ash & diz

Best Hip Stretch. EVER.

2012-02-15T05:00:00.002-07:00

I've learned a ton of things from Tyson at Elevated CrossFit.

I've PR'd at multiple lifts since I've been working out at Elevated CrossFit.

In case you were wondering...

back squat 135 lbs (1 rep max)

front squat 130lbs (1 rep max)

deadlift 115lbs (3 rep, multiple times)

shoulder press 70lbs (3 rep max)

and while I look forward to PRing at other lifts and learning new skills, like rope climbs, and finally getting an unassisted pull up...

one of my favorite things Tyson has taught me is this hip stretch.

I never really knew how tight my hips were until I did this stretch. I feel like it opens up everything in my lower back, hips, quads and hammies.

so if you feel a lot of tightness through your hips before/after a run, or ever...

*cough, cough, Ann cough, cough*

You must try this stretch ASAP.

Start with your right leg bent and your left leg back behind you as straight as possible and both arms straight, hands flat on the ground.

like so...

if you are really flexible, you can drop down onto both elbows.

I failed to take a photo of this. my bad.

then drop your right arm on the ground.

feel it strrreeeetch.

then drop your left arm, reeeeaalllly feel it stretch.

try to push your pelvis into your heel.

then... lean out away from your right leg with both arms straight.

if it looks like I'm in pain in this picture...

well... it's one of those "hurts so good" kind of things.

ahh... there's a smile. :)

hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds,

and work your way up to 60 seconds and then 90 seconds.

Now, obviously switch sides.

This stretch was life changing for me.

I hope it helps you too! :)

11 Things (and 11 more)

2012-02-13T06:03:00.000-07:00

So my bffIRL (best friend forever, in real life) Ann tagged me in her "11 Things" post. I realize just about every blogger out there has been tagged already (and posted). Leave it to me to be the last one. ;)

1. Do you have any furry family members? If yes, roll call. Photos get you extra points.

Anyone who has been reading my blog these last months can answer this. Ms. Olivia Ann Urie (yes, her middle name is Ann. after her Aunty Ann in MN, aka bffIRL) came into our lil family in November. You can read about our adventures with her here, here, here, here and here.

2. What’s the biggest accomplishment you’ve achieved in the past few years?

Pretty sure my marathon PR at Top of Utah back in 2010 was pretty spectacular. I took 42 minutes off of my previous time. I ran the majority of it with my Mom and my wonderful friend Brittany ran me in the last 6 miles. Best.Idea.Ever. You can read my race recap here *warning you... it's a long one. but you'll love it. just read it*

3. Favorite TV show?

GLEE! I went to their concert with my Mom after Ogden Marathon last year. I have downloaded just about every Glee song from iTunes. If you put my ipod on shuffle you'd hear Glee 4 out of 5 times. The only genre of music that rivals my Glee collection is all my Christmas music. ;)

I'm also a huge fan of the Vampire Diaries. Stefan and Damon. freakin' yummy.

After last week's episode, even Klaus is looking pretty hot.

4. Have you ever colored your hair? Did it turn out great or not so great?

I get it highlighted. I've heard too many horror stories about bleaching your own hair. I am a blonde. Leave it to me to get something screwed up and turn my hair orange.

5. Does your body wake up at a certain time each morning? How accurate is your “internal clock”?

I set an alarm during the work week (and most Saturdays for long runs), but if my alarm didn't go off, I almost always wake up around 6am.

6. Where do you get your news from? Online, radio, or TV?

I read a lot of local/national news from KSL. I get my gossip news from my fav radio station in the morning. ;) I rarely watch the news on TV.

7. Favorite celebrity couple?

ummm... Me and Dizzle. OBVI ;)

8. Have you ever had to assemble anything – Ikea furniture or workout equipment? Was it successful or not?

When Diz and I first got married we had to put together our kitchen table and TV stand. I basically watched as he assembled. They're still standing, so I assume he did it right! ;)

9. Do you love the hot shower or the cold shower?

OMG. Hot showers. Like almost burn your skin hot. Nothing better than a hotter-than-sin shower after a long, cold, run. :)

10. Favorite alcoholic drink – beer, wine, mixed drink?

I like fruity "girly" drinks. When we went on our Caribbean cruise I indulged in a few Pina Coladas. So yummy.

11. What are you doing right now? Are you a multi-tasker?

drinking coffee, watching "A Walk To Remember", and blogging.

The “rules” technically require me to share 11 additional facts about myself.

1. I use self tanner. I hate being pale. But after the AF Canyon Half last summer, I refuse to step foot in a tanning bed again.

2. I met Dizzle on MySpace. no joke. I've saved all our emails. Match.com ain't got nothin' on MySpace.

3. My Momma is my numero uno best friend forever. We do everything together. We shop, we run, and work together. In fact, we often show up in the same outfit.

4. I.LOVE.COFFEE. but mostly... I love Peppermint Mocha creamer.

5. I haven't had a Diet Coke since October 31, 2011. I rarely have a craving anymore. The only time I really miss it, is when we are having mexican food at Joe Bandidos.

6. I'm a Twilight lover. Don't be a hater.

7. I'm addicted to CrossFit. I proudly drink the CrossFit Koolaid.

I love (LOVE LOVE) Elevated CrossFit. Tyson wins best CF trainer, ever. I've been PRing left and right since I started working out with him

8. I want to do the Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge next year with my Mom. like really, really, really want to. After Tinkerbell, I think I may be addicted to Disney races.

9. Olivia may have temporarily cured my baby hunger.

10. I love shoes. running shoes. high heels. toms. flip flops. love 'em all.

11. I'm addicted to Pinterest. I can waste a TON of time on there. ohmygawd.

And the 11 people I tag are…

umm... I'm pretty sure I'm the last blogger out there who has been tagged. so if you're like me and haven't been tagged... consider it done. ;)

now... tell me a random fact about you!

one year

2012-02-12T08:00:00.002-07:00

one year ago, our family lost an amazing man.

photo from Tahsha, Brad's wife

it's hard to believe a year has already passed.

I've thought about Brad all week. I had a dream about him.

I had patients tell stories about him (without knowledge of our connection) multiple times this week.

It never ceases to amaze me how many lives he touched.

Please make sure you tell your loved ones how much you love them and never take life for granted.

Run For Sherry

2012-02-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

Josh (my bro) and I made the earth shake today in honor of Sherry Arnold.

Joshie came over to my house about 7:45 and we headed out.

We chose to run the canyon.

It was windy, cold, and tough.

But I was happy to be running for Sherry.

A sister runner who I never even met, but felt deeply affected by her tragic, senseless death.

I imagine Sherry and her family would give anything to have her back and running again.

I thought of her with every step.

I thought of her family, her husband and kids...

and everyone else out there running today for Sherry.

My Momma and Joanna ran 12.25 miles for her early this morning.

and my friend Janice wore her bib to her spin class this morning.

I know she was watching down and with us all, every step of the way.

Run Like a Mother posted the Runner's Prayer on facebook and it seemed fitting for today's run for Sherry.

Runner's Prayer

Run by my side; Live in my heartbeat;

Give strength to my steps;

As the cold surrounds, as the wind pushes me,

I know you surround me.

As the sun warms me, as the rain cleanses me,

I know you are touching me, challenging me, loving me.

And so I give you this run.

Thank you for matching my stride.

AMEN

Did you make the earth shake today for Sherry?

Runner Safety & Virtual Run for Sherry

2012-02-07T23:55:00.000-07:00

If you are a follower of running blogs I'm sure you've heard of Sherry Arnold.

She's the runner from Montana who was kidnapped and murdered on Jan 7, 2011.

It's a horrible tragedy and it has rocked the (running) world.

I can't stop thinking about her family, her husband, her kids.

There are two evil men in jail that have admitted to killing her, though her body still has not been found.

Beth from Shut Up and Run is Sherry's cousin and has organized a virtual run for Sherry.

details below are from Beth (SUaR)

The virtual run will be on Saturday, February 11 at 9 a.m. MST.

Print out a running bib and pin it to your shirt

You can find it HERE

Gather your friends, your running club members, your families
If it’s wet where you are, “laminate” your bib with postage tape and punch holes in it
If that time doesn’t work, go when you can
GO. Run as far and as long as you want. Walk, hike, cycle, rollerblade if you don’t want to or can’t run.
Please share this on your blogs, Facebooks and Twitters
Keep it simple. Just run with Sherry on your minds and hearts.

I WILL BE RUNNING THIS SATURDAY IN SHERRY'S HONOR.

Dimity, from Another Mother Runner states it perfectly:

"I want the earth to shake in Sherry’s honor."

I will run for her, for her children and for her husband.

Will you join all the runners on Saturday?

if you do run for Sherry this Saturday and blog about it or take a picture, shoot an email to Beth at beth@shutupandrun.net and she will forward them to Sherry's family.

For my local Utah County chicas who run, did you hear about the 20 year old girl who was attacked and sexually assaulted on the Provo River Trail last night? Her attacker is still on the loose. This creep needs to be caught and taken off the streets. According to the KSL article the girl fought back and escaped with superficial wounds from her attacker and is expected to make a full recovery.

She was lucky. She got away. She's alive.

Sherry wasn't so lucky.

I've been wanting to write a blog on runner safety after hearing about Sherry.

Not because I'm an expert.

Because I think we all need to be reminded that we are never 100 % safe.

But we should do everything in our power to be as safe as we can while we run.

here are the things I do to stay safe while running:

1. Run with pepper spray

I have ALWAYS ran with a pepper spray canister.

I tell every runner I know to buy pepper spray.

it's cheap (around $15) and easy to carry (see my scrunchy key chain, which also holds my house key)

I've never had to use mine. *knocking on wood*

Keep in mind they can also protect you from a dog attack.

Most pepper sprays do have an expiration date and if they are used once it is best to replace. The keychain canisters usually only hold a few "attacks". My Momma suggests replacing it yearly on your birthday. No better present than protecting yourself.

2. I use a headlight and reflectors

me and my bff headlamp

reflector and blinkee thingee. love it.

doesn't keep me safe from creepers, but I am visible and easily seen by road traffic.

3. One earphone for the ipod

If I'm running solo I will only use one earphone and my volume is low, just loud enough that I can barely hear the music. I still want to be able to hear oncoming traffic and hear people approaching me.

4. Let my Hubby know when I'm leaving

I always let Diz know when I'm leaving for a run, how many miles, and when to expect me back.

My Mom leaves a sticky note for my Dad.

make sure someone knows you are leaving and when to expect you back and where you are running.

I tend to run the same general loop. I have a 6, 8, and 10 mile loop that Diz knows and would know where to look for me if I didn't show up when expected. My shorter runs (3-4 miles) tend to vary.

5. wear my RoadID

it has my name, age, and emergency contact info. It has Diz's and my Momma's phone numbers so they can be contacted if I'm hurt and cannot communicate with emergency personnel.

it never leaves my shoe. EVER.

you can order yours here.

I have the ShoeID, but there are many other options.

and from now on:

6. Run with your phone

I used to hate the idea of bringing my phone on a run.

What if I lost it? It's too heavy. Too bouncy.

Well... eff that. I want my phone.

I want to be able to call someone if I need help.

Or even if I need to call for help for someone else.

I have a spibelt that fits my phone perfectly along with a gel packet or two.

For some other great tips, check out this post from Another Mother Runner.

(the comments have a lot of great tips as well)

I have to be completely honest though.

Since I first heard of Sherry's disappearance, I haven't run solo outside once.

I'm suddenly terrified. I envision the worst things along my running routes and I decide to hit the dready tready instead.

Last night I decided I'd run the 2 miles to Elevated CrossFit and I felt like I was on high alert the entire time.

I had my phone in jacket pocket, my pepper spray, and my reflectors. I ran an 8:11 pace, which is pretty close to my 5k PR pace (I'm still shocked I ran that fast). I'm sure my heart rate was racing the entire time. I had a hard time cooling down/getting my heart rate to slow when I got to the gym.

and I hate that I still have so much anxiety about running outside alone. The logical side of me knows that there is danger out there always, but for some reason, Sherry's story just HIT ME, hard, and I'm scared. Even though I didn't know her, she was a kindred spirit, another runner, a sister, a friend. I know I'll eventually get the courage to get back outside for a solo run.

Maybe on Saturday when I'm running for Sherry :)

Let's make the earth shake for Sherry.

what are some of your safety tips, never leave home without's, must haves for running?

are you going to run for Sherry on Saturday?

Disneyland Vacation: Day 3

2012-02-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

So after THE BEST RACE EVER we hit up the parks.

I told my Mom as we were walking into the park that this was the day that I had to find Mickey and take a picture.

and who did we spot as soon as we walked into Disneyland?!

MICKEY!

Not sure why I'm pointing my foot... lol

Jason and Jacob with Mickey

in line for the train, my Mom and I showing off our 13.1 tattoos.

anyone ever watch "I Used To Be Fat" on MTV?

Well, Joey the trainer, does this thing where he flexes his triceps and says "BOOM" is his cute lil accent.

so we're "BOOM"ing!

and we did it all day long.

I'd just look at my Mom and we'd both flex and "BOOM".

