Fantastic Feats of the Fabulous Francis Females

2010-11-30T12:22:00.000-08:00

2010-06-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

now get to work

2010-03-08T08:40:00.000-08:00

My new house!! hopefully!!

2010-01-24T15:23:00.000-08:00

I didn't want to post it on my blog in case our loan doesn't go through, but here is our house that we can move into on Feb 26th! I will try and get more pictures, but here are a few.

Here is the house from the front obviously. The street has a middle island that goes all the way down the street of grass and trees. You are not allowed to have any type of cactus in the neighborhood! All the streets are tree lined with grassy meadow areas, and white picket fences. doesn't quite seem like Arizona!
This is the view from our front door. Where the carpet is, is where the living and dining room are, and then to the immediate right is a bedroom and bathroom. The left is our laundry room...
another view of the dining and living room and part of the kitchen
Here is the kitchen from the family room
This is the family room from the kitchen. Where Brook is, that is where the two other bedrooms are and a bathroom. Im pretty sure we could fit our entire house into this one room.
This is the master bathroom from the walk in closet. Pretty much the same as the one I have right now.... maybe a little smaller....
So we are keeping our fingers crossed that everything goes through. Brook and Kyle (tanner's sis and bro law) just signed papers right behind us so maybe we won't be the only couple in the neighborhood without kids!

p.s. do you think my power will go out every time I blow dry my hair while my airconditioning is going?? or if the heater and the microwave are going at the same time?? I DON'T THINK SO! and look at all those plugs! I won't have to interchange my toaster with my computer/crockpot/microwave oven/phone charger/electric skillet/portable heater/airconditioning unit ever again! (yes I use ONE socket for all those things because all the other ones are burnt out! haha)

2010-01-21T16:16:00.000-08:00

these are in backwards order.

driveway to road more driveway

gate into garden area off of left side of driveway

garden area

garden tool shed

driveway with garden area and tool shed

part of front yard

driveway and part of front yard

part of front yard with basketball court

one side of house with more parking

front yard with circle driveway

side of yard with tree swing

fire pit with wood shed

larger back deck

views from deck

upstairs living room

back door to deck from upstairs living room

upstairs mud room/laundry room;. also has door to deck

master bedroom deck

one downstairs bedroom

window seat......and a big pregnant belly!

another bedroom

downstairs family room

downstairs family room with firplaces

downstairs family room

backyard

treehouse and dog pen

resident deer

other side of house

front of house

a lot of these windows that have window seats in a lot of the bedrooms

master bedroom

upstairs entry

through the other door entry by the garage

garage and left front door

the predicament of two front doors

front of house

Go Francis Females!

2008-06-26T19:53:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to say way to go everyone! I wish that I got a picture of all of us but Missy was in the other car. We missed those that didn't come but maybe we can do it again soon. Okay maybe not that soon.....more like in about 9 months or a year (hehe no one reads this anyway right?).....maybe?

Change of Heart

2008-04-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

Ok...so I am thinking maybe the team name I chose isn't very becoming! We should change it.
Maybe we should go back to "Because I'm Awesome!" or what about "soler power"...or "Please put me in TIME OUT!"......anyway.....VOTES anyone?

OUR TEAM NAME IS.....

2008-04-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well Sam, Beth, and I decided on a team name.
Like a Virgin....Running for the very first time! Since it is our first relay together and dressing up 80's sounds soooooooo fun....thats what we chose. So did out your crimping irons and your cone shaped bras!! Start shopping for neon leotards and leg warmers! I'm so excited! If you object.....come up with a better name! PS: I still need race info for Ali, Becky, and Claudia!! (oh and your 67$ race fees would be good so I can pay off my credit card!) I LOVE YOU ALL!

here is a refresher on the 80's dress code!

Francis Female Friendship

2008-03-05T16:09:00.000-08:00

Hey! I thought this was insipiring and thought you all might like to read it as well. I think that even though we don't all live close enough to bond together over our actual running and walking, I think that through our blog and the excersize we have all been pushing each other to do, we have all grown closer. I seriously appreciate all the support and love that I have felt from you all throughout ALL our training. I am so glad that we have found something that has allowed us to keep in touch more and to show each other how much we love each other! I really feel that even though we are sisters and sister-in-laws and mothers and aunts and cousins etc. I feel that our friendship has grown. I love you Francis Females!

http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100196427&GT1=31036

Team Name

2008-02-28T21:36:00.000-08:00

Ok so I was wondering if we could pick a theme to dress up as when we cross the finishline and come up with a name from there.....like maybe we could name oursleves after some really bad 80's song like dancing on the ceiling or like a virgin.....then we could all wear legwarmers and plastic jewlery and crimp our hair! Or we could go with "we who must not be named" and dress up like Harry Potter. Either way.....it would be fun to do something to humiliate Jeff at the finishline. HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA! (that was my evil laugh.....just so you know!)

2008-02-28T08:50:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to do a quick post and let you all know that I had and AWESOME run this morning. I felt so good! I am very excited to run with you all in June! And I really miss you all!

skinny minny

2008-02-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

So since this is our blog about our accomplishments. I thought I would take this forum to blog about my weight loss. Hopefully it will keep me going and inspired and accountable to you all! So I started Weight Watchers with two friends in my ward here about five weeks ago. My friend works for Weight Watchers and so I don't have to pay to go to the meetings or for any of the materials. We just meet at her house on Friday mornings and she weighs us in on her Weight Watchers scale and then we get the next weeks information etc. It is AWESOME! Of course I am the one that needs to lose the most weight but I am over it. So as of today I have lost 15 and a half pounds! I was so excited to get on the scale this morning and see that number! My goal was to have lost fifty pounds by our race in June and so far it seems that that goal is within reach. I have about 35 pounds left! I am not as brave as Becky to get in a bikini and jump on my trampoline for my before pictures BUT maybe when I reach my goal weight I will post a picture of me in a bathing suit.....probably still not jumping on a trampoline. Anyone else who feels that they need to lose a few pounds (even though I don't think any of my sisters, that includes you Missy, need to lose a pound, but we all feel differently about our bodies) feel free to blog about it as well. It will keep me motivated! Mom I know that you are doing this as well so you can chime in too!

WE NEED MORE IDEAS FOR TEAM NAMES!

2008-02-17T21:34:00.000-08:00

Get thinkin!!.......lets propose to post a vote next month!

Here is the "novice" training recomendations from the Ragnar Website

2008-02-17T21:29:00.000-08:00

Run at your own "comfortable" pace for the given amount of time. "Comfortable" might mean walking periodically in order to complete the workout. That's OK; the important thing is that you stick to the length of time allotted for each workout. If you miss a workout don't worry, just start from where you are on the schedule.

