*Monday Memos*

*MONDAY MEMOS*

   

 (If pictures are too small, just click to enlarge) 
Weekly recap of my rather crazy, insane, but fun and rewarding life!

dear monday, it was only 35° this morning!  Brrr....  The chilly temperatures matched the chilly news.  There was a horrific mass shooting in Las Vegas last night at an outdoor country concert that left at least 58 dead and 500 wounded.  The crazy diabolic man shot himself after.  I really wonder about this world.  Is anywhere safe anymore? Honestly, I don't think anywhere is. I was glued to the news all morning, but forced myself out the door for a run.  

I only had to run three miles today, but I felt like going more so I went 4.5.  It warmed up to 46 by the time I got done.  I came home and worked on stuff for Rachel's shower. Dave came home for a bit at lunch, but he is so swamped at the clinic lately with only three docs and two NP's that he is being worked to death. I met Beth and Stacy at Linda's house to take her a gift from Homemaker's. Her husband passed away about 10 days ago.  So sad.  She is an amazing woman. Always so sweet and positive. We had a nice visit with her.  I ran and got a bucket for Rachel's gift.  I'm making a portable washing machine out of it.  Hah  It's pretty ingenious whoever came up with it.  You use a plunger.  Hopefully I can get it done before tomorrow.  I also grabbed some soup from Old Grist since that is where I got the bucket. I got vegetable beef because even though I am supposed to carb loading for the marathon right now, I have gained a few pounds and I need to lose them before the race.  I do better when I am at my regular weight.  Yeah, HOW do you GAIN weight while training for a marathon?  No idea, but it's a common thing.  My problem is my menopausal body has decided again that if I eat anything it's going to make sure I gain.  It comes and goes, but the timing is bad right now.   I had so much to do that I didn't get any harp practice in.  I could have at 8:00 pm but it's really hard for me to practice that late.  I must be getting old!  

Have I introduced Mirinda?  I think I have, but if not, this is my robot vacuum.  Carson named it. I called it Bob, but he insisted it was Mirinda.  She has saved me hours and hours of vacuuming time.  What took me so long to get one of these things?  I highly recommend one.  They are worth whatever they cost! 

dear tuesday, I got out and ran three miles.  This tapering is kind of nice! Then I came home and worked on Rachel's shower stuff. I baked the whole wheat bread and made Browned Butter Banana Bars.  

Then I put together the Emergency Preparedness washing machine.  It turned out fun.

 I finished the fairy tale story and the other games.  

Then I headed to Kaysville for the shower.  I was the first one there and so I had time to go chat with Sky.  He was downstairs skyping with Carson and Sarah!  My timing was perfect!  Carson showed me some things he made for me that he is going to mail to me.  He drew the whole family and stacked us like snowmen.  Too cute and he also got me a purple necklace.  Oooo... can't wait!  He was so cute and smiley.  At least until I had to say goodbye, then he got all sad and pouty.  I was flattered. Haha

The shower went well.  We had some good food.  Soup, my bread, cookies, desserts.  It was all yummy. I took some down to Sky.  Karen put me in charge of taking charge of it and so I got things rolling.  The games were fun.  Then Rachel opened her gifts.  She loved my washing machine. haha  She got some fun stuff including some unmentionables that made her blush.  It was funny.  Carolyn's sister and mom were so sweet and loved my bread.  

The cousins

The sisters and mom with the bride to be

I tried out Mickey's new pedal harp.  It has an amazing sound.  I would really love a pedal harp! They are renting it for $300 a month. Ouch!  That's not gonna be happening for me anytime soon!  It was fun.  Everyone was so sweet and kind.  I stayed and chatted with Sky for a bit after.  

dear wednesday,  I woke up and was not feeling well at all.  Dave gave me his cold and I felt so tired and wiped out and just yucky.  Great.  Just in time for the marathon! Sheesh!  I got up and practiced the harp. I needed more time but I was freezing and so I didn't want to get out of bed! Mr. Cat's 6th birthday is today!  I headed to my harp lesson.  It went well.  She took more time with me and that was great.  She said I did a great job and was very happy with how my technique is coming. 

