Dashing Through the Mud

Many years ago, I dabbled in a hobby I never thought I’d get involved in… running. 

I don’t run anymore, and I’m okay with that. To be honest, running wasn’t good for me physically or mentally. For one thing, I was always injured. There was frequently something wrong with my knees or my back, and I had plantar fasciitis for over two years. I also compared myself to others all the time. I was too involved with people who were faster than me and could run a lot farther. I found a running community, but I couldn’t keep up with them. Being the worst runner in the group really sucks. Instead of enjoying my own experiences, I constantly beat myself up. I also had horrible issues with body image that I never should have had!

I went through a phase where I did a lot of events. Then I put running on pause about halfway through my pregnancy with Eva (she was born in April of 2015). I ran a little bit after I had her, and the last event I did was a half-marathon in 2016. Shortly after that, I hurt my back and haven’t ran since. 

Several months ago, Zoe started begging me to sign her up for a mud run. She also begged me to get her a treadmill so she could train. I didn’t get her the treadmill, but I did sign her up for the Muddy Dash on July 1st. 

So on Saturday, we headed an hour away to Soldier Hollow (the location of many other muddy events I’ve participated in), and Zoe, Nicky, Scotty, and I did the Muddy Dash. After all these years, I was surprised to find that people still do mud runs. I thought they’d kind of died out.

The event itself… was kind of a mess. There weren’t enough parking spaces, bathrooms, washing stations, or check-in lines. We had an early start time, got there almost a hour before our wave, and still had to start a half a hour late because the lines were so long. And they only got worse as time went on. When we left, cars were lined up for miles trying to get to the venue. People ended up parking miles away and walking. Their shirts were ugly and way too small (Zoe couldn’t wear hers - it looked like it was for a toddler -so we gave her Nicky’s and gave Scotty’s to Nicky). I wasn’t impressed with the Muddy Dash at all. 

But Zoe loved it and had the time of her life. 

When I signed up for the run, I asked all my kids who wanted to do it, and as predicted, just Nicky and Zoe wanted to. Nicky was really cute with Zoe through the whole thing. He took the most messy approach to everything, as he should! Hopefully sometime he can do a mud run with friends and really live it up.

One thing I did enjoy is that they had bubbles at the finish line. Nicky and Zoe had a ton of fun running through them. The bubbles didn’t help at all with the mud situation, but they were still a bit of a treat! They were piled up so high that Nicky crouched down and completely vanished, and Zoe was able to stand under the bubble dispenser and get completely covered, to her utter delight! I’ve never done a bubble run. 

After a really long break from running events, I can say with confidence that they are not my thing anymore. I will do them for my kids, but that’s about it, and I probably won’t ever do anything I need to “train” for. I got rid of all my medals in 2019, and I have never regretted it. They were fun to have while I was actively running, but it got to the point where they were just taking up space, so I KonMaried them out of my life. 

As far as mud goes… I can handle a little mess. But life is a lot easier when you don’t have dirty water in all your nooks and crannies. We didn’t even attempt to clean up at the venue because they only had two hoses (TWO!!) for washing, and there were thousands and thousands of people! (Other mud runs I’ve done have had more like 20 washing stations, and that wasn’t enough either. I waited in line for a hose after my first mud run and have never done it since because the lines are just too long). I can drive home, shower, and watch half a movie in that time. 

That is all to say that we came home very muddy. We tried to bring a portable shower, but when we went to fill the water, we found it was broken. At home, we took all our muddy gear outside and gave it a good spray with the jet attachment on the hose. We all took showers and scrubbed all the bits, but we still keep finding little remnants of dirt. We’re going to be dirt stained for a while, which gives us the opportunity to spend the next week playing “Dirt line or tan line?”

I can’t say I won’t ever do another mud run (after all, Zoe might be hooked), but if I don’t, I won’t be sad about it. 

Just in case I get dragged to another one, here are a few reminders for myself (some of these things we did this time, some we didn’t):

Wear sunscreen

Everything will take a lot longer than you think

Sign up for the earliest wave possible - nothing after 9:00 am

Wear a tank top

Stop at a bathroom before you get to the venue

Consider loading some 5 gallon jugs of water in the car (or a working portable shower)

Have cold drinking water ready in the vehicle

Maybe just be a spectator 

Color Running 2018

Over the weekend, we did our neighborhood Color Run. My friend Jennifer puts this event together every year. We didn't make it the first couple of years because of other activities, but we've gone for the last four. I usually have some of my nieces and nephews sleep over and join us, but Nicky had some merit badge classes and couldn't come, so we just kept it to our three girls.

{Nice and clean at the start}

My mom and my mother-in-law usually volunteer as color throwers. My father-in-law just retired so this was the first time he's been able to come. He seemed to think he could get away clean. The grandkids proved him wrong.

{Watch your back, Grandpa!}

{Grandma and Grandpa}

 

{Grandpa, Grandma, and the girls}

This was also the first year my step-dad came. He wasn't too enthusiastic about getting covered in color, but he really liked attacking other people. Scotty has never been a fan of the color. He's okay with having mud in his ears, but not color.

 

{My step-dad throwing red on Scotty}

The after effects are intense. Eva's hair holds on to the pink and purple for a few months, and as you know, my face is stained. I thought it was gone, but I went in the bathroom at church on Sunday, and I could see purple around my nose still. Its always funny to see all the kids at church with lingering color in their hair. The towheads are the best.

