Playing catch up once again.....

Life seems to be passing me by one month at a time. I am shocked that is it already mid August. My youngest brother Kory gets home from his mission Sept 4th, 2 years has just flown by! So i am going to re-cap July.

My cute niece Jayla got blessed and she has been a joy in my life! I cannot seem to get enough of her and love every second around her. It is crazy to already see how much she is growing. She is starting to be so much more aware and it melts my heart everytime that little girl smiles. It has amazed me that i could love her so much! I am so glad that i live back in Utah so i can take advantage of seeing her whenever i want!


Antelope by midnight was a great ride. I did it with two of my friend Kim and Kathy. The ride started around 10pm, and was done around midnight. 1. lots of hills, 2. lots of bugs, 3. dark. This made for a great ride!

This was my first ride in my clipless pedals. Which also made it for a fun ride. Once those feet are locked in, i better pedal!! We saw many accidents where people did not clip out fast enough and just tumbled over. I am proud to say that i was not one of those!


I also did the Deseret News 10k on Pioneer Day. This will be a new tradition. It was a great course and very fast. At the last about 2 miles, you actually run part of the parade route, so it is lined with people on both sides of the street cheering you on! The only bad part about that is people are also all cooking their breakfast, so the smell of doughnuts and sausage fills the air, not the best smell when you are running hard! :) I did a PR for my 10k, it has been so great to see how much faster i get as time goes on and with each race i do!

July was great, August has been even better! I have had some life changing events happen in August, i feel like a new woman!

Canada vs America.....

For the 1st of July (Canada Day), my family usually goes up to Canada. My brother Kory gets home from his mission in September, so we decided to wait and go in October. It was bitter sweet, but the 4th of July was a great one!

The festivities started on the 3rd at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Bountiful. We had a b-b que and enjoyed watching Brooklyn say, "Oh Canada!!"


Can you tell i dressed Brooklyn? ha!


On the 4th, i went up to Huntsville with Brett and Steph. It started early with a pancake breakfast, and parade. The parade reminded me of the Raymond parade in Canada. Lots of tractors and little kids riding their decorated bikes! It was great!


I wish i would have taken a picture of Jayla's toes. Steph painted them red. It was adorable.


After the events in Huntsville, we went up to my sister in law's (Steph) cabin in Ogden Canyon for another b-b que. She has a river that runs through the back that people float down. It was freezing, but lots of fun. Her niece Aspen and I went down together. Halfway down she said she was tired of all the "waves!" Ha!

This year, America won. It was a great holiday, one that i usually take lightly. I am glad to be in America where i have lots of family to spend time with. But next year, America will get a run for its money when hopefully, we are back up in Canada for the 1st!

Much needed update!

So it has been a month since the marathon, and it has been hard for me to post anything on my blog, because nothing is cooler than seeing that every time i look at my blog. I worked so hard for it, so it has been fun to just bask in the fulfillment!

I was coached to take a couple weeks off post marathon, so i start Monday, training once again for some upcoming races. I look forward to the continuous challenge and getting back into shape.

Time has been consumed by babies! I love having a niece, and i cannot hold her and hang out with her more. It is amazing to see how much she has already changed in just a month.



My cousin Jenna finally had her first girl, Jade on Monday! She has two cute boys Jake and Josh, so we welcomed Jade with open arms. Jenna and i are the only girl cousins, so we need all the female help we can get! Congrats Jenna, she is adorable!



So that is about all that is going on, babies and of course...running again! I will be better at posting. Thanks for all your kind words about the marathon! You guys all made me feel so great!

I am a MARATHONER!!!

Well check that out, i finally did it!! It seems i have been training for this event for so long. Last year i was registered for the Newport Marathon and then i had a gallbladder issue and needed that removed, so this year i was not going to let anything get in my way of completing the Newport, Oregon Marathon! It did come with its fair share of injuries, but i stayed strong, overcame them and faced the marathon head on!

Starting line photo, can you tell i was going crazy with nervousness?

My cousin Matt came and supported me from Boise! He was so great! This was us at the start. We started the race by the famous Newport, Oregon lighthouse on Yakima Bay.

Now before i share my experience and pictures from the marathon. I want to share an article about Lance Armstrong's experience on his first marathon, because he sums it up perfectly.

Lance Armstrong on NYC Marathon
Posted November 06, 2006 12:46:00 AM

Seven time Tour de France winner struggles with marathon run.

The New York City Marathon proved to be the most difficult challenge LANCE ARMSTRONG says he has ever faced.

"For the level of condition that I have now, that was without a doubt the hardest physical thing I have ever done," he told the Associated Press after completing his run. "I never felt a point where I hit the wall. It was really a gradual progression of fatigue and soreness."

The seven time Tour de France winner placed 856th among more than 35,000 runners, and just managed to beat his goal of running the course in three hours. Lance covered 26.2 miles in two hours 59 minutes and 36 seconds.

"At the end I was so tired, I couldn't care," he told the AP. "I don't know how these guys do it."


I could not agree with him more, it truly was the hardest physical thing i have ever done! I had trained hard and was ready, but nothing could prepare me for the mental aspect of it. It is so crazy. You know you can do it, i had trained to 22 miles, but for some reason your brain plays tricks on you making you think you cannot. So for the last 7 miles i fought with my self, and at mile 25, when only 1.2 miles were left, i first thought... " why does 1.2 miles feel like 100." then i had to fight that thought off and know that i can run a mile in my sleep. There is nothing greater than seeing that finish line!



The course was amazing. It ran right along the coast. It was perfect weather, high 52, and overcast with no wind. Could not ask for better running weather. Eric came to Newport ran the first four miles with me, when we ran passed the hotels, he grabbed his bike and rode next to me the rest of the way. He carried me gu, my gatorade and offered endless amounts of support. At one point a fellow runner, came next to me and told me how lucky i was to have a friend like that and if i ever got sick of him, she would love to steal him! It was so nice to have him there. I don't think i could have made it through it all without him! I truly am lucky!

My parents also came, and it was great to have that support as well. My mom even surprised me and made posters. At several locations they waited for me with those posters and cheered me on! It helped keep me going!


I have said this quote all along the training, it was said, "Your life will never be the same once you cross that finish line." It is an amazing feeling. I will for sure keep this up and will be returning to Newport next year. I now know what to expect and can relax a little the second time around and enjoy it a little more.