Eight People in a Fifth Wheel and everyone left happy! Miracles do Happen

    Is the Summer really half over? That's what I keep hearing, but I don't believe it. We have been in full force fun mode all month. We just had friends from California come visit and they stayed with us ( in our fifth wheel) for a whole week. The best part is that I think they still liked us when they left. Keeping 8 people happy in 650 square feet is definitely a challenge but these beautiful ladies were Super Stars and after their first initial shock of claustrophobic showering and airbeds deflating on them, they got right into the groove of living in a fifth wheel. I was so impressed.

    While I haven't completed everything on my list of things to do this Summer, we really made a dent in it this last week. We started off with a trolley ride to the Rockies Game on the Fourth of July. The Rockies played horribly, but we ate our hearts out and were rewarded with the most amazing firework show. It was so good that even the pictures came out great. I always talk so much trash about people taking photos of fireworks. My theory is: enjoy it now, you're pictures will not do it justice, but my friends proved me wrong.



Trolley Ride

    Monday we went to Elitch Gardens. It was a blazingly hot day in Denver, which forced us to do drastic things like spend $30 on ice cream. Amusement Parks can be so intimidating for me on my own. They're always so crowded and finding rides that a 2 year old and an 11 year old both enjoy seems impossible. But with my amazing friend, we divided and conquered.


Me and my Bestie

My view from the Ferris wheel
 

    Can you believe after this long day we still had energy to stop at Happy Cakes Bakery and buy cupcakes?  Happy Cakes is a famously delicious bakery in Denver and they're cupcakes did not disappoint....but I still think Elizabethan in Encinitas are better.

     Tuesday we took the kids to Heritage Square and let them loose on the go Karts and mini golf and everything else their little hearts could dream up. Us mom's just hung back and relaxed. One of the most hardest parts about living on the road is the distance between you and your friends. Everyone's lives go on and I've found that a lot of us tramp wives feel like we understand the words of Thomas Wolfe, "You can't go home again" It's like every time we go home, things have changed and it's never the same. (They actually put in a stop light in my neighborhood while I was gone. Can you believe the nerve?)  Its definitely a fear I have that makes me uncomfortable. I think my bestie and me both thought " What if things have changed between us, what if she doesn't like me anymore? " I am so honored to have a treasured friendship, that the distance and time doesn't matter. We can pick up where we left off and realize the other is just as crazy as we remembered. The only way I can  try to describe it is,  that it refreshes my soul.

   Anyway, sorry to get all serious on you. The rest of the week we spent dancing in the kitchen to "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea, hanging out at the pool, walking around Golden and  the kids dug for worms. We tried to give them the true Colorado experience with thunderstorms and everything. We played with our hair and gave ourselves manicures, not something I get to do often with all these men folk around. It was a true vacation for me minus the cooking and laundry.

    Thursday we decided to make the trek up to the Rocky Mountain National Park which turned into an all day road trip but we saw amazing scenery on the way and stopped for a picnic at Lilly Lake.

 

    After all the driving we rewarded ourselves with a stop at Krispy Kreme which these California Girls may have been more excited about than the mountains. They had never experienced fresh Krispy Kreme's and the cool conveyer belt view of donuts being frosted. It's safe to say we ate our way through our vacation....and I only ran once.

 

   We had so much fun with this family and it makes me look forward to going home some day and knowing that I still have friends there waiting for me. Thank you friends for coming.

 

 

We also did a lot of other Summery things before they came to visit but this is what is most fresh in my mind, but here's some pics of our other adventures. Hope your Summer is going well and no one's lost their minds yet!

Kayak Camp



Passing on his legacy to the next generation



The Annual Lineman Rodeo



Supporting their Dad with Lineman Proud Swag



Look Grandma, No Hands!





Summertime! Who's coming to Denver?

