Provo Freedom Run 10K and July 4th Celebrations

The morning started off with a 5:30 am alarm to be ready to get down to Provo by about 6:30 am.  Cooper drove me down to Kiwanis park and dropped me off on the corner while he and Brittany went and parked the truck and got her to the start of her 5K race, which was in a different spot.  They planned to wait for me to finish my 10K and then we would head over to the parade route where we had a spot staked out.  As I wandered to the bathrooms I saw a few familiar faces and stopped and chatted with the Wheelhouse family, Friel Family, a couple of blogging friends, and Monnica.  I didn't bring a camera because Mark was going to snap some photos as I ran by our parade spot.  I was grateful Monnica's hubby snapped a couple of us here before heading up to the starting line. (my friend Annaleesa said I look like I'm trying to sneak through the bushes somewhere)

We got to the starting line and waited only a couple minutes and then off we went.  The first mile was uphill which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and then we turned and had a nice sweet downhill for awhile.  I was looking forward to get to the portion of the race where we run 2 miles of the parade route.  My friend Laurie told me to take out my earbuds so I could hear the crowd cheering.  Ok.....so this is where it gets really disappointing.  The first two miles were a little bit of a struggle but I was doing alright. I felt sluggish and my legs were just tired.  So I was really excited about getting to the spot where there would be some crowd distractions and cheering. I was also looking forward to seeing my hubby at our staked out spot.  I took my headphones out and ran along with a couple thousand other people yet I honestly think spectators were still trying to wake up from their overnight campout on the sidewalks of Provo, Utah.   When I came to the spot our blankets and chairs were set up on, NO HUBBY.  Come to find out, he couldn't find parking and got so frustrated he went back home.  So, no running photos and no cheering spectators, and no hubby made me a tad disappointed.  After about a mile I decided, heck with this I need some motivation, so I put my music back in my ears and enjoyed that instead.  The rest of the race was just a constant push to get to the finish.  Then when I got there, no Cooper and Brittany.  I had my cell phone so I called Cooper and we found each other as I got myself some oranges, grapes, and bread.  I also got a fancy blue water bottle but once again failed to get a finisher's medal.  (Just like St. George half marathon)  Oh well, since they just collect dust in a drawer anyway.

Cooper took this picture of us with his cell phone after the race.  Brittany did well in her 5K and I finished my 10K in 1:09:15.  It's an OK time for me, but not my best.  Today was just one of those days that everything was just off.  I guess it happens to every runner at some point.  We headed over to the parade and enjoyed being with Kali, Wade, Miles, Cooper, Brittany, my sister Kareena and eventually my momma showed up.  The parade this year seemed like a flop.  Maybe I was just a bit disappointed with my run this morning but Kali even felt like the parade just wasn't that big of a deal either.  We wondered why we put so much effort into this and then we realize it's because of traditions.  Watching little Miles enjoy different parts of the parade was actually the funnest part for me.  I have no photos at the parade because Mark had my camera at home.  So after the parade on home we went.  We took naps and then I prepared for a BBQ with the family.

It was so nice to have my niece Kari and my sister Kareena here.

My dad and mom

My sister Marie and her hubby Bill.

Wade, Miles, Kali

Mark, me, Miles, Cooper, Brittany, Jordan, baby Peregrine Quincy

 Little Mr. Miles enjoyed sparklers this year, until he stepped on one barefoot.  Yes, Kali felt horrible.

 After some tears and soaking his foot in cold water they got him patched up and ready to head off to the real fireworks.

 Miles enjoyed about half of the fireworks show this year.  Which was a lot better than last year when he hid under a blanket the whole time.  He did a lot better than I thought he would but didn't like the loud pops and hid under the blanket this year for only a short time.  I loved that he liked to snuggle so much. I'll take that anytime!

Kali and Wade are having a..................

On June 29th, I got to go to Kali's ultrasound appointment with her to find out the gender of the baby. She wanted the Dr. to tell me but not her so that her and Wade could find out at the same time. It was so exciting for me to watch the screen and see that precious little baby moving and being so healthy. The Dr. would show all the different parts of the baby and say how everything is looking so good. When it came time to find out the gender Kali looked away and the Dr. typed it on the screen. I wanted to squeal with delight!! But I had to try to keep a straight face so as to not give it away to Kali.

