I came. I saw. I TRIed.

I thought several times about doing a pre-tri post, but I really didn't know if it was going to happen. I was SCARED. I decided part way through this week that it might be a good thing to do, and spent the rest of the week trying to convince myself that I had made the right decision. I haven't been training for a triathlon! Even though this was just a sprint, I was still really scared. I had never done anything like it before and just didn't know what to expect. However, in the midst of training for the Spokane to Spandpoint relay, I have been doing a lot of cross-training, and after a couple of test brick workouts, I decided to go for it.

Last night I was really nervous. I got all my gear out so, if nothing else, I would feel prepared. It made me feel a little better. I looked legit! And I noticed that everything I have matches. It is all blue and green! Everything was going to be ok. My goal was to not finish last. I honestly thought that it might be a problem. You see, this triathlon was put on by our stake (how cool is that?).  It is free to participate in, and you can participate as an individual, or as part of a team. What this translates to is that most beginners choose to participate as part of a team. That leaves crazy rock stars doing everything by themselves. Well, crazy rock stars - and me. YIKES!

 I think I woke up three times during the night, worried that I had slept through the event. I also dreamed that Oliver had completed the entire tri before I had even finished the run. (He was really speedy, this dream wasn't all that far from the truth, though I blame that on my mountain bike - well, that  and the fact that Oliver is pretty much a natural born rock star).  In the morning Camilla, Oliver, and I packed up the car and headed over to the Springville pool where the event would start. Camilla was AMAZING. She was our coach. She cheered, took pictures, and helped us with our transitions. I don't know what I would have done without her. Once we got signed up and had our numbers written on us, the fear started to subside and I felt ready to tackle the tri!

The run was really good. Besides being almost 3.5 miles instead of 3.1, I felt really good about my time. Biking was next. Even though I was on my mountain bike, I feel like I tore it up the best I could. We went out and back twice and the only moment of the day when I REALLY had to give it 150% was when I had to climb a cursed hill for the second time. I had to rely on my running mantra, "Nobody stops me but me." As long as I keep moving forward, I will keep moving forward. And I did, slowly, but surely. At the top of the hill I saw Oliver on his way back down. I shouted "If I can do this, I can do anything!" I believe that. 13 miles? Done. Oliver and Camilla both met me for the swim transition, they were awesome, and I was ready to go without even realizing what had just happened. The pool was warm and chaotic, but at that point, there was no stopping me. I made my way through the 600m swim and you better believe that I ran through that finish line.  And then you know what? I WAS DONE! I completed my first triathlon!  And to top it all off, I kid you not, Justin Beiber was singing Never Say Never as I crossed the line. Whoa. Thanks Justin.

When I was deciding whether or not to make an attempt at this day, I thought about how it would feel to cross the finish line. After that moment, there was no turning back. Finishing felt exactly like I thought it would. I had also been worried about competing with other people from the Stake, but they were great. The stake presidency and one of the members of our old bishopric were there to guide us and cheer us on. There were a lot of incredible volunteers, and best of all was the fact that (and deep inside I already knew this would be true) every one who I knew that passed me cheered me on, (and I cheered on the few that I passed!). Overall it was a great event, and I am so glad that I had the courage to try.

Happy Birthday Avi!

My adorable little niece is one today!

Trail Runners and Midnight Concerts

Happy Pioneer Day! I found out late Friday afternoon that I wouldn't have to go into work on Monday. Hooray for Pioneers! I hadn't planned on having the day off, so I hadn't made a lot of plans. It ended up being a pretty perfect day.  As I finally had some time to go up into the mountains, I decided to take my trail runners for their inaugural run. They are the most beautiful pair of shoes I have ever seen. I am not kidding. I almost cried when I saw them online - I knew that they had to be mine. Now they are, and I am one exceedingly happy girl. Anyway, I ran up to Stewart Falls and it was absolutely lovely. Below you can see a picture of my runners in their natural habitat:

On my way up the trail, a mom pulled her 5 year old daughter to the side of the trail so I could pass and said, "See, that is tough. She is going to run all the way up there."  I wanted to stop and hug her. On the way back a lady said, "Wow, that is impressive." I wanted to hug her too, but it was all downhill at that point and I would have run her over if I had tried to stop. I can't tell you how grateful I am for little moments like that.  As I sat by the falls, I took some time to really think about what I was doing there. I had made the choice to spend a good chunk of my day off alone, running. Who have I become? I came to a very satisfying conclusion, and I would love to chat about it, but it is far more involved than anything I can write here. Just know that it is a totally stellar conclusion, and I am glad that I took the time to hang out with me today.