{Daisy}

{Zoe}

{Eva}

{Why I have a purple mustache}

We've had some really bad air here from the fires, so you can see how the air is hazy in the photos. Icky! I like to think the color dust in my nose filtered out all the smoky contaminants. 

Wherein I am Losing my Mind

I can't help but notice the drastic effect that being a mother has had on my cognitive function. Ten years ago, I never would have believed that my mind could be so muddled and foggy, but with each kids it gets worse (that's one reason I have to stop at four - my brain can't handle any more).

Two things have happened this week (among several other smaller things) that indicate that I have "lost it."

Let's start with this morning when I almost left my house with no pants on.

I rolled out of bed at 6:30 and grabbed my running gear which I had set by the bed late last night. I took everything downstairs where I then sat down to put my running shoes on. I stood up and went into the kitchen to get my arm band and ear buds. When I came back into the living room to go out the front door, I saw a wad of black clothing on the floor, and that's when I realized... I was in my underwear.

This is an easy mistake to make since I wear religious underclothing, and they kind of have the same feel as workout clothes.

If I hadn't seen that wad of clothes on the floor, I totally would have started running in my underwear. How far would I have gotten? How many people would have seen? (Note that I live on a busy road, and this was during the morning commute). Would anyone have honked at me?

You know when you almost hit something with your car, but at the last second, you realize what's about to happen and you either swerve or slam on your breaks to avoid catastrophe? The physiological response of realizing you almost left the house in your underwear is very similar.

After I discovered my error, I obviously needed to put pants on (and a shirt, for that matter), but it takes so long to lace up my running shoes (foot drama! Oy!) that I didn't want to take my shoes back off. I practically destroyed my pants whilst stretching them over my ski boat shoes only to discover that I'd put them on inside out.

I left them.

Every now and then, my hand brushes against the tag, and I remember that I'm still wearing them... six hours later.

The other thing that happened was even more of a doozy!

A few weeks ago, Scotty and I booked a trip to Disneyland for later this year. The company we went through sends a big package in the mail with drawstring backpacks and lanyards for everyone, plus the tickets. The package came last week. I opened it while sitting in my van in the garage.

The next day, Scotty asked what I did with the vacation package.

I couldn't remember doing anything with it, so I assumed it was still out in the van. Scotty checked the van and couldn't find it, so I went out to check, expecting for it to be right in plain sight, at which point I could boast and say, "It was right there, silly!"

Yeah... I couldn't find it.

I had no memory of what I'd done with it. I scoured the van, the garage, and the house and couldn't find it anywhere. I started mentally walking through what had happened when I'd come home the day before. I opened the package and then I came in the house. Daisy had dance class, so I ran her to class and came back home. I was in and out a lot during the hour after I checked the mail.

I started to wonder if I could have thrown it away. Sometimes when there's junk mail, I'll take it straight to the outside garbage can before I come in the house, but that seemed impossible. I wouldn't, nay, couldn't have thrown it away. That would've been beyond stupid!

I walked around the house, opened the garbage can, started sifting through, and sure enough... there it was, lying right at the bottom of the can! And not only had I thrown the whole package away, I'd first stuffed it full of garbage from my van! Baby wipes, grocery ads, a Pringles can, sucker sticks from the bank, and even a few pinecones my kids had dragged in.

I was horrified as I realized that I have become a person who throws away vacation packages! And it's not like they came in a tiny envelope that could easily get lost between two pieces of junk mail.

No. No!

This was a package! With backpacks and lanyards in it! It was BIG!!!

{My face after The Retrieval}

And it wasn't just our tickets. It was my in-laws' as well!

I threw away seven five-day passes to Disneyland, and if my husband hadn't asked about where I'd put them, I never would have known what happened to them. This could have ended quite badly.

I think I need constant supervision.

The Half Marathon Diaries

My history with half marathons is this:

I ran one once.

That was two years ago this month.

Since having Eva, it's been a little hard for me to get into a good place physically. I started running again, but I struggled to make it a regular practice. It's hard when you have to start over. I fell into a habit of comparing myself to myself, and that can be brutal.

Nine weeks ago, my friend, Rachael, asked me if I wanted to do a half marathon. I had no intention of doing any races this year. Not even a 5k. When she asked me, I spent the next 18 hours mulling it over. I was barely making it through 3 milers at the time, and when I mapped out what my training would look like over nine short weeks, I needed to double my mileage within a week. It seemed impossible, so I didn't commit to the race, but I committed to attempt one month of training, and if I stayed on track, I'd register.

In a shocking turn of events, I went from 3 miles to 13.1 miles by week 6. I ran 13.1 again on week 7. Then I tapered and did the half marathon on week 9. I definitely could have used some more thorough training, but it was good to know that I could do it. I just needed to be patient with myself and not worry about speed.

The two things that got me through my training were:

1. Running with other people
2. Taking photos along the way

I always tried to find something to take a picture of to document my run. This motivated me to get out, and it helped me enjoy the experience. Here are some of my pictures from my training:

 

3 miles 

 

4 miles 

 

6 miles 

 

8 miles 

 

9 miles

  

13 miles

  

13 miles 

Like I said, I did my training runs with other people (the long ones, at least), but for the actual race, I would be running solo. This terrified me, to some degree, because when I'm alone, it's easy to give up. 

