Wasatch Back RAGNAR

So...like I said, it was really hard to choose from over 300 pics. This is pretty detailed, but it's my journal! Just look at the pics so you don't get bored!

Our team name was "Run for the Honey Bucket." Anyone who has participated in this event will know that that is very much the case before, during, and after several legs! I'd never heard of "runner's gut" until the race! Thankfully Brett and I didn't "live up to" our team name! :) We were van #2 (our group is the bottom right pic--in front of the honey buckets!): Ryan, Jaimi (bro & sis in law), Brett, Jami, Jace (cousin), Richelle (friend). 

I started my first leg around 1:30 pm. HOTTTTT! Kyle in the blue shorts (a cousin-in-law) was the last runner of van #1 and he handed off to me each time. I forgot my gum, so it threw me off the first mile or so till I met up with my van and Brett gave me gum and water. I ran through the city of Eden (4 miles). I ended up running at a pace almost 2 minutes/mile faster than I trained (but I'm still not "fast" by any means)! There must be some mental thing when you are actually "racing" that kicks in the adrenaline! 

I exchanged with Brett; it was fun to give him a little good luck kiss before each of his legs. His first leg  was also through Eden (3.4 miles). He was runnin' in true Brett style... rockin' the headband and aviators! What a hotty!

Brett handed off to Jaimilyn---our totally awesome team captain! Here's a few pics of our decorated "van." Lots of potty humor :)

Poor Ryan (Brett's brother) ran his first leg against a terrible head-wind. He finished up our running in the valley and handed off to Richelle (notice the lovely orange flags you HAVE to use to cross the street to give your runner aide). 

Let me just say that Richelle was a ROCKSTAR! None of her legs had "suppport." So we'd send her off then meet her at the next exchange. This is why I have lots of random pics here while she ran! :) Her first leg was a 7.3 mile trail run (uphill the whole way) up old SnowBasin Road. She was always smiling and giving the thumbs up when we did see her! She exchanged with Jace who made a trail-run loop around SnowBasin lodges. 

That was the end of our van's first round. We met up with the other part of our team (Van #1) for a quick group shot before they bailed. We consisted of all family members (Richelle filled in last minute for a cousin that couldn't make it). Amy & Mike, Richelle, Brett, Tiff, Jaimilyn, Michelle, Kyle, Jared and (bottom) Jace, Ryan, Jami.

Tiff started off Van #1...there she is looking over Trapper's Loop on the top left pic. Tiff is also amazing! She had the longest distance total of all the runners with just over 21 miles! Hey Mike...what are you talking about in that picture?!?! Luckily the race goes right through Brett's hometown! We were able to stop at his parent's house for dinner, showers, and rest for a couple hours! The bottom pic is our van all geared up and ready to head off for our night runs!

There were specific hours you had to have a reflective vest/headlamps on at all times. There's Kyle in the top left...we passed him on our way up to East Canyon, which is where I started. I ran up and out of East Canyon, heading towards the summit before dropping into Henefer. The night run was BY FAR my favorite leg (even though it was all uphill)! I think it was a combination of things that made it great. It was cool outside (I started around 9:30 pm), all of my best songs came on just at the right time, breathing rhythm was good, and I remembered my gum this time before starting, and I was just feeling great! A couple guys passed me about 1/4 mile into it and I told myself "no more!" After that I kept on truckin' and had 18 "kills" (another running term I hadn't heard till this race)! After that, nobody passed me again! When my van finally got to me, after a huge traffic jam they were suprised how far I had already gotten! I think it must have been the reflective vest?? They just make you look and feel fast! I paced myself behind a girl for about the last 2 miles, then passed her just before finishing. I was actually quite bummed when I saw my exchange coming up....I felt like I could have gone another 4 miles!! 

Our night runs continued on thru the 5 am hour! Brett ran 7 miles downhill into Henefer; Jaimilyn took over and did an unsupported 10 mile trail run around Echo Reservoir. Ryan ran 7.5 miles (unsupported) out from North Summit HS; Richelle ran another unsupported 5.5 miler...uphill, and Jace finished us off with almost 7 miles of 8 MINUTE MILES! He hauled!! We all must have felt the power of our reflector vests! 

