Merry Christmas!

in ,

Merry Christmas! We are off to take advantage of the fresh snow (5”+!!!) we’ve gotten at the ski resort early this morning and then will do the whole present shebang (& get a run/strength session in) this afternoon! Only a few more hours that our tree needs to last before it will be taken down (it’s definitely dead by now- Brady refuses to share any water with it)

IMG_1574.JPG

Also- so accurate. 

IMG_1570.JPG

​Kicked off our Christmas Eve with homemade cinnamon rolls from Hungry Runner Girl’s blog. We split the recipe in half and they were so tasty! 

IMG_1592.JPG

​​6.5 easy miles in the afternoon on the treadmill (it’s been super icy out lately and I didn’t feel like slipping my way through 6 miles) 

IMG_1593.JPG

I’m so grateful to have such a great community of you all and thought it would be fun to share 10 things I’m most grateful for this year. I also journal every night with 10 things I’m grateful for that day (anyone else do this)? I love how it really puts everything into perspective.  

  1. My health
  2. Alex & our little furry family
  3. The beautiful area we are lucky to call home  
  4. Running!  
  5. Cooking  
  6. My family that continues to love & support me from afar
  7. This blog!  
  8. Running opportunities this past year
  9. Heated blankets (sitting with one right now and I’m not really sure why anyone uses regular blankets in the winter?!?) 
  10. Sour candy. Thank you to my mom & grandmother that supplied us with enough sour candy to last us a month AKA it’s basically already gone).  

 ————————————————————- 

Tell me some things your grateful for this year!  

Favorite sour candy?!? 

Any fun Christmas traditions? 

Weekend In Photos & Everything I never told you book review!

Merry Christmas Eve! I hope you are having a happy & safe Holiday. Thank you to those who work so hard during the holiday season. Our weekend was pretty great. Mainly filled with a lot of sleeping in, snowshoeing up a new trail we found right by our house, I taught skiing on Sunday, and the animals opened their gifts early (so spoiled)! 

IMG_1571.JPG

Stella decided that she gets her gift first for dealing with the kitties this year. It’s been so ruff for her.  

IMG_1575.JPG

Banana bread French toast for breakfast!  

IMG_1576.JPG

Snowshoe hike! Followed by a snowy 7 mile run where I took zero photos because it was nice to just be present in the moment (who am I taking no photos?!?) 

IMG_1578.JPG

Stella really enjoyed herself! 

IMG_1583.JPG

The best view at the top.  

IMG_1585.JPG

Our annual Christmas Eve tradition- all the Chinese food!  

IMG_1594.JPG

 ——————————————————- 

Another book done! Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng  was my second book by this author and I really loved it. 

IMG_1598.JPG

She has such a wonderful way of setting the Fiction storyline and characters before diving into multiple changes to the story. It not only discusses suicide, but also inter-racial family dynamics. I love how her books don’t gloss over the hard subjects and also give us different viewpoints to view each dilemma. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars because while I loved the story itself, I feel like the ending was a bit too generic “happy go lucky” wrap on an otherwise dark and twisty novel.  

 ———————————————————- 

  •  Ever read any of Celeste Ng’s books?  
  • Any Christmas Eve traditions?  
  • Snowshoe hikes - yay or nay?  

The Race That Was The Most Rewarding & I've Lost My Mind

in , , ,

Happy Friday! OK a few things to recap for you before we get to the last of my 3 race recaps of 2018. First of all- pretty sure I’ve lost my mind!?!? Race will be announced soon-ish! ; ) I can’t announce EVERYTHING to you all at once! I have to keep the suspense going just a little bit.

IMG_1551.JPG

Also stocking up on all the Elderberry, Vitamin C things, and vitamins - when I feel a little niggle coming on! I also have a busy weekend of teaching skiing (tonight/ tomorrow/ Sunday), so I know I won’t get as much rest as I’d like this weekend (good thing I have Christmas Eve/ Christmas Day completely off of work)..

IMG_1550.JPG

I’ve got an easy 5 miles on the schedule this morning, which I will probably actually do after work (before teaching skiing) so I can sleep in (but still totally winging it in the morning)!