I did also get some premium friend time in. We made dinner, stopped by FHE, and ended the night with an adventure of epic proportions. At about 10:30 I went to bed, but couldn't sleep. At 11:30 I heard yelling outside my window coming from somewhere across the neighborhood and wondered what on Earth was going on? Didn't people know that I couldn't sleep and this wasn't helping? Well, about 30 seconds later I heard my front door slam. One of my very dear friends had all but run for her life and found safety in my front room.  Turns out there was an altercation between her and her roommate, and said roommate lost her temper and went a little too far got way out of hand. My friend ended up calling the police and 4 of us spent the next few hours waiting, talking to the cops and waiting some more. In the midst of the waiting we had an impromptu concert in my front room. It is always a good idea to have a guitar around to take the edge off of high-anxiety moments like these.  Anyway, all is resolved, and everyone is safe. And I have had a Pioneer Day that I will never forget.

When ye are in the service of your fellow beings....

Our Bishopric was released today. I never been so emotional at a Bishopric release. I have truly come to love and respect these men who have served this ward for the past three years. They sacrificed time with their own families to provide a family for us. They took care of us, watched out for us, chastised us, and loved us as their own. They bore testimony of the reality and truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They helped me to strengthen my resolve to be a better daughter of God. Through their love, I have been able to better understand the love that my Father in Heaven has for me. I will be eternally grateful for that.

In other news, our new Bishop looks like Santa Claus, but without the beard. He seems just as kind. I know that the time had come for this change, and that it is for the best, but I will be sad to see our old Bishopric go. Luckily, none of them live too far away, and they should not be surprised if I show up for a visit every now and again.

All my thanks to Bishop Sorenson, Brother Liddiard, and Brother Miller.

Impossible is Nothing

I watched the first part of Man on Wire last night. Now I want to go do something amazing. Any suggestions?

Rain

When it's pouring rain and you're bowling along through the wet, there's satisfaction in knowing you're out there and the others aren't.

     -Peter Snell, former New Zealand athlete and three-time Olympic gold medalist

I went for a run in the rain yesterday. It was fabulous. I honestly wish it had rained a little bit more, oh well.  When I got home last night, this quote came through in my email. I thought it was very nice of runnersworld to send me a quote that was tailored to my day. 


The more I think about it, I am pretty sure that this quote applies to the rest of life as well. Sometimes, when life gets crazy and you keep bowling along through the wet, there is an incredible sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing that you are moving forward, that you are doing something incredible, that you are pushing farther than you ever have before. 


Running in the rain is cool. 

Potter Mania

Last night I got off of work PROMPTLY at 5:00pm so I could speed crawl though the rush hour traffic to get to the theater in time for an early showing of Harry Potter! Kate's sister Erin hooked us up with the tickets and I am forever grateful that I didn't have to stay up for a midnight showing. I am an old lady now, and I am happiest when I don't have to go to work on 4 hours of sleep.  Anyway, on my way into the theater I caught glimpses of  kids running through the parking lot in graduation robes and bulky black glasses. Then I walked past this car that was all but plastered with Harry Potter bumper stickers:

 I knew this night was going to be good. 

I was right. We walked into the theater and the first thing we saw was Dumbledore putting the sorting hat on Erin's head and telling her that she was a Hufflepuff. I didn't get my phone out fast enough to capture the moment, but I did get this sneaky shot of Dumbledore and Hagrid. 

