yo -

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Playing around w/some video makers...not my first choice in music but it works.

In Other News...

Did you know our anniversary was yesterday?? Just Kidding, I have crammed that about as far down down your throat as I could.....moving on.....

So my Tuesday morning runs w/The Beast have been even more brutal than average. The Beast is less than 2 weeks out from running the Portland Marathon and her running is super strong right now. Mine remains average, so there is a notable difference in our strength and pace right now. I hang w/her as long as I can and then beg for her to leave me behind and keep her pace while I stop and lay down along side the trail and pour water over myself. : ) These runs are about to become bi-weekly as the boys start soccer tomorrow. So we will be running Tues and Thurs mornings together...err, starting the runs together, but probably finishing at different times.

Brian continues to kick booty. He runs at the same time as us, but pushes Bubba in the jogger and leaves us both in the dust! He has consistently been running 7-8 minute miles w/the jogger. He ran w/o the jogger following the girls on their new speedy bikes and had a breakthrough run logging multiple miles in the 6 minute range and some dipping down into the 5's!!
Things look good for him, and I have a feeling Drew Carey's time is going down!

Brian needs my comp to dump some new tunes in for our 8 miler tonight, gotta get!

14 Years

One more anniversary related p0st : )

14 years

6 moves

3 kids

Countless good times and memories made......

and......

Ring number 2!!!!The kids also had a special surprise this weekend. After a fun filled weekend we had them open their presents last night. They were trying to act happy with their new running outfits. I had them take the present garbage out to the garbage in the garage....where they spotted their new bikes!!
Sophie and Myles are still on transitional sized bikes (meaning they will outgrow their current size). So while they got nice, new bikes that they are excited about....their bikes are on the more "affordable" side and came from Walmart/Target. Sophie is more concerned with color/style of the bike, whereas Emma is more interested in gears, shocks, ect. Myles is just learning and really just wanted a cool helmet.
Emma's bike, on the other hand, is a size 26. She will be on it till she's an adult most likely. It came from Encina Bike Shop, and really is a nice bike. It has a great warranty and the shop will take great care of it for her when it needs it. They installed her water holder on the top for her and did all the "new bike" stuff they do - putting Slime in the tubes, checking everything, tightening, ect.

In other news....Our legs were really really sore the first half of last week. While we felt surprisingly good the day of the Diablo half, I will admit that the 3 days following it were painful!! So the next 2 weeks are all about supporting Brian in getting ready for his half. He has a goal of.....any guesses??? I doubt anyone would come up with this one, but his goal is to beat Drew Carey's PR half marathon time. Drew was at the Disney Half, which he ran with a broken clavicle in a time of 1:50:54!! Woot!! Who knew Drew was that fast!! So that is the goal, we will see if that changes between now and Oct 9th! He's currently on a long bike ride...

You can see/click the pic's on the left side of the blog for more info, but the kids have a double race weekend that same weekend. They have a 1 mile run on the 8th, which they will all be running solo, at different times (this is a first, we'll see how it goes!) Then on the 9th the kids and I have the Run Forrest Run 5k while Brian is running his half. The girls will stick together for this one. I have given Em strict instructions to stop and smell the flowers for this one - stop and dance when you come to a band, run to the next band, stop and dance again....I just don't want her getting frustrated w/Sophies pace, so I am encouraging her to just have fun and soak in the course - dance, get high fives, hang out at the aid stations....have fun!! It will be Bubba's first 5k ever, and I am not bringing the jogger stroller at all. I am hoping he has a blast and thinks it's totally a race about him since there will be "Bubba" themed stuff everywhere. Like we started off with the girls, I have to do everything possible to make this one fun!!! If it's not a blast, he'll never want to do another one!

