January 31, 2019

Arches Ultra Half Marathon Race Report

On Saturday I ran the Arches Ultra Half Marathon put on by Mad Moose Events. Admittedly the title is a bit confusing, the race is called Arches Ultra they have a 50 mile, 50k, half marathon and 9k distances to choose from.

The race site describes the race as:

Arches Ultra is Moab’s newest trail race, and it travels along the border of Arches National Park, using Bar M, Klonzo, and Klondike Trail Systems. The trails are smooth and easy at points, technical slick rock at others, and there’s even some sand to shake things up. Winter is a great time to be in Moab running, and we’ve chosen a lower elevation run, that will give you views of the towering Moab cliffs, Arches National Park, and the snow covered La Sals.

There was packet pick-up available Friday night as well as race morning. We didn’t arrive in time on Friday so we opted for race morning.

We arrived at the race start just 10 miles outside of Moab about 45 minutes before the start of the race. It was plenty of time to grab my packet, visit the porta potty and get ready, I love the relaxed vibe of trail races.

The half marathon didn’t start until 9am so there was plenty of time to get ready in the morning. The kids came along to see me off, they were warm in the Thule with their down blanket.

We lined up at the start and heard a few tips on following course markers on slick rock and a gentle reminder to be kind to the environment by staying on the trail.

The first mile or so of the race is on a paved bike path. I think we all prefer trails but this was a nice chance to find a rhythm and warm up.

We then crossed onto trails for my favorite part of the race. We had a 4.5ish mile loop on some traditional trails.

It would have been muddy but the trails were still frozen so footing was good and the scenery was amazing.

Why are all the trails in Moab named like this? LOL

I was having so much fun talking to the other runners and enjoying the views.

You could see Arches National Park in the distance and the La Sal Mountains.

After the first loop there was an aid station well stocked with all the goodies you could want. My only complaint would be that if you needed the restroom you would have to run pretty far down to the parking lot and back up. Luckily I didn’t need it but it would not have been fun if I did.

The second loop was about 7 miles and mostly on slick rock. We still had incredible views but the terrain gets a lot more difficult.

Running on slick rock is definitely a Moab experience that shouldn’t be missed but it’s not easy. The rolling up and down makes it hard to find a rhythm and running so much on rock was hard on my joints.

I was so glad it wasn’t icy, that would have been extra challenging! The course was well marked so while there isn’t a “trail” on slick rock it was easy to not get lost. Plus there were lovely runners ahead of me that I followed =)

When you finish the second loop you drop back under the highway then run about half a mile on the bike path back to the race start.

It was so fun seeing my family and finishing, my legs were ready to be done. The finish line was well stocked and was a great atmosphere. They let Cannon cross the finish line with me.

Race swag was pretty great including a tech shirt, technical trucker and a medal in the shape of Delicate Arch.

I would for sure run this race again in the future. Doing one of the longer distances would be fun but I would have to figure out how to prepare to run on even more slick rock!

January 30, 2019

Recovery Favorites and Back to Routine

Trying to get back to “normal” around here, but after being out of town for the weekend, it feels like our house will never be put back together. Send help to get unburied from laundry and piles of things, we don’t have too long before we need to pack up again. We are headed to California on Sunday!

While I love traveling and going on adventures with my family I thrive on routine. I love having an idea of what is going to happen during the day, when I am going to get my run in how I am going to keep the kids happy and healthy. I really do believe that sleep is part of a child’s health and getting in predictable naps is part of that. I am actually working hard to keep up healthy habits even when I am thrown off my normal routine but it’s not natural for me.

Yesterday Emmy had a follow up with the eye doctor to see if her eyes are developing as they should. It is important to be sure she is using both of her eyes well and equally. Otherwise her eye sight might not develop as it should. I really like our Doctor he really takes his time to check Emmy’s sight and explain everything to us. As of now her eyes are looking great and she is using them equally well. I was so happy to get a good report! We will keep checking in on her as Cory and my father both don’t have great eye sight so it’s something to watch.

During Emmy’s appointment Cannon hung out with his grandparents, they all had a blast.