Date	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
Feb 4	15MN	R/C	15MN	R/C	15MN	R/C	Rest
Feb 11	15MN	R/C	15MN	R/C	15MN	R/C	Rest
Feb 18	15MN	R/C	15MN	R/C	15MN	15MN	Rest
Feb 25	15MN	R/C	15MN	R/C	15MN	20MN	Rest
Mar 3	15MN	R/C	15MN	R/C	15MN	25MN	Rest
Mar 10	20MN	R/C	20MN	R/C	15MN	30MN	Rest
Mar 17	20MN	R/C	30MN	R/C	20MN	40MN	Rest
Mar 24	25MN	R/C	25MN	R/C	20MN	45MN	Rest
Mar 31	25MN	R/C	30MN	R/C	25MN	50MN	Rest
Apr 7	30MN	R/C	35MN	R/C	25MN	55MN	Rest
Apr 14	30-H	R/C	40MN	R/C	30MN	60MN	Rest
Apr 21	35-H	R/C	45MN	R/C	30MN	20/20MN	Rest
Apr 28	35-H	R/C	50MN	R/C	35MN	80MN	Rest
May 5	40-H	R/C	55MN	R/C	35MN	25/25MN	Rest
May 12	40-H	R/C	60MN	R/C	40MN	100MN	Rest
May 19	45-H	R/C	65MN	Rest	45MN	30/30MN	Rest
May 26	45-H	R/C	70MN	Rest	30MN	120MN	Rest
Jun 2	50-H	R/C	60MN	Rest	30MN	35/35/35	Rest
Jun 9	60-H	R/C	50MN	Rest	40MN	20/40	Rest
Jun 16	30MN	R/C	20MN	Rest	Race	Race	Sleep!

Schedule Key
H = Hills - start and finish hill workouts with 10 min of easy running
/ = Multiple Runs - two to three runs within 24 hours
MN = Minutes
R/C = Rest or Cross-Train Easy - this is your easy recovery day

Remember that this is just recomendations...but we should all train HILLS. (up and down) WORK IT GIRLS!I LOVE YOU ALL!!

IM IN!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-02-15T17:11:00.000-08:00

ok well so far i can run a 10 min mile! because i got sick i stopped running but im starting today! hopfully ill get 3miles again! but who knows! i dont really know what ishould be doing to prepare though except run. so someone let me know k!? love ya all hope you guys are doing good with your running!!

Here is the distance chart! Call your dibs!

2008-02-03T21:16:00.000-08:00

Ok DON'T FREAK OUT!! We CAN and WILL do this. I jut wanted you to get a feel for how this is going to go. You have to pick one set of 3 legs. NO SWAPPING ALLOWED! If you get injured...someone on your team has to run them for you. So......this is what we are looking at! Take a deep breath and say....OH YES I CAN!

Runner	1st Leg	2nd Leg	3rd Leg	Total
1	5.1 miles \| Easy	7.8 miles \| Hard	5.6 miles \| Hard	18.5 miles
2	6.7 miles \| Hard	3 miles \| Easy	5.3 miles \| Hard	15 miles
3	5.6 miles \| Moderate	4.9 miles \| Easy	5.1 miles \| Moderate	15.6 miles
4	5.1 miles \| Moderate	3.1 miles \| Easy	5 miles \| Hard	13.2 miles
5	7.4 miles \| Very Hard	5.4 miles \| Moderate	4.1 miles \| Moderate	16.9 miles
6	6.9 miles \| Very Hard	5.6 miles \| Hard	3.6 miles \| Easy	16.1 miles
7	4.1 miles \| Easy	3.9 miles \| Moderate	4.1 miles \| Easy	12.1 miles
8	3.3 miles \| Easy	7 miles \| Moderate	6.1 miles \| Moderate	16.4 miles
9	3.1 miles \| Easy	6.2 miles \| Moderate	3.6 miles \| Very Hard	12.9 miles
10	3.9 miles \| Easy	6.4 miles \| Moderate	4 miles \| Very Hard	14.3 miles
11	3.8 miles \| Hard	4.6 miles \| Moderate	3.1 miles \| Hard	11.5 miles
12	3.9 miles \| Very Hard	5.2 miles \| Moderate	4.4 miles \| Easy	13.5 miles

Runners 1-6 will be in Car 1 and 6-12 will be in car #2 so keep that in mind !
Easy to very hard is based on the "grade" (uphill/downhill)

We still only have 6 team members!!

2008-02-03T20:57:00.000-08:00

Calling Ali, Joan, katie? Anyone else you can think of to rope into running on our team?
We need to start figuring out what legs everyone is going to run. As a team we need to average about an 11 minute mile to finish the race while the finish line is still up and going. So GET TRAINING! Ali and Becky are already in marathon shape so they should be able to just work on increasing their speed. I am doing that to right now. I am shooting for a nine minute mile or faster. Let me know what you guys think.

Ragnar Relay Roundup

2008-01-28T21:15:00.000-08:00

Calling all Francis/Reber Women. It's time to ROCK IT!
It is time to get our team together for the Wasatch Back Relay In June!
Early registration ends on Friday so we need to get it together!
So...since I am the one who lives in Utah I suppose I will be "el capitan" for this year.
Jessie or Ali can host in their State next year. So...if you are in post your name (edit list) in the side collumn. Please also add your contributions to the list of possible team names (think costumes ect!) Jeff says that the team with the best name wins a free team entry next year....so get creative!

YOU DID IT!!!!!!

2008-01-16T17:21:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it is over? I can't. I am so proud of you both. I love you so much and miss you so much!

Here I Go AGAIN!

2008-01-05T21:46:00.000-08:00

am I CRAZY!!! Next week is week one for me! 16 weeks until the Ogden Marathon! Anyone care to join me? Sam....Jessie.....Beth?.......If anyone REALLY wants to I could push it back to October in St. George?.....Takers??? Oh and I am making a 12 person team to run the Wasatch Back Relay in June.....3 legs a piece ranging from 3-7 miles.....COME RUN WITH ME....(and support Jeff's company too!)

LOVE YOU GIRLS!

I am SOOOOOO excited to watch you kick butt in the AZ marathon!

You are the Architect of Your Life

2007-11-13T09:10:00.000-08:00

Week One
Beginning the Training Program

What do you believe? Are YOU mostly in control of the events in your life? Do you hold yourself responsible for how things go for you? Or do you tend to assign the credit (or blame) to others or to luck, fate or some other force outside your own influence?
It doesn't matter whether the events in your life are REALLY in your control or not; it only matters whether you THINK they are.
Attitude has nothing to do with facts and everything to do with perspective. Make a positive perspective a habit.
Change your thoughts or actions and you change your reality
Your state of mind creates a bodily reality. If you tell yourself you're not tired, your brain has no choice but to obey.
YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF YOUR OWN REALITY

Something I've been doing since week 1 that has really helped with my perspective during running is viewing my "discomfort" (whether it's pain, exhaustion, lack of motivation) as a friendly companion that reminds me I'm alive: that I'm so lucky I have legs or lungs that can get tired. And then I invite "them" to come run with me. I know it sounds weird, but it really helps with developing a positive perspective when I feel like quitting.

2007-11-05T22:41:00.001-08:00

SOOOOOOOOOOOO whats the new date? AND is your foot broken?

2007-11-01T22:42:00.000-07:00

I know probably no one is checking this very often any more. At least that is what it seems like but I just want to say I am really really proud of you! And YOU CAN DO IT! (that was said in a thick hispanic accent)

YES YOU CAN!

2007-10-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

When I was training for the Salt Lake marathon...2 YEARS ago....my friend Maren gave me one of those gummi bracelets with "Yes you can" on it. I wore it all the time and have adopted it as my life motto. I remember many a run that my body was saying no you can't an I just kept telling it YES YOU CAN! and It did. So whether its running our first 5, 10, or 18 miler....finishing the laundry AGAIN....not killing your two year old when she throws the 18th tantrum of the day....or trying to not focus on how tired I am (and the fact that I LOOK it)...I just keep telling myself that. And someday I'll cross the finish line. I guess life is not really a race in which we have to win...we just have to finish in the right place. I LOVE YOU GUYS......I am soooo proud of you.