So that's what's coming up for us, after the big Long Beach weekend will be Brazens Rocky Ridge, not sure who's doing what distance yet, but that is a yearly race for us, so we will be doing some sort of distance.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

September.
Every year, it brings a host of changes, most having to do with numbers.
Myles gets another year older, as do I. (one of us is 34, one is 5)
Our marriage gets longer by another year. (we are hitting 14)
Another school year begins. (which makes my girls seem to age overnight)

On the thought of changes.....let me ask you in blogger land....who are Rocky and CeCe??
We have now entered the realm of me being "old" and not knowing half the time who or what the girls are talking about. I had a surreal experience last night of taking the girls to Target to get them new tops for picture day. Suddenly we have entered the reality of having girls who pick out their own stuff and have to "try it on". I am now the mom sitting outside the fitting rooms with 2 girls in there trying things on. ???? When did this happen??? "Are you dressed yet?"..."Yeah, are you?"...."yeah, you come out first"....."no, you come out first"....."Oh my, I love this!! Look, look!! It's a Rocky and CeCe top!!"......"I want to try it with the other jeggings, these aren't comfortable." And just like that my Emma, who isn't into fashion at all, has picked out a leopard print top w/Steven -Tyler style wide, bell bottomed rock star sleeves and sequined jeggings.
Me - "where's your father?" I was expecting him to pass out. I think we both can't believe how fast life is passing by because 1) we can't possibly be parents and have kids this old, and 2)our kids are growing up way to fast. I think last night Em officially entered the "Tween" stage. Scary stuff!!

And now, an oldie but goodie -

This was our second full marathon in March 2010, the Napa Valley Marathon. It was also our PR race for this distance and that PR still stands. At the time, I would have picked this picture apart, but now...1.5 ish years later, it doesn't look so bad! Funny how that works. We had such fun that day, and it truly is a beautiful marathon, and very well organized. Nothing like a weekend in Napa, with no kids, listening to Dean Karnazes speak at the expo to make a great race weekend!
(marathon photo had a deal on digital prints, so I caved and got this one, that is why it's randomly showing up all this time later, if you were wondering)

Ok, well....let the Anniversary weekend begin!! The kids presents are wrapped and sitting out to torture them.....if they only knew what has been hidden out in the garage all week!!! (my secret agent sneaky spy skills have paid off again)

If any Trail Hog runners are reading, have a great run tomorrow, weather should be great!!
I may have a small case of trail envy, but ya know, go...have fun...no, really...have a blast.

A Few Finishers!

