26.2 On A Trail!

We did it! Jake and I ran and managed to finish the MidMountain Trail Marathon in Park City. There is a trail that goes from Deer Valley all the way across and down to the Canyons. Its a single track trail and beautiful. Couldn't have asked for better weather.

Let me tell you though, a trail marathon is a whole different beast. I knew it would be harder than a road marathon, but I didn't think it would be that much harder. Holy cow. Constant up and down, rocks, tree roots, mud, etc. I know it was beautiful, but I couldn't enjoy it much because I had to constantly watch the trail and the person in front of me to keep from killing myself. I did see a couple of people actually hit the ground. Apparently not uncommon in a trail race. The last few miles of the race were good downhill, which I looked forward to. However, by then my legs were so tired that the downhill was actually pretty challenging. It was all I could do to hold myself up. I was really careful not to trip, because I knew if I did at that point my legs wouldn't be able to catch me.

I finished almost an hour over my road marathon pace, if that tells you anything. I finished in 4:35. Jake finished later, but I was just glad he made it. He's hasn't had time to train much and he keeps having knee problems. He did manage to finish all of the Triple Trails races and get the super cool jacket. So worth it, I guess:)

What I learned: People who do hundred mile trail runs are more amazing than I ever realized. And crazy. Trail running requires some major leg muscle, so lifting weights would definitely be beneficial to training. Trail running is definitely less monotonous than road running, but a lot harder. And I am not one of those people who can do a marathon every few months. Usually I enjoy the first part of my marathons and then grind out the end. This time, right from the beginning I wondered why I was doing this again. My brain was yelling at me along with my body. "Why are you doing this to me again??!!!"

Moral of this story: Marathons are hard. Trail marathons are even harder. But I did it. I can do hard things, and I like that...

Good Times

We got to go to a cabin in Idaho last weekend. It was a Spjute Family party. I loved it. It was so nice to get away and relax. The kids were in heaven. There was hiking, 4-wheeling, slip-and-slides, games, pirate treasure hunts, campfires, s'mores, and more. So much fun. Here are some fun pics of the weekend...


The pirates with their treasure


Campfire fun


Sage loved the slip-and-slide

Princess Kate and Megan

Conquering Memorial Hill

Memorial Hill is one of the landmarks of Midway. Its a random hill that shoots up in the middle of town. Can't miss it. Zack's been wanting to ride his bike to the top. No easy feat, let me tell you. It's 2 miles to the top of the hill from our house, and its all up hill. Pretty decent climb too.

We went on a couple of bike rides to get ready. I told Zack it was going to be hard, but we can do hard things. I told him his legs would get tired, but not to give up. So off we went, to conquer the hill. Jake thought I was crazy to take him. He didn't think Zack could do it. We showed him though. Zack did awesome. He didn't complain once. He just kept pedaling and talking about how he could do it even though it was hard. He was so proud of himself when he got to the top. I was proud of him too. I just hope he remembers this lesson: We can do hard things, and we don't give up when it gets hard.

Beautiful Wyoming

We got to spend the weekend with Jake's family at Grandpa Greg's cabin in Wyoming. I have to admit that I was skeptical that Wyoming could be beautiful outside of the Tetons. I was proven wrong. It was beautiful and green with a river winding through everything. Picture 'A River Runs Through It' and you'll be pretty close. It was pretty much a fisherman's paradise. Jake was salivating as we drove up and got on the river to fish as fast as possible. I don't fish, but I still enjoyed myself. The kids loved it and can't wait to go back.

We got to spend the weekend visiting with Jake's aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was fun to catch up with everyone and share some good laughs. We're definitely hoping this becomes an annual adventure. Jake's trying to figure out when he can go fish up there again. Zack enjoyed fishing, Kate enjoyed watching. I have to admit that Kate's not so much the outdoorsy person. She'll spend a few minutes hiking or fishing, but that's about it. If it was up to her she'd probably go shopping. Not sure how she's my daughter. Sage loved petting all of the dogs. I've never had a kid who loves animals like she does. There's no fear at all, she just gets super excited and wants to play. Its great, and again definitely not inherited from me. Come to think of it, what did my kids get from me?