    

  Summertime! There is quite a lot happening over here in our trailerhood. I have been so excited foer Summer for the pure reason of warm weather and no homeschool but after 5 days of it, I gotta say Summer is exhausting! I'll take ya full circle on our shenanigans. Yesterday, we had to move to a new trailerpark. Which is actually a mobile home park Dun, Dun Dun! We moved to Denver last summer and discovered how insanely hard it is to find a monthly spot for a fifth wheel in the summertime. Denver is actually having quite a boom and even the rental market is extremely difficult to get into here. Yes, there are a lot of workers, family vacationers, snowbirds but there's just a lot of people! Did you know that I have met quite a few families that are from Denver, living in fifth wheels? It's just not an option I realized people were taking. Choosing to live in a fith wheel , in your home town. Anyway, it is very hard to have a spot for the summertime so I started looking in January. That's right, and even then people told me they were already booked, but try back to see if anyone had canceled. I was on waiting lists at several places. The park we stayed in all Winter and Spring doesn't allow monthly campers in the Summer. Two weeks at a time is the maximum stay. Then you have to leave for at least a day before you come back. This did not sound like a good plan with Ian's work schedule. It kinda made me resentful at all of these vacationers. "Go sleep in a hotel, this is my life, not my vacation!" I realize that it's silly to be frustrated with them. I hope to be one of them someday. But for now they are a great source of entertainment. People camp differently when they are on vacation as opposed to living in a fifth wheel. Sometimes they lock up all their storage and give you the evil eye, sometimes we are serenaded by people singing around the barbecue. One of our favorite activities is watching young couples back up their rigs, it's very funny to see the frustration , when it's not you. Okay so my point is, I had to find a somewhat crappy park to move into for the Summer , while all the campers had some of the best parks in Colorado at a maximum for 2 weeks at a time. Then I had an epiphany, if you can't beat them, join them. I decided we would move around to all of these parks all summer long! Ian reminded me how much work that would be and how frustrating it could be if something went wrong and we ended up sleeping in Wal Mart's Parking lot so we came up with a compromise. I booked 2 trips to Colorado State Parks in the Denver area for 2 weeks each. We also got a spot at this Mobile home park that will be our spot the whole Summer and we can come and go as we please. Yesterday we moved into the mobile home park and it was a lot of work, moving. Ian is usually right. I am excited we have little vacations to look forward to but it was very wise to have a place to land. Even securing this spot was like trying to get the management to release a nugget of gold. It is seriously ridiculous over here in Denver.
    On another note, Ian has about 6 more months until he is able to test to become a Journeyman Lineman. So from what my family tells me, this will most likely be our last Summer in Colorado. So I have a list of things I want to do. It amazes me that we have been in one area this long, (knock on wood everybody....no seriously) The advantage is that I actually have had time to form a list of things I want to do, instead of just being overwhelmed at being in a new city.
 Here's my  list:
Waterfall Hike ( I don't know where it is, but I saw it on Pinterest)
Narrow Gorge train Ride
The Incline
Train Museum in Golden
Children's Museum in Denver
Buffalo Bills Museum with a picnic on Lookout Mountain
Denver's Aquarium
Water World
Pirates Cove
Bowling
National Sand Dune Park
Mt Rushmore - It's only 5 hours away, will I seriously ever be closer?
The Elvis Movie theater- I don't know what this entails but I already bought the Groupon
Slip N Slide
Public Pools
Library Program
Sleep over for the boys
Rockies Game with a trolley ride
Heritage square Park
Picnic in Wash Park

Quite a list right? Here's the exhausting part. In the past 5 days we've already:

Had a picnic with friends
Went to a water park
ate Ice cream out of the cartons
Made a homemade volcano and watched it explode twice
Had a water fight
Went to the History Park in Golden where we : walked on stilts, played with a bean bag toss, used slingshots and panned for gold
watched Ian at work setting poles with a helicopter
Walked to town for an ice cream cone
went to the skate park and the  batting cages
and of course we moved which includes a deep cleaning of the trailer

So yeah I'm tired and I'm not sure my list of things to do is going to quench my kids voracious appetite for adventure but today we start with Houston attending a Kayak Summer camp. Is that not the coolest thing you've ever heard of?

