Update

So I guess I'm not very good at blogging, seeing as it has been over a year since my last post. I could use the excuse that I was busy with school, but that would only be true until December. I finished my last semester and then graduated with honors at the commencement ceremony on June 4th. It is a pretty good feeling to be all finished with school. Now it is Mike's turn to go back and finish his degree. He has decided that he will get his EMT Certification and work towards becoming a paramedic while he finishes his Bachelors degree over the next couple years. At that point he might pursue a Masters degree in a Physician Assistant program, or he may decide that he really likes working as a Paramedic and just continue doing that.


The last time I blogged, I had just completed my first half marathon. This year so far I have run two more half marathons and have improved my time. I did the Salt Lake City Half Marathon in April with a time of 2:25:55 and the Utah Valley Half Marathon on June 11th with a time of 2:31:11. Mike also ran the Utah Valley Half Marathon with a time of 2:15:12. I think that's pretty good for his first race at that distance. I don't know if I will do any more half marathons this year, but I would like to find a 10k I could do. I am also thinking about doing a triathalon at the fitness center in August since I now have a bike. With all the running I have been doing along with Weight Watchers for the last year I have lost 30 pounds. I have a bit more to go and it's taking me longer than I wanted, but I know I will eventually do it.

Lance is growing up! He graduated from Kindergarten and is getting ready for 1st Grade. He was accepted into American Preparatory Academy (a Charter School), and we are amazed at what he has been learning. They teach writing in cursive starting in Kindergarten, and his handwriting has been improving. He is very smart at math and really loves doing things with numbers. Now we just need to work on his reading (he hates it) and he will do great!

Until next time...hopefully it won't be another year. :)

13.1 Miles - Utah Valley Half Marathon

Saturday the 12th was the big race. I hadn't been able to prepare as much as I would have liked for it; my longest run before Saturday was 7 miles, so I wasn't quite sure if I was going to be able to make it.

Friday night it was raining and the weather forecast called for rain on Saturday as well. I was dreading running this race in the rain, but I was still determined to do it. After all I had paid for it, and it was non-refundable, so why waste the money?

On Saturday I was up at 3AM. The race would be starting at 5:30 am and the last bus to the starting line would be at 4:30. I was happy to see that it was not raining and it didn't feel too cold either. I boarded a bus and was on my way to the starting line in Provo canyon, just before the turn off to Sundance. It seemed like it took forever for the bus to get there and made it seem like it was really far away.

I arrived at the finish line around 4:20 AM, still an hour to go before the race started. I met up with some friends that were also running so that I would have someone to run with. There were fire barrels to keep us warm and I had my sweatshirt on, so it wasn't too bad. We got word the race would be starting late because of the darkness. Finally at around 5:45 the gun fired and we were off!

We had a pretty good strategy so we would not wear ourselves out. Aid stations were at miles 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, & 13.1. We would run two miles until we reached the aid station, then walk while we drank our water or Powerade. It did start raining while we were in the canyon, but it was very light, almost like a mist, so it wasn't enough to soak you. We kept this up for the first half of the race and we were feeling pretty good. At about mile 8, my friend Charissa had to stop more often to walk, but she told me to just keep on going if I wanted to. So at that point, I was pretty much by myself. It was nice to see Mike and Lance at the aid station at mile 9. They had picked that spot to cheer me on and ended up helping hand out water until I got there.

At this point it started to get really hard as I was getting pretty worn out. I just told myself that all I had left was a 5K and I would be done. I pushed myself to the end, because if I stopped, it was really hard to start running again. With one mile to go, there is a hill to go up, which seems so brutal at this point in the race. I just forced myself up the hill and kept running all the way to the finish line. My goal was to finish in under three hours. My official race time was 2:42:57.2, so I came in way under my goal! I was 765th overall (out of 900) and placed 118th in my age division (out of 150).

I am so proud of myself for finishing with the time I did (about a 12 1/2 minute per mile pace). I really enjoyed myself and I am already looking for the next race I can sign up for. Mike and I will be running a 5K on June 26th, so my goal will be to beat my previous 5K time. It should seem like a piece of cake after running 13.1 miles!

5K Race

On Saturday I did a 5K race. It wasn't very big, there were less than 100 total participants, but I still wanted to do an actual race. It was at 8:00 in the morning, and it just happened to be a bit chilly. Okay, maybe not chilly...it was cold! The thermometer in the car said 29 degrees when I got out about 7:45. Since I pre-registered all I had to do was check in, then try to stay warm until the race started. I have "raced" a 5K before, but there wasn't any official time keeping, so it was different having a bib number that was unique to me.

I think it went pretty well, at least for my first official race and for how cold it was. I came in with a time of 34:46.7; 57th overall and 4th out of 6 in my age division. I am pretty proud of myself, I forced myself to run the entire time, something I have not been doing with my training runs. It seems like I always use an excuse to stop running; I can't breathe, my legs hurt, my side aches, etc. At least now I have a time that I can work on beating. The next race I have planned is the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in May. It's not a timed race, although they do have a clock for those who want to keep track. I'm sure I will be able to improve my time by then.