Race Re-cap Below

Coastal Trail Runs - Diablo 1/2

We got to the start about 30 minutes early. It was easy to tell by the crowd and the distances being offered that this was a tough crowd! Distances included, in miles - 4, 10, 13.1, 26.2, and 30. It would have been easy to begin to feel intimidated, but I kept telling myself that no matter what or how long, we would finish....and that Allen said we should get our monies worth and take the full 9 hours....and just like that, there was no pressure!
Speaking of Allen and Diane, I was a bit worried when they didn't show up! I saw their daughter heading out to set up our aid station, so I figured all was well and they were lost, but on their way. They did make it and got a late start, but more than made up for lost time. Diane would end up placing in her age division in the 4 mile, and Allen caught us a little over half way up the climb.
As for Brian and I, we ran the first 2 miles, which had some gentle rolling bumps, but were mostly flat considering what lay ahead. As soon as the elevation began to climb, we were hiking. It just kept going up, there were no real breaks in the climbs, it was just all up. There were steeper sections than others, some looser, some more compact, some sun, some shade....but it was all up. At different points you could make out runners heads bobbing along further up the side of the mountain, at which point I would say "I can't believe we have to go all the way up there"....which is dumb because I knew we summitted and would have to go as high as the mountain would go. I would go as steady as I could and then when I thought I was crazy and couldn't go up anymore I stopped and drank, then headed up again.
Eventually Allen caught us and it was nice to have some fresh company. He keeps a killer uphill pace and I was for sure struggling to keep up w/he and Brian. We hit the aid station around the 5 mile mark (after 3 miles of climb), refilled our bottles, and headed out on the 1.2ish miles to the summit. These were fun(although difficult) miles of running through a campground, single track, and more technical, rocky single track. We came out of the woods into the lower summit parking lot, then into more woods that led to the top summit parking lot where the lookout tower is. Hard to fathom we just climbed 3420 ft!! It felt odd to be there, for many reasons, but one being that we were in serious cyclist territory. Runners don't' run to the top of Diablo, it's just not normal. Cyclists dominate this Mt, and there were quiet a few at the top. We hung out for a minute or two, then headed back down the 1.2 miles to the aid station. I should mention that I don't own trail shoes, and running down the mt proved to be a slippery situation. It was hard to get traction in the gravel and dirt in racing flats, and there's no doubt it slowed me down. Did I mention that Allen summitted probably a good 5 minutes ahead of us?? He took a few pictures of us at the top, and we headed down together. Going down was funner than up, but I have to say I was pretty tense trying not to slip and slide. We refilled water bottles again at the aid station, had a sip of Sprite, and headed out. 5 miles to go till the finish line.
Brian and I were alone most of the way down. We ran the whole way down, but it was a very tense, controlled run. There were occasional pains that would come and pass (sharp shooters in left knee, and the usually pain in lower right calf), my quads were getting shaky by the end, but really, everything held up better than I thought. I was not anticipating how tense I would end up running in my upper body, my shoulders and traps were extremely tight and I knew I would be feeling it the next day. (Its the next day, and I am feeling it!) We stopped to drink when we needed to, but mainly we just worked on getting down off the mt.
About when the steep downhill ended and we were back on the flatter last 2 miles, I let out a scream. I spotted a huge tarantula on my side of the trail. It was worthy of me lengthening my finish time to stop and take a few pictures. I cant' say how much I love living in this area! This mountain really has it all - mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, scorpions, tarantulas...2 miles from home!!
Anyway, from there it was just the bottom 2 miles to the finish, and just a matter of plugging along. We managed to pass a few people here. That was not a goal, but a bonus that I was happy to take. There were a few small hills that we walked up in the final mile, and then we were at the finish! 3:54!! If you are a road runner, this is not nearly as long as it sounds for trail running, and especially this course. I was pretty happy to finish under 4 hours. There were people out on the half course for more than double that time. In fact, there were people out on the 30 mile course for nearly 12 hours. Kudos to Wendell (the RD) for being there until the end welcoming those runners to the finish. (there was a 9 hour limit to this race that he chose not to enforce, thats a good rd!!). I bet he even had the soup still cooking in the pot! If you are wondering "what about that Allen guy??"....he finished up about 10ish minutes after us, with much more style and smiles than us. Considering that he started after we were all down the trail a ways, (at least 4 minutes ahead of him) I am positive he broke the 4 hour mark.
So at the finish, we had sodas, and I had a cup of lentil soup that was keeping warm on the camp stove. There was also pumpkin pie, and any other post run runner food you could want.
So that's it!! We did it! It was hard, but not as hard as I anticipated it. It hurt, but not as bad as I had imagined. I am sore and tired, but not as bad as I imagined I would be.
A thought - had I been too afraid to register for this, I would still be wondering if I could ever do something like that. Had I seen this race and thought 'I could never do that kind of elevation', I would still be sitting here today thinking I couldn't do it. The only way to change that is to figure out what you want to do that you think you can't.....and go do it!!

There are a few pics in the post below, the rest are on the photo site.

Pictures Don't Do It Justice!

Here are just a few of the pictures of the Diablo 1/2.
There are many more Here.
That's my gear, traveling light!

I have to say this was very comfortable and I didnt' really notice it once we were running.

Ignore the windshield. This is driving into Mitchell Canyon park, you may remember a post last month with pictures of Brian and I running here while my mom was visiting.

All distances started together at 8.

that is looking back down the valley we ran in on, the same valley we would run back out to the finish.

When you run out of valley, the climb begins!

