Happy feet!

My feet are happy today! Why? Because I got new running shoes! There's nothing better to motivate you to go running than getting a new pair of shoes. You just feel faster. And I would just like to say that I heart the Salt Lake Running Company. That is where I got my shoes. My dad and sister went as well and we left with three happy pairs of feet. (And one large bill.)

I love it because you go there and they analyze your running style and your feet and all that so they can get you a shoe that fits your foot and way of running. And when you have a good shoe, you have no more knee or foot pain! Yay! Bring on the marathon.

Defeating the demon

We have once and for all defeated the demon that is the St. George Triathlon. After two failed attempts (which were cancelled due to weather), we finally were able to run the whole thing--swim, bike, run--all in one shot.

We headed down to St. George Friday afternoon with my mom and dad. Usually we have an entire pit crew of friends that come with us, but this time it was just us. My dad ran the race with us as well.

We did have my mom, Grandpa Russ and AnnaLou there to cheer us on though. Thanks guys!

Per tradition, we carbo loaded on Friday night at the Pasta Factory. We were able to get together for dinner with one of Matt's friends from college and his family. Then we crashed at my aunt and uncle's house to prepare for the early morning.

The morning of the race was actually pretty nice. It was the warmest start we've ever experienced. Luckily there were no weather mishaps this time. And the sunrise over the reservoir was beautiful!

Since Matt did the Olympic-distance race, he started about an hour before me. Doesn't he look cute in his wetsuit?

We made sure to stretch!

Apparently my dad needed some help stretching.

We swam. Dad and Matt did great on the swim. I still panic whenever I get in the lake, so I struggled a bit. But I still did OK, and I improved from last time, so that is all that matters. The lake was great. No waves and a decent water temperature.

We biked. Matt of course did great on the biking section. So did Dad. I pushed it really hard and did pretty well. And I made it up the killer hill without stopping. And I even passed a few people.

I have decided however, that I will not be doing another triathlon until I get a road bike. I test rode a couple the other day, but haven't made the purchase yet. But I think it will make a huge difference.

We ran. This run course is totally awful. It's all on sand. And that just sucks the energy right out of you. And it was blasted hot.

But we all finished. In one piece. And now Matt understands why we never want to do that race again. He said it was the hardest thing he's ever done in his life. He did twice the distance I did. I'm so proud of him!

We deserved those medals! Anyway, I am very proud of all of us. Dad finished in about 1:49. I finished in 2:03, and Matt finished in about 3.5 hours. So Garrett, you are the winner of the closest guess to my actual finishing time! Yay for you!

I really wanted to finish in under 2 hours, but I was pretty close, and considering the course conditions, I think I did pretty well. Matt was pretty disappointed with his time. He did great on the swim and the bike, but he didn't train as well as he could have for the run, so that's what got him. And the fact that the entire run was on sand hills. Yick! But I am so proud of him for trying and finishing. And now we both know what we need to improve on.

And we only came out with one minor injury. Matt turned a corner too sharply on his bike and scraped his arm on the string barrier thing. But no stitches or trips to the instacare. So Garrett, you have no need to disown us.

Anyway, it was great. I am glad we were finally able to do the whole course in one shot. But I am also glad triathlon season is over for the year and I can concentrate on other things for the winter. But I'm definately planning on getting back into them next year!

Here we go again

I think we must be crazy because we are attempting to do the St. George triathlon AGAIN this Saturday. The past two times we have tried, it has been nothing but trouble. Fun, yes. But we've never actually gotten to do the race. But Matt insisted on trying again...he says the third time's the charm...so we are going. And, we got in for only $15 thanks to my Dad's neighbor. Yay for discounts!

So I'm taking guesses on my final finishing time again. Just for fun. I'm doing the sprint distance, which is a 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, and 3 mile run. Matt is doing the Olympic distance, which is twice what I am doing. So feel free to guess a time for both of us!

P.S. Please pray that we won't have any mishaps this time.

A compliment goes a long way

Today I was reminded of the importance of giving compliments. I was in the locker room turning in my gym clothes after my workout and the girl at the clothing counter looked at me and exuberantly said, "You're beautiful! Seriously, you are so pretty."

It totally made my day. I was feeling kinda crummy about myself today and then a complete stranger turned it around by saying just one thing. So I now have a resolve to give out more compliments--and to compliment complete strangers while I'm at it.