The race was Saturday, and things went well, for the most part. I did a lot of mental and emotional prep. I had music ready, and I downloaded the Mormon Channel app so I could stream General Conference.

Around mile 10, I started to feel the craziness setting in, though. I was starting to daydream about laying down in the gutter and waiting for my family to come find me. It didn't help when I passed a couch on the curb with a FREE sign on it. I needed to do something to keep myself going, so I turned my music up and started dancing. I can't remember what I was listening to when I hit mile 11, but I started skipping. Skipping is probably counterproductive in a race since it expends more energy and covers less ground over time, but you gotta do what you gotta do. I skipped until the runner in front of me turned around to see where his friend was and then I felt a little awkward, so I stopped, but as soon as the dude turned around, I started doing the robot.

I danced for about two miles, and then I hit a four-way stop with lots of cars and police officers doing traffic control, and I was a little too visible to keep up with my dancing.

The last mile was a combination of running and walking. Rachael met me before the finish line and ran me in. My family was also waiting for me, and that's always a good feeling.

Daisy presented me with my medal

 

One thing that was a little bit challenging about this race it that I was used to running in cold weather and in the dark. The race started at 9:00 a.m. so there was sun shining on me the entire time, and it was about 20 degrees warmer than I'm acclimated to. I definitely had some heat exhaustion going on, and it caught up to me about an hour after the race. I also had some pretty intense welts on both arms from my arm band. This was never a problem in my training because I always wore long sleeves.

It wouldn't be a proper racing experience without a few horrifying consequences, though.

I'm just glad I can say I did it!

 

Me & Rachael

My Biggest Running Secret

The other day I was talking to a friend that I haven't seen in a while, and she made a comment about me running "all the time." I realized that she'd gotten this impression from my blog and social media posts. I had to clarify things a bit because I don't want people to get the wrong idea. In truth, I typically run once a week and usually only three miles (though the last two weeks I did six - once on accident because I was trying to avoid a man in a Honda who may or may not have been attempting to kidnap me, and once on purpose because it was Thanksgiving and gratitude makes me run far).

So "all the time?"

No.

More like "sometimes."

But I don't think I should have to use #onlytimethisweek any time I post something about running. In all honesty, the reason I post anything at all on Instagram or Facebook about running is because I usually take a few pictures while I'm out so I can enjoy God's beautiful earth, like so:

 

Remember how art makes ugly things beautiful? Well, running can be a very ugly practice, so I try to make it better by focusing on the beauty of nature and the lyrics to "We Didn't Start the Fire."

Coming clean to my friend about my infrequent running made me realize there's more I need to confess about running.

Remember how I said it can be ugly?

Sometimes, it's really ugly. Sometimes I'm out there trying to keep my legs moving, and I get angry, and I just give up. Sometimes I just want to sit down on the sidewalk and wait for my family to come searching for me, but that would take a few hours, so I walk home. When I'm heading home in defeat, sometimes I have to pass other runners. I don't want them to know that I'm a quitter, so as I move toward them, I pump my arms and march a little so that, from far away, I appear to be running. Then when I get close enough to see detail, I start actually running. Then I do the friendly, "we are friends because we are both running" wave, and I stop running as soon as we pass each other.

Maybe I get caught sometimes by strangers, but I know for a fact that I pulled this stunt off flawlessly on one of my friends. A few weeks after I did "the stunt," my friend and I were at a neighborhood event, and we were talking about how we were having a hard time getting back into running after having our last babies. Then she said, "But you were rocking it the other day!"

And I was like, "Yep."

But in my defense, I haven't pulled the stunt since July, so if you've seen me running since then, it was legit!

Wholesome Recreational Activities

"Successful marriages and families are maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."

-The Family: A Proclamation to the World

I love that "wholesome recreational activities" (which I'll refer to as WRAS) is important enough to be listed in The Family: A Proclamation to the World right along with things like faith, forgiveness, and love. To me, that indicates that WRAS are part of a balanced family life.

When considering WRAS, it's important to note that there is a greater amount of gratification from activities that require personal effort than from activities of pleasure that are provided by the environment (Widmer and Taniguchi, 2012).

For example, reading to your children requires a certain amount of effort, resulting in building a relationship and developing a life skill. Watching TV and eating pizza together doesn't necessarily build higher levels of social knowledge or skills (Widmer and Taniguchi, 2012).

(I'm not saying that we shouldn't watch TV and eat pizza together, but if that is the only thing we ever do with our families, we are stunting our family growth).

The best WRAS are ones where we invest rather than simply consume (Widmer and Taniguchi, 2012).

Research has found that optimal experiences (or "the best" experiences) involve some sort of challenge and growth. In fact, people become bored if their activities lack challenge (Widmer and Taniguchi, 2012).

In studying this topic, I took some time to think about some of the things my family has done that have challenged us or helped us develop better knowledge and skills. I quickly realized that everything we do right now is challenging because of our children's stages of development - even watching TV and eating pizza - but there are some things that provide more knowledge than others. Here are a few things I thought of:

Running races together...

 

 Scotty and I both took second in our age divisions in this 10k. A few weeks later we got a ribbon in the mail for First Place Couple! (Possible only couple, but we like the ribbon anyway!)

