My First Half Marathon (and other stuff)

Yesterday I ran in the Top of Utah half marathon. It was really fun, and I'm happy with how I did. For those of you who aren't runners, you may wonder how running 13.1 miles can be fun, but I can't explain it so you'll just have to get off your couch and start running! It was just fun to take part in an event with a lot of other people who enjoy doing what I do. My goal was to finish the race in 1:45 and my official time was 1:42:49, putting me 19th out of 243 runners in my age/gender category (154 out of 1315 overall). I felt great during and after the race, although my quads are a little sore today. I felt that I could have run faster if I had gotten a better start in the first couple of miles, but with so many people, and this being my first race, I was having a hard time pushing through all the people and getting on my pace. I hope to run more half marathons in the future, but I don't really plan on running a marathon, not because I don't think I could do it, but because I don't want to put that kind of time commitment into my training and I want to be a little easier on my body. Maybe I will change my mind in the future, but I don't know.

I'm amazed that I've come this far in only a year. When Jarrett was about 5 months old, my sweet in-laws gave me a double jogging stroller for my birthday. I immediately put it to use, mostly walking around town, which is a pretty good workout considering the hills here. When I decided to actually start running, I could only go about 1/4 mile before I had to stop and walk. I just kept at it until I was eventually able to run the entire 2.5 mile trail. When winter came, it was harder to find time to run, but I started going to the rec center and running on the track or treadmill. Eventually I just came to really love running. Part of it was the fact that this was my time during the day when I could do something for myself. Part of it was how I started to feel - healthier and happier. I encourage anyone who isn't taking the time to exercise to find some time, any time. It is worth it and you will feel better! I just really hope that I can keep this habit as my life continues to change and get busier.

And some other stuff...

Here is a picture of of our newly stained porch. This is mainly for my mother-in-law who helped us out a lot during the week we were doing all the work. She wanted to see the finished product. I think it looks really good. Before it was a dark red color that was all worn off and didn't look great with the house.

And here's a picture of my boys who were looking especially cute for church this morning. It is impossible to get a picture of both of them smiling and looking normal, but I'll settle for this one. They sure look sweet, don't they? Well, isn't it sweet when your 3 1/2 year old blurts out in the middle of sacrament meeting "Daddy, did you fart?" in a really loud voice (this boy refuses to whisper in church.) When daddy said no and I starting laughing and telling him to be quiet he blurts out "Mommy, did you?" (For the record, no I did not.) Needless to say, I found it quite funny, though embarrassing, and we had a little talk about it after church.