Slowly getting faster.

I am sure you can all agree with me that with each race or run we learn something new.  In the case of my 1/2 marathon this last weekend I learned a book's worth of things.  I thought I would post what I wrote in my running journal.  Beware, it is pretty honest and you may realize I am even crazier than you thought.

1-Train in harsh conditions.  The treadmill is awesome and allows me to keep up with me reality show addiction but I can't use it for every single run.

I need to learn how to run in heat, cold, wind, fire....ya know?!?! Don't expect a race to be perfect because it won't.  If you can train in all conditions and push yourself through the harshest temperatures and courses then you will have that edge on your competition.  You weren't born with a whole bunch of natural running talent but you were born with the drive necessary to train as hard as necessary to do your best.  Although, you were born with the natural ability of letting your body recover for large amounts of time......couch and refueling are my best friends although the bed sores are not.

2- Don't try anything new the week of a race. Yeah, 20 miles of snow running for the first time ever.....not my smartest moment.

3-Get organized.  Maybe don't get to the race destination the night before at 10:30 P.M. and stay up late talking with friends after a car ride of gummy apple rings and twizzler munching.  Also, find out exactly where the dang race is.  It didn't help that the email they sent just listed the park name (no address) and changed routes 3 times in the last week but I still should have called and figured out exactly where I needed to be.  PS The race directors did a truly amazing job with this race between the course scenery, volunteers, aid stations etc......mother nature was the beast and tried killing me.

5-Get a running coach!!! I am so happy that I have Alex to coach me now.  This was the biggest lesson I learned.  For some reason I thought that running on a whim and just trying to fit as many mile as possible each week was going to make me a rock star.  The 3 girls that beat me ALL had running coaches and they couldn't believe that I didn't.  Yeah, I am learning the importance of an expert and an outsiders perspective on my training:)   It is time to learn about pacing, racing strategies and training galore.

6-Accept that some things are out of your control, like the weather. I guess I could have put some clothes on to stay a little warmer:)

7-Trust my training.  When those negative thoughts start creeping in, push them out with the thoughts of the hard work that you have put in.  (I am working on a post all about the mental aspect of running and working out because that is something I really struggle with).

8-Eat and drink during a race even if you don't feel like it.  I caused my own stomach to hurt during the race because I was so frustrated with myself and I didn't drink or eat a thing because I didn't feel like it.  Yes, I know that was the stupidest thing I could have done.   Your body needs to be refueled often during a run in order to preform your best.

9-Don't put so much pressure on yourself because guess what.....there will ALWAYS be another race to reach your goals.  Life isn't perfect and I can't expect myself to be perfect but I can go out and give my all and ENJOY it at the same time.

10.  Oh yeah, double knot your shoelaces.  It is hard to start back up again and not crawl over to the gutter when you have to stop to tie your shoe.  Also, don't drop your drivers license while running.

11.  Be your own best friend.  Nothing wrong with making up cool cheers for yourself as you run along.  Even when the going gets tough and I am frustrated with my performance I MUST treat myself the same way I would treat all of my bff's!!!

It was awkward when a teacher walked into the faculty lounge and caught me taking a picture of me hugging myself.....they have no idea about my blog or my weirdness for that matter. I think she was scared.

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What is a running/fitness lesson that you have learned recently?

What is your latest food obsessions?

-Besides skittles of course I am OBSESSED with Clementines.  I have eaten 7 today.  No chance for me to get scurvy.  PS I eat them whole.  I peel off the skin and pop the whole thing in.  I am weird.

Would you rather workout in the heat or the cold? Humid or dry?

-I think the dry heat because that is what I am used to.

Do the people you work with know about your blog if you have one?

-Nope, they already think I am crazy enough by eating 4 lbs. of raw veggies for lunch everyday and my obsession with running.

Back on Track.

To prove to you how classy I am I will show you how I transported my pb to my apple on the car ride home.   Billy thinks it is unsanitary or something when I use my fingers to scoop out my pb.  Maybe it is because of my crazy long pinky nail of maybe we just need to get separate jars.

I usually have a set of utensil with me at all times just in case but I am not going to lie, BIC pens make a pretty good substitute knife.