Another great thing about our weekend is that a friend of mine from high school was also running the Tinkerbell Half. Sarah and I went to high school together and even had a few classes together.

We hadn't seen each other for at least 10 years!

Her Mom ran the half marathon, too! I got to meet her husband and her two darling little boys.

It was so nice to catch up with her in real life, instead of through facebook. :)

Sarah & I

We played another round of Midway Mania and rode a few more rides and headed to Downtown Disney to shop while the boys rode California Screamin' a few more times.

I really wanted to shop and buy a cute shirt or something for the Tinkerbell Half, but I just couldn't find anything that I couldn't live without.

P.S. I have the best hubby in the world.

When we got back to the hotel room he helped me roll out all my sore muscles.

please excuse the blurry photo, I was half asleep and it's from my cell phone. ;)

Check out Disneyland Day 1

Disneyland Day 2

and the Tinkerbell Race Recap

Disneyland Vacation: Day 2

2012-02-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

On to day 2 of our vacation.

Mom, Joshie and I got up early (again) and did a quick 4 miler! Woot woot.

finished in 33:09 - pretty good pace for me! ;)

Then we headed out to California Adventure!

Mom & I walking into the park.

We headed to Soaring Over California but the lines were out of control, so we snagged a Fast Pass and headed to Tower of Terror. We somehow convinced my nephew, Jacob, that it wasn't scary, and we all got in line.

Jacob & I

(we have the same Wright family nose!)

I love this pic.

I've got to find the one from 2007 (or is it 2006?) to compare and show y'all how different I look.

We went to the Turtle Talk with Crush show and it was so cute. We were the only ones in there and it was so cute.

"duuuuuuude!"

After chatting with Crush we had to check out the Toy Story Zoetrope.

ever seen a zoetrope?

It's so freaking COOL!

this pic is when it's in motion...

this is the zoetrope completely still.

here's a video showing it in action. I could have sat there for hours watching it.

literally, HOURS.

my Daddy and hubby being slightly inappropriate. ;)

Had to have a pic with Mater and Lightening!!

they should put us in the parades... we are a modern day princess and prince charming.

HA!

my favorite ride of the day had to be Midway Mania.

It was a blast! It's basically a shooting game and you accrue points and compete with the others in your car. It's fairly new at California Adventure and they don't have Fast Passes yet, but it is definitely worth the wait!

I didn't take any pics of this ride... doh! but trust me --- it's awesome!

Check out my Tinkerbell Half Marathon Recap

and Disneyland Vacation: Day 1 if you need to catch up!

Sparkly Soul Giveaway WINNER

2012-02-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

Winner, Winner!!

So I had 78 entries for this giveaway. Pretty impressive for my first one, right?!

The winner is Domestic Diva!!

I've emailed you the details about how to get your bands!

But for those of you who didn't win, I have some great news!

Sparkly Soul is offering a 15% discount code to all of my readers!

All you have to do is enter FITFLUENTIAL in the coupon code during check out.

this coupon code is good for all of February!

Disneyland Vacation: Day 1

2012-01-31T22:30:00.001-07:00

We woke up at the ass crack of dawn, otherwise known as 3am and were out the door by 3:40am. When we got out to the truck, my Mom started hysterically laughing. I was being a grumpy beast and was like, "wtf? why are you laughing at me?!" (fyi - I don't do sleep deprivation well)

yup... we wore matching outfits.

this happens more often than I'd care to admit.

2 peas in a pod.

same shirt, same necklace, same coffee

(and a much better mood once I was properly caffeinated with a pumpkin latte)

Gawked at some CrossFit games stars at the Long Beach Airport

(which is quite possibly the smallest, ghetto-est airport I've ever flown into)

the girl in the gray hoodie and black pants right in the middle is Kristan Clever.

She won the CrossFit games in 2010. That's pretty bad ass.

I'm pretty sure the girl on the left is another CrossFit athlete, she had legs of steel.

I should have gone up to them, but I wasn't sure who they were at first. I knew they had been on the 2011 CrossFit games, but I couldn't google fast enough to be 100% positive.

anyways... back to Disneyland.

Once we got to our hotel, we took off to the expo, picked up our park hopper tix, sent the boys on their way. We totally rocked our Team Sparkle skirts at the expo. And we got SO many compliments.

The Tinkerbell Half Marathon expo was AMAZING.

so many great vendors. cute clothes.

Grabbed lots of Luna Bar samples.

picked up our swag bags from Team Sparkle.

(they were offering swag bags to girls who wore their skirts to the expo - you know I have no shame)

and I totally gawked at Kelly.

she was super busy and I was super nervous about saying something to her.

"Hi Kelly. I'm your blog & twitter stalker. Nice to meet you."

So I just walked away... without saying anything.

But I tweeted her later and she was totally bummed she didn't get to meet me.

bahahaha... just kidding.

But we did go back the next day and I finally got the nerve to admit that I was her stalker.

and it was awesome. and she was super nice. and she remembered that I invited her to crash my Mom's neighborhood turkey trot over Thanksgiving. She gave us some last minute tips on how to wear our Tinkerbell wings for race day. Love her. :)

Got to see the REAL TINKERBELL!

so cute!

me & the daddy-o

We finally made it back to the park in time to eat some lunch and ride a few rides.

my days have all kinda meshed together, but I'm pretty sure we rode Star Tours, the submarine Nemo ride (snooze...), and... umm... hmm... I think that was it. The boys had already ridden Indiana Jones and Jungle Cruise. I hate that I can't even remember what rides we went on that first day. I think I'm getting Alzheimers. seriously.

no... wait...
I remember now.

We went on Splash Mountain.
Put Dizzle in the front and he got SOAKED. So did my Mom.

and well, I got a little wet.

Josh was basically dry. punk.

he was soaking wet!

then we went on the Haunted Mansion.

that ride never gets old. it's just awesome.

the boys got a little crazy at Rainforest Cafe.

such a pretty froggie ;)

Joshie, Jason (my other brother) and my nephew Jacob.

I'm so glad that Jason's first picture on my blog is of him in a pink princess hat. LOVE IT.

and that's it for day 1...

stay tuned for the winner of my Sparkly Soul giveaway!

who's going to win???

Tinkerbell Half Marathon RECAP

2012-01-30T22:44:00.000-07:00

Best. Race. EVER.

Honestly.

I wish every race could be as FUN as the Tinkerbell Half Marathon.

My Mom and I woke up super early Sunday morning to get ready.

Had our Team Sparkle skirts and wings on (and looked fabulous)!

(if you want to wear wings in a race be sure to check out Kelly's post on how to wear wings while running.)

We walked over to the race start (thankfully our hotel wasn't too far away) and we dropped our bags and headed to our corral.

and guess who I spotted (or stalked...)

Skinny Runner!

yup... my blog dreams have been fulfilled. I met Skinny Runner and got a picture with her!

she even put my a pic of my Mom and I on her blog.

okay...

so she thinks my name is Liz.

but who cares?! Skinny Runner put MY picture (and linked to my blog) on her blog.

and she took this amazing picture of us! :)

anyways... back to the race.

it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!

since we were in corral A the start was super smooth. No running over walkers, trying to dodge runners, etc.

look at all those runners! 12,000 total runners! CRAZY!

The first 4 miles were in Disneyland and they FLEW by.

We were having SO much fun, I forgot we were running a half marathon.

They had Disneyland workers everywhere! They were cheering, high fiving, all around... AMAZING.

blurry... that's my Momma on the right!

Our first picture was with the Caballeros!

running down main street.

(forgive my blurry running photos - I did the best I could!)

I can't even tell you how cool it was to be running down Main Street towards the castle. It was so magical! It was still a little dark and everything was lit up. AMAZING.

Then we ran through the castle.

I was just a little excited! :)

Momma running in the castle!

met Jack Sparrow

my Mom BEELINED for him as soon as she spotted him! ;)

Once we exited the park, we ran through "scenic" Anaheim.

uhh... well, it wasn't scenic in my opinion, but the crowd support, volunteers, and cheer squads were AWESOME. My Mom and I made sure to high five everyone. :)

thanks to Team Sparkle for this photo!

We made it back into Downtown Disney and then into California Adventure.

Once again, the crowds were amazing. I cannot tell you enough how much I enjoyed this race.

I was having SO much fun.

Met Mike Sully and the orange monster guy (?)

Josh, Diz and my Daddy were there about a mile from the finish line cheering for us!

No pics - Josh will email me later!

Woody, Jessie, green Army guy, and Buzz!!

this was right at the end, you can almost see the Luna chutes in the background.

Once we got to the chutes, we took off.

We crossed the finish line together, arms in the air!

I can't wait to check out our 'official' race photos!

there were photographers EVERYWHERE in the park!

Team Sparkle was there at the finish area taking photos.

and I finally got a photo with Kelly!

eeeek! Another blog stalking moment!

(I'll explain in my other Disneyland post)

My Momma and I hung out for awhile at the finish line area, soaking it all in, checking out all the other runner's costumes. And I ate a few Clif kid's fruit snacky things...

We were both grinning from ear to ear and talking about how we couldn't wait to run another Disney race.

I may have brought up the possibility of doing the Princess Half and Tinkerbell next year so we could get a Coast to Coast medal.

I LOVED this race. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this race!

I wish the whole 13.1 miles was inside the parks. It was by far the funnest, coolest, best-est, most AMAZING race I have ever ran.

I don't know if it was the wings... or the sparkly skirt... or if it was because my Mom and I had agreed early on that we were NOT racing this race. We were purely running for fun, enjoying the magical Disney atmosphere, and having a fantastic time doing it.

And even though we weren't concerned with pace, we did pretty darn well, considering all our photo stops and taking 1 potty stop, and came in at 2 hours and 1 minute. Our garmin's measured the course a little long. I got 13.38 miles. so our average pace was 9:03. Not too shabby!

I've decided that the best way to run a race is in a sparkly skirt and some wings! and to have fun!

I've been sort of dreading Ogden Marathon and not looking forward to training. but now... I'm kind of ready for it. I want to approach Ogden like we did Tinkerbell. Just HAVE fun. I hardly checked my garmin during Tinkerbell. It was AMAZING to not be stressed out about pace or splits or PR-ing. I really think that if I can keep that mindset at Ogden I should be able to get my sub 4:00.

and I'm probably going to need a few more sparkle skirts.

maybe in pink. or turquoise.

I wonder if Team Sparkle wants to sponsor me? ;)

p.s. check out MY BLING!

most definitely my coolest race medal ever!

*Have you ever done a Disney race? Done the Coast to Coast challenge?*

*Want to run the Tinkerbell Half Marathon with my Momma and I next year?*

and... have you entered my Sparkly Soul Giveaway yet? You have another 24 hours!!

Puppy Snow Adventures

2012-01-22T15:07:00.001-07:00

Olivia loves to play in the snow. LOVES.

She sat and whined at the door all night long because she wanted to go play.

So this morning she got to play. LOTS.

And we watched through our windows. ;)

yum yum yum... SNOW!

she was jumping like a deer, back and forth, back and forth.

snow beard

this is my snowball bitch. back off. ;)

After playing in the snow all morning, she was one stinky pup.

so I gave her a bath.

and she hates me now.

sad face

AHHH! trying to dry off by wiggling like a maniac!

"Mom, I can't believe YOU would do that to ME!"

P.S. don't forget to enter my SparklySoul headband GIVEAWAY.

You have until Jan 31 to enter!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

SPARKLY SOUL GIVEAWAY!!

2012-01-21T21:00:00.002-07:00

I feel so cool.

I'm doing my very first blog giveaway!!

and it's Sparkly Soul headbands

Here's what Sparkly Soul has to say about their headbands:

Sparkly Soul Headbands are non-slip....yes, REALLY non-slip. Our patent pending design makes certain that your headbands stay in place - no matter how intense your sports or fitness activity.

*Glitter all around - 360° of sparkle *

*Entire band is elastic*

*One size fits all adults. Also, fits kids ages 5 and up.*

*Available in 12 colors: Black, Blue, Gold, Green, Orange, Ice Pink, Dark Purple,

Light Purple, Red, Silver, Dark Pink and Chocolate Brown*

I got the thin black band and wide green band to review.

and please keep the hair comments to yourself... it's second day hair. ;)

The thin bands are 3/8" and the wide bands are 5/8".

What I LOVE about them:

They are very comfortable! I kind of have a big head (I'm not talking about my ego), I mean, I literally have a big head. So most headbands really squeeze my head and give me headaches.

I LOVE that they are sparkly all around the entire band.

and the best thing... they really DO NOT slip when I'm working out! I've worn them while I run and when I crossfit. I've never had to stop working out to readjust them. They stay put!

Lucky for you... Sparkly Soul has offered to give one lucky reader one thin and one wide headband.

Because who doesn't want a little bling to liven up their workout?!

All you have to do is go to the Sparkly Soul site, check out their Thin bands and their Wide bands and tell me what color you'd choose in a comment.

You can enter until Tuesday, January 31st at midnight.

I'll announce the winner on Wednesday, February 1st.
(one entry per person!)

Be sure to check out Sparkly Soul on Facebook and on Twitter!