————————————————————————————————-

Alright let’s get to the race that was the most rewarding (for me) in 2018. It actually wasn’t even a race, it was the most amazing experience of my life. I’m convinced I was in the best shape of my life and cannot believe how well my body handled it. You know exactly what I’m talking about if you’ve read along on my journey for a bit- MS Run The US Relay, where I ran from Steamboat to Denver (175.33 miles, over 2 Rocky Mountain Passes!) in May of this year and raised over $10,000 for multiple sclerosis research.

IMG_8631.JPG

I guess you can say that it definitely gave me the “bug” to see how I can challenge myself even further (hence why I’m setting my sights on a lofty 2019 goal- a 50 miler!). It’s so funny when I look back on the relay and how absolutely floored I am with what I accomplished.

IMG_8690.JPG

It never really felt ‘real’ (even afterwards!) for so so long (I’m sure my struggle with depression and lacking of confidence at the time also didn’t help), until we DROVE to Denver this past Fall. I was just completely in awe of myself and what my body helped me accomplish.

IMG_8693.JPG

It was also so amazing to be a part of a larger community- not only did I do my part, but all TOGETHER we ran across the country! No one runner didn’t pull their weight and we raised so much awareness/ funds for MS.

IMG_8772.PNG

I’m not even sure I would say that it was the most rewarding because it was the most amount of miles that I have ever covered (or even attempted to cover), but it was the most rewarding simply because it was part of a much larger picture. I wasn’t running or fundraising just for my grandfather, but for all those that I’ve met along my journey who have been affected by MS.

IMG_8797.JPG

It’s a pretty incredible feeling to be part of such a wonderful community and I 100% recommend it to anyone looking like they need a new running challenge or to switch up their training. It’s something I never saw myself being able to do until I did it.

IMG_8876.JPG

The feeling when I completed each day (AND THEN ACROSS THAT RELAY FINISH LINE?!?) was absolutely indescribable. I can equate it to receiving my Undergraduate Diploma times a million.

IMG_8886.JPG

————————————————————-

What are three things you’re doing this weekend?

What was the most rewarding race for you in 2018?!

Ever completed an ultra- what was your experience?!

The Race That Was The Most Fun

in , ,

OK. So when I was looking back at my races for the year, this one really stood out to me. It wasn’t so much that I PR’d or how well trained I was, but everything about it was just FUN. I would absolutely have called myself crazy a few years ago just imaging that a marathon could be considered anything other than pure torture, but here we are. Don’t get me wrong, the race course was challenging (crazy hills in the second half of the course), but I raced so much smarter than I had in any other race (I actually really held back on the crazy downhill that the first portion of the race has)- which is why I think the outcome was so enjoyable.

IMG_8340.JPG

I mean, honestly- who else would be smiling this big at mile 25 of a marathon?!? Plus this photo makes me look like a total Bada$$ with the motorcycle behind me ; ) It probably doesn’t at all, but I like to think of myself as a Des Linden leading the pack in this picture.

IMG_1048.JPG

I trained so well for it and honestly was in the best shape of my life. I worked really hard in training on hills, so when they came in the later miles they didn’t feel too bad. This was also the first race where I wasn’t dependent on music. I actually didn’t even pop in music until mile 22 or 23! I remember starting to feel a bit tired, but got really excited when I remembered I could turn on my favorite playlist and just zone out for those last few miles.

IMG_8351.JPG

PLUS the race gave you FREE PHOTOS! I mean, come on- that just makes it all more fun. The weather was hot, but not unbearable and I just had so much to look forward to post-race (I think that helps us mentally as well).

bazu-16223983.JPG

I remember completing the race feeling tired, but not disappointed or exhausted. I actually easily felt like I could have kept running and never once really pushed my pace (which gives me even more confidence going into Eugene this coming Spring- if I can run a 3:52 and not really push the pace, getting that sub 3:40 with more training and a flatter course should definitely be do-able).

This race was absolutely a party for 26.2 miles- plus, passing A LOT of people in the later miles of a marathon was super fun (ha).

———————————————————————

Also a few other things happening right now to catch you up on.

Hot Cocoa & mini marshmallows are still amazing.

IMG_1547.JPG

Resupplied on my Nuun and hoping it takes me through my Eugene training, but I’m not confident. I LOVE rehydrating with Nuun!

IMG_1543.JPG

What was your ‘most fun’ race of 2018? WHY?!?

What’s the three best things a race can offer (in your opinion)? —> free race photos, ample opportunity for crowd support, signs/ encouragement when crowds are thin in certain areas of the race.