First day of Kayak camp

 

our very own volcano, this kids is always down for anything

Keep checking on me, I'm gonna need a whole lot of coffee to get through Summer

More Details Than You Probably Wanted to Know About the "COLFAX MARATHON"

         Here it is! The post that at least one of you have been waiting for! It has been such  a wild week . The Saturday before the marathon I went to run 8 miles but by 6.75 I was not feeling it and I just went home.  It was a sunny day and my kids were outside and when I ran past the trailer I just wanted to be with them.  Wrex asked me the question I had been thinking in my head, "Mom if you can't run 8 miles, how are you going to do 26?" The  following Tuesday was  my last run before the race an easy 4 miles. But I felt nauseous and I didn't finish that run either. In fact I felt nauseous all week and I wasn't sure if it was nerves or if I was getting sick. I told myself not to be nervous, that I was just going to go out there and do my thing, but I couldn't help it. Friday morning I got to pick up my mother-in-law at the airport. She escaped the San Diego fires to come help me with the kids on my marathon weekend. We realized two weeks ago that Ian had school this weekend and she valiantly came to our rescue. We picked up Grandma at the airport and went immediately to the runners Expo.  This is where you pick up your race bib and t-shirt and get to look at different vendors. It was held at the Bronco Stadium and it was so exciting. The air itself had energy in it, or at least that's how I felt. They opened the expo a few hours early for the Marathoners, and  I had elite status, which I've never had in my life. You see, this race had not only Marathoners but they had a half marathon, a relay race ( where a person ran 6 mile increments for their teams) and a 10 mile run. We all ran the same course but we started at different places.

My Racing Bib and my finishers Medal that I received at the end

        I was carbo loading on Friday and Saturday so I ate a lot, Between these two days I ate bagels, ensure shakes, OJ, pasta, bread, tomato soup, chicken gyros, dried mango, oatmeal with almond milk, lentil soup, sourdough toast, muffins, chicken Parmesan and lots of Gatorade. One of my books recommended eating 7-12 grams of carbs per kg of your body weight. So I was aiming for at least 400 grams of carbs in a day. Soooo filling, I still feel bloated.

My last supper
 

      I felt stuffed to the max both days. On Sunday morning I woke up at 3:30am, I put on sunscreen and my race outfit. I made myself a cup of coffee, a bagel and I downed another Ensure shake ( they have 50 grams of carbs in those things ) and a Gatorade. We arrived in Downtown Denver while it was still dark. I was in desperate need of a bathroom and there was a long line of fresh port a potties. Unfortunately, they were all zip tied locked.    I know, what's the deal? But  my manly man took out his pocket knife and unlocked that port a jon for me and the other potty dancing girl next to me. What would I do without him, my hero.
    The race started at 6. They had grouped us into "Corrals" organized from A to R. I was in corral E. Ian stayed with me until I left. He told me later that  I actually ran off with the "D's" I was a little too excited I guess.

This is Corral E and all of my photo bombing fellow racers

       Miles 1-13 were a breeze. We ran past the zoo, down the streets of Downtown Denver , through a fire station, into the Broncos Mile High Stadium. It was a blast. There were water and Gatorade stops every 2 miles. There were tons of spectators ringing cowbells and holding up funny signs like      "Way to go Dad, can you run by the store and bring home some milk on your way home" or "Run faster, I just farted." Our names were on our bib so every now and then I was cheered on by name which was actually very nice.  The racers weren't as talkative as I thought they might be. Most people had earphones on. I decided not to listen to music so I could take it all in. I wanted the complete experience and didn't want to miss out on anything.
         A lot of people passed me. I didn't let it bother me, I had a plan. I was sticking to my heart rate and walking at the water stations. I mean who can drink on the run? Not me. The relay runners were along side us the whole time. Some of them would pass you and then you'd realize that they had just started their race and you were already 15 miles in. But some people would pass me and then I would catch up and pass them. It was fun. I started feeling sore around 13 miles. We ran through a really beautiful neighborhood and there were people handing out strips of bacon and donuts. I thought it was an awesome idea but didn't think I could stomach it. There was a part around here where we were able to see runners behind us on the other side of the road and I counted 11 marathoners, so I knew I was in front of at least 11 and that was good enough for me. I thought that 5 hours was a reasonable finishing time for me. I would love to make it in less than 5 but 5 seemed reasonable. I did decide at some point that I needed to go all out. I tried to pick up the pace, but really I think I just picked up the effort. I didn't want to finish with any energy, knowing I could have done better. So I thought I picked it up from mile 13 to 18. I did have to stop twice to use the bathroom which were near the water stations. I suppose I was overly hydrating but better that then becoming dehydrated. Also, I stopped at mile 17 for a selfie. Two firetrucks were hoisting up the American flag in Downtown Denver and I thought about my brother Nate, the Naval Corpsman and I had to have a little  momento.