And please share that I'm doing a giveaway!

you can copy & paste these fabulous examples ;)

twitter peeps: "I want to win a @SPARKLYSOULINC non-slip headband from @Ash_and_Diz! Enter to win here, http://bit.ly/wCasY9!"

facebook peeps: "I want to win a Sparkly Soul headband from Ashley & Dizzle! Enter to win here, http://bit.ly/wCasY9!"
(I appreciate you sharing through FB and twitter, but cannot grant any additional entries. Sorry!)

who wants to win??

missed it by THAT much!

2012-01-20T20:40:00.001-07:00

Ever since Ann came to visit in October, I had planned on going to Minnesota sometime this winter. When I found out Jen, Prior Fat Girl, was doing one of her "One Breath, One Step" events this weekend I really, really, really wanted to go. However, flights were crazy expensive. And they never went down in price. So I gave up on the plan of going out there for this weekend.

But then, Wednesday morn, I had a twitter message from a friend, who was offering me buddy passes to fly FREE to MN this weekend. I jumped at the opportunity and immediately started making plans to surprise Ann. I had schemed with Jen and Ann's hubby, Jay. It was the perfect plan. PERFECT. I was scheduled to arrive at 10:25pm and Jay was going to run an "errand" and pick me up at the airport. Well... it seemed like the perfect plan.

Until the shitty weather in the Midwest (i.e. Chicago) caused huge delays and cancellations. Which meant that all the empty seats that were there this morning, got booked by passengers who were trying to get home.

Which, is totally understandable. And I realize that this happens when you are flying stand-by (aka using a buddy pass). But it just seemed like SUCH A FANTASTIC IDEA. And I kept thinking... this has to work. this has to work. this has to work.

But... it didn't.

My original flight to Denver filled up, so I got bumped to a flight that was headed to Phoenix, which had a wide open connection to MN. But the flight to Phoenix was booked with, apparently, a mile long list of stand-by passengers. And I was on the ass-end of that list.

So I'm back home. In Springville, UT.

shit. damn. hell.

I figure if it was meant to be, it would have happened.

But, seriously, the travel-gods should have took note.

I, Ashley Urie, had all my stuff packed into a CARRY ON suitcase.

now... my loving, awesome, fantastic blog readers... understand that I am the QUEEN of over packing.

I always have a few extra outfits (in case of spills, stains, changed my mind on what I wanted to wear), extra shoes, etc.

But I had it all packed in one TINY suitcase.

granted, I planned on pretty much using all of Ann's bathroom stuff. I basically packed my toothbrush, makeup, deodorant and hair brush, and that's it. Y'all should be impressed.

And, now, that I've had time to dry my tears, and lick my wounds... I realized that I probably would have had a horrible time coming home on Sunday, because the Sundance Film Festival just started, and everyone and their famous Momma's would have been flying into SLC.

So as much as I am bummed out that I'm missing out on a fantastic, surprise visit, an amazing event, and meeting some amazing bloggers. There's always next time.

And in all honesty, I've been a damn nervous, anxiety ridden, crazy person today. I think I'm too type A & too OCD to fly stand-by. I don't do well with the 'unknown'. I like to be in control. ;) So, I'm checking for flights later this spring. I hope I can find a great deal and that way I can have a guaranteed seat. And... the weather in MN will be in the positive range, not -11* with a windchill to -27*.

Happy Friday. :/

P.S. Wish my Mom & brother POSHIE "Good Luck" they are running the St George Half Marathon tomorrow morning.

P.S.S. my Mom is on DailyMile. You should ADD HER AS A FRIEND. ;)

Is Marriage Obsolete?

2012-01-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I saw a link on facebook for this article on BlogHer about marriage becoming obsolete. You can see it here. It was basically a book review on The Magic Room by Jeffrey Zaslow. Now, I was interested in the book review and what the author had to say, but something that really struck me was the following response in the comments.

you can see sovanheest's profile HERE

It never fails to disappoint me when I hear of another celebrity marriage that is ending in divorce for 'irreconcilable differences'. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries divorcing after 72 days? (*Note* I am not, nor will I ever be, a fan of anything Kardashian related- they are famous for being infamous) Seriously? 72 days? Did you EVEN try to work things out? Or how about Katy Perry and Russell Brand divorcing after 14 months of marriage? It boggles my mind. And honestly, it breaks my heart when I hear of any marriage dissolving, whatever the reason, 'irreconcilable differences' or worse, infidelity (that could be a blog post on it's own), it just plain SUCKS that those 2 people felt like they could no longer see their spouse as a partner, but rather, the enemy.

The conversation that sovanheest mentions in her response rings true for everyone. We all think "That will never be us. We're SO in love!" But there are days that you do wonder "Who is this person?", "What have I done?". And I firmly believe that if any married person denies this, you are 100% lying to yourself and your spouse. We get so caught up in wedding planning, the honeymoon stage, and the perfect 'white picket fence' imagery we've had since childhood. Let me just tell you, NO marriage is perfect. I don't understand why people pretend that marriage is easy, and that everything is perfect. I'm not saying we all need to air our dirty laundry and throw our spouses under the bus, but there's gotta be a middle ground somewhere.

Why wasn't it until after we got married that we heard the "Oh... the first year is always the hardest..."?! WTF? Why didn't someone tell me this BEFORE I got married? Then I wouldn't have felt like such a beast when I was upset about something Diz did (and likewise for him, I'm no peach either, HA!).

But you know what?

it's normal.

And everyone goes through it.

and the marriages that survive are because they've chosen commitment.

They remember the vows they spoke on their wedding day.

and they choose to hold to those vows.

What I don't understand is why people give up so easily?

Why don't people TRY when things get rough?

Isn't that what marriage is about? Having a partner there to go through the rough stuff with you?

I know Sundance and I's marriage has only been made stronger by all the challenges we have faced.

That being said, I know we'll have a long marriage full of challenges.

But I know he's got my back and I've got his.

And sometimes we'll be mad at each other, and frustrated, and upset.

But we will also love, and laugh at each other, and continue learning how to make marriage work. TOGETHER.

I know this is not the typical type of blog post for me... forgive me for ranting.

but... it's my blog. and I get to say what I want. ;)

What's the best marriage advice you recieved before getting married?

What if someone had a candid conversation with you before getting married like the one sovanheest mentioned?

What would your response have been?

Puppy Lesson #3562

2012-01-15T11:46:00.001-07:00

This cute little picture that seemed so funny when I pinned it on Pinterest

Just became REAL LIFE.

let me introduce you to Olivia "the doggie bed killer" Urie

seriously?

off to Walmart for a new dog bed. I already tried to repair it once, she obviously has seam ripper teeth.

lil' beast.

Puppy Love

2012-01-14T16:07:00.001-07:00

it seems like lately there hasn't been a blog post without a picture of Olivia...

so here ya go...

isn't she adorable?

she loves to sit as close as possible to us at all times.

so right now, that means under my chair while I blog. (just like the pic)

Love my pup. LOVE.

Also... I ran 12.75 miles today. And it kind of sucked.

My legs are still really fatigued and sore from all my CrossFit WODs this week, thanks to Tyson at Elevated CrossFit. And I did a pretty speedy progression run yesterday. Alas, my ass feels like I've been beat with a bat and my hamstrings are so tight, they feel like rubberbands.

So I need to foam roll, use my stick and stretch. Hopefully a day full of Olivia-snoodles and chillaxing on the couch will help too! ;) The great thing about this run was that I got to run with Rachelle again! It's been months since we've run together. (We also had a Yogurtland date last night! so yummy!)

Hey... did you see me on the AF Canyon Half Marathon site? Rachelle noticed my picture and FB'd me...

That's right... I'm famous. ;)

p.s. I am totally signing up for this race. I LOVED this race last year. LOVED.

Anyone else do a long run today? anyone racing this weekend?

big plans for the weekend?

p.s. it's Ann's (my BFF) birthday today! go wish her a happy birthday!

p.s.s. Stef is doing a Larabar giveaway on her blog. Check it out!

Goals for 2012

2012-01-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

So I know I’m about a week late on the whole New Years Resolution thing…

Though, to be honest, I’m not sure I’m a huge fan of “resolutions”, people always seem to break them a few weeks in. So instead of a resolution, I’m gonna list some goals that I have for 2012.

1. Track every workout on Daily Mile. Runs, CrossFit, spin class, everything. I noticed on everyone’s 2011 recap blogs that everyone knew their mileage for the year. I’ve never kept track. So I’m not even sure what a realistic goal is. Josh has challenged me to run 1,100 miles this year. According to Josh’s calculations, 1,100 miles equates to about 3 miles a day. I’m thinking I should shoot for 1,200 miles this year. (The year is 2012, why not run 1200 miles?!) After tracking this week, I think it’s definitely feasible. Especially with training for Ogden Marathon and other half marathons this year.

2. Speaking of CrossFit, I just started at a new CrossFit gym in Springville. It’s called Elevated CrossFit and is literally 2 miles from my house. After talking with Tyson (the owner/trainer) we’ve made some goals. In addition to getting me my sub 4:00 marathon, we also want to work on my upper body strength, meaning I want to be able to do pull-ups, ring dips, push ups with out assistance or scaling. I wouldn’t mind being able to do a bodyweight squat or two, either.

3. Of course, my sub 4:00 marathon. I really hope this happens at Ogden Marathon on May 19. Things I need to do to make this as realistic as possible- keep running, go to CrossFit, and maintain a healthy weight. After the holidays, I need to lose 10-15 pounds to be at the best racing weight (at least that’s what I think…).

4. Be the best dog Momma to Olivia. Diz and I are loving this adventure of raising a puppy. I want her to learn some basic commands; sit, stay, lay, heel (when walking), etc. We pretty much have “sit” perfected. But I really want her to be a good running companion, so we need to work on that… big time. The vet said we can start running now, but to hold off on long runs and fast paces (which I’m not anyways) until her long bones are done growing (usually 7-8 months). So we have a few more months to get her “manners” perfected. Oh… and if we can get her to stop eating rocks, that would be great too.

5. Spend more quality time with family and friends. Go on more dates with Diz. Give and receive LOVE like there’s no tomorrow. Our family suffered a lot of loss last year and it’s made me realize how important family is. Not that I didn’t know it before, it’s just been made blaringly obvious by all the loss last year.

So here’s to 2012 being great in every way!!

What are some of your goals or resolutions?

reason #4,536

2012-01-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

yet another reason why I LOVE being a puppy Mom.

the other night, Bolt (the old Disney movie) was on TV.

and OLIVIA LOVED IT!

Everytime the dog barked and or squeaked his carrot toy... she RAN to the TV.

seriously... TOO CUTE.

2012...

2012-01-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

Diz and I had a very low-key New Years Eve (very, very low-key).

I went running with my Mom and brother, Poshie.

We all wore our new neon green running shirts.

"TWINNERS!"

unfortunately, I didn't think to take any pictures!

we ended up running 13.12 miles in 1 hour 58 minutes.

great run to end the year.

I was pretty tired after our run, after I thought about it, I think it may have been my longest run since St. George.

at least I can't think of any other significant run since the marathon.

so it makes sense why I am still sore...

but the best part of New Years Eve...

was how snoodly Olivia was.

I put her up on the bed when I was getting dressed and couldn't help but lay down with her.

I had every intention of being somewhat productive that day.

and... well...

I wasn't.

we napped.

and cuddled.

and cuddled some more.

Our big plans for the night??

not much.

we watched Pirates of the Caribbean-On Stranger Tides (#3) and had a glass of wine.

Sadly... I did not make it to midnight.

but I did watch the whole movie.

Diz snoozed off and on through the movie,

but he made it to midnight.

When did I become such a fuddy-dud?!

The idea of a party and dealing with crazy crowds no longer seems appealing.

Oh well... we were happy to chill at home and snoodle with the pup.

New Years Day I woke up and brought Olivia into bed with us.

Diz got quite the wake up call!

We finally took Christmas decorations down (our house feels so bare)

and we hit the mall and I got lots of great deals! Wahoo.

then we came home and found some more deals online! SWEET!

How was your New Years??

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas...

2011-12-28T23:05:00.000-07:00

Good thing Santa had already come or these puppies would have definitely gotten coal in their stockings!

they are SO naughty with each other...

so ferocious!

crazy eyes! ;)

fighting over toys!!!

Christmas Eve and Christmas day were whirlwinds!

So much family, so much food, and lots of fun!

Christmas Eve night I went to mass with my family and then met up with Diz at his Mom's house for a dinner.

Then it was off to my parents house to sleep & wake up for Christmas morning.

Then back home to shower and get ready,

then off to Diz's Dad's family party,

and then off to my Aunt & Uncle's house for another family party,

and then back to my parents house to exchange gifts with Ashley friend.

We were supposed to see Diz's Momma on Christmas Day to exchange gifts but we never could quite meet up.

So we exchanged gifts yesterday. :)

Poshie on Christmas morning,

he'd kill me if he saw this pic! lol.

Daddy opening presents

Dizzle's PS3...