As soon as we got home from St. George we were out the door again to hit up a family bday party.

The newly turned 19 year old (Happy Bday Brian) chose Brinner for his special dinner.  We all thanked him.  You have to understand that in our family it is kind of a big deal what the bday person chooses for their dinner.  If they make a bad choice, they may not get any presents.

Breakfast burritos with 4 servings of guacamole, pineapple, grapes and there was also french toast.  I am pretty sure I only ate breakfast foods all day yesterday and I would not have it any other way.

My brother and his wife are in town from Arizona.  He is at law school at ASU.  Any ASU alumni or students out there?  Billy will be going to law school in a year and hearing about my brother's school got me thinking about where we will be in a year......scary.

I know this sounds creepy but the cutest baby in the world is my creation.

I set my brother and now sister-in-law up on a date and so therefore baby Jace will have to thank me for the rest of his life:)

This other cutest baby in the world takes after me.  I am proud to call her family and hope that she continues in my footsteps as a foodie and lover of all things frosting and sprinkles.  The sad thing is that I did the exact same cupcake eating maneuver (including the sprinkle stuck to my lip) last night but I am too embarrassed to post it.   Using our hands to eat is overrated.

I can't even describe to you how excited I was about the end of my night.  Alex (my running idol) is now my RUNNING COACH. He has coached many people to success and is now guiding me to my goals.  I feel like a million lbs have been lifted off of my back because I now have an expert to help me get to where I want to go.  I am even more sure than ever that I will achieve my dreams.  My first workout starts tomorrow.  I will be going after school to the track to do a speed workout (too dark to go by myself before school).  I have never done a track workout and I am beyond excited.

If you have thought about having a coach to focus your energies to reach your goals Alex would be a great way to go. I already feel like I have learned a bajillion things and wondering why I didn't go to him a lot earlier.  Email me if you would like his contact info.   Alex's PR's include 1 mile-4:19, 10 miler-52 minutes, 13.1-1:10, 26.2 in 2:25.

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Take a look at my interview on Stephanie's blog!!! You will absolutely love her!

Happy Happy Birthday KATIE....go wish her the happiest birthday ever!!!

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What are your ideal breakfast burrito components?

-First the tortilla has to be super soft and warm, then add in eggs, cheese and guacamole and I am the happiest girl alive.

Have you ever set people up on a blind date?  Have you been set up on a blind date?

-The only time I ever set anybody up was my brother and I am retiring with 100% accuracy.  As for blind dates I went on......yeah, I don't miss those.

Do you have a running coach?  Have you thought of getting one?

-Alex is my first one and I really feel like I now have a plan that is tailored 100% to my needs and goals.  How did I run without this?!?!

Where should we go for Billy's law school?  Billy and I are leaving the decision completely up to you.

Post-Race Partying

Once I got over my lame sauce feeling sorry for myself boo hooing I remembered I was on vacation and it was time to party.

We went back to the condo (thanks again Megan and Bryce for having us) and got ready.  Pretty sure I took a 30 minute HOT shower (sorry environment) to warm up my cold muscles after shivering for the last 2 hours.

We then headed to the best post race fuel ever.  Megan's little bro is sponsored by Cafe Rio for cycling and so we got the hookups.

I got the usual salad but with steak this time.  My body was yelling for some iron and lots of protein.

Pretty funny that even when traveling and a million new restaurants to go to I still choose Cafe Rio.  I don't think I could live if they ever went out of business, but I don't have to worry about that because I am pretty sure I keep them in business all on my own. Maybe I could get them to sponsor my blog.  I will be making some phone calls.

After lunch we went and got Billy new RUNNING shoes using the gift card I won at the race.

He got the Saucony Progrid Mirage.  They are awesome.  P.S.  He admitted that he likes running now:)

Don't worry he is not wearing capri's, they had him roll his pants up.

We may have spent a really long time talking to the running store people and before we knew it....it was dinner time.

Megan is also a chef.  Yes, I know my friends are a trillion times cooler than me and now Billy thinks it is normal for wives to whip up AMAZING dinners for their husbands.   Give me a little credit, I am really good at pushing start on the microwave for his frozen burrito's and taquito's.

