mackenzie + running = red face

jogging while pushing two kids in my 34 pound stroller is no easy task. i am red faced, dripping sweat, and gasping for breath! but lately my red face has been not just from the hard work. mackenzie's little quips from the stroller have been slightly embarrassing!

some silly things that came out of her mouth on today's run:

M: "mom, are you sweating yet?"

me: "yup"

M (pointing at a passing running): "ew! look he's really sweating, why is he all wet like that?"

me: "he's running really fast that's why"

M (pointing to a little girl who is crying on the trail) "why is that girl crying? she's okay." (and then starts waving frantically at the crying girl) "hi" (girl hides her face from us and continues to wail)

M: why she no wave at me?

M: "mom are you walking?"

me: "no, i am running"

M: "oh. (pause). really mom?"

M: (while passing a man who was an obvious smoker): "ew! that guy's stinky!!!"

me-picking up the pace and hoping he didn't hear.

M: (pointing to a woman biking past): "that lady needs her exercise"

i'm not sure where she got this one...maybe because we talk about exercise a lot at home, in response to the ever present "why".."why you doing that?" when mommy or daddy is running, lifting weights, doing a dvd...we always reply back, "oh, we need to our exercise"

seriously folks, good thing she is stinkin' cute....

and while i'm on the subject of cute...check out these amazing pics that our friend missy took a few weeks ago. missy is a photographer, and spent an afternoon with us capturing moments of miss kenzie at this precious age. check out missy's website: http://www.mcorwinphotography.com/

#6

sleep.

remember, this is a countdown of my top ten simple pleasures. and since having children i have learned that sleep is a simple pleasure...and one we can go without. so now that my girls are both snoozing through the night i am reminded of how much i adore a good night's sleep. and i just have to say, to those of you who choose to wake at ridiculous hours (4am),--i have never really understood you.

should it stay or should it go?

we have been busy busy busy this weekend. gettin' stuff done! one of the things on the "list" was to clean up the garage. blah! probably my least favorite of all house chores.

and we were going through this and that. and then our bikes. somehow we've acquired quite the collection. and it was easy for me to make the decision.."that one goes, that one goes, that one...er...well...let's keep it".

can't you just see it? maybe painted a plum, with "new" old tires, and a "new" old seat. me, cruisin' downtown beaverton, ringin' my bell, so fun!

i just want to do a little research to see if it is even worth it. because seriously, i need another project right?

any buddies out there ever refurbished an ol' bike before?

#7

travel.

i am a planner. before bed each night, i cuddle with mackenzie and we plan out the next day. where we should go. what we should eat. and as her eyelids are getting heavy and i am walking out of her bedroom door she smiles faintly and whispers, "we gonna have fun tomorrow". it's a statement, not a question.

before i start a new school year, i have the entire year outlined (yes, it is required...but i relish the act). i can breathe easier knowing what is ahead.

and when i travel to a new place, i make it my business to know the ins and outs of our destination.

when it comes to travel, it is a three part process for me and each stage i love. the planning. the traveling. the returning home. i love it all.

justin and i have become excellent traveling companions. but i have to admit, it took some battles work. our first big trip together, our honeymoon, we missed our flight. a few years later in new york city, justin was flabbergasted as i started to cry in the middle of the sidewalk. i was upset over which restaurant to eat at. he wanted to grab something on the go, and continue checking items off our hefty itinerary for the day. i wanted to eat at one of the restaurants i had spent the last few months researching. we've learned a lot.

this last weekend i was reminded of why traveling makes my top ten. my mom and i had a girls' weekend in lovely san diego. we had so much fun. that woman makes me laugh! justin held down the fort with the little ladies and was rewarded by a very relaxed and refreshed wifey! win-win.

(we could spy this 25 foot statue from our hotel window)

(love this view)

(hotel del coronado, anyone for some like it hot?)

