Run for the River 2012

2012

2011

I purposely wore the same outfit as last year so I could compare my pictures.  I find it unfortunate that I think I looked better a year ago - a year in which I have worked out 5-6 days a week for anywhere between 1 and 3 hours a day and still gained 30 pounds.  Last year, I hauled Tiffany along with me.  This year, I met up with Charlotte, who "just needed to run a 10 mile training run anyway" so she decided last minute to Run for the River.  The rest of us aren't crazy and we did the 5K.  For a little while, I thought Whitney stood me up, but I found her after I wandered for 45 minutes, waiting for the race to start.  She is my boot camp instructor.  It was a good run, I was a bit disappointed, but it was still 2 minutes faster than last year.  I was on schedule to be 4 minutes faster than last year, but I had a side cramp and couldn't breathe.

One week until our triathlons and I just finally put my pedals on my bike.  I haven't ridden my road bike in 9 months or so.  I've only been to the pool once since the last triathlon.  Next Saturday might be rough...

Brenden and Nolan have been training.  They run on the treadmill, ride their bikes around all day, and I took them to the pool last week to make sure they can at least make it up and back in the pool (Nolan with a life vest).

Summer has been so much better than I expected.  Honestly, I was kind of dreading having everyone home, mostly for the mass destruction of the house.  It has been cleaner since they have been home than it was for the entire previous 9 months.  They have been very helpful.  Ahhhh the joys of slave labor.

This is how "northroaders," as we are called in Nikiski, grade their yard.  "Northroaders" is the Alaskan form of "redneck."

If the last days have plagues, the mosquito plague is most certainly in Alaska.  We are all covered in bites and can't stop itching!  I think there are just as many of them in our house as in the yard.  Nolan is having a great time catching them and sticking them into the mosquito zapper.  It doesn't get dark enough for the mosquitoes to actually go toward the light themselves, so the children direct them there.

If I finish my project that I started the summer we moved here next week, I might show you a picture.  You'd never think it would take me 4 years to finish, but it's almost done.  Makes me wonder what I have been doing with my last 3 summers...?

Mud Run in the Paper

Brenden and I made it to the front page of the local paper.  View it here.  The girl who wrote the article took my phone number and email address so she can talk to me about Brenden and Nolan's triathlon in two weeks.  Maybe they'll be in the paper again!

Mud Run

Brenden and I did the mud run today.  It was 3.6 miles and Brenden did awesome.  He was the only kid who ran the race!  The rest were all adults.

Doug calls the first series of pictures “Cut off and throw down.”

Double super powers!

Nolan waiting with my flowers for finishing.

Brenden and I won the award for the best entrance to the mud pit.

We won a canned ham because we “hammed” it up.  Brenden promptly opened it and my car smells like cat food.

Matt, Brenden’s best friend’s dad, came from the fire department to hose off the finishers.

Unfortunately, upon entry to the mud pit, we forgot to take off Brenden’s implants.  One was lost in the mud for about 10 minutes and they had to drain the mud pit so we could find it.  Ooops.

We’re still not sure if it works.

Brenden and I had a great time together!  We finished in 51:10 and we’re watching for ourselves to be in the paper tomorrow.