Pumpkin Patch Fun

Today instead of running we headed out to Montrose, Colorado (a little more than an hour from Gunnison) to Devires Buffalo Ranch. There we went through a huge corn maze. They said the trails inside were over 3 miles long. We only did a small part of it. Then we headed over to the pumpkin patch to get our pumpkins for Halloween.

Lily being silly on the way home.

Mom - This one is for you. This is Lily with her baby but I could not get her to do the shh.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. We had a great day!!

Real Age

My 31st birthday is coming up here next week and let's just say I wish I could turn back the time clock. I found another grey hair - it happened this time last year as well.

Well I was on www.realage.com and I took the Real Age Test. I was very excited to see that I am only 22.1. I must be doing something right!

12 Miles - I'm Getting There

I did a 12 mile run today and it went great. I left from the house and headed for a trail run that is about 3 miles from my house. The nice part about this trail run is the first 1/2 mile is uphill and then it evens out and is really flat. I did 6 miles on the trail and then headed home.

I was reading my Runner's World magazine that it is a good idea to pick up the pace the last two miles of your trail run to what you want to race pace to be. My ideal race pace is anything under 11 minutes per mile. My average pace the first 10 miles were 11:20 miles. I picked it up and kept it under 11 minutes the last two miles and it was hard but not THAT hard. I could have done another mile. That is another great thing is that after 12 miles I could have gone another mile if I needed to. I felt great and strong this week.

Two months to Vegas, will I make it?

Lily and Her Baby

Lily is starting to relax and stop being so fussy. She is also starting to play more and play more with Mikayla, which Mikayla just loves. She has been waiting for Lily to play with her for the last 1 ½!

Lily has been really into playing with her babies for a little while now. Mikayla was never a big baby doll person but Lily sure is. This weekend Joe taught her shhh. Lily will hold her baby, pat her on the back, and look at us and put her finger to her lips and say shhh quietly. It is the cutest thing I have seen in a while. shhh

12 Miles - Not Yet But Soon

I set off on Sunday to do a 12 mile trail run in Crested Butte. The aspen leaves are golden yellow, it is warm outside, clear bright blue sky and my favorite time of year for running the aspen trees.

I started running at 10:30 which is a couple of hours later than I normally do my long runs. I also started with a tough 3 miles of uphill. I was ready to quit by the time I got to the trail. But I managed and I was hoping I would get my energy back on the downhill. By the time I looped back to the car I was at 6.5 miles. I was hungry (normally I eat enough not to worry about getting too hungry during a long run). I stopped at the car and drank some water and had some GU. Well that GU was my downfall. It did not settle well in my stomach at all. I had to force myself to get to 9 miles before I finally gave up. I know that not every long run will be fun but I am disappointed that I could not finish the 12 miles. But there is always next Sunday.

My total time for the 9 miles was 1 hour and 48 minutes with a pace of 12 minutes per mile.

I am still focusing on the Vegas Marathon in early December.

Las Vegas Marathon

Since my 10 mile run went so well last weekend I decided that I need to focus on a marathon. The Las Vegas Marathon is on December 6th. I looked at how far away it is and my mileage now to see if I can do it and it is totally doable. I am so excited, what better marathon to start with then running down the Vegas Strip!! I talked to a couple of girlfriends and they are in for cheering me on. We will make it a super fast girls trip. I have not totally committed to it yet but if my training goes good in the next month I will be running the Vegas Marathon!

Snow

It is September 21, 2009 and it is still summer but yes we have just received the first snow of the season. Luckily, Gunnison did not receive as much as other parts of the state. Our snow is not sticking unlike other parts of Colorado that received 3 to 4 inches. The photo below is from www.9news.com. Check out their website for more cool pictures of the summer snow.

10 Mile - Yes!!

I did the 10 mile race today and it was great, I had a wonderful time and I would do it again in a heartbeat! I finished in 1 hour and 49 minutes. I knew I could do an average pace of 11 minutes and 30 seconds my person goal (kept secret) was to have an average pace of 11 minutes. In the end my average pace was 10 minutes and 44 seconds! I wish I could post some pictures but I am having issues with my computer (I think it is time to upgrade).

I will post my ranking when it is posted on their website at http://runmountainairmarathon.com/.

Labor Day Weekend Fun

We had a great long weekend. On Saturday we headed out to Blue Mesa. We had lunch and then we put the swimsuits on. We had a great time just hanging out and wading. You have to force Mikayla to get out of the lake no matter how cold she is.

Mikayla ready to go swimming. Teo had fun wading and a very little bit of swimming.

Lily spent five minutes on the beach (not even) before she got sand on her eye - no it is not a black eye, it is sand, sand in her month and every place else she could find.

I opted not to go swimming - so I rolled up my pants and waded.

Mikayla and I enjoying our lunch before we went swimming.

Lily loving the sand and getting dirty.

