Papa Turns 90!!!!

What a whirl wind weekend in Nashville! On June 8th my Papa (my mom's father) will turn 90 years old! The whole family came together in Nashville for a party to celebrate him and his life. We we were expecting around 75 people and over 125 people came! It just goes to show you how much he and my Nana are loved! It was fun to see family I hadn't seen in years and it was special to hear some of the kindest things people were saying about my grandparents. They truly are some of the sweetest people I have ever known and I am so blessed to still have them in my life. I was very close to them growing up and cherish every moment I am in there company. I'm confident we'll be celebrating at his 100th birthday one day! My Papa had 8 brothers and sisters all of which lived to be in there late 90's or early 100's! He and his sister are the 2 youngest and the last ones left. It's pretty incredible. Definitely some fantastic genes in my family. He and my Nana are still as independent as ever. They live in their own house, he still works in his garden 2-3 times a day (and it's not a small garden), and he's still sharp as a tack. Albeit he can't hear worth a lick but I think it's kinda cute when he repeats an entire conversation we just had right in front of him!

Other than the party on Saturday we made the rounds around town. To my brothers house, my cousins house, my aunts house, my grandparents house, my uncles ranch, etc. Eating a HUGE meal at every stop it seemed like. It was fantastic to be home (it had been 2 years since I'd been back for the 2007 Nashville Marathon) and have some fantastic southern cooking.

Kevin made the trip with me to Nashville. It was his first time to meet my extended family and although I know it probably wasn't the easiest trip for him doing MY family events all weekend long, he was amazing and everyone fell in love with him. Family is a big part of my life and it means allot to me that he could be a part of that. I have to share a cute conversation I had with my Nana because it made me chuckle...

Nana: "Sharon, Kevin is such a sweet young man, we are so glad he had the chance to come to Nashville"
Me: "I couldn't agree more Nana"
Nana: "You better hang on to him, he's a keeper"
Me: "I agree. Believe me, I don't plan on letting him go anytime soon!"
Nana: "Well, you better not because you'd be making a BIG mistake!"

Haha. I love it! Anyways, it meant allot to me that I got to introduce them to him. They don't get to meet just any body! But he is definitely somebody!

Few other highlights of the weekend:

• Ate 5 HUGE meals in just 3 days!
  
• Ran only 4.5 miles all weekend!
• Introduced Kevin to my whole family, including Uncle Fellar! (Yes, that's his name)
  
• Had a bonfire almost as big as the Aggie bonfire (OK, maybe not) at my Uncles house!
• Met 2 cousins I didn't know I had!
• Had lots of people tell me "The last time I saw you, you were just a little girl", however I'm sure they said the same thing at the last family function!
• Listened to my Papas hearing aids beep all weekend!
• Had my foot peed on by my brothers new puppy, Beanie!
• Got a new digital camera! Wahoo!
• Had 1 person think Kevin was my brother and that I was my brothers wife! Hahaha

Ah, always an adventure with in Nashville!

(FYI-No my new camera doesn't suck, these photos were taken with my phone before I got my camera. I'll get more photos up later)

Sunset on my Uncles Property Saturday Night

The Hooper Bonfire

Bolder Boulder 2009

Monday was the Bolder Boulder 10k here in Boulder. It's the 2nd largest road race in the world, right here in my backyard...pretty cool! And, it's only a 10k. It's kind of surreal that so many people would come out for a 10k.

I wasn't sure how my race would go. I haven't run a ton since the marathon 3 weeks ago and I certainly haven't been running speed work. I also have been fighting illness for close to a month so it was a gamble.

I woke up feeling pretty good and just decided I was going to give it my best shot. Besides, I wanted to wear my new Saucony racing flats (which ended up being awesome)! If I wasn't feeling it I would just turn it into a workout and have fun with it. I ended up having a GREAT race. It was hard as hell but I pushed hard the whole way and ended up with a 2 minute PR over last years time and finished in 45:31! 13th out of 784 girls in my AG. The only thing that sucks about the wave start and the massive crowds is you don't know who you are racing against, you just have to do your own thing. 3 more seconds and I would have been top 10 but I didn't know who I was up against to change that, oh well! Here were my splits...
mile 1: 06:32.77
mile 2: 07:21.69
mile 3: 07:41.69
mile 4: 07:33.09
mile 5: 07:22.63
mile 6: 07:26.55
net time: 45:31.55
pace: 07:19 (based on net time)

Here is a photo Kevin snapped at the finish, not great quality but...

