Normal Day

Dating Mr B is an adventure (and i honestly imagine that he would say dating ME is an adventure for him). Especially on weekends, we are all "GO GO GO!" If we aren't at a race, chances are that we are hiking. And not just a quick hike, but an all day, over 15 mile hike.

Speaking of which, Mr B and i ended August with a 17 mile hike into Yellowstone to see this beauty:

Union Falls

Pictures just cannot capture how large and majestic this is. It was a beautiful hike and we also had access to a swimming hole with a tiny 4 foot falls that we jumped off.

We enjoy adventuring, exploring, racing and traveling together. And although that does happen rather often for us (at least as long as the weather holds) they are not every day activities.

There are also the things that are not adventures, but also don't happen every day. Like spending a Saturday morning making jam, taking blankets just outside of town to watch meteor showers and lunar eclipses, heading to West Yellowstone for a show at the Playmill, or chasing lightening storms. i treasure the memories of these lovely moments.

But the meat of our still budding relationship is the everyday.

i find joy in preparing meals together every evening: trying new recipes, conquering the grocery store side by side, Mr B grilling while i chop veggies, bumping hips as we move around the small space, taste testing as we go, music drifting in the kitchen (sometimes causing us to stop and dance for a moment), racing to see if the dish dryer can finish faster than the dish washer, praying together and for each other before we eat and then enjoying our creation together.

There is happiness in sharing church services together: walking into the chapel and seeing Mr B's smile for the first time on Sunday, poking him if he dozes off, having his arm around me when the air conditioning makes me chilly, listening to his gorgeous voice sing the hymns, sharing thoughts about the talks and lessons with each other.

We build our relationship as we do a nightly checking: sharing our low point of the day, telling about our high moment, expressing our gratitude for at least one thing and testifying of one time during the day when we felt the Spirit or followed a prompting from God. The communication and vulnerability and listening is bonding and my day would feel incomplete without checking in with Mr B.

The little things are my favorite: snuggling on the couch together, running together, crying on Mr B's shoulder after a hard day, spending Sunday afternoons dining with his family, playing card games, reading A.A. Milne out loud to each other, standing out on my porch to watch the stars before saying goodnight, getting into tickle wars, emailing articles that we know the other would find interesting, discussing work projects together, finding excuses to swing by in the morning and get a kiss before the work day, calling each other "friend," watching favorite movies together, taking Sunday drives, learning to appreciate BYU football, meeting up at the temple, and curling up with our own respective books to have a "reading date."

i don't know how much time i will have with Mr B; there are no guarantees in either love or life. And so, i have decided to enjoy the normal days the most of all.

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so." -Mary Jean Irion

Look like a beauty, train like a beast

Big Cottonwood Canyon was my favorite half marathon last year. This spring i convinced a few girl friends to run it with me. Since the race wasn't until September, we thought it would never come around...but it finally did. It was my last half marathon of the season.

We made matching shirts and planned a girls' weekend. But as the event drew closer, other plans cropped up and although all four of us were still planning on running, we weren't going to be able to travel down from Idaho to Utah together. So, last minute, Mr B decided to come to Utah with me and, if he was driving all the way down, he might as well compete too!

The five of us met up at race start and huddled together to stay warm. We talked about our goals for finishing and got all sorts of nervous and excited.

At race start

i ran the first mile with Mr B. Then i could feel him pulling and i knew that i could never keep up with him. So i said, "Go! Just go! i'll see you at the finish." And he was off like a shot.

i averaged a 8:20 min/mile pace for the first 10 miles. Two of my miles i finished in under 8 minutes! 

Then i hit mile 10 and wanted to die. Luckily, i didn't die, and somehow i kept moving (albeit much slower). i still finished in a record time for me at 1:54:56 averaging a 8:45 pace.

i love setting a new personal record 

My girlfriend finished just two minutes behind me, also setting a record for her fastest half marathon.

So many races with this girl! :)

Mr B pretty much tore it up. He finished in 1:32, keeping his mile average around a 7 minute mile. He finished 112th of about 2500 half marathoners. Man, was i proud of him!