always time for a selfie

      Between miles 17 to 20 I started passing a lot of Marathoners. At this point I recall wanting to tell you all this. My shirt said " Train like you were picked for the Hunger Games" I was ready for my interview which never happened BUT, if I ever was interviewed, and they asked me which character I was most like in the Hunger Games this would have been my answer. "I think I'm most like Fox Face, because I have a strategy and I'm sticking to it. I've held back conservatively with my energy and now I'm passing by the people who started out too fast. Yes I know, I am quite clever and we both have red hair. ( and that's how I would combine my nerdlife with my running life. For you non nerds, FoxFace dies by stealing Peetas poisonous berries. Ah yes, pride comes before the fall)

This is Fox Face

      By Mile 20, I was hurting and exhausted. I couldn't imagine 6.2 more miles. I looked at my GPS watch and realized if I didn't run 10 minute miles, I wasn't going to make it under 5 hours. I decided that I had run the whole marathon,( I thought originally I would have to walk more of it)  besides the water stops and that I had to keep running, at least I would know I gave it my best. At 23 miles we ran uphill, it was cruel, and I had to walk it. At this point police officers were holding back traffic on certain roads and I can imagine the drivers frustration being held at a stop while the worlds most slowest Marathoner put puts on by. When I crossed 25 miles I really ran all out, which wasn't any faster than before! My head was that over heating type of hot, when your ears feel steamy and I had to pee but that was just going to have to wait. I ran back around the zoo and I saw Marathoners walking back to their car and they cheered me on telling me "It's just around the next bend, and I thought " LIARS" But I didn't care, I ran because I just wanted it over with. I ran through the finish line with purpose passing one more guy on my way in. I didn't cry, I certainly didn't keep running. I stopped in my tracks, threw my hands up  like " TAKE THAT sucka" and then I looked over and saw my friend Tarrah and her 4 kids cheering me on. Her son asked if I won and his mom said " yes she did." I walked through the rest of the vendors who were giving away free stuff because lets face it, I love free and I earned it.  Tarrah took pictures, I was just glad I didn't die.

 Ian and Tarrah's husband met us shortly after. I hobbled the rest of the day and my mother in law and Ian took care of me, making sure I ate and re-hydrated. I was so thirsty but had no appetite. Of course I still ate an amazing sandwich from D'deli and a Burger from Bob's Atomic Burger. Yeah, I know, not hungry right? Today I am still so sore. Everything hurts, but only when I move. The two stairs to get to my room feel like climbing Everest. Am I glad I did it? Absolutely. It was so much fun and I gained so much more respect and pride in myself. Things I didn't know were missing.

       I absolutely loved reading all of your comments and support on my facebook page. Thank you so much for following me on this experience. It shows me more and more all the people who love and care about me. I just wanted to say thank you because every comment or like has cheered me on to be the best me I can be. Thank you.

 

 

 

My Finishing time was 4:59:47 just 13 seconds under 5 hours and I couldn't be happier 

I placed 986 out of 1323 "finishing Marathoners" not everybody finished.

I placed 343 out of the 554 Females that competed

In my age division of 30-39 I placed 128, not sure of the total of people in my division.

