Country Music Marathon

Friday, after putting the older kids on the bus, Jared and I packed up and headed to Nashville. Lisa was kind enough watch the kids for the whole week-end so Jared could come cheer me on. I had kept a worried eye on the weather all week. The forecast for Saturday in Nashville was horrible. My perfect running weather is dry with temps in the 50s and low 60s. The forecast was calling for upper 70s and low 80s and rain. But it wasn't just rain, it was severe thunderstorms. A litle bit of rain has never cancelled a race, but lightning will. A few days before the race, the forecast improved a bit. The storm looked like it would hold off until the afternoon, so we crossed our fingers and hoped and prayed for the best. Kirstin texted me on the way down to check my email. I had an email from the race, informing me that any marathon runners who had not reached the 1/2 marathon split off point paced at 4:30:00 would not be allowed to finish. I was a little worried. I estimated my finish time to be somwhere between 41/2 and 5 hours. I was pretty sure I could make it to the split point in time but hoped it wouldn't wear my legs out too early. The worst part was it was just one more thing to stress about.

We went straight to the Expo Center downtown to check in and pick up my packet. I also switched from corral 20 to corral 15. I wanted a bigger head start on that storm and my long runs had been paced faster than orginally expected. We perused the different vendors and tried several samples of sports drinks. I tried to watch a preview of the course someone took while driving it. It wasn't really helpful and actually made me a little dizzy and nauseous. The camera work left a lot to be desired. Then we headed off to carb load. We thought picking a restaurant well out of downtown (1/2 hr) would help us avoid a long wait. I guess when 33,000 runners are trying to eat pasta there is no way to avoid a crowd. It was fun to listen to people around us, most of the people at Olive Garden were there for the race. Olive Garden did a great job handling the long wait and actually kept a continous supply of appetizer platters circulating outside while we waited. Kirsten, Heather, Amy, and Cassie were smart and ordered take-out. I'll have to remember that. By the time we left I was way tense from all the noise inside the restaurant. We finally made it to the hotel to check in around 8:30. We visisted with Tonya for a few minutes. Then, I did a little Yoga and hit the sack.

Amy had suggested we leave around 5. This is insanely early for me. I AM NOT a morning person!! Its a good thing we listened to her since we were in standstill traffic on the freeway for a good stretch of time. I'm sure the truckers were wondering what the heck had all those people out on the road at insane times on a Saturday morning. We were all glad to have Jared along. We didn't have to worry about parking and walking to the start line on time. He drove us a close as he could (before hitting closed roads) and we walked the last couple of blocks in. When Jared and I got in the car, Heather told us that the weather the night before kept showing tornados that had hit somewhere west ( I don't remember where exactly, maybe Oklahoma) that were supposedly headed straight for Nashville. Great! After waiting in insanely long potty lines, and checking my gear check bag in, the race was starting. Note to marathon planning people: Several hundred porta potties may seem adequate, BUT when you have over 30,000 people that have spent the last hour hydrating themselves, and all want to use the restroom as close to the start time as possible, you're going to have some major issues!!! Please keep this in mind! By the time I got to my corral, the race had already started and I had to hurry to catch up to where the other corral 15 runner were. As we waited for out turn to start, I really started to get excited. The fact the Black Eyed Peas "I gotta feeling" was blaring through the giant speakers only helped. I love that song and it always pumps me up.

Ready to leave the hotel at the insanely early times

The starting line

The size of this race was incredible, there was constantly a wall of people as far as you could see. The little local 1/2 I did in Ohio was nothing compared to this. I think the size of this one helped the overall energy level. The runners never got spread out by themselves. Having so many runners around helped pass the time. There was always some run to pass and run around. There were bands every mile and cheerleader groups dispersed throughout the course. We also had water/cytomax station every mile. I think in the other one there might have been 2 water stations. If there were 33,000 runners, there had to be 2-3 times that many spectators. Then count in the race volunteers handing us drinks, fruit, Vaseline swabs, goo gels, and those manning the medical stations and directing the course. The energy level was incredible. I barely used my ipod except for the Nike Chip part (which ended up be inaccurate anyway). I loved all the signs spectators had referencing the supposed tornado. My favorite was "run like a tornado is chasing you". I liked that one since I really did run faster because of the storm. I wanted to make the course split in time, and I wanted to finish as much as possible before it hit.