Pretty sure I could eat this meal for the rest of my life and be happy.  She used this RECIPE from Cooking Light for the chicken.  There was also real mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, rolls and a spinach salad.

After dinner we talked for a while and then watched 6 episodes of Modern Family. Sounds like the perfect night to me.

Don't drool but this is what I was served for breakfast this morning.  That's it, I am officially moving in with them.  Waffle's topped with greek yogurt and fresh fruit.

Goodbye St. George, I love you.  I am a little mad at you for having perfect running temps and conditions today, you tease.

We are on our way home listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers and just passed by the Biggest Loser van?!?!  Jillian must be near by.....I will meet her one day.

Hope you are having a relaxing Sunday and THANK YOU so much for the sweet comments!  I can't wait to finally be able to read your blogs and catch up on your lives.....I feel like I have gone from talking to my best friends everyday and knowing exactly what is going on in your life to nothing.  Yes, I am Janae and I am obsessed with blogging.

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Where did you grow up?

-I grew up in St. George, Utah but it has changed a lot since we moved.  It will always hold a special place in my heart.

Do you read blogs everyday?  How long have you been reading blogs?

-I have been reading blogs for probably 2.5 years.  It is a major part of my everyday life.

Favorite waffle toppings?

Fresh mango, strawberries, bananas and blueberries won my heart over this morning.

Rookie of the Year

Am I mad at myself?  Yep.

How long am I going to let this make me mad? 12 hours.

Is this race going to make me give up?  Nope, I am going to train that much harder because I WILL get sub 3 in Boston.  I learned about some of my weaknesses and those WILL become my strengths

Did I learn anything?  More than any other race (tomorrow's post will be all about the lessons I learned).

I woke up at five (4.5 hours of sleep) and was so excited to run. Had a yummy b-fast and watched Modern Family in bed until it was time to get up.  The race didn't start until 9 so I had a lot of free time.  I put my game face on and we left the condo at 7:50.

This was Megan's first 1/2 marathon and SHE ROCKED IT!!!!!  If you remember, this is my bff from high school that is a professional dancer and along with that now does running and tri's.  She has an awful cold and still got SUB 2!!!!!

Billy told me to do my squinty eye pose.  Can you even tell if I have eyeballs or not?

Long story short, Google maps told us the park we were supposed to go to was in the wrong city.  40 minutes before the race we called the event center and realized we were in the wrong city and booked it to Washington City.  To say I was a little stressed is an understatement.  We hadn't even picked up our bibs so I may have gone a little over the speed limit. No warm-up either. Because of the mix up the boy's didn't make it until after we started.  So I had to carry keys, driver's license and didn't have the right shirt on.  PS I also had to stop and tie my shoes twice and dropped my drivers license and had to run back 20 feet to get it.  Boo.

Megan's little boy came to cheer us on too....um, cutest little boy in the world.  I am loving playing with him.

Don't you just want to squeeze him?  Uh oh, I think I am getting baby-hungry.

I am trying to stay positive but dang this course was hill city!!! The wind was out of control (20 mph)  and my mental status was not good.  I will talk more about this next week and what I am doing to CHANGE THAT.  You live and learn right?!?!

Yes, the conditions were not the best but it was the best training conditions to prepare me for ANYTHING in Boston.

This guy and I kept passing each other but I beat him in the end, he was a sweetie and it was fun to talk to him after and he kept reminding me he was old enough to be my dad.  Boo.  He also kept drafting off of me ha, too bad he was half my size....otherwise I would have drafted off of him.

I kept my place the entire race except one guy passed me in the last 1/2 mile.

13.43 miles (.33 miles longer than a normal 1/2 marathon) in 1:32.  They are saying they announced the times to be about 40 seconds slower than they actually were.  So, according to my Garmin I did 13.1 in 1:29:30.

4th woman overall (1st place 1:25, her PR marathon is 2:47, 2nd place 1:29 and 3rd place 1:31).  They said there was about 400 runners total.  (Men and woman but I am not sure what place I was overall).

1st place in the 20-30 year old age group.