So basically I led the way of the last 1/4 of Runners. I don't think I can ask for any better than that. I am seriously proud of myself

 

Legend of the Marathon....4 days left

      Well, it's only four more days until my marathon. My runs have gotten shorter and shorter as I taper down in preparation to run 26.2 miles. The night before last I had a dream that I was disqualified for running through peoples backyards. Last night, I fell asleep at 7 o'clock reading my marathon book.  I suppose I am literally obsessed at this point and even though they don't admit it I'm sure my family can't wait for this run to be over. Although, everyone is very supportive and can't wait to see me cross the finish line. Logistically, I still have no idea how my whole family is supposed to wait for me to run for five hours. What to do with 3 kids in downtown Denver for that long.... I am assuming that's how long it'll take me. I will be ecstatic, if it is any shorter! Hopefully you've seen by now that there will be a link on Facebook updating on my progress on Sunday. It's supposed to give live status updates so... we'll see how that goes. I don't have much else to say at this point other than I'm nervous, but I thought I would share a little history of the marathon mystique.

    This is an excerpt from" Marathon The Ultimate Training Guide" by Hal Higdon. " How far is this marathon? The fact is that technically speaking all marathons are precisely 26 miles 385 yards. Anything longer and the race is considered an ultra marathon. Anything less and either the course was mis-measured or something else. The first event to be called a marathon was held in 1896 at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens Greece. This long-distance  race was staged at the end of those games to re-create and commemorate the legendary run of Pheidippides in 490 BC.
     In that year, the Persians invaded Greece, landing on the plains of Marathon on Greece's eastern coast. According to the legend, and Athenian general dispatched Pheidippides , a hemerodromo, or runner messenger, to Sparta  (150 miles away) to seek help. It reportedly took Pheidippides two days to reach Sparta. The Spartans never did arrive in time to help, but the Athenians eventually overwhelmed their enemy, killing 6,400 Persian troops while losing only 192 of their own men. Or so it was recorded by Greek historians of the time. Some historians dispute those numbers, suspecting they are the typical exaggerated claims of the victors. Then there is the question of whether the messenger dispatched to Athens with news of the victory was the same Pheidippides, who ran to and from Sparta. ( okay here's the really important part) A hemerodromo by that or another name apparently did run a route that took himself along the coast and up across the series of coastal foothills before descending into Athens, a distance of about 25 miles from the plains of Marathon.  According to legend Pheidippides announced "Rejoice. We conquer! " As he arrived in Athens then fell dead . "

   And that's the legend of the marathon . Run til you die. But if it was the same running messenger. I might argue that the first 150 miles might have don't him in , not the last 25. So based on that story, the race of Pheidippides was recreated for the Olympic Games in 1896  by running from the plains of Marathon to the Olympic Stadium in downtown Athens. At which time the winner was a Greek Shepherd . The Boston Athletic Associaton team manager was present that day and he was so impressed that he decided to sponsor a similar event in his hometown in 1897 . Thus the beginning of the Boston Marathon. Which remains the oldest continuously held Marathon. Did you know that to race in the Boston Marathon you have to qualify?

    Yes friends I am soooooo far away from that. But as I go out on Sunday and give it all I got, I'm going to stick with the goal of  "don't die, like Pheidippides" wish me luck ! 

My 20 mile Run

     

      I've had two phone calls from my family today asking me about my run. I am overjoyed to hear about you guys staeting up couch to 5k programs. That is exactly where I started in October 2012. Go you! I can't wait for new running partners. This weeks long run was solo and I could've used some company.  Twenty Miles is my longest run before my actual marathon. I was worried about that in the beginning. The difference between 20 and 26.2 seemed enormous, but really at that point you might as well keep going.  I know that sounds ridiculous, but when you've been running that long, you might as well just keep going.
        The 20 mile run is sometime referred to as the  "race stimulator." Basically it's a dress rehearsal for the big race. It is recommended that you wear what you're going to wear and eat what you're going to eat on race day. You should also test your plan for hydration and nutrition. This way,  if something isn't going to work, you can find out in advance. So that is what I did.
    One thing that was really worrying me is having to pee in the middle of the race. I always  have to find a bathroom around 7 miles. I usually run a 7 mile loop and use the bathroom at home. The thing is I HATE porta potties. I would rather squat in a bush but I really don't want to be arrested for indecent exposure at my first marathon. Also, I don't want to wait in line in the middle of the race. So these were some of the things I wanted to test