I ran to some stores and in Costco I heard someone yell, "Jodi!"  It was Kev.  He came over and then called Tori and had her bring in the kids to see me.  I thought that was so sweet. They have thee cutest kids!  Isaac just beams when he smiles with his cute dimples and Zan is so sweet and loving.  I called Isaac "Newt"  as I always do and he just grinned.  He's almost 8!  Wow!  Then I headed to Glenna's to pick up some Laker glasses that she was going to DI.  I told her I would take them to Linda Love and they can pass them out or sell them at the reunion.  We had a long chat.  She has lost two of her boys.  Both suicide I believe.  She still really struggles with it.  Who wouldn't?  I feel so blessed.  I went to my parents house to visit them. I talked to my Dad for a while before my mom got home.  Then I stayed for quite a while after she arrived.  I love talking to them and I know I need to do it more often because they aren't always going to be around.  I am so grateful I still have both of them.  I hate seeing them age though.  They have aged very well however.  My mom is struggling a bit with remembering some things though.  Of course, so am I!  I went to Lee's Market and got Mr. Cat a candle and some canned food for his bday.  On my way home Katelyn called me and asked if I was home.  Apparently Bonzi got attacked by Chris' roommate's dog and is in bad shape.  I told her I would stop by. I had to run in Shopko to find a hat for Mr. Cat and I grabbed some treats for Bonzi.  I had to take pix of these hilarious masks!

I went over to see Bonzi and I wanted to cry. She was pretty bad.  I felt so sorry for her.  I stayed and talked to her and rubbed her head and gave her treats and just talked to her for a while.  Then Julie called and I talked to her while I was over there.  It was sad. I hope she will recover.  She has been through it.  First, losing her front leg when Kilo was killed and now this. They took the dog who attacked her to animal control.  So sad.

I came home and Dave left to go to his meetings.  I took Mr. Cat's photo and gave him his treats.  

 I can't believe we've had him for SIX YEARS!  Wow!  He is a good boy and I LUV him so much!

 It took a LOT to get just that ONE photo!  He is not a fan of hats!

He was so happy when I finally let him eat his party food!  

Dave called from the church and informed me he had signed up to clean the temple right after his meetings.  So, I was alone.  Bryce was in Idaho.  Well, just me and Mr. Cat that is.  I am glad that I enjoy alone time because he is gone a lot.

This whole Vegas shooting thing has really bothered me.  

dear thursday, I ran some errands then came home and packed and cleaned.  Dave didn't get home until 2 pm and so we got a late start leaving for St. George.  I was really excited to go on a road trip!  I was also excited to run this race.  Nervous, but excited. We made really good time and got there in under five hours.  When we arrived we went straight to the Singleton's condo.  It was about 8:30 p.m.  It was a nice place.  Their son's family hadn't arrived yet.  Dave and I headed to go get dinner and gas.  We went to Jimmy Johns.  Mmm.....  Love that place!   

When we got back we hung out and chatted.  They had Freddy with them and he was cracking me up.  Such a cutie.  We then hit the sack.  It felt so good! 

dear friday, we got up at 7:30 or so and did our shake out two miler around the condo.  It was a bit chilly.  I saw two bunnies!

Then we came back and Dave helped make breakfast while I showered and then we headed to the Expo.  St. George's expo is always one of my faves.  We got my bib and shirt and then I got some $1 old St. G shirts.  

We shopped with Robin and Grant for a bit and got our traditional photos.  

The photo guy wasn't in a great mood this year like usual and when Robin didn't like our first one, he let us do one more, but when I didn't like that one, he got upset with us and told us "just one".  He usually lets us take as many as we want until we get a good one, but not this year.  Oh well.  I am not a fan of this one due to obvious reasons.  I prefer to not have my tonsils show in my pix.  

I got some cute necklaces for my running friends for Christmas and I got some metal engravings to put on my medals for the last two years when I BQ'd.  

I love all these signs.  The Mortuary ones are out around town.

I won this cute cookie...

It was fun.  We then all went to Target and then to Home Goods. I love St. George's stores.  Then Dave and I went to the temple and did sealings.  We had to wait a while and Dave used the time to explore a bit in the waiting place.  I thought we did sealings when we were there on our honeymoon but he said we had never been there.  It was pretty cool.  It's so old and you can feel the history of it.  

We then met Grant and Robin for our carb load dinner at The Pizza Factory.  Good food!  I'm glad Italian food is loaded with carbs because it's my favorite.