I'm a Slab of Marble

2007-09-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

I'm being chiseled and sculpted into a marathon machine! Seriously - I initially lost 20 lbs of baby weight but the scale hasn't budged much for about 2 months.... and for the first time IN MY LIFE I don't care! I don't care if I weigh 160 or 140 or 120 - actually, if I weighed 120 I would probably be a little upset because there is no way I could weigh that and still have the muscle and energy I need to run. I love my body! I'm so lucky to be able to run! I can't believe how many years I spent focusing on all my little imperfections and viewing this beautiful gift as "the enemy". I love to eat - I actually eat apples now - you guys know how weird that is for me! I drink water instead of soda at restaurants - I eat whatever I want - as long as it's not too close to the time I need to run.... I had a nasty experience with eating too close to my run last night. Plus it was "only" 4 miles and I wanted to get it over with so I ran a little too fast. As soon as I was done I puked up all my yummy veggies onto the grass in the park... while some teenage boy was sitting on the swing watching. Luckily it was getting dark - but still.... ewe.

i am a brick

2007-09-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

so, is it wierd that i haven't lost a single pound since i started running? but ya know what? i don't even care. becuase running this marathon isn't about losing weight, it is about becoming strong enough to finish 26 miles. and i feel like i am finally becoming strong. i may be the same weight, but all my clothes are fitting me better then ever, i feel comfortable in a swim suit, and tanner has noticed how strong i have become... all weighing the exact same. however, i feel skinnier. weird. and wonderful. i feel so much more healthier, and i actually have 3 meals a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. amazing! haha. this is so much better. anyways, i thought it was funny and not even sad that i weigh the same as before i started. maybe i'm just at my peak. and if i weigh more tomarrow, i know it will be muscle, and no more fat. HALLEJUAH. however you spell that.

five miles

2007-09-15T22:56:00.000-07:00

Well after taking a week off to try and heal my leg and toe I went running tonight and I felt pretty good. I had lofty dreams of going ten miles tonight but by the time I got to five I decided not to push it harder than I should and I needed to get to bed because have to sing in church in the morning. But I did post my runs to my blog finally and I am a little embarrased because I run SO slow. I had no idea! My shadow seems like I run a lot faster than that! I still run with a slight limp I can tell but I found a store that I think I can go in and get some help. It is New Balance and I am a little weary that they are going to pimp their shoes on my but they said that they could help me figure out what might be wrong. Anyway I am going to try and go in this week. I felt pretty good tonight though and my leg didn't hurt too bad. I do have a bunch of ibuprofen in me and I am going to take some more before I go to bed and hopefully that will keep the pain to a minimum but we will see. I am feeling a little down because I feel so behind but I don't know what else to do. I feel like I am doing my best and I am going to keep pushing forward and we will see where it takes me. I honestly don't know if I can catch up to where I need to be. I haven't done a long run since the six miler and that was quite a while ago. I couldn't even completely run the five miles. towards the end as I would reach a uphill I had to just walk. As long as I was going flat or downhill I was in pretty good shape but as soon as I hit those hills it was all over. I am trying though!

That wasn't even a contest

2007-09-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Okay I am sorry but I am the winner hands down and I think if we passed around these three pictures to 100 random people they would all say I win as the ugliest runner face. Maybe it is the fact I am not smiling in the picture or the fact that I am just ugly (jk) but honestly Becky yours doesn't even look like you went running.

I WIN...

2007-09-11T12:26:00.001-07:00

..the old AND ugly contest! I really like how my eyes look crossed and if you'll look to the neck region, you'll see that I'm sweating off my self-tanner!

Eat, Drink and be "Marry"

2007-09-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

marry. adj: to act "as if" one is a marathoner, never giving up because "it doesn't matter"

After reading your blog Jess, I hesitated to write about my 8 miler on Saturday... but, maybe it will give you a little inspiration! I HAD THE BEST RUN OF THE TRAINING SO FAR!!!! It was awesome! I never felt out of breath, just my ancient 32 year old hips were bothering me. (just a side note... I wonder how much bearing children naturally ages our hips?!) But it really was no big deal - just invited the pain to run with me and it actually made me feel not so alone! After talking with you and reading your blog, I realized what I did right and you did WRONG!

1. Fuel - gives us energy - even if we don't feel like eating, our bodies need it to run an unnatural distance like 8 miles! I went to a mexican restaurant that night and ate a lot of carbs, some protien, and no dairy (dairy expands and will slow us down!) Did not gorge myself, but definately got my fill!

2. Hydration - I guess we are supposed to be weighing ourselves before we run and then right after so we know how much water to rehydrate with! I say though, drinking until your pee is clear is the best indication one is properly hydrated. Hydration also helps with pain. It helps to lube everything up.

3. Rest - there is a reason we don't run the day before or the day after. It is NOT NORMAL for us to run such long distances and if we want to accomplish this, we need to remember to do EVERYTHING it says in the book! IT says to really relax the day of before you run also. That means no running around coaching AND reffing soccer - you may have to run on a Sunday until soccer ends!

I love you guys! We have a big week this week! Did you ever think you'd hear yourself say on a run... "oh good, I only have 3 miles left!" We are sooo awesome!

Personal Best

2007-09-03T21:53:00.000-07:00

Three miles without stopping and in a half hour! YEAH ME!

The face

2007-09-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here is My wonderful face after running. How awkward is this. especially when I run into my inlaws after every run, and they see my face, and are like.... what the heck happened to you?? what? do you not notice that it's like this EVERYTIME, and that maybe i have a complex about it?! haha. do you have to ask me if i am dying everytime you see it? anyways, i have no shame. today i actually wore a towel around my hair and i looked like an arabian, but sweat kept running into my eyes, and my face has been breaking out... so i am trying some expirements wth wrapping things around my hairline. Okay, becky, sam, put up your faces after running... let's compare and see whos is worse.

the moon, pants falling off, and a big fat slug

2007-08-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to update you all that I did my first four mile run tonight and that is the longest I have ran in like nine years. I was able to run most of it too. I only walked about a total of amile intersperced between the running laps. I walked the first lap(1/3 a mile) and then ran the nest 7 laps and then walked the 9th and then ran then nest two and then walked the last lap. AND here is the best part. My ipod ran out of juice on the second lap. Now normally I would have probably stopped and just planned on going on another day when I had my music to run with because I have alwyas felt like I couldn't run without it. BUT I pushed forward and dropped the ipod off in my yard as I ran around and said "Oh Well!" And so I ran the four mile without any music and it really wasn't that bad. I was actually able to think and get lost in my thoughts for a while instead of just thinking "Oh my gosh I want to stop". That in itself is a big breakthrough for me. So I am very proud of myself. I am still wary about going six miles Saturday morning but I am going to do it and see how it goes. OH! by the way it only took me forty-five minutes to run the four miles as well. Don't ask me how I pulled that one off considering it took my forty-five minutes the other day to go three miles. But I was able to run more this time in a row before walking and I am sure that is why. I seriously just wanted to run it so it would be over quicker because I was really tired today. But that also made me feel really good. And another thing I had THREE signs on this run. One: on the third to last lap when I was feeling REALLY tired and just wanted to stop I came around the corner to the biggest yellowist moon that had been hidden behind the clouds up until then. It was so beautiful and really inspiring. Every subsequent lap after that it just kept rising higher and higher and that was really inspiring to me. 2: my running shorts that I normally wear started slipping of my hips and I had to roll them up! That made my run! 3: a HUGE slug. The hugest slug I have ever seen. Now I count this as a sign because Joselyn is obsessed with slugs and LOVES them and we haven't found many all summer. So I picked up this slug (with two leaves of course) and carried it home. I found it on my last cool down lap and I am really glad that I hadn't stepped on it because I had been running that route the whole time. But it made me feel like a good mom for carrying it home for her and putting it in her bug catcher to torture the next day. It reminded me that part of the reason I am doing this marathong is also for my girls. I want to be in shape for them and I want them to know that mommy loves herself and mommy is strong and mommy completes things. Funny how a big fat slug can remind me of all those things but it did.

