Some highlights from our day were starting at a splash pad. I don’t have any pictures because we were there with friends and we were just having too much fun!

Emmy skipped her morning nap to join in on the fun so the kids were very tired when we got home. As part of our end of summer fun I decided to let them watch a movie while eating in the living room.

I think Emmy really loved being a “big kid” sitting on a stool at the table. She was much less messy than she normally is in her highchair.

After lunch Emmy took a good two hour nap, and I enjoyed some time with just Cannon.

Later we went to go get Cannon a haircut, he has needed one for so long!

I don’t LOVE the cut he got but he will not sit still so I don’t know if I can expect much.

It was raining on the way home so we spent some time running in the rain while waiting for Cory to get home.

Since it’s Friday I thought I would share some of my favorites from the week.

I was so excited to get Cannon’s chalk board in the mail this week! We will use this for his first and last day of school for as long as he’ll let me. Maybe going off to College?

I have been adding salt tabs back into my long runs and after if needed. A few weeks ago I was feeling a little queasy after a long hot run. I remembered that my coach taught me while training for my first Ironman to take salt tabs when my stomach was off. Very quickly I started to feel better and I packed a baggie for my hydration pack immediately. Now for long runs I take two an hour when it’s hot out. I used to think because I was taking sports nutrition with electrolytes in it that it should be enough but it wasn’t for me in the summer. I have tried a few different brands but Endurolytes from Hammer Nutrition have worked best for me.

Fresh veggies from the garden have been a recent favorite. I am very excited we are getting anything. Our garden has been hit by a few hail storms this summer and they have taken their toll. I am not sure if out tomatoes will give us as any as past years but the zucchini are looking great.

Jennifer Garner’s Instagram account, She is so adorable and funny, it always makes me smile and she seems like a genuinely wonderful person.

Lastly we are loving this stroller from Kolcraft. The Kolcraft Cloud Umbrella Stroller is really light and folds down small. I have been searching for a good travel stroller to take with us to Germany and this one gets really good reviews, rolls easily and Cannon fully approves. The price can’t be beat! We got two, but I am not sure how much Cannon will use it.

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If you have kids where do you take them for haircuts?

How old were your kids when you stopped using strollers for them? Cannon doesn’t ride in one much anymore but with all the walking we will be doing while traveling it seems like we will need one.

I just can’t believe that it’s already August! We have a lot to look forward to this August. Cory has a big birthday this month, we have my dad’s birthday and Cannon’s very first day of school (tears).

I had some lofty goals for myself for July but with the demands of my new job, illness and injury I fell short. I do believe these goals are attainable for me with a little more focus so it’s time to stand back up and try again!

So here’s to failing my way to success, thanks Des for the wisdom.

This month I am going to try again to run 200 miles total and to do following everyday:

• Run (at least one mile) + (going for another 50 day run streak)
• Drink 100oz of water – Really want to focus on hydration during the summer
• Write – I want to blog every day to really build on the habit and share the day to day balance of motherhood, work and ultra marathon training.
• 10 minutes of core work – because two kids in less than two years.
• Full body strength train twice a week
• Meditate

We finished out July with our usual fun. Cannon told me in the car that it was too hot to go to a park so we went to the gym and played inside.

We enjoyed lunch at home, please note that Emmy is wearing an old cloth napkin as a bib. She tares everything else off but a cloth napkin tied at her neck she will leave on, go figure.

After Emmy’s afternoon nap Cannon asked for popsicles in the backyard, they are so cute, I couldn’t say no!

Poor babies got a bunch of bug bites while playing outside, there are a ton of mosquitos here this year and they think these kids are delicious. I might have to start putting bug spray on them.

We made Hawaiian chicken with rice and grilled veggies for dinner and enjoyed it outside, checking off an item from our summer bucket list, we only have 2.5 weeks until school starts!

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Anyone have bug spray that works and they like for their children?

