5 more weeks to go

Yesterday (the day of the marathon in 5 weeks) Bill and I ran 20 miles! It took Bill a mere 3 hours and 1 minute, it took me 25 minutes longer! That is more than 1 minute longer per mile for the whole trip. I was so exhausted and my legs did not like this ordeal at all. They were hurting as if I had made them run a marathon. Today, Sunday, I am not sore at all - that's different than after a marathon - but I slept from 9:30 until 7:30 this morning. Hopefully we can run the same distance again in 2 weeks and then... Here we come, marathon.
This past week BYU started with faculty meetings. We were reminded to get our "3rd year review folders" ready. So that's what I have been doing since then. Writing about our develoment in the area of citizenship, teaching and scholarship. It is actually fun to write up the things I did. I also had to copy all the comments and evaluation the students have written over the last 2 years. That was sobering :-(
Monday classes start and I won't have that much time any more to run. Let the stress begin. On Thursdays I will help in the "PT evaluation lab" at the Rocky Mountain University. That'll be fun!
David started school on Tuesday. It is a tiny school with only 3 class rooms: one for 4th grade, one for 5th grade and one for 6th grade. David found a friend (Benjy) and is looking forward to learning something soon. Hanna will start school after Labor Day (next Tuesday). I am excited for her being in Maeser.
Let's have fun this week. Talk to you this week-end.

6 more weeks to go

This past week was wonderful. We spent a whole week in Park City; left on Friday afternoon and came back the following Saturday. We had so much fun running, hiking, swimming, cooking, hottubbing and watching season 8 of 24. I know, it is not even out yet, but Reba, a student of mine, had all 8 seasons sent to her from Indonesia... Sunday we went to the "silly market", where Bill bought me a great wrap-around skirt, David got a chicken hat and Hanna earrings. We also found Spencer's on the market, but didn't eat. Monday we climbed Devo and Ontario Canyon to the top of a mountain to ride down the ski lift. Tuesday we ran Prospector again, after which Bill did a marathon mountain bike tour. He was completely exhausted afterwards. The rear brake had fallen off (unbelievable, I know, but true) and he took a couple of falls. The kids and I walked to the playground and did some great chalk drawing. Wednesday we ran the 9-mile loop again and hiked the wonderful Glenwild loop with Hanna and David. That was a lot of fun! David told us part two of the candy shop war the whole duration of the hike. Thursday was a slow day again, Bill and I worked out in the weight room and Hanna and I went for a little bit of shopping after. Friday we attempted another hike to Red Pine Lodge, but it was closed due to a huge puddle of mud. So we changed plans and hiked the Prospector loop again. We stopped at 7/11 on the way home and rewarded ourselves with some ice cream. Saturday morning Bill and I went to one more run: Prospector loop... we had a great time, David and Hanna were able to swim a lot, we ate a lot of good and healthy stuff and we finished the season 8 of 24!

7 weeks to go

Saturday, 8/14: 7 more weeks before we run the St. George marathon. Bill and I ran 17-18 miles in Park City (The 9-mile McLeod loop followed by the 6.5 mile Lost Prospector trail and then some). I of course fell on the trail, just before it merges with the pavement.

8 more weeks

8 more weeks to go, 8 more weeks to go, we're singing along and we're singing a song with 8 more weeks to go. At this point I would like to get it over with. I tried to run on Saturday, but felt like molasses. I was soooo slow and really didn't feel like running at all. I managed to jog 12 miles or so, but didn't really feel so good about it. Right now I am looking forward to
1. tomorrow's last day teaching (ExSc460)
2. Saturday because then we'll go to Park City!!!
3. Snowbird the following week end.
Hopefully we'll run a whole bunch. This is almost like blood doping, since Park City and Snowbird are "high" altitude regions...
:-)
Talk to you next week!

9 more weeks?????

O no - only 9 more weeks to go. That sounds terribly daunting. Bill and I ran 16 miles yesterday (Saturday), and it went well. Slow, but well. I have had, needless to say, a sore throat for a couple of weeks now and am trying to manage. How? No idea.

Last Saturday we bought a puppy. We weren't planning on buying one, but Freckles was sitting there, cute as can be and I just needed to have him. He is sooo cute! He bites everything, wants to drag everything, is super puppy-y and adorable. We have a lot of fun with him. Nikki was aftraid in the beginning, but plays with him now.

