Mommy, When You're 3 Like Me

Lately Will has been asking me to do things like climb under a 6 inch tall bridge he made out of blankets across the couch and coffee table. When I tell him I am too big for that he says, "Mommy, when you're 3 like me then you can do it?" How do I break it to the little guy that I am never going to be 3 years old again, EVER?! As I turn 29 tomorrow, how do I break it to myself??!

Will turned 3 in January and we had lots of fun with the family celebrating with cake and ice cream at our house.

Top Left: At first I was taken aback to see the Christmas tree mixed up in Will's birthday pictures but quickly realized those are actually his birthday presents under the tree. Silly me. I never let us take the tree down by mid-January!

Top Right: Jess & Angie helped finish decorating when they got here and apparently Will got in the way

Bottom: The candle blowing progression of events. Check out the dimples as he winds up...then the goofy face as he blows 'em out (not just on will but on me!)...then enjoying the fruits of his efforts.

Many fun gifts from Jess, mom and dad, Jon & Jen, & Ang. Notice in the bottom middle that is a pack of gum he is so enthralled with. He is obsessed with the stuff and had just opened a huge bag with a spiderman scooter in it that I just threw a pack of gum in cause I knew he would like it, and he ditched the scooter so fast. He was with me when we got the gum and I told him it was for his birthday and the kid pestered me all week about it! Should have known. Could have saved a lot of $$$ on that darn scooter :)

Top Left: At least Addy loved the scooter. She did not want to let it go when she had to go!

Top Middle: Will kept getting creatively gift-wrapped by random family members.

Top Right: Oooooh, bubbles!

Bottom Left: My mom & John gave will a pop gun that to this day is one of his very favorite toys.

Bottom Middle: Richard and Nikki's family gave Will the coolest Toy Story card that played "You've Got a Friend in Me" when you opened it and Will had to keep testing it out over, and over, and over...

Bottom Right: Then they gave him for his actual gift a Buzz dish set that he was so excited about but couldn't get it out of the package so he was a little annoyed instead of happy to smile for a picture.

After everyone left Will finally got to play with all his loot and was the happiest camper! Except that I kept trying to take pictures and he was annoyed with me so he started shooting me with Buzz's laser, which then made him happy enough to smile.

Although it was super fun to have the family all come, I really enjoy these moments when it's just Will, Ryan and me and we are just laying around laughing. It was a fun few minutes for us after all the commotion.

I love this picture cause it captures his attitude and excitement all night, i.e. being a little stinker and not wanting to be in a picture but super excited about his loot! Notice the fact that he is shooting the camera is not coincidental.

Happy Birthday my big little 3 year old!

Solid

That's my response whenever people ask me about the SLC Half Marathon last Saturday. It was a solid race. Was my time great? No. Was it even close to what I wanted? Absolutely not.

What was great though was the fact that, despite being about a month behind in training because I didn't get to see the PT about my ITBS until late January, I felt good during the entire race, had very minimal pain in my right knee, and finished strong. Even though this is my favorite race, I wasn't going to run it this year because of the injury I got in my TOU race last fall (see last post). So coming off of an injury and this race being so early in the season were the two deterring factors for me. But the motivating factor was that Ryan's two sisters signed up for the race and it was their very first ever half marathon! I was so excited for them that when they told me and said I should run it as well, I needed no pushing. In the end I was disappointed with my time, but I was very thrilled to know that I CAN run races without pain once again, and my friend Alisa pointed out at this point that is really what is most important. It was really just a stepping stone cause it gave me motivation to face the TOU Half again. I came home and signed up for it 2 days later! I really want to get that sub-2 hr time goal I have set for myself, and I am pretty confident I can do it at TOU on August 27th if I train hard this summer!

Bib #: 5709

Gender: F

Age: 28

Chip Time: 2:18:48

Chip Pace: 10:35

Age Div: 314 / 501

Place Overall: 2848 /4444

Gender Overall: 1508 /2715

Time to Start: 7:49

Funny story about this pic...Ryan and his parents and Sarah and Saffron were all there at the end to cheer me on as I rounded the last corner. So why, you may ask, did he not get a pic of the front of me while approaching my cheering section? Cause I am so lightning fast? Probably not. Cause he just wanted a shot of my fabulous backside? Not likely. Cause the Kenyan marathon winner just rounded the corner right before me and they were all focused on watching and cheering HIM on? Now you're getting closer ;)

It was actually really hilarious and I wasn't upset at all, although I thought they might have been worried about that. When the winner passed me at the corner where they first would have been able to see me coming, I was so excited to be running right next to and rubbing elbows with the man/robot who had run 26.2 in the same amount of time it had taken me to do half that, that I totally missed them as well! In past years I have usually been about 10-15 min faster so I always finish just before the winner and never get to see him finish, so when the cop cars started driving up behind us, blaring their horns to clear us out of his way, I was stoked cause I knew what was coming! As he literally passed right by me with the form of a gazelle, all I could do was scream and cheer him on at the top of my lungs. It was so exhilarating to see. Any way, it was Saffron and Sarah who saw me first, right as I was passing them, so this is the only pic Ryan got of me running. So funny!

