Sweetheart 5k Race Report

Well, here it is finally. The long-awaited (but not nearly that exciting) race report from the Sweetheart 5k that I did clear back on Valentine's Day. As I mentioned previously, the forecast was for snow, but I was determined to run the race regardless. Plus, it would be a first for me to run while it was actually snowing (I had run in the snow, but not while it was falling from the sky). I also did not let the fact that I hadn't run for 12 days deter me from racing, either. By darned, I wanted to get out of the house and run!

When I woke up and looked outside, I realized that the weather man was right on target. There wasn't a ton of snow, but there was lots of slush on the ground. I took my Yak Trax with me, figuring that they would come in handy. I also wanted to get more use out of them, since I had only used them twice so far (sorry Hubs, I really do love them!).

Here I am before the start of the race, all bundled up in my goose down coat over my running gear. I think it was about 27 degrees when I left the house, so not too terribly frozen, but cold nonetheless. You can catch a glimpse of my red fleece vest, along with my white compression mock neck that I nabbed at Target for a mere $9.99 (I love that store!). And also, my new gray fleece headband that I got at a going out of business sale for $4.99 (it fits much better than my black headband, which I have safety pinned in the back, LOL).

I had gone shopping the day before, looking for some other stuff, and at TJ Maxx, I came across this sweet lime green windbreaker. It's just a really thin, lightweight jacket, but I figured it would be great for spring running (and it also helped to keep the snow off the back of my neck). A nice lady in the parking lot took my picture, and I thought I was ready, but apparently not, because my face looks a little weird and my neck is strained. Oh well. What you can't see in the picture are the bright red gloves that I was sporting at the beginning of the race.

Notice the super-low bib number. I think there were less than 200 people registered, and I'm thinking a lot of them didn't show due to the snow. In fact, I was the only person signed up with a last name starting with "N". Now that's crazy! Those are the kind of races where your chances are pretty good for getting an age-group award, but considering my circumstances, I wasn't shooting for that. I just wanted to finish without passing out.

My Yak Trax did come in handy for the race, because although the roads were mostly clear, there was still some slush, and I was glad I didn't have to worry about slipping, or it would have slowed me down even more. I started out a little fast, and was a slightly worried. I kept thinking that all the people I passed would catch up to me and think, "there's that girl in the bright green jacket that went out way too fast in the beginning- ha ha!" Of course I was just paranoid, and I wasn't pushing too hard, I was just surprised at how fast I was able to go after not running for so long. I reached the first mile around 9:30, which normally would be great, but I wasn't sure if I could sustain that pace (especially considering that my projected finish time was around 34-35 minutes).

I knew a little past mile 1 we would turn the corner and head up a gradual hill. I figured that I would walk if needed. But somehow I kept going, nice and steady, and actually passed a few people (that always feels good). At the top of the hill was the halfway point and a water stop, which I planned to walk while I drank and then start running again. But as I got closer I could hear the volunteers calling out "Gatorade" as they handed out the cups. What? Who drinks Gatorade for a 3-mile run? But my mouth was dry, so I took some anyway. Luckily it was grape and not that nasty lemon-lime stuff (or blue).

I continued to plod along, and reached mile 2 at about 20:30. Around 2.5 miles I slowed a bit- I started to get a side ache (great- how amateur is that?). I guess I had pushed a bit too hard for too long. I probably should have taken a walk break sooner, but I was having too much fun passing people, and enjoying the snow (of course while being annoyed that I kept getting snowflakes all over my face and in my eyes). I tried to focus on my breathing and get back on track, so I slowed to a decent "jog". Eventually, though, I had to just walk (probably for about .2 miles). It finally went away, and I had a sudden burst of energy (knowing that the finish line was getting close definitely helped).

