Lake to Lake Relay

This was my first relay race experience. It was most definitely an entertaining and fun group! My running buddies, Stephanie and Elizabeth, Elizabeth's husband Jared, and their good friend Dave. Very funny group. We ran from Gunlock reservoir, through Ivins, through St. George, to Bloomington, through Washington, and finally to Sand Hollow Lake in Hurricane, Utah. 

I was nervous about the weather because the wind and rain had woken me up all night Friday. Luckily, it was partly cloudy, 55 degrees throughout the race, so it turned out perfect. It was 52 miles, and our team of 5 had to each complete 2 legs of the race. 

Jared passing off to his wife, Elizabeth while Dave cheers them on.

 Our team name was "Urine Luck" since Elizabeth peed her pants during this relay last year. She got together some scary ugly shirts (3x night gown with lace and a bow) for the guys and some material we wrapped around our waist for the girls, and some shamrock socks. It turned out really cute!

Giving Elizabeth some water during her leg

 I was the 5th leg- it was a long morning waiting to run, but when I got out there I pushed myself hard. I finished my 4 miles in 28 minutes! 7 minute miles! I was really happy with the results.

I was the anchor for the team, running the longest of the 10 legs. I was nervous by the time my turn came around- but I was excited for the opportunity to pass some of the teams we wanted to beat and bring our team in. Leg 10 was a 7.09 mile loop around the lake, sandy, hilly, and brutal. I could see the finish line for miles, but it was SO far away it felt. I ran hard after a girl who was on a team that Elizabeth was really wanting to beat.  I finally caught her and finished the race in front!  It took everything I had- my muscles were screaming at me in the end. 7 1/2 minute miles... not a pace I'm used to doing for over 7 miles. I was very pleased.. our team did great! Such a fun experience!

Jared came in from his leg with no shirt under his lucky shirt. So funny to see him coming in, full tummy showing. HA! 

A beautiful rainbow showed up half way through the race. So, so pretty!! 

FINISHING!!! 

Our stats for the race:

Overall: 16th place out of 125 teams
Finished in 6 hours: 28 minutes, average 7:44 min miles

Placed 5th place in our Co-ed division (out of 54)

February happenings

I'm not sure why this one keeps flipping to the side on me, but I found this in Jaylen's writing journal at school. It gave me tears. Love that sweet boy of mine! 

We've had amazing weather lately. My neighbor, Holly, had us over to play in her pool. The boys were SO excited and happy! 

Jaylen absolutely loves to have his "buns scratched." He pulls his little pants down and asks for "bum scratchies." He falls asleep easily if I scratch his little buns at bedtime. Such a cute little bum guy!

Jaylen had time off school for conferences this week, so we took advantage of a fun afternoon at the pool. It was such nice to splash around and play in the grass. 

This is Gavin waking up from a nap. Poor lil guy had a fever for a few days and after a checkup this past week, he had pink eye and Jaylen had an ear infection. They're both doing much better. 

Here are the stats from the boy's annual well child check up on 2/28/14:

Gavin:
34.6 lbs (81.09%)
Height: 38.75" tall (85.09%)

Jaylen:
Weight: 53 lbs (84.16%)
Height: 50" tall (98.99%)

Both healthy and adorable as ever!

Aaron's 32nd Birthday!!

Aaron turned 32 on the 23rd of February. It was such a fun weekend with my sweetie. I picked up a babysitter Saturday afternoon to surprise Aaron with a date to the Red Cliffs. My brother let us borrow a four wheeler that we drove out to explore some new trails in the Red Cliffs. It was a gorgeous day in the 70's. I brought lunch with us, so Aaron found a fun, shady spot to have lunch. It was awesome to sit, relax, eat and chat. We talked a lot about all the adventures we've had and how happy we are were we are. I love spending my life with this fun and loving man! 

Love that smile. Such a cutie! 

 Aaron got a real basketball hoop from Merilee and Bryan for his birthday. He's been going out there and shooting around with Jaylen, and we all love it. It's perfect in our back yard! I found a great condition, Fender guitar for Aaron that the boys enjoyed surprising him with.

We had Aaron's favorite, Broccoli crepes for dinner on his birthday

 These were so cute, I couldn't pick just one to post:

 Needless to say, the boys were very happy and excited for Aaron's birthday too!

Such a beautiful, fulfilling weekend with my sweetie and kidos. Happy, Happy Birthday Aaron Dear!

Dogtown Half Marathon

Seriously, the best day EVER for running. Weather in the low 70's, sun shining, beautiful trails... this was a fantastic race. I love that the Dogtown Half went right through my back yard and showed me a lot of new trails I didn't even know where right in my back yard! It was really fun to head up with my new fitness buddies and have some good laughs along the trail. 

 So, a funny story: The porta potties on the first aid station weren't placed in a great spot- right along a corner where all of the runner's turned. When coming out, I completely knocked a girl over because she cut too close to the potties. I felt terrible. Her and her friend were laughing for the next few miles over it. Sorry lady!!

 My stats from the race:
Finished in 01:42:24
I was 4th in my age group, 45th female to come in, and 574th place out of 1500 runners. 

Such a fun group right here- Dave, Justin, me, Stephanie, Elizabeth, Grace and Jared. My running/spinning/gym buddies.

So happy to have a pair of healthy legs to carry me through this gorgeous course! Also loved having my sweet family at the finish line to support me!

Jaylen's Basketball Finale

Jaylen did great on his first basketball season! He got better and better each week. He's so cute to watch skip, twirl and run up the court and excitedly shoot the ball. It was a fun season. We're excited to keep playing on our new hoop in the back yard!  

Workin' it

Here are a few pictures from our marketing department at the Biggest Loser: 

On Wednesdays, we typically play frisbee dodgeball for Team Dynamics. Always a good time! 

Leading stretch after Mountain class

The weather has been AMAZING here! This is after a pool class and circuit training.

Getting these ladies to the top of Mt Matterhorn in Mountain class. 

Training adventures

My training keeps moving forward- introducing me to all kinds of new adventures. I enjoyed my longest bike ride yet, 52 miles to Arizona, through Snow Canyon and back home. I'm getting much better and more comfortable on my bike. Plenty of beautiful miles running and challenging 5 am swim workouts in the pool. The pool is mentally taxing for me, but I do feel weekly improvements and am able to swim faster.  

My bike buddy, Sheryl, and I after making it up Snow Canyon- SHEW! 

A peek at this upcoming week of training:
Monday- 2000 meter swim (40 laps)/25 mile bike (2 spin classes for me)
Tuesday- 1250 meter swim/60 min run
Wednesday- 30 mile bike
Thurs- 1500 meter swim/50 min run
Friday- 50 mile bike (opt 1000 yd swim)
Sat- 80 min run (opt 20 mile bike)