We then went to Home Depot to buy a box and then came back to my house.  Kali painted and chalked on the box while I went to Macey's to buy a dozen balloons.  I had them put inside a large black garbage bag so Kali wouldn't be able to see the color.  When Wade got home from work we headed up to Dry Canyon.  I got my good friend Laurie to come along too because Kali needed two different camera's to be going at the same time.  Laurie also helped me get the balloons from the bag into the bottom of the box.  We taped the top shut and then got the camera's ready. At the last minute I also decided to set my camera on a rock and record it.

And then the magic moment happened.  The count down of 1....2....3.... and they opened the box!!

I love their happy faces!!

And then we watched as the balloons drifted up and over towards Dry Canyon as if to let Porter know too.  When in reality he probably knew before any of us.

I'm just so thrilled they are having a girl.  I can't wait to hold and cuddle a little baby girl, and to kiss her soft little head.  You can bet I'll be buying some pink things too!  What an absolutely perfect day!  I'm so happy I got to be part of the secret in the beginning and the celebration at the end.

Mondays with Mr. Miles in Video

Mr. Miles sure knows how to make us laugh. I usually take him to go see his great Grandma and Grandpa on Wednesday nights when Kali works and Wade has scouts. We were getting ready to leave and Miles spotted a sprinkler. He loves the water, but only in small amounts. We ended up staying about 45 minutes longer just so he could play in the water. Such a funny little guy!

"A grandchild is a gift from above ... one to cherish and to love."

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"A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty."

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"Grandparents and grandchildren are God's gift to each other."

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"You Put the Grand in Grandma."

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"Whenever I see you I have an uncontrollable urge to fling open my arms, excitedly shout your name and scoop you up."

Marathon Training Plan-Week 4 of 16

Week #4

Monday June 25th-Ran 3.5 trail miles and walked 1 mile

out and back to Dry Canyon with a side trek to check on Porter's rock.  After Saturday's half marathon PR I was a little more sore than usual and was a bit worried about running today.  I decided to just get up and do it anyway and see what I felt like.  Of course, I was happy to be out there on the trails and although my calves and quads were a little on fire the beauty and love of the hills trumped the soreness.  

Tuesday June 26th-Rest day-walked 5 miles 
with Laurie in the cool morning sunshine
 

Wednesday June 27th-Ran 5.5 miles
started from home and ran a loop with a hill that had an incline grade of 36%.  I felt like the little engine that couldn't.  Lots of alternating walking and running going on in this section.  Luckily it lasted less than 1/2 mile.  About a mile down the road I came upon a church with hundreds of people walking around in pioneer clothing.  They were getting ready to head off on a trek.  I've never gotten to experience that but I'm sure I could pull up my bootstraps and don my pioneer skirts and pull a wagon right along with the rest of them. It's probably quite a fun and unique experience. 

Thursday June 28th-Ran 6.5 trail miles
with Lisa and Lilly.  I got up at 4:40 am this morning and met these 2 girls at 5:00 am.  (Waking up in the 4 o'clock hour-seriously?? I may have added a nap or two later in my day) These girls belong to the "Single-Track Girls" Facebook group I was added to a couple weeks ago. The exciting thing to me is both of these gals seriously live within 1 mile of me and I may be seeing more of them in the weeks ahead.  We ran all over some trails in Provo Canyon and I was astounded once again at the beauty of the hills.  Right as we started our run two deer crossed our paths.  That was a nice little bonus of the morning.   

Friday June 29th-Rest day-walked 4 miles
with Laurie on Porter's hill-up 2 miles then turn around and come back down 2 miles.  Great calves and quads workout. 

Saturday June 30th-Hiked Mount Timpanogos 16 miles total
It's a guess but about 7.5 were hiking miles and 8.5 were running miles

Sunday July 1st-Day of Rest!
 