So for the last quarter mile or so I ran pretty fast. I came around the corner for the final stretch, and had to jump on the sidewalk, which was covered with a thin layer of slushy snow. Hooray for Yak Trax!! I cruised through that snow like a wild animal. It was great. Otherwise, I would have been sliding all over. It was awesome! Right before the end, there was a girl with a stop watch calling out times- she said 31 something. Well, it sure wasn't a PR, but it was a lot faster than I thought I could do, and not too shabby considering my side ache fiasco. I finished the race in 31:22. Not too bad for a snowy race after a 12-day running break and sickness.

After the race they had typical treats like orange slices, bananas and Gatorade and water. But they also had hot chocolate and cookies. I was way too warm to want hot chocolate, so I gulped down a bunch of water and ate some fruit. The cookies looked really tasty, but the sugar didn't sound good at all. So I didn't even take one! I realized when I got home that I should have grabbed a couple for later. I guess I was just too focused on saving room for my Brazilian meat-fest later on.

All-in-all it was a pretty good race experience, even though I lost one of my red gloves along the way (luckily it was one of those cheap stretchy kind that are 2 pair for a dollar). And for $15, it was a bargain for sure. Especially considering the fact that I received a nice, black, long-sleeved t-shirt (which I'm wearing today) plus a decent bag of goodies with some chocolates, a granola bar, some candy conversation hearts, and a BOGO coupon for a Jamba Juice smoothie. Plus I burned at least 300 calories toward my carnivore Valentine's dinner.

Speaking of Valentine's Day, I just have to mention that the Hubs gave me the sweetest card ever! Let me preface by saying, he is so not the sappy, romantic type. Although he loves to surprise me and give me gifts, he is not the type to give cards, nor write messages in them. So when I woke up and found his card on the bathroom counter, I was taken aback. Then when I opened the card- let's just say it brought me to tears (the good kind). It was one of the cards that plays music, and it had the song that we danced to (performed to, whatever) at our wedding- Etta James "At Last". And the note that he wrote couldn't have been more perfect. I'm a total sucker for a romantic gesture.

The rest of the day ended up being fabulous, as well. We saw the movie "Taken" and then headed to our dinner reservations at Rodizio Grill. Luckily we had the foresight to make reservations, and show up just before the lunch price ended. The only downfall was that we were at a really small table, and I had nowhere to put my purse except under my chair (very dangerous, if you know what kind of eater I am- just picture the area below a toddler's high chair, and that's not far off). But we gorged ourselves on all kinds of steak, chicken, turkey wrapped in bacon, beef stroganoff, pot roast, sausage, chicken hearts with lime, grilled pineapple and lots of yummy salads (my favorite is the crab salad). We ordered Brazilian lemonades (which is actually made of lime juice, with coconut milk), and thanks to the lunch price, had enough on our gift card to order a flan to-go.

Sheesh, all this talk about food is making me hungry, so I guess I'll end here and head to lunch. Hopefully soon I'll have a post about my Grandma's 80th birthday party, and some other random stuff, too.

Bowl For Kids' Sake

Okay peeps, this is a plea for help. I've already begged some of you via email, so please feel free to disregard. To the rest of you, I'm hoping this will tug on your heart strings, and maybe even loosen your purse strings. I know that times are tough for some (believe me, I know personally, considering the fact that the Hubs works in the financial industry). But think about those for whom times are really tough. Those that don't really have the resources to help themselves. I'm talking about kids.

There are plenty of kids in this world that have more than they really need. But there are also too many that don't have even the basics in their life. Or maybe that's all they have. They probably come from a single-parent home, where they struggle to make ends meet. The parent probably doesn't have a lot of extra time to spend with the kids, because most likely they are working (at least) two jobs. Or maybe the situation at home isn't the most nurturing due to drug or alcohol addiction. It's even possible that one parent is in jail. There are so many things that kids have to deal with, and these things shouldn't be among the list.