After collecting Cannon we came home to have dinner and play. Cannon was excited to be back with all of his toys.

After that I had a sports massage to help refresh my muscles from the half marathon and long car trip home.

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Going to my massage got me thinking about my favorite forms of recovery after races or hard workouts. I wrote a tongue and cheek post about How Not to Recover from a half marathon back in 2012 when I was training for my first Ironman. It got me thinking about my current favorite recovery methods:

Massage! If you can get in and get some work done by a professional, awesome! Some races have massages available at the finish line. I have never done that. What is your experience with finish line massages?
Rolling is a great way to loosen up tight muscles. We use “The Stick” roller and Trigger Points Grid Roller No Meat Athlete has great instructions on foam rolling here.

Elevated Legs recovery system boots, these things are great and have worked for YEARS. Both Cory and I use them and I think we bought them in 2013 so it’s been a great investment.

Compression Socks! These were a great help on the drive home from Moab. I really like PRO Compression socks.
Active Recovery. It’s easy to want to be lazy the rest of the day after a race but doing some easy movement after a race can really help. We went for a hike after my half marathon and it felt great. When I was training for my ultra in 2017 Cannon had swim lessons on Sunday afternoons. Being in the pool after my long runs really seemed to help! We should really sign up Emmy for lessons this year =)

There are lots of other recovery methods as well, including ice baths (not for me in the winter), protein, clean eating, hydration, etc. I wrote more about it HERE.

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What are your favorite recovery methods?

January 28, 2019

Moab in the Winter

We are finally back from our trip to Moab for the weekend. I loved visiting Moab in the winter, the weather was amazing, the park was nice a quiet and it was easy (and cheap) to find a rental.

Throwing it back a couple days, I was worried on Thursday that the trip might not happen at all. Earlier in the week Emmy came down with a cold that had some concerning symptoms. I took her to the pedestrian to be sure that it was safe to travel with her and that we wouldn’t be making her feel worse. With reassurances from our (amazing) doctor that she would be just fine we went ahead with packing and prepping to leave Friday morning.

Why is it that traveling with kids, even for just a couple nights feels like you are taking half of your belongings with you?!?

Friday morning we hit the road for what would normally take 5.5 hours to drive to Moab.

We took a few breaks along the way to stretch our legs and refuel

We took a quick strabucks break in Frisco, then pushed on to Rifle Colorado to have lunch/dinner.

We found an indoor playground and spent a long time getting some energy out.

We eventually arrived at our rental at about 8pm

Cannon was excited to be out of the car!

The condo was really cute southwest/adobe style with just enough room for us and our friends (and their super sweet girls) who joined us.

We settled in and got to bed as quickly as possible as it was past the kids bedtime and my race was the next morning!

Saturday morning started not as early as most race mornings. My start time wasn’t until 9am so I got to wake up with the kiddos, enjoy some coffee and take my time getting to the race start that was just 10 minutes out of town.

We didn’t have time to go to packet pick-up on Friday evening so we arrived at the race start about 45 minutes early and that was plenty of time to go to packet pick-up and get ready for the race. I love how relaxed and easy trail races are!

The race venue was stunning and I felt so grateful to be able to be there and get to race. Race report coming soon!

Waiting for Mom to start her race….Cannon doesn’t look impressed.

While I was running everyone else went rock “climbing” (as much as toddlers can do) and exploring.

After finishing my race my legs felt a bit beat up from all the slick rock but I was ready to spend some time with my family and our friends. We went back to the condo so I could shower and eat lunch.

We then took the kids to hike to Delicate Arch. Unfortunately there was ice on the cliffs that we didn’t want to take the kids on so we didn’t make it to the arch but it was still fun to get out and a good shake out for my legs.

After our hike we went to Eddie McStiff’s for Pizza. Cory and I shared the veggie, it was really good!

After dinner the kids and I were tired so we went back to the condo for stories, snuggles and bedtime.

Sunday morning came and it was time to head home. It was definitely not enough time and we would have loved more but we will be back again soon for sure.