 

 

The Spartan Race was one of the best dates we've been on!

 

 Our first (and only) family 5k since Eva was born.

 

 Living room basketball...

 

Scotty plays on his knees, and he can still reach a foot over the hoop.

 Camping... 

   

Is it fun or is it pure torture? I haven't decided yet, but we always seem to look back on camping trips fondly even if we froze all night and woke up to icy water bottles and a case of hand, foot, and mouth. 

Hiking... 

 

   

This was the hardest hike we've done as a family. It was brutal and took hours and hours. We had to stop for naps on the way out.

 

   

Scotty's typical hiking attire involves no less than two children. Confession: we haven't been on a single hike since having Eva.

 

Riding bikes...

   

Building with Legos...

   

Playing at the park...

   

 

 

 We've been able to teach our kids a number of skills at the park: how to swing, how to cross monkey bars, how to climb, how to get along with friends, etc. The park is an excellent classroom for life skills!

Playing board games...

 

Board games teach a number of life skills. Plus they are a challenge. We haven't played Risk with our kids yet, but we definitely will someday!

Now that I've reflected on some of our experiences with wholesome recreational activities, I can't help but think that the kind of WRAS that are most beneficial to our families are the kind wherein we suffer a little bit.  Also, there is a lot of the great outdoors involved. 

Research has shown that families who believe they can do outdoor activities have a better belief in their ability to solve problems at home (Widmer and Taniguchi, 2012). Interestingly, all of our hiking, running, and camping experiences have involved extensive problem solving (and a lot of crying), but we initially believed we could do it, which was why we tried it in the first place.

In many cases, I think the best WRAS are only labeled "the best" WRAS after we've come home and recovered. They're not always fun or positive until we've had time to process and learn from them. 

I'd love to hear about some of your experiences with WRAS. What has your family done to have fun together? What things have you done that have challenged you and provided learning experiences?

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This post was inspired by "Wholesome Recreational Activities: Building Strong Families," by Mark A. Widner and Stacy T. Taniguchi, published in Successful Marriages and Families: Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives, 2012. This piece of writing is part of my Family Proclamation project for FAML 100 at Brigham Young University Idaho. 

My Personal Rules for Running

1. Run during sunrise or sunset as often as possible.

2. Run through the misery until you reach the point where you forget you're running. Then when you remember you're running, run home.

3. Don't try to punch the app lady in the face when she tells you your pace. She doesn't have a face.

4. Sneak something ridiculous into your playlist, like Tenacious D's "Wonderboy." Because there's something motivating about being able to kill a yak from 200 yards away... with mind bullets!

(That's telekinesis, Kyle!) 

5. Sprint past the meat shop.

6. Memorize license plates and descriptions of everyone you pass in case you need to help track down a criminal later (the joys of living in a city with a bad rap).

6. Lay on your front lawn just long enough afterward that your neighbors wonder if someone passed out there in the night.

Banished in the Dark

It's early in the morning on a Saturday. With good intentions, I got out of bed just before 6:00 so I could go for a run. I got dressed and headed out the door despite the rain.

The rain never looks bad from my living room window. I thought I'd be dealing with something only slightly heavier than a "sprinkle," but by the time I hit the first street corner, I was pretty wet. No big deal, though. Being wet from rainwater is only a mild step up from being drenched in my own sweat.

Before I hit my first mile, the rain got a little heavier. I started worrying about Scotty's phone getting wet, so I decided to turn around and head back home. I was half disappointed and half relieved. I felt like my workout wasn't good enough, but at the same time, running and I are not on the best of terms right now.

When I got home, I had a few problems. I was wet, it was dark, and my family was still asleep.

I had to creep into my house silently and sit on the living room floor in the dark (as not to get the furniture wet).

I'm still here in my wet clothes on the living room floor in the dark.

I feel banished!

But this is a good time to get a quick blog post under my belt.

It's been a while!

(Sorry, Marsha. I know I promised you the other day that I would "get right on it," but this week got a little crazy).

Here are a few updates on life:

Disneyland

Last week we were in Disneyland. It was really fun but really hot.  I won't say a lot here because I hope to write a post about it sometime soon, but know that it happened.

I went to Disneyland.

Again.

Homemaking

I learned a valuable lesson this week: I'm a terrible housekeeper, but I'm a good homemaker.

I look at "homemaking" as providing a safe and nurturing place for my family. Whether I make my own bread, grow my own herbs, or sew my own curtains does not factor into my personal definition of a "homemaker." My stain removal techniques, the shine of my bathroom fixtures, and the wreath on my front do not matter.

I have a messy house but a good home.

Facebook

I admit, I enjoy facebook. You know how we're supposed to pretend we don't like facebook? And we're supposed to go around being like, "Oh, I only get on facebook to bla bla bla..." so it doesn't look like any of us actually like it?

(It amazes me how many people throw out disclaimers when they mention facebook. "I had to get on facebook because someone sent me a message, and I only looked at the first three posts, but I bla bla bla...")

Well, like I said, I admit that I enjoy facebook. I also admit that I simultaneously hate facebook, which is why, I think, so many people throw out those disclaimers - they love/hate facebook, too.