Total Running Miles: 24

Total Walking Miles: 17.5

Blog Book #2 is Here

When I started this blog back in December of 2007 I had absolutely no idea what the blogging world was like and what experiences I would have because of it and the wonderful people I would meet.  It's really too numerous to start naming.  What I can say is it has been a positive experience and I hope to continue to enjoy many more years of it.  Blogging started taking over my scrap-booking life, which has sadly fallen by the wayside.  Blogging became to me a scrapbook and journal all in one and I soon came to realize that these were precious memories I was afraid of losing if something happened to blogger.  So I'm slowly trying to get this stuff in print form.  I did a little research and asked around and liked the company Blurb for compiling my memories and publishing them into book form.  I started with the oldest year of blogging and had the end of 2007 and 2008 published a few months ago. I just recently finished doing all my blog memories and photos of 2009.  Here is just a little glimpse into how it turned out.

Next up will be 2010, which was an incredibly hard year for our family, the year we lost Porter.  I plan to start working on it soon and will take my time as I reflect and remember my youngest son.  I want to complete this book feeling unhurried and allowing plenty of opportunities for my memories to flow. I'm sure there will be many cry sessions and many fond memories of my sweet boy as I compile and create 2010.

American Fork Half Marathon

This was absolutely the best half marathon I have run so far!

Lots of reasons

• Won a free entry into this race
• Bought a new sports bra to help with chaffing issues I have had on every single half marathon
• Bought some body glide and it worked like a charm, absolutely no chaffing anywhere, SWEET! Why didn't I do this sooner?  I have seriously tried all kinds of options from bandaids to sports tape, to wearing different fabrics, with no success.  A little tube of body glide and voila'!! You can bet I'll be using this stuff like crazy. No more painful shocks in the shower.
•  The bus pick-up was perfect and as I rode up the canyon I felt pretty calm and ready for attempting a PR, plus it was fun watching the bus driver eat his sunflower seeds at 5:00 am
•  I got to see my friend Julia who was to be the 2:30 pacer.  Too bad I wasn't wanting to run that slow today or it would have been fun to be in her group.
• The weather in the canyon was so beautiful.  No jackets needed.  I would have liked it to be just a touch more cooler even.
• Only one frustration of the whole race and that was port-o-potty lines were too long.  The gun went off and the race begun just as I got in one.  No biggie though since it's chip timed but I hated starting at the very back of the pack.  It probably made me a little more determined to go faster though.

• I ran, ran, ran my little heart out and caught up to Julia holding the 2:30 sign about mile 1 and then way further down the road, I don't remember what mile, I passed the 2:20 pacer and felt happy about that.  I saw the 2:10 pacer even later in the race but just didn't have the energy to catch her.  My biggest goal for this race was to PR.  I just wanted to come in under 2:16 and so if I could keep my eye on the 2:10 pacer ahead of me I knew I could do it.   A huge advantage I had going for me were the 7 miles of downhill canyon running.  I LOVE running downhill.  
• Running in American Fork Canyon is absolutely stunning!  Greenery everywhere!

• Since this was a cancer benefit race there were posters/signs all along the route about people who fought cancer and lived, and sadly some who didn't.  It was a nice distraction from the running to read those and contemplate some of those people's situations.
• About mile 5 a song came on my ipod that was sung at Porter's funeral called "Homeward Bound".  Such a beautiful song and of course I broke out in tears.  I had to hit repeat on that a couple times to enjoy a couple miles just thinking about my son.  Then I had to get my breathing under control and changed songs. 
•  The aid station around mile 6 had shot bloks they were handing out.  That was pretty fun!  Then I found a couple more unopened ones people threw on the ground so I picked them up and put them in my pocket for future use.  (My friend Annaleesa will probably disown me as her friend now after reading that part.)  Another aid station a few miles later was handing them out again.  Score more shot bloks!!
•  Once we got out of the canyon it was beautiful running through a golf course area and along some pretty homes with beautiful back yards.  A certain song came on my ipod with such a great beat to run to that I just kept hitting repeat over and over.  Probably listened to that particular song 20 times! Never underestimate the power of a song with a great beat!
•  From this point on the rest of this race was just a mental game to keep my legs moving and keep thinking happy thoughts.  The temps were rising and I was getting anxious to get to the finish line.  I knew my hubby and son were going to be there to cheer for me and I was looking forward to seeing their faces.  Here I am coming into the finish line with a final time of 2:15:42.  A new PR by a mere 20 seconds!  Wow, that was cutting it a bit too close! 
• The after race food was hosted by Kneaders.  They served big, fat french toast with a side of the most delicious syrup, oranges, bananas, milk, and italian ice gelatos.  It all hit the spot very nicely. 