The drive home took almost ten hours between our stops and the relentless ski traffic. If I had it to do over again I would for sure stay until Monday to avoid sitting in traffic so long.

January 25, 2019

Friday Favorites – Current Running Gear

Happy Friday everyone! We are off to Moab today, please send us good vibes as we try to get ourselves a toddler and a baby over the rockies and into Utah for the weekend.

I can’t wait to show the kids one of my favorite places and spend some (lots!) of time on the trails.

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Before we head out I thought I would share some of my favorite running gear:

Shoes: For the last few years I have been running in Hokas, they have kept my feet happy through pregnancies and some high miles both on the road and trail. Right now I am running in the Clifton 4 and Challenger ATR

Watch: One of my favorite pieces of gear ever is my Garmin Fenix Sapphire 3. The current version is the Fenix 5, my mom has the 5, it’s a bit smaller, lighter and you can get optical heart rate now. I LOVE mine, and the fact that it uploads over bluetooth to my phone. It holds a charge well and still looks great after almost three years of constant wear. Side bonus is that it is waterproof so I don’t have to worry about it when bathing the kids or washing my hands for the 700th time.

Tights/Capris: My Favorite tights are Lululemon Speed Up Tight. These are a little pricey BUT I have had mine for years. They have stretched and shrunk with pregnancies and have great pockets. I love them and wear them constantly! I also love Lulu’s Pace Rival Crops They have kept my legs happy for many marathons over the years.

Shorts : I am on the taller side (5’8″) so I like a bit longer short. I really love Run Times Short The 4 inch inseam is a better length for me than the shorter 2.5 inch inseam. I wore them for my ultra and they felt good the entire time.

Socks: I love both Stance socks and Smart Wool. Both of these brands of kept my feet happy in marathons and ultra trail races.

Safety: A newer addition to my gear list is the Run Angel. A Run Angel is a wearable safety alarm that is quite loud. If you set off the alarm then through your phone it will send an alert and your location to your angels (people you set up to get the alert).

Treadmill: This is a necessary part of my training and I LOVE our NordicTrack Incline Trainer. It makes training possible on days where I might not be able to get out! I love that it has both incline and decline.

Hydration: I have tried many hydration options and BY FAR my favorite is the VaporHowe 12L Race Vest. This vest has tons of storage and is so comfortable and light. I forget I am wearing it even after hours on the trails.

Running Stroller: We have the single BOB Revolution stroller and the double Thule Cougar Chariot . I love running with the BOB (although that might be because it’s a single so it’s just easier in general. I really love the the Thule converts from a jogging stroller, to walking or bike trailer. You can even convert it to a sled for pulling while skiing but we don’t have that attachment. I would love the try the double BOB to really be able to compare.

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What is some of your favorite gear?

I hope you all have a fabulous start to the weekend!

January 23, 2019

Must Haves When Traveling to a Race

We leave for Moab the day after tomorrow! Prepping for a out-of-town race can be a lot of fun and a lot of work. We have traveled to our fair share of races, both driving and flying to our races. Here are some of my must haves when traveling for a race.

First must have is Google Sheets – Luckily driving to a trail race in Moab is a lot easier to pack for than an international flight for an Ironman. Regardless of the type of race we are traveling for we always make a pack list in Google Sheets so that we can both add to it and use it to actually pack up. I usually start this list weeks in advance and add to it as I think of things I might need.

This is just a snip of one of the lists from an ironman we did back in 2015. This year I will be trading bike bottles for baby bottles. Even though we won’t need as much gear for the race we will be traveling with a toddler and baby.

I actually really love the planning and packing part of a trip, is that weird? There is something so fun about making lists, laying everything out and crossing things off. It’s just all the unpacking that I don’t like. Also I am not great at actually loading all the items into the car, lucky for me Cory is exceptional at this task. I take on the bulk of gathering and packing bags then let him play the Tetris game of fitting it all in.

Here is a great pack list from Runner’s World for different types of races to get your list started.

Bikes Ready to travel to Lake Tahoe
Fitting everything into our tiny car!