Gift Certificate to a running store:)

I WILL get a massage after every race from now on.  My legs felt so fresh after.  I felt bad because the guy had to sanitize the drool from the table after I was done.

Blogger Friends!!! JULIA and RACHELLE rocked and don't they look stunningly beautiful after running a half-marathon!!!

Billy is such a good cheerleader and is helping me so much to get past this race and figure out how to grow from it.  He calmed me down after the race and made me feel like I was Kara Goucher.  Thank you Billy.

Why was I mad at myself?  Because I let my mind tell me I wasn't good enough.  I know I could have given more.  Better to learn how to deal with this now than at Boston.

Don't worry I will reach my goals:)

After talking to my bro Dan he helped me feel a lot better too (if you can't tell I get a little hard on myself).  He reminded me that my first real race was only last April. I am a ROOKIE and women peak in their 30's for endurance events.  So, I just gotta keep getting first place in my age group right:)

Hope you are having an amazing weekend and sorry for the late posting.  We don't have internet so we had to hit up a Mickey D's parking lot to mooch off of their free wi-fi:)

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What has made your Saturday AMAZING?

-Being with friends and talking about running ALL. DAY. LONG.  I really think I could talk about it all day. Plus, I met some readers at the race and that MADE ME SO HAPPY!!!!  Oh, and Cafe Rio:)

How do you get past a bad race?

-Letting myself be upset for a lil' bit and then taking the experience and transforming it to driving me to train harder.

What are you having/had for dinner tonight?

-Megan is making us some awesome chicken dish. Get excited for the recipe!!

Video and Mantras

I am trying to conserve every ounce of energy before tomorrow so therefore I cannot type because that obviously takes a lot of glycogen so I thought I would do a little video instead!

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Make sure to go wish SARA a very happy birthday!!!
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Have the most amazing Friday night and know that I will be stalking your from my iphone (I can't comment but I will be commenting out loud to Billy) on the car ride down.


Thank you so much for all of your support and love, I will be thinking about you as I run.


The cutest Kim sent me this quote and it gave me goosebumps.....


"Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months, and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character." -T. Alan Armstrong


Keep up your training and never give up.......YOU GUYS ARE CHAMPIONS!!!!!
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What is your favorite running Mantra.....I will be using these tomorrow!!!
-This is supposed to hurt. Pain is weakness leaving the body.


What are you doing on your Friday night?
-Driving down to St. George with friends and stopping for spaghetti somewhere along the way.


Favorite Car Ride Snack.
-Not gonna lie I am pretty excited for my Fizzl'd Fruit Skittles.  I guess I will eat large amounts of peanut butter and bananas on the car ride down too:)

Pep Talks, Milk Mustaches and M&M's

Don't forget to help my self-esteem and vote HERE for Women's Health Top Blogs.

Check out my new GEAR page on the navigation bar.  I have all of my favorite gear that I currently use with direct links to where to buy it!!! It doesn't get easier than that people.  I am getting pretty good at this technology stuff.  Okay, that is a lie but I married a smarty pants.  Check out the button he added on the left hand side to vote for me to be president (or on Woman's Health blogroll).

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Race Playlist

Workout:  Taught spin (knee hurt, hmm) and then tested out running to see if it was worth it to go race this weekend....FELT AWESOME. Um, I don't know what to think about this one.  My spinning form must be messed up or I am trying to do to much tension, IDK.  Run was short but gave me a little confidence for Saturday.  Mile 1-8:00 (testing out the water)  Mile 2-5 (6:30) felt very happy and let's see if I can hold that pace for 13.1......what do you think?

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Stress Eater.

 

Yep, I am admitting it.  I am the biggest stress eater in the world.  I KNOW my knees are going to be fine but the thought of getting injured is slightly freaking me out.  I may or may not have cried 4 times yesterday over the most ridiculous things.  I know that it is just overuse and I will be completely fine but I get stressed when I am not feeling 100%.

 

Races also stress me out....in a good way though:)  So the combination of the two things have made it so that my mouth did not stop chewing on something between the hours of 8 a.m and 10 p.m. yesterday.