Up and out early to run yesterday morning and was greeted with this amazing sunrise:

My last few runs have felt very difficult. I am still trying to recover from my cold and my lungs feel full of fluid. My breathing is shallow and wheezy and it never feels like I am getting enough oxygen. Anyone know ways to get over this kind of chest cold?

After the morning rush we headed to a friends house to play and splash in their backyard. It wasn’t too hot at 10 am maybe in the high 70s but I felt SO HOT in the in the sun. Full mile high sunshine is something else.

We made it home for lunch time (home made “lunchables”) and nap time.

After naps we needed to make Costco run. I am getting good at collecting and giving out samples with one hand and pushing the cart with the other.

We love Costco for getting snacks for the kiddos. We buy these Natures Bakery Fig Bars multi pack.

They come in Blueberry, Raspberry and Fig. My favorite is the Raspberry, they are the prefect thing to eat in the morning if I am running more than an hour. They are easy to digest and always leave my stomach happy.

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Any suggestions for kicking the cold for good?

What’s your favorite pre run food?

After many setbacks lately it has become clear that I won’t be ready to line up for the Run Rabbit Run 50 Miler in September. This is the second training cycle attempt that I have had to abandon. Two years ago I was training for the Leadville Silver Rush 50 and a few weeks before the race I broke a toe.

When I signed up for the race I didn’t know that I would be taking on a demanding new job and I underestimated the amount of time I would need to dedicate to getting my classes up and running. Things are calming down now that I have prepped my three courses but at this point there isn’t time to make up for the long runs I have missed. Then dealing with another chest cold and now an injury. This isn’t a race you can fake your way through, and I have to be honest with myself that I will just not be ready…yet.

While I feel sad about not reaching this particular goal I find comfort in the fact that my goal is to finish a 50 miler not specifically Run Rabbit Run. There are other races and other opportunities to reach this goal.

I have my eye on Arches 50 mile in January, but haven’t settled completely on what my next attempt will be. I ran the Arches half marathon this year and had a blast going to Moab in winter and have a little idea of what the course is like. We shall see what the fall brings but for now I am thinking Arches might be my next target for a 50.

As for now, while I might not be ready for a graduate level 50 miler but I still have some endurance built up so I have decided to run the Breck Crest Trail Marathon. I have ran this race many times, completing the 10k and half marathon. This is one of my favorite races but I haven’t ever completed the marathon so I am pretty excited to jump in and finally get to see the full course.

I am excited about running in Breckenridge and feeling determined to eventually meet my goal of completing a 50 mile trail race.

It was a pretty perfect Sunday if you ask me, we had a few plans but mainly we just played as a family and got some chores done.

The day started with one of my favorite things. Emerald loves to read books together. She will grab a book and bring it to Cory or me.

Then she will turn around and sit herself down in our lap.

She snuggles in and waits for us to read to her. She does this multiple times a day and we both love it so much.

We then spent time cleaning up the house and then took the kiddos outside with us to get some weeding done. The summer has been so wet that the weeds are thriving. Cannon loves to “help” and it’s pretty fun to have him out playing while we work. Emmy also took a morning nap while we worked in the yard, some days she does still seem to need a morning nap, it’s not really predictable.

When Emmy woke up it was time to play and share some apple.

Cannon was trying to help Cory with his road rash, but was just causing Cory lots of pain 😉

We set up a “fort” we got from a neighbor, it’s from FreeTime 4 Kidz, I looked for it and it seems like they aren’t selling them anymore.

The kids love it and spent lots of time playing together.

Then it was time for groceries and lunch. Emmy went down for her afternoon nap and Cory tried to convince Cannon to nap with him outside.

Cannon considered it for a minute.

But decided to find shapes in the clouds instead.

I think he’s pretty (not biased at all)

I won and Cannon joined me in making a blueberry lemon pie.

I used this recipe and it is so good.

After Emmy’s nap we went to have dinner with my Mom, Dad and Brother.

We loved seeing everyone even if we had to leave quickly to get to Cannon’s swim lesson.

Cannon has improved so much lately and is really enjoying time with his instructor.