I'm currently undergoing a 75% facebook fast. That means I have disclaimers: I only get on facebook to bla bla bla.

Calm Moments

This week I've been really stressed out. I need to get a grip on things because I don't really have that much to be stressed about. It's just a struggle trying to manage my time when I don't actually have control of my time, and that is making me a basket case. Between Zoe's tantrums and Eva's eating schedule (plus the unpredictable nature of my children's naps and diapering needs) I can't plan anything. I have to fly by the seat of my pants always.

It goes kind of like this, "CALM MOMENT! HURRY BEFORE IT ENDS!"

And then I have to decide what I'm going to do with that calm moment. Do I load the dishwasher? Do I exercise? Do I work on homework?

And while I'm trying to figure out my priorities, there's this feeling of impending doom. How long will this moment last? Is it worth starting a project I might never finish? If I choose to do the dishes, will I ever have a calm moment to do my assignment?

It's insane!

Tantrums

I mentioned Zoe's tantrums. All of my kids have been mighty tantrum throwers, so it's nothing new, but I kind of wonder if Zoe's might be worse. I'm not sure if they are or if I'm just more worn out from Zoe because she's my third tantrum thrower, and it's getting old.

Regardless, Zoe rarely makes it five minutes into her day without a tantrum, and she has several meltdowns throughout the day. I dread going anywhere because there will be a tantrum over shoes, a tantrum over the car seat, and a dozen more tantrums based on where we are going and what Zoe wants.

The other day, I mentioned to my friend that we were on Zoe's 22nd tantrum of the day. I wasn't really keeping score. It's not like I have an app on my phone where I log Zoe's tantrums so I can pull it out in front of my friends and be like, "Oh, look! We're on 16!" but my friend accused me of exaggerating. I thought, "Well, maybe we're not on 22, but we've had a lot of tantrums today!"

So the next day, just for the heck of it, I started keeping track of Zoe's tantrums. We had to leave the house at 8:45 that morning, so I only kept track of her tantrums leading up to that point.

She had eight!

Eight tantrums before 8:45 in the morning! She woke up just before 7:00 that day, so this was about a two-hour time span.

(I counted any time Zoe started yelling, screaming, kicking, or rolling on the floor).

It kind of scared me to put a number to it, and it also made me realize that I was shorting myself when I claimed she was on Tantrum 22 the other day. She was probably on Tantrum 32.

Well, the time has come to end this rambling. There's a hint of daylight peeking through the blinds. Everyone is still asleep but Nicky. I'm still soaked with rain, so I'm going to sneak into the shower and hope that Zoe sleeps through it. I'm not quite ready to start my tantrum counter today.

Running Questions

The other day, my friend Amy posted her answers to a running survey. I read every word and thought about my own answers. Three years ago, I never would have participated in such a survey, let alone read one! I feel like I can almost... somewhat... actually... maybe... contribute to the conversation at this point. But then again, I am not in a good place with running right now. I started off with bang after having Eva, but after my first two runs, I've found myself in a yucky place. I blame the heat. Summer isn't the best time for me to "start over." Frankly, it's bad for my self-esteem. Every run I go on right now is a huge mental battle. My legs are tired and weak, and I'm incredibly slow. It's just a big 'ole dose of self-defeat each time I tie those shoes and head out the door. 

I want to feel like this when I run...*

But I don't. I can't photograph how running makes me feel right now. It would give you bad dreams. 

1. Would you rather run along a beach path or on a mountain trail? It's a toss up. Both are beautiful, so I will pick whichever is cooler (as in temperature).

2. If you could choose the flavor of Gatorade at your next race’s aid stations, what would it be? Blue. I realize "blue" is not a flavor, but I can tolerate most blue Gatorades. I don't like red, yellow,or green. In most cases, I would prefer water, but for over 7 miles, it's nice to have some electrolytes. I almost passed out in a bathroom with my pants down after a 12-miler with only water. I had really bad vertigo and got extremely nauseated. I don't want to be in that situation ever again. 

3. If I gave you a $100 gift card to a running store, what would be the first thing that you would purchase with it? Shoes. Gotta be practical.  

4. Do you prefer to follow a training plan or wake up and decide then how far and how fast you want to run? I rarely run with a plan. If I try to follow a training plan, I get angry and lose my motivation because I feel like I'm being told what to do. Don't boss my running! 

5. Would you rather start your run with the uphill and end on the downhill or start your run with the downhill and end with the uphill? I usually go uphill first. I feel like going downhill is my reward. 

6. When you can’t run, what type of cross-training do you choose to do? Right now I do abs and weights. 

7. What is your preference—> Out and back, point to point or loop runs? I don't really care. They all have their pros and cons. My two most common routes are an out and back and a loop. It really just depends on how far I'm going. I never run from point to point.

8. If you could recommend ANY running related item to a new runner, it would be a -> Everyone is so different that I wouldn't really recommend anything specific. Find what YOU like. I have a lot of different clothing and accessories, but the only thing I'm truly loyal to is thigh coverage, lest I should start a fire on the go. Not everyone has that problem, though. 

9. Do you ever see any wild animals while out on your runs? Scotty and I saw a fox once. Other than that, just birds. 

10. Ever gotten lost while out on a run? Nope

11. If you could have one meal waiting and ready for you each time you got home from a run for the next 30 days… what would that meal be?
Mornings: Toad in a hole with a runny egg and 12 oz.cookies and cream protein drink. Afternoons/evenings: banana and a peanut butter and honey sandwich.

