you feel like it'll stop any moment (if you car isn't 4 wheel drive)... yeah, that's what it was like.. in the car. I'm going to die! Oh man... what did I get myself into!! Well, no turning back now!

Here are some pictures of the start of the HUGE hill..


View Larger Map



And when you think you're done.. think again! This is where you turn the corner at the top of the first link... awesome.


View Larger Map


View Larger Map



Note: Check out all the amazing houses if you click on the street view- you can look on every side- the houses are HUGE!

July 24th

I was trying to focus on goals for myself for the summer so I can get back into longer runs and getting back into shape. I came upon the "Pioneer Day Classic" they have a 5k or a 10k. Being old average me- I thought about doing the 5k. However, really thinking about it... if I sign up for the 5k- I'm just going to be stuck at 5ks. So, I decided to hold my breath and sign up for the 10k. This will give me the opportunity to focus on longer runs so that a 6 mile run won't feel so bad. My coach always used to say- "In order to run a specific distance comfortably you need to be able to run double that distance." In cross country we would have to be able to run 6miles so we weren't dying on race day. For those of you not very familiar with 5ks or 10ks... a 5k is 3.1 miles and a 10k is 6.2 miles. Maybe I won't get up to 12 miles by then- but I have a goal to be able to run 10 miles by July.

Here is the course:



Wish me luck! I've already registered... no turning back now!

PS: this course includes a hill that has been named "Goliath".... time to start running hills....

Updates

If you have been following our other blog then you are aware that my life has been pretty hectic between getting the stomach flu to Jon having his hand injury. Usually, I'd shake my head to lame excuses, but I assure you- once you are down to 3 hands and arms in the family... doing things are a lot harder than you'd think. However, I am please to announce that I have joined a gym!!! I can't tell you how long I have been waiting for this.

24 Hour Fitness was offering a special where you didn't have to pay an initiation fee at sign up and they really didn't have any strings attached to it. It's month to month and you have to give them at least a 30 day notice before you cancel. When I did Gold's during my freshman year at BYU- my contract said one year.. and some how their contract said 2 years... imagine that. Anyways, I am really pleased with my membership so far. I've gone at all different times to see when it's the busiest or whatever. No matter what time I have gone so far, there always a machine open that you want and I haven't had to wait for anything. I am meeting with a personal trainer (using my free fitness orientation meeting w/ a trainer) this upcoming week. I can't afford to have a lot of personal training or anything, but at least getting started and being reminded of all the stuff I used to know how to do will be really helpful!

Some thing else that is really cool is that they have a rewards program. If you complete different things you receive "medals" online and you have 6 months to get up to 24 medals (I currently have 5). After those 6 months you can use your "medals" to receive different gifts. I have my eyes on a 10 cup food processor. My current one can only hold a little more than a cup.. it's wimpy... but it was $10! The program is a little bit of a motivator so you can get something you really want. The more often you go to the gym, the more medals you receive- or if you try a group class, visit w/ a trainer for your orientation.. etc.

This will also give me a place to go at night when Jon is gone in Houston so I don't have to be "alone". I'm not very good at being alone at night. Hopefully I'll lose weight and not just "eat my feelings" haha...

I have nothing big that I'm training for right now. Although, there is a March Madness party for the business school's students and their families on March 27th. At the party, they have something called a "Corporate Climb". You race in the Tanner building and you have to run up and down the stairs (the tanner building has 7 (very tall) floors). I'm thinking about doing it as a "biggest loser" challenge.

Here is the race outline:
Wish me luck!! :-)

Pet peeves

So, one of my days last week I went to the track after work. I got all the way there to find out it was closed due to a volleyball game- that wasn't starting for another hour. Since then, I have had to check the BYU calendar to figure out when the track would be closed b/c of volleyball games. This really annoys me. It's not a big deal to look it up or anything like that, but it annoys me that they have to shut the track down for it.

In high school I ran on the winter track team. On race days we would go up to a university to compete. It was mostly UNH but we went to Dartmouth a few times and once to Boston College. The indoor tracks at these universities were open in the middle. Just like the back half of BYU's indoor track. Everything was spread out enough that you could see what was going on during the entire race. At all times your coach knew exactly where you were on the track and who you were beating. It makes sense, right?

Well, in the middle of BYU's indoor track (for those of you who aren't familiar w/ it) has two halves. One half is open where you do other events like shot put, long and high jump etc... The other half is filled w/ a few courts (basketball and volleyball), offices and food stands for sporting events. So, if there is a BYU volleyball game they have to shut the entire thing down b/c you might go into the game w/o a ticket. All entrances are blocked w/ "event staff" in orange shirts. I realize that it's not every night- but this week - there are two games in a row. So that takes away two nights that I was planning on running at the time I'm free. Bummer. My next question is- why can't volleyball have it's own place to play? or why can't they limit the orange shirt people to the places where you could get into the place that is having the game. If I bought tickets to the game, could I run on the track? What about Saturday mornings when they shut the track down for meets- that I can understand- but at least put it on the calender for all those who have to always have a Plan B. on hand.

BYU's indoor track- note walls on right to offices

An indoor track- now that's what it SHOULD look like

My one last rant about the indoor track- I promise. The other night I was running and getting into a groove. I was about to start another lap- I rounded the corner and someone pulled down a sliding wall to make the track cut in half. Thankfully they have this random hallway that connects to the other side of the track. So instead of 5 laps on the indoor track to make a mile- it now turns into 7.5 laps to equal a mile. You are in there for a while and you start to lose count of your laps because you are seeing the same things over and over- it makes you stop and wonder what lap you were on and what would that equal on the "half track" now? The math may be easy when you're not running- but when you go into this hallway that is more narrow than the track- all the people running/walking bottleneck and run into one another- a little distracting to your math calculations. I just can't win!

Ah, I'm done now- thanks for listening. It's just hard to only have time after 6pm to go running on the week days and then having to change everything and make sure to eat dinner before it gets too late. Or on Saturday mornings- trying so hard to get to the track because you know it's the right thing to do and then you find out it's closed due to a meet- but it wasn't on the calendar.

PS: I had an embarrassing moment this week... I was doing an exercise video and the Jon got a phone call from a friend who needed to stop by to give Jon some papers. He lives above us. I'm in the middle of my work out and I didn't want to stop- so he comes over 20 seconds later and I'm there with weights in my hands, sweat pouring off... how embarrassing!! hahaha.. I had a good laugh about it later. Anyways.. that's all for now.

This week so far

Monday: Went to indoor track and ran 2 miles. Came home and had dinner. Later, I did a 20 minutes of cardio circuit training and then rode my bike while watching a show.

Tuesday: Went to indoor track and ran 2 miles. Went to the BYU vs. TCU game. Came home and rode my bike for a half hour.

Wednesday: Did 1hr of my Biggest Loser Boot Camp DVD- that video kicks my butt!

Tonight... well, I'm planning on going to the track again and going a little longer than 2 miles. Then maybe a different video when I get home.. we'll see.

Friday: We're going to Soldiers Hollow for some tubing (thanks, Deloitte!) in the afternoon and not sure when we will get back- so I am a little unsure right now. It'll be a lot of fun though!

Saturday: Doing cleaning in the morning. Getting a workout in- either video or track while Jon practices w/ his b-ball team. We have a service project at church at 6pm so we need to get everything done before then.

*My goal for the rest of the month: lose 3lbs by the 31st