Another must have for me is Airbnb hotels are great but when traveling for a race I really like having a kitchen so we can prep our own food and it is nice to have a little more space and not feel bad about rolling a bike through a hotel!
Compression! My feet swell easily every time I travel. To help with this I try to always wear compression socks while traveling. I really like Pro Compression, they have great socks and fun patterns.

Lots of water! This may fall under the obvious category but I have often neglected hydrating enough while traveling. It’s easy to forget and it’s tempting to not drink on purpose so you don’t have to take as many bathroom breaks. Bathroom breaks are actually a really great chance to stretch your legs so go ahead and drink away!
Pack a surge protector. I bought a cheap surge protector that lives in my suitcase specifically for travel. Hotels especially never have enough plugs for all the technology I bring with me (phone, iPad, Computer, Garmin, etc)
If you are flying you must have a well packed carry-on! It would be beyond terrible to show up to your race destination and have your bags not be there with you. As best as you can pack all your race must haves in your carry on (shoes, lucky shorts, etc). If you are flying with your bike give it a big kiss and really hope it shows up (a bike transport service can take the stress off if you don’t want to fly with your bike).

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What are your must haves for traveling to a race, I would love some tips!

January 22, 2019

A Prolonged Taper + Weather Stalking

This weekend I felt a bit like the universe was conspiring against me getting my long run in. I had planned to run 14 miles on Thursday while Cannon and Emmy hung out with my parents. Emerald was coming down with a cold so she ended up taking a really long nap so by the time she woke up and I dropped them off I only had time for about 6 miles. I wasn’t too upset and just planned on running the 14 miles over the weekend. Then I ended up suffering from some stomach issues on both Saturday and Sunday, I didn’t feel up to more than a couple miles either day. I was pretty upset about it until I decided to just treat it like an early start to my taper for my race on Saturday.

My race is this Saturday so I have officially started stalking the weather in Moab. My favorite weather site is Weather Underground since they have great 10 day forecasts and seem to be really accurate.

It looks like the weather is going to be great for Saturday, fingers crossed it doesn’t change!

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On Saturday we still had a great time celebrating a friends second birthday. The rest of the day was spent cleaning up and running errands.

Sunday I had my long run gear all set out and ready to go early in the morning.

I was sure that I was going to get those 14 miles in. But again I wasn’t feeling up to it. Instead I rested a bit and hung out with the kiddos.

For lunch I had a childhood friend that now lives in Kansas come by for lunch. He and his wife had spent the weekend in Winter Park and had time to come by and enjoy pizza and salad made by Cannon.

After lunch and naps we were craving some movement and fresh air so we went in search of a park that wasn’t covered in snow. We finally found one and it was everything we wanted it to be.

The park was deserted when we arrived but soon other kids showed up and Cannon quickly made friends and was having the best time. Cannon makes friends everywhere he goes.

Yesterday I was feeling a bit better so I got in 3.5 miles on the treadmill before coming up to hang out with Emerald who woke up early.

We spent the morning at the Children’s Museum. It was crazy busy because school was out but both Cannon and Emmy had a great time!

We made it home for lunch of leftover pizza and naps. Cannon has taken his nap the last three days, hooray!

After naps we got some food together and dropped off a meal for a friend who just had a little boy named Oliver. He is so cute and little! My friends did a Meal Train for us when we had Emerald and it was so nice to not have to worry about meals for a while. The website makes it so easy to organize and participate. We have done it now for many new Mommy friends.

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Have you ever participated in a meal train? What is your favorite meal to give to friends?

January 21, 2019

Emerald Catherine |9 Months

Emerald’s first Christmas has come and gone and I am still in disbelief the the year of her birth is gone. But I can’t be sad too long because this little girl is so full of light and joy. She keeps getting more fun and spunky, I just love being around her.

At nine months Emerald is 28.5 inches long (91% ) and 18 lbs 8 oz (60%) BMI 30%. Emmy is wearing size 3 diapers, and is wearing mostly 9 or 12 month size clothes but 9 month pants are getting short on her so we will be putting those away soon.