Kids should be free to play and imagine, and to grow up in a healthy, loving environment. They should have someone there to help them with their homework, to encourage and support them, and to just be a friend. Well, this is what Big Brothers Big Sisters is all about. It's a national program where adults are matched up as mentors for kids who need a little extra help, because they don't have it at home. Last year, I was blessed with the opportunity to be a Big Sister to a young girl who needed some extra help. I participated through the Redwood Elementary School program, and spent an hour with her every week, helping her with her homework, reading or just playing games. She was very shy at the beginning, but throughout the year we built a great friendship. It was very fulfilling for me to see the changes in her, and to watch her come out of her shell.

Now I'm not saying that this was because of my glorious skills or anything like that. I do, however, give much credit to the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for giving kids a chance to have something that's missing from their lives. And I was very glad to be a part of it. Unfortunately, due to schedule conflicts at work, I was unable to participate in the program this year. But I still wanted to do my part to help the cause. Along with several others from my company, I am participating in the BBBS Bowl for Kids' Sake this Saturday, Feb 28. The minimum that I have to reach in donations is $100, and I'm only partially there.

So this is where I am soliciting all of you for help. Below is a link to my donation page, where you can submit a donation online (the site is secure) and it will go toward a great cause. Also remember that your donation is tax deductible. Like I said, I understand that some of you may not have a lot of extra cash sitting around. But just think if you gave up one meal eating out, or even a movie ticket, and put that toward helping a child who could really use it. Even if you can only give $5, it really makes a difference. Heck, even if you can only give $2 or $3, it would still really help. Here is a picture of my bowling team from last year (behind me is the Boss Man, in case you were curious). It was so much fun, and we raised a ton of money!!

Time is off the essence, since I need to have all my donations in by this Friday (2/27/09). So please, please, if you are able, make a donation right here. I will be eternally grateful- and so will Big Brothers Big Sisters. If you have any questions, or want additional information, feel free to visit the BBBS web site (I linked the BBBS of Utah web site above), or just ask me. Thank you in advance for whatever you can contribute!!!!

Oh, and if you haven't given up hope on my lately, please stay tuned, as I have a few updates to post, including my Sweetheart 5k race report, among others.

The Interview

Okay, peeps, I requested to be interviewed by the lovely Niki over at Cross Country Squared, and here are the questions she posed, along with my answers:

1. If you could give someone new to running one piece of advice, what would you offer?

Since I am still somewhat new to running, this is easy. The main thing is don't be afraid to start out slow, but on the same hand, have confidence in yourself and what you're capable of doing. Whenever I read about people who are starting the C25K program, I am always amazed at how well they do, even if they don't think they will be able to complete the intervals for that week. So be bold, but don't beat yourself up if you can't progress as fast as you'd like.

2. What picture is on the main screen of your cell phone? When was it taken?

Okay, I have to admit that my background picture is a "stock" photo. It's one of the 5 or so that came with my phone. But it's a really cool picture of a bridge at sunset, so I left it on there. I'm not even sure what bridge it is, but it's a big metal bridge. I do have a few personalized photos on there as Caller ID, though (like for the Hubs and my sisters when they call).

3. What's your favorite running outfit?

Oooh, this is a tricky question, because it depends on the weather. This winter, I've really enjoyed wearing my running tights, with some kind of long sleeve compression shirt and a fleece vest. It makes me feel like a hard core "real" runner. But when the weather gets warmer, I love my Nike running capris and my C9 Champion singlets from Target (most of which costs less than $10). They are so comfortable, and they wick sweat very nicely. I never wear running shorts, because they are not flattering at all on my body. My dream is to someday have "skinny runner's legs" that don't look scary in shorts, but I'm not holding my breath. At this point, I'm just happy that I have more definition in my ankles than I used to (still a bit of cankles, but definitely improved over a year ago).

4. If calories were not an issue, what would you eat every single day?

Pizza. And a giant salad with lots of ranch dressing and croutons. And maybe a maple bar, too. Ooh, and I'd have pancakes for breakfast. And a brownie for dessert- not for breakfast, I mean after dinner.