12. Capris or shorts… what do you run in most often? It just depends on what's clean and how hot it is. In the winter I wear capris or pants. In the summer I wear shorts with mid-thigh length compression shorts underneath. 

13. At what mile (or how many minutes) into your run does your body start to feel like it is warming up and ready to go? Right now? Never. Between the heat and being out of shape, I haven't yet felt "warmed up and ready to go." I've just felt "too hot and ready to sleep."

14. What do you do with your key when you run? Leave it home, tie it to my shorts, or stick it in a pocket. Why do you ask? Are you planing to mug me?

15. If you could relive any race that you have done in the past, which one what it be? I don't think I would want to relive a single one. This question must be for people who actually like running.

16. What type of run is your least favorite type of run? The kind that lands me in a public restroom or porta potty. I've had more of those than I care to admit. 

17. What has been your biggest motivation lately to get out the door to get your run on? Right now I'm not very motivated at all. Sometimes a new song on my playlist helps, and sometimes, if I wake up in the morning and can't go back to sleep, I'm drawn to running in the cooler temps (but we're talking, like, 5:00 a.m. so this is rare). 

18. When you go for a run, do you leave right from your front door or do you drive somewhere to start? I start from my house. Time is precious right now, so I don't want to waste it driving somewhere to run (even though the scenery could improve immensely). The thing I like about starting from home is that I know all of the mileage.

19. When running in daylight—> are sunglasses a must or an annoyance? I don't mind running in sunglasses.

20. When you get tired, what keeps you from quitting? I'm still trying to figure that out. Right now, every run is a battle. I used to run with a friend, and the conversation kept me going, but I don't run with her anymore.

*This picture was taken right after a drive-by bottom poking during Ragnar. I'd like to think I'm just that intense when I run, but in all truthfulness, it was a moment of self-defense. Judo-CHOP! 

Retirement

A couple weeks ago, I retired my first pair of running shoes.

They were very inexpensive (compared to quality running shoes), and they served me very well!

In fact, I got along with them far better than I do with my new Asics that were double the price.

(Other than losing a toenail 8 times).

(Is it weird that I want to string my toenails on a necklace?)

(I promise I throw them away).

(I just think about the necklace thing each time one falls off).

These shoes saw me through my beginnings of running. I ran hundreds of miles in them and quite a few races: 3-4 5Ks, Ragnar Colorado, a 10K, a half-marathon, the Dirty Dash, and the Spartan Race to name a few.

They have been wonderful running companions, but sadly, the Spartan Race marked their final journey. With holes in the toes, I gave them one last turn in the washer so they'd go out clean...ish, and then tossed them in an emotional moment of goodbye.

Spartan Re-Cap

Maybe you're tired of looking at muddy pictures of me (especially if we're friends on facebook), but now that I've had a week to collect all of the pictures from the Spartan Race, I will now bombard you with ALL THINGS MUDDY!

Getting to the starting line at the Spartan was an interesting (and highly frustrating) experience. We had problems with check-in. Spartan has been testing out a new barcode system which involves using computers (only a small portion of the racers had to endure the barcodes, and we happened to fall into that category). Since the Utah race is held ON A MOUNTAIN, this has "bad idea" written all over it. Since we volunteered to get a free race, we went through the volunteer line, which only had about five people in it. Of course, the computers started having problems right then. Of course, they didn't have us in the system so we had to register from scratch. Of course, the information wouldn't go through and we had to re-enter it eight times. The lady working the check-in table did nothing to help this process. She just shrugged and wandered aimlessly while hundreds of people lined up behind us. I could feel their fiery darts of hate nailing us in the backs of our heads. From then on, I fear we became recognizable as The People Who Held Up The Line. I also fear that many of the volunteers behind us didn't make their race time and had to start later.

FIERY DARTS OF HATE!!!

I can still feel them.

We ended up making it to the starting line with two minutes to spare. I was so stressed out and hardly had time to stretch - not a great way to start out, but luckily I find joy in mud pits, and I got to fly into one within the first few hundred yards.

{The start}

Then it was onto the over/under/through obstacle (climb over a wall, crawl under a wall, climb through a wall. Repeat). I loved this one since I was feeling good, and the walls were short enough for me to fly over (4 and 5 footers).

After that, the race became a hike, and up the mountain we went. As we climbed, the masses moved into single file, and people started stepping off the trail to rest... or die. This is when we caught our first sight of blood (luckily not on ourselves), and we were only about a quarter-mile into the 12-mile race.

Near the top of the trail, we hit the one-mile marker, then we started descending. At approximately a mile and a quarter, as we were coming down a steep trail, I caught my foot on a rock and went crashing to the ground. I could have been the domino that knocked a few hundred people down the mountain. Thank heaven for the slight gap that saved us all! Unfortunately, I twisted my ankle and couldn't walk. Scotty dragged me off to the side, and I became one of those people off the side of the trail that appeared to be unfit for the Spartan Race. I waited it out for about five minutes, then when there was a gap in the line of people, I limped back onto the trail and started coming down slowly. It hurt pretty bad, and I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to finish the race - or, maybe it is better stated that I was worried that I shouldn't finish the race. I had no idea what kind of injury I had sustained, but I couldn't move my toes, and the impact on my foot was quite excruciating. Within a few minutes, I felt okay about continuing. If I walked carefully and didn't push off  my toes, the pain was minimal, but any strange twists or turns or jumps hurt pretty bad. I could also jog slowly and do okay, but I could walk faster than I could jog, so it seemed pretty pointless to exert all of that extra energy. Every now and then I would try running to see how it felt, but it just wasn't feasible since I couldn't push off my toes.