Because our team captain rocks, she was smart enough to book a condo for our vans to share during our down time at Jordanelle Reservoir. We got there around 6am and were able to sleep 2 whole hours till 8am! I felt pretty spoiled since many runners sleep in sleeping bags wherever they can pull up a patch of grass! Those 2 hours of sleep on a comfy mattress were a little...um, no, BIG piece of heaven!

My last leg was somewhere around Heber, I believe?! It was thru a neighborhood and then just on some side country roads (4.1 miles)....as you can see the cows made the cut in many pics! I started around 9:30 am...it was already getting hot. My super sexy van aid brought me lots of water and butt slaps! haha! I did absolutely love the support of the van...I think that's what kept me pumped up was to see them up ahead off the road, waiting just in case I needed something...and if I waived them on they waited for me still, so they could scream and yell and cheer me on as I passed! We had the best support van ever! I love you team! About a mile left to go I turned my music off. It was nice to have a little quiet time of reflection. There were a few tears as well. Happy tears, that I'd (almost) accomplished something I'd worked hard for (especially when only weeks before I was feeling like it wasn't going to happen). Grateful tears, that my body and mind were healthy enough to complete this physical challenge. Proud tears, that my hubby endured through it with me and did amazing as well!

Brett welcomed me into my final exchange with a kiss and a "hug" that was probably somewhat inappropriate (but totally Brett)! haha! Several people said they wish they could be welcomed into their exchanges like that! I just love that he always keeps things interesting and makes me laugh! Brett's last leg was 5.5 miles; he ended in Midway. With each runner, the day just got hotter. Brett said every muscle and every part of his body hurt when he was done...and he continued to name each and every muscle and part that he was talking about as he laid on the ground! The only thing that feels good after your third leg of running....is knowing you don't have to do another one!

Seeing this next group of pictures makes me cringe! Jaimi and Ryan volunteered to do "Ragnar Hill"....it's absolutely insane! See the beautiful scenery picture of the valley?? So Jaimi started at the bottom of that, went 4.5 miles STRAIGHT up and Ryan finished up the last 4 miles of it! Richelle and I took turns at Jaimi's side, but I think Ryan's passionate kisses were more encouraging than we were! They did so awesome!!! It was cool to see all the teams supporting eachother at this point. Cheering eachother on...handing out cold wet sponges to the runners...spraying them down. It was definitely needed!

Richelle went 7 miles downhill for her last leg into Park City. It was unsupported...again! Luckily this time I was able to get some pics of her. She's a champ, smiling all the way!

We teased Jace that his "2 mile jaunt" around Snow Basin wasn't really contributing to our team, but in the end he's the one that brought it home! And of course, he had to do it with his shirt off! ;) It was so cool to hear our team number being announced, letting us know that Jace was close enough for us to line up. We all got to give him five as he rounded the corner into the Park City HS stadium. He was definitely the hero in that moment! Then we all got to run our stiff legs in behind him and cross the finish line as a team! Very cool!

Our team (minus Tiff and Michelle) at the finish line! WAHOO!!!

 Then with our medals...of course in front of the inspiration for our team name :)

A few last shots....free pizza tasted so good, love my hubby, the first aid station pops your blisters for you (gross), thankfully those toes are not mine, so proud of our team! Especially since 7 of 12 were first timers!

Afterthoughts: I want to keep running...hopefully do some more fun races in the near future?? Not this extreme obviously! I'd really love to do Ragnar again one day. Next year? I can't talk about it with Brett this soon, he won't agree to it! haha! My body was sore....but sunburned shoulders hurt the worst. Dumb me...sunscreened my face, and forgot to do my shoulders! Stairs are really hard to walk down the day after! Thanks to Jaimilyn and Ryan for being such awesome team captains and making this all happen so smoothly for us first timers! I loved it!

To Ragnar...or Not To Ragnar???