(we pounded the pavement, checking out downtown. loved the mix of old mission style buildings with the modern high rises)

(returning home to this lil' mug is the best)

race report: august

haulin' aspen was AMAZING! justin ran it with me, and i am happy to report that i did not trip him or sabotage his race in any way! he stuck by my side the entire race, even when that meant going waaaay slower than he would have normally ran. he encouraged me the whole way, at one point even complementing my race day attire...seriously! what a guy!

the course:

we started at miller elementary school on skyliners road. it was a cool, cloudless morning and even though the event was sold out, it still felt like a small intimate group. there was no one there to check us in and get our bib numbers, so we helped ourselves.

haulin aspen included a marathon, half marathon, and 7-miler, we had staggered waves at the start. even with the small group of 7 milers left, there still was a bottleneck as we all tried to funnel onto the narrow dirt path at the beginning of the race. we ran in single file for the first half mile or so, which made it a little slow as justin and i had started in the back of the pack. the path was lined with tall pines and was a combination of dirt trails, mountain bike trails, and forest service roads.

the first three miles were pretty flat (minus the mountain bike moguls), with only three monster hills to climb. i only tripped once (i saved myself before i ate it). there was lots of roots, rocks, and uneven ground to navigate around. however, i kinda liked that part. i had to concentrate on what my feet were doing, and that was a nice distraction.

the last four miles were flat or a steady decline which was lovely, and much needed to keep me going. the sun came out and i was HOT! because most of the run was through the forest they only had one water station to cut down on trash on the course. i was thirsty and knew i needed water badly. at mile six justin and i failed to notice the turn (the flags had been trampled down) and added on an additional .2 miles. after realizing our mistake and giving several other runners the heads up as they started to take the same course we had, we were back on track. we skirted a hill above shevlin park, the sun was beating down hard, i was thirsty, and ready to be done! i sped up and heard justin's voice, "nice job, love" making me instantly teary eyed. we trampled across the bridge, justin right on my heels, and loped across the finish line with big smiles!

loved this race! it was a beautiful course, challenging and fun! if i wanted to work on my time for this race i could have raced a little smarter (brought a water belt, started more towards the middle rather than the back, and been more aggressive in passing when in single file)...but overall i felt strong!

the race however, was only a small part of this weekend! i seriously have enough updates to fill this entire week! stay tuned!

inspiration

my august race is this sunday.

and i'm nervous. justin is running this 7 miler with me, which could be good or bad. justin is much faster than me...which might encourage me to pick up the pace....or, in a weak moment, cause me to curse his name and try and trip him... i'll let you know how it goes.

i've been working on my "mental toughness" with running. some running blogs i've read have these mottos or mantras that the runner tells herself... you know like, "you got this" or "you trained for this". i tried it...it didn't work. instead, i kept hearing my high school softball coach yelling, "get the lead out rasmussen!" which is what he would always shout as i was running the bases. and in the end i always think, "i can't fight it, i am a slow poke".

but then, while perusing pintrest (so addicting), i found myself "pinning" all these prints that were about running. and guess what folks...these little sayings were playing a track through my head in this morning's run...

Your biggest challenge isn't someone else. It's the ache in your lungs and the burning in your legs, and the voice inside you that yells 'CAN'T", but you don't listen. You just push harder. And then you hear the voice whisper 'can'. And you discover that the person you thought you were is no match for the one you really are.

  (someone else wrote this part, and i loved it!)

 

 

 

 

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hello summer!

justin got back from camp yesterday. we were so happy to have him home. it feels like now summer can really begin! oh wait, it's august.

this summer has been a blur.

something i missed noting on the blog.....addison's half birthday (7.20.11) what? you don't celebrate half birthdays? lame, you should.

look at this little angel!

she loves to eat. like seriously adores it. she starts to frantically whimper when i am taking too long getting the spoon in the mouth. imagine that, my daughter enjoys food, who would have thought...

 this was what last night looked like (remember, it was our first night of summer...kinda)