(told him I needed more excitement for pictures- this is what I got)

in his defense-he knew he was getting one. I almost got arrested on Black Friday for getting into it with another shopper at GameStop.

okay---I'm exagerrating a little bit... but the girl was not nice and deserved a good punch to the nose... but I refrained... I mean, I knew Santa was watching. I had to be good. ;)

Because if I wasn't good- I wouldn't have gotten the coolest brush set (for Olivia).

similar to the 'furminator' style- but less expensive. it helps get all the undercoat out so she won't shed as bad!

Santa brought Momma the new Limited Edition Wave Rider 15.

I'm a little (a lot) jealous...

Dad finally got his birthday present!

Weird... it was under the Christmas tree and not tagged... I should have opened it! ;)

Diz's Mom got Olivia her first Christmas ornament! How cute!

plus 2 toys!

because she obviously needs MORE toys...

spoiled rotten pup.

I wish I had taken more photos... but in all honesty I was having more fun hanging out with the family!

We were SO crazy busy, but I love (love, love, love) that we are able to see all of our families for the holidays.

We're very lucky that we don't have to split up holidays. Everyone is close! :)

Santa was good to us this year!

We got a portable crate for Olivia

(similar to a port-a-crib for babies... it folds flat so we can take her with us if we're traveling or staying overnight somewhere...

her plastic crate doesn't fit in my jeep and Diz's truck is full of tools, so it won't fit in his truck bed either.)

Diz got his PS3, I got lots of workout gear (including the coolest neon green cold weather top that has reflective pigment fibers in the fabric so when I run in the dark I'll light up (and not run over!) and it will totally go with my Tinkerbell outfit!!)

& I got a darling hoodie from Diz.

And my parents are taking us to Disneyland in January (the Tinkerbell Half!)!

Which is awesome! They are taking care of our flight and hotel room. So stoked. My Momma & Daddy rock. ROCK!

My parents also surprised my nephew in Oklahoma over skype on Christmas morning. My brother, Jason, already knew they were coming, but we told my nephew, Jacob, that morning. He was pretty excited. (he was really shy & quiet on the computer- but Jason assured us he was jumping up and down in the other room! lol)

How was your Christmas?

Did Santa treat you well this year?

Christmas Festivities

2011-12-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

Been running around like a crazy woman trying to get ready for Christmas.

I'm proud to say I finished the majority of my shopping over the weekend and got the package I've been waiting (oh-so-patiently) for from ViewSport came on Monday. I wrapped everything that night and I'm OFFICIALLY ready for Christmas! I shouldn't have to step foot into a store before Christmas... except to buy groceries. And I'll go to Reams... I'm not stepping foot into Walmart or Costco. ;)

Check out my cute pup! Went to PetSmart on Sunday to stock up on some essentials for her, bought some ear cleaning wipes (so gross... her left ear gets NASTY), some in-between-bath wipes, some Furminator shampoo & conditioner, (Santa is bringing me the brush set) and some more puppy food. The breeder was feeding them Kirkland puppy food and the vet recommended we upgrade to a premium puppy food. My Mom has always liked the Nutro brand... so Nutro it is. I swear I can already tell a difference in her coat. Shiny, pretty, puppy. Oh... and I found a ducky squeaky toy on clearance. She LOVES it! :)

On Tuesday night, we continued our tradition and made gingerbread houses with the Chiniquy kids. Jackson, his friend Ryan, Gracen, Elli, and Jamieson came over and got to work. I think they were more interested in playing with the puppies though. Especially Jamieson. He LOVES Paisley. He didn't really want to play with Olivia. ;) We've done gingerbread houses with the kids for the last 3 years. It shocks me every time I see the kids and how big they are (Jackson... when did he get taller than me?! and 15 years old? AH!) and Gracen and Elli are so gorgeous, it's not even fair. (These kids sucked up all the gorgeous genes, the rest of us are out of luck!)

Check out the finished products.

Elli

Gracen

Jackson

Ryan (Jackson's friend)

Jamieson (he didn't want to smile, so I told him to stick out his tongue. My Mom was not pleased. lol)

the group (minus Jamieson-he was playing with Paisley)

me! my OCD'sshowing... gotta have color coordinating candies and perfect icing icicles. ;)

Are you ready for Christmas?

Any fun traditions that your family does?

We usually go to Temple Square to look at the lights, but I don't know if we'll make it up there this year.

(p.s. 4 years ago, on 12/22, Dizzle proposed! After a wonderful date in Park City we drove ALL the way back to Springville and he proposed in my parents basement!! It's a funny story... maybe a blog post later...)

Grandma Wright

2011-12-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

My Grandma passed away unexpectedly last week. She fell and broke her hip on Monday, went in for surgical repair the next day and passed away after a successful surgery.

We are still in shock.

We are relieved knowing that she did not suffer or have any pain.

She is up in heaven with my Grandpa Wright, reunited after many years of being separated.

I also imagine my Grandma Marge has been toting her around introducing her to all of her golfing lady friends, family, and likewise, I'm sure Grandma Wright is introducing her to all of her family and friends.

I miss my Grandma already.

make sure you hug your loved ones a little longer today,

call a grandparent, take them flowers, or dinner, or just go spend time with them.

Life can change in an instant.

Time is precious. Spend it with the ones you LOVE.

Diz & I with my Grandma at our wedding

Ardyce Wright of Riverton died on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2011, at Riverton Memorial Hospital. She was 84.

Services will be at 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 12 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Riverton with Pastor David Magruder officiating.

A brief service before burial will be held at 2 p.m. at Oregon Trail Cemetery in Casper.

Born on Sunday, Jan. 30, 1927, in Hoskins, Neb., Ardyce Mittelstaedt was the daughter of Herb and Irene (Bauman) Mittelstaedt. She grew up and attended parochial school there, being graduated in 1945.

On Oct. 27, 1946, she married Mervin Wright in Hoskins. They moved to Casper in 1953, and resided there until 1975, when they moved to Cheyenne. Upon retirement, they traveled for several years and then settled in Clovis, N.M. In 1998, they returned to Casper. After Mr. Wright died, she relocated to Riverton in 2000, to be closer to family.

While working in Casper, she was one of the first employees of Community Television, the first cable TV provider in Casper. The remainder of her working career was spent at Mountain Bell, where she worked in Casper, Riverton and Cheyenne, retiring in 1984.

Her family said Mrs. Wright's interests included reading, country music, the Denver Broncos, crossword puzzles, and her family.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Merv, in 1999; son-in-law, Jim Nethercott, in 2009, and brother Jerry, Mittelstaedt, in 2010.

She is survived by her, daughter, Judy Nethercott of Riverton; son, Steve Wright and his wife Pam of Springville, Utah; grandchildren, Jason Wright of Sand Springs, Okla., Todd Nethercott and wife Sally of Alexandria, Va., Troy Nethercott and wife Slavka of Leesburg, Va., Joshua Wright of Springville, Utah, Tara Nethercott-Leazenby and husband Robert of Cheyenne and Ashley Urie and husband Dustin of Springville, Utah; her sister, Janette Amen and husband Bob of Lincoln, Neb., and three great grandsons with two more expected in the spring.

Memorials may be made to Trinity Lutheran School in Riverton, the Arthritis Foundation or a charity of the donor's choice in care of the
Davis Funeral Home, 2203 West Main Street, Riverton, WY 82501.

On-line condolences may be made at: thedavisfuneralhome.com

Services are under the direction of the Davis Funeral Home of Riverton.

(obituary from The David Funeral Home)

Thanksgiving #1 & #2

2011-12-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

so, here is another catch up post...

and it's gonna be heavy on the pictures and pretty short when it comes to writing.

We spent Thanksgiving Day with the Mercer side of the fam. (Sundance's Mom's side)

Diz and I spent most of the time playing with the kids and trying to wear them out. ;)

Chase also told me he wants to marry me when he gets older.

I told Chase he'd have to take it up with Diz. ;)

We spent the Saturday after Thanksgiving with the Ford side of the family up at their cabin in Fairview.

It was a gorgeous day. We had a blast hanging out, trap shooting, blowing up pumpkins (yup... we did that), eating lots of yummy food, playing with all the puppies (Mike brought his 2 labs up and our new puppies had a blast chasing them around), and playing Jenga with all the cousins. :)

How was your Thanksgiving?

Does your family split Thanksgiving dinners up?

We started it last year, and it is the best thing ever. We can spend all day with each of our families and not feel rushed or get over-stuffed with food!

build-a-bear adventures

2011-12-08T19:00:00.002-07:00

After such a rough & emotional morning of dealing with Abby's passing

we headed up to SLC to hang with Dallas & Kris and the kids.

Susy (my mother in law) wanted to take the kids to Build A Bear for an early Christmas present.

It was a great pick me up and put some smiles back on my face after I'd been crying off and on all day long.

Get ready for picture overload!!!

Diz totally put the shorts on backward.

The hole is for his tail -- not his wiener.

I helped Tessa get her polar bear dressed in her Christmas dress,

complete with shoes and matching hair bows.

Tessa & Snowflake

Chase got a puppy, and named him Fluffy.

He chose that animal because it looks like his dog, Chance,

who had to be put down from cancer, too. (just a few weeks ago)

This is when Chase told me he was sorry about my dog, Abby.

It was really sweet.
I hadn't mentioned it to them (didn't want to be a downer)

but Kris must have seen on facebook and told the kids.

Chase was really sweet and gave me a hug and we talked briefly about how much it sucks to lose a good dog.

Jack napped for most of the trip, but finally woke up at the end.

and LOVED his puppy and his Lightening McQueen jammies and slippers.

Diz was in charge of the puppy for Jack.

it worried me that the shorts were on backwards,

can you imagine when he has to dress a baby?! LOL.

Jack giving the pup big hugs!

too cute.

Anyone else love Build A Bear? kids love it?

I know my niece and nephews love it!

A girl could go WILD with all those extra accessories! ;)

breaking dawn deliciousness...

2011-12-07T06:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm a little behind.

Bringing Olivia into our family has been quite the adventure and I'm finding how little time I have for blogging.

So I apologize for the late (& out of order blogs) and not keeping up with your blog posts...

Ashley and I went to see Breaking Dawn on November 17th.

and it was at a decent time too! 6:30pm! No midnight showings for us this year!

We hit up Pizza Factory for salad bar and breadtwists so we wouldn't have to gorge on candy and popcorn later. ;)

A spinal rehab place had "sponsored" our theater and they were giving out raffle prizes.

they saved the last 3 "big ticket" prizes for last. The one I REALLY wanted was a pass for 10 (30 minute) sessions on their AlterG treadmill.

AND GUESS WHAT I WON?!

a picture (on canvas!) of "Forks, Washington"

hometown of Bella & Edward.

okay.... so the movie.

I LOVED it. Really, I did.

I think it's the best one yet.

(umm... the sex scene... was hot. that. is. all.)

I really hate it when people say that the acting bad, or that the books are poorly written.

I'm a fan of the books and the movies. I know they are a little cheesy. And if the acting is bad- It doesn't bother me. Is the writing bad? I didn't notice. I was thoroughly entertained by Stephanie Meyer's writing.

Though, I'm not a stuck up literature snob. I like young adult lit, harlequin cheese ball romances, and western romances. It doesn't take much to keep me entertained.

we took a couple of inappropriate photos with the HUGE canvas. ;)

(outside of the theater, didn't want to upset the sponsor-- it was one of his photos that he took)

Although, in all honesty, after getting it home and looking at it awhile I'm beginning to wonder if I had it framed really nice... It might look really good. Keyword is 'might' and that sucker would cost a lot to have framed because of it's size. So for now it's sitting in the spare bedroom. After Christmas we'll have to re-evaluate.

I know this is like 3 weeks late...

but are any of you Twilight fans? See the movie?

Thoughts on the movie?

confessions of a new dog mom

2011-11-30T22:28:00.000-07:00

we've learned some important lessons in the first few days of being puppy parents...

1. Puppies have no bladder control.

they have accidents. luckily, Olivia's been pretty good.

we've had a few messes but we usually catch her in time and get her outside before there is a huge mess.

2. Because their bladders are the size of a midget thimble she gets up about every 2-3 hours to go potty during the night. I'm suddenly a very heavy sleeper because Diz has been getting up at the 2am/3am time to take her potty when she starts whining/crying (I honestly don't hear her... I wake up only because he gets out of bed and I'm suddenly a lot colder when the blankets get thrown back). I get her up at the 4am or 5am potty time (depending on when I get up to run... she usually hears me and wakes up).

3. Olivia still hates her collar and is pretty much dumbfounded by her leash.

she constantly scratches at her neck trying to remove her collar.

and she basically freaks out with the leash, tries to pull away from it and ends up choking herself.

she needs to get used to it because she will be running with me at some point!

4. Olivia is a mellow, loving, snoodly-doodly puppy when it's just us.

when she goes to my Mom's house for "doggy day care" with Paisley she turns into an agressive beast.

OMG-they are little hooligans together. They fight, growl, chew on each other's ears, pull at each other's collars, etc. Then she comes home and is sweet, loving Olivia.

(Let me introduce you to Dr. Jekyl & Ms. Hyde)

5. Being a dog mom is exhausting.

thank goodness she's a cuddler because...

this has been happening a lot lately.