Jared and I had mapped out some spots for him and Tonya to stand and cheer. We made our decisions based on the route. There were several points that he would be able to see me at multiple points just by walking a couple blocks. We also picked spots at the end where we thought I might need some encouragement. I couldn't find him at the first two spots. I figured he had a hard time parking and just didn't make it in time. Really, he was there, there were just so many people that neither of us saw the other one. Some where around mile 7 (I think), the course doubled back and I passed Kirstin coming the other direction. I was way excited to see her since I hadn't seen Jared or Tonya at that point. I saw Tonya at about mile 9. The boys were excited to see me and I had to laugh at Austin. He was holding his sign for me as high as he could, but he was holding it backwards so I have no idea what it said. I saw Jared at mile 11. I made it to the course split in time. The official standing between the cones said "half crazy people stay right, full crazy to the left". I thought that was pretty funny.

me at about mile 11

My 13.1 split time was 2hour 10 minutes. Which is a minute faster than I ran my half marathon in 2006. The morning started pretty humid, but as the race progressed the humidity really dropped. I could feel a huge difference. Then the breeze picked up and I knew what was coming. I didn't slow down much even though I had made the cutoff point. Miles 13-18 made a loop and followed the Cumberland River. We were on a trail for a little bit and it was beautiful. As we turned back towards our final loop and the finish line the sky the direction we were headed was a dark gray. My legs were starting to feel the effects of having fun faster than normal at about mile 17, but looking at the sky, I knew there was no way I could slow down. I saw Jared around this point. He said, you're doing great, there is just a little hill up ahead but it'll be easy for you. Um....I was suspicious as soon as he said that, and when I saw said "little hill" I was not amused. Maybe it would've seemed easy at the beginning but not a this point. Its a good thing he wasn't around still or he would've got some dirty looks.

mile 17
(Jared kept running ahead of me and stopping to take pictures, after he did this a few times I started to get annoyed. He was making it seem like I was running so slow. I finally told him to cut it out)

At mile 18 the sky started spitting rain at me. Which, I might say was a great improvement from being spit on be gross running men. Seriously, if you need to spit make sure someone isn't passing you at that moment. I swear I would've pulled out some kick boxing moves on the next person that spit on me. By mile 19, the skies had opened and it was pouring with some lightning mixed in. At this point, we were running by the LP field before making our final 6 mile loop and ending back at the field. Shortly passed the 20 mile mark the course was barricaded by multiple police cars. We were being diverted to the finish. This is when I realized that official was right. We really were completely crazy. The storm unleashed it fury fast, and for all we knew that tornado was coming. We had left the hotel at 5am, it was now after 10am, we hadn't seen the news for over 5 hours and honestly I didn't check before leaving. Some things are better left unknown, At the very least, its not safe to be outside during a lightning storm. Instead of running for cover, or being relieved that we were being diverted for safety reasons, there was a ripple of murmuring. You could hear it, as soon as that barricade came into view. I was just as bad. I wanted soo badly to run around those police cars and keep going. Only 6 more miles, we were so close. PLEASE!! The storm had hit 2 hours early. If it would've even held off for an hour, I would've been done. Yep, I thought, FULL CRAZY!!!

I was on the side of LP field with the half marathon finish. This has lead to my results being all mixed up. I sent a result correction form in, so hopefully they can change it. Currently my certificate states I ran a 1/2 marathon in 3 hour and 33 minutes. I don't think so, I ran 20 miles in that time. At the very least, change it to read my real 1/2 marathon split time. My friend Kim was lucky enough to be closer to the side with the full marathon finish, so she was diverted there. When I finished I grabbed some grub and headed off to retrieve my gear check bag that was holding my ginormous water bottle and Gatorade (courtesy of Jenn J). I was a nice wife and didn't make Jared carry those in his backpack and he ran from point to point. Then I tried to shield my phone from the torrential rain and called Jared and then the girls to meet back up with everyone. In all the chaos caused by the storm, I completely forgot to stretch! I always stretch!! I stretch even after running 1 miles let alone 20. Despite the ice bath I took the effect of not stretching was disastrous (which by the way, I think Jared enjoyed dumping bucketfuls of ice on me way too much. He took some sort of twisted pleasure from watching me freeze to death)

The gang after the race when we are sweaty drowned rats (Heather, Kirstin, Cassie, Amy, and me)

Stayed tuned for more marathon weekend fun................

Lil' Stinker

Jacob moved into a toddler bed a few weeks ago. I left his crib up to so when he's not staying in bed, I can put him in the crib. One night when Jared and I went up to bed rather late, I noticed a light on in Jacob's bedroom. When I tried to open the door, I was met with resistance. The resistance was in the form of a chair the little stinker had pushed up against his door. I pushed the door open and this is what I saw:




What you can't tell from this picture is the entire floor is covered in toys. When I tucked him in earlier that evening, his room was perfectly clean. I have to admit it was pretty funny and amusing! We have since started pulling the cord up on the light. Now he can flip the switch all he wants, but he can't turn his light on.

Piano Recital

The girls had a piano recital on April 21st. Jared took the video with his phone and I'm not sure how to rotate the video. But at least you can hear it.