As soon as I walked in from spin I grabbed a handful of candy.  Yes, I love candy but after a workout the only thing I usually want is a huge salad with as many nutrients as possible.  For dinner all I wanted was comfort foods without even taking into account what my body needed.  So the mac and cheese/potato was born and eaten.

I remember in high school a time that a certain someone (I will not name any names) and I went through a whole box of ding dongs in an hour because of a stressful family event.

Why do we do this?  We know that a bag of Sour Patch Kids for bfast is going to make us feel like junk all day and not help with the stressful situation at hand.

Luckily, I realized what I was doing (after about 700 grams of sugar) and sat down to write this post and stop the madness.

What am I going to take from this information.  I will be using Thursday to over comepensate for what happened yesterday. (Please Note I am not worried about gaining/losing weight etc. I am just really wanting to fuel my training in the best way possible to make me speedier).  I am going to rock at eating my usual 50 serving of fruits and veggies today along with good sources of proteins, whole grains and of course a cupcake (because those just make life better).

No use looking back and being a cry baby over not fueling myself properly but instead take today to completely fill every cell in my body with real foods that will turn me into a Kenyan.

P.S. The above picture made me happy when I cam home from the gym.  That is until we measured our calves and realized Billy's are skinnier than mine.  JK....they are the same size;) LOVE YOU BILLY and you are rocking running....60 minutes of running last night.  P.P.S. He hung my medals up in the corner:)

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Are you a stress eater?

-Um yeah.  No item of junk food was safe within 10 feet of me yesterday.

How do you cope with stress?

-Running is my biggest stress-reliever but when I am 'tapering' and being careful with my knee and not running I turn to eating junk.  Come on peep's I need new ideas, this is not good for me:)

What is the weirdest food combination you have ever had?

-Mac/potato was pretty weird but the weirdest was in Vegas when Billy and I got chicken and waffles.

Long Term Running Goals.

I love how some of you noticed that Billy and I were matching in the last post.  Yes, I did change when I got home from school to match him.  For some strange reason I LOVE matching people. My poor future children.  I may have to become a seamstress so that I can make onsies and clothes for me out of the same fabric to match my munchkins.

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Being totally original and one-of-a-kind, I am starting a Question and Answer series to the blog.  No one has ever done this before:)  If you have a question you want me to post about feel free to email me!!!

Today's question is, 'What are your short-term and long-term running goals other than sub 3 at Boston?"

Um............ I was going to wait to answer this question because it kind of scares me.  What if I fail?  What if I don't make the goal that I set for myself.

Then I remembered........I will just train that much harder and run another race and eventually I WILL get that goal.  No one can stop me.  I truly believe we have the power to GET whatever we want in life.

So, here goes.  I will tell the world what I really think I am going to accomplish with running.

First Goal: To have one marathon picture that I don't look like I am about to die and that you can tell I am a girl.  I am hoping to achieve this in Boston.

Goals are supposed to be realistic.....so, scratch this one. I will always look like death at the end, I guess that is how I will know I gave everything I could into the race.

Goal #2:  2:50 Marathon @ St. George Marathon this October.  I am going to have the whole summer off from work to train my butt off.  My world will revolve around Billy, going to the beach, stalking you and running.  My training will rock.  It is also a downhill course and I LOVE downhill courses so I think that will help me to attain this goal.

Goal #3: Sub 1:20 1/2 marathon. This one scares me because I haven't done a half in years.  This Saturday I am running a HILLY one so we shall see how much work I will need to do to get this one.   This will happen at the Hobble Creek 1/2 marathon this summer:)  Anyone else running this one?

Goal #4: Run some 50 and 100 mile ultra's and place.  Knowing my body and my crazy brain I think that this is one will be the easiest to obtain.  I do love speed but if I had to choose I would rather just run and run and run forever.  I am planning to train for an ultra a year from this summer.  I feel like I could run forever at a slow pace and it just makes me feel peaceful thinking about running all day in the mountains while eating pb sandwiches, Gatorade and Chips Ahoy.

Goal #5: Run NYC, Chicago, London, Berlin, Maui, Tokyo, Disney World and a trillion of the Rock N Roll marathons.