1. Bagels for breakfast
2. 12 oz of Gatorade with breakfast
3. Stop intake of fluids 1 hour before running
4. Take 400 mg of Advil before the run
5. Take 3 Cliff Shots (one serving size) every 3 miles
6. Carry my own fluids

        I was actually really nervous about this run. I set my alarm for 5:30 so I could eat breakfast and drink Gatorade an hour before I planned to leave the house. It was one of  those sleeps where you keep waking up because you think you've overslept.  Ian had class that day, so the boys and I were on our own. Wrex was babysitting but I was long gone before they switched on those cartoons. (I paid him well for this day) I left the house at about 7:30 am I had my lil fanny pack and I bought a special amphipod water bottle that straps to your hand.

surprisingly easy to run with and I'm so glad I had water, it was a HOT day

 I started out with Gatorade but I really craved water when I was running. So I took the cliff shots every 3 miles which was my nutrition plan to intake carbohydrates for fuel as I ran. The thing is cliff shots and Gatorade are so sweet together that I switched to water in my bottle when I looped back home around 7 miles. I filled this 12 oz bottle 4 times while I ran. (3 times with Gatorade which helps with electrolytes and carbs and once with water) I ran the loop twice and then I ran circles in downtown. I was tuckered out and bored around 14 miles. I thought of  how easier it was running 13 miles in Maryland with Nate and I cursed the altitude for a while. Then I time warped to 17 miles. I don't remember what I was thinking about but I looked down and my miles were getting faster than when I started which is perfect! Ideally marathon runners want to run negative splits, which is when you run the second half of the race faster than the first. That is definitely a goal I have and it can  only be achieved by holding back at a slower pace in the beginning. I'm not saying I ran fast because I didn't, but I stuck to my plan of running at my targeted heart rate instead of a specific timed pace and the result was, I could still pick up the pace at the end, so that impressed myself. My toes started to hurt and my quads hurt but at that point of tiredness, if I had to run 6.2 more miles I would just do it. You might as well , once you've been running for 4 hours and 20 minutes! Yep that's how long it took me. You might as well just keep going.
  I remembered hearing about people taking an ice bath after long hard workouts and I envied people with bathtubs. Then I realized I had a freezing cold creek behind my house. So the boys and I got our suits on and we braved the creek. It was so cold that it hurt to be in the water longer then 7 seconds, so I settled with dumping a plastic bucket of cold water on my legs. I chatted with my gals in my trailer hood for a while and then went inside for another bagel. I then settled down for another "Downton Abbey" Marathon where I was in and out of consciousness. I was so sore when I got up I asked Ian if we could eat out, I couldn't imagine cooking. The next day I was still sore. I'm feeling much better today and pretty proud of myself too.
     Thank you to all my friends who suggested new running songs for me, they were very motivating until the iphone battery ran out. Thank you to my family who checks in on me to make sure I'm still alive and kicking. Thank you for liking my running activity on Facebook and letting those cowbells ring in my ears. Thank you for reading this and keeping me accountable. I know I am so close, just 19 more days.