(monday night...)

(tuesday night... yes, I'm wearing the same jammies... don't hate)

(and don't look at my acne... or stretch marks on my love handles)

but, we've really been having a blast trying to figure this whole dog parenting thing.

she's getting better at going to her kennel at night and last night she really did sleep from midnight to 4am.

We're working on figuring out our schedule, work, gym, play time with her, etc.

Like I mentioned earlier, she's been going to doggy day care at my Mom's during the day, I drop her off in the morn and then one of us picks her up after work. She's usually SO excited to see us. It's adorable. :)

After our chat with the landlords (which was super anxiety inducing... OMG) we decided that as long as their son doesn't react to Olivia (he's allergic to cats) then we'll continue to live here and lay a concrete pad in the spring and put a gated kennel outside for her.

Because of Diz's allergies we'll be bathing Olivia weekly and vacuuming VERY frequently. We're also looking into getting an air purifier for him. (silly kid and his asthma...). I'll be brushing her pretty frequently too, getting rid of the extra fur before she sheds everywhere.

speaking of Diz, he was feeling left out so we had to take a picture just for the blog.

... and I quote "it's not fair, you're blogging about her and I don't have any pictures with her!"

and I'm not even exaggerating.

oooooh, by the way... does anyone have an extra dog crate? a large or extra large size? I need an extra crate to store at my Mom's house for her, so when the weather is yucky, the pups can stay in their crates in the garage. We bought one on a killer black friday deal at PetSmart and I really don't want to pay full price for a second one. Let me know!

time for bed! Olivia is yawning like crazy! :)

meet the newest Urie

2011-11-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy day! Started at 5:30am with my Mom and I going out looking for a present for Dizzle. We finally got what I was looking for (and almost got into a fight with some chick... no worries, we all know who would've won...) and we headed to the gym, busted out 3 miles and headed home to get ready for more shopping. We hit a few stores and headed up to the airport to pick up my Aunt Kimmie. We stopped at a few stores and eventually dropped Kimmie & the girls off at my Grandpa's house.

and in all the craziness of Black Friday shopping, my Mom and I ended up at Sportsman's Warehouse in Provo. We had a feeling they'd have some puppies outside-because they usually do. And sure enough, we walked outside and there was a sign for AKC Golden Retrievers.

and we fell in love.

I called Dizzle and he happened to be across the street at the mall. So he came over and once he got a peek at her, he wanted her just as much as I did.

and just like that... we were puppy parents.

the only catch... there were 2 other puppies.

one for my Mom & Dad and

one for Josh.

We sent all three puppies home (after we had paid for our puppy) and told them we wanted to bring my Dad & my brother over, because there was a large possibility that we'd all buy one.

the Daddy dog - Marley

BIGGEST golden retriever I've EVER seen.

gorgeous coloring, so mellow, and loving.

the Momma dog - Bailey

very loving, gorgeous color, and just a beautiful pup.

and they made the CUTEST puppy ever ---

MEET

Olivia Ann Urie

My parents ended up buying the puppy with white toes.

you can see her white toes on her back paws.

She is adorable. and HUGE.

and they are still deciding on a name, they are thinking Paisley or Hannah.

we took them to their first PetSmart trip.

Olivia kissing on my Dad.

We bought her a kennel crate, toys, & bone-yo's.

(we also hit up Costco for a doggie bed and food)

Josh with Hannah/Paisley.

She's all cuddled up on her bed.

She's still a little unsure of her collar, and has no idea what the leash is for.

But she loves (LOVES) to cuddle.

Still haven't heard her bark. Though she does snore a tad when she sleeps. ;)

I'm still kind of in shock that we are dog owners!!

it all happened so fast! But we are SO EXCITED.

p.s. when should we tell the landlords?!

RIP Abby Dog

2011-11-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

our sweet Abby dog went to heaven yesterday.

she had an amazing day on Saturday.

my parents took her shopping at Petsmart, she was having a ball walking around the

store checking out all the treats, toys and other puppies in the grooming area.

she got a bone-yo (our nickname for bones) and was in hog-heaven.

she even went to visit my Grandpa for a bit.

they came home and she seemed to be doing great.

when my Mom woke up on Sunday morning she knew something was wrong.

Abby was really weak and had a very hard time getting out of her crate.

after collapsing a few times, she seemed content to just lay and cuddle.

I went over around 7am and we all just snoodled with her.

her breathing was very rapid and shallow, her heart was racing,

and her tummy was more swollen.

she was loving the cuddles, but we could tell she wasn't happy.

we knew she was suffering.

Abby passed away peacefully around 10:30am.

and while it was absolutely heartbreaking for us, we knew

she was up in heaven, greeted by my Grandma and cousin Brad,

and getting lots of love from Kelsey dog, which gave us some comfort.

Looking back over the last year...

Abby has been camping,

boating, 4 wheeling,

swimming at the lake,

had sleep overs with Diz & I and with Poshie,

been running with us,

& most definitely been spoiled rotten.

Found out she loves licking jello pudding cups, greek yogurt cups,

loves pretzels, macadamia nuts and cheese sticks.

(not that we fed her that stuff ALL the time, just every once & awhile)

Abby also loved licking the shower floor every morning after my Mom showered.

Loved her 'baby' (a stuffed sheep).

& most importantly, she loved us!

Abigail Shanaenae Wright

October 10th, 2000- November 20th, 2011

sometimes life sucks

2011-11-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

so we got some bad news the other day about Abby Dog...

She started getting sick a few weeks ago after eating some berries that the idiotic neighbor kids threw over the fence. She was very weak, throwing up & not eating.

((besides the fact the I'd like to beat the shit out of the parents for not being responsible enough to watch their kids while they are outside, the parents are being the biggest douche bags on the planet. please... keep reproducing so you can have more children that you WON'T watch and WON'T take responsibility for their actions.))

anyways... my parents took Abby to the vet and they did some blood work and found that her white blood cell count was way elevated. Which was indicative of a raging infection. So they gave her antibiotics and fluids (because she was so dehydrated) and sent her home. They said the berries had such a toxic reaction that it caused a bad infection in her stomach which was why she was so weak and kept vomiting.

Well, since then, she really hasn't recovered 100%. She'd have a good day, tail wagging, eating her food and begging for ours, good energy level, then the next 2 days, she's lethargic, weak, no appetite, not even begging for our food, and throwing up. And then, she'd be a little better the next day. We figured the toxins from the berries were just working their way out of her system and she'd bounce back.

Well... cycle continues... good day, bad day, ok day, bad day, etc.

So my Mom took her back to the vet this Wednesday.

and the vet tried explaining that her lack of appetite was because she's "11 years old, not running as much" blah, blah, blah. WRONG. My dog LOVES to eat. She LIVES to eat. (she takes after me & my mom! ha!)

But she agreed to check her blood just to make sure nothing else was going on.

When the vet came back in with the results, it wasn't good.

Abby's white blood cell count was still elevated, but now her red blood cell count was really low.

which meant possible cancer.

The vet wanted to go over Abby's case with the other vet at the clinic and figure out what to do next.

Turns out a specialist was going to be in the next day to do ultrasounds and they wanted to do an ultrasound on Abby to check for tumors.

and they found a pancake size tumor on her spleen.

it's called Hemangiosarcoma.

the following info is from Canine Cancer. (click for link)

*Hemangiosarcoma in dogs is an aggressive, malignant tumor of blood vessel cells. Hemangiosarcoma can theoretically arise from any tissue where there are blood vessels, which is essentially anywhere in the body, but usually appear in the skin, soft tissue, spleen or liver with the most common site being the spleen. They are highly metastatic and will frequently spread to the brain, but also to the lungs, spleen, heart, kidneys, skeletal muscle and bone.

The spleen is a large abdominal organ which while not essential for life, serves an important role to the blood and lymph functions. Splenic growths have the unfortunate tendency to break open and bleed profusely regardless of whether they are benign or malignant. While a splenectomy (removal of the spleen) ends the prospect of this type of life-threatening sudden bleed, splenic hemangiosarcoma is still a rapidly spreading malignancy.

When a splenic mass is detected, it may not be possible to tell prior to splenectomy whether or not the mass is malignant or not although testing will most likely be performed to attempt to determine this. It has been estimated that 25% of dogs with splenic Hemangiosarcoma also have a heart-based Hemangiosarcoma.

When the tumor is located in the spleen or liver, the clinical signs are usually due to rupture of the tumor and subsequent bleeding into the abdomen. This causes anemia, weakness and if the bleeding is severe, collapse. The gums may appear to be pale or white. In relative few dogs, the diagnosis is made before the tumor ruptures.
When the tumor is located in the heart, it can cause symptoms, such as weakness, collapse, difficulty breathing, exercise intolerance and fluid build-up in the abdomen. This is usually due to the development of fluid around the heart, called pericardial effusion. The pericardium is a thin sack that surrounds the heart and with hemangiosarcoma, the pericardium fills up with blood due to rupture of the tumor.*

According to the ultrasound, her abdomen is already full of fluid, most likely blood, which means her tumor has ruptured. Which also explains her symptoms. Weakness, shallow breathing, & her anemia (low RBC count). We could put Abby through surgery to remove the tumor, but because Hemangiosarcoma is a metastatic disease, it's likely it's already spread, or will spread and she would only develop more tumors. On the ultrasound they had difficulty visualizing her heart, but did not think there were any tumors. And they were unable to check her lungs without doing an x-ray. But doing the surgery wouldn't prolong her life for very long, if she made it through the surgery.

*After a splenectomy, the median survival time is only 19-83 days. And if the spleen has ruptured before it can be removed, the prognosis is poorer. The combination of splenectomy and chemotherapy can increase survival time but fewer than 10% of dogs survive a more than one year.*
(from Canine Cancer).

The vet gave her a steroid shot and a vitamin B shot which has seemed to help give her some more energy. She's eating again. And has never seemed to be in pain (which is a huge blessing).

So for now, we are just going to love and snoodle her as much as we can and continue to spoil her rotten. We know when she's ready to go, she'll let us know and we will not let her suffer.

She'll go to heaven, hang out with Kelsey dog and keep my Grandma & Brad company.

after a haircut a few summers ago

she likes to beveryclosetoyouatalltimes

big YAWN

camping last summer, chillin' in the rhinHo

santa hats w/my Daddy

cutest Christmas puppy ever

is there something in the water??

2011-11-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

real talk... all my friends are pregnant or just had babies.

I swear everyone else is due in March 2012.

there's gotta be something in Utah's water.

the water I drink, however... is filtered. ;)

no babies for us... for a while.

Last weekend Diz and I headed up to SLC to Jess & Dean's new little boy

Jaxyn Dean Burrows

born November 1, weighed 7lb 14oz and 20 inches long.

take a look at that adorable babe!

all that hair! TONS of dark hair.

then, the next night, my Mom and I headed to the hospital to see Murr & Kelsey's new baby girl

Hudson Tucker

(i'm pretty sure there is a middle name... but after FB & blog stalking I can't find it...)

Hudson made her appearance on November 4, weighed in at 9lb 2oz and 21 inches long.

(Kels went a week overdue, so Hudson came out with a little chunk on her!)

my Mom was in heaven... :) she's a surrogate grandma ;)

I was pretty smitten too. and... I'm a surrogate Auntie ;)

She is seriously one of the most gorgeous baby girls I've ever seen.

perfect lips, chubby cheeks, and dark hair.

I wanted to snoodle her FOREVER.

Gotta admit... I was a little baby hungry for about 48 hours.

then I remembered I signed up for Ogden Marathon and

(let's be honest) probably couldn't get a sub 4:00 if I was preggers. ;)

p.s. I had an amazing 10.4 treadmill run yesterday at the gym. Felt SO good. felt strong. felt like me (the runner-me) again!

and I'm still loving CrossFit. I always feel like a bad-ass when I get done. ;)

some new goals...

2011-11-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

So y'all know I've been doing CrossFit (at Viking CrossFit) for the last 2 weeks.

and ... I'm pretty sure I'm in LOVE with it.

I've learned a lot about what I'm capable of, even when I think I can't do something.

The trainers are GREAT.

Everyone is super encouraging and helpful.

On Friday's workout we did 400m runs and 30 double-unders (4 rounds).

I went in thinking I had this workout because of the running.

pfft... I can run. I CAN RUN.

however... I can NOT jump rope.

and I still have the bruises to prove it.

I mean, really... who gets bruised from jumping rope?!

yup... ME.

I had welts across my arms, ass and ankles...

really, the pictures don't do it justice...

apparently I favor the right side. it's still bruised over my elbow.
be glad I didn't photograph the welts on my ass.

anyways...

I have some new goals for the month...

1. quit drinking soda.

One of the owners/trainers at Viking CrossFit said one of the easiest ways to kick start weight loss

is to quit drinking soda... even if it's diet.

Something about our bodies reacting to the "diet" like it was real sugar- hence... weight gain.

soo... no more Diet Coke or Diet Dr Pepper.