I made Dave go to SWIG'S so I could get a cookie for after the race tomorrow!  We then headed back to the condo.  Robin and I headed to Walmart to grab some sweat pants to chuck because it's going to be a bit chilly.  I also grabbed some Tylenol Sinus because the cold I have been trying to fight off decided to appear with a vengeance today. Not good.  Great timing.  But what can you do? My nose was running like crazy and I was congested and had a headache and just felt so dang tired.  I hope the drugs work!  hah  For someone that never takes anything, I am going to be loaded tomorrow!  Advil, Tylenol, Imodium.  Dave and I figured out my splits by combining the past two years and averaging them.  I hand wrote them on a pace band.  

I laid out all my stuff and tried to feel like I was ready to roll in the morning.  

I felt pretty calm mainly because it's going to be cooler this year.  Yay!  I have stressed about that for so long!  The heat was horrible last year.  Dave then gave me a blessing and it was very calming to me and brought me a lot of peace.  Part of the blessing was that I would be calm and feel peace.  I was also blessed that I would be pleased with my race and that I would have help beyond my own.  That made me very happy!  We got to bed around 10:30 or so.  My alarm was set for 3:30 a.m.  I didn't sleep that great, but that is normal for the night before. 

dear saturday, I got up at 3:30 a.m. and got ready to roll!  Getting ready for a full marathon takes a lot of time because there is so much to do and think about.  You can read more about that on my marathon post HERE.   Dave wished us good luck as we headed off to catch the bus. I hope he went back to bed!  It was much cooler this year than last.  So happy about that. I think it was 39° at the start!  We met up with some locals (the Law's, Blair, Sherrie, etc) and got on the bus for the long ride up.  I sat by Sherrie.  It was very windy when we got off the bus and very cold!  We grabbed some space blankets as fast as we could. I was shivering.  

We ran and got in the porta potty line. We saw Clark and Sam and Caitlyn and got some photos.  Clark was going to stay with his dil.  Which is good since he still has a broken neck!  He is a good guy.  I was a bundle of nerves.

I took my drop bag to the van and in the meantime stopped at a table to try and get all my stuff organized.  They were putting little sticker tattoos on people and so I got one on my leg that said Running to Boston!  Perfect!  

***The rest of the story below is from part of my Marathon Post found HERE that I am going to copy and paste.  So if you read that, you can skip the rest of this!  I'm adding it here again for convenience for myself.

I got lined up between the 3:45 and 4:00 pacers. My goal was a Sub 4 but I'd be happy with a 4:05. Ultimately I wanted anything under 4:10 but I really wanted a 4:05... but less would be nice.  They played the Star Spangled Banner (so cool!) and then we were told they had to wait for one more bus.  We stood there all a bundle of nerves waiting for the gun.  It seemed forever and I never did hear the gun, but the pack started to move and so I fell in line.  There is definitely an excitement and energy at the start of a marathon that is hard to explain.  Especially one in the dark.  It's a neat feeling.  

We were off!  

I had no idea where my pals were.  I never saw any of them on the course.  I did see the Law brothers and Bishop Tucker.  The Laws told me they were going to have me pace them. That made me a bit nervous because I hate to have that kind of pressure in a full marathon.  I think they were half joking.  But, we stayed together up until about mile 18.  At least I could see them ahead of me until then. One finished ahead of me and two after.  The race was great as far as temperature. I was actually chilly until mile 3 or so. I kept my gloves on until about mile 11.  I was on pace to finish with a 3:57!   I was feeling great.  No injury pain.  But I did feel my hams right from the get go. They were tight.  But okay.  Veyo went okay.  I didn't feel as strong this year as the past two, but I didn't walk at all through all four (or is it five?) of those non stop hills! I was so happy to see some downhill after those!  It took a lot of my energy! I took a pretzel from a spectator table and that was a mistake.  For some reason it didn't settle well and I started to feel nauseated from that point on.  Dang!  I looked for Dave's Uncle Bob at Diamond Valley at mile 14 but he wasn't there. I was a little disappointed. I looked for Dave at all the spectator spots because he said he was going to be at one.  

I need to just stick with a thumbs up or nothing. Oh my....