5. What infomercial/As Seen on TV thing do you really want to buy?

Probably the H2O Steam Cleaner mop. Although I love to have things neat and organized, I really, really hate to clean. So anything to make cleaning easier would be fabulous (the entire upstairs of our house is either hardwood floors or tile). Oh, and I'm always sucked in by that Billy Mays (the Oxi Clean guy). I'm always ready to buy whatever he's selling, because he truly makes me believe that it will change my life, LOL.

To play along:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Oh, and my race report will be forthcoming at some point. I just didn't want XC2 to feel like I was dissing her, because I thought the idea was totally fun.

Happy Friday the 13th!

It doesn't really seem like Friday the 13th, because I didn't hear them say anything about it on the radio this morning, and no one at work has mentioned anything. Which to me is kind of sad because I consider 13 to be a lucky number. I don't know why, I've just always liked it- maybe because it's a prime number or something. More likely because I tend to be non-conformist. The cool thing is, we get another one next month, and then again in November. How awesome is that? I kind of wish that I could have at least one kid born on Friday the 13th. My niece was born on Friday July 13 in 2001, and my nephew could have been born on the thirteenth, but for some reason my sister didn't protest when her doctor planned it for Wed, Jan 11 (2006) instead. One of my college boyfriends was born on Friday the 13th and I had another friend whose birthday was the 13th, but I'm not sure if he was born on a Friday.

But enough about my weird obsession with Friday the 13th. I have never even seen any of the Friday the 13th movies by the way, and I have no intention to see the new one coming out today. I just hope none of you have triskaidekaphobia (which is fear of the number 13). I hope today is a lucky day for every one. It hasn't been too bad for me, because I am finally feeling better. Still a bit of a lingering cough, but I can actually taste my food, and I haven't used near as much kleenex. But I'm still kinda craving Mexican food, maybe because it was the only thing that would clear my sinuses enough to be able to smell (and therefore taste) it. I made tacos the other night, and had leftovers on Wednesday. Then last night I made a homemade crisp bean burrito (not spicy, but like I said, the craving was there). I've eaten a lot of tortillas this week.

Yesterday, I was also able to do a workout. Granted, it was only 30 minutes on the elliptical, but it was my first workout in 9 days, and it was nice to actually do something besides lay on the futon in front of the TV. Amazingly, I also did a load of laundry. It's my least favorite thing to do (that's why I put it off as long as possible) but last night I did a super-size load of dark colored socks and t-shirts. Seriously, almost every single pair of dark socks that I own are dirty, and I'm running out of clothes to wear to work, so I figured I might as well throw the clothes in while I was working out. Holy productive! It's like some kind of pre-Friday the 13th miracle or something (ha ha, I just had to throw one more Friday the 13th reference in there).

The bad thing is, I'm still not sleeping well. I wake up around 3:00 a.m. and can't fall back asleep. When my alarm goes off at 5:00, I'm exhausted. Once I get to work I'm usually okay, but at night, I start to crash around 8:30. How pathetic is that? But I guess if you look at it that I've basically been awake since 3 o'clock, that's a 17-hour day, and sheesh, no wonder I'm tired.

Tomorrow is the Sweetheart 5k race, and I plan to run, but seriously, it's been almost 2 weeks since I've run, and my lungs are definitely not at full capacity, so it could be ugly. It's the same course as the Thanksgiving 5k, so it's pretty easy and mostly flat (with one slight uphill around the mid-point). I'm really worried that I'll start out too fast, and die down at the end (such as was the case with my last run the day before I was full-blown sick). Oh, and another bonus is that it's supposed to snow quite a bit tonight (somewhere between 2 and 9 inches), so hopefully the roads will be plowed tomorrow. Otherwise, I guess I'll bust out the Yak Trax and my time will be even slower. We'll see who the real die-hards are, though. Oh, and I've decided that in the holiday spirit I will wear my red fleece vest. Heck, maybe I'll wear red gloves, too.