8 days sober... ;)

after thinking about it... I'm beginning to wonder if it's all sugar-substitute type drinks... because if that's the case... I'm screwed. I drink Crystal Light by the gallon and use Equal in my coffee every morning.

and I'm pretty sure I know that answer... but I'm afraid to ask Jason about it, for fear that he'll tell me I'll have to drink PLAIN water. ugh. boring.

2. Hit the CrossFit gym 4-5 times a week.

Since I'm not really in *training* right now for any races I can afford to spend the extra time doing my CrossFit workouts. I went 5 days last week and I loved it. It almost helps with the soreness to just keep going back because it forces you to work out the kinks.

3. Keep running while doing CrossFit

not gonna lie... it's tough.

I'm tired. But I want to get stronger and still be a strong (i.e. my level of strong) runner.

this week, my Dr is out of the office, so I'm taking advantage and running in the morns for longer than normal.

this morn I thought I was gonna die. Felt like 6,785 degrees in the gym. I was DRIPPING in sweat. ugh.

but I am trying to get some of my speed back... Right after the marathon I was taking it slow and easy, certainly not pushing the speed or intensity. So this month, I'm working on it.

4. LOSE WEIGHT

after my month of NOT running because of the damn achilles tendonitis...

I put on a few pounds. I ate my emotions and stress because I couldn't run them off.

I've been a less-than-stellar WW member during Sept and Oct, but this month, I've been a freaking SUPERSTAR. tracking everything! EVERYTHING. even the caramel apple cheesecake bars. (17 points, holy shit!). So I'm hoping to get my ass in gear and lose those few pounds I gained in Sept and maybe even lose a few more since I'm CrossFit-ting my guts out.

and on a non-fitness, weight loss tangent...

5. be more THANKFUL

I'm going to try to focus on all the positive things going on in my life rather than dwell on the negative crap. I need to be thankful for everything that I have and surround myself with positive people who love me for me (and all my crazy quirks- HA!). I'm so lucky that I have such a supportive hubby and family who are ALWAYS there for me and push me to be a better person & athlete. :)

has anyone else made some new goals?

what are you THANKFUL for?

Abby-sitting

2011-11-02T13:00:00.001-06:00

Last weekend Diz and I were in charge of Abby while my parents went camping.

she was such a good dog. she's so well-behaved and loving. It really makes me want to get a puppy.

but I have to remember that Abby is so well-behaved mainly because she's been trained (by Momma) and she's 12 years old. She's technically NOT a puppy anymore. But... she'll always be our "puppy".

Abby and I went for an 8 miler on saturday morning and she was completely pooped by the time we got home. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take some photos. :)

she's completely out... didn't even hear me snapping photos... ;)

oooh. she woke up... playing peek-a-boo around the corner...

look at those sleepy eyes... i love how her puppy cheeks are laying on the floor.

this is my current desktop background at work. :)

oooh... cute puppy cheeks!

soooo sleepy. SOOO tired after our run.

do you have a puppy/dog?

how can I convince Diz that we can get a puppy even though he's "allergic"?!

this is halloween!

2011-11-01T21:47:00.000-06:00

Diz's Mom had a halloween party on Sunday night.

We had quite the feast, and thanks to proper planning & execution

(*cough, cough* Diz & I *cough, cough*)

we got to eat 30 mins after everyone arrived.

we had pizza, bbq chicken, baked potatoes, steamed carrots,

a huge veggie tray, and a green salad.

I was pretty good during dinner, but finally succumbed to temptation when the dessert came out.

I had a couple pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and a sugar cookie.

SOOO delicious. and worth it.

My mom and I did a 10.6 mile run that morning... it all evens out...

now for the pictures!!

I'm an Angel (duh!) & Diz is a devil. gotta love the fuzzy devil horns.

Diz was taking pictures, so I of course bust out the ugly, awkward face.

I'm trying to be a photographer... ha.
I love LOVE love taking pictures of Jack.
he moves SO fast, so I was happy when I got a couple decent pics.

had so much fun playing with the purple halloween lights.
and NOT using my flash.

sock monkey.
do you see that face? he's ADORABLE.
and had 2 costumes.
he was also Mickey Mouse.

Chase was a Ute fan. :)
he picked the right team!

Tessa was a mermaid! and was sparkly like me!
between the 2 of us we had glitter EVERYWHERE!

I normally don't get too excited about dressing up at work, but this year,

my costume was pretty low maintenance.

I can imagine our patients confusion when they walked in and saw my Mom and I.

Angel & Devil at the front desk. :)

my angelic face and my mom's 'devil' face. lol.

we're so weird... honestly.

After work I headed to Viking CrossFit

for the "HELL"-o-ween WOD.

100 burpees

100 Pull-ups (or Ring Rows for me)

OMG.

first time EVER doing a burpee... and I go on the day when we're doing 100?!

go big or go home, right?

I felt like a bad-ass when we were done. :)

an extremely sweaty, hot-mess, bad-ass.

I hurried home, changed out of my sweaty clothes and Diz and I went to Josh's house for chicken noodle soup and caramel apple cheesecake bars.

We watched "Hide & Seek" and passed out candy to trick-or-treaters.

Those caramel apple cheesecake bars were DIVINE.

best dessert ever.

I was accountable and looked up the recipe today and figured out the WW points for the serving I had.

Let's just say I should have had a smaller serving.

HOLY shiz.

I had 1/12th of the pan (9x13)

which in hindsight... was TOO much.

but it was REALLY good.

wanna know how many points my serving was?

ugh...

starts with a "7" and ends in a "teen"

yup. 17 points.

for reference- I get 29 points in a day.

oh well. I tracked it. and in all honesty, I'd eat it again.

(just in a smaller serving)

How was your Halloween?

Any fun parties? Any great food/recipes I need to know about?!

More Scrapbooking Pages...

2011-10-29T23:34:00.000-06:00

It's been a BUSY day!

I helped my Mom with her garage sale this morning.

we started setting up at 6am. it was FREEZING!

people started showing up around 7:30am and shopped til about 1:30pm!

It was CRAZY how much we sold!

I had a few other errands to run and then I finally got home around 6pm tonight.

Made dinner for Diz and I...

and I got the urge to scrapbook again. :)

I really want to get caught up as quickly as possible.

So here are 6 pages I busted out in the last few hours.

all of them are quickpages. so they were fast & easy!

2008 is almost done!

(minus the hundreds of engagement, bridal and wedding photos)

Eva Kipler's "Bring Back the 70's" Quickpage (no longer available)

ScrapMatter's Collab "A Slice Of Life" Freebie Quickpage,
green chrome alpha from WM Squared.

Ellie Lash "Celebrate" Freebie Quickpage
Britt-ish Designs "Just Plain Fun" Alpha

Purple Tulip Designs "Too Cute Boy" Freebie Quickpage,
Britt-ish Designs "Animal House" Alpha.

WM Squared "Shabby Chic" Freebie Quickpage,
Elegant Wordart Freebie

Tomorrow should be a pretty fun day.

Mom and I (and maybe Joshie) will do a long(ish) run. I'm hoping for 8.

Mom may want to go farther. :/

Then we have a Halloween party with Diz's fam.

I'm gonna be an angel, complete with wings, halo, and LOTS of glitter.

Diz is gonna be a punkin. ;)

Happy Halloween!!

i'm gettin' CrossFit!

2011-10-28T21:46:00.000-06:00

Diz and I survived our first CrossFit workout on wednesday night. Jason was a great trainer! He explained all the movements/exercises to us so I didn't feel like a total idiot. I figured I was in for an AWESOME workout when the warmup got me sweaty. One day I WILL be able to do pull-ups WITHOUT the band and I will do the Ring Dips without the modification.

the workout of the day (aka WOD) was

Box Squat

3-3-3-3-3

rest 2 minutes

12-9-5
Thrusters 135/95
Pull-ups

the box squats felt a little awkward at first. I've never squatted with free weights, so I was really unsure of how I would do. But Jason was very encouraging and helpful and pushed me to work harder. Every set we increased the weight by 10-20 lbs. (I was working out with another 'CrossFit-ter' Lindsay). We started at 35lbs and by the last set we were at 105lbs. I really don't think I've EVER squatted that much weight. I was pretty stoked.

Thrusters (I did 35lbs... not the recommended 95, SERIOUSLY?! 95lbs?)

omigosh. arms were like mush. MUSH. since my pull-up skills are lacking, I did Ring Rows instead. I feel like my triceps are already showing. ;)

I went back in today for another workout...

I was very (VERY) naive in thinking that 10 minutes would hardly be a workout.

OMG. I was SO VERY wrong.

today's WOD

2 minutes of bear crawls for distance
2 minutes of double-unders for reps
2 minutes of back extensions for reps
2 minutes of rowing for calories
2 minutes of knees 2 elbows for reps

(in any order)

so... I found out I suck at double-unders and knees 2 elbows.

knees 2 elbows are when you hang from the pull up bar and bring your knees to your elbows.

a double-under is when you jump rope and the rope passes under you twice on one jump.

yup... this chick did single jumps.

bear crawls made me feel like my head was going to explode and my shoulders were gonna fall out of their sockets. This was also when the trainer, Will, told me to quit sandbagging. :/

(apparently "sandbagging" is akin to "half-assing" a workout)

back extensions also make your hamstrings BURN like a motha'.

I somehow huffed and puffed my way through the rowing.

once the 10 minutes was over I walked in circles trying not to dry heave in front of everybody.

when I walked out to my car... I could barely lift my arm to get the key to the ignition.

my arms were J-E-L-L-O.

So I know I've only done 2 CrossFit workouts so far, but I love it.

LOVE IT.

I'm going back for more.

BRING. IT. ON.

I'm gettin' my STRONG on.

all thanks to...

new friend and a new workout

2011-10-25T22:01:00.000-06:00

I failed to mention that I met a new friend over the weekend. :)

Kara from Mile High Maven was visiting in Utah and

we decided to meet up at Yogurtland on Saturday afternoon.

We were at Yogurtland for 3.5 hours!

we completely lost track of time.

we were chatting about running, life, boys, running, running, and running.

She ran a half marathon a few weeks ago and got a rockin' PR!

the only thing we forgot to do was get a picture together!

another topic of conversation was CrossFit.

Kara was telling me about this awesome workout program called CrossFit.

Crazy, high intensity, interval training.

You lose weight, get strong, become a powerhouse.

and I was totally intrigued...

So what exactly is CrossFit?

CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.

source

now, while I am not any of those things... I AM a runner.

and I want to be a better runner! I want to be a better athlete all around.

I have been doing a lot of reading about running and strength training.

I know I have no upper body strength and ZERO core strength.

I may have strong legs, but after dealing with my achilles tendonitis again this year,

I figure if I start strength training now, I can become a better runner and hopefully

kick ass at Ogden next year and get my sub 4:00 marathon.

I asked a few friends about it, including Megan, and everyone I talked to had nothing but positive things to say about it.

so I did some research

and found a CrossFit gym in Orem called Viking CrossFit.

And Diz and I are going tomorrow night for a consult/workout!!

Well... I'm hoping Diz comes with me.

I think I'm a little more excited about it than he is.

Here's what Viking CrossFit had to say about their training...

We teach core strengthening exercises and functional movements; meaning movements you use in your everyday life such as lifting, pushing, pulling, etc. We teach you how to do them safely and effectively. We do body weight exercises such as squats, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and use equipment including kettlebells, medicine balls, and rowing machines. Workouts are done at high intensity for metabolic conditioning. The workouts are always varied which keeps it exciting and new each time you come.

I am super excited.

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna love it.

I love to run.

and I so badly want to be a BETTER, STRONGER runner.

BRING. IT. ON.

anyone else try CrossFit? Love it?

anyone been to Viking CrossFit gym in Orem?

scrapbooking catch up

2011-10-23T22:20:00.002-06:00

It's been a LONG time since I've done any digi-scrapbooking.

but I'm WAY behind. like a few years behind.

I'm finally done with 2007.

(and that's mainly because the old lap top died and took a lot of our photos with it).

I'm scared of 2008 because that includes all of our engagement, bridal and wedding photos.

holy overwhelmed.

I've done a few pages for 2009.

Only ONE page for 2010, well... actually, I did the cruise scrapbook... so make that twenty-ONE pages for 2010.

and absolutely NONE for 2011.

So in order to catch up, I've been using a lot of quick pages (pre-designed pages where I just drop in photos and add some journaling) to speed up the process.

here are the pages I've done in the last few days...

blog-train freebie from Scrap Matters - So Thankful

blog quick page freebie from Britt-ish Designs

quick page from Jady Day Studio (no longer available)

made this one using Britt-ish Designs Animal House kit

quick page from Jady Day Studio (no longer available)

Made this using Jady Day Studio's My Favorite Thing kit (no longer available)

Do any of you scrapbook (digital or paper)??
Does anyone want to teach me how to use photoshop to scrapbook?
the program I use is kind of (really) cheesy...

Cafe Rio Date & Bridal Veil Falls

2011-10-17T22:29:00.000-06:00

Ann & I both slept in and lounged around Saturday morning.

We finally dragged our butts out of the house and headed to Cafe Rio for another blogger date.