25 Days until the Marathon

   I believe a marathon post is due! I didn't post one last week because ....I was sulking. That's the truth.  I was going to attempt to put a positive spin on it, but there it is. So my last long run was suppose to be 18 miles. My running schedule was all off, I had rested my knee the week before and my foot started to hurt out of nowhere and I just knew that the right thing to do was get back on schedule. So I ran 7 miles on Friday and by the end of the run my foot pain had gone away. It was suppose to snow that Sunday, so I decided to get my 18 miles in on Saturday. The loop I run in 6.75 miles long and I usually do that twice and then run circles around town. During the first loop, every time I put my foot down it was like "ow, ow, ow" It hurt but I definitely felt like I could run through it. After the loop, I stepped onto a trail to switch it up a bit and the pain intensified so much that I decided to call it a day. I walked back to the campground. I was so disappointed in myself, I felt like I should have pressed on, but I convinced myself  that  the  18 mile triaging run was not my goal. My goal is to get to save myself for the marathon. I went straight to a Dr Scholls Machine and bought myself a fancy insert, hoping that would fix me. It didn't. That day the pain got worse and as I hobbled around a baseball tournament , I was convinced I was done for. Very upsetting. So I googled everything and looked up podiatrist in my area....In the end I diagnosed myself.
Peroneal tendonitis- Peroneal tendonitis is inflammation of the peroneal tendons which run behind the lateral malleolus or the bony bit on the outside of the ankle causing and swelling on the outer ankle.

The red is where it hurts

   So basically there is a tendon that connects the leg and the foot and it was angry with me. This is an overuse injury that people often trying a new sport or increasing  their activity level repetitiously end up with. The advice was to rest, ice it and stretch it. I of course thought the world was so unfair because I had a schedule to keep. Resting last week would mean that I never raised my mileage past 17 miles before my marathon and that scared me. Would I even be prepared? Then a few things happened.
    I went to the running store, again. I made a close friend with a gal whose name I never thought to ask . She poured on me a wealth of experience and knowledge. I ran on a treadmill while she videotaped it and I was relieved to see that I actually have good form. I'm not doing anything funky with my ankles, not running pigeon toed or inverted . So she sold me moon shoes (at least that's what they look like) They are basically anti- injury shoes that she said people with stress fractures have actually ran races  in them. I have not paid this much for shoes since I wore Creepers in high school and the last pair of Creepers I bought were for my wedding. So I came home with these magical, ugly shoes and renewed hope. She explained to me that with my schedule modified , most likely my body was starting to heal and healing hurts. But she thought I was spot on with my diagnosis and she said even if I didn't run any higher mileage I would still be ok for my marathon.  I had hobbled around  all week and I decided to rest a few more days even though I have my magic shoes which are called Hoka' s. you can read about them here http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/footwear/Sole-Power-Nicolas-Mermoud-Minimalist-Running.html


No one mistakes me for a fashion icon, but this is a tough look for me to sport

    The other really cool thing that happened is that I realized that I miscalculated my training schedule and left otr a whole week before the marathon. This means that I found a whole 7 days extra to train. So even though I missed out on last week, I can still run 20 miles this weekend before I taper my mileage down to rest before the marathon. I was amazed at this oversight!It was so unlike me to make a mistake like that on a carefully , color coded schedule! But  I was OH SO Grateful!
    Last week was rough. I iced my ankle and the whole trailer smelled like tiger balm. I should have done something helpful like cross train or work on my abs but instead I ate a lot of candy and started watching Downtown Abbey. That's what made me feel better. On Friday I ran 4 miles and Saturday I ran 5. Then I rested. I'm hoping to get back into my schedule this week but I'm going to take it easy. My ankle does feel much better and I really do want to run 20 miles this weekend. I wish I had a better update but as of now I am counting down the days til my Marathon and hoping for the best.
That's my little story but how about those runners in Boston yesterday. AMAZING! Talk about inspiring. We all start one mile at a time though, right? Are you going to get out there and get your mile in today? I am.