DEATH!!!

2007-08-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

So this is face of near death experiences. Isn't it pretty? I am putting this on here because I know that only the people that love me look at this and it is not accessible to others (hopefully). Yesterday I went running. BUT I went running at 3:30 in 102 degree weather. I realized that I wasn't going to get to go running that night because of a kindergarten social we had and then Dustin had basketball. So the baby was asleep and I left Maddy and Josey to watch a movie and just ran around my block so that I was running past my house about every five minutes and could check on them. Well I got about two miles even though I was going to try and go four and this is what I looked like when I staggered back into my house. The picture doesn't do it justice but seriously my face was the same color as my shirt and I am surprised that no one stopped me to ask me if I was okay while I was out there. Anyway I was at the farthest point from my house when I seriously thought I was going to pass out. I started feeling really light headed and I think that I was getting heat stroke. I get REALLY hot when I run anyway but with it being hot outside it was death! I had these visions of me passing out and my kids at home alone and I walked home to cool off and sit down. I had to get in a freezing shower for like fifteen minutes to finally cool my body down and even then my face was still really red for a really long time. Anyway that is my commitment to this marathon. I will run in 102 degree weather with the sun beating down on me and risk DYING to get the miles in! What are you risking?

Still Trekking On......

2007-08-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

Well I ran/walked tonight and it felt good. I went 3.2 miles and I definately could have made it to four miles but it was already ten o'clock and I needed to get home. I saw my first "sign" tonight that I have seen in a while. When I first started running it felt like while I was running everything took on a more vibrant beauty and I noticed so many little things. But alas as the time went on and my body started to hurt more and my attitude started to wain I noticed less and less spuring me on and giving me inspiration. I am still a little down about the whole thing and Beck I know you know what I am talking about after our conversation today. I am pushing forward though and I am giving it my all that is for sure. It took me forty-five minutes to go three miles basically and that seems like a long time for such a short distance. By the way I thought we were on week two! I was only planning on going six miles this Saturday and I am only on chapter 2. I am going to stick to my plan I think because six miles sounds REALLY daunting I don't even want to think about seven. If it took me forty-five minutes to run three miles it is seriuosly going to take me a long time to go six! Anyway I am still here and running. I think that I am going to blog about this on my main blog because I feel like I need to commit to other people to make me more accountable and feel way more guilty and ashamed if I quit. Hope everyone elses runs went well!

Two Blogs: Running and Eclipse

2007-08-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

#1: running
I finally made it three miles tonight. I was very proud of myself and it was great. I couldn't run the entire thing as the hills in my neighborhoos are kicking my butt BUT I did and made it a full three miles. I ran up to my church building which is about a mile and a half. I kinda like running though the neighborhood. I am not sure why, maybe it is because I have to imagine that somebody might be looking at me and I don't want to stop running when they are watching OR it might just be a nice change of scenery. I was trying to notice things around me to add to the blog but honestly I was just concentrating on putting one foot in fron of the other and keep going more than anything else. But I did manage to notice a few things. Some will be blogged in the next part of this blog but one that I will add here are the clouds here. Since I took humanities my freshman year in college and was introduced to Monet I have LOVED his work. Something about his paintings just speak to me and I LOVE anything that he creates. I realized as I was running tonight that the clouds here in Oregon look straight out of a Monet painting. They are beautiful. I will try to get a good picture later to show you they are amazing and they are always different. They are beautiful!

#2: Eclipse
I finally finished the book today after neglecting my children and housework all day. But I couldn't stop and I wanted to finish it. I have actually enjoyed this book a lot and I think it has been because I couldn't read it as fast I wanted to becuase of my schedule and it has stretched it out making it more enjoyable for me to anticipate. But I find that after I read her books I get into a slump because I feel so BORED. I all of a sudden want a more exciting life and I want to be Bella and and not be this boring stay at home thirty year old mom. It makes me feel like such a desperate housewife. I started really being depressed about it too making feel like I need to do something to spice up my life. I realized though that I didn't want to meet Edward or meet somebody new that would give me those butterflies she writes about. I just want to meet Dustin again. I want to be 18 again and meet him again and fall in love with him again. Dustin is totally my Edward. I new that I could NOT live without him and there was no way you could keep us apart even when we were not liking each other. It was like this magnet that was so strong we couldn't resist it. After eight years together I still love him and am in love with him but I want to FALL in love with him again. I guess that is wishful thinking because there are no surprises left but I felt better in the fact that I still wanted just him and that he definately gave me my Bella moments. I really liked the book though and I really liked Jacob in the book. Somebody call me so that I can talk about it I am DYING!!!!
I know these aren't good pictures and you kinda have to be there in person but the woods here are SO thick and they remind me so much of the book. These are some of the woods by my house that I ran by today and I had to go back and take a picture to share with you. They are totally the woods that Jacob and Edward hide in. The trees are serioualy intimidating and you cannot see through the thickness.
This is one of the roads I jog down and it totally remids me of the road that Bella lives on. i don't know why but I can just imagine her house on this road. When somebody comes to visit me I will have to show in person the pictures don't do it justice.

For Jessica

2007-08-19T15:42:00.000-07:00

Ok Jess - the new page element "Seen and Heard" is for you. Since you can't do the nike thing yet, I thought it would be fun for us all to list the strange or wonderful things we have seen or heard while running alone with our music and our thoughts! These are things that I don't even tell Ryan - things that are special to me that I save for only myself... and now with you all. That might sound stupid, but at a time and place in my life where I have no private, special moments, I feel so thankful not only for my legs, and for the opportunity I have to run, but especially for the unexpected visual gifts I've been given while running... These things are mine and they are special to me. They make me feel like Heavenly Father is saying to me "I'm proud of you. I know you and am aware of your struggles everyday, so here... this is for you." This probably won't make a whole lot of sense until you look at the list... so here goes!

Still Here.....and still running

2007-08-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

Ok So I know I didn't go running at all while I was in California but that doesn't mean I am not still running! If you take into account how my vacation went I don't think many others would have run either. Let's see........started period, got severely sick with massive diarrhea and stomach cramps, baby got severely sick with diarrhea, Maddy puked in middle of night, consequently didn't sleep at night for seriously like the whole week (for various reasons: all in same room, sick, beeping fire alarm, etc.) and didn't take a nap ever either! SO this is for you Beck. I went running last night and I ran two miles, AND I went around my neighborhood because by the time I got out there it was too dark to go to the track. My neighborhood is NOT flat so I was running up and down hills the whole time, that is pretty good I think. I know that is not where we are supposed to be with the training, but I am trying and I haven't totally given up on the whole thing. I am going to do the best I can with where I am at right now and we will see. Anyway I am still bumbed that I am the only one that can't join your challanges and stuff and it doesn't make it as much fun for me that you are all doing something else entirely and now it is all over the blog and I can't even join in BUT I will continue to run and see what happens. Love you guys and keep up the good work. I am SOO impressed with you all.

