Thursday, July 31, 2014

Day 353: Thurs July 31st - it's a Thursday Selfie

Day Three Hundred Fifty-three - it's a Thursday Selfie :)


Went on a nice morning run with Izzy.  We decided to stop at the park and swing for a bit.
Though the sun started coming up, it wasn't too hot out. A great start to a beautiful morning.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Day 349, 350 & 351: Tues July 29th - The Path Ahead

Day 349, 350 & 351 -
The Path Ahead 

Living for today while looking ahead towards the future is a back and forth balancing act that again my brain struggles with, but in a good way.  Staying present moment focused can be so dang hard!  Especially when fun ideas, future possibilities and adventures fill me with excitement and hope. 
But alas, I cannot stay in the what-if places...  instead I must be at peace with life happening in the here and now, that is the best place to be.


 
 



 




Day 348: Sat July 26th - Dirt

Day 348 - Dirt





Friday, July 25, 2014

Day 347: Friday July 25th - My must have for summer.

New to my must haves list. Much needed for long and especially hot days.
Day 347 - 
My <new> must have
for summer


Anyone who knows me, has heard me complain that I do NOT do heat well. After much research I came across these saltstick tabs. They are now on my must have for summer running and other outdoor activities.  I have noticed I feel much better during and after running, though I still have to remind myself to properly hydrate.
Is summer over yet??  :) 
Where's my dang water bottle....




Day 346: Thurs July 24th - Happy State Holiday

Day 346 - Happy State Holiday

Izzy here helping Jax to chill out on a hot day. He was mostly down with the idea, though understandably didn't love the late night fireworks close by, repeatedly growling and sometimes a startled BARK! when the blast was especially loud.  He doesn't seem particularly scared of them, just cautious, confused and sometimes alarmed, giving us the "what the hell is THAT' look from his bead.
 Overall the holiday was a fun, productive, and even at times, relaxing day off. 
Made some delicious B.L.T sandwiches and for dinner tried a new recipe - a healthy avocado cream sauce, fresh tomato, basil and garlic tossed with pasta. It was delicious!  A BIG thanks Runners World magazine for the recipe. We loved it.










Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Day 345: Wed July 23rd - Holy Shoes

Day Three Hundred Forty-five: Holy Shoes


Growing several holes in the mesh on my favorite shoes, including some peeling on the bottom and sides. 
<grabs the duct tape>  20 more days to go!


 


Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Day 340, 341, 342, 343, and 344 - Tues July 22nd - There and Back Again

Day 340-344 - 
There and Back Again

I'm back. It was a nice being away. I loved being in nature, camping for the most part, fishing, swimming in the lake, light days of running, cooking good food, but most of all, hanging out with Justin and the girls without work or worries of time getting in the way.
Sunday was especially fun, we got up super early and went fishing (though we didn't catch anything), swimming in the lake, playing fetch with Jax and a stick in the water and watching our girls having fun splashing around and being adventurous. None of us wanted the day to end.
 




















 




Thursday, July 17, 2014

Day 338 and 339: Thurs July 17th - Going off the grid.

Going off the grid for a few days.  Looking forward to some R & R & R.

Running & Rest & Relaxation + some hiking, fishing and star gazing.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Day 337: Tues July 15th - Between a Rock...

Day Three Thirty-seven - 
Between a Rock...



And a hard place. 


Day 335 and 336: Mon July 14th - B.S.T.

   Day 335 and 336 - B.S.T.

Lovely early morning tough hike and long run. 
We tried to beat the full sunrise Sunday morning before the heat of the day started it's shift, and made it back down just in time.

Beautiful and very quiet. Only a few runners on the trail and no bikes to dodge around. 

A great start to an otherwise relaxing Sunday.

 






Jurassic Park Dandelion









Saturday, July 12, 2014

Day 333 & 334: Sat Jully 12th - The Final Countdown!

Day 333 & 334 - The Final Countdown - one month to go!