I think somewhere near 4 miles in I spotted a stride and purple gators that could belong to only one person...Allen had started late and still caught us!

above is heading out of the 5 mile aid station, starting the final climb to the summit.
Some technical trail lay ahead.

We did it!! As far as you can possibly go since the stairs to the observation deck are closed! We reached the summit on foot, not by car!! Pretty crazy!!

Allen reached top before us, but we headed back down together. I took this to show how close he was to falling off the Mt.

I saw this and, not knowing if I'd have the chance again, took advantage of being thousands of feet up in the air. I knew it would freak my mom out. There's actually a road a few feet down behind me : )

We refilled bottles at the aid station and kept heading down.

With about 2 miles to go, we saw this!! It was big!!

We finished!!

See what I mean about him having more style and smiles??
He makes this look too easy.
Brian and I look haggard in our finish pics!

Below are 2 Diablo pictures. These are just of the Mountain from a distance for some perspective, not pictures that I took. In one that I did take from the summit looking down, you can see the Mothball fleet in the Delta.

quickly.....

we just got home from a lllooonnggg day....

just wanted to mention that we are alive and well after todays run, it was really amazing, challenging, beautiful, and pretty unbelievable that we could do something like this.

We had great company out on the trail and took lots of pictures.

We finished in 3:54. It took about 2.5 going up and 1.5 coming down, give or take a few minutes.

Really, really a great run.

More tomorrow cuz I have lots more to say and tons of pictures, but bed is so calling!

uuummmm.....

where did today go????
I can't believe tomorrow is almost here.
Anyone else feeling nervous about this one??

I want to go on record that as far as goals for tomorrow go....the one and only goal is to finish. I have never DNF'd, and tomorrow will not be the day it happens! We are thinking between 4 and 5 hours is a reasonable finish time, however, this is our first trail half, and first time tackling this sort of elevation gain, so all bets are off on what is 'reasonable' or not. The two things we know for sure are that we will start....and we will finish.

As if tomorrow wasn't frightening enough, we got our Clayton paper this morning. Guess what starts tomorrow out of Mitchell Canyon, same place as our half?? The yearly tarantula hikes! Yes, tomorrow is the kick off of tarantula season on the mountain, and thus the first evening tour of the season.

As if the elevation wasn't exciting enough. I will be on the look out!

I am stalling on making dinner because after that, the evening flies by and then it'll be tomorrow......but the time has come.

AD Winner in the House!

This week.....

Three runs, and three solid workouts!
I am feeling back in a routine, and its great!
I've been flying through my workouts pretty easily, yet my body has been so sore the day after. It's been a good reminder of how fleeting fitness is if you let up at all. 'Use it or lose it' turns out to be a true statement!
Today is the last day of real activity before Saturday. My legs have been a bit sore and tight all week, so I am just doing upper body and abs tomorrow. Today's workout is done (got up at 5), so I just have an easy 5 miler this morning, and that's it for the legs till Saturday.
I am prepping for this half as if it were a full, including the toe prep. (I heard you say "ew!", mom)
My nails (the ones I have left) are nice and short and look like steel. There will be a lot of friction and pressure on the toes with all the downhill. I am actually not as worried about the uphill as I am the down. Uphill is a matter of gutting it out and getting it done. Downhill takes more finesse and self control....or is that just controlled falling??.....anyway, it will be an interesting day for sure!

Coastal Trail Runs Diablo Half Marathon

I was finally able to download the elevation profile for our half this Saturday. Looks like fun, no??

Stats

The numbers are in, here's how it went down -

Emma and I were #221 and 222 out of 615 runners.
Emma took 3rd in her age division of 8-9 yr olds.
I came in 7th in my age division of 30-34 yr olds. (goal was better than 9th, so I'll take it)
Emma shaved 4 minutes off her 5k time from last years running of this same course, and broke the 30 minute wall, which can be tough to do.
I am still running at 7 minutes over my 5k pr, but 29 minutes is where my 5k is right now, so I'll take it.
The major change this year was that not only did she keep up with my race pace, she was pushing me at the end! (you can read last years post to see how much things have changed!)