I really need to start kicking my running into a higher gear for the Utah Valley Half Marathon on June 12th. I have already registered for it, so if I don't do it, it is just a waste of money. At this point, I know I would be able to complete it and probably within the time limit, however, I really want to make a good effort at it. I'm hoping this is the beginning of many races to come!

Am I Crazy?

So, maybe I'm crazy, but I will let you decide for yourself. I have decided that I want to train to run a half marathon this upcoming year, and if that goes well, maybe even a marathon. It is something that I have wanted to do, so I could at least say that I have done it. Besides, if they can run a marathon on the Biggest Loser, then surely I can do it if I train and condition for it.

I needed something that would keep me motivated to work out on a regular basis and I thought if I registered for a race, I would want to make sure to finish it so I wasn't wasting my money. Hopefully, it will also help me to tone up and lose the weight that has wanted to stay with me. I originally had the goal to be able to run the annual Susan G. Komen 5K with my sister and friends instead of walking it, but upped my goal to a half marathon. I will be starting my training with an 8 to 9 week program to run a 5K since I am not running on a regular basis right now. Once I complete that, I will do a 12 week training program for the half marathon, which should give me plenty of time to train for a race, I'm thinking the Salt Lake Marathon & Half Marathon that is in mid-April. If that goes well, I will continue my training and race in the Marathon that is on the 24th of July.

Now that I have put it out there for everyone, I better follow through with my goals so I don't disappoint any of you. So, now do you think I'm crazy? Don't worry, I won't hold it against you if you do think I am nuts.

Scentsy is an awesome company!!

Scentsy is giving back to the community. In July, Scentsy contributed $100,000 to 40 small businesses in its local community in Meridian, Idaho by giving $50 to employees and family members to spend. It was such a huge success, Scentsy is expanding this program to cover all local communities. Pledge now to spend $50 (or more) at a local small business on October 12th to boost the economy. Visit http://www.scentsycontribute.org or click on the link at the right side of the page to make your pledge. If everyone helps a little, together we can make a big difference!

August Scent and Warmer of the Month

Get 10% off the Warmer and Scent of the Month during the month of August.

Surf's Up
Surf’s Up! This new warmer will remind you of your favorite “fun in the sun” beach music! Perfect for a teenager’s bedroom, a dorm room or any room that needs a summery decorating accent. This new warmer’s surfboard base contrasts beautifully with its chocolate brown lid decorated with wave-inspired designs. Varied, embossed surfboards in shades of yellow, orange, blue, brown, white and green appear to pop off the high gloss, sky blue background. Surf’s Up adds a contemporary and young feel to any setting.

Tangerine Tango
A sunny and “citrusy” fragrance combining refreshing, sparkling tangerine and green, fresh lemongrass.

Bonus: One lucky person who posts a comment will win a FREE bar of Tangerine Tango!

Scentsy products discontinued for Fall!

Several warmers and scents are being discontinued to make room for our exciting, new Fall/Winter 2009 products. August is the perfect time to stock up on all of your favorite Scentsy warmers and fragrances since everything in the Spring/Summer 2009 catalog will be offered at a 10% discount for the month of August!*
*The following products are excluded from the August 10% Off Sale: Perfect Scentsy, Scentsy Sampler, Double the Scentsy, Starter Kits, Scent of the Month and/or Scent & Warmer of the Month Combo Kits and August Scent of the Month and Warmer of the Month products (Tangerine Tango and Surf’s Up).

Take a look to see if any of your favorites are going away and stock up on them now!

Warmers:
Bombay, Brownstone, Classic Chocolate, Dragonfly, Jakarta, Luminous, Patina, Pressed Penny, Punched Tin, Raised Dot Black, Raised Dot Mocha, Raised Dot Turquoise, Retro Chic, Shabby Chic

Plug-Ins:
Dandy - Black, Brown, White; Weave - Black, Brown, White

Scents:
Blueberry Cheesecake, Cashmere, Eucalyptus, Exotic Vanilla, Falling Leaves, Fresh Cut Cantaloupe, Grapefruit Blossom, Grapefruit Pomegranate, Havana Cabana, Hearth & Home, Herb Garden, Irish Cream, Juicy Peach, Leather (Bars and Bricks), Lemon Lavender, Lots of Lavender, Luxe Vanilla, Meadow Pear, Mediterranean Spa, Mulberry Bush, Mysterious, Nutmeg & Orange Zest, Pomegranate Orange, Red Delicious, Sandalwood & Cranberries, Sangria, Sheer Saffron, Silk, Spiced Orange Harvest, Spruceberry, Strawberry Sweetie, Sweet Indulgence, Sugar, Sweet Tea Magnolia, Tarocco Mint, Tea Blossom, Toasted Apple Butter, Tuscan Garden, Verbena Berry, Wasabi Ginger, Watermelon Patch.

WOW, I know that's a lot, but let me know if you need any of these before they go away. Also, if you host your own scent event (home party or basket party), you can get some or all of what you want for free!