Spring Break on the East Coast

   Before I do another marathon update, I want to write down all of our adventures we had on the east coast. After all, this blog is about my family and our adventures on the road. My mom lives in Maryland which gives us the opportunity to explore more of our beautiful country with every trip. We primarily made the trip for a wedding, but we always try to make the most of every day together. So here's what we squeezed in.
    My last post, I told you about Nate and his family. They drove 6 hours from their home just to be with us  that week. We decided to do something together with our families that we had never done before, so we rented a minivan and drove to Philadelphia. This was a 3 1/2 hour drive. It was such a hoot being together on that road trip. The van had a dvd player built in  and the kids watched Frozen and Brave. We broke out the girl movies in honor of our time with my niece. The boys were such good sports. The first thing we saw was the Liberty Bell. I had seen  it in 8th grade but since then, they have built an exhibit around the bell to showcase and display more of its history. I could've spent more time there, reading all of the fun facts, but with the four children we had in tow, it was more of a speedy walk down memory lane. The best part was actually seeing the bell. We posed in front of it and got our touristy pictures in and then we all tuned around to walk away. As we turned,  we hear the security guard yell out " DON'T Touch the bell ."You know that feeling you get, when you know it was your kid?.... Yeah .... I saw Houston with that sad look in his eye...filled with  shame and embarrassment. I mean what good is an exhibit of you can't touch it,  right? Never mind the obvious ropes around it....Anyway, Nate was thrilled that Houston touched it. He asked "which part did you touch"  and Houston stated proudly " the crack!" By the time we called Ian to tell him about our day, the touching of the liberty bell had become everyone's favorite part. Houston even said " I meant to touch it!"

Notice the guard rails!

     We went on to take a tour of Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the Constitution was later ratified. The tour was great I love this picture, it speaks volumes.


Imagine George Washington in the same room with these goofballs

 

Our next important thing to do that day, was obviously get a Philly Cheesesteak. So we literally walked these poor children a mile around Philly looking for this place I found on Yelp. Apparently , there was a Man VS Food episode done here and I am all about those kinds of places. On our way we accidentally passed Benjamin Franklin's grave, how cool is that?

   So we finally got our cheesesteaks, they were huge and delicious. We went to this place called DiNic's which has apparently been a Philadelphia Institution of Cheesesteaks for nearly 100 years. The sandwich was just as mouth watering as it looks, I felt bad that Ian wasn't there to enjoy it because it was right up his ally, but I sent him this picture, kinda the same thing...NOT!  The unexpected topping was a spicy broccoli rabe and the oh so spicy roasted peppers. It was a total gut buster and we loved it.

I should tell you that my wacky children ate a slice of pizza instead. Criminal, I know.

We finished lunch with chocolate from a little place next door that sold odd chocolates. Houston got a chocolate shaped like an ear

   The next evening I got to have a night out with the girls. True, I didn't know these girls, it was Sara's bachlorette, but I will take a night out with the girls anytime, any day and anywhere.  Vironica escorted me there and I had the pleasure of getting to know Sara and her friends better. We had Thai food in Alexandria , Virginia which was the cutest little town with cobblestone streets. I think this is where I hurt my knee, but it was worth it.

I thought I had a better picture, but goofy one's really are more fun

We also had lots of grandma time. We had frozen yogurt ( more than once)  and went to see a movie. We went to Mexican Food one day and she took me to my favorite purse store. I love Spring Break WOO HOO!

      Then there was the wedding. It was absolutely beautiful. It was at a plantation that I had never visited before. It was nestled in between farmland and what I believe is the Patuxent River. It was a beautiful ceremony. The only way to keep Waylon quite though,  was to sacrifice my pearl necklace and tell him it was treasure. ( Don't worry , the necklace was only from Target) It was worth it to see Jon and Sara united in holy matrimony.

How cute is he though, right?

The reception was in a barn. I loved the theme and the decorations. It was beautiful and the  bride and groom were beaming. We took advantage of the surroundings to take some really cool pictures.


Isn't my mom beautiful? I think so

It sounds like a full trip, doesn't it? Oh no , it couldn't end there. My mom seized the opportunity of having all of her grand children in one place and the next day threw the biggest Easter egg hunt ever. Of course there was a jumpy jump there too because grandma's house is magical like that.


all the grandkids

       After a week like that, it's a miracle I squeezed in a run at all! An extra bonus was watching the Cherry Blossom tree's coming into bloom. Every year around this time there is a Cherry Blossom Tree festival in DC. Well,  they have Cherry Trees in Maryland too and they bloom every year around my birthday. I've always wanted to see them in full bloom. Thanks to this never ending winter, I left the day they started to pop. What a treat. We had such a great time. My family is truly blessed to have all of these amazing experiences.

Cherry Blossoms!