Because the 2+ hours at Yogurtland the night before just wasn't enough...

we spent another 2 hours at Cafe Rio chatting about all things running, racing, & marathons.

Rachelle, Julia, Becky, Ann & Me

and because we spent so much time talking about running...

we had to cut our visit to Bridal Veil Falls a little short.

actually... really short...

damn us runners and our need to constantly talk about... running. ;)

we drove right up to Nunn's Park and walked right up to Bridal Veil.

It was GORGEOUS. The fall colors are beautiful. BEAUTIFUL!

Thanks to Becky, we have AMAZING pics!

Ann & I

Ann & Becky

I definitely need to get up there again and run with the gorgeous colors.

After our canyon trip, we all headed back home to get ready for Thriller.

It was a little bittersweet, since it was Ann's last day in Utah.

I am seriously so lucky that I have been able to meet (and become friends with) some amazing girls. And all thanks to blogging! Seriously. I would have never met any of my Utah girls or Ann! I mean... how cool is that she flew out to Utah just to meet some of us crazy runners? It still kind of blows my mind. :)

I am extremely blessed to have made such amazing friendships with so many great girls.

Can't wait to start planning my trip to MN to see Ann again and meet all of her local MN blogger girls!

cuz' this is ThRiLLeR!!!

2011-10-17T21:15:00.001-06:00

For Ann's last night in Utah

we hit up the one and only, Joe Bandidos, for dinner.

No one comes to visit me without having a meal at Joe Bandidos. :)

After we were stuffed with yummy food and the best chips and salsa in the world,

we met up with my Momma and headed to Provo for

THRILLER

by the Odyssey Dance Company

Right when you walk into the lobby you are instantly surrounded by zombies.

I love them and hate them at the same time.

I love and hate being scared. weird, right?

I asked her if I could take a picture with her...

she immediately went for the choke hold... and I got the biggest cheese grin, EVER.

She kinda freaked me out... but then... she also looked like a little, sad puppy dog,

and I wanted to take her home.

ok. she was just CREEPY.

seriously. C-R-E-E-P-Y.
(the zombie, not Becky. Duh)

my zombie friend is cheating on me and going after Becky!

Me & Momma waiting for the show to start.

practicing our "scared" faces :)

Ann & Me

Becky & Me

Ann, Me, & the Mamacita

the show was AMAZING.

I'd try to pick some of my favorites... but I'd end up listing almost every dance.

Trust me, if you have the chance to go see Thriller, YOU HAVE TO GO.

The dancers are amazing.

The zombies are incredibly-freaky-awesome.

My Mom was seriously FREAKED OUT by the zombies.

She screamed like a school girl! and MORE than once.

On our way out my Mom may be been surrounded by a few zombies

and she cried out-

"Omigawd- they're EVERYWHERE!"

p.s. most of the photos are from Mrs. Awesome Sauce Photographer, aka BECKY

meeting my new BFF in real life!!

2011-10-15T11:09:00.001-06:00

It has been a whirlwind of FUN since Ann got here on Thursday!

I picked her up at the airport and we headed to lunch at Faustina and we had the best turkey burger and smoked chicken salad I've EVER tasted. It would be worth the drive to SLC just for the burger.

After lunch we headed to Temple Square. We took a tour of the conference center and I actually learned a lot about the LDS church. And we got to see lots of great artwork and went out on the roof. Gorgeous views of SLC. Check out Becky's blog about our first day! She has lots of great pics! :)

pic stolen from Becky!

we had a blast taking jumping pics (which was Ann's idea!)

I think all the bystanders thought we were nuts... which is kind of true! Ha!

pic stolen from Becky!

But... we CAN be normal.

It's just not as fun!

pretty pic of the temple! :)

After Temple Square we headed to Gardner Village.

I love Gardner Village during October. They have all the witches out and the decor is darling.

we walked into one store and found THE COOLEST hats.

pic stolen from Becky!
me, Becky, Ann & Jen

gotta love it... elephant, penguin, crab, and the owl.

we were cracking up...

pic stolen from Becky!

I REALLY LIKE THE ELEPHANT HAT! ;)

Yesterday... we started the day by hiking along the Bonneville Shore trail.

We went 2 miles to the Y and then attacked the Y trail.

the official blog photo! ;)

gorgeous view from the Y

Yeah... we ROCK. :)

we got a little sun-kissed during our hike.

but the killer views were totally worth it!

what's the best way to re-fuel after a hard workout??

YOGURTLAND!

Mine, Ann's & Janae's yogurt.

they have a new pumpkin pie flavor... it's life changing!

Jen & Ann :)

Julia, Janae, Ann, me (see my cute new shirt from Ann?!), & Rachelle

we spent 2+ hours chatting about running and marathons and racing...

and scheming about a blogger team for the Colorado Ragnar Relay.

today... we have another busy day!

we're introducing Ann to Cafe Rio and Joe Bandido's

and we're seeing

tonight!

Becky, Ann, me & my Momma are going!

you're jealous... I know!

Anyone else ever meet their BFF through blogging?

Ann and I we're discussing how awesome blogging can be and how we can form amazing friendships with one another!

who said meeting people off the internet wasn't safe?

I've met my husband and all my BFF's that way! :)

Ya know... my blog friend, Ann.

2011-10-12T07:07:00.000-06:00

So it's not news to anybody that I've met a lot of great girls (and guys) through blogging.

How else would I have met: Janae, Megan, Jen, Julia, Rachelle, Rochelle, Stef, Ruth, Amy, Cory & Holley?!

and it's no wonder we are all addicted to Yogurtland,

because that's the only place we meet up anymore! Ha!

But, what you may not know, is that I have a whole other group of girls that I blog-stalk. Most of them are from Minnesota and are part of Jen's PriorFatGirl blog. There's, Jen, Ann, and Elle (ok-she's from Texas), and a few others that I blog stalk and follow on Twitter.

I first found Ann's blog when she was a finalist for becoming a "Prior Fat Girl" on Jen's blog. She was adding to the blog family and Ann was in the top 10.

The first time I remember her commenting on my blog was on my Lent post this year. (back in March) We started commenting back and forth on each other's blogs. Then we became facebook friends. then she got me hooked on twitter. She's ran a lot of races this year (and last), she's finished her first (but not last) half marathon in July and ran a Ragnar in August. She's even recently jumped on the crazy-train (with me) and has talked about wanting to run a full marathon!!

and in 30 hours...

she'll be landing in SLC

stole this from her FB page :)

because she's coming to visit me :)

we have all sorts of fun stuff planned.

we are definitely going to be hitting up Yogurtland.

Probably on Friday afternoon.

If anyone is interested in hanging out with Ann & I, let me know! :)

HaLLoWeEN!!!

2011-10-09T09:29:00.000-06:00

Can you believe the weather around here lately??

When I left for work on Thursday there was snow falling...

not that it was sticking to the roads... it pretty much melted when it hit the ground.

but still... SNOW?!

doesn't it usually wait until Halloween to snow?

speaking of Halloween...

I've had my decorations since mid September.

Once I feel like fall is coming I can't wait to start decorating.

trick or treat bowl!

because we live in the basement we never get trick or treaters.

so the bowl is now on the kitchen counter full of clementines.

Diz is a little disappointed it's not full of candy. ;)

trick or treat garland was a birthday present from Diz's momma.

(in fact, a lot of my Halloween decorations are from his mom! She LOVES Halloween!)

trust me...

this is cuter in person. the picture doesn't do it justice...

I still want to find some purple lights to wrap around it.

How was your weekend? Anyone race this weekend?

Who's all decorated for Halloween?

I'm off to church and maybe some shopping afterwards! :)

STG Marathon Recap 2011

2011-10-05T22:57:00.000-06:00

We headed down to St George on Friday morning. It seemed like it took forever to get down there. Had our traditional bagel from Einstein Bagels and I drank G2 like it was my JOB. Maybe that’s why it took so long to get there… we had to make a pit stop every 30 minutes.

When we got into St George, we headed right to the Expo to pick up our packets (where I got recognized from the blog… crazy!), then ran to a quick lunch so we could catch the “Legends” presentation. As I mentioned before, Paul (our running buddy/coach) was number 7 on the St George Marathon Legends list. It was a cool, albeit long, presentation. I’m still amazed that people can actually run THAT fast. It blows my mind.

the LEGENDS

the man, the myth, the #7 LEGEND
Paul & Kristie & kidlets

our running crew
Joanna (Jo-Jo), Kristie, Paul, me, Josh (Poshie), Pam (Momma)

My Mom was star struck by Cheryl Harper (#1 Legend) and Kristie made us all take a picture with her.

Too bad we couldn’t get one with all of us looking at the same camera.

are we looking left?

or right?

left or right?!

Too many great outtakes, I had to post them.

sweet jesus...
we are SOOO special

Got checked in to the hotel, set out all my running gear (hello, my name is Ashley and I have OCD). Then we headed to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. My Mom parked in the farthest spot possible and we start walking up to the restaurant and I spot Lindsay. WHOA. I’m like, “HOW CRAZY IS IT THAT LINDS IS IN ST GEORGE AND AT TEXAS ROADHOUSE?!” I turn to my Mom and tell her, “Look! It’s Linds!” and I turn back around and Michelle and Whitney are running towards us.

Cue Ashley’s tears…

Linds, Michelle, me, & Whit

I had no idea they were coming to surprise me!

Apparently, Michelle had been planning on coming down for 3 weeks. I was just to slow to catch her many (?? I guess I don’t pay attention??) slip-ups. Lindsay and Whitney were planning on driving down on Saturday morning, but when Michelle found out she could get a room Friday night, she told them they could stay with her. I was SO excited they were there! SO EXCITED.

After dinner, we made a game plan for the morning and took a last minute trip to Walmart. Had to get more Gatorade, bananas and hand warmers.

I actually slept really well. Probably better than any other race before. I feel asleep pretty quickly and didn’t wake up until my alarm went off at 3:15. (yup, we wake pretty early… gotta have time to drink my coffee, potty, and check, double check, & triple check my drop bag)

yes, we bring our own coffee pot.
yeah, I know it's weird. whatever... don't be judgy...

We met up with Jo-Jo, Kristie & Paul and rode up the canyon. I was nodding off and kept snoozing. Not my normal ball of nerves. Everything felt different about this race. I think completely taking off all the stress of a PR or a sub 4:00 race made a HUGE difference in my attitude about the race. I was still excited to run (DUH! I’ve been dying to run!), but I was also excited to NOT be stressed about pace, time, splits. My only goal was to finish. And hopefully, finish without having any Achilles pain. If I could “course PR”, great, just some icing on the cake. Let me reiterate… I was simply excited to RUN. I hadn’t had a good quality run in a month. Dear Lord, I prayed, please just let me enjoy this run, let me be pain free and stay injury free.

After standing in line a few times for the portapotties, and chatting with Rachelle, Julia, Frances, and Candice it was finally time to GO! High fives, knuckle bumps/rocks, wishes of good luck & love you’s and we were off.

Like I said in my other race post, the first 5 miles were amazing. I felt fantastic. Completely pain free, euphoric, and just so calm… I actually had pretty decent splits (go me!). I took a quick pit stop at mile 6 because I was not about to attack Veyo with bubble guts. I took care of my business and headed towards Veyo. The crowd support was incredible. Tons of spectators, lots of awesome signs, and lots of little ones to slap hands with. :)

After I slowly got up Veyo, we continued to climb. I swear, I DO NOT remember all these hills! I just kept shuffling up the hills and trying to take advantage of the downhill. Around the half way point ( I think it was around there…) I saw Monica and she ran with me for a bit and got my spirits higher! Thanks GIRL! Around this point I was quickly realizing that my quads and calves were aching. Not worse than normal during a marathon, just EARLIER. Usually it happens around mile 20. So I knew I was in for a wild ride. ;) Again, I was just happy to be out running. I told myself many times, this is not the race where you are gonna push yourself to the limit, be calm, controlled, and just get the mileage done. I was not about to puke or pass out. No. Thank. You.

I got to mile 14, which I ran for a friend (and her peanut). I’m so glad she chose mile 14, because it was an AWESOME mile. It was gorgeous, down hill, and I had an overwhelming sense of peace when I ran this for her (& the peanut). I kept wishing I had a camera so I could take a picture for her!

The miles just kept passing by. I started taking my Accel gels every 4 miles, starting with mile 5. I just kept telling myself I just had to get to the next “gel stop”. Mile 13 was suddenly mile 17 then suddenly mile 21.

HUH? I don’t know why, but for some reason it HIT ME that I had ran 21 miles. I had gotten to mile 21. My Achilles was achieving champion status for being a trooper and barely aching. But I HAD GOTTEN TO 21. The girl who was battling tendonitis, not running for 4 weeks before the race, not even sure I’d finish…WAS at 21 MILES. I was ecstatic. Just had to keep going.

I was so happy to be getting out of the canyon because I knew we were close! Mile 24 meant, water & Gatorade, stiff as rock-calves, and some icy hot. Mile 24 also had THE BEST race sign I’ve EVER seen.

“Running is a mental sport.

And you are ALL INSANE.”

