Pocatello Marathon recap

I once asked my mom if she was less nervous for her subsequent childbirth deliveries after her first. Her response was, "No, I was MORE nervous, because I knew what it would be like!" And so that explains why I was naively excited and not a bit nervous for my first marathon a year ago, and then the next two I experienced major gastric distress before and/or during the event.

Thursday during our road trip to Pocatello, Taylor threw up twice in the car. I didn't think much of it--he was still happy. It looked like he just didn't chew his food well. But that night I woke up feeling very sick and miserable, throwing up my "carb load" dinner. On Friday I did not feel too sick except that I was having a hard time eating, and just felt gross. I wasn't excited for the marathon--actually felt pretty indifferent, maybe even obligated-- and was considering dropping out. During this time of introspection and prayer, my thoughts turned to my failed marathon earlier this year and the grave disappointment I was still carrying, subconsciously. I became emotional and resolved that darn it, I did indeed want to run this race, and however things went, I just needed to finish and it would be a success. I asked for a blessing of comfort, which stated several things but that I would do the race and look back on a good experience having learned about myself and about my abilities. After the blessing my nausea dissipated enough for me to have a big carb dinner and keep it down.

Sleep did not come easily but I kept praying and visualizing, just trying to keep my thoughts off the marathon. But we had a good night sleep and come 4:45 am, I was ready and raring to go! I caught the bus at 5:15 and we drove up into the hills for a 6:15 start time. I ran with the 4:10 pace group and held steady 9:30 splits for the first ten miles or so, getting to the halfway point in 2 hrs, 5 minutes. Right on track, but I doubted I could keep my pace up, so I was predicting a 4:15 finish. (My time last year was 4:16) that first half was fairly I eventful except for some stomach cramping and bladder issues which I experience every now and then...which led to some nice chaffing where the sun don't shine.

After that things got tricky. My gels were making me nauseas (or the stomach bug from Taylor?) and my gut was in knots. So over the following 2.5 hours, I let loose on the side of the road THREE times! And whenever I would run I would get really nauseated, so I had to keep walking. Other than that I felt okay. My legs and feet felt fine. I wasn't discouraged really, although I had a stretch where I was just bored and didn't want to be there, questioning why I even do this to myself. Once when someone asked me why I was there (trying to motivate me) my reply was "because it was only 40 bucks and I can't turn that down, so now I am obligated!"

When it was clear that I was not going to P.R. that day, I decided to kick back a bit. One reason I do enjoy marathoning is being out there with so many like-minded runners who all have an interesting story to tell about how they got there, etc. and I just love chatting it up! What I like to do is run faster to catch up with a walker in front of me, them walk with them and talk. So I did a lot of walking and talking. Twice I was in the specific situation of being ready to run again, but was more interested in the conversation so I just kept walking!

So during that low time, I ended up jogging and chatting with a couple old guys. These are your classic old runners who have done about a hundred marathons, and do little training in between, just event after event. They get away with it because they do it so recreationally. So I was getting all sorts of tips and stuff. But this old guy, he was just a total hoot! I didn't even catch his name, it sounded like Lol which I think is fitting because he had me laughing out loud over and over. He really lifted my spirits, and got me back in touch with my spunky self. He did some crazy things like pouring water on me and teasing the aid staff! At one point I said I couldn't keep up with him. He said "you gotta ditch your water bottle! It's slowing you down!" And he grabbed it away from me, poured it over my head, and threw it into the bushes!! But seriously this just delighted me. I love people like this. I really, really appreciated this guy (who I will never see again, but I will never forget!)