A walk with Christ

Our ward had a primary activity April. The kids were encouraged to dress in biblical period clothes. Several ward members were asked to come tell a story about Jesus as if they were there. Between every story they played a game or made a craft that corresponded. For example after hearing from a shepard they played a game like Marco Polo but it involved sheep. It was a lot of fun. I was asked to tell the story about Jesus feeding the 5000 with 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread. Coming up with costumes was a little tricky, especially since we cleaned out our closests at the end of the year and gave away boxes full of clothes we didn't like or wear. I was eventually able to round up a outfit for Xandy, Bella, and me. Jared and Jacob were taking Katy to her soccer game. Since the church was on the way to the field, they dropped us off and were going to stay for the first 20 minutes. We let Katy choose what she did that day and she had picked her game. I could tell she was wavering while the girls and I were assembling our costumes the night before. She was having so much fun she ended up only going to half of her game.

Xandy in her attire

Yes, thats my daughter laying down in the front. But, thats typical Bella, always doing her own thing!

Kaylene and I observing the fun.

Spring symbols

I've always loved the fact that Easter corresponds with Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. There are so many parallels between the two. Spring has always been my favorite season. I love the feeling of hope it brings after a long cold winter. I look forward to seeing the rebirth of Mother Nature. Two of my three favorite flowers are spring bulbs and my favorite primary song is "My Heavenly Father Loves Me". I love the smell of flowers blooming, the beautiful tree blossoms, and the sound of birds chirping in the morning. I love the smell of fresh cut grass, the smell of a rainshower, and the sound of kids playing outside.

Just as Spring brings hope that the long winter is at and end, Easter brings the hope of returning to our Father in Heaven and of spiritual rebirth. I'm grateful for the Resurrection and the Atonement. I'm also grateful to live in an area with such a beautiful Spring season that helps remind me of my Heavenly Father's love for me.

This year nature really seemed to "awake" during a few day period leading up to Easter. We had nice weather for several weeks beforehand, but the transformation that weekend was amazing. My tulips bloomed, the flowering trees blossomed, I found a nest of 5 young bunnies under a overhang on our house.

The Tuesday after Easter, my friend volunteered to watch Bella and Jacob while I tried to get one last long run in before tapering off for the race. I drove to her house and left the kids and the car there while I ran. Bella was the last one out that morning and had forgot to shut the door from the house into the garage. During my run, I stopped at the house to get a drink. It was over 80 that day, and the heat was getting to me. When I opened the garage, and saw the open door my heart sank. The day before, one of the little bunnies had run into the garage. I never could find him to get him out. When I saw the open door, I prayed that the bunny had already left the garage, OR had not noticed the open door. I went inside, grabbed a drink and a cooler shirt, and started on my way out again. As I walked through the laundry room, I heard a strange sound. Yep, sure enough that bunny had noticed the open door and had come right into the house. I was SO glad that it didn't get into the main part of the house. I was also glad the bunny had crawled into a laundry bucket that had tipped on its side and couldn't figure out how to get out again. It was easy to pick up the basket and release the bunny outside again. I had to give Jared a hard time though for not listening to me. When we first noticed the bunnies he let the girls put carrots in the nest and he picked one up. I was livid! I knew the mother would move the nest and most likely abandon the unlucky bunny he had touched. Sure enough, the next day only one bunny was left and decided to hang out in the garage. Oh well, I guess it makes for a fun story.

Easter Morning

I finally got the rest of the pictures off my camera.

The Easter Bunny leaves a basket of eggs (one for each child) on the table each year. Each egg contains a clue leading to another egg containing yet another clue, etc. There are usually about 6 clue eggs per child. The last clue leads to the hidden basket. The Easter Bunny tried this one year to mix things up but it was such a hit that he hasn't been able to stop. The poor Easter Bunny is running out of clue ideas. He has recycled some from year to year but I overheard the kids commenting on the repeat clues. The EB might have to drop this fun tradition if he doesn't get a stroke of new creativity. The kids love this little game though so if you have any good ideas please send them to me and I'll pass them on to the Easter Bunny.

The girls sporting off some of the flower clips the EB broughtBy now, you've probably all realized I have a small obession with dressing my kids in matching/ coordinating clothes. I've never really met with much resistance, but I fear the end is quickly approaching. Katy was furious that I made her wear this dress that morning. We were going to a friends house for the last session of conference and for dinner. The friend is a boy and she did not want to be inhibited by a dress. (He once asked her if all her clothes matched her sisters and I think that added to her resistance Easter morning) The very windy day did not help the situation. She was convinced that her friend must have seen her underwear several times because the wind kept blowing her dress up. To put it mildly, she was not a happy camper by the end of the day. Well, its been a fun while its lasted and you can be sure I'm not going down without a fight. I will try to sneak as much coordinating in as I can!!! (On a side note, I got these darling dresses at Old Navy on clearance last year for a couple dollars each!!!)