The first obstacle I had to face with my injury was a 6' wall. I became very scared of walls after a short time. Coming down the back side of them and having to land on my feet was terrifying.

After the wall, we crawled under some barbed wire and slid down a muddy slope into a pit. I got some serious speed and went flying past a bunch of people. They all started laughing - I was quite out of control!

{Exiting the mud pit}

 The next obstacle was the tractor pull. This is where you have to pull a block of concrete behind you with a chain. We had to follow a circular path, and there was some volunteer guy barking at us the whole time through a megaphone, whom I kind of wanted to punch in the face. Had the path been straight, I think I would have been fine, but since it curved, I had a really hard time planting my hurt foot. I had to go really slow, and I felt like I was in everyone's way.

FIERY DARTS OF HATE!!!

{Tractor pull}

Then we did the atlas carry. This is where you have to carry a big round concrete ball from one flag to the other, put it on the ground, do five burpees, pick it back up, carry it back, and put it on the ground. I didn't think I would like this obstacle, but it wasn't bad at all.

{Atlas carry}

After that, it was on to the rope climb. In the Spartan Race, you must attempt each obstacle. If you fail, you have to do 30 burpees for a penalty. I grabbed the rope, hefted myself up, laughed hysterically, and went and did the burpees. The knots in the rope were nearly a body length apart!* It just wasn't going to happen.

{Scotty on the rope climb}

Scotty represented our family in the rope climb. Way to go, Scotty!

After the ropes, we did the lattice climb, which is pretty easy. The problem is, we were so worn out from all of the previous obstacles, that we were both shaking, and that made it a little interesting. You might think it would be cool to see a photo of what I'm talking about, but I don't have one readily available, and with the three children currently hanging from my arms begging for food, I really need to get a move on.

Next we faced the monkey net. This is an obstacle quite like monkey bars but a lot more challenging because you have to cross a net - a net that sags and sways. There was some major bottle necking going on at the monkey net. There were at least a hundred people waiting to go, and people were using their hands and feet to cross. They would get half-way, and then they would just hang there, not moving. So it was like a muddy primate traffic jam. When there was finally space for me to go, I got about 1/4 of the way, and the girl in front of me just stopped and wouldn't move. I hung there for what felt like ages, and she still wasn't moving. Finally I thought, "I'm not going to waste all my strength hanging here waiting for her!" so I tried to find a path around her, but there wasn't room, so I dropped into the pit and went and did burpees. I think I could have made it across using my feet but not with just my hands. After we left that obstacle, the volunteers started telling everyone "No feet allowed!"**

The next obstacle was, surprisingly, one of my favorites. It was the herc hoist where you have to hoist a large bag of who-knows-what (sand? manure? cadavers?) by pulling a rope. I was giddy during this obstacle - I thought it was SO FUN! The thing I found interesting, though, was that the women around me were struggling, so when I started pulling the rope, I expected to struggle, too, and after I pulled the rope a few feet, I realized that I was forcing myself to struggle when I didn't need to simply because I was mimicking the people around me. As soon as I realized what I was doing, I thought, "What the heck is wrong with me? I'm good at this!" So I did my thing.

{Herc hoist}

(I'm sure there is some deep, metaphorical life lesson I can take away from that experience).

Then, for the first time in my life, I got to throw a spear.

Let's not talk about it.

(Burpees).***

{Spear throw}

After the spears, we ran onto a bridge and had to reach over the side and pull a tire up with a rope until it was even with our feet. This obstacle was so easy it was almost offensive. For some obstacles they have women's and men's versions (the women's are slightly lighter). This one was way too light for the women.

Then it was on to the 7' wall. When I went to lift my leg up over the wall, I got a cramp in my calf and I slid right back down the wall, yelling, "CHARLIE HOOORSE!!!"

I had gotten one at the monkey net as well, and now that I'd had two, I became paranoid to ever lift my legs again!

When I got to the other side of the wall, a staff member asked me if I was cramping, and I told him yes. He told me to meet him down the trail after the next obstacle and he'd have some salt water for me. 

The next obstacle was the bucket carry. You have to fill a bucket with gravel and carry it up a hill and back down. I was not a fan, but I survived.

{I hate this picture, but I will post it anyway}

The staff member kept his promise and met me at the bottom of the hill with a bottle of salt water. 

After that huge series of obstacles, we had to climb another mountain.This one was really steep. During the mile leading up to it, we could see it from below, so we knew what was coming, and we weren't exactly thrilled. 

I must have blocked my memory of that climb as a coping mechanism because I have no recollection of any events on that slope. I just know that I did it.

In fact, I'm not even sure I'm placing that mountain in the correct place in the race. Just know that we went up the mountain about four times in all.