Sophie finished in 43 minutes, shaving 4 minutes off of last years time! If you are not a runner, you should know that a 4 minute improvement is huge!
Sophie came in 7th in her division, like mama like daughter!
I am happy to say there were no tears, or near tears on course. I ran out to meet her and ran in with her. I picked a spot near the finish and told her when she hit it to kick and she did! She went all out to the finish line, while I peeled off to the side. She did fall and has a scraped up knee and chin earlier in the run, but no tears. Brian says she ran hard the whole time!

Now that Walnut Festival 5K has upped the anty and is going with a stage and podium and calling you up to take your podium and receive your medal.....you can believe both girls will be going all out next year again!

ps.
we did change in the parking garage and made it to meeting w/time to spare....still sweaty, though.

Flyin

Look at how high in the air she is! She was flying and I was hanging on for dear life! We were both watching the finish line clock, pushing hard to make the 30 minute mark.
We hit the finish at 29:49

Walnut Festival 5k, 2011

Just popping in to say it was a great morning!
I will do a full recap later when results are posted and I can see how things played out, but as of right now I can report that I had another 29 minute run....the big news is that it was along side Emma!! I hit the turn around and headed back and saw Em about 30 people behind me, maybe 30 seconds back. I was so surprised to see her that close, it was not a hard decision to pull off the side and wait for her. What's 30 or so seconds in the grand scheme of things, anyway?? I knew she was on track to break 30 minutes, and I wanted to be with her when it happened! Once we were together, she gave me a run for my money!! Both girls blew last years times out of the water, and one of the kids got to go up on the podium to receive her age division medal in the awards ceremony! (the other kid got to pick a special lunch spot - Cheesecake Factory, so both girls won!)
And, I take back what I said about this being a "small, hometown race"....that can no longer be said. All the fast locals were out in full force, including the local running groups and teams. For those of you who know Brian C. (the super fast dude who wins all the brazen 10ks), he had a strong run finishing pretty far ahead of anyone else in his predictable 34 minutes. The Forward Motion team took most all the top spots. It was a fast day, and a large race. I saw a few Brazen shirts in the crowd, too!!
There were some timing issues as they were using a new system. It added about 30 seconds to our times on the results, however my watch and the clock at the finish line were perfectly in sync, so that is what we are going with. I will post results, rankings, and pictures, once I see them.

Goals for Tomorrow

Sometimes I like to see things in writing, helps me to visualize.
Here are a few goals that will play out tomorrow morning -
Sophie is aiming for under 47 minutes.
Emma is aiming for under 33 minutes.
Papa is aiming to push Sophie to have her meet her goal w/o making her cry. Its all about being encouraging while pushing her past what she thinks is her limit...that is his job for tomorrow. Last year I had this duty w/Em, who wanted to hit 30 minutes, you can read about last years WC 5k here.
Beth's (that's me) goal is under 29 minutes, above 9th in her AD.
The families goal is to help Myles have fun and feel included in the excitement.
-----------------

I am wondering how many of you visualize your race? Do you study course maps and where aid stations are so you can use that as a gauge as to where you are on the course? For instance, I know that tomorrow, when I reach the aid station, I am at 1.8 miles, just a hair over half way. When I reach the turn around I am near 2.3 miles and have under a mile left. When I come back to the aid station, I have to turn left in front of oncoming runners, then it's 2 super fast right turns and the finish. I have it broken down into sections, know that at at the start of each section I need to re-evaluate and make sure I am still pushing as hard as possible, try to surge again at the start of each new section. Sounds like a lot of work and stress....but its not, that's just how my mind works when I am attempting to reach a goal and am not running w/a kid. No music or camera with me tomorrow on the course. I have been finding myself running to the beat, whether it's fast or slower. Don't want that distraction tomorrow.

Ok, well, I feel better now....on w/the evening!