It's the Final Countdown (cue Europe song) I don't know if I'm sad or ecstatic that I have one month left before my birthday and goal is complete.
It's been easier in some ways than I thought it would be getting into a daily habit and ritual of running everyday and more challenging in others - keeping up with a blog falls under the more challenging bit.  In hindsight I should have made it a weekly blog, I didn't realize how time consuming a blog could be.  But it's been exciting nonetheless and created a photo journal of a great year. I'm having fun still, despite the heat, and that is the point of running for me.
It is my time to think, reflect, and vent my feet on the ground to work out my frustrations and tire my mind. At other times I feel joy, solitude, peace and grace as I marvel at the simple beauty in  places I hadn't taken the time to notice beforehand. And though sometimes it hurts, it's a good pain, with the exception of my heel ;)

I also loved running with my family when they've come along or indulged me.  It has helped to break up the monotony of the months and days along the way and I enjoy sharing that time with them.

I'm excited what the future will bring in life and running. I've decided what my next goal will be, however I have a month to go yet and some healing up I will need to do before the next grand adventure. Wish me luck! 





 



Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Day 331: Wed July 9th - A mental break.

Day Three Hundred Thirty-one - A Mental Break.


I need a mental break before I have a mental break... but I also need a feet break before my feet break.
Running is my mental break, most of the time. However, if i'm honest... there are times it adds another 'to-do' to each day and I begrudgingly go out the door . It's good I run in the mornings, because I can guarantee that if I waited for afternoon / evening times, besides melting on the road, I would not be posting about Day 331.

On a positive note, the lovely part of summer are the multitude of beautiful flowers.
I can never tire of taking photos of them. 


Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Day 328, 329 and 330: July 8th - Too Damn Hot

Day 328, 329 & 330 -

TOO DAMN HOT
Basically that's all I have to say. 
It's too damn hot, even before the sun comes up.
My new mantra must be "hydration, hydration, hydration"
sadly this is often an area I struggle with.
Must. Drink. Water.
 


Saturday, July 5, 2014

Day 325, 326 & 327: Sat July 5th - Daisies

Day 325, 326 & 327 -  
Daisies

I love daisies. They make me smile.
What a happy flower. 
Daisies also remind me of  'Big Scott'. 
I can't believe it's been almost 9 years this August since he passed away.  He was an amazing individual that meant so much to so many people in so many different ways.

One summer afternoon while we were visiting him, Scott gave me a tour of his garden and fruit trees. He was showing me flowers he named after his buddies lost in the Vietnam war, telling stories along the way.  At one point I happened to mention to him that my favorite flower was a daisy. He stopped what he was doing and had me follow him quietly to the front yard of his house. He bent down among a sea of daisies growing near the stairs, picked a large daisy and put it in my hair, tucked behind my ear and walked away smiling. 

Such a tender soul that we miss every day.





 
  
 




Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Day 322 & 323: Mon / Tues July 1st - The ache in my years

Day 322 & 323 - The ache in my years.

Where does the time go? The past 323 days have sailed by.  Today my oldest turns 13.
Where does the time go?  Holding onto time is like grasping sand being poured from a bucket, it seeps through my fingers, feeling soft and cool, my mind ever repeating -  Where does the time go?

Day 319, 320 and 321: Fri, Sat and Sun June 29th - My Envy is Green.

What a gorgeous (green with envy) house.
Day   319, 320
   &  321  

My Envy is Green







What a beautiful view and amazingly gorgeous house...err..... mini-castle that looks somewhat Harry Potter Hogwarts inspired.
I tried not to look too much like a stalker taking this photo to show my daughters.

Running was decent the past few days. Sunday was a lot of fun and a nice change of routine. Justin and I got up early and headed to the Bonneville Shoreline trail at the south end of the valley and hike/ran up several miles, then ran and bounded back down, fast on our feet with Jax keeping pace, though he was quite tired.  I'm amazed at how well Jax drinks out of the water bottles I bring him, it's quite funny and he's very efficient at it.  Still bikes outnumbered us easily 20 to 1 ratio. I'm probably repeating myself here, but the sheer amount of bikes is amazing.
Most are very courteous, though we have to be careful around tight corners as some of the bikes fly past you, risking collision.  At times they make me want to pass out flyers on biking etiquette.  However, I am kind and politely step off to the side letting them past, but it can get old, especially if I'm doing my own version of flying down the trail.  Perhaps I must find more obscure trails to run that aren't so popular, though I understand why, the views up their are incredible.