With Speedy Mr B

Everyone was beaming at the end. It was so much fun to do something hard with so many good friends. i absolutely love that i can share my passion with people that are so important to me. And it was nice to have other people limping around for the next week so i didn't feel so alone in my pain :)

Mr B declined a team shirt...hahaha

Our shirts pretty much rock

Prayer

Keep me grounded.

Keep me thankful.

Keep me small.

ITC Run Idaho 2015

In a move of brilliant marketing, three races in my area hooked up together and offered something called the "Idaho Triple Crown." Anyone who ran all three races got an extra shirt, medal and, of course, bragging rights.

In June i ran the first one: Teton Dam Half Marathon in Rexburg.

i loved this one because it was through MY playground...where i do my training runs. It is just beautiful farm country.

My girlfriend ran the first 9-10 miles with me.

Then i picked up my pace and tore it up for the last three miles, finishing with miles a whole 1.5 minutes faster per mile than my first three miles.

Mr B wasn't at half marathon distances yet, so he ran the 10k. And he RAN it, coming in for 5th place and averaging just under 8 minute miles.

It is so fun to have friends to race with! Not only were my friends racing with me, but my mom, my little brother and Mr B's mother were waiting at the finish line and we had a huge celebratory breakfast after.

The next race was in July: M.A.D. Half Marathon in Idaho Falls.

i ran this one on my own. We started in the foothills to the east of Idaho Falls and were graced with a gorgeous sunrise at race start.

Because we had just done a 17 mile hike the day before, and because we were going on our long backpacking trip four days later, i told Mr B that i was just going to take it easy on the run.

Well, i didn't. i surprised myself by feeling my competitive side kick in and i ended up getting my second fastest time on a half marathon (30 seconds shy of making a personal record). When i saw Mr B at the finish line, i was ecstatic to announce that i made it under 2 hours.

The last one was just a couple days into September: Running the Gap Half Marathon in Pocatello.

i ran this one alone too and it was also the first time that i didn't have anyone at the finish line for me. It was a pretty course but it was a hard one for me. i had run my second full marathon just two weeks before that and then, the next weekend, Mr B and i had done another 17 mile hike (i haven't posted about that one yet).  i was pretty trashed. In fact, in August i had 95 running miles, 49.7 racing miles and 37 hiking miles. That will wear down a person's legs. 

So from the very get go, i started slower...averaging 9:30 min/miles. And then when the 15 mph headwind kicked in at mile 10, i dropped even slower, finishing with an average of 9:52 min/mile and a ending with a total time of 2:08:45 (a full 10 mins slower than IF!) But i was happy to have finished and very glad to be done!

My Idaho Triple Crown medal is pretty cool too! It says "ITC Run Idaho 2015" and lists the name and the dates of the three races.

So many races....so little summer! More pictures of races and hikes coming that i have yet to post about :)

Being 30 is like being 29...but older

Last week i left my twenties behind me.

A few months ago, i imagined a huge birthday bash with massive amounts of my friends. But as it grew closer, i realized that what i really loved (and wanted) was to share it with just those few people in Rexburg that are always there for me...and to spoil myself doing the things that i love the most.

So, of course, i started the day with a run. Mr B joined me and we watched the sun rise as we ran through the rolling farmland just east of town. On our way back to town, he stopped to pick me a birthday bouquet of wildflowers.

Instead of rushing into the office, i took the time to soak in the bubble bath and whittle away on the stack of books i'm currently reading. It was a relaxing morning.

Per their usual, my employees had gone all out for my birthday. My office was calf-high in balloons, there were streamers every which way, and the desk was covered in ribbons and cards. Not only that, but they had organized a potluck lunch with delicious food and a decadent chocolate fudge and strawberry cake.

i received so many texts and calls from my friends and family who live far away. Even my nephew (who is *almost* here) sent well wishes! This snapchat makes me ridiculously happy:

{i think she is the cutest pregnant lady ever}

After work i curled up on my floor in the patch of sun shining through my sliding door and read and napped until dinner time. Then it was time to head to Mr B's. And i was greeted with this view on the grill:

He is the grillmaster

We put on my Spotify "Happy" playlist and worked together to prepare some delicious peach-kissed burgers to go along with the jalapeno poppers, corn on the cob and pineapple that were already on the grill.