(you know, this whole blogging thing is really for me to get things out of my head....but I appreciate those of you who do read it!)

Pictures, I know, I know.....

Yeah, still haven't gotten up the vaca pictures, but soon, I promise!
I have been busy getting into a groove that does not involve as much computer time!
It has involved two 5 milers, an 8 miler, and 3 Jillian M. workouts ( and a house scrubing from top to bottom)!!! I know that used to be a normal week for me, but it hasn't' been for a while, and it felt great!! Also, lots of water drinking and lean eating!
Last night we picked up our race packets for the WC Festival 5k this Sunday. To my delight, it seemed that most people were picking up bibs for the 10k, not the 5k. Yes, I am still rooting for less competition in my age division. Lets face it, the smaller the race field, the better chance I have. At least I am honest. I will actually be happy with just finishing with a faster time than my Summer Breeze time. So my 1st goal- faster then 29 min....2cd goal - better than 9th in AD, preferably in top 3. To be totally up front, this is a small, home town run. The serious runners do the 10k. Last year, 75% of the 5kers were walkers, if not more.....so if I'm ever going to stand a chance, this is the run. But, the reality is it only takes 3 ladies in the 30-34 division who are faster than me, though. Whatever goals I set, I know I always give 110% anyway, regardless of the outcome, and that is what makes a good race for me.
In other news, I picked up a Fuel Belt for the upcoming Diablo half. We had one already that holds two large water bottles and has a large pocket, but I wanted us both to have the ability to carry as much water as possible w/o going the Camel Back route. So, although not a flattering look and it's not my favorite thing to have a fuel belt strapped around my waist, it is somewhat comfortable, and I know I will have water and fuel with me. NTL pointed out that there are two 5 mile sections w/no aid stations, one on the climb up, and the same stretch on the way back down. It is an exposed section, so if we have no cloud cover, it bakes.
One of the reasons we love full marathons is the fear/anticipation/anxiety/excitement of what the day holds and how it will all play out.....I can honestly say I have all those feelings about this upcoming half. It is a completely knew type of race for us. 3420 ft is a lot of elevation gain! It will be an interesting day!!
Keep checking the photo site, I promise to try and get the pics up today!
------------------------------
Pictures are posting now, there are 540, so it'll take about 5 minutes to get them all up.

We're Back! (with an added PS)

We had a great time at Disneyland! We were able to hit all the rides at least once before the park got really packed on Monday. Saturday we had the 5k go right by the hotel, and Sunday we had the half marathon go right down the road our hotel was on. Both started very early with the music being pumped through the area starting at 5 a.m. I will say that I have never seen as big, pretty, or shiny a medal as the Disney Half medal!! It was a beauty. The 5k "medal" on the other hand....well it was foam. Really, it was like a cheap, plastic foam key chain pretending to be a medal. Registration for these Disney races is not cheap and that "medal" was a piece of....well lets just say if it ever came to our house to hang on our medal hook, it would have serious Brazen medal envy!!
It was hard to be there this weekend and see so many runners, walking around w/their race shirts on and medals, and not be a part of it. I have never seen so many Brooks, Mizunos, Sauconys, and Nikes, or fit people (lets be honest, the Disney crowd, well, not known for being athletic in stature) in that park all at once. It was pretty cool.
The kids had a blast, although Myles has developed some ride fear that we aren't used to. He's been going on these rides since he was one, and to be honest, it was annoying. I know I'm a mom and not supposed to say that, but it was. We made him go on everything once, and if he was still terrified, then he didn't have to anymore. One of us sat out or found something else for him to do. Unfortunately, Pirates and Big Thunder were on the scary list. So was World of Color.....after paying $80 for lunch to get good seating for the show, waiting an hour for it to start, and holding him on my shoulders for 15 minutes so he could see....he decided he needed to go potty. He was scared. I'm sure its a phase....please let it be a phase!!
So we are home now and determined to establish some sort of a routine. Things have been pretty hectic/chaotic w/Brian being home since August 1st. My daily routine has been out the window, including workouts and running. I used to have a set schedule that was not negotiable. If something was on the schedule, it happened. Well, I am making it a priority to re-establish the schedule and the mentality it takes to make it happen.
Today I ran 5 with 'the Beast' (if she ever reads this blog and realizes I refer to her as that, she will probably not love it, but I mean it in the best way possible). She is amping up mileage for Portland Marathon in October. I also did my Jillian workout, and to be totally honest it has been a long time since I have done it and it was hard. I know it will come back fast if I stick to it, though.
We have the Walnut Creek Run for Education this Sunday morning before meeting. Hoping its faster than Summer Breeze was, but we will see.
If you've been wondering where the Long Beach pic on the side went, well we dropped that full. The kids are still doing the kids run, and Brian will attack the half marathon, so it's still a go, just not the full. It's just too close to San Fran and neither of us felt ready to amp up training again.
Other than that, nothing on the calendar. We need to get on that. I'm thinking CIM, or maybe Napa again??? Or maybe making a huge switch and doing a trail 26.2, focus on the beauty and the distance, throw time out the window??? Sounds great to me!!
I should have Disney pics up tonight or tomorrow on the photo site.