We were (well, mainly I was) supposed to be in last year, 2011. But...with dental school graduation, selling our home, moving cross country, having a nursing baby, and too many other unknowns we gave up our spots, and committed to 2012.

Fast forward about 8 months, when buzz about the Anderton Ragnar team starts going around again. I gave a commitment for both BRETT and I to be on the team. Keep in mind....NEITHER BRETT or I are "runners!" Brett may or may not have been made fully aware of said commitment before it actually happened. There may or may not have been some intense conversation and bad looks shot my way when I told him the exciting news! I thought it would be a good challenge, and something good for me and the hubs to do together! I had also been seeing this billboard around town a lot recently and knew that it was a healthy decision for both of us. 

To be honest, I've been pretty dang lazy about "working out" since Jet (ok, Emri) was born, so I think this race was kind of what I needed to kickstart something new. I/we did put off training as long as possible (which seems a bit dumb...but remember, I'm not a runner, so to get excited to train for a 2 day relay race was not too easy to do). My sweet sis-in-law, Jaimi, who was our AMAZING team captain was nice enough to give me ONE of the (read: THE) easiest leg in our van...due to some hip issues/pain I get when running/exercising. I was nervous I wouldn't be able to run through the pain. At the beginning of training in March, I was diagnosed with some slight scoliosis...which might be contributing to the hip issue. I started seeing a chiropractor to try to fix my hip problems....and that began to get a little better. Hallelujah! Still pain, but more bearable.

This pic makes me laugh, because 1....my socks are totally rad. And 2...this was taken the night of my first run of training. I think I ran a mile and WANTED TO DIE!

Brett and I followed the Ragnar website's training schedule pretty strictly. Honestly, we did most of our training on the treadmill. I know that would kill some people, but honestly it wasn't terrible...we'd just catch up on TV shows on the iPad (since we're too poor to afford cable/TVO) so it made the time pass quickly on most days. I did do some of my longer weekend runs outside, especially for the hill training...we live in a perfect neighborhood with tons of ups and downs. The other nice thing about the treadmill was that I could do it while kids napped (before I got my running stroller).  As the training runs were getting longer I was setting an alarm in the morning to run, while the kids were still sleeping, (but Brett was home in case they got up before I was done). ALTHOUGH I ABSOLUTELY DESPISE waking up to an alarm, these are the days I felt the best! I had already had some time to myself for the day and was awake and ready for the kiddos to be up....instead of being all groggy and tired when Emri popped into the room. 

In May things were seeming to feel more natural....running wasn't a huge struggle and I felt like I was making some progress. During one run, mid-May (3 weeks before race day), I started having some pain in my left foot (between my ankle and achilles tendon). A couple days later I decided not to run, but just go for a walk. It was killing me. I took a couple days off, got some new shoes to see if that was the problem and tried to run and I lasted all of about 3 minutes. FRUSTRATING. That night it was so swollen and I could barely walk. I took a week off, lots of ice, ibuprofen and a visit to the podiatrist, which I felt like was kind of a doofus. He thought it was my achilles tendon. I wasn't so sure of the diagnosis. My chiropractor thought it was my calf muscles (and their attachment in the foot), being  strained/overused and treated me for that....and after about 2 1/2 weeks treatment and of not running at all, it was starting to feel better. It was really strange because even though I DO NOT consider myself a runner at this point I was beginning to be devastated that running this race that we'd been working so hard for might not even be an option for me. Thankfully I was able to overcome the injury for the most part and participate in the relay. IT WAS ONE OF THE COOLEST THINGS I'VE EVER DONE!!!! 

These are the new runners we bought....that I was scared I wasn't even going to get to break in and use. And that was a pricey "non-refundable" purchase I would not have been happy to keep around if it didn't work out! Lots of prayers were answered!

 I stil don't know if I'd call myself a "runner" at this point. Although, after training for something like this, I can see how people can get addicted to running....and not because it's "fun"....because I don't think it is. I think that after working SO HARD to get ready for a race, you don't want to throw away all you've worked for, and just quit when the race is over, so you continue to run regularly (maybe not as scheduled), but to just keep it up. I don't know if this is making sense....or if anyone is still reading this rambling of an online journal I keep. At least for me I think that's how it will be. I'd like to continue running, maybe sign up for some races here or there to work towards. 