Inside the theater the magic continued. The girl next to me was pregnant and had a sign taped to her belly that said, "Dark Lord On Board." Hagrid, Dumbledore, Luna, and some other friends of Hogwarts hosted a little trivia game before the movie. I didn't know any of the answers. It was a serious Harry Potter Fan Fail on my part. I did have a wand though, Erin made us some chocolate covered pretzel sticks and we did our best to cast spells with them.  Camilla's favorite spell is the "accio" one, so we tried to accio peoples popcorn and sodas. It didn't work.  Wizarding fail. The movie, however, was not a fail. We had a marvelous time. I won't say anything else, because I know that a lot of you haven't seen the movie yet, but I will leave you with a picture of Dobby.  He had a sock pinned to his potato sack. That is true dedication.

Happy Potter Day!

Sub 9, Sub 30, Sub 40

Guess what is on its way to my house?! After a brief stop in the Bay Area, these little beauties are on their way to me! I got a sweet deal on them and I am counting down the seconds until they arrive.

Timing couldn't be more perfect because there is just one month to go until the Spokane to Sandpoint Relay! I am getting more than a little bit excited.  And the best part is that I am finally making a marked improvement in my running!

Last night I ran a mile under 9 minutes! (If you would like to take a moment and do a happy dance in honor of me, I will let you.)  Now, I know that for all you seasoned runners out there, this isn't a big deal, but if you can think back to how excited you were when you knew that not only did you love running, but it might be possible that you didn't totally suck at it, then you will be able to begin to feel my elation at my accomplishments. AND it gets better... that speedy one mile turned into my first sub-30 5k and my first sub-40 4 miler. There is something incredibly magical about accomplishing something that you have never done before. I came home feeling like a rock star.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any better, I am going to celebrate all of this by going to see the last Harry Potter movie tonight at 7:00pm. That is right! We got tickets to an early showing! No midnight movies for us! Wahoo!

Coke and Cookies

So, if you haven't heard yet, I had a bit of an adventure on Friday. I was chatting with our admin at work at about 11:00am and all of the sudden I started to feel a little woozy. I told her that I was going to go sit down and slowly headed back to my office. Before I made it there I apparently turned around and I looked at her and said, "I think I am going to pass out." Then I went white and hit the floor.

I woke up thinking, "Wow, I am so comfortable. Aren't I supposed to be at work? Um, I think I am at work. Oh, no. That did NOT just happen." Then I heard someone saying, "You need to call 911." At that point all I can think is, "NO! I am on student insurance. I am not working all summer long to pay for one freak of nature fainting spell!" I roused myself as quickly as I could and convinced my co-workers that I was alright. I got up, sat on a chair, rethought that action and sat on the floor and was soon surrounded by anxious co-workers. They were talking about what I needed and sugar was the first thing on everyone's minds. They all went their separate ways and then rushed back in with a coke, 3 chips ahoy cookies, a fruit cup.

I was ordered to eat all of it (which I did) and then they went to get the building doctor. He came in, asked me a couple of questions and told me to rest, get some fluids (not Coke), and left me with a mostly clean bill of health. My sister came to get me and I left my poor little car in the parking garage, as I had been prohibited from operating a vehicle. I ended up at the Student Health Center at BYU and it was there that I was informed that my blood pressure was frighteningly low and my electrolytes were seriously out of whack. Oops. This doctor also recommended rest, and fluids, but maybe not quite so much water...

I may have gone up to Park City that night, down to Manti the next morning and then crashed at 5:00pm.  I did not officially wake up again until 7:00am. Consider me fully rebooted. Yikes.

I am still a little freaked out that I might randomly loose consciousness, and everyone in the office seems a little leery of me, but I am fairly sure that as is well. Even though I do plan on drinking a lot of Gatorade and walking a little more carefully around the office for the next couple of days.

Not quite the way I had planned on having my Friday go...

Happy Fourth of July!

Sunday evening my family had a BBQ for my brother-in-law who was deployed yesterday for a year of service in Afghanistan. His whole family came as well and we spent the entire evening in my Mom's backyard enjoying the weather and one another's company. We had delicious food, played games, and set off some fireworks. It was absolutely perfect. Having Gunnar leave on the fourth of July certainly changed the holiday for me, and for the rest of the family. We are grateful for him, and for the service he will be giving in Afghanistan for the next year. Best of luck Gunnar! Our prayers are with you!

MOAB!

There is just nothing like a couple of days hiking in scorching heat, relaxing in swimming holes, eating camp food, sleeping under the stars, and bonding with your besties!