On Sunday I did an 8 mile trail run. It felt great and I had a fun time. Skylar enjoyed getting out of the house for a fun run as well. As soon as we got home we loaded up the truck again to go hiking. We ended up at the top of Monarch Pass (11,300) for a hike on the Monarch Crest Trail. We hiked a jeep road up and had amazing views, even with the clouds all around us. We hiked to about 11,700 feet. Even though I have lived here 12 years I still find places that I have not explored before.

Monday took us to Crested Butte a friend's 4 year old birthday party. The kids had a great time playing on the playground. I also love playgrounds where Lily can do laps on a slide and I just have to watch.

Overall we had a super Labor Day weekend. What did you do?

10 Miler

I have decided to do the 10 Mile race this weekend. I would love to do the triathlon but this will be much less stress and coordination that the triathlon since it takes place over an 1 hour away - and we only have one car. It is this Sunday and I will let you know how I do!

Hippie of the Jungle

Mikayla got a new pet the other day. It is a guinea pig and she named her Hippie of the Jungle. I have no idea where she came up with that name, but Hippie became a member of our family on Wednesday night.

How she became a member is another story. I swear my husband, Joe, really needs to sit down and write about all of his tenant stories. In addition to selling real estate he has been a property manager for the last 9 years. His most current story is he had a tenant move out of a rental and when Joe went to do the final checkout instead of finding an empty rental he found a guinea pig with a note saying that the tenant could not find anyone to take her and he hoped Joe would be able to find a home for her. I am always shocked at some of his tenants. In the past another tenant left a cat and her brand new kittens in a couch behind. To me a pet is a pet for life, not just when it is convenient for you.

Well, he called me at work and I could tell he really wanted to give Mikayla the guinea pig, mostly because he grew up with them. So I said yes and he brought her home. Mikayla called her Hippie right away. I said "Hippie?" and she said, " Yep, Hippie of the Jungle." So now Hippie of the Jungle lives in our laundry room and boy the dogs do love the new smell. We will have to keep the dogs away from her. She was more than happy to sit in our arms and let us pet her. I could see her relaxing on our lap in front of the TV one night but for now we are just going to let her get use to her new home.

Advice Please

There are two races that I want to do but I cannot decide which one to do. I only want to do one due to finances. The Mountain Air 10 Mile is this Saturday. The cost is $45. The other one is the Black Canyon Triathlon at the beginning of October and the cost for that is $40.00 I really cannot afford to spend $85 on races this month.

The advantages of the Mountain Air 10 Mile is that it is here and I would not have to travel at all. I am also ready for a 10 mile race. I did 8 miles last weekend and I would love to do this.

The Black Canyon Triathlon is in Montrose, which is about 60 miles or a little over an hour from here. Also with the Black Canyon Triathlon the pre-race meeting in Friday, the day before the race at 6pm or 7:30pm which means I would have to drive down there the day before and come back home and then the next day be there before 7:15am. I could spend the night but I do not want to spend the money. Also, at that time in the morning I would think Joe would rather stay home with the girls instead of loading them up and entertaining them all morning long instead of relaxing at home for the 10 mile race and then meeting me at the finish.

What do you think I should do? I really want to do the triathlon but the 10 mile race would be a lot less stress on me and my family do to the distance.

Running Again

This weekend I did a 6 mile run and it felt great. One thing I have noticed, no matter how long or short or the run is I really don't get into the grove until I have hit the half way point. This weekend once I hit 3 miles I was ready to head home. I was thinking, "uhhh I still have 3 more miles to go, this sucks." But I took a longer way home and said if at a certain point I would turn and head home instead of going straight and by that point I had finally found my groove and kept going. I have noticed that every run I do this.

In the end I had a great a run and I could have kept going. I am doing 7 miles this weekend and I would love to do a 10 mile race in two weeks but I think that will be pushing it too much.

I am not running the total weekly mileage that I was when I was training for the marathon because I have been mixing it up with biking and swimming. Also I have only had minor foot pain. Just sorta of the, is that my foot acting up again? Nope - okay let's go - thoughts. I really want to do a triathlon in a month and the only big challenge will be the swim. I can do the laps but I will have to stop a few times to catch my breath. I did a swim workout today and it felt great.

One Lovely Blog Award

I received an award today!! It is from Carrie over at Mom Wife Triathlete - she use to be Newlywed Girl. I just love her blog and little Charley is so cute. We were pregnant about the same time too! Check out her blog - I can't wait for the day when I finally get to meet her in person - who knows when but someday I will have to make it happen.

I am passing this award onto Metropolitian Mama, Fitness For Mommies, Green Style Mom, and Views From the Passenger Seat. I love reading all of these blogs and even though I don't comment all the time I am busy reading them.

Backing Packing

Were have I been??? I just realized that I have not posted in 2 weeks. It is summer and I am busy with the girls, working, cleaning, doing bookeeping on the side and working out.

I have still been running and I am training for a triathlon in October. I need to get more time in the pool but for each individual distance I am ready.