OH MOTHER

2007-08-18T00:01:00.001-07:00

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

Just the Two of US

2007-08-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

Okay Alli! I think it's you and me babe!!!! I started my official training yesterday! I'm so excited and a little nervous. I have to say that this experience has already taught me so much about myself and if I can do this thing that seems soooo impossible, then there isn't anything I can't do. I really hope everyone else at least walks the half marathon. Alli, are you only running the half or are you going to run the full with me in Dec?

2007-08-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

alright everyone, i have officially started my training for the half marathon. i am doing online at nikeplus.com with about a million other people. i have to tell you guys about this challenge i made online with the nike thingy. i called it "cankles" and made it open to the public. it is hilarious. i made it for the month on of august, and everyone's runs gets logged onto the challenge to see how many miles we can go in one month. right now, someone is at 34 miles this month! it has been amazing because you can trash talk.... and while reading what everyone was saying, i would say that about 90% of the people that signed onto my challenge are stay at home moms. anyways, im only at 12 miles this month so far.... which is good, but i should be at around 15 to be ready for the half marathon. i will do better next week. will you guys PLEASE hurry up and finish eclipse so i can talk to you about it!!!! im going CRAZY HERE!

2007-07-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

hey everone, alli here. This whole nike ipod thing is AWESOME! you guys have to check it out if you haven't. It really gets me running. the cool thing about it, it that after you run, you plug your ipod into the computer and it immediatly logs your run onto nike.com. it takes you right there. I was afraid it was going to be confusing, but it sooo cool and easy. you look up your runs, and it shows you on a grid your time, pace, everything. you can map runs throughout your neighborhood on the computer, and then you can see exactly how many miles that path is. You can also set challenges for yourself. like i challenged myself that i would run so many miles this week, and you can post it to the public, or keep it private. what would be cool, is if we all had it, we can kinda run together... we can make challenges for us together... like to see how many days it takes us to run a combined 100 miles. we can challenge other runners, or just see how other runners are doing. you can get in on teams too and set goals for yourself. you get rewarded too after running so many miles and things like that. It has really motivated me. my favorite part is your power song you set up on your ipod. if you need some major motivation, all you have to do is press the center button, and it plays your power song. All i have to say, is if you really need some motivation, i would highly recommend this nike + thing. It gets me really excited to run and then put it onto my computer to track. i love setting new goals each week! anyways, love you guys, i know we are all doing our best, i know i need all the help i can get!

Hello Out There?

2007-07-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

Everyone who is still running, post your name and update your progress please! I'm feeling so alone!

Mom?
Sam?
Jess? I have to admit that I haven't ran in a while but I swear it is just one thing after another. About two weeks ago I tried and it went ok but my knees were still bothering me and then I got the nasty strep throat. I am FINALLY feeling better but things are a little hairy with Dustin's countdown to the bar. He takes it in a week and he is REALLY stressed. So basically I am living around his schedule to get all the studying in and I don't really know when he is going to be home. BUT I am going to try and go again this week not today though because it is Josey's birthday and I don't think it is going to happen but maybe if Dustin gets home early enough I will go tommorrow and update how I did. I am proud of you though it sounds like you are doing REALLY well! I don't know if you looked at Alli's email about that half marathon that we can run online together. What do you all think about that?
Katie?
Joan?

* Rebekah: 30+ min w/out stopping = about 7 miles/wk after caring for 4 kids ALL day BY MYSELF one of whom I'm breastfeeding and I'm 32!

* Alli: 30 minutes a day (in 100 degree weather) = about 8-10 miles/wk

The Color Purple

2007-07-06T23:01:00.000-07:00

Okay so Dustin makes fun of the things that I record on our DVR because they aren't Ultimate Fighting or Man vs. Wild, which I will add are both shows that I like. I record fun stuff like Love vs. Age or So you think you can dance, you know the important stuff. BUT I recorded the movie The Color Purple the other day and I finally got to watch it tonight and I must say it is really one of my favorite movies I think. I don't know if anyone has seen it but I would highly recommend it. It made me miss my sisters so much and it really made me remember how strong our bond is as sisters. I love all of you so much, I really do and since Jeff might be reading this because apparently he has a secret wish to be a Francis Female (just kidding Jeff I love that you added something) you are included in this as well and I really mean that. The main character has a hard time standing up for herself and she is treated in the cruelest ways possible including being ripped away from her only sister and the only person that she loves and loves her. Her sister is the only person that you see her happy with for most of the movie and the only person that you see she feels comfortable with be herself. She is kept away from her sister for almost thirty years not even to receive a letter. Her sister continued to write for all those years but her SEVERELY abusive husband kept all the letters from her. She finally has the nerve after like twenty years or something with the help of a friend to look for the letters and find the letters that her sister wrote to her. She finds tons and tons of letters and begins reading them over the next month or so. It is amazing what happens to her. She finds herself and her voice, and she is able to stand up to her husband and leave him. Eventually her sister and she are reunited and believe me I was balling like a baby. BUT I couldn't help but think about how I related to the story. Of course there are huge differences in my life and the life of an abused southern black girl almost a hundred years ago, but the feelings that she has for her sister is the same way I feel about you all. All I want is to be near you guys and to have you close. I really feel like you are the people that truely understand me and that I feel completely safe with to be myself. You all give me the strength to be a strong woman. I don't know what I would do if I were barred from drawing on that strength. I love watching your lives and hearing your funny stories and knowing that we come from the same place. I think that her sisters letters and her life and the things that she was experiencing and living gave her the courage to live the way that she wanted to as well. This is how I feel. I watch all your lives and the choices that you all make that impress me and make me proud and I feel like I can do those things as well because we are the same. I know this was a random post but I just wanted to let you all know how much I love you. Go rent The Color Purple, Oprah is really good in it too, you forget that it is even her.

Long Live "The Face"!

2007-07-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

I know I am probably not allowed on your blog spot being the brother in the family, but I just couldn't help but try and brighten your day by showing you this fantastic digitally re-mastered image that has been haunting my dreams for quite some time now. If you have not been blessed to have seen "the face", this is basically it. If you get your hand stuck in the mouth, there is no way that beak-like thing is letting go. It was very difficult to portray the horrific image that has captured my imagination for more than half my life, but I feel I have done it some justice. We all love mom, and long live "the face"!

i almost died today

2007-07-05T19:37:00.000-07:00

the funniest thing ever happened to me this morning! Tanner and I have been staying at his grandparents since they're out of town, and they happen to have a little room off the side of their kitchen that has a tv and a treadmill. PERFECT. The only thing that stinks is that this room doesn't get any of the air conditioning, so it's always like 100 degrees inside. Anyways, I woke up early this morning to go for a run on the treadmill (I usually go outside, but tanner was home, and he doesn't like me to run outside... i usually have to sneak it! haha) i went into the little room and the door closed behind me and i ran for about 20 minutes and then needed to take a potty break. i thought i was going to pee my pants. I go to the door, and I am locked inside. I go to the other door, LOCKED, i go to the other door, LOCKED! all three doors to the outside world are locked from the outside. This room remember, is 100 degrees, AND i have to pee my pants.. BAD. I YELLED for tanner, banged on the windows, doors, walls, turned the tv up full blast. But Tanner was all the way in the basement sleeping. I was locked inside this little heat box for 20 MINUTES, yelling at the top of my lungs... HELP!!!! TAAANNNEEERRR!!! HEEELP! Finally he makes it to the door, and was like "I was wondering what all that banging was..." The funny thing about this story was that I had to go to the bathroom even BEFORE i went running, so imagine the pain I was in after 45 minutes of still needing to go. I was actually starting to look for something to go to the bathroom in. Yes, I am telling the truth. I had to go THAT bad. ok.... i guess i will tell you guys the truth, it wasn't just pee. So that was my ordeal with trying to do the right thing by waking up early and getting in a run. and look what happened. just wanted to share that with all of you. i thought it might give yuou a good laugh. oh, the things that happen to me on a daily basis.... i should write a book. Love you all, and hope your runs go a little smoother.