I just really, really hope that I can catch a slight buzz of runner's high so that I can get my groove back. Lately, although I've been sick (and extremely tired) I've had no desire to run. Even when I see other people running, it doesn't stir those feelings. Isn't that sad? Maybe Cupid's arrow will pierce me during the race, and I'll be smitten once again. Seriously, I really need to start thinking about half-marathon training. Although I haven't officially signed up for any races, I'm still debating two (the SLC- April 18 and the Ogden- May 16). At this point, I'm just not sure if I want to fork out the cash. It's like a punch in the gut, especially with the way the economy is. In fact, after we get our next electric bill, we may stop using the hot tub, just because we can't afford to heat it. Now that's sad!

Well, that's my update for now. I hope everyone has a good weekend, and for those of you that get President's Day off, lucky you! I'll be one of the poor schmucks working (I knew I should have been a school teacher!).

Still Sick, But Doing Better

So I'm still a little under the weather. I did make it a whole day at work Friday, and yesterday, too. Over the weekend I was doing okay, and even wrangled up enough gumption to help the Hubs rake leaves while we actually had some sunshine. Then he washed the dishes, and I loaded them into the DW. Then he moved on to cleaning off the dining room table (which is perpetually covered in random stuff). That's when I called it quits. I definitely over did it. I was sapped of what little energy I had. But it was nice to get outside for a while.

I still haven't run, because my lungs feel like they're not working at full capacity- kind of like someone is sitting on my chest or something. I can almost feel my cardio endurance wasting away. I am signed up for a 5k this Saturday, Valentine's Day, which I fully intend to do, but I'm thinking it might have to be much slower than originally planned, and will most likely not PR- which is okay. It will just be a good way to start the day, since the Hubs and I are planning a meat feast at the Brazilian steakhouse (Rodizio Grill) that afternoon. We decided for our V-Day date, we would have a late lunch, then go see a movie (probably Taken). We have gift certificates for both, and we'll pay the lunch price at the restaurant, and get the matinee price for the movie- score!! See, there are still ways to have fun on a budget.

So, even though I have a little over an hour left at work, I may leave early. It snowed this morning, and I am just not feeling so hot. Well, actually I am feeling a bit warm, and that's the problem. Plus, my boss is out of the office on business this week, so it's super slow. Why not go home and get the rest that my body apparently needs? And maybe stop off and get another honey butter cinnamon scone- doh! Just kidding about that one. Well, kinda. Now that I said that, it sounds really good. But it's probably not what my body needs to heal itself from the snot overload that's going on in my head. 

I am so sick of sneezing and blowing my nose. At least I finally brought some good kleenex to work so that I don't have to use the scratchy stuff on my already raw nose-skin. But the good thing is, whatever you peeps are doing (praying, crossing fingers, etc.) is working, because the Hubs is not sick. Wahoo!!!! But it still sucks because he's afraid to be in the same room with me. Last night, he finally laid down on the futon to watch TV together. But as long as he stays healthy, it will be worth it.

Zero Energy (and a Hot Tub Bonus)

Okay, since the Hubs has his game night tonight, normally I would have plenty of time for blogging and watching Biggest Loser from last night. But unfortunately I am coming down with something. I woke up this morning with a total sore throat, and my head is all congested- and I'm exhausted!

Yesterday I went on my first weekday run since before my half, and I was proud of myself for finally getting out there on a day besides Saturday. But it was a tough run. I was really struggling with my breathing. I was coughing up phlegm like nobody's business (sorry, TMI, I know). I chalked it up to losing a bit of my aerobic capacity from not consistently running. However, today's illness makes me wonder if it was already setting in, and that's why I was having such a hard time. Or did I get sick because of the run. Hmmm, the chicken or the egg?