A few more of our closest friends came to enjoy dinner, games and the delicious cake that Mr B prepared.

Nice candle placement :)

After cake, i opened a stack of cards from my family and Mr B's family and giggled my way through a book that my girlfriend picked up for me when she was in England last month.

The night ended curled up on the couch next to Mr B, reveling in the day, making hiking plans for the weekend, laughing and enjoying one another's company.


A friend asked me how i felt about turning 30. After much thought i realized that i am in better shape physically, emotionally, and spiritually than i ever have been. If that's how i'm starting my third decade of life, then i say...


BRING ON THE THIRTIES

It wasn't a fluke

Like everyone, i sometimes struggle with self worth. One of the biggest way that my shame gremlins attack me is by whispering this nasty little message:

You aren't a REAL runner.

They follow it up by saying:
*Real runners don't get tired.
*Real runners never struggle with IT band issues.
*Real runners ALWAYS want to run.
*Real runners go faster than you.
*Real runners don't get flushed when they run.
*Real runners get faster every time they run.
*Real runners never have to walk.
*Real runners have 6pack abs.

After the initial euphoria of my marathon wore off, and as i had to cut way back on my weekly mileage due to tendinitis, the gremlins went to town. Even as i kept running and racing and ignoring them, they whispered that my marathon was a fluke and there was NO WAY i could do it again. Besides, i had to walk some of it, so that meant i didn't even really do it, right? (So they said).

They told me i was a fake runner. A phony. i was a GOOD pretender, but a pretender, nevertheless.

Going into this race, i was nervous because i was afraid that i was going to fail. On Friday, Mr B and i went to pick up our race packets. i was running the full marathon, he was running his first half. We drove the last 9 miles of the course together. The second half of the full marathon followed the same course of the half marathon, so we would be running along the same path--although the half would start 2 hours after the full, so i estimated i would be around mile 11 or 12 when they started at my mile 13. i wouldn't cross Mr B's path.

As we drove along we saw the mile markers--first the mile markers for the full (20, 21, 22) and .1 miles after each of these were the mile markers for the half (7, 8, 9). i asked Mr B if he would pray for me every time he passed one of my mileage signs.

Later that evening, Mr B gave me a priesthood blessing and as we said goodnight, he kissed my hand and said, "Every mile."

When i got to race start, i was surprisingly calm. i chatted with the other runners waiting to go. i got my music and running apps all prepped. i had the overwhelming feeling of "Just do it, Jennifer. You got this."

And off we went.

The first 10 miles were on gravel forest service roads winding through the forest. We watched the sunrise (red and hazy because of the forest fires) and i chatted it up with several marathoners running my pace.

Exiting from the gravel roads and onto the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway, my mom was there waiting to cheer me on. She leapfrogged me, stopping to cheer about every .75 miles from mile 10-13. From there i passed the start line of the half marathon and veered onto a single track trail for the next 4 miles. 

As i hit the trail, i analyzed how i was doing physically. My legs felt great, my stomach was a tad queasy but not too bad, my feet were fine and i still had a lot of energy. i was eating at least a couple of bites at every aid station and drinking lots of gatorade. The trail was gorgeous, the weather was cooperating and i felt good!

Around mile 15, i started passing the half marathoners who were walking. At mile 17, the trail dumped out at the Warm River Campground, i was back on pavement, and i began the hill climb. Their website describes it as a "significant climb" that lasts for three miles. 

From the very base of the hill i started passing way more half marathoners. Then i was passing some marathoners too. i kept waiting for my body to tell me that i needed to walk; i expected to have to walk some of the hill. But i kept running. And i felt amazing. i realized that this hill was nothing compared to the mountain passes i had run in my relays; i was trained and prepared.