Somewhere in there, we did a sandbag carry up and down a hill. The women's sandbags, like the tires, were surprisingly light. The weight wasn't a challenge. The burden was that it was hot, and I didn't want the bag touching me.

I think we climbed another mountain after that. Who knows?

Then we did the log hop. This is where there is a line of vertical logs stuck in the ground, all at different heights, and you have to balance and hop from one log to the other. This was another one that was difficult with my foot injury.

Then we probably climbed another mountain - there was a big gap in obstacles around this point, and we were up on the mountain for a really long time. I think a guy nearby must have had the runners trots because he kept leaving the trail and going into the leafy places. Then he'd come back for a while and disappear again. It kept us entertained.****

The next obstacle was another one of my favorites - the tire drag. There is a tractor tire attached to a rope, and the rope is attached to a peg in the ground. You have to drag the tire away from the peg until the rope is taught. Then you have to run back to the peg and sit down and use the rope to pull the tire to you. I really liked it.

Then there were a couple of mud pits.

{Mud makes me smile} 

At this point we were about seven miles into the twelve-mile race, and I hit a wall (figuratively). 

We had to do the traverse wall and the inverted wall while I was feeling super drained (again, sorry for the lack of pictures. SCREAMING CHILDREN!!!)

Then there was the tire flip, where you have to flip a tractor tire two time out and two times back. I liked this one a lot, so it renewed my energy a bit. I expected the tires to be a lot heavier. Because I'm curious, I wish I would have tried the men's. If I ever do the race again, I'll complete the women's first so I don't have to do burpees, and then I'll try the men's if there's one available.

Next we had to crawl through a mud pit with ropes strung above it to ensure that we stayed on our bellies in the water. There was a guy spraying me in the face with a fire hose. I loathe cold water, and I especially loathe being sprayed in the face. Scotty yelled to the guy, "Get her! She hates it!" So the guy sprayed me the entire time I was crawling through the pit (and it was a lengthy pit). I kept yelling, "I hate you all!" and the guy with the hose would yell back, "Who do you hate?" and I'd yell back, "Every one of you!!!" Even when I got out of the pit, he continued to spray me until I was out of reach. All of the people behind me got it easy because the hose guy was so focused on spraying me the whole time. 

Somewhere in there, we climbed over an 8' wall. Oh, how I hated the walls!

Near the end of the race, we faced another rope climb. I did burpees.

Then came the best part: the barbed wire crawl.

 

{See how clean I was? You can thank Hose Guy for that}

I LOVED every second of the barbed wire crawl. I had so much fun crawling and rolling on the ground. There were even a couple of places where it was so slick, I could slide on my belly like a penguin.

{Penguin style}

I completely ditched Scotty and finished about five minutes before him (he hates the barbed wire crawl, and he took his time getting started because he was dreading it so much).

 

{I wish I'd been smiling here}

{Poor Scotty}

The barbed wire crawl could be my hobby - I enjoyed it so much!

I read on someone's blog that the barbed wire crawl was a quarter-mile. I don't think it was quite that long, but it was long enough for people to think it was a quarter-mile - just to give you an idea of the distance.

{Barbed wire crawl}

At the end of the barbed wire crawl, we had to climb over the slip wall. At the beginning of the day, there isn't an ounce of mud on that thing, but as time goes on, it gets caked on.

{Back side of the slip wall}

 

{Coming over the top}

Everyone has to help each other get up and over. Scotty helped me from the bottom while two guys pulled me over the top. When I got to the other side, I grabbed a girl by the arm and thigh and pulled her up and over.

{This photo looks posed. Haha!}

I felt pretty macho (except for the part where three men had to get me over the wall).

The very last hoorah of the Spartan Race is to jump over a fire.

Then someone is there to hang your medal around your muddy neck, and good heavens! It's over. YOU FINISHED!

 

I FINISHED!

AROO!

After the race, we watched our kids participate in the kids' Spartan Race. Nicky did really well. Daisy did well, too, but she was really "iffy" with the mud. She didn't want to get dirty, but I was so proud of her for doing it. Their race was a 1/2 mile. They had to do mini versions of what we did. It was really cool. 

During the kids' race, my foot started to swell. After holding still for a while, I could hardly walk, and when I got to the car, I had a hard time getting my shoe off. It felt pretty awful for about three days, but it's doing a lot better now. I think I strained the extensor muscle in my foot. It was discolored and swollen for a few days, but I don't think it was "bruised" because the color went away pretty fast. It's going to take a while to heal. I ran for about five minutes this morning at the gym, and it's not quite ready for that yet. I'm just glad it wasn't more serious, and as far as I can tell, I didn't make it worse by finishing the race.

It took me a few days to deal with some emotional issues regarding the race (I hate that that happens, but I know that some of you know exactly what I'm talking about), but now in hindsight, I'm so glad I did it! I was disappointed that I got hurt, and I'd love to try again without an injury. I think I'm always going to have that underlying fear of getting hurt, though. 

*Last year they were only a couple of feet apart, so I had trained to climb a rope with much closer knots. Now I realize that you just need to train to climb a rope with no knots so it never matters!

**When we arrived at the obstacle, the volunteers were announcing, "You can do whatever you want to get across, except for climbing on top!"

***I didn't see a single person stick the spear throw while I was near the obstacle. It is a very commonly failed obstacle.

****So glad it wasn't us!