All of my supporters. I am sad that Saffron wasn't in the picture cause she had to run to the facilities, but she has a good excuse with her bun in the oven!

Another funny story about my favorite massage therapist. You can read about him from last year. I was telling the guy who was giving me my massage after the race that the loud guy over there (found out this year his name is Roger) was the reason I keep coming back to the massage tent after this race every year. I told him how Roger threw me over his shoulder last year. So he decides to yell out over the crowd to Roger and announce who I was and that I was back. Duh. Why didn't I see that one coming?? So Roger decides to interrupt my massage, pull me off the table, and proceed to pick me up over his shoulder once again. Queue hilarity. I fight him for a second then decide it's useless. So as I am giving in, I decide to just throw myself over his shoulder and get it over with. Well, poor old Roger didn't expect this sudden change of events. I proceeded to totally throw him off balance and didn't realize we were falling until we were both pretty much on the ground. Once I realized neither of us were hurt, it was pretty funny and even more embarrassing than last year, if you can even believe it. He did collect himself and insist on picking me up and carrying me back over to my table for my massage to be finished. Poor guy got more than he bargained for with me that day! I was so embarrassed we fell over and caused such a scene. Jury is still out on whether I will be returning next year to that tent. Third time's a charm??

Congrats Ang and Jess! You guys did awesome!

First time ever trying an ice bath and they really do work like everyone says! Hooray for ice baths! (And if you look close you can see that I am reviewing my RS lesson for the next day to try and keep my mind off the pain. My friend Janelle totally caught that when she saw this pic!)

A Word on Pain

So I now have to blog about my last race for a couple of reasons:

1. It's been long enough that the pain isn't so fresh in my mind and I can actually bear thinking about it long enough to write about it

2. My next race is in the morning! Aaah!

I did the Top of Utah half marathon on August 28th, 2010. I was SO excited for this race because so many have said it is their fav for a handful of reasons. The race coordinators run it so well, the course is beautiful and gently downhill out of a gorgeous canyon, etc. etc. I had wanted to do this one for awhile.

I had finally gotten to the point in my running where just jogging a half marathon wasn't much of a challenge anymore. I had run enough half marathons that I was moving on from the "let's just finish the race" mentality to the "let's get a good time" mentality. Since I finished the Snow Canyon race a year before that in 2:02 I decided under 2 hours was a good goal, which for me is a very speedy pace. Since focusing on speed in my training, finishing under 2 hours has always been a dream and a seemingly lofty goal. Well, all of my hopes and dreams came to a crashing "whack in the knee"-like halt when I ran my final long run of 14 miles 2 weeks before the race and decided to mess up my IT band. The next 2 weeks before the race were pure, emotional agony as I went back and forth on "can I even do the race", "should I run today or stay off of it and hope that helps it heal", etc. I read every running forum, every Runner's World article, and every Jeff Galloway webpage I could find on ITBS. Long story short, I limped through and made it to a day just like where I am sitting today, staring down the face of 13.1 in the morning and being absolutely terrified.

The race was in Logan so Ryan, Will, and I went up and slept in a hotel. That is a whole different and funny tale cause that was the one night Will decided not to go to bed of course since I couldn't go in a different room and I had to wake up at 4:30 the next morning. I found myself lying there, with Will standing next to me in his pack 'n play shining his flashlight in my face making funny noises and me looking over at the alarm to see that it was 11:30 pm and I just thought, what am I DOING here?!?!?

Fast forward to the race. The course was indeed beautiful. The race coordinators were spectacular in putting on a well organized race. The weather was a gift from the heavens that day. Everything couldn't have been more perfect...er...oh yeah besides the knee thing. I don't have many details about the race itself besides the fact that it. was. so. painful. The rest is really a blur. I was so excited about reaching my goal, and even after my injury I thought that maybe I could push through the pain and just do it. I quickly realized how very wrong I was. I have never walked through a race so much in my life. I can't remember exactly, but it was around mile 10 I believe that I just started walking and nearly broke out in tears thinking how am I ever going to make it 3 more miles when I am limping and can barely walk?!

At one point a runner passing me asked if I wanted her to help me pace. She must have thought I was just having a hard time finishing Little did she know. I told her no thanks that I was injured, not struggling, and she continued on. But that is an example of how awesomely supportive runners are. I love those kinds of experiences during races. In one of my SLC Half races during the dreaded mile 12 uphill trudge on state street, right as I was getting close to the top of the hill and was really losing my steam, a woman comes right up beside me and starts jogging with me all the while giving me motivation and inspirational words of encouragement. She was in a jersey and had clearly been doing the bike tour or even the half marathon maybe and just finished and was watching the runners to cheer them on and give them encouragement on that horrible climb. When she saw me she decided it would be fun to help me up the hill. I really consider her my angel that day, cause I don't know if I could have finished that hill without her. When we got to the top she said ok you got it from here and let me go on my way and turned back, no doubt to help another poor little struggling runner like myself. Even as I write it I am in tears, just as I was for that last mile after she left me. Thinking about her kindness carried me through the pain. I never saw her again and will never get a chance to thank her, but I hope I can follow her example by helping those around me who are struggling, runners and non-runners alike.