I don't know, but it's the same gunk that I dealt with after Christmas, and it stuck around for almost 2 weeks (and the Hubs caught it from me last time, so please pray and cross your fingers and do whatever else so that he doesn't get sick this time, too). My boss has been sick all week and hasn't been in to work, so luckily yesterday and today's meetings were cancelled. That meant I could leave after working a half day today. I stuck it out as long as I could. I bought some comfort food on the way home (at this place called Sconecutter, that's my absolute favorite- it's only in Utah, but it is to die for... unfortunately I never eat there because I'm sure it's super unhealthy) and watched one episode of 30 Days (they're done by Morgan Spurlock, who did Supersize Me- they are very entertaining, and they were re-running on FX a while back) then took a 2 hour nap. I was super groggy when I woke up, but forced myself to keep drinking liquids and ate a popsicle.

Now that I've watched Biggest Loser, I guess I should eat something for dinner (probably chicken soup, since I can't really taste anything anyway and I need more veggies- a French Dip and honeybutter cinnamon scone just don't cut it). Sorry that I don't have anything more interesting to report, but I just don't have the energy or motivation. Oh well, I guess I could mention that we finally have the hot tub up and running. A few weeks ago, we had a guy come and do the electrical work so that we could plug it in. Now, $950 later, and after cleaning it and buying a few more chemicals and supplies over the weekend, it's functional. Let me run outside and take a picture for you. Hang on.

Okay, here you go. Here is the finished product. I sincerely hope that sitting in the hot tub the last couple of nights in the cold outside air didn't make me sick. Then again, I was sick at Christmastime, too, and I sure wasn't hot-tubbing then. Don't you just want to hop in?
Okay, that's it for today. I hope that I can sleep tonight, after taking such a long nap, and even moreso that I can make it to work for two more days. It sucks having to use paid time off for stuff other than having fun. But at least I have it when I need it (in fact, I actually have more personal a.k.a. "sick time" than vacation right now, so I'm set if I need it). I'm going to keep thinking positive, healthy thoughts. Plus, I need to run at least 6 miles this Saturday so that I can get back on track for whichever half-marathon I decide to do. But I'm not going to force it. I still have plenty of wiggle room so that if I don't feel up to it, I can give myself time to recuperate.

The Air Has Cleared

Finally! I am breathing much easier thanks to a snowstorm that came through Sunday and Monday. Of course that meant I had to shovel the driveway before heading to work on Monday, but oh well. It's been a while, and it's a great way to get the blood pumping early in the day.

It has been a crazy week, and I'm so glad I don't have to work tomorrow (booo-ring). But that doesn't mean it won't be crazy. It's the State Drill Team Competition (I'll be at UVU in Orem tomorrow if anyone's in the neighborhood, lol) to watch my sister compete. Luckily it doesn't start too early in the morning, since it's a 45 minute drive, but that just means it goes later into the evening. I was trying to get the Hubs to go snowboarding (so I wouldn't feel bad about him being home alone), but he's not sure if he can miss work. So he might be going on Saturday, which means he'll be home by himself tomorrow night, and I'll be all alone on Saturday. Who knows?

So I've been in a major running funk lately. I have serious post-race blahs. I've only been running once, and that was last Saturday with the South Davis Road Runners. It was raining and there were 7 of us. The guys took off together, and 3 of us girls ran together, and one lady ended up staying inside the rec center because her son was in a stroller (and she didn't have a cover). It was a bit of a tough run, partially because I hadn't run since my race the Saturday before, and partially because I was going at a pace that was a lot faster than I'm used to. I wanted to keep up with the other girls (ladies?), and I was good for the first couple of miles. But when we turned and started heading up hill, that pretty much did me in. I had to slow way down. I kept them in my line of sight for the most part, and at one point they turned around and ran back to where I was (which was really nice of them). However, they still ended up finishing several minutes before I did. I think the run was about 4.5 miles total. It was nice because it was a different route than I've ever run, and it was fun to have someone to talk to for the  first little bit (the one lady is in charge of the group, and the other girl was someone I hadn't met before, but both are really nice and fun).