I went out a little fast. I don't think I've ever run a 6:30 in my life so I was pretty stoked that I did and that it didn't feel too hard. But there was no hope in holding that pace. Anyway, it was a successful race for me and it's encouraging that I keep getting faster. Running has never been my strongest link, albeit my favorite! In the past few years every race, whether running or triathlon, I am only getting stronger and faster so I'm excited to see where I'll be this season and with another few years of racing under my belt!

Other than the race our Memorial Day weekend was uneventful and relaxing. Kevin was up Thur-Mon so it was nice to have extra time together. We ran, rode, swam (you know, the usual), watched some TV/movies, and cooked some fantastic food!

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! I'm enjoying a 3 day week before jetting off to Nashville Thursday evening!

Old Stage & A Cold

These two things do not go well together and you would think I would know better! After coming down with what I thought was bronchitis over the weekend I took a couple days off training. It actually ended up being more of a cold but this one brought along a bad cough and tightness in my chest. I can hear it crackling when I cough, fun fun!

Anyhow, after a full day of laying around on the couch Monday I'd had enough. So Tuesday I got in some decent workouts, one of which was a bike ride to Jamestown via up & over Old Stage Rd (famous 15% grade, 600 ft vertical climb over 2/3 of a mile). Not only was I sick but this was the first time to climb this treacherous hill this year so I knew it would be painfull. I don't care how fit you are this hill is never a piece of cake. It definitely gets easier the more often you do it and the fitter & leaner you get but it's never a walk in the park! And there is NO stopping on this hill because you will NEVER get going again and the walk of shame is not allowed!

I made it. Surprisingly my legs felt AMAZING, I definitely have the fitness but my lungs were on fire. I'm sure it had something to do with them being clogged up and my limited breathing ability. I was wheezing and coughing pretty good by the time I got there. Kevins reaction when I told him what I did? "You rode up Old Stage?!?! BABY!!!!!" Haha, oops! We finished our ride home into some gale force winds and I was ready to be home! Need cough syrup ASAP!

The things we do to stay fit!!!

Skin Cancer Awareness Month

In honor of my recent horribly scary sunburn I thought I would post a reminder to take care of yourself when you're in the sun. You would think I would learn my lesson after several bad burns. I was raised in the sun and in the water so I love it. And I would be lying if I didn't admit that I love to have a tan in the summer. It's easy to think it won't affect us but I know it will and I have no doubts that I will pay for some of my time in the sun later in my life. Kevin is so good about sunscreen and he's rubbing off on me (no pun intended) with it and I'm getting better.

I went to the derm last year for the first time and I am now committed to a visit at least 1x a year, if not every 6 months. As much time as we athletes spend in the sun it is so important to stay on top of this. I actually had 2 suspicious looking spots that they removed last year and were fine but if you don't have them checked you might miss something and catch it too late. I have allot of freckles anyways so it's near impossible for me to see my back and to see if things look different. The Dr. actually showed me the 2 that she was removing and asked if I could tell how they were different. They looked no different to me than any of my other freckles so I know that I'm not capable of finding these things myself! Thus, I'll continue to make my annual trips to the dermatologist.

May is Skin-Cancer-Awareness-Month so here are some warning signs and suggestions:

The Warning Signs:

• A skin growth that increases in size and appears pearly, translucent, tan, brown, black, or multicolored
  
• A mole, birthmark, beauty mark, or any brown spot that: changes color, increases in size or thickness, changes in texture, is irregular in outline, is bigger than 6mm or 1/4”, the size of a pencil eraser, appears after age 21
• A spot or sore that continues to itch, hurt, crust, scab, erode, or bleed
  
• An open sore that does not heal within three weeks
  

Suggestions:

• Use SPF of at least 15 everyday before you leave the house
  
• Wear hats, visors, long sleeves when possible
  
• Find shade when possible, 10am-4pm are DANGER HOURS in the sun.
  