I love the fair

Last weekend we visited the Utah State Fair. It was great fun. I love the fair! It's one of my favorite things about fall. Matt had never been to the fair before, so we had to give him a good initiation. We saw the Tiger show and went to the rodeo (just in time to see the very last bull rider).

We saw the prize-winning livestock.

And even petted some sheep and goats.

We saw the prize-winning produce, although we had to search long and hard for it because it was moved from it's usual spot.

We indulged in some fair food. I even found "America's best corn dog". We rode the big yellow slide and watched the carnies and square dancers.

We went to see the butter cow. Every year they make a different cow sculpture out of butter! Crazy! I keep suggesting that they sculpt a cow jumping over Delicate Arch, but I have yet to see that one.

Then we got sucked in by the carnies and had to play a couple fair games.

Matt won these cute little tigers by tossing a ping pong ball into a floating bowl. I've never had anyone win me a stuffed animal at the fair before.

Then he won this little fish by throwing a ring around a rubber duckie. We spent a total of $2 on the games and won 3 animals! Yay for Matt! We also just spent some time looking around and people watching. You always see the most interesting people at the fair. We did not go to the freak show because it looked rather disturbing. Anyway, we had a great time. I do love the fair!

Isn't hiking grand?

Last Saturday Caron and I hiked Grandeur Peak. It was grand. I love hiking and I am so sad that hiking season is coming to a close. I haven't gotten to get much hiking in this year, but I do love it. There's just something great about being on top of a mountain. I love it!

Here is the view of Salt Lake from the top.

Some pretty lakes.

The beautiful mountains. It really was a great hike. Not too long, not extremely steep, it was good weather, and it was really pretty. I would highly recommend it. But I would not recommend going down the wrong trail on the way down and getting stuck.

My joke backfired :(

In honor of football season starting, I thought I would play a little joke on Matt. I gave him this University of Utah keychain this weekend as a present in honor of Utah's first home game. But I switched out the little music box thing inside it so now it plays the BYU fight song instead of the Ute fight song. I thought I was being so funny! But he didn't even notice! He didn't even push the play button or use it at all. So much for my funny joke. :(

Fireside #2

So remember a few months ago when Matt's apartment building caught on fire? Well we almost had a repeat episode last night. This morning at 2:30 a.m. the fire alarms start going off. Matt checked all around our apartment and there was no fire and he couldn't turn off the alarms. Then Matt went outside and the whole building's alarm was going off. So we put on our jackets and flip flops, grabbed a flashlight and went outside.

We searched around our apartment building for signs of fire, but there were none to be found. The other residents from our building were outside too, wondering what was going on. Then we discovered that the other buildings in our complex had their fire alarms going off too. Weird!

So the fire truck shows up and tell us there is no fire there, but there was a fire at the power plant, which somehow made everyone's fire alarms go off. It took awhile for the fireman to figure out how to turn off the alarm.

It was quite the night. But at least there was no fire.

Gold medals, free stuff and student discounts

I won the gold medal at my work Olympics! Yay for me! To get a gold medal, I had to run 60 miles and swim 10,000 yards from July 7 to August 30. And I made it! I actually ended up running 64 miles and swimming 10,250 yards. All while planning a wedding, getting married, and moving into a new apartment. So now I'm an Olympian and $50 richer. Hurray for prizes!

We discovered this weekend that you can get free BluRay rentals at Hollywood video. Score!

I started my 3rd semester of grad school at the U last week. And BYU starts today, which means the students that I work with are back and work will get crazy again. Good thing I like what I do cuz this also means I will be super busy until about mid-December. But it doesn't mean I don't want to be invited to stuff. I need a break for socializing still!

Want to know the best thing about being a grad student? Student discounts! Yesterday we got into the aquarium for $2 off each ticket all because of my little student ID. I do find it a little ironic though that I use my free student bus pass from the U to ride the bus to work at BYU every day. And Matt uses my employee discount from BYU to get his bus pass so he can ride the train to work in Ogden every day. Oh the irony!

And, last but not least...I have decided to run a marathon. Next May. In Ogden. I hear it's a good one for beginners. Anyone interested in running it with me? I need some motivational training partners. Thanks to Allison who is my one recruit so far. C'mon...if I can try it anyone can! Please?