I literally laughed out loud. SO freaking TRUE.

me & whit (almost there!!)
not sure how I was smiling and waving, considering I thought I was going to puke 5 steps back...
once I saw Michelle (& the camera) I flipped a switch and became happy/chipper chick.

Mile 25 hit and Whit-dawg was there to run me in! WAHOO. So happy to see her smiling face! She was so supportive and let me walk when I wanted and told me I had to start running because we only had a few more turns! When we finally made that last turn I almost cried. The finish line seemed SO far away! I started messing with my ipod to find my song, “Skyscraper” by Demi Lovato. I know it’s not a typical race song, but for some reason, it’s the song I wanted to run in with. It got me all sorts of pumped up!

When we got closer to the chutes, I envisioned myself and the runner in front of me attached by a rubber band. I “sprang” towards them and passed them. It was a great motivator to still have something left in the tank and I could still PUSH myself!

I finished the race in 4:42:05!

I am definitely proud of this race. And I think, it may be my most memorable race this year, basically because I wasn’t stressed about my pace or splits, I was just out running for ME. I was simply happy to have finished the race. I had a good, relatively pain free (Achilles, that is), run. This race was a huge reminder of why I LOVE running. I ran this race for me.

I joked all day long that I made St George Marathon my BITCH.

Regardless of my finish time, I didn’t care…

I finished that race and I OWNED it.

St George Marathon...
You. Are. My. BIOTCH.
i OWN you.

Now… of course, after the race there was the promises of no full marathons next year. (DAMMIT, I’m serious. I mean it!) We were planning “the year of the half’s”.

I'll let you guess how long that lasted…

Mom & Linds right after the finish.
My Mom MADE Lindsay run her in ALL THE WAY to the finish.
"Don't you LEAVE ME NOW!"

My Mom caved in about 6 hours.

I at least lasted until Sunday night. :/

pretty sure Josh wants to try another full.
we're all effin' insane. it's a genetic thing, apparently.

Registration opens November 1st for Ogden Marathon (May 19th).

Mark your calendars. I plan on making Ogden my bitch, too.

I will get the damn sub 4:00 I’ve been dreaming of.

26.2

2011-10-03T23:03:00.000-06:00

this is not a race recap...

I repeat this. is. NOT. a. race. recap.

these are 26 (.2) random things I thought about during the St George Marathon...

1. The first 5 miles felt glorious. honest to God. I thought to myself if the rest of this run is like these first 5 miles, I could possibly get a sub 4!

2. My achilles feels good.

3. Rock My Run makes some damn good FREE mixes.

4. I don't remember Veyo being this steep (OR THIS LONG!)!

5. Pretty sure I'm getting blisters on both inside arches.

6. Where the HELL did all these HILLS come from?!

7. There is nothing WORSE than WARM lemon-lime gatorade.

8. There is nothing BETTER than COLD lemon-lime gatorade.

9. F-M-L. I'm only half way and my quads are hurting like it's mile 20.

10. Surprisingly... my achilles is STILL doing ok.

11. Wanting to cry at mile 17 when a bystander was handing out otter pops to runners and he ran out just as I got to him.

12. OMIGAWD... it's SO HOT. I can literally feel the heat rising from the asphalt.

13. Seeing two male (shirtless-HELLO back muscles) runners... and thinking, "hey, I can keep this pace." ;)

14. Mile 14 was amazing. Gorgeous views. Awesome down hill. I ran this mile for a very special friend and her peanut.

15. Best sign at Veyo: "Don't poop your pants! Don't poop your pants!"

16. Calves are SO sore. WTF? am I cramping?

then leaning over on a curb trying to massage them and feeling like my calves are ROCK solid.

17. Thinking IcyHot would help my "ROCK solid" calves. Ehhh! NOPE.

18. Finally getting a popsicle at mile 24-ish and wanting to cry. It was SO good. and I had another excuse to walk. Can't chew and run at the same time-total choking hazard.

19. Drinking SO MUCH water and gatorade during the race (and after), yet 24 hours after the race my pee still looks like Mt Dew.

20. okay... Maybe I can feel my achilles. But nothing compared the ache in my quads and calves.

21. Holy shit... How am I already at Mile 21? How did I get here? I could stop now. I could get on the shuttle and no one would judge me for it. I freaking hurt. DAMMIT, I HURT. WAIT... WTF- No, I got to 21, I can go a few more miles.

22. I have some amazing friends. SERIOUSLY.

23. Seeing Whitney at mile 25... jumping/skipping towards me. SO excited to see her. and so happy to have a chance to walk and chat with her to see how everyone else did. NOT so happy when she told me I had to start running again.

24. Best sign at Mile 24- "Running is ALL mental. and you are ALL INSANE"

(should probably get this tattooed- SO TRUE)

25. Listening to Skyscraper by Demi Lovato on repeat for the last mile. May be a slow song, but it got me pumped up and allowed me to PUSH that last mile.

26. so glad I did a kissy face picture.

.2 Fountain Diet Coke after the race... BEST THING EVER.

I will probably do a race recap later this week.

for now, know that I am super stoked with my performance.

I finished in 4:42:05 and COULD NOT BE HAPPIER.

On our way to St. George!!

2011-09-30T11:25:00.001-06:00

So we're on our way to St George! WAHOO!

We had a little blogger meet up last night at Yogurtland. Got to meet Amy and Terra, and catch up with my BFF, Janae, and chat with Amylee, Julia, & Rachelle.

Amylee gave me the sweetest note with a package of shot bloks. She just ran Top of Utah after dealing with an injury. And understands the mental struggle that goes along with marathon training and being injured. It was very sweet! Thanks Amylee!

This morning on our way out of town we stopped at Einstein's Bagel to get a pumpkin bagel (with pumpkin cream cheese. Yummy!!!)

My Momma bought me the book, "Run Like a Mother". And even though I'm not a Momma yet, this book is amazing. I can identify with everything (except the mommy moments) and I've found myself literally laughing out loud many times.

And I'm rocking my Tommie Copper ankle sleeve. It's not super tight. But apparently the copper has "healing" properties. Whatever. I bought a Zensah ankle sleeve, too. And I'll wear that one tomorrow during the race because that one gives me more compression. And it's pink. :)

p.s. forgive my pics. I'm blogging from my phone on the road!

countdown is on...

2011-09-24T22:00:00.000-06:00

I can't believe St. George Marathon is a week away.

ask me how much I've been running...

not much. NOT much at all.

and surprisingly - I'm okay with that.

I ran for 15 minutes on Tuesday,

10 minutes on Wednesday,

and a GLORIOUS 29 minutes today.

I've been a spin class maniac.

I've gone to 7 classes this week.

and I've been doing some weight lifting too.

I may not be running like I'm training for a marathon,

but I sure as hell have been trying to keep my cardio up.

I've seen my PT, Kirk Jorgenson, 3 times this week.

Remember last week, when I said ASTYM "hurt so good".

I admit, I thought everyone who complained about how bad it hurt were just being babies.

I take it back, and I apologize for thinking you were a baby.

Monday morning, Kirk beat the shit out of my achilles.

He found a "click" in my achilles.

Using these torture tools:

names: evaluator, localizer, isolator

He "ironed out" my "click" with the isolator tool. (I hate that bitch)

I may have made it worse by admitting that I was a UTAH fan.

(FYI- he is one of the official physical therapists for BYU)

Ya know the saying, "that's gonna leave a mark"?

even though it hurts, it is definitely helping.

My achilles is not tight or as painful.

Yesterday's treatment seemed relatively easy, and when I asked Kirk why he wasn't digging as hard, he said he was going as deep as he did (maybe even more than) on Monday! but since the inflammation is decreasing, my pain level is lower. YEAH!

I am looking forward to, terrified of, and nervous for St. George.

I have absolutely no expectations for the race.

whatever happens, happens. c'est la vie.

p.s. my bib number is 5592

ASTYM & adventures in physical therapy

2011-09-16T21:50:00.000-06:00

Want to know what sucks?

having crappy, painful runs because my achilles is still being a little bitch.

I finished my prednisone last Friday and started running again this week.

I did 6 miles on Saturday, 3 on Tuesday, and 6 yesterday.

They all pretty much sucked.

So I called Dr. Rich's office and got myself an appointment.

I was hoping for a miracle injection or some other sort of miracle cure.

Instead, I got an ultrasound and physical therapy.

The ultrasound revealed nothing to crazy. No tears and no evidence of a rupture.

but it did reveal new blood supply... according to Dr. Rich, the achilles tendon is not supposed to have a blood supply. Which means my body IS trying to heal itself.

after my ultrasound, Dr. Rich sent me over to the physical therapy office to see Kirk Jorgenson.

I met Allison, an aide at the office, and she did ultrasound therapy first, to warm up my achilles and get it ready for ASTYM therapy. We chatted about running, favorite races, and how much it sucks to be injured, and how I was terrified of ASTYM. (I'd heard a lot of stories of how BAD it hurts). After I got all heated up, Kirk came in and got to work.

let me tell you...

ASTYM HURTS SO GOOD.

Yes, GOOD.

He used a few different plastic tools, one looked like a shower squeegee (but harder) and one that look a fat shoe horn. and I'm pretty sure he had some sort of skinny tool, like a big pencil (at least, that's what it felt like). He also used his hands to dig really deep into my achilles and my soleus and my gastroc.

I must have made a sound that sounded like I was in pain, and he asked if I was ok, and I told him he could use his elbow to dig out the inflammation if he wanted... it did hurt, but felt SO good at the same time. After I was done, my achilles felt SO much better. All loosey-goosey and almost normal.

What is ASTYM??

according to the pamphlet Kirk gave me... ASTYM therapy addresses problems such as scarring, fibrosis and degeneration that occur in soft tissues. These problems develop as the result of trauma, surgery or overuse (i.e. running/training for 3 marathons in a year :/ ). ASTYM uses instruments along the surface of the skin to locate these problem areas and start the body's healing process.

I have 5 more sessions scheduled.

Hoping that the ASTYM will get rid of the inflammation so I can have a pain free marathon.

Kirk also wants me doing various calf/foot stretches.

lucky for you, I took pictures.

Arch Towel Stretch

(Kirk gave me some stretchy therapy band thingee to use)

Calf Towel Stretch

Gastroc stretch

(leg straight, foot flat on the floor)

Soleus Stretch

(knees bent, feet flat)

Supposed to do 5 reps of each stretch for 20 seconds, 3 to 4 times a day.

other instructions include:

-keep working out!

(but stop when it hurts, at all... so that means little to no running right now, and lots of spin and ellipticizing. Hopefully as therapy progresses, my pain will decrease and I can run more.)

-avoid icing and anti-inflammatory meds if possible

-& drink lots of fluids

Dr. Rich told me to not expect much from this marathon.

He says I'll be able to run it (which, duh, I know I can run it, regardless if I hurt, I'm RUNNING this marathon), but that it may NOT be a great race and NOT a PR. Which bums me out a bit. I've been looking forward to this race for a long time and really want that DAMN sub 4:00 marathon. He did say something like... 'well, you never know... resting and taking it easy like you have may give you an advantage and the ASTYM will make you hurt less, so you MIGHT have a great race.'

so, at this point, I'm just hoping for a pain free race and gonna hope for the best for a good time, but not gonna be disappointed with my time, regardless of what happens.

So after 2 hours at Utah Valley Sports Medicine and 2 co-pays later... I have a little bit more faith and feeling hopeful that my achilles will stop being a bitch and get better! ;)

In other news...

My Dad finished his first 5k last Saturday!

There were a few guys from his work that were running it too. I designated myself the race photographer and got a few good pics. :)

Steve (also my Mom's cousin) running in to the finish.

Pretty amazing since he had knee surgery a year ago and started running during his therapy.

He ran the 5k in 27:18! Took 1st place in his age group (he's 58!)

Kris ran in at 29:12.

there's my Mom and Dad!! My mom ran backwards from the finish line to run my Dad in.

Go Dad GO!

Dad doing the airplane to the finish line :)

Crossing the finish line in 44:48!!! WAHOO!

He would've taken 1st place in his age group but he signed up in the Clydesdale division.

He would've been the ONLY one in his age division... but hey, first place is first place. ;)

then in a rush decision, we jumped in the car to go to Midway to watch my boss cross the finish line in the Wasatch 100.

watching the men and women cross was SO incredible.

they don't even really look tired! It's insane!

they all come across with HUGE smiles on their face!

I have to admit that I felt like a big ol' poser in my nike tempo shorts and marathon finisher shirt. We were surrounded by these crazy awesome trail runners, who are covered head to toe in trail dust and mud, and I'm in my new shoes (which are still stark white-since they haven't seen the road-only the treadmill) and I just felt like the biggest douche wearing my marathon shirt... what's 26.2 miles compared to 100?!

puts things in perspective for sure! :)

Anywho... It was awesome being there when my boss crossed the finish line. We got to chat with his family and I was able to take lots of pictures, since all they had was his iphone to take pics. ;)

He finished in 29 hours 41 minutes!!!

he took 5 hours off of his time from last year! 5 HOURS!

Wanna know what he said when he crossed? "That was so much fun!"

I'm convinced he's half mountain goat. seriously.

and maybe half crazy.