• Water, snow, and sand reflect the sun rays, use caution around these places!
  
• Make your children wear sunscreen/hats outside playing
  
• Get vitamin D from your diet, not tanning
  
• Use spray sunscreen on your back if nobody is near to reach it for you
  
• Avoid tanning beds & use fake tanners if you must tan for special occasions
  

Also, here are some incredible cancer fighting foods you could work into your diet (you'll notice these are all very colorful foods, the more color the better!):

• Tomatoes
• broccoli
• berries
• soybeans/soy nuts
• tofu
• tea
• pumpkin
• spinach
• ginger
• apples
• garlic
• pineapple
• cauliflower
• cabbage, brussels sprouts
• red & yellow peppers
• squash
• carrots.
  

Have a healthy and happy summer!

Long Weekend Down South

This past weekend was a fun extended one for me! It started off Wednesday night actually when Kevin came back up to Boulder. Seeing Kevin in the middle of the week is always a great treat. I am so ready for the day we are in the same town again! Gosh darn job market!!! He took off Thursday and Friday to get some chores done around the house since I wasn't going to be around. He took my silly hounds back to COS with him so that I could make the trek down South to good 'ol Georgia.

My best friend, Ashley, from college lives in Canton, GA and I hadn't seen her in about 4 years! Here we are back in college...haha WOW this was a long time ago!!!

She has since had 2 baby girls, neither one I had met yet. Her first one is 2.5 years old and her newest is just 3.5 months. They are both adorable and it was so much fun to finally meet them! I still can't believe she has kids though. It was so fun to see her being mom! Most of my memories are from college!

SelahAvery

We had a fun balance of playing with kids and going out! Thursday night we went for a drink and some dinner in Atlanta and then we stayed in watching TrueBlood (Omg-such a good show. I already ordered all of the Sookie Stackhouse books and am contemplating HBO to keep watching when Season 2 starts in June. Nothing like a little Vampire Lovin'). Friday we had the kids all day while Nate was at work and then at 6pm promptly passed them off to him to go out for a girls night. It was a blast but we got a little more out of control than we planned, however that's how we were in college so it was fun to pretend for one night we didn't have adult responsibilities to go home to! Yeah Right!

Here we are being retarded!....

Saturday we weren't feeling so good (I wonder why?!) so we were pretty lazy most of the day, went to get mani/pedis and then we grilled & watched Slumdog Millionaire Saturday night-while drinking allot...of water!!! Sunday we slept in and then laid by the pool the entire day. I got a little more sun that I was hoping...ok WAY too much. I have been in pain ever since and I'm more the color of a lobster. However, it was the perfect day to lay by the pool with a book! Back to the house to pack up and head to the airport for my evening flight back to CO.

Check out this sunburn, it matches my shorts! I need an Aloe Bath!

I miss Ashley so much so I am so thankful I had the opportunity to come out for a weekend and I am so thankful for our friendship. We are discussing a couples trip to the Outer Banks maybe next Spring/Summer so I'm already excited about getting together with them again and for Kevin to meet them!

Back to the real world this week! I'm already ready for another vacation! Just a few more weeks and we're off to Nashville for my Papas 90th Birthday! I can't wait to see everyone, it's been a long time!

Birthday & Marathon Weekend

This last weekend was packed full of fun festivities. Kevin made the trek North on Thursday night and worked from home on Friday. It was nice to come home from work Friday and have lunch together and have him there when I got off work at 4. I had picked up some amazing beef tenderloin steaks for an early birthday dinner Friday (since we were going to be in Ft. Collins Sat & Sun). We marinated them and grilled them and paired it with Mushroom/Chevre Orzo and our favorite Tannat! It was delicious!