I ran with Lol for at least an hour. I ended up going on ahead of him actually. He got me in a really fun, spunky mood so I was dancing to my music, waving my arms around. marathons are one of those times when your inhibitions disappear and you can do what you want! After my third bowel movement (!!) I felt really good and was able go faster. So the last few miles I felt so much better than ever before, but what do you expect after 2 hours of 11-12 min splits? Of course I was still fresh. So I was in a great mood. Nothing hurt on my body, and I felt like I could go ten more miles. I ran a strong 10'30 26th mile, my best split in probably 15 miles. I had no trouble running the final half mile and finished grinning and fully alert. Rychen did the half and so was done long before me. He jogged back over a mile to wait for me and bring me in. We planned this so I kept looking for him. It was hard for me to do those middle miles without him. Finally I saw him and shouted out. He could see I was having a good time. I was 30 minutes behind my predicted time so I had to explain about all the fun potty fun I had been having! After finishing I couldn't eat much. The old guy "Lol" finished five minutes behind me and I went to give him a hug and introduce him to my husband. He was so funny, calling me weird names still. Lol was the highlight of my race! So looking back on my blessing, here's what I learned about myself and my abilities. (1) that I LOVE people. I could listen to their stories all day. I love meeting new people. I learned that I love socializing more than I care about competition (and that's saying something because I am pretty competitive!) In a short race I have no problem turning inward, focusing on my form, and leaving people in the dust. But in a marathon it's totally different. It's a community. Everybody is just holding on with all they've got. I simply can not just pass them by without asking how they feel and what brought them here today. (2) I learned that I could go longer than 26.2. I learned my endurance is sufficient. The up and coming methods of topping long runs out at 2.5 hours (15 miles) worked for me. The key to going longer than 26.2 is just slowing down and enjoying yourself. They key to repeating 26.2, the same. Running and training, and the resulting stress, is totally dependent upon how easy or intense it is. I got into trouble earlier this year because I was over zealous, running too many races without recovery in between, then doing marathon training with too many hard miles and insufficient recovery. I have another marathon in five weeks so I'm going to see what I can do with the old fashioned method--running a lot of miles, but 100% aerobic (nothing harder than marathon pace). My time was 4:44. A half hour slower than it should have been. But I am SO THANKFUL I went slow, because I let go of expectations and had an awesome time. It was a run to remember and I would do another marathon next week if I could!

Rychen Parker's Baptism

Congratulations, Rychen! 

He chose to be baptized, which means entering into a covenant to follow Jesus and accept his atonement. It was a great day with lots of family and all of us participated in one way or another. It was really nice that we got to make our own program and plan some really nice musical numbers. I'm so thankful for the testimonies and great examples of all four grandparents (and several great grandparents)--really we are pretty lucky to have that! Thank you grandparents for all you do, and for raising Rychen and me the way you did.

Here's the program, for the family members who couldn't be there.

Conducting - David Winegardner

Chorister - Annalise Jones

Pianist - Connie Snyder

Opening Hymn - Our Savior's Love

Opening Prayer - Grandma Catherine Huxford

Musical Number - I am a Child of God

   by Rychen and Elisabeth Jones, cousins Amelia and Rebecca Nyman.

Talk - Baptism - Grandpa Randy Gremlich

Baptism of Rychen Parker Jones, 

         by Rychen A. Jones

Musical Numbers - Baptism - Courtney & Madison Jones

                            I Know That My Redeemer Lives - Courtney Jones, acc. by Catherine Huxford

Talk - Gift of the Holy Ghost - Grandpa Andrew Jones

Confirmation 

Musical Number - Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer (p.103)  by parents and grandparents

Testimonies - Grandmas Carol Jones and Diane Gremlich

Closing Hymn - Praise to the Lord (p.72)

Closing Prayer - Grandpa Gary Huxford

2013 Independence Day Parade

 Taylor had an awesome time at his first parade!! He quickly caught onto the candy game. Whenever somebody would pass and throw candy, Taylor would be the first kid running after to get it!! Except he didn't know what it was for, so he would come back and hand it to this random boy next to us. Over and over, Taylor would go retrieve the goods and come back and hand off to this boy for his own stockpile. Meanwhile, Elisabeth was doing the same and chowing down on piece after piece!! Rychen P. was luckily wearing his cargo shorts and packed his pockets full. We came home and had a little candy confrontation and confiscation. :)  Now we are stocked real good for either Halloween or our daily school incentives.

This year the kids took part in the Kids Parade. Rychen rode his bike after decorating it all up in red, white, and blue. Elisabeth went with Ella and Olivia West (and ZuZu the dog), led by Aunt Janice and Tali.

Gettin' Wet

Last week we had our annual heat wave. Too hot to play outside unless there was some gettin' wet involved! Taylor sure loves it. He would go right up to the sprinkler and put his face in, trying to drink water (I think).

Elisabeth's new shoes quickly became mud shoes... *sigh*

We made our own water slide

 Taylor plays right along with the older two. Lately he has really "arrived" as a little boy. He follows the other two and tries to do whatever they're playing, although unfortunately they rarely let him! But we truly have three children now, and all 3 duo combinations have their own sibling rivalries!! It's funny to see Taylor now, arguing and throwing his own little fits.

Beach Trip

Taylor and I had fun digging and burying our feet and legs in the sand.