Right as i hit mile 20 and at the peak of the hill, my mom was there waiting to cheer me on. i was on the highest of runner's highs! i shouted while grinning from ear to ear, "i'm at the top of the hill! i'm at mile 20! i haven't had to walk at all yet! i feel great!" 

The next three miles was gorgeous rolling farmland. i loved the rollers with all of the ups and downs. It felt like an accomplishment at the peak of every little hill. i was still passing people. i talked a tiny bit with most people that i had passed. 

Mile 23 i realized that my legs were very tired. My body started begging for me to walk. But there was NO WAY i was going to start walking then. Plus, i never knew when my mom was going to be there and i didn't want her to cheer on a walker.

At mile 24.5, Mr B joined in with my mom to cheer me into the end (he had already finished his race). He ran about a block with me, just enough to say "You are doing amazing and you are almost there!"

i pushed into the finishing line with my last ounce of energy, grinning when i heard my girlfriend (who also ran the half) shout "Go Jennifer!!"

It wasn't a fluke. i RAN a full marathon.And as Mr B pointed out, if after a full marathon i can grin and say, "That was SO FUN! i loved that course!" then i am a real runner. 

Side note: Mr B did amazing too. He finished in 1:45:09 (that's 15 mins faster than my PR!) averaging just over an 8 minute mile. He placed 2nd in his age category and 16th overall.

i finished in 4:35:38! And i was surprised that i also placed! i was second in my age category as well and awarded with a nice little plaque. 

Those gremlins can kiss my asphalt.

i am a marathoner.

Grand Teton Relay

If i don't post about races every week, then i get behind! There are two half marathons that i have run and still haven't blogged about. 

But we will save them for another time because this race was especially exciting. 

1- It was a relay

2- It was a beautiful course

3- Things didn't go as planned

4- Mr B was on my team!

When my friend asked me if i wanted to be apart of his team, i thought it was going to be a 12 person team. As the race drew closer (like two weeks before race time), i realized that the captain was expecting me to fill a whole van (6 people) and that my friend who asked me was in the other van. i scrambled and begged asked every runner i knew if they wanted to join me. i also asked non-runners, just for good riddance. 

i ended up somehow talking these amazing four men to be in my van.

Van #2 Jennifer's boys

There were some really strong runners in my van (and even those who weren't runners were really strong in other ways) and i knew that the five of us could cover all of the legs for van 2 without a sixth runner.

After checking our van in and before we began our running, we stopped by Mesa Falls to enjoy the view. The following conversation happened in front of the waterfall:

Me: We sure seem to find ourselves at quite a few waterfalls together.
Mr B (As if surprised to see me): Fancy seeing you here!
Me: Hello, friend.

When the race started, i was under the impression that the other van had 5 runners as well. i soon found out that they only had FOUR runners in their van.

And then, after their first legs, two of their four runners dropped out (including the captain). Which left SEVEN of us to finish off the rest of the race.

And we rocked it.

Offering Mr B support on his long, hot run

"Blasphemous Bill" runs with Sasquatch

Van support

Oh that sunset!

  It was simultaneously extra stinky and extra cool to be the only girl on the team.

We are tough

Everyone picked up more miles and sacrificed more sleep without complaining once. We had so much fun.

One of us ran in the pouring rain.
One of us got wet driving the van when the driver's door started leaking.
One of us ran into a breathtaking sunset.
One of us ran in two inches of mud.
One of us ran in bright yellow tights with black polka-dots.
Several of us counted tons of shooting stars above us while we ran through the night.
Few of us slept.

One of us ran up the Teton pass (1200 feet elevation gain in under 3 miles). Guess who?

At the top of the pass after finishing my ridiculous uphill climb

The team (except the one of us who ran DOWN the pass)

There was "good game" slapping, running through sprinklers, belting Bohemian rhapsody at the top of our lungs, cat calling, dancing in the middle of the road, peeing behind bushes, chugging chocolate milk, nicknaming other runners, ignoring of the typical social norms (including modesty, personal hygiene and discretion with bodily functions), laughing, and general hilarity all along the course.

We finished the 180 mile course in 28 hours and 21 minutes.

The whole team: What a good looking crew

Man, i love these races.