"If we don't suffer enough we won't remember it."

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon avg 7:03 pace.  Windy today.

4 miles avg 7:08 pace.  Went at 11:00 a.m. so it was 40 degrees outside.

14 miles with Melanie B in Lehi.  We both had family baptisms to attend this day so we met at 5:15 a.m.  It was 26 or so degrees outside, but I felt good once we got going.  When we hit the running path by the Jordan River there was a little snow on the path and it looked like someone had walked along it with a snow shovel making one long scrape right down the middle.  Then the shoveled part went off the path towards the river and came back on.  There was this shoveling off and on and if I was by myself I would have run somewhere else.  On our way back we saw a man on roller blades with a head lamp and a broom.   We then knew the source of the "shoveling" but it was still strange.  He was going so slow and it wasn't slippery and he wasn't really old either.   

12 degrees outside!  I went downstairs and ran 4 miles on my treadmilll.

10 miles.  It was 12 degrees when I woke up so I decided to wait until later in the morning to run.  I worked on my computer until 10:30 a.m. then looked at the temperature on my screen.  It said 19 degrees and I thought, "I waited all these hours for only 7 degrees!"  But when I checked my clock/themometor in my kitchen it said 26 degrees, much better. 

When I left my house I only had 1 hr 14 minutes until my daughter was getting off the bus from kindergarten.  I wanted 10 miles and knew I needed to run about 7 min miles to get it done.  Two traffic light stops, two short drink stops and a 6:50 pace got me home with 4 minutes to spare.  I felt so good.  I guess that's what happens when I get 8 hours of sleep for several nights and cut back on the sweets.

8 miles.  Ran 1 mile to meet up with Rebecca, Josse and Desiree, six with them and another mile home.  Averge with the other girls was 7:38 pace.  I took my 8 year old son to get his tonsils out this morning. 

3 miles on my treadmill.  My son is home from school recovering from his tonsillectomy.

14 miles with Melanie, Kim and Jane.  It was nice to be able to go up Provo Canyon again before the snow sets  in.  Although we did have to walk over a big thick patch of ice near Bridal Veil Falls.  Avg 7:03 pace.

4 miles avg 7:10

10 miles, avg 7:10 pace.  I ran 2 miles to Melody's house, 6 with her, and 2 more home.  It was 32 degrees outside, which felt nice after the 20's of the last two weeks.

6 miles avg 7:02 pace.  My son's recovery from his tonsillectomy has been rough.  The first two nights he woke up crying and in pain and had a hard time going back to sleep, so Sat, Sun, Mon I set an alarm and got up every three hours to give him medicine.  Five days of poor sleep was wearing on me.  Then Tuesday night not only did I have to deal with the tonsil pain, but both my son's threw-up in the night! 

Last night hoping he would be feeling better I tried to wait longer to give him medicine so I would only have to get up twice instead of three times and we had more crying episodes.  He's 8 and it's like he's only half awake and delerious in the night.  He opened the bathroom cupboard to pee and after I directed him toward the toilet he shot it way too high!

Last night wasn't much better.  I went back to setting the alarm every three hours to give my son medicine, midnight and 3 a.m. went fine.  Then he came down at 4:30 a.m. crying saying his throat hurt.  I had him gargle salt water and he came into our bed.  He went right to sleep, but after 30 minutes of laying there awake I went to the couch.  My house is much more noisy in the family room, the fridge makes noise off and on and so does the heater.  It reminded me of trying to sleep at my brother-in-laws house in St. George before the marathon.  I should have gotten in my son's bed or in bed with my daughter. 

If I was going to run I needed to do it early today.  But I was so tired early and there is no chance for a nap with the kids Christmas parties I'm helping out with at school.  I'm just hoping I can keep up with Melanie B tomorrow morning on our 15 mile run.  I'm also hoping I can sleep better tonight.

15 miles avg 7:06 pace with Melanie, Kim and Jane up Provo Canyon. We made it almost to Bridal Veil before the trail had snow. Not wanting to carry the gatorade we left at mile 4 and the jackets we dropped at mile 2 for so many miles we decided to run down the canyon and back up again to get the distance we wanted.