My Boys

I love my two boys. They're the greatest. I especially love them at this time of year because its their birthdays. Zack's birthday is today and Jake's is on Friday. I can't believe I have a 6 year old. Crazy.

So, these pics are from their recent backpacking trip. Have I mentioned that Zack is a hiker extraordinaire? Because he is. He can probably out-hike most adults, and especially most kids. He's amazing.

So they went backpacking to the Uintahs. Zack carried a 15 pound backpack in for 4 miles on the first day. They set up camp, cooked on their little stove, fished, and had a good time. Zack had a tough time on the way out, but overall he was a trooper. I love that he's getting old enough to do things like that with Jake. And I love that he has a dad who can do those things with his son.

I love my boys!

p.s. Sorry about all the pics. They were too cute to leave any out:)

Farmington Festival Days

We just experienced our yearly tradition of Farmington Festival Days. Love it. Love the parade, love the races, and mostly love hanging out with the fam. This year we started the festivities with a BBQ at the homestead. Early the next morning most of us ran a race. Mel and Toby did the 10k, Jake did the half-marathon, and I did the 5k. I managed to get 3rd place overall in my race. Seeing as I'm not that fast, obviously nobody was very fast this year. My trophy is proudly displayed in the office:)

Then the parade. The kids love it. They end up with bags full of candy. Good times. The pics are of the annual sitting at the parade and of the races the kids were having before the parade. Love it. After the parade we got treated to some of my Uncle John's delicious omelets. So good. Then we got to cool off in the pool.

All in all, a successful festival days. Can't wait for next year. Tradition!

Lake Powell

Another successful Lake Powell trip. Successful in that there were no serious injuries and no major boat problems. Add to that the fun and relaxation and you get a successful trip.

We went with our good friends the Slacks (hopefully they're still our good friends after being stuck with us for so long:). We camped in Knowels Canyon (or something like that). Our campground was a 2-story in that the boat was down on the beach and then we had to go up a steep hill to get to food, tables, and shade. So we still got our exercise.

We did lots of skiing, some wake boarding, lots of knee boarding and tubing. Obviously most of our pics were taken on the tube. The kids love it. Zack always wants to go slower, Kate asks to not go on the 'big waves' and Sage just fell asleep. This year Zack went on the knee board all by himself. He's starting to get old enough to do more of this boating stuff. He's actually a pretty good help now when we go. I thought I had figured out how to get up on a slalom ski, but for some reason I struggled. I managed to get up a couple of times after lots of tries. Really annoying. Jake of course, was his normal amazing self on anything he tried. He enjoyed skiing on the smooth water that's hard to find anywhere else. Zack caught his first fish. He was so excited. It was a catfish, which he says is his favorite fish because it has whiskers. We hiked up to see some super cool indian ruins. I've never seen anything like that. Pretty amazing.

So this was my second time doing the Lake Powell thing and every year I learn lots more about how to do Lake Powell. I grew up doing mostly mountain camping. This hot beach camping is a totally different beast. This year I learned about the importance of having good coolers and packing them well with ice. That didn't happen so well this year, so the majority of the trip we had warm drinks. Let's just say that warm drinks at super hot Lake Powell are not so good. Big lesson learned. I remembered what things are important to bring and what things aren't so important. And I remembered that its really hard to camp at Lake Powell, in the sand, in the heat, with kids. I've never experienced Lake Powell with a house boat, but I'm pretty sure I would enjoy it. In fact, I'm thinking maybe we should try Flaming Gorge trips for a few years until we accrue a house boat. We'll see. That heat was killer this year. Loved being able to just swim in the water when it was hot, but really wanted somewhere to go to get out of the heat. I am definitely of swedish ancestry. And I live in Midway. Moral of the story: I don't do heat.

Despite the heat, we really did have fun. It was nice to get away, relax, and enjoy the beauty of Lake Powell.

Anyway