Anyway, the semester is almost over and Park City is looming! Yay. I am soo excited. After Park City (August 14th through the 21st) and Snowbird (from 21st through 13rd in the morning) David has to go to school (CAS) and I will have to start the real deal again. Summer semester was really just a teaser. Bill will be on a scout's backpacking trip from Wednesday through Saturday. Maybe the kids and I can come up with something fun to do. We'll go out to eat for sure!!! The summer is almost over and the temperatures in the living room might become tolerable again. Tata

11 more weeks to go

Another week has gone by. I have been working on my paper(s) involving near infrared light and nitric oxide. It is coming together and I am very excited! Monday I ran 5 miles, Tuesday 5 miles, Wednesday 45 minutes on the bike, Thursday 6.5 miles and today (Saturday) almost 16 miles! We should make our training goal by the time the St. George marathon comes. In less than 3 months Wulli, Bill and I will be on our way back to Diamond valley, where the hottub is waiting. 11 weeks... Bill has lost quite a bit of weight and he is enjoying running more. He is too fast for me, we don't run together any more. So long!

12 more weeks to go

Today Bill and I ran 13 miles in the warmth of a July morning. We got a late start (6:50 am) and it was a warm morning. We ran to Geneva road, took the Provo River trail to the Marriott, up to Canyon road to Timpview high school, passed the temple, down 9th East, turned west at the cemetery to Freedom boulevard and home from there. We got home just around 9 am.
12 WEEKS TO GO!
Last week end (through Tuesday morning) we spent in Park City. Bill and I ran the Prospector (7.5 miles) on Saturday and Monday morning, and on Sunday we managed to run 12 miles on the McLeod trail and rail trail. It was so nice and cool, crisp and clean air and somehow I had so much energy there. On Saturday the kids and we hiked from Deer Valley up to the top of the mountain via Ontario trail. It was super cold that day (at least it felt very cold for what we were wearing) and we shivered all the way down while on the ski lifts. On Sunday we hiked up to the Pine lodge from the Canyons. Hanna loved that trail and said she cannot wait until we will hike it again in August (true story!). Grandpa and Grandma Bonnie came for two days and brought Hallie and Micah. Together we walked parts of the McLeod trail with a nice lunch rest at the play ground. We had such a wonderful time together! But life has us back now and the daily duties continue :-( . Hanna will go to a volleyball camp starting Monday through Thursday evening at BYU. I hope she will learn much and enjoy the activities. So long!

15 weeks to go

The twins have been here since Tuesday evening and Bill has been gone since Wednesday. Hanna, David and Stephanie have been good helpers, but there was enough work for me to keep me busy... Hallie came back from EFY (I picked her up at 7:30); she loved being there and cannot wait until next year when she will go again. After I picked up Hallie I went for a 10 mile run: to the Provo River Trail, to the end of the trail at the lake and back. It was really hard, especially since I had not had breakfast and I have not eaten any substantial amount of carbs in the last 2 weeks. But I made it and am happy about it. This past week I only ran on Tuesday and Thursday; 6.5 and 5 miles (Thursday on the treadmill with the twins in one of their Pack-n-Plays, playing). The weather is finally wonderful, warm and blue skies. I have been able to work in the yard for the last couple of days. This meant death to many morning glory flowers :-)

Snowbird

Today is Friday, our week in Snowbird is almost over. Today it has also been exactly 1 week that I have been on the candida diet: no sugars, no starch, no carbohydrates, no grains. I have been eating yoghurt, kefir, nuts, seeds, all the veggies I can get my hands on and salad. It hasn't been very hard, with the exception of yesterday. I craved a "nutrageous" bar so much; I would have eaten one if I had had one. I have gone running 3 times while here and have not gotten sick. I would like to attribute that to my "fight against Candida" :-) 16 weeks to the marathon!

more running

Friday 4 miles in 40 minutes :-) not bad..., Sunday 5 miles on the treadmill in 48:18 :-) also not so bad (happy!), Tuesday 5 miles outside and this morning 3 miles outside. I had to be at work, so I didn't have enough time to run more. I'm not sick, that's definitely good.
I am happy that Hanna is working out every day. She has lost 1.5 pounds in two weeks. Go Hanna!

running

I am pretty frustrated wih my running. On Saturday I ran 4 miles and on Sunday Bill and I ran 5 miles - and on Monday I started having a sore throat again. What is going on???? I wish I knew because I really want to run and work out again, feel good again and have energy. Less than 20 weeks to the St. George marathon.

first and best pedicure ever!

My sweet daughters took me out for a chick date: pedicure and lunch. It was awesome!

5/11 run in the cold - once again

This morning it was cold, but not too cold to go for a little run. I started the 4-mile loop from our house and finished it! It might as well have been 13 miles; it was hard and my speed felt like molasses trying to be syrup. I was tired pretty much all day. This is hard and I don't know if I can run the marathon in less than 21 weeks.

4.5 mile run

Saturday Bill and I ran 4.5 miles - the same loop we ran on Monday. This time I ran the whole loop. The weather was wonderful, much warmer than the other days. It felt great. The time for the loop was 45:25 minutes. Still not great, but better. We have 21 weeks left to be able to run 26.2 miles.