RP and E stayed in the water the whole time - pretty much 90 minutes x 2 days. E managed to stay pretty dry but RP was very wet and filthy by the time we were done. 

Taylor loved the water!! He darts right down to the water any chance he gets, keeping us on high alert. He would get pushed over easily by the waves so whenever one would come, we have to hold his shoulders. But he laughs and takes it all in! He could have stayed much longer.

Rychen stood in the water for quite some time, taking full advantage of nature's ice bath for athletic recovery.

Craziness & a Change in Plans

I've had a rough few months. Really, I've had a rough year...pretty much since Taylor started walking, my entire reality shifted.

Last year I had it all together. I was doing my business, homeschooling the kids on a good regular schedule, supervising piano practice and sports activities, various errands, as well as my 4-5 times weekly workouts. I didn't nap. I didn't mind being woken in the nighttime. I had great health. I seemed to be in great balance.

Then 2013 happened. It's been one thing after another in our family, and my body hasn't been able to keep up. You can tell with my workouts -- all year, I've been swinging back and forth between feeling good and falling apart. I think I made a big mistake doing a half marathon 3 weeks after my last full marathon, and never really taking time off from running. I had a baby at the end of 2011 and then I got back into running two weeks later, and I never took any breaks through the entire year of 2012! I felt amazing so I just kept going. I kept breaking records and surprising myself with my race times. I couldn't get enough. So naturally I signed up for more events for 2013 right? 

I am now regretting that. Tables have turned and I have had enough. I have a very, very busy toddler who does not sleep much and still wakes through the night, and requires supervision at every minute of the day. Either he is making a mess somewhere or he is climbing on me or fussing at me--either way I can't get anything done. Somehow I still do my business from home, shipping on average 25 packages per day, receiving multiple boxes of new inventory several times a week, organizing and cleaning my office. Then there is waking up as early as 5 or 6am with Taylor, spending my day cleaning up after the older kids who leave toys and food out all day long, and staying up til 10 waiting for the last one to go to bed.

I read a book and succumbed to high-mileage training. I thought it made sense. However, obviously this method was not written for moms with 24-hour-day stress loads. After 6 weeks of 43+ miles per week, my body crashed and refused to go any further. Then for the past 7 weeks I have been doing barely enough to squeeze by, jogging (significantly reduced speed) only on days I felt like it, and getting all the rest I could on days I felt tired. 20 miles per week roughly. 

I was feeling pretty good last week and decided to make a go for the sprint triathlon we were signed up for. With all my resting, I didn't get around to any training on the bike, or much swimming either. I didn't know what to expect and thought I'd just take it easy and try to enjoy it. So that's what I did last Saturday--it was OK. The swim was fairly strong, pretty close to my normal swim. I even beat Rychen! Then I meandered to the transition area and took a leisurely bike ride (can you say BORING??) - Unfortunately I think the lack of training made it more of a strain on my back and neck. By the end of my bike ride, I was ready to throw in the towel. But I found something within myself to give the 3 mile "run" a shot. Pretty soon I was fairly comfortable since I had been keeping my running up. 3 miles was pretty easy. I even did it faster than I expected to, although nowhere near my 5K best time. I sprinted to the finish, passing three other people in the last 200 yards, and feeling good.

The next day I was very sore on my neck, arms, and back. Something was bothering me on my back (which had happened on a long run 10 days prior), even though it didn't affect my triathlon it was making me nervous for Seattle, a race I was signed up for to run this weekend, so I went in to see a chiropractor (first time ever) on Monday. He proceeded to correct my spine and muscle tension but in the process did something to a nerve in the curve of my back! Now I have worse back problems, between the nerve and the overall tightness. The past few days I have been real lethargic and pretty depressed! But calling off the race made me feel huge relief. I am now resting for however long I feel like it, with no pressure and no expectations. I need to lose a few pounds which I haven't been able to do with all the hard work-outs (maybe I am just a wimp but I don't like exercising on a calorie deficit. I get weak and dizzy if I try that). I need to get back to yoga and some strength work for my overall well-being!! I feel ready to start anew. 

Piano Recital Videos!

Just some pictures of my beautiful children

 Rychen, almost 8..... Elisabeth, 4-1/2.... Taylor, 16 months

and here's my sexy husband. Don't want to leave him out! 

(I took this picture and I LOVE IT.  This guy never smiles nice for the camera. He always ends up with the same funny expression. but I got a good smile!! )