Emmy ran up and down the hallway to get her energy out.

Then it was bath/bed/books for the kids and Tour time for Cory and I.

Something that has hit me really hard is that summer will be over and Cannon will start school in three short weeks! It will still technically be summer and hot out but with school starting it FEELS like the end. Cannon will only be in school 4 days a week for 3 hours a day but daily morning playgroups or park trips will be done. Since the start of school looms so near I wanted to make an end of summer bucket list so we can focus on all the fun things we want to do in the next few weeks:

• Playgroup at our house for as many friends as possible
• Picnics with Dad at work
• Try a new splash-pad
• Visit our neighborhood pool (hopefully it will re-open soon after the flooding)
• Eat lunch outside
• Eat dinner outside
• Camp out (even if it’s just in the backyard)
• Invite friends over to play in the kiddie pool
• Have cousins up to play in the pool and have a BBQ
• Go for a hike in the mountains
• Popsicles in the backyard
• Go to ice-cream shop

What’s would you put on a end of summer list? What am I missing?

I was hoping for longer miles this morning but Cannon shared his cold with me last week. I started to feel awful last weekend and I thought for sure I would be better by now. I do feel much better than a week ago but my lungs are still not functioning well. I decided not to cancel class this week and was attempting to teach while coughing in my students’ ears (sorry!). My students are all nurses pursuing their BSN and they encouraged me to take Mucinex and drink lots of water, they are so sweet!

They really saved my other classes, once I took their advice my symptoms were much better and I was able to get though my other classes with much less coughing.

Poor Cannon and Emerald have come down with this cold too and are also on the mend. Emmy had her well check yesterday and her doctor said her ears Looked good and lungs sounded good so hopefully they will both be feeling better soon. Emmy needed a couple shots so after her appointment we took the kiddos to a little ice cream shop.

Even though Emmy wasn’t a fan of the shots she took it like a champ and enjoyed sharing ice cream with us.

Even with the medication my runs have been suffering.

I felt like I couldn’t breathe and my lungs were full of junk, 4 miles felt like it cold have been 20. I am hoping my lungs clear up quickly and I am back running and feeling like I can breathe.

I did run across this sign:

I really appreciate that our city is putting out informational signs about snakes. I have seen so many people be afraid and try to harm snakes. While I don’t have a strong fear of snakes, I have been surprised and hot footed away from a rattle snake a time or two on the trails. I understand being afraid of snakes but hope that everyone can respect them and know that they are an important part of the natural landscape we love to run in.

I made it home without seeing any snakes but I wasn’t watching my step close enough and rolled off the side walk. I rolled my ankle and went down hard on my hands. I run on technical trails all the time and rarely fall, but apparently I can’t handle flat concrete. My ankle seems fine it just my hands that seem injured, I am fairly sure there is no real damage or fractures but we will have to see as the swelling settles down. Worse than my fall (by far) was Cory crashing his bike on the way home from work. In typical Cory fashion he got up straightened out his handle bars and rode home with blood running down his leg. We could have easily gone and picked him up but he is tough and stubborn 😉 So now we are an odd parenting duo with bandages and swelling a bruises.

After getting home and having breakfast with the family we decided the kids needed to get some energy out so we took them to a park we love in Boulder near the hospital that they were both born in.

This park has a great rock/cave structure for kids to climb on. Cannon loved climbing and exploring, he also decided it was better without shoes.

both kids had fun playing and climbing.

Arapahoe Ridge Park is worth a visit if you are in Boulder!

After getting some energy out we went home for lunch and nap time for Emmy. Cory has been feeling pretty tired (probably fighting this cold) so he ended up napping with Emerald. She is the best cuddler and the chair in her room is very comfortable to nap in.

Then it was off to Costco to grab some things for dinner. When we got home there was a little rain falling.

Emmy’s jacket is much too big because the smallest they had was 2T, she’ll grow into it =). Both kids love rain so they were running around in the driveway.

We had Costco chicken and and Cesar Salad kit. So easy and so good.