It seems strange that I'm even typing this. 4 months ago, I couldn't have ran around the block without being winded! I guess ya have to start somewhere! I do have pictures from the race....350 to be exact (just from our 1/2 of the team)....and I was too overwhelmed to pick some out for the blog tonight so instead you get my ramblings. I will definitely be posting LOTS soon! 

I read this article and thought it was cool...it was inspiring to me as a newby to the running world. There are so many reasons to run....solitude, health, personal goals and for others. Are you a runner? Why do you do it?

Jet @ 16 Months

The Jet Boy....he loves his jet shirt :)

 Dinner prep takes a lot longer than it should most days....

 This was much past his bedtime on a ride back from SLC one evening. Should have been sleeping like Emri...but was wired and squealing at the top of his lungs the whole way! As long as he's happy.... :)

 Dinos and Princesses after breakfast....

 Love those beautiful blues...

 The boy has a ton of hair!

 Just want to kiss that face!

 Silly guy!

 He has to sleep w/ bear. He got it from his Great Gma/pa Brklacich when he turned 1!

 Loves to give kisses/slimes

At 16 Months, Jet:

• finally got 2 more teeth (it had been 4 months)! 5th tooth: #G (May 20), and 6th tooth: #D (June 16).
• loves to tackle, push over, swat faces, and pull hair. YIKES!! All of this causes tears from big sister more times a day than I can count. 
• A couple weeks ago I came downstairs to find him perched on the kitchen table. What a climber!
• nods "yes"
• signs: more and please
• When he gets in trouble he usually laughs at whoever scolds him. I think we're in for it!
• He makes animal sounds for: cow, donkey, dog, pig, sheep, monkey, and duck.
• Is really liking being read to now...this took some time :)
• FINALLY TOOK HIS FIRST STEPS, June 16th. He took three! Since then the most he's done is about 8 at once! I think we officially have a walker on our hands! 
• says a few words : nana (banana), dada, uh-oh
• knows where his tongue, teeth, and hair are.

Our Tiny TumbleKat!

I realized I haven't written anything about Emri's tumbling class, so here it is all in one big post! She's been taking a tumbling class once a week since February. It was nice to have something to get us out of the house during the cold months. She has LOVED the class! Her coaches are really great and it gives her something to look forward to.

 She had class pics and a recital recently...both of which she was able to wear a little bit of mommy's makeup for, and she was in high heaven!!

 Her recital was last week....and she was great! She was not shy or nervous in front of the crowd at all! She picked us out in the beginning and kept bouncing up and down and waving to us! 

 Here's her front roll...

 ...the beginnings of her cart-wheel. It's pretty entertaining to see the whole thing!

 Her class after, getting an applause...and Emri clapping as well!

 2 of her biggest fans...Papa and Jet boy :)

 Our Tiny TumbleKat!

 E with Gpa and Gma Anderton

The fam....a little blurry, but the only one we got!

 E with Momma Max and Papa

So proud of you Emri! 

I don't need a dog....

....they fetch just fine!

a "sprinkle" for the babe

My cute sis-in-law, Ingrid, is having a baby....this is their 3rd, but it's been a while so I thought it would be fun to have a little surprise "sprinkle" for her since they'd gotten rid of most of their baby stuff...and it was a great excuse for a GNO!

I had to dress up our hideous chandelier a bit (plus the decor will be moved to Emri's room after).

 Some flower clips for a sprinkle favor...

 Thanks to pinterest, we had a yummy fruit pizza bar for dessert..

 The group...mostly the Anderton fam, plus a couple of Ingrid's good friends.

 She got some cute, cute stuff! Little girls are just too fun (don't mind the ghetto window treatment in the background)!!

Happy Baby Sprinkle Ingrid!! Only a week or so left and we get to meet the sweet baby girl!!