-PS-------------------------
After reading NTL's comment below, I quickly registered us for the Coastal Trail Run's Diablo Half Marathon Sep 17th. Quickly because if one takes the time to think logically, registering for it would not happen. She sports 3,420 feet of elevation gain, and what goes up must come down, people......that means some serious quad thrashing.
Seriously, though, we have had our eye on this beast for a while. It is in our back yard, we could run to the start from home (although that would be stupid considering the course), and its just too close to not do it.

Mission - Pack

Secretly packing with a 4.9 year old in the house requires skills I probably should not posses.
You know, like sneaking around, lying, hiding things, planning elaborate schemes to keep him occupied and work around him. Maybe watching Spy Kids 100 times paid off!
He thinks Brian just left with Kona to drop him off for a hair cut, but really he's heading to the kennel. He thinks I just started collecting Disney greeting cards, but really inside the card it says "We are going to Disneyland", and Sophie will be reading it after school today. He thinks my room must be really messy because I have been in there cleaning all day, but really I've been packing. He thinks I keep a bag of his favorite food next to my bed and wont share any with him, but its really the kids favorite treats that we keep in the hotel for snacks. He thinks Brian and I really like listening to the 50th Anniversary Disney music disc because we really really love to sing The Tiki Room song and It's a Small World while driving the girls to school in the morning, but really....oh, wait....we actually do love to do that.
4 hours left of pretending I don't actually love sneaking around in my own house, then we blast off!

Running Pictures - Summer Breeze 5k

I finally found us in the thousands of pictures the awesome Brazen volunteers took!
Not hard to find Emma, she's always right in the front of the pack. She is wearing my blue top.
I was about 20 people back from the start and thought she was behind me, I didn't realize she was ahead of me!
No fear.

I love this one above of her and the lady next to her sizing each other up, too cute!

Above is our family with my mom (in pink) and a friend/sister/runner.

I realized from the above pictures that Soph and I make the same face when we are tired : )
And also that my husband has amazing legs!

I thought maybe I got off this run w/o any photos being captured, but nope, they got me at the finish.
Dead tired and afraid of passing out before I crossed the finish.
Nice.
(for those new to the site, I am not the strong runner in blue w/the great stride. I am the tired lady in pink behind her.)

There you have it, Summer Breeze in pictures!

We are heading out of town for the long weekend. We will be here, although it is sold out, so just cheering, no running. The kids don't know.(Em knows but has managed to keep the secret so far)
Because I am a nice blogger and want you to feel some of the happiness...here's a little ditty to get stuck in your head:

"Its a small world after all, It's a small world after all, It's a small world after all, Its a small, small world".

You know you are still singing in your head : )