After dinner we played outside and enjoyed some mild weather after so many HOT days. Then it was bath/books/bedtime.

Cory and I then iced our respective wounds while watching more of Le Tour de France. Pretty great Saturday (well except for the fall) if you ask me.

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What are you doing for your Saturday Night?

The day started out just like it should with an early morning run. Normally Colorado has brisk mornings but lately even the mornings feel warm and flat. I am looking forward to some cooler weather but I am not enjoying the days getting shorter already. I might have to locate my headlamp again soon!

This week has been pretty crazy, we started the week with our neighborhood flooding from an intense rain storm overnight.

Our Rec Center and Pools were flooded and have been closed for clean up all week! Many people’s basements flooded but luckily we live at the top of a hill so we escaped any damage.

Along with the flooding one of the classes I am teaching ended this week and, whew it is a relief! I love my job, but accelerated summer classes are intense and having three classes that are twice as fast as a normal course was more than i have anticipated ( I should know better by now). But now I only have two classes for a couple more weeks, so yay for a little break before fall classes start!

A few other favorites from this week include lots of time with our friends, with the pools closed we have been spending more time at splash pads.

Emmy’s suit is from Boden and shoes are Natives

When we went to our local King Soopers (Kroger Family) we found that their new clothing line DIP was 50% off.

I grabbed this cute sweatshirt for Emmy, a shirt and PJs for Cannon. I think I will have to go back and grab a sweater I was eyeing for Emmy =).

We are also loving picnic lunch with Cory. It’s nice for the kids to get to see him during the day and he loves playing with them for a little while before we head home so Emerald can nap.

His office has some outdoor tables so we hope to keep doing this once a week as long as the weather allows.

I just started listening to Matt’s new Podcast called Road to the Olympics . From the website: “The Road to the Olympics Trials podcast features eight elite runners, four men and four women, who are excited about pulling back the curtain and being open and honest about their training, racing, and goals in their lead-up to the Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta in February, 2020. The athletes who will be sharing their journey are Jared Ward, Kellyn Taylor, Roberta Groner, Parker Stinson, Lou Serafini, Sarah Bishop, John Raneri, and Dr. Stefanie Flippin.”

I am so excited to follow along with these runners then cheer them on at the trials.

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What are some of your favorites from this week?

This morning the kids and I had a playdate at a friends house. It is so nice for the kids to get to play with other littles their ages but I think it makes even more of a difference for me. It’s so nice seeing my friends and being able to talk with other adults.

In the afternoon we spent some time at the Rec Center so I could get some much needed work done. Emmy is still having a hard time being left at child care. I am taking any and all suggestions to help her.

The other day I was commenting to Cory that I couldn’t believe how much hungrier I was on rest days than on days that I ran more. It didn’t take much effort (thanks Google) to find that there is some scientific explanations as to why you also may feel hungrier on recovery days/weeks.

This article explains some of the reasons. It’s always good to get some reassurance that there are scientific reasons for the things we experience.

The kiddos love a good rest day snack break as well!

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Are you hungrier on rest days?

It was a good day but I am beat! The day started off with a 4am alarm and straight to coffee! I have become a champion time waster in the mornings lately and I really need to break the habit. I don’t need to be scrolling on my phone at 4:30 am!

I drove out to Boulder to get some time on the trails and some climbing.

time one the trails always flies by, 18 miles total for the day.

Then there was time at the park (yes, we go to the park a lot) and chores around the house.

I have to really hope that active recovery is a good thing because there really isn’t time to sit and recover after long runs anymore.

In the evening we had my family over for a BBQ. I made my 4th of July Trifle. It’s always a hit but never looks as good as the Pinterest pictures. It’s really easy so I love making it.

After dinner we were all beat, I love when Cannon falls asleep with one of us. It doesn’t happen all the time but more frequently now that he doesn’t nap.

After dinner we watched the team time trials for the Tour de France while working.

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How was your weekend? Any great easy recipes you want to share?