Easter with friends

(I'm experiencing some technical difficulties with my camera, so Easter morning pictures will have to wait. I took pictures later in the day with my phone so I can post those)

We went to our friends, the Pearsons, for Easter dinner. Our friends the Westons were there also. It was a ton of fun! We had the traditional ham dinner and an egg hunt.

Family pic- some family members were not thrilled that we were all coordinated
The little munchkins got a head start
Jacob really got into it this year. He had a blast running around picking up eggs.

Every now and then he'd stop to check out his loot

Holding Bella's basket once it was full and she ran off to gether some more in her arms

We had the hunt in a field across from their house. On the way back, the neighors dog came out to see all the kids. I wish we had Jacob's reaction recorded. He was convinced the big dog wanted his eggs. He picked up his basket arched his back forward and ran as fast as he could. He was not going to let that dog get his eggs. He ran by me and by Jared, and was desparately trying to make it to their front door before the dog got his eggs. The dog who orginally wasn't interested in Jacob was excited that the little boy wanted to play chase and took off after him. The owner eventually caught the dog and we caught up to Jacob but I was laughing so hard. The visual was great, wish you all could've seen it.

Let's go fly a kite

Saturday, between sessions of conference, we flew kites at a park. The girls always enjoy this activity. It all started when Grandpa took them kite flying in Las Vegas years ago. This was the first time Jacob was old enough to really get into it. And "get into it" he did. He LOVED flying kites. He had a hard time patiently sharing 2 kites between 4 children.



(if you click on the pictures, you can see them enlarged)

Luckily for him, his sisters eventually made their way to the playground and he was left to fly both kites himself.

Eggtime

We had the annual egg dying fun Friday evening

Springfield

Wednesday Jared took the day off and we headed up to Springfield to see the Abraham Lincoln sites. We started at the Lincoln home where he and Mary Todd had lived before going to Washington. They had closed off several blocks to pedestrian traffic only. We got to go inside a couple other houses also.

Then we continued down the street to the church they attended. It was fun to learn that Mary Todd had "her" pew also. She even wrote their pastor from Washington asking him to keep her pew for her.(My pictures from the church didn't turn out.) From there we saw the Law Office Lincoln worked at and the Old State Capitol.

My friend had recommended a little deli that happened to be right between the offices and old capitol so we ordered sandwiches and ate on benches outside.

These guns and swords were used in the Civil War.
This was one of the drums used in the Civil War also

From there we returned in our cars and drove to the cemetery. We were not expecting the monument there to be so big. One of the workers asked Jared to remove his hat before entering the tomb. While making this request, he noticed Jared's BYU-I alumni ambassador shirt. He asked Jared if he was mormon. When Jared replied in the affirmative, he said he had a story that would interest us. He then proceed to tell Jared that when Joseph Smith was brought to Springfield on false charges he was taken to the Federal Courthouse adjacent to the Lincoln Law office. (the only Federal courthouse in Illinois at the time) The judge released him due to a lack of evidence. Joseph went across the street and rented a room at a building there were he gave a few sermons. It is believe that Lincoln and Mary Todd may have been in attendance. Don't know how much of that is true, but its pretty cool if it is. We weren't expecting to get any church history from this trip.

Soldiers used to come rub the nose of Lincoln before leaving for war. It was supposed to bring them back home safely. That led to people of all sorts rubbing his nose for good luck.

We then headed about 1/2 north to a reconstruction of an old town named New Salem. Lincoln lived here as a young man. He moved to New Salem after leaving his parents house before getting married. The old log buildings have been reconstructed so the village looks like it would've during the mid 1800's. In the summer months, there are demonstrations and volunteers in period clothing. We were too early for all of that, but we did get to walk along and peek in the buildings. There was a gift shop with all kinds of neat item in it. It actually reminded me of the gift shops in Nauvoo with the pioneer dresses and bonnets. They also had all the children games from that time period for sale. I bought the kids a candy stick as a treat. I remember selling candy sticks as a child for 4-H.

All aboard for the zoo

Tuesday we went to the St. Louis zoo. The Pearson were going and invited us to go along. Strangely, I wanted to stay at home and relax but the kids insisted we go. Jared overheard a conversation in which I was trying to convince them we should stay home. He asked "who are you and what have you done with my wife?" I'm the one always overscheduling us and moving from one adventure to the other. It has a beautiful day for the zoo though and we had a great time. The Puffins were exceptionally playful and splashed us pretty good. This of course made Jacob's day. Other highlights included seeing a baby camel and taking a train ride.

The splashing puffins

The baby camel is laying in front of the rock

The gang of kids (Jacob fell off the fence so I had jump in the picture. The kid between Levi and Katy is the Persons neighbor).

We left later than we should've and got into horrible traffic on the way home. We ended up completely missing the first piano lesson. Fortunately, the student after the girls was out of town and we got to use his lesson time.