Save Me Some Oranges

Yesterday I finished the Tuacahn Duathlon, without crying!

I did the race with my sister-in-law Joy, my friend Jamie, and Ryan. Ryan's brother Rich and Jamie's husband Kyle waited for us and took pictures. I kept joking that I was going to be so slow they were going to need to save oranges for me after the race. Every time I saw Rich I would say, "make sure you save me some oranges, I'm coming."

All joking aside, I was pretty nervous.

This is at my first transition just after my 5k run. As you can see most of the bikes are already gone. That's because I'm just about the slowest runner on the planet. I kept seeing Ryan and my friends pass me going the opposite direction. They were cruising! I was... well, I kept going.

Once I got on my bike I felt a lot better.

This is Ryan after the bike, getting ready for his last 5k run. He did awesome!

He says he felt dead here. I was soon to find out just how hard it is to run after riding 22 miles.

Still feeling good after my bike...

Now, I don't feel so great. I actually couldn't feel my feet until the turnaround at mile 1.5.

Ryan finished the race in 2 hours 11 min. I think that's amazing for doing a 6.2 mile run and a 22 mile bike!

I finished in a not so stellar 2 hours and 36 min. It may not have been competitive but for me it was actually a really good time. I did the 10k at about the same pace I did the Speedy Spaniard last summer but there was a 22 mile bike thrown in the middle. I was able to average 15 mph on my bike which I think is pretty good considering we went up Snow Canyon twice.

Ryan had two oranges waiting for me at the end!

The best part was going back to the house where Kyle and Jamie were staying and sitting in there hot tub! When Rich and Joy showed up Joy had a red medal hanging around her neck. She took 2nd for her age group. She rocks!

Nervous

I'm thinking if I just come right out and admit that I'm nervous about this race this weekend maybe I'll get some sleep tonight. I keep doubting myself, wondering if I've done enough to prepare or if I'm going to get halfway up Snow Canyon and start crying. The last time I went running I had tears coming down my cheeks, but I think that had something to do with the wind and the freezing temperature. Nevertheless, it made me think.

When I got to the finish line after my first 10k, the Speedy Spaniard, I cried. I almost sobbed but I held it back for fear of making a fool of myself. It took me a little over an hour to finish the 10k. This duathlon will definitely take me over 2 1/2 hours. So I'm hoping I don't lose it after the first hour and cry myself through the rest. Not that there's anything wrong with crying, I was just hoping to be tougher than that.

I think I'm psyching myself out.

I spoke at a little Stake event last night. I was prepared and even excited to share what I had prepared but for some reason I got so nervous. All day my stomach was in knots and then 10 minutes before I had to speak my knees were actually knocking together. It was weird, but I was terrified. Everything turned out fine in the end and I made it through. I even felt good about how things went and got some nice compliments. Fortunately, in case I was feeling a little too sure of myself, Cameron says, "So,... how's your pride?" as we were walking out the door. Thanks Cam. I was feeling good but swiftly humbled.

I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and grateful to not be nervous anymore but as the day wore on and I tried to plan my week for last minute workouts before the race this weekend the nervousness crept back into my stomach. I don't feel sure of myself anymore and it's driving me crazy. I keep trying to tell myself to be realistic and just relax and enjoy the race as a celebration that I've actually worked out for the first winter in my life. But it's not working. I'm just nervous. Ugh.

5th Grade Science Fair

Dallin participated in his first science fair project this year. He measured how long it takes for bleach to remove color from food coloring. It was actually pretty interesting and I was totally surprised at the results. Blue went clear the fastest and yellow never went clear. I was expecting the opposite. It was Dallin's idea and I thought he did a really good job. He even typed up all of his results for his poster board. I'm so proud of how hard he tries at everything he does. He's a perfectionist, like some other people we know.

Smartwool

Please don't mind the scary picture but there's something interesting going on here. When I went running a couple of Saturdays ago it was 14 degrees outside. I went 10 miles. It took me a long time (as usual) but for once I wasn't freezing. When I got home I noticed drops of water falling to the floor. I told Ryan I couldn't figure out where they were coming from. He grabbed my hair (gently :) ) and tried to show me. It was frozen! Then he took a picture thinking I could see it better that way. I couldn't but thought I'd post it anyway just for the memory. The secret for staying warm in 14 degree weather with frozen hair is... Smartwool...

The night before we stopped by Runners Corner in Orem and I asked the guy there if there was any way to stay warm when I run because I'm tired of getting cold once I start to sweat. He told me about a product called Smartwool. Most people buy their socks but they also sell base layer shirts. I bought one of the shirts to try out and felt very skeptical because I have several "wicking" base shirts and I still freeze. Well, all I can say now is Smartwool works. I could definitely smell the wool once I started to sweat but I didn't care because I was warm. It is so great to be able to run farther and longer without feeling uncomfortably cold. I've even worn this shirt now on cold days just around the house because I always seem to be freezing. It's great stuff. So, if you tend to get cold easily, like me, especially when you run, try Smartwool. (I should totally get paid for this plug). :)

Jane Erin

Jane Erin Meservey was born at 12:04 am on January 26th. She was 7lbs 3 oz and practically perfect in every way! We got to take the kids to see her on Friday night and they were in heaven! I think she's in love with Dallin already! She was wide awake and seemed to be listening intently as the kids held her and talked to her.

The World In Eden's Eyes

For Christmas we got Eden a digital camera because she loves taking pictures. She's already taken several hundred and some of them are actually pretty good. So I decided to start a section of blog posts with pictures that Eden has taken. It's fascinating to see things from the perspective of a five-year old.

I'm starting these posts with pictures of our cat. I think Eden has taken more pictures of him than anything else (except for all the pictures she's taken of the tv, weird). In this first section she caught the cat under our bookshelf...

She catches the cat doing all sorts of things around the house. Even just walking.

But she mostly loves to take the cat and trap him in her room and play with him.

I especially liked these ones, though. This was when she was in bed, snuggling with the cat when she was supposed to be sleeping.

Look for more posts from "The World In Eden's Eyes" coming soon.

Cozy

We seem to have had a lot of cold, cloudy days this winter but very little snow. While I've been dying for it all to be over as soon as possible I noticed last week that Eden and Austin really know how to make the most of these chilly days.