Any way, back to the TOU race. I DID finish those last 3 miles, albeit with much more walking and a whole lot more pain than I ever dreamed of. This was the first race that Ryan's family had come to watch me finish. As I came down the road and crossed the finish line and saw them cheering me on, I was jog-limping and right as I crossed it I burst out in tears. Wasn't my finest moment. I usually cry at the end of races, but normally it is from happiness and accomplishment.

At the end of the day, I learned so many things from this experience. I have always just been able to pick up and run long distances with no prior training. My friend Liz always made that comment about me in high school when we would run together. I have always taken my running ability for granted cause I have never been injured. Or hadn't been until last fall. Now that it's been a number of months and multiple physical therapy visits later, I feel so much more seasoned as a runner. I know I am still a baby in the running world and have lots to learn, but I am grateful for the ways I have grown and the following things I have learned:

A. I have learned to respect the pain. Recognize where it's coming from and do something about it. Don't abuse your body.

B. It's ok to fail. It just gives you that motivation you need to push harder next time and is what makes us all stronger.

C. There IS, indeed, a "next time". I am always so focused on the race at hand that I get so downtrodden when I think about how I have worked so hard and it's all for nothing if I can't reach my goal in this race. The reality is that we have eternity to learn and grow, so keep pushing on.

D. Negative self talk will get ya nowhere, and fast.

I probably learned other things too but this entry is just getting too long and my brain is done. I am excited about my race tomorrow and what another race morning will bring. I am not nearly as prepared as I would like to be at this point, and it honestly does scare me a little, but I have learned enough to be at peace about it. I know that there will be other races, and all I can do tomorrow is my best and enjoy the moments I have in front of me... mile 12 towering hill or otherwise :)

Here are my stats from the TOU half. Probably one of my worst races in terms of time but best in terms of education:

TOP OF UTAH HALF MARATHON

08/28/10

Racer Number: 222

Gender: F

Age: 28

Chip Time Information
Actual Start Time:	07:11:03.577
Stop Time:	09:26:07.606
Chip Time:	02:15:04.0

Overall Placing

Place: 1218 out of 2013

Gender Placing

Place: 743 out of 1385

Division Placing

F 25-29 Place: 159 out of 276

I saw this picture and just had to laugh. This horrible picture of me is so fitting of how I felt at that moment! It could not have been more perfect to capture how I felt.

Here's to hoping tomorrow ends with a better photo!

The Winds of Change

Ryan's mother, who has been a widow for just under 10 years now, got remarried on the 15th of January to Mark. It was a fun day, and one that would mark many changes in our families as we now know them. Mark has 6 children and 9 grandchildren- quite the stark contrast to the two "B" grandkids!

(My SIL, Jen, had her friend/photographer Jen Herem take most of the pictures shown. She caught some great moments!)

The happy couple, my child model, and the two "B" grandkids with grandma.

The fam hangin' at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, waiting for pics to be over so we can grub! (Obviously this one was taken on my junky camera. Fuzzy pics are so frustrating.)

Love this picture! The new mesh of grandchildren.

More of entertaining Will while waiting to eat. Ryan and his siblings are just so adorable, aren't they?! :)

During the dinner all of us kids (Kathy's children) as well as Mark's kids went up front and sang a song we all wrote to the tune of the Brady Bunch about how Kathy and Mark met. Then Mark's children presented Kathy with a "Mark Survival Kit" containing items that helped us to get to know him better. Then we went up and presented Mark with a bucket of things that are B family traditions so that he could get to know our family better. Both Kathy and Mark were beaming, and afterwards they expressed their great happiness in all the kindnesses shown to them that day. It made me really happy to see Kathy smile.

Congrats Kathy and Mark!

A Thousand Words...

could not adequately describe how I feel about these boys! So I'll spare ya and just leave you with the picture :)

MMXI

That's 2011, for all you non-roman numeral aficionados out there (don't worry, I had to google it to figure it out).

Ryan & Dawn's Rockin' New Years Eve & Fondue was another great night for us this year. The fondue selection was larger than ever thanks to the help of all our guests, the rock band was as much fun as rock band always is, and the good times were, once again, made possible only by so many great friends and family members. Oh, how the Martinelli's flowed!

The food. I tried to simplify this year and say we would just do dessert, but Ryan sure wasn't buyin' what I was sellin'. I think I've created a monster. Not Ryan, the tradition :)

Possibly one of my most fav pics ever. Classic Jana and Sarah, ready to party.

Some of the attendees...sad I didn't get everyone on film but I am not the biggest picture taker in the world so even this much was a struggle for me between trying to man the fondue and make sure the house didn't burn down!

Ok, I lied earlier. This is my fav pic ever! This is serious, boys. Will is 2 going on 16...just call him little Stevie Tyler.

What do you do when you're a toddler and it's almost midnight and a bunch of adults are acting like baffoons and ignoring you? Why, sled inside the house, of course! Will and Addy have so much fun together now. I just love it. And good ol' Jana...she is my party friend :) Don't worry though...it's just Martinelli's.