July 30, 2019

It’s Not Goodbye…It’s See You Later.

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.

July 29, 2019

End Of Summer Bucket List + A Pretty Perfect Sunday

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?

July 28, 2019

Families That Fall + Snakes!

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.

Chair is from IKEA doesn’t look all that comfortable but it is!

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?

July 27, 2019

Emerald Catherine | 15 Months

After doing monthly updates for the first year for both Cannon and Emmy (all found here) I didn’t think Monthly was still necessary but quarterly feels right for now.

This age is so much fun! Emmy has the best personality and is bubbling over with joy.

This isn’t the best photo quality but perfectly describes her personality perfectly right now. Always on the move and almost always bubbling over with joy.

EAT

Over the past couple months we have transitioned fully to straw cups for Emmy and she enjoys water and milk from them throughout the day.

We use these Nuby bottles that are approved by both our pediatrician and dentist to not impact their teeth the way bottles do and they don’t spill!

Emmy is also very good at feeding herself now and can use a fork and spoon well. Even though she is good at feeding herself at this point she is SO MESSY when she eats. It’s always all over her clothes, floor and in her hair. She pulls all bibs off so I have just accepted that she wears 2-3 outfits a day.

While Emmy is still pretty good at eating lots of different foods she has started to reject vegetables. She loves fruit, yogurt, meat, cheese, eggs and crackers.

Like most toddlers she loves sweets and goes crazy for afternoon popsicles in the backyard (no clothes because she gets it all over herself).

SLEEP

We are currently transitioning from two naps to one for Emmy. Somedays she really needs two and will take a short one in the morning and then another short one in the afternoon. If we skip the morning nap then she will sometimes nap longer in the afternoon, but never more than two hours. My eyes tear up a little when I hear about other kids taking 3 hour naps daily but at least we get great sleep at night! I am hoping in a month when Cannon starts school we can drop to just one fully so we can enjoy time together while Cannon is at school, then pick him up and eat lunch together before napping.

Sleep continues to be solid overnight for Emmy, her current bedtime is between 6:30 and 7:00 PM and she wakes around 6:00 AM.

GROW

The biggest milestone Emmy has reached is fully walking (running) everywhere. Until 13 months Emmy was happy to “walk” around on her knees (hence why she was wearing pants to the splash pad to protect her knees. Now she runs around like a pro. Her favorite thing is to chase after Cannon.

She is also working on her words she will say mama, dada, I love you, Hi, Bye, Ya, No. I think in the next few months she is going to be talking more and more.

You may have noticed Emmy’s signature top pony in all of her photos. Her hair is so long now that if left alone it hangs over her eyes and sometimes gets stuck in her mouth!

She won’t keep clips or headbands on so daily ponys is where we are.

PLAY

Jumpsuit from Target Cat n Jack bow is from Poppy Co

It’s been more and more fun to play with Emmy lately. She loves the park, museum, splash pad, pools, playing outside, inside, everything is fun for Emerald.

Cheering Cory on at Ironman St. George 70.3. Hat from Grom Squad

Playing at the Children’s Museum, shoes from Boden

Emmy, while you are fully a toddler now, you will always be my baby.

Past Monthly Updates

July 26, 2019

Favorites, Floods and Friends

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?

July 8, 2019

Rest Day Hunger + Play Dates

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?

July 7, 2019

Trails + Trifles

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?

July 6, 2019

It’s Tour Time + A Ride on the Struggle Bus

I’m so excited that today is the the start of Le Tour de France while I know I am in the minority for Americans I love watching the the tour.

We started watching it a few years ago and I was hooked! It’s not easy to watch with long coverage everyday for 3 weeks (I can’t imagine racing a grand tour!) we usually fall behind a day at some point and have to catch up on a rest day. We also often watch the begining then have to fast forward through the middle, watch any mountain summits or sprint races then watch the end. I would love to watch all of it but who has 3-6 hours everyday to watch bike racing! The year I watch the most was 2016. Cannon was just a few weeks old so he slept and ate most of the day.

I always look forward to July and the fact that bike racing will be the background soundtrack to our days. I had to be sure to get out some yellow and set up the table in celebration.

The tour is not the only thing we have been doing. There was also a run this morning that was basically a ride on a garbage truck. I felt like I couldn’t move my legs and there was no oxygen!

At first I started freaking out, I have lost all fitness, I can’t run a few miles, how will I ever run 50, up a ski slope, at 10,000 feet?!? etc, etc. But then I reminded myself that some runs are crappy, feel like junk and that is just how it is. I allowed myself to walk up a hill then got myself home. Maybe I couldn’t breathe because my lungs and heart were in Leadville where the Silver Rush 50 Mile Run was taking place.

We also took Cannon to his first ever movie in a theater.

We went to see Toy Story 4 and he loved it so much. He talked a little during the showing but so did some other children. I guess if you go to a Disney movie during the middle of the day you can’t expect much else. Emerald isn’t old enough for a theater yet so she hung out with Grandma and Grandpa and had the best time. While we were leaving I tried to give her a kiss but all she would do was cling to her Grandma and turn away from me. I love how much she has bonded with them!

Cannon loved seeing a movie in the theater so much and is already asking to return.

In the afternoon we to a park and Emerald spent most of the time running away while laughing hysterically.

How was your Saturday? Do you watch Le Tour de France?

How old were your kids when you first took them to see a movie?

July 5, 2019

Friday Favorites – July 4th Weekend

I hope everyone had a wonder and safe 4th of July! We had a great time celebrating at local festival. We enjoyed food trucks and playground time but didn’t stay for the fireworks. A storm rolled in with warnings of hail and a tornado watch. We got out just in time to enjoy the pouring rain and lightning from the car.

Something that we have been using a ton this summer is our picnic blanket.

It folds up small and is great even on soggy grass. With the kids being so little it’s much easier than dealing with camp chairs and can easily fit in the stroller.

Emmy wanted to show off her star spangled swim suit.

I saw it at Target and had to get it! I threw on an old pair of Cannon’s shorts from Carter’s so she could play at the splash pad and playground.

I used to always bring our buckets to the splash pad but found that other kids would take them or they would get lost. I found by accident that the kiddos love plastic cups just as much. Now I just keep some disposable cups in the car, if another child is playing with it when we are ready to leave it’s no trouble to let the keep it and there’s no worry of losing them.

A big shout out to the sunnies I grabbed for the kids on Amazon.

I got two sets so the kids could match but Emmy usually refuses to wear hers. I love the light blue ones that Cannon is wearing at the splash pad picture. They are very durable and have held up to Cannon being pretty rough on them.

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What are some things you are loving this July?

July 4, 2019

Happy Independence Day

Happy 4th of July!!! It’s nice to reflect a little on the meaning of this mid-summer holiday. When we signed the declaration of Independence and claimed our freedom we also claimed “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

I hope we continue to strive to treat all men and women as equal and that we support everyone as the pursue their version of happiness.

We started the day with a hike in Boulder Canyon. After living here for over ten years we finally got to see Boulder Falls.

The falls were pretty incredible. Cannon loved seeing them.

Emmy, Cory and Humphry were there too, I just didn’t get a good photo of them. We then went to Betasso Preserve to hike a little further and enjoy some more time in nature.

Our friends and our neighborhood have big 3rd of July celebrations but I teach in the evening so we won’t be joining. We are planning on going to our city’s celebration and hopefully fireworks but sleep has not been going well for Emerald lately so I am not sure if we will be venturing out. The last couple years we have had parties and grilled out at our house.

Cannon loves having people over to our house and is always down for a party.

I hope you all have a wonderful day celebrating the birth of our country!

runwithbeth