This past weekend, some friends and I went backpacking. The most exciting part of this trip is that Mikayla went. I went with my roommate, Emily, (yes we got a roommate and love her!), and my friend Sheri went with her 7 year old.

We went over to Salida which is about 1 1/2 hours from Gunnison. We choose Salida because it was a little bit cooler here the weekend before and I did not want to be too cold while I was sleeping at night. I should not have worried since I was hot. We hiked a part of the Rainbow Trail. Mikayla and her 4 year old little legs hiked 3.5 miles each way!! It was no easy, flat hike either. We climbed up and then back down both ways. She was a little tropper and I could not have asked for a better kid. We had a blast and I really enjoyed being able to spend so much time with her.

This picture is actually at the end of the hike.

Relaxing at the campsite.

We camped next to a creek because we needed water. This was a very remote location. On the way to the campsite and back we ran into a few dirt bikers but no hikers.


Mikayla and Lydia



This hike was awesome with great views. We were around 9500 to 9900 feet and there were 13ers all around us. The views and weather was wonderful.

Mikayla, Lydia and I on the trail.

My friend Sheri with her daughter Lydia and Mikayla and me.


We had so much fun and I cannot wait to take her again. I see an annual girls trip starting. I can't wait for a few years and Lily can join us.

Running

I have been running this week with no pain in my foot. I did a total of 3 runs, 1 - 4 miles, 1 - 3 miles with a 1 mile walk at the end and 1 - 5 mile. My 5 mile run was the best and I felt great. I have been missing my Sunday get away from the girls for some mommy time while I run at a slower pace than normal where my only goal is the mileage and nothing else. If no pain shows up in the next few days I will cancel the surgery scheduled on my foot. If it comes back I can always reschedule it.

This week I would like to do a total of 4 runs. One run will focus on keeping my pace a little faster than normal (10 minutes to 10 minutes and 15 seconds per mile), one run with 10 minute of sprint intervals, one trail run with lots of hills, and one 6 mile run.

I have really enjoyed running last week and I hope to keep it up.

New Jersey

We had a great time visiting family in Jersey. I am having trouble moving the pictures around tonight but I wanted to get them posted, so here you go.

Lily and Daddy

Mikayla and Lily LOVED the beach. Lily just wanted to keep wanting to run into the water. Mikayla loved "jumping" the waves. At one point she started to head out with a wave but we grabbed her in time.

Our friend, BJ relaxing on the beach.

The moms relaxing!

Mikayla loved playing in the sand.

The reason we went to New Jersey in the first place is that Joe's family is Catholic and our niece and nephew were baptised. Joe is Alexa's godfather.

The parents, god parents and babies.

The babies slept through the ceremony until they got their heads dunked in the water.

Mikayla always wants her picture taken when the cameras come out.

Lily having fun.

Grandma with Alexa.

Mikayla with Alexa.

Kyle, Alexa, Lily and Me

Uncle Chris with Kyle.

Lily let Aunt Sue hold her.

We had a wonderful busy time. We went to Chucky Cheese. This was a first for Mikayla. This one only had pizza and games and Mikayla loved the games. She kept going back to a computer where she could color a picture. The had a slide that was perfect for Lily and she kept going back.

We went to Sesame Place and as I mentioned in this post it was too much money. They wanted $51.00 per person for everyone over age 2! For what they had it was not worth the money. I did notice on their website that after 2pm it was half price. I mentioned waiting until 2pm but I was out voted. We left at 10:30 in the morning on a Saturday and everyone else was headed to the beach. It took us 3.5 hours to drive 73 miles!! By the time we got there it was 2:15, perfect for half price. They also wanted to charge us $15.00 for parking but since every lot was full we ended up parking less than a 1/2 mile away at a mall. It was perfect, free parking and the walk was much more pleasant than walking through an asphalt parking lot. Once we got to the front gate their information had the half price or twilight pricing starting at 3pm instead of 2pm. So we waited for 30 minutes and we saved $100. My overall impression of Sesame Place was ok. If we had paid $51 I would have been upset that they did not have more and it was WAY too crowded. There were people EVERYWHERE. Since we paid half price (which should have been the regular price) I was not too upset. Mikayla and Lily had a blast playing in the pools, sand, everywhere. We stayed about 2 hours, which for a 4 year old and a 1 1/2 year old was perfect.

The next day we headed to the beach and you can tell from the pictures above how much fun we head. The girls loved the water.

Overall we had a fantastic trip with lots of fun memories.

Sesame Place

We are in New Jersey and having fun. I will blog more about our trip when I get back. One thing I do want to complain about is Sesame Place.

We had planned on taking Mikayla to Sesame Place but for some reason no one bothered to see how much it was. We found out last night that it is $51.00 for everyone but Lily. $51.00!! I really don't think it is worth $51.00. Mikayla is excite so I have a feeling we will end up going but you can be sure that I will blog about it afterwards and let you know if it is was worth $51.00 or not. Now I am going to search the internet for a discount.