2007-07-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

2007-07-02T20:48:00.000-07:00

Hi all you marathoners out there. I finally went running again today for the first time in a couple of weeks as my right knee and right ankle were healing. It wasn't by any stretch of the imagination what someone would call "successful" BUT I was able to run a little bit. The ironic thing is that my right leg feels fine but it was my left knee that was bugging me this time. WHAT IS UP?!?!?!?! My left knee kept like hyper-extending or somthing when I would run normally and put pressure on it. So I was running with a little limp and subconsciuosly not putting all my wieght on that side. It felt good to run again though and I am anxious to see what the rest of this week brings. I feel like it is only a matter of time before something else hurts too bad to keep running but who knows maybe I will be pleasantly surprised. Anyway I wanted to let you ladies all know that I am seriously proud of you. Even if I don't end up running the marathon with you because of unjuries or pregnancies I want you to know how much I support everyone in this. If I am not running next you all crossing the finish line I will be on the other side waiting for you. Keep up the good work and I can't wait to see you all in a couple of weeks.

2007-06-29T23:04:00.000-07:00

hello everyone! alli here. I am noticing a huge downhill slope from our blogspot. we need to come back together and unite as ONE! We are in this together, and I am not seeing any hilarious, heartfelt, motivating blogs since... let's see... june 14th. Let's get ourselves together! i have to admit, i need to start running more. i took a little break, becuase i was so full of crap. yes, i was. i was getting tempted into ice cream, and i fell for it. for some reason i feel like i can't run unless i eat right. so i skipped a couple of days, and then tanner and I went to california, and now I just feel like crap. So, on MONDAY i am starting again. I feel soooo much better about myself when I run. It makes me feel strong and confident. I need that again. I have been so stressed out with work that I NEED to go running now emotionally. It really helps me to let everything go. I am excited to start the training again for december. I just can't wait till august 12th, when each of us will be running the same amount. I love you all! i'm glad i have a place i can write and i know each of you actually care.... hopefully. i get motivated by each of you, and i have been so sad that no one has been writing.

CHA CHA CHA CHANGES!

2007-06-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

That's right! Since I've been exercising I'm regular as rain... or actually regular as 100 degree weather here in Sac! You all know what a big deal that is for a once every two weeker! I just feel sooo good! For the first time in a really long time I'm becoming friends with my body instead of feeling like it's the enemy. I feel so lucky to have legs (and especially knees) that work; that I have a strong heart and strong lungs. It makes me cry when I think about how long I treated my beautiful, capable body with such disdain, when all it really needed was some positive reinforcement. This marathon training is still so young, but it has changed me so much already. I've thrown out a pair of stilettos, my suppositories... and who knows what's next! The scale or maybe even the diet coke! (okay Rebekah... baby steps!) I have some baby weight to lose, but I have to say that getting on the scale and seeing I've lost a pound pales in comparison to the feeling I get after running.; the feeling I get knowing I'm getting healthier and stronger! I'm winning my war against the scale!

SCARY!!!

2007-06-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

I just thought you all might like to see how much pride I am giving up to go out and run in public. I was wondering the other day why there were not very many people, usually no one else, running on the track with me. I realized that if I saw this running towards me I would leave as well. This is how committed I am to this, I run looking like this.

2007-06-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

Hello it's me! I was glad to see a few more posts! I just wanted to share some good news with everyone. I have lost 5 pounds in two weeks and I am NOT dieting! Isn't that exciting. I decided to change only two things. One is obviously the excersize. This is something that I have not been consistent with for the last few years. Anyway so I am consistently excersizing and I decided that I was not going to eat anything after I run or after dinner if I don't go running that day. Dinner is the end of the day for eating. Many times I go brush my teeth so I am not so tempted to eat. Those are the only changes. I told myself that I was not on a diet, I don't want to be on a diet. I can still eat whatever I want and I have made that clear to my pysche. I just hate starting a diet and depriving myself and getting so obsessed with what the scale says and then falling off the bandwagon and not being able to get back with it. So I am not on a diet and I don't know if I will ever go on a diet again. I finally feel like I want to be strong and healthy and not just skinny. This is a real change for me. I still obviously want to be thin and I need to lost weight, BUT it really isn't my number one goal right now. I just want to run this marathon and I want to be healthy and proud of my body, hopefully that will result in weight loss. Obviously it is already resulting in that. So last night it was kinda hard because Maddy had a Dr.'s appt. at five o'clock. I brought sandwiches and stuff for the girls and when we got home everyone ate a little of the Teriyaki chicken I had made but it was pretty much bedtime. So I am debating if I should eat the chicken but I knew I wanted to go running soon because it was getting late and I knew that I would not be able to run very well with a big belly full of chicken. So I had like two bites put the kids to bed and went running. When I came home I packed the chicken away in the fridge went upstairs and brushed my teeth because it was no longer time to eat. I got on the scale this morning and five pounds were gone. It is funny, if I make the excersize a priority, which is what I am trying to do, I don't want to eat so much at dinner because I know it is going to be hard for me to run soon after if I am really full. Anyway it seems to be working. Just thought I would share!

'SUP GALS!

2007-06-11T17:40:00.000-07:00

hey everyone, this is alli giving a shout out to my favorite people in the world. i chose this color, becuase it looks like the color of my eyes.... a puke color. yes, it's true and you know it. anyways, jess, i saw your message. i look at our blogspot at least once a day, and get excited whenever someone writes something. but then i realized i haven't written anything. First i want to ask about the date change for the marathon. i'm cool with it. it will be wonderful motivation to not eat so much over thanksgiving! i'm trying to get a new running system down since work is ALL day pretty much... and then all those extra hours i put in being on tv as a superstar! haha, jk! so, i am TRYING to motivate myself to wake up early early in the mornings. it has been soo hard. but tanner doesn't think i can do it, so i HAVE to prove him wrong. mondays and tuesdays i can run whenever, but on wednesdays and thursdays i must wake up at 7, which isn't too bad, but on fridays and saturdays i have to wake up at 6. uhg, back to seminary days. gotta love that. anyways, i just wanted to let all of you know how proud i am of ALL of us. we ROCK! everyone i tell about us all running a marathon together, get's so jealous. i think this is going to be more than just a personal goal, this is going to be an incredible journey for us as sisters to accomplish something amazing TOGETHER. What an awesome memory that will stay with us and become more than a memory but a tradition i hope to share with my SISTAS and with our children (and future children) forever. I love you all! i will write more often!

Me vs. Marathon

2007-06-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hey Sister Friend! Thanks for the motivation! I'm calling the pen right in the middle. It's mine! So running.... If it's not the knees and ankle, it's the blisters I have from wearing some hot, sexy, red shoes for 5 hours on Friday while I worked at the Girls' Camp Fundraiser. I'm such an idiot! Is this nasty or what!

These are the little culprits
And this is their sad Fate!
And so I wonder... Is there ever going to come a day when I will run without pain? I'm not sure... but I will persevere. I will do this thing if it kills me... and it sort of feels like it is trying to do just that!