We opened gifts and Kevin got some fun new clothes, shoes, a video game, books, and I framed a fantastic photo that his mom got him last year of Ironman Canada @ the 25th Anniversary. I'm excited to see it up on his wall. And of course, we had ice cream cake! Yummy! It was fun to celebrate his life and to acknowledge how much he has brought into mine. He is so special and I couldn't be more blessed!  

Saturday we slept in and then we headed up to Fort Collins to pick up our race packets. Kevin decided to run the 1/2 marathon and I was doing the full, which is something I might regret later! We went out to dinner with my good friend Molly & her fiance Shaun. I ate so much food I felt sick but I had an excuse right?! It was pouring rain and I was dreading what the morning might have in store for us. I don't mind running in the rain but they bus us to the top of Poudre Canyon and I had no interest in standing around in the rain getting wet before starting. 

After little sleep we were up at 4am. Luckily the morning was clear, although cool out with wet roads. It was perfect marathon weather actually. I got on the last bus up so I only had to stand around for about 10-15 minutes, sounds like Kevin had to wait over an hour! And it wasn't exactly warm up there!

The race started at 6:15 and Kevin was starting down the canyon at 7. Once we were off I felt great. I knew pacing might be an issue running down and I wasn't sure if I'd get it right immediately. My goal was to finish under 3:40 to get a slot to Boston, which was 8:23 pace. I knew I had the aerobic engine for it but I was more worried about how I'd hold up structurally running down hill for 26.2 miles, especially since I hadn't trained on allot of hills. My first mile was 7:20, oops! But it felt so easy. I backed it off and #2 was 8:20-perfect. I kept the next 18 miles between 8:17-8:23 exactly it was perfect. At one point a man came running up next to me and said "you look like your just out for a jog". That is honestly what it felt like, it felt so easy but I knew I had to save one I had for later. Only 5 miles in or so I could feel my right ITB/Quad getting achy. It wasn't hurting just a dull ache and I thought maybe it was the crowning in the road running along the left side only. I began to switch it up and take the right side when we turned that direction to switch up the pitch under my feet as well as take the shorter distance around curves and on the straights I'd stay to one side running in the dirt or in the middle of the road were it wasn't so pitched. As I ticked each mile off the ache was changing from dull ache to increasing pain. 

My tactic was to race steady until 20 miles then pick up the pace the last 10k. By the time I hit 20 I said "ok, steady til 22 then pick it up", then at 22 I said "ok, steady until 24 then pick it up to get home". Haha! The pain was so intense it was all I could do to keep going. I seriously have never felt such intense muscle pain while running in my life! I was actually tracking to finish about 3:38 until about mile 21 when I just couldn't make my legs fire any faster. My pace starting to slip, 8:32, 8:47, 8:52, etc. I realized with 2 miles to go I was going to have to pick up the pace to 7:45+ mm  in order to make up the time and although my last mile or 2 were a bit faster my legs were not going to go 7:45 again. I realized I wasn't going to make it and just pushed through the pain to get home. I was ready to see Kevin! There were so many times I wanted to stop and walk it hurt so bad but I told myself "I didn't walk at all during either of my Ironman races, I'm surely not going to walk here". I have to say though, this marathon was WAY more difficult than either IM last year. Obviously IM marathons are slower but they are also after 114 miles of swimming and biking so you'd think that would be worse?! I think it was just this particular course and how much it beats up your body...1250ft of descent over 18 miles?  Everyone said how fast this course would be and I do agree with that to some extent but given the terrain and altitude I think that takes away from some of the speed. Check the course:

All in all I'm happy with the race. I still had a PR and I learned allot! I have never considered myself a strong runner, I think if I focused only on running for 3-5 years I could do really well and train myself to be a "runner" but I love triathlon too much and think that I do much better with multiple disciplines, which reminds me-I need to start swimming and biking, first Tri is only about 6 weeks away! I will definitely be picking a flat sea level course to secure a Boston slot in the future! 

If you could only see my trying to sit down and stand up you would get a good laugh. I might try and steal a walker from one of the patients today when they aren't looking. 

Off to rest the legs and load up on the Vitamin I.