EAT

We are making slow progress on eating with Emmy. She is eating much more when we spoon feed her things like yogurt, cottage cheese and pouches.

She will also eat soft solids like eggs or avocado but only if we feed them to her, If we put food in front of her she will pick it up and play with it. She will put other things in her mouth like toys or my sweater but never food. I keep reminding myself that she will feed herself one day.

SLEEP

Sleep continues to go well for us. Overnight she sleeps from 7pm until 5:30 -6:00 am everyday. If I could figure out how to get her to sleep later that would be great.

We are solidly down to three naps a day now and I am so happy to have solidified a schedule. It seems to work for us that Emmy goes down for her first nap early between 7:30 and 8:00 am so that we are ready to go out for mid-morning activities. Then she goes down again after lunch around noon. Then most days she takes a short nap around 4:00 pm unless we are out and she skips her nap then we just try to get her to be a little early.

GROW

Emerald is a crawling expert and gets everywhere she wants to go. The days of sitting her down while I got something done are gone.

She is pulling herself up on everything and cruising and getting into everything.

She is really starting to babble a lot and says, Dada, Mama, Baba it’s so sweet hearing her little voice. She is also waving a little and clapped once.

PLAY

We had so much fun this last month celebrating Christmas

She makes everyday brighter and we couldn’t love her more.

Past Monthly Updates

January 19, 2019

Snow + Siblings

Hi All, I hope you are having a wonderful start to the weekend! Emerald is enjoying her newfound freedom of crawling and pulling herself up so she can get close to her puppy.

Cannon is learning about taking pictures and will sometimes say “cheese” and give me a big smile, I just love it.

We enjoyed a wintery day as a storm rolled in. It felt like a good morning to go to the indoor playground so both kids could play.

Emerald and Cannon had a blast and played until it was time to go home for lunch. Cannon is going through a phase where he will cry every time we leave somewhere and he doesn’t want to go yet. It’s not a full on tantrum but I could see that happening in the future. Any parents out there have good tips for dealing with toddlers who don’t want to leave?

It was really starting to snow a lot, so running outside with the kids in the stroller was out for me. You CAN run with the Chariot in the snow but I don’t like to risk falling when it’s just me with the kids.

We ate and then went upstairs to read books before naps. In what felt like nothing short of a miracle both kids fell asleep quickly. It’s like finding a unicorn, Cannon and Emmy both napping at the same time! I used my time to get a short run in and some stretching/stability before Emerald woke up.

I ran listening to the Up and Vanished podcast. I am so happy that I am late to the game on this one and can binge listen to it. I do not listen to it when I run outside in the dark because that would just freak me out too much! But when it’s light or I am on the treadmill it makes the time fly!

I really hope there is some kind of resolution to this one.

When Cannon woke up he requested that Emerald play with him in his crib.

It still amazes me how much these kids love each other. I thought it would take longer before they really bonded, when Emerald could play more with Cannon.

But I will be happily wrong about this one. He talks all the time about his baby sister. He also grabs toys from her and sometimes tells me to put her down when he wants more attention so it’s not all sunshine and roses over here.

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Do you have any siblings? Are you close?

It is one of my biggest hopes in life that these two maintain a close bond.

January 18, 2019

Friday Favorites + a Muddy Run

Happy Friday friends! The weekend is almost here =)

This week has gone by in a flash and it’s time to talk about some favorites from the week again.

Favorite Run: This rainy + snowy run was my favorite from this last week since I got to run with Cory and the kids. It’s always nice to run in the daylight, outside with company.

Favorite Podcast: I have really been loving The Rambling Runner podcast. I love that Matt talks to “everyday runners” that I can really relate to. It’s fun to hear from the pros but I get extra inspired hearing about how amateur runners worked to reach their goals.

Favorite New Find: Loving Oasis Organic Mango Salsa from Costco, it is 90% mango and I am all for it.

Favorite Silver Lining: I don’t love that Cannon has started not napping but I do love that I get some extra cuddles with him during his “quiet time”

Favorite Necklace – This little Initial Pendant. Cory bought me the C initial pendant three years ago for valentines day when I was pregnant with Cannon. We have since added an E to the necklace as well. I haven’t had issues with the chain breaking or lost any stones over the years and I wear it every single day.

