my sweet slow winter 5 miler in az

• packed the jogger: phone, scooters, keys, sunglasses for all, ipod (already supplied with shovels, buckets, air pump, emergency kit) hand sanitizers, and sunblocks.
• wore shorts, long sleeve from st George marathon 2002 (my favorite shirt)
• ran 2 miles,- took of long sleeve and ran in tank top- that is right a freakin' tank top
• turned around, ran 2 more miles ( frequently adjusting the front tire to compensate to the slight pull to the right)
• kids slept
• listened to okerville river, matt costa, the smiths
  
• ran one additional mile to the "cycler park" aptly named by maes because it has a motorcycle toy
• thought about doing pull ups when I got home
  
• got the kids out of the jogger to ride scooters
• walked to the sand part to play with sand toys
  
• picked oranges
• talked to a dog
• put long sleeve back on
  
• pealed oranges with bike tool
• washed every bodies hands with hand sanitizer
• applied sunblock to upper lip to prevent further growth of freckle mustache
• ate oranges
• got dark and cooler
• packed up kids and scooters and headed home.
  
• jake got out to ride his scooter
• noticed pee spots from pee leak in his pants
• arrived home and put kids in PJ's
  
• ate cheese and bread
• invited to go to pei wei for father in laws birthday
• asked if it is ok if kids go in pj's "Ok"
• asked if it is ok if i go in my super short running shorts "No"
  
• can't even do one pull up
• blogged
  

Fall Teaser

It won't last... at least not yet.
The last few mornings have been in the high 40's and I wore my gloves and fleece top to run in - and kept them on most of the time. However, the weather man said it will warm up again later this week.

(not the most flattering picture- i'm learning how to use the timer on the camera- if only i could learn how to make my legs longer and i might look more flattering without the oversized fleece)

In celebration of the glorious weather I ate this whole pie(minus two small pieces) in just 2 days.

My brother made pies for his wife's birthday (from scratch I think- not the crust though) and I think he did pretty good.

St. George Marathon

So yesterday, October 4th, I set out for my Saturday morning run. I had my two kids it tow and off we went. The weather is starting to cool off in the mornings (probably in the 80's) and Maesyn exclaims that she is "FREEZING", so I had them both bundled in blankets. When my alarm went off just before 4am that morning I though about all of the runners that are getting on the buses to the start line for the St. George Marathon. I did not get up then-of course. My Saturday runs start around 6am/6:30ish. Due to poor planning, I did not have by Saturday running partner with me. I usually go longer with a partner- so I was kinda bumbed... but my thoughts turned to the Marathon that was going on. I ran St. George in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. One year I was just barley pregnant with Maesyn, and the last time I ran it Maes was almost 4 months old.
I love the marathon distance. I think every race distance pales in comparison. Maybe I should have started off my "Racing Career" with sorter distances. My first ever race was a 7 miler in the Grand Canyon... then I set straight out to marathon training. The last time I ran St. George I think I almost cried at the start. Training for one is a BEAST.. but running one is GREAT. So that was my motivation for my long Saturday run. I pretended that I was running St. George. Never mind that my regular 6 miles was all I could put in. (and I had two kids in a giant baby jogger that acts as a sail when the slightest wind hits, and one of my kids was begging to go home so she could hear President Monson Speak)
Now, I did not get lazy and stop running marathons. It takes a lot of time to train, and St. George is in October so you have to train through the Summer. My next marathon will be Whiskey Row in May 2010. Nate will be done with school and maybe I can find time to train through the end of winter and early spring. Wish me luck.

Last chance and new running shoes

So, this afternoon nate and i went on a little date to Last Chance. It is a little ghetto store where all of the nordstrom returns are housed and women line up early in the morning so that they can be handed lottery numbers in order to buy very expensive hand bags for a fraction of the cost.
We go there for the shoes- and nate needed some new fancy work shoes for the new fancy job that he is preparing to get with his new fancy Masters Degree.
So - we made out pretty well- he got some nice brown Ecco shoes and some nicer black Kenneth Cole shoes- and they were only $30 a pop- can't beat that. (he also got some nice khaki pants and 2 shirts)
Because I came to help him out I had to look for stuff for the kids and I. New Keen's (aka - camping shoes) for both of our kids and some white salt water sandals for the Maeser. I also made out with about 9 tops... yikes- but they were 35% off and who says no to cute little button up short sleeve cardigans for $3.88???
My running shoes have been long past their last run. (see below) So i decided to look for the replacements.
I am usually lucky to find my brooks adrenaline shoes for $70 on sale.  I've been wearing this shoe for years - i have 3 other pair in my closet that have been run through and have given away about that many as well- lets just say that i am devoted to these... but we are trying to tighten up until the new job is finalized so i decided i'd see what the nordy reject store had to offer- i came up with these great shoes: new balance 992. they are a stability shoe- and felt pretty good- so i'm giving them a try. and who says no to a $140 shoe that you can pick up for $19????
Now - i am still staying with my running shoe theme-you will usually only see old people and serious runners wearing brooks- they are not "lookers" when it comes to running shoes. These 992's will be sported by very old men-but they have a twist- because really sexy retro men will wear them too ( and when i say "sexy" i mean nate. he has a pair that he wears for fashion's sake). So I hope people will look past the sexiness of them when I am running and take me for the serious die hard that I really am.
by the way-you should replace your running shoes at about 400 miles- 

How to run with two kids:

A few friends asked how I run with two kids. I do it with the baby jogger Performance series jogger. I don't have a full picture of me with the kids in it - but here is one of the kids when Jake was just a baby. I'll add a full picture when I take one. There is a stock photo below. I only have 16 inch wheels on mine- i should have got the 20 for a smoother ride. My single had 16 inch wheels and we were fine- but two kids make for a more difficult ride. I have some 20's that I'll eventually put on the back. Notice how Maesyn has her own portable dvd player. Spoiled! It is nice because we can take toys to play with at the park- we also have treats and extra water, extra diapers, money for garage sales and doughnuts - at one time we even had a dump truck in there. So nice!!!

2008 Olympics

Anybody that knows me knows that I'm not a sports fan and I think that watching sports on TV is so Boring!!!. However, if I'm flipping through the TV and happen to see the Ironman Broadcast or a Marathon you bet I'll stop and watch it. Keep in mind I never know when these things are on TV (nor am I sure exactly what time my so called "favorite" TV shows are on-I'm just not in the know as far as any TV). To big time sports fans I must seem like the boring one...watching people run.. I know... I know... I can't explain it.
Even within the one "sport" I enjoy I could not tell you the names of many of the major stars. I am not competitive in my "sport" either. Yes... if I see a dead bird on the road or hear something in the bushes I will stop and make observations...never mind my time. (Running... long distance... Marathon-1/2 Marathons...that is my sport...long and slow- very slow).

Ok- so it the 2008 Olympics and we are all glued to our TVs to watch the events... sports fans and non-sports fans alike. We are watching things like gymnastics and diving (things we would not normal seek out to watch if/when they are aired on TV during the non Olympic years). A lot of us don't know what events are scheduled at what times- we just tune in whenever and start watching. I think I like to watch the majority of the events and cheer on our country.. but here are the dates that the sexiest events will take place.

Men's Marthon- go HALL Ryan- Sunday August 24th(RITZENHEIN Dathan and SELL Brian are also running) (the Kenyans are predicted to take 2 of the medals- with Martin Lel gold, Ryan Hall silver and Samuel Wnajiru bronze.

Women's Marathon- Sunday August 17th NOGUCHI Mizuki from Japan is predicted to take gold- she did so last year- RADCLIFFE Paula (world record holder) fell out in Athens at 22.4 miles- she had an injury and stomach problems (diarrhea!!!!). I believe she is still running this year but is not predicted to place. KASTOR Deena won the US trials and set an American record at the London marathon after placing bronze in '04 . Zhou Chunxiu- China is predicted for silver and Catherine Nderba (Kenya) bronze.
Men's Mountain Bike-August 23rd
Women's Mountain Bike- August 22nd
Men's Triathon- August 19th
Women's Triathon- August 18th
I will be sure to watch the Marathons (if they are not airing during church)- and I'll try to catch the others.
Another American Favorite to watch is WEBB, Alan- 1500 meters. (ok- maybe just my favorite because I remember the hoopla of his record breaking). I'm not a big fan of the shorter distances and LAGAT Bernard (US) is predicted to take Gold. But I remember when Ryan Webb became the first American high school runner to run a sub 4 minute mile indoors (January of 2001, 3:59.86 at New York City’s Armory) He continued to break records that were over 30 years old in the mile and 1500 meters including a run on May 27, 2001 at the Prefontaine Classic,(3:53.43 mile). He is not predicted to take a medal this year.
Lagat lives in Tucson -but was born and raised in Kenya... He could be the one to get our first medal since 1968 when Jim Ryun took silver. It has been a century since any US runner has taken gold in this event.
(predictions are from the August issue of Runner's world- like I know anything about predicting winners in races).