Goal #6: Run a marathon with Billy. He won't admit it but I know deep down he wants to do a marathon together.

Goal #7:  I know that after more marathons, working with my coach more and really dedicating myself to the sport I will get a sub 2:40 marathon, and maybe place in some of the bigger marathons. I know that it is going to take a ridiculous amount of work and time but that is what LONG-TERM goals are for, right?  I am not expecting this over night......just eventually, I have at least 15 years left of competitive racing and just thinking about it gives me goosebumps:)

Goal #8: Be one of those ninety year old's out running around the lakes and trails.  Running because I love it and how it makes me feel.  Kicking some trash would be cool too:)

Goal #9:  Sign up for and race 10k and a 5k.  I know this sounds crazy but anything under a 1/2 marathon SCARE'S ME!!!! 3 miles of pure sprinting......um ouch. 26.2 miles of going moderately fast....fun.  I need to see a psychologist.  My brain is messed up.

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I am so excited to be a MOM someday and that sounds more exciting to me than anything.  So many of you fabulous ladies that I look to for inspiration have a beautiful family and kick butt in running.  You guys are amazing EXAMPLES to me and get me so excited to have kids.  I just have to get past the whole I lose kids all of the time thing before this happens.

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Go wish the CUTEST MOLLIE a HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! You will love her blog!

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Tell me your LONG-TERM or SHORT-TERM running/fitness goals!!!

What is your favorite race you have ever run?

What distance SCARES you?

-The thought of doing a 2 mile race or something like that makes me want to pee my pants.  That just sounds painful.

I am feeling like some comfort food tonight....WHAT SHOULD I MAKE? What is your definition of comfort food?

Did this just happen.

As I was laying in bed after school, like I always do, watching an episode of 'I Used to Be Fat,' Billy said, "I know what we should do tonight......make cupcakes. I just found a picture of a dark chocolate cupcake with a chocolate chantilly filling topped with white chocolate ganache that I want to make."

It was the best thing I have ever heard coming from his mouth.  Not only is he becoming a runner but maybe a foodie too.  Muhahaha, my plan is working!

We used THIS recipe for the cupcakes and white chocolate ganache.

and THIS recipe for the chocolate chantilly filling.

I decided to take you on the journey of our Tuesday Night Cupcake Extravaganza.......remember, I am carb loading for Dogtown that is 4 days away.  Cupcakes are necessary.

Be prepared for a ridiculous amount of pictures.

Step 1: Drive to the grocery store because you don't have any of the ingredients for cupcakes.....I couldn't find any recipes using brocolli, m & m's and tuna so we had to go buy the goods.

Nothing is hotter than a man in the chocolate aisle.

I got some sweet bicep curls in while shopping

Step 2: We came home and I blasted Sarah McLachlan and Regina Spektor.  Poor Billy had to listen to me singing at the top of my lungs.  I seriously could have died happy listening to my favorite songs while Billy was hard at work and I was testing the batter.

Step 3: All of this baking and singing required fuel.  I was going to just have a few packs of Black Cherry Shot Blocks to get me through my glycogen depletion until the cupcakes were ready but decided I should probably make us some dinner.  We had grilled chicken with pasta, broccoli and marinera sauce with a huge hunk of garlic bread.  This meal costs a total of $2.50 and it felt kind of fancy:)

Step 4: Put the cupcake, filling and frosting together and thank your lucky stars you run because you know you are about to down three of these bad boys.

Step 5: Contemplate doing the dishes, washing your face and picking up your purse that dropped and spilled all of its contents but decide that nothing is better than crawling into bed with a belly full of chocolate, your best friend and a smile.

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What was the last thing that you baked?

-CUPCAKES and on Sunday I made brownies for the fam.

FAVE cupcakes?

-These ones

Does your significant other enjoy baking/cooking? Do you like what they make?

-Everything tastes better when Billy makes it!

What is your workout today?

-I have to be honest....I am calling what I am doing tapering because my knees are not feeling so hot, I wouldn't normally taper before a 1/2.  Probably not my best idea to do a marathon and 20 miler within 3 days of each other.  So, I am going to be super optimistic and tell myself they are just a little bit tired.  I will be teaching spin at night:)  On the bright side I got to sleep in and sleep off my sugar hangover.