4.5 mile walk only

With the children we could only go on our "barn loop", since I had promised them that we would not go on a hike. It was of course cold, but the trail was still great. After initial disgruntlement, we walked quickly to the playground. There, an approximately 5 year old boy asked Bill, whether he could play with his "little boy" (David). That was cute and David had a good time being the boy's "master". Meanwhile Bill and I showed Hanna the adjacent volleyball court and explained some of the volleyball rules. We finished the walk and went to the Nike outlet. There we bought a volleyball and some running shoes. The whole afternoon after that we spent in the pool. This was a great day!

8.5 mile hike

Although it was even colder today than yesterday we decided to go for one more hike. It wasn't raining or snowing, just cold. We chose the "Glenwild Loop", which is just a mile or so east from the outlet mall. The trail head was easy to find. We started at about 10:30. The trail was initially very nice: dry, not very rocky and only slightly ascending. After about one mile it became steeper and another two miles later we were at the top of the hill. From there the trail became very muddy and there were several spots where the snow had not melted yet. In the beginning we saw ourselves running this trail when we come back in the summer, but we soon realized, that the trail is too rocky and treacherous to run it. The last third of the hike went along a little creek, over wooden bridges and along sage brush - really very pretty. We arrived the car about 2 1/2 hours later, both really cold. We decided to postpone our shopping spree and went to the Good Earth Store instead, where we found delicious trail mix and some milk. At home we jumped into the hottub to warm up. It felt very good! Now Bill is on his way to pick up Hanna and David. I can't wait to hear how Hanna liked Space camp!

14.5 mile hike

We left for this hike under blue skies, bright sun but cool temperatures at about 9:30. This is the Round Valley Loop Bill has talked about quite a bit. Initially it follows the rail trail, but then veers to the left to pass by the national ability center. Some elevation on a muddy and winding trail through scrub oak and sage brush, then back down on more muddy trails. We ate our PB&J sandwiches at the playground on Old Ranch Road, where we have gone many times with Hanna and David. After only 2o minutes of rest we decided to continue on to finish the last 5 miles. The wind had picked up and I was rather cold. The legs and feet began hurting and it was time to get to the hottub. We arrived back at the Regency Plaza almost 5 hours after we left in the morning. This was a nice hike, but would have been more enjoyable in warmer weather. Nevertheless, we got a good workout and we once again found just in how bad a shape we are in. Tomorrow's high is supposed to be 37 - I am glad we went on this hike today and not tomorrow!

beautiful weather and a new hike

Today will be a great hiking day! No running today because I am sore. We will still get good training as we are planning on hiking 12 miles. I am very excited about that and will take plenty of pictures to bore everybody.

A cold day in Park City

This morning we went for our first outdoor run. IT WAS COLD! 29 degrees and a strong, chilling wind. We had planned a 5-mile run, but after 4 miles I walked. I was pretty much done. It took us 41 minutes and a couple of seconds. While we were running I felt as we were going super slow, but I just couldn't speed up. We went straight to the hottub afterwards and that was NICE! Later in the afternoon we attempted another walk, but the wind was so cold that we turned around after only about 100 yards. Tomorrow is supposed to be a better day. We plan on going on a nice long hike (12 miles). I miss Hanna and David, but I know that they are in good hands!

20th wedding anniversary

May 4th, 2010: 20 years after we said 'yes'; still super happy, still fit, but we added two beautiful children to our family.

hiking today

The weather was muuuuuch better today. After a sad beginning (we had to take the kids to school), Bill and I had breakfast at Village Inn. It was delicious! Bill had an omelette and I had French toast. We drove back to Park City and started the first hike right away. We hiked the Lost Prospecter Loop, 7 miles. The trail ends in downtown, where we quickly went shopping for a bamboo T-shirt. Unfortunately there was none to be found, but we instead we found something else. The trail was intermittently covered with snow and mud, but it was still very pretty and fun. After a quick bite and a couple of episodes of '24', we went on another, 5 mile hike. This one's name I don't know, but it lead to the McCloud Farm which is on the way to Kimble Junction. After this we hopped into the hottub and enjoyed talking about the last 20 years.

5/2/2010
Today was my first day training for the St. George marathon. Because of “adrenal fatigue”, which left me sick for the last year each time after I ran or worked out, I have not been able to consistently train for anything. Since February I have done NOTHING, no biking, elliptical, running or strengthening exercises – nothing! My semester in school is over now and I feel as that my adrenal gland is slowly waking up… So today I ran 1 mile in 11:33 minutes on a treadmill and it was hard. We are in Park City in the Park Regency for one week. Bill and I are celebrating our 20 anniversary (5/4) with this vacation. Hanna and David are also here for the first week-end, but have to go back to school on Monday. Dad and Bonnie will be watching them and we will pick the kids back up on Friday after school. The weather is not very nice (average high is supposed to be around 63°) and rather cold (high 39° today). It has been snowing all night and it really looks more like mid-winter than the beginning of May. Bill and I had planned on going running every day while here – let’s see how it pans out…