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The day didn’t quiet go as planned but when you have kids I have learned that you just have to get used to adjusting or at least for me prioritizing who needs what most. The day started out nicely, I got to sleep in a bit since I had planned to do my long run for the week in the afternoon. I got up at 5:30 when Emerald woke up and we spent time cuddling and playing until Cory and Cannon got up.

Cannon had a friend over for a playdate in the morning, these two are just so cute together, she was encouraging him to actually sit and color.

After Cannon’s friend went home the plan was to take both the kids to my parents house for the afternoon and I was going to do my long run for the week (14 mies). The idea was that they would take their afternoon naps there and then play with Grandma and Grandpa until I was done.

As soon as I started to get Cannon’s lunch together Emerald started acting like she just couldn’t stay up any longer. Poor little thing was so tired from having two toddlers to look up to. I decided to put her down at home figuring that she would sleep for an hour or so and we would be a little late.

While Emerald napped I got myself ready to run and had a bagel and cream cheese for lunch. I wanted something simple so my stomach wouldn’t be upset for my run. In doing so I found out that Cannon loves bagels and creams cheese too, haha.

While I was busy trying to make plans on my schedule, Emerald thought it would be hilarious to take a two hours and forty minute nap. I could have woke her up or tried to keep her awake but I do believe that a baby needs their sleep and that it’s a big part of the health and development. So we let her sleep and I even got some extra Cannon cuddles.

After Emerald woke up I dropped them off with my parents and finished getting ready to run. At this point I didn’t have time to get in 14 miles and be home for dinner so I just got out for 6 miles, I hope to get in that longer run this weekend.

It was so nice to get out on a run when the temperature was above freezing and with the sun up! The one downside is that the ground was not frozen so there was some pretty serious mud.

Even with the mud it’s amazing to me how much faster I can run when my legs aren’t freezing and I am not trying to find my way in the dark.

I got home from my run right before Cory showed up after picking up the kids. We decided that breakfast for dinner was best then tried to get the kids down to bed early since Cannon skipped his nap again (NOOOOOOO!!!!!)

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Do you have any favorites from this week?

Do you find that you can run faster when it’s above freezing?

Happy weekend friends!

January 17, 2019

Mobility Work + The Loss of the Nap

I was up bright and early to get some “me” time before the rest of the family was up. I jumped on the treadmill for 1.5 miles to warm-up then did THIS mobility and stability work from witsup I love this website.

My body felt much better after the mobility work.

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After my workout I came upstairs to have breakfast with the fam.

When we have oatmeal I think Cannon wears more of than he eats.

when we were done eating and Emerald had her morning nap we met some friends at an open play at a gymnastics center. Cannon loves the giant trampolines, foam pits, bounce house and running on the tumbling floor with his friends.

For lunch Cannon had Annie’s mac n’ cheese and some purples grapes.

Emerald was just as excited about her yogurt.

Then I put both kiddos down for their naps. Emmy fell right asleep after her morning excitement. I was certain after all of his running, climbing and jumping that Cannon would be plenty tired and ready to nap. But I was wrong, for the second day in a row he skipped his nap completely and was pretty grumpy in the afternoon.

When Emerald woke up I decided it was best to get out of the house so we packed into the stroller and headed for the park. It has been pretty snowy but our front yard had completely melted. The park is exposed so I assumed it would have melted there too. I was wrong (again!) and it was covered in three inches of snow. I did not come prepared with snow gear so we just decided to make it a walk then play at home.

After dinner, play, bath and bedtime for the kids Cory packed up to head to the pool. I am always so impressed that he can exercise after 8pm. I feel like I am done and just holding on past 4pm. Cory has started training for Ironman St. George 70.3, this will be his first triathlon since Ironman Lake Tahoe in 2015!?!

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Do you prefer to workout in the morning, mid-day or evening?

I always like to get my workouts started by 10am.

Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman