Cleaning Off the DVR

    
      I realize now that that title might be misleading to what this post is actually going to be about. But that's what got me thinking. As some of you may not know my mom died kind of unexpectedly on August 22, 2011. So as not to make this a total downer of a post the gist is that my mom had been sick for about 2 months. We couldn't figure out what the issue was. We took her to the hospital and she was in ICU for a week. On Wednesday August 17 she had to go in for emergency surgery for abdominal pain. The surgeon told us she had cancer everywhere, stomach, liver, pancreas, bowels, you name it. He told us she might not wake up from this surgery where he tried to remove the worst of it. By the grace of God she woke up and we were able to spend a few days with her before she died on Monday. Her funeral was on Saturday August 27, 2011. An experience I pray most of you will not have to deal with for many years to come.
         Because my dad is now a widow I moved back home to kind of be with him for a bit. I'm the only single childless person in my family so it is easier for me to do and honestly I want to not be alone either. Since I've moved home I've helped my dad clean out a lot of her things. I think for him its easier to not see her everyday things. He has kept a lot of things. Well tonight we were watching a show on the History Channel and while waiting for him to come back I asked him if he wanted me to clean off the DVR. He said yes. So here I am sitting in my mom's old chair deleting all her favorite shows and it breaks my heart to think she'll never sit in this chair. She'll never save me a segment of "Rachel Ray" that she thought I would like to see. She and I will never make fun of the drama of "Chopped".
          This past week has been like a dream to me. I feel like I'm in a fog and one day I'll wake up and she'll be here. But I know deep down she won't. I don't let myself think about it during the day but at night when its quite I can't stop my thoughts. She was an amazing woman and I hope one day to be half the person she was. She was a mom first but my best friend second and I miss her more than anything in the world. But we take it one day at a time and as my dear friend Christi said, we try to find a new normal but never forget the old. One day I hope to get there.
         For anyone interested you can read her obituary here, because I'm not going to lie, my mom was freaking awesome!

I love you mom!

Running Wish-list!!

I've been thinking about this since my post yesterday. I really do have a running wish-list. Who doesn't?! So I decided I'd share a few of them. :)
#1. I really want this skirt for winter running! (yes I shopped around after yesterday and found a running skirt I want)

You can drool over it as well here if you'd like.

#2. I am looking for new running shoes for my end of the year reward. I vote for these!

I used to be only a New Balance girl. (still love that brand) But then I got a Nike+ and went with those shoes (not as much of a fan). But I decided to check out the Salt Lake Running Co. and they did a little run test with me and we found out I run stupid (shocker I know). Meaning I run on the inside of my foot...a lot. So they recommended Brooks to me. And yup LOVE them! Big fan. And thanks to my goal of running one race a month they are getting some good mileage. You can check out the specs of this shoe here.

#3. I want to run this trail.

Info here

#4. I want to run this race.

#5. I want to like these...but I just can't...they are a little awful.

#6. I want to make this my goal for next year

#7. And this one as well!(sprint or Olympic...but let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Let's stick to sprint yeah?)

#8. I would like an alternative to this: (and not another sporty drink...gag) but another way to replenish electros without ralphing.

#9. I would like to know what the benefit of these and these are:

P.S. Those are compression socks and arm sleeves.

#10. I want him as my running partner

Haha!! Kidding, kidding (no I think I'm pretty serious about this one) But since THAT will never happen I will settle with this instead.

Although I'm not going to lie. There are days when I wish THIS was my running partner.

Ha! One day Jazzy. One day you will be mine. Oh yes. Alright my crew that took me all day to accomplish (thanks for nothin' work!). But I hope you enjoyed it. Peace out!

Running skirts?

First off let me start this by saying I am not your typical runner. I don't look like a runner nor am I very good at it. I am a chunky monkey runner but I like it and so I do it. My phlosiphy is that anyone can be a runner.  Just get out there! :) Good luck!
So I've been looking into running skirts. I think they are cute. But I've never been one that looks cute while running so would it be worth the price? Gooood question. I'm wondering if anyone uses them or has in the past. My reason for wanting one is because in the winter I run in warm legging thingys. (Sorry I don't know the "official" name. I'm cool like that) But I don't want to make the poor public see my giggly bum as I run down the road. So I wear shorts over them. Which makes me look rather ridiculous. I'm wondering if I should try to save SOME dignity and buy a skirt. Problem is that they come with attached compression shorts and that won't work very well. Hmm...time to shop around I guess. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them! Places to buy or look etc. Looking forward doing some runs this week! Woot! Second thing. I've decided that as my reward for running one race a month for this year I'm going to buy myself new running shoes. Let me tell you I'm REALLY excited about it! I love getting new running shoes. Hmm...maybe its time to make a running wishlist. :) What's on yours? Alright peeps, I'm out. Happy Running!

Blog Stalker!

So first off this is a picture of my friend Carri from when we were in high school. I took this picture and thought it was funny then and still think its funny now. (Yes I'm THAT lame). But I also thought it fit my title. She is going to luuuv me for using this. Ha!

I have been wasting time at work for the last two days by stalking blogs and I have to tell you I am LOVING it. I have mostly been blog stalking running and foodie blogs. They have been giving me inspiration. Mostly the running blogs. Needless to say I NEED the help! Jen and I decided to not do the half marathon at the end of July. Which looking back was a really good idea. She had been having runner's knee, which I've had before and it is no good. I was in Rexburg, ID for a wedding the night before and I also didn't feel mentally or physically ready for it. So we opted to forgo that one and pick one later. BUT the bad things that I have only been running once since our 11 mile run 3 weeks ago! I've mentioned this before on here that my biggest issue with running is consistency. I also got to the point in our training that I HATED running. I had never had that much dislike for my beloved running before. I feel like I need to get back to the point where I love it and my day is not complete without a run. How do I do that? Well here is the plan:
#1. Go back to the basics. Train for a 5k again. Learn to love the race again.
#2. Run a few times without music. Focus on why I like to run. The challenge and feel of the pavement.
#3. DON'T run at 4:00 in the afternoon in 90 degree heat! Did that on Tuesday. All junk miles.
#4. Add cross training to the plans. I.e. swimming and weights, even though Jenny and I went and did weights and I was ready to go after two machines! That weight room scares me.
#5. Find a strength training plan. :D
#6. Stop finding excuses not to run.
I feel out of sync. But we'll get there.
Oh! In case some of you are wondering what blogs I've been stalking here are a few:
MegaNerdRuns
Chocolate & Carrots
(never home)maker
Nutrition Nut on the Run 
Carrots N' Cake
So there you go! Blog on my friends. If you have any others to suggest by all means let me know!
P.S. My blog stalking and blog writing have all been while waiting for a client to show. So I'm not a TOTAL sinnerface.

P.P.S. This is my next race. Looks like a good time. I better register for it! I'd love the company so you should join as well! :)

Race #4,5,6 ok you get the point...I'm a little late.

Beth! This is for you! Alright I've been slow with the race updates. So here is a quick run down. #4 was the Adoption 5k at Wheeler Farm and this was the first race with my dear friend Jenny. It was snowing the whole race so that was bundles of fun. But still good.
#5 was the Thanksgiving point 5k that I did with my mom, dad and niece Morgan. It was fun! But once again, snowing.

Finally no snow for #6. #6 was the Race for the Cure for breast cancer awareness in downtown Salt Lake. That one was really cool because there were sooo many people. But it was also really difficult to run around people so next year I'll probably just walk it and enjoy it with friends and family.

#7 was the Miller 10k for diabetes. That one was kind of rough mostly because it was my first non-5k. Jen kicked my trash...like she always does. :) But I'm grateful she does them with me and I don't mind her beating me. I wouldn't be doing anything beyond a 5k if it wasn't for her.
#8 was Race for the Women of Congo at Wheeler Farm and so far my best 5k time.
#9 is on July 9th. Its a 5k for the sister-in-law of a girl Jenny and I used to visit teach. Her sister-in-law and niece both died pretty unexpectedly. So I am glad we can go support her.
Race #10 makes me want to hurl. That is the Mount Timpanogos half marathon. Jenny and I have been training for it by running the course and I'm telling you right now I am so ready to get this stupid race over with! Blah. Not a fan. But we'll see if I survive. :)
I also did Raft for the Cure in Moab last weekend. SUCH a good time. I went with my friends Jetta and Trista both who I haven't seen in ages. It was great to get back with the girls. Raft for the Cure is a day long rafting trip that includes lunch and Red Cliff Lodge, a dinner in the park and a concert along with a t-shirt all for $100! Great deal! Once I find my camera thingy that pulls the pictures off I'll post some. (Yes I call it a camera thingy. I don't know what its called). But anyway, Rafting for the Cure and Race for the Cure will become annual things I think. I like doing races for causes. They seem more laid back plus I like giving my money to someone who needs it. :)
Well peeps (mostly Beth since I think you are the only one who really actually reads this) I am out. I hope you enjoyed it! I'll work on bringing back my weekly quotes and things that must go and/or stay. Peace kids!

Moab!

I have lived in Utah for the majority of my life. A short stint in Colorado when I was a kid. A mission to Tennessee, which also included Georgia and then a year in Florida and a year and a half in Moscow, Idaho. But the biggest part was in Utah. Now Utah has some great things to see. And I really haven't seen a lot of it. So I've decided to change that! I did my first goal of going snowboarding which you can read about here and here. My next goal was Moab. So thankfully Jenny was willing to go with me this last weekend and it was a great time! I knew that things like Delicate Arch and Dead Horse Point were cool but there is a big difference between seeing it in a photo and actually being there. Its pretty amazing to see Delicate Arch in its actual setting. So here are some pics. Enjoy!

 Random side note. We decided to stay in Moab instead of Green River. Which all in all was a good decision. But our last night there we had this couple staying next door to us who had an all out yelling match until 6am. 6AM! It was horrible. It made me think what would someone have to do to make me THAT angry. It was crazy. Jen and I didn't get a lot of sleep. But It was a great weekend and I hope to go back for sure.

Race #3!

Well I completed my third race this year on March 26th. It was a colon cancer research race. I've decided to try to do races for a good cause. If I'm giving my money somewhere I might as well give it to something like cancer research. This race went UP Millcreek Canyon. I wanted to ralph my guts out the first 1.55 up and it took me FOREVER! But I was able to make up huge time on the downhill. I did 1.55 in about 15ish minutes. It was a nice! I didn't reach my goal of under 40 minutes but I figure since I climbed 500 ft. 42 minutes isn't too bad. I have 9 races left. I am running two in April, yes two in April. I'm doing the second one with my mom and dad and niece Morgan. Should be a good time! This is the plan for May, I look forward to that one. I am doing this one in June. That one I really want to do since my mom has diabetes. AND that one is a 10k. Yikes. But this is for July! Yes you read right half marathon. It scares me to death! I also can't seem to find a training plan I like...that's a worry. :-S But thankfully my dear fiend Jenny is running this with me. If she wasn't I would not be doing it. so I'm grateful. My goal for the half is #1. not die! #2. Finish. #3. Finish and feel like I put my all into it. If that makes sense. I was also excited to get nice weather to run outside but then I found out its supposed to snow tomorrow. Snow! No more! I'm done! Lame.  Also a side note I want to take my Saturday's and do more trail runs. I like the challenge. Anyway, like I've mentioned before I love to have people to run with so feel free to join any race! :)