2007-06-10T23:12:00.001-07:00

OK I am waiting for anyone else to blog something already! Is no one else having any thoughts about life or running? Cause I keep checking back to see what everyone is up to and NOTHING! Come on. I don't think this blog has to be soley about running and marathons. I want to know what is going on in my families lives. I think this should be a place where we can talk about crappy days and happy days and funny things and not so funny things. SO here are my questions and I am waiting for responses. Sam......what is going on in your love life? Alli......How many times are you going to be on TV and how can I get in on that action? Melissa..........How is the pregnancy going and what names are you guys thinking about? Mom........When are you coming to visit me and in the meantime who has flirted with you at the desk recently? Joan.......I know your wicked sense of humor and why haven't you been sharing it with us? Becky.......What is aching on you now because I still have a whole list that I would like to compare?Katie.......What are your new plans for doing some travelling and having some interesting experiences (I heard through the grapevine that that was in the works)? Okay that should be enough to get everyone going a little. It is not hard. Sit down choose a pen from up top. I put them up there to inspire you to write something! Pick wichever one you like I will give it you it is yours, and type what you are thinking and share it with us! I know everyone checks back here fairly regularly and hopes that someone posted something new to read and so be that person! Love you guys!

2007-06-04T21:39:00.001-07:00

I love to run. This is something that I am slowly discovering as I continue week to week. I am not so sure that it is the running exactly but I sure do love the feeling I get knowing that I am doing something for me by myself. I can do it as fast or as slow as I want and it is time that I take out for myself, alone with my thoughts, any music I want to listen to, and feeling the fresh air in my face. I went running again tonight. I almost didn't make it as we were trying to finish up FHE game night. I was slowly watching the sun go down and starting to panic inside because I knew my daylight was running out on me. So we finished, I quickly threw my running shoes on, ran out the door, sped to the track, stuck my earphones in, turned on my i-pod and started walking. Saturday was quite a dismal preformance and I left feeling quite discouraged and defeated again. I couldn't breath still and my ankle was bothering me and I was barely able to run five minutes. SO SAD! Well I am proud to say that tonight was so much better. I got out there and I felt really good. I took my allergy/asthma medication enough time ahead so that it had it's full effect. I also took an excedrin to dull any of the little pains my body tends to feel as I start running and because Becky said she heard that caffeine may actually help asthma. I also pulled out my last secret weapon. As I pulled into the parking lot and looked out at the track I said a prayer out loud in my car. I asked Heavenly Father to just give my body the strength it needed to continue to run and to give my spirit and mind the determination I needed to complete the running I wanted to do. I felt so good getting out of the car and I knew that whatever I accomplished on the track was everything my body had to give at this time. I walked around the track and really felt energetic. I then started running and I was actually able to run for twelve minutes. I felt so good. I then walked for another five minutes and started running again. I felt really good starting up again but alas my body gave out after another half mile. I had to stop but I didn't feel defeated. I felt like I gave it everything I had and I was proud of myself. So I decided I was going to walk another lap around and then go home. Well I walked another lap and then all of a sudden I decided I wanted to sprint a lap.......so I did! I...sprinted.....a.....lap. Can you believe it? Then I walked around again and started to leave the track and head back to my car and then Beyonce came on, her song "To The Left". I don't what it was about her song but I turned around and looked at the track and I didn't want to leave yet. I felt like I wasn't done quite yet. So I walked back to the track and ran another lap around all the while mouthing the words to the song and pretending I was in the music video. Don't worry there was nobody around. When I got back around I finally felt done and I drove home with the windows down singing at the top of my lungs Kelly Clarkson's "Since You Been Gone". SO I feel great and that is why I say I love to run. I am proud of my body and my spirit. I am glad I have a day off tommorrow when I don't have think about running but I am excited to go again on Wednesday and see what I can do. During my last lap around the track I looked up into the sky as the sun was finally setting, the clouds were orange and pink and black and blue and beautiful. A few raindrops were beginning to fall and I was hot and it felt really good. I said a silent prayer of thanks for giving me the energy I needed tonight. And I honestly felt like Heavenly Father was proud of me. I felt him smiling down watching his daughter take care of the physical body he gave her. I felt that he was really proud of me. I know that taking care of my body is not something I have put top on my priority list the last few years and starting to try and run is driving that point home with every ankle, knee, and hip ache. But I honestly feel close to Heavenly Father when I am out there running and I really think that he is there cheering me on. I don't want to stop. I will not stop.

Hitting the pavement

2007-05-31T22:28:00.000-07:00

Well D-day is fast approaching. I feel that I have given my foot and ankle sufficient time to heal themselves (I am hoping) and tommorrow I start hitting the pavement again with my running shoes in toe. I added the picture of the pavement at the top to add some drama to my post. If anyone wants to change it back or change it completely feel free. I have to say that I think I am feeling more apprehensive about this run than any other time I have run. I really am not sure how tommorrow is going to go. I was making progress that I was really excited about and now after having to stop running or doing basically anything for almost two weeks, I am not sure what my body is going to be capable of doing. I am hoping that I can jump back into my run ten minutes walk five x2. It doesn't help that I still haven't received my book either. It has been almost three weeks and I am giving it till Monday. If I don't get it by then I will just have to go out and buy it at a book store. Anyway I am trying to stay positive and I will blog tommorrow after my run if I am alive.

SAMMI he is calling!

2007-05-31T22:25:00.000-07:00

Okay Sam the plant is scaring me. It literally grew six inches today. It has now wrapped itself around the cord like six times and is almost to the top of my blinds. I am getting a little worried so if I don't blog anything in the next three days you might need to call someone to come and get our bodies untangled from the plant vine.

You Can Do It

2007-05-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

I wish soooooo badly that I was running the marathon with you...but I am positive that my doctor won't ok it 4 weeks post partum. It has been exactly one year since I ran the Salt Lake Marathon....I still have my medal on my mirror. It is such a good reminder that at one moment in my life I felt like I could do anything. That is what a marathon gives you. it is worth every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears. I hope this picture gives you hope. I have this on my bathroom mirror too. When I got tired when I was training I just pictured Jeff and Caitlyn at the finish line....and that was enough to pull me through. As you are training....you will find that it parallels life so well. I love you all so much.

2007-05-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

Well out with the old and in with the new. These are my new running shoes. After I went running last week and injured myself, I realized that I needed to get some REAL running shoes to protect myself and to be able to get through this marathon. SO I went out yesterday and these shoes spoke to me. When we got home they had some words with my old shoes and kicked them to the curb. bu-bye.
They are the funniest shoes! They insisted on giving each other a high five afterwards. I think they are going to give me the attitude I need to get the job done.
Aren't they pretty. Okay I actually returned these shoes because I found the same ones at Big 5 for thirty-five dollars less, they are just yellow. So imagine these shoes in yellow and that is what I will be running in. Not quite as pretty but oh well cheaper.

2007-05-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Sam look how your plant has grown! It's HUGE! Just like your love life.

2007-05-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

Each time Sam and I get ready for our run for the day (in 100 degree weather by the way) We ALWAYS make sure we do our proper stretches. We don't want any accidents or injuries! Sam and I posted these pictures just in case you need some help with the stretching moves. Just mimmick the pictures! Try them out for yourself. They really help us loosen up!!