I like to keep my bibs and write the date, distance and time on them.

One thing I wish I would have done is wear my water belt and bring my camera with me because there is a pretty nifty tight pocket that would have held it nicely.  This canyon was just so pretty and there was so much to see and enjoy along the way and having photos of it all would have been awesome. Oh wait......then I might not have gotten my PR.  Sacrifices.   

As long as I keep running I will continue to sign up for this race.  It was an absolutely incredible experience! Thank you so much American Fork Canyon Half Marathon!!

Mondays with Mr. Miles-At the Splash Pad Park

Just posting some photos of my one and only grandson on a day that was warm, relaxing, and enjoyable.

"A grandchild is a gift from above ... one to cherish and to love."

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"A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty."

*

"Grandparents and grandchildren are God's gift to each other."

*

"You Put the Grand in Grandma."

*

"Whenever I see you I have an uncontrollable urge to fling open my arms, excitedly shout your name and scoop you up."

Marathon Training Plan-Week 3 of 16

Week #3

Monday June 18th-Ran 5.5 trail miles and walked 1 mile

on a new trail in Provo Canyon with an old neighbor friend. 

Tuesday June 19th-Rest day-walked 4.5 miles 

with Laurie.  All of my Tuesdays and Fridays will probably say walking with Laurie.  She's always there for me.

 

Wednesday June 20th-Ran 4.5 miles and walked .25 miles

on the treadmill while watching the Bachelorette.  My boys got me started watching this stupid show and now I'm a little bit hooked.  Seriously, it's just a little bit too dramatic.  I hope she ends up with.....I don't know yet but more than likely it won't work out in the end.  Does it ever on these shows?

Thursday June 21st-Ran 3.5 trail miles to Stewart Falls and back

Sometimes life throws you curve balls and you can learn to swing at them or stand there and strike out.  

I have mentioned before how frustrating it is to want to run on the trails but at the same time not feeling safe out there alone. It's kind of an amazing story to me, or an answer to my prayers, but to make a long story short I have found some trail running companions that may be around for awhile.  I was literally out-of-the-blue added to a local Facebook group of ladies who run all over the trails here at least once a week.  There are 24 members in this group but so far it looks like only about 4 or 5 of them get together weekly. The interesting thing to me is I already recognize 2 of the faces in the group and they actually live in my neighborhood.  So this morning's run started bright and early at 5:30 am with a super refreshing run in the mountains.  Only one girl from the group showed up with her brother, but it was absolutely the most delightful run and I'm looking forward to the next one.  The numbers were low this week since a lot of the gals had run Ragnar over the weekend and were still recovering.  It will be so fun to see where these ladies run and what new friendships will be made.  I hope I can keep up with them!    

 

Friday June 22nd-Rest day-walked 4 miles

with Laurie on what I like to call Porter's hill. It's a continual climb for 2 miles where we reach the parking lot of Dry Canyon and then turn around and head back down. I'm hoping the downhill training will help for the 4000 foot descent through Cottonwood Canyon, where I will run my first marathon in September.

 

Saturday June 23rd-Ran 13.1 miles at the 

American Fork Canyon Half Marathon 

This was BY FAR my most favorite half marathon ever run, to date. I will be posting more about this soon.

  

Sunday June 24th-Day of Rest!
 

Total Running Miles: 26.5

Total Walking Miles: 9.75

Legacy Half Marathon-Midnight Run

I think most of my blogging friends are also my Facebook friends so this may be duplicating the information, but I wanted to share it here anyway.  My cousin's husband is a coordinator for athletic events here in Utah. He organizes not only half marathons but triathlons, duathlons, relays, and Santa Claus runs.  His website is www.onhillevents.com and one of the races coming up soon is the Legacy Half Marathon Midnight Run.

 I'm very thrilled to get to run in their race and see some of my family I haven't seen for awhile.  Also, the opportunity to run late at night will be a unique experience for me.  One of the fun things about this race is the use of glow sticks and other glow in the dark items that will be handed out to run with.  It has also been coordinated so that there will be a full moon to enjoy that night as well.  Yep, should be a fun one.  Anybody want to join me?   August 3rd, 2012.  Go check out their website and see what you think.