Anyway, I sort of have no motivation right now. It's been really cold this week, but I really don't mind the cold. I think I've just felt exhausted lately. Our church schedule changed on Sunday, so I was even able to sleep in (which I haven't done in a long time), but I still feel tired. I really need to do better about drinking more water, so I know that's part of the problem. Plus, I've probably had a bit too much sugar lately, and I haven't been doing so well with my 5 fruits and veggies a day. I need to get back on track with that- I was doing so well, too. 

So today I really made an effort. I've already had seven 8-oz glasses of water (and the number of trips to the bathroom to prove it). Oh, another way I can tell I haven't had enough water is my lips get really, really chapped. They get chapped anyway, because of the climate here (cold dry air outside, and warm dry air inside), but they've been extra bad lately. Seriously, I should buy stock in Chapstick the way I go through it. As far as fruits and veggies, I had a banana with my oatmeal this morning (for the first time ever I actually sliced it and mixed it in- it was actually kind of good, especially with a bit of peanut butter mixed in, too). Then at lunch I had some baby carrots, a salad with cucumbers and half an orange (that was separate from the salad). For dinner I'm making some kind of chicken with broccoli and probably more salad, since it needs to be eaten before it goes brown. I also have leftover homemade garlic mashed red potatoes, but that's technically a starch, so I don't usually count it as a veggie.

Going back to the running, I really need to nail down my next race so that I'll have something to train for. That really helped me to get through December and the first half of January. I didn't want to blow my half-marathon, so I put in the training. But now that I don't have anything nailed down on the horizon, I'm slacking off. I am going to do a 5k on Valentine's Day, so maybe I should focus on trying to get faster in the next 2 weeks. The route is the same as the Thanksgiving 5k, so I can try for a course PR. I would really like to have a 5k under 30 minutes, so I guess I can work on that. I also want to another big race this year, but I'm having a hard time deciding. This whole trying to get pregnant thing is throwing me off, because I'm not sure what to plan for. Before I did my half-marathon, I was looking into the Ogden marathon, which is in May. The course looks really nice, and most of it is either flat or downhill. The half starts at the second half of the marathon course and goes around the reservoir, down the canyon and into downtown (only the last mile of the course is urban). The deadline before prices go up is January 31, and it's a $15 dollar difference before and after. So I would like to figure it out soon. I would have plenty of time to train for the marathon, but if I get pregnant, I'm just not sure how my body will react (it's not like I've been pregnant before, so I really have no idea, ha ha).

Another thing that's messing with my mind is the option to do the Salt Lake City half-marathon in April (it's the Saturday before the Boston Marathon). The prices for that went up on Jan 1, so that's not an issue (although it costs more than the Ogden race). And, my brother-in-law runs that race every year, so I would have someone to hang out with, and possibly run most of the race (since his finish times are just a tad bit slower than my recent finish time). Of course, I could also do both the SLC and Ogden half's, but that would be expensive (over $100) and it comes out of my own allowance money, not our joint budget, so it would be tight. Argh! I just can't decide what to do!! Oh yeah, and in the meantime, I have no idea how much to run. I could just run for enjoyment (now that's a concept), but I don't want to get too far behind in training for whichever race I decide to do.

So that's where I'm at right now. My weight has been pretty good lately- I'm back down around what I was before Thanksgiving, so that's good. The holiday gain is gone (although it was only about 5 pounds). Oh, and we finally had an electrician come out and do the wiring for the hot tub, so all we have to do now is clean it out and fill it up (which I was kind of hoping to do this weekend, but if the Hubs goes snowboarding on Saturday, we won't have time). Plus, I'd also like to get some kind of a barrier for the north side of the hot tub, so our neighbors don't watch us out their kitchen window. But I have no idea what would be a cheap, temporary fix until we can get some kind of gazebo or something when we have a bigger budget for it. Any suggestions would be welcome.

I hope you're all enjoying your week, and are ready for the Superbowl this Sunday (wahoo! for the big game, but boo-hoo for football season ending). I'm just happy that January is almost over, because in general it's a crappy month. And today is a nice, bright sunny day with clear skies so I can pretend that Spring is almost here (although it's barely above freezing outside).