Triple Tangent Tuesday

I think you should sign up to run Dogtown Half Marathon with me on Saturday.

Click on the image below to register and I will have the link up all week on the left hand side of the good ol' blogaroni.

Imagine us running together through the beautiful red rock scenery in Southern Utah hand in hand with the perfect temperature, lots of fun people all arounds us and running.....hello, that would be heaven.  Another cool thing about this race is that you get SHORTS....not the usual shirt that we all have way too many of!  We will go out for ice cream after K?!?! I am thinking an epic blogger meet-up!!!

Workout: 60 minutes on elliptical and 20 minutes weights.  I am a huge believer in the taper and will really focus on cross-training with only one 6 mile run before Dogtown on Saturday. Basically, this week will include carbs, foot massages from Billy and using my race as an excuse to double the amount of hours spent on my couch.

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It's that time again where I share three completely random/ridiculous things about myself to help you feel a little more normal:)

1. I am a drivers ed teacher and I absolutely hate driving.  I have only driven Billy 5 times in the 4 years we have been together, he drives the entire way to Cali too.  It is probably because it is much easier to eat when I am not driving.  I enjoy teaching how to drive but I would rather run to wherever I am going or sit in the backseat munching on snacks and reading Runner's World.

2.  My first marathon was the Salt Lake City Marathon last April.  My goal was to finish....that's it.  I got 5th place woman overall and I was shocked.  I trained my butt off but I had no idea that I was that competitive!!!

Billy worked harder than me that day as he navigated through SLC to find me EIGHT times along the way and be my water boy.  Yes, that is pure pain written all over my face (mile 24) but at least I had just chicked two dudes.

3.  I taught Mollee Gray from SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (she was also in all of the High School Musicals)!!! She was pretty much the coolest little thing you will ever meet.  P.S. I taught her health, not dance, although I bet I could have taught her some of my killer dance moves. (She is the one on the left)  Does this make me famous because I was her favorite teacher?

4- Is the fact that I no longer get sores in my mouth from eating to many Sour Patch Kids an accomplishment or a failure?

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Go wish SUAR a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

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How do you taper?  Do you taper for every race?

Do you like SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE?

-More like obsessed.

Do you like to drive or would you rather be the passenger?

Tell me some tangents about YOU!!!!!

My Perfect Night.

Alex (my running idol) and Allison (my fashion idol) texted us: "Sushi and The Bachelor?"  I peed a little (it is normal for me when I am super excited to do this) and realized that my prayers had been answered.

I worked at a sushi restaurant for two years and ate it almost everyday.  It has been 8 months too long since my last bite of sushi.

Cream cheese, avocado, tempura sweet potato and salmon=heaven. The tempura veggies were to die for.  Why can't we always eat our veggies tempurified?

The above sushi roll is called sushi lasagna and I am pretty sure I downed 18 pieces of this one.

I think sushi is really pretty and hopefully you do too because I took a lot of pictures of it.

The boys couldn't make rolls fast enough to keep up with me and my sushi inhalation....that is what a 20 miler will do to you.

I did take a breather and made one roll myself.....should I serve sushi at my future restaurant?

As we ate our sushi we watched The Bachelor and it was SO fun to have someone other than myself to discuss each scene with and someone that was obsessed with the show as much as I am, thanks Allison.

I predicted who was going home....did you?

Off to go do some cross-training.  I am tapering the running this week because I am racing this Saturday.  Is it normal that I am already getting NERVOUS about it?

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Do you get pre-race anxiety?

-Big time. That is one reason I signed up for this race.....so I can work on calming my nerves for when Boston comes:)

Do you talk during movies/tv shows....do you like to discuss what is going on?

-I am a big talker and it is hard for me to not ask a million questions while I am watching something.

What are your favorite sushi fillings/toppings?

-Avocado, tempura shrimp, salmon......actually, pretty much ANYTHING and EVERY sushi that has ever been invented.

Have you ever made sushi or other ethnic foods at home?