It was so cold that we all had difficulty talking because our mouths felt like we'd been to the dentist. On our way up the canyon for the second time I thought it was a good thing I had friends to run with or there would be no point to this run. So I guess the point must be to have fun but at that point I was having some doubts about the "fun" lasting for 15 miles.

I think we turned a corner with my son's recovery. My husband got up to give him medicine in the night last night, so I slept a little better. Still woke up, but didn't have to get up. Later this morning was the first time his medication wore off and he wasn't immediately asking for more. Yea! I think we may not have to get up tonight!

4 miles avg 7:08 pace.

My son finally turned the corner on Saturday and stopped needing pain medication.  Yea!  I was really feeling bad for him having such a sore throat for so long.  It's also so nice to have a  normal sleep instead of getting up to give him medicine every three hours. 

8 miles with a big group of ladies, avg 7:39 pace.

9 miles part with some other ladies, avg 7:23 pace.

5 miles with Desiree avg 7:06 pace

I was going to run 15 with Melanie, but it was so cold!.  She hit the treadmill and I planned on going later when it was warmer.  One thing led to another and before I knew it the afternoon was here.  I headed out with my two sisters who are from OR and AZ.  I thought I would run a few with them and then do more, but we stopped at my uncle's house to see cousins we hadn't seen in years and visited for too long.  We ran home and I didn't have time for more.  avg 9:42 pace.

I had a great Christmas Eve and Christmas. It was really one of our best, more relaxing than usual. I so enjoyed just being with my husband and kids. We had my big family party on Friday so Saturday was less busy.  We got together for dinner with some of my siblings and their families, played games and went to the cemetery.  The cemetery was the prettiest I've ever seen it on Christmas Eve with all the candles lit around the graves.  After visiting my dad's grave we went home.  We sat on the couch with our three kids and watched the new nativity video our church made and read about the Savior's birth in The Book of Mormon.  I really loved feeling the spirit instead of just feeling rushed to get everything done.  My husband and I watched/listened to the Catholic Church broadcast from New York while we assembled a few things after the kids went to bed.  Sunday we opened presents and attended Sacrament meeting at 11:00 a.m.  When my 10 year old son realized my mom wasn't at chruch (she was sick with a cold) he said, "She's missing the best sacrament meeting ever."  He was right, it really was one of the best.  Later in the afternoon we had dinner with and visited my in-laws in Salt Lake. 

I really enjoyed Christmas, but on Monday I was going crazy from missing my long Saturday run and eating so much yummy food.  I should have gone when I first got up at 8 a.m., but started cleaning up instead.  My husband was gone playing basketball with his brothers and the kids kept asking me to do things for them .  At 10 a.m. I finally said, "I just have to go running.  I'm going crazy and running is the only thing that will fix it."  Just as I was about to walk out the door my sister called saying everyone was going to Jump-on-it.  Change of plans.  I took the kids there instead.  Finally at 1:30 p.m. I headed out for a run.  My husband was about to go with me when he got a phone call.  I really needed to run so I left to go 1 mile while he was on the phone.  My first mile was 6:35 pace! When I got back he was off the phone and I went 4 more with him on his bike.  Avg 6:55 pace.  I felt much better afterwards.  My  husband says I'm addicted to running and I usually say I'm not, but this day I decided maybe I am. 

10 miles avg 7:10 pace.  I ran to Melody's house and did 8 miles with her. 

10  miles with my husband on his bike avg 7:11 pace.  We went up Provo Canyon and almost made it to Bridal Veil Falls.  This is the latest in the year I've ever been able to run up the canyon. 

4 miles avg 7:19 pace.

15 miles with Melanie, Kim and Jane avg 7:05 pace.  We met at the Legacy Center in Lehi, ran 4 miles to the river, 3 1/2 miles along the trail and back.  It was over 30 degrees, but the wind made it feel much colder.  We sat in the hot tub at the Legacy Center when we were done. 

I was tired later in the afternoon and took a 2 1/2 hour nap in my daughters bed because it's more quiet up there than my room on the main level.  When I woke up it was dark outside and I was confused thinking it was night until I realized I was in her bed and remembered what I was doing.