Pain No More

2007-05-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

Okay so I think that all of us marathoners 30 and over need to enlist the help of our own personal pharmacist to aid us in this marathon endeavor. We need a really good one that can fill and refill prescriptions whenever we want. Good pain killers to help with knees, feet, backs, etc (you all know what I'm talking about). So if anyone knows of a good one that wants on board lets do it. If we can't find one I am formulating a plan to kidnap one and hold him or her hostage until the end of October. Anyone that would like to help me in this plan can share in the spoils of good pain killers. WE CAN DO IT!!!!!!!(with medication)

2007-05-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

this is my workout!

Calling All Francis'

2007-05-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

Maddog Mamma , Katie Kakes and Joan "da bone" (cause our Francis bones are strong) where are you? How's the running or walking going? Check your email so you can start posting. If you have any Q's email me at hatchgirls1@aol.com. Love you guys! I'm so excited KAtie and Joan are in this too!

This is for Sammi

2007-05-17T22:36:00.001-07:00

Hey here is your little plant that is growing like a weed.....get it?......like a weed?.....but it is a bean? hahahah Anyway I thought I would share the fortune with everyone because it is a good one that kinda made me laugh. You can see it in the picture but if you can't read it, it said LUCKY IN LOVE. Pretty applicable huh?

If I can do it anyone can!

2007-05-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

I am not a runner by nature. I actually hated running for most of my life. But, after Caitlyn's joyous arrival followed by the arrival of cellulite on my 24 yr old thighs, I bought a new pair of running shoes and became a runner. No on spring nights like tonight the 55 degree twighight on empty streets calls to me and I long to be one with the road again. With no whinning baby and husband in my ear, just the pitter pater of my own feet and visions of a Heidi Klum body dancing in my head.
I am so sad that I can't run the marathon with you. (25 weeks pregnant and hating it!!) But, when I am ready in the spring to run Marathon #2 maybe you will be ready to do it again. Here are my tips for training. I will dig out my book an d start blogging my journal entries for the coresponding weeks of your training schdulle. Just so you know you're not the only one who thought they were going to DIE!

Missy's Marathon Training tips

1. Read the book "Running with Angels"
2. Buy the book "the non-runners marathon trainer" This is now your BIBLE
3. Don't drink water during runs....drink gatorade. (the Rain lime and berry flavors were my fav)Forget about the calories.....you won't get past the eight miler if you don't drink some form of sodium and glucose. Hide bottles of it along the way. And try not to get too pissed when someone steals your fuel from the bushes.
4. Once you start running 10 miles or more....eat half a granola bar (preferably with nuts) half way through your run.
5. Stretch....or you'll get injured before you get to running 10 miles
6. Don't underestimate the power of a good mantra .....this was mine...it's still on my mirror.
"I am a marathoner. I LOVE to run. I am strong. I am beautiful. With Gods help I can do anything. I am not a quitter. I will not stop. I will always finish." Happy chanting.
7. You will encounter blood, sweat and tears. Expect them, and run anyway.
8. Visualize the finish line. You will cross it.
9. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't....especially yourself.
10. Buy your shoes 1-2 sizes too big. Your feet swell when you run. You should feel barefoot in your running shoes. Don't tighten your laces except for the last two set of holes. It feels wierd but it works.
11. Go to a running store and have them watch you run to make sure you have the right shoes. Its humiliating but worth it.
12. The running goo is disgusting. No flavor except cola is bearable. Stick to the "sport jelly beans" by jelly belly. I only really used these on 18 milers and the marathon. Otherwise granola bars and fruit leathers were my staple refuel.
13. Copy your running schedulle and post them at least 3 places in your house. (one on the fridge to fight off the midnight munchies) Then you get to mark off your run 3 times instead of one. It feels so good!! (and your husband finally will see how far you are running and be amazed without you even telling him)

I am sure I will think of more....I love you guys.....I laughed my guts out at your pictures. Pretty sure I won't be posting pictures of my pregnant body any time soon.

My Befores

2007-05-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

Here they are gang! The shoes that will change my life! I've named the left one "muffintop" and the right one "saddlebag". They have a lot of work to do!!!

Here I am in all my 155 lbs. glory! Personally after giving birth to my 4th child 9 1/2 weeks ago - I'm pretty impressed... that I had the guts to get into a bikini!!!!

So these are my before marathon pictures! Stay tuned for updates! I plan on taking my final pictures on October 6th! (And some of these "trouble areas" better be smaller and perkier!)

Get Ready!!!

Get Set!!!

JUMP?
Okay... so I'm not really running. But this is what I look like when run! Pretty glamorous! Do you like my hair?

p.s. if you want to see some awsome cellulite, click on this picture to blow it up! It's pretty amazing what true light reveals.

Hmmm... I just thought of how that's true in life too. See how this marathon is not only good for the body but the spirit too!

No, I am woman! Hear me roar!

This is me visualising what I might look like WHEN I finish the marathon.

sam and alli's hike from HECK

2007-05-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

wishing for us to be at the top of the mountain already....

nope, still here...

this is where sam will be staying for her visit in arizona... perfect size for her.
this was all really no big deal.. it was soooo easy. i mean, c'mon! give us something to really hike!

even on top of camelback mountain, we still find time to practice our modeling shots

we are women, hear us ROAR!

oh, and by the way, excuse our skimpy outfits.... we tried the whole t-shirt thing... yeah right! 100 degrees later...

2007-05-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

These are my running shoes, Swift and Speedy, and with their help I plan to accomplish our first "feet" and run the marathon in October. They are very busy shoes as you will see but I just thought I would introduce you all to them. What are your shoes doing to help you?

2007-05-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

These are my shoes welcoming you to my home, they really are polite shoes.

2007-05-15T14:17:00.002-07:00

These are my shoes taking a little rest on the couch when the kids are running them all around.

2007-05-15T14:17:00.001-07:00

These are my shoes looking for something healthy to eat to prepare me for the marathon.

2007-05-15T14:16:00.001-07:00

These are my shoes getting a little extra excersize on the trampoline.

2007-05-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

These are my shoes getting our of my car after running lots of errands.

2007-05-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

These are my shoes out for a little stroll getting ready for a run.

2007-05-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

These are my shoes running up my stairs....and yes that is two at a time.

2007-05-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

These are my shoes welcoming you to my home.

Runner	1st Leg	2nd Leg	3rd Leg	Total
1	5.1 miles \| Easy	7.8 miles \| Hard	5.6 miles \| Hard	18.5 miles
2	6.7 miles \| Hard	3 miles \| Easy	5.3 miles \| Hard	15 miles
3	5.6 miles \| Moderate	4.9 miles \| Easy	5.1 miles \| Moderate	15.6 miles
4	5.1 miles \| Moderate	3.1 miles \| Easy	5 miles \| Hard	13.2 miles
5	7.4 miles \| Very Hard	5.4 miles \| Moderate	4.1 miles \| Moderate	16.9 miles
6	6.9 miles \| Very Hard	5.6 miles \| Hard	3.6 miles \| Easy	16.1 miles
7	4.1 miles \| Easy	3.9 miles \| Moderate	4.1 miles \| Easy	12.1 miles
8	3.3 miles \| Easy	7 miles \| Moderate	6.1 miles \| Moderate	16.4 miles
9	3.1 miles \| Easy	6.2 miles \| Moderate	3.6 miles \| Very Hard	12.9 miles
10	3.9 miles \| Easy	6.4 miles \| Moderate	4 miles \| Very Hard	14.3 miles
11	3.8 miles \| Hard	4.6 miles \| Moderate	3.1 miles \| Hard	11.5 miles
12	3.9 miles \| Very Hard	5.2 miles \| Moderate	4.4 miles \| Easy	13.5 miles