Some races I want to chat and be with someone.  Not this one.  I wasn't feeling well and I didn't have the energy to talk or use it for anything else. I did high five the kid spectators and hit their posters that always say "Touch for Power!" but even that took more than I had after awhile.  I loved mile 15-16 because it is a steep downhill! You just fly through it.  But my stomach was not doing too great and I had a hard time even pushing that.  My pace was still good, but by mile 17 I was not feeling well at all. My hamstrings were severely cramping. My legs felt like anchors. Each step was becoming more difficult.  I really felt helpless because I didn't know how to fix the problem.  Just keep running was my only option.  So I did.  I got an Icy Hot rub down at the next few aid stations.  I was having a hard time drinking my fluid which was my sole fuel and that concerned me.  It was just not going down and it made me sick every time I took a sip.  I decided to drink some water at the aid stations but that was minimal.  By mile 18 I had only drank two of my five fuel packs.  Not good.  I mixed the third packet with about half the water as the other two so I could just get it down faster.  I still had some of that left when I crossed the finish line and two full unmixed packets.   I kept looking for Dave but didn't see him. Things kind of fell apart after mile 18-19.  Everything kept going south. My hams started to cramp worse.  My nausea started to get worse.  I kept telling myself I am crazy and I am never doing this again!  And I asked myself why would anyone torture themselves like this?  Mentally, I was feeling defeated because I knew physically I was shot.  I started to pray.  Hard. About that point in every marathon, I do that. You get to a point where you know you have run all the physical strength out of you and it comes down to mental toughness from there on out.  I was asking help from my angels and pleading with them to help get me through. At that point, I had no idea how I was ever going to go nine more miles feeling like that unless I received a miracle and fast.  

This quote came to mind:
"The marathon’s about being in contention over the last 10K. That’s when it’s about what you have in your core. You have run all the strength, all the superficial fitness out of yourself, and it really comes down to what’s left inside you. To be able to draw deep and pull something out of yourself is one of the most tremendous things about the marathon." ~ Rob de Castell

I was thinking a marathon is anything but tremendous at that point. As I came up the hill on mile 21.5, I saw Dave.  I was so relieved to see him. 

He ran towards me and started to run with me.  He told me over and over, "You're doing great! You're on pace for a BQ!  You can do it! You're doing great!"  I told him I wasn't feeling well and wasn't sure I could do it. I told him this was the worse I've ever been.  Whether that's true or not, I'm not really sure.  It was as bad as it's been, I know that.  You tend to forget these things. Kind of like childbirth.  I did tell him that this was the last marathon I was ever doing and that I'm done with this torture.  He was only positive and told me I could do it and that I was strong and keeping my pace. Honestly, I have NO idea how I was keeping my pace with how I was feeling, but I had been keeping up until about then. I even had a negative split at that point.  But it was getting harder and harder to even move let alone run.  There was an aid station right after I saw Dave and I got my third (or fourth- can't remember) Icy Hot rub down at mile 22. My friend Mel ran past and yelled, "Hi Jodi!"  I was so excited to see her and hoped I could catch up to her after the rub down on my hams. Her smile gave me a boost of energy.  We had a great downhill right there and I started to sail down it and was feeling a bit better. My hams weren't cramping as bad.  It was the miracle I had been praying for.  The nausea never left and I couldn't fuel like I needed to but I was able to keep running.  

Then as we got into town, the hams were cramping again.  I was hurting.  I wasn't sure how I was going to get there.  I had to walk. Then I'd run.  Then I'd walk again.  I am sure I had a look of pain on my face and so I forced myself to smile.  I know that if you smile even though you don't feel like it, it tricks your subconscious into thinking you are happy and helps you to feel less pain.  It took a lot of energy to do that and so it didn't last long.  I kept looking at my watch and told myself I had to push myself and dig deeper than ever if I wanted Boston.  By the last two miles, I quit looking at my watch because I knew I couldn't push it any harder than I already was and I didn't want to be discouraged.  I was very surprised how fast mile 22 flew by, but mile 23, 24, and 25 lasted forever.  FOREVER!  I saw my dear friend Michele at mile 25 and she cheered me on like no other.  That helped me so much!  But I couldn't even respond to her other than a slight wave.  I had NO energy to even smile at her. It took everything I had to lift my legs each step. I was just holding on by sheer grit at that point. That last mile went on and on and on.  It felt like it was longer than the first 25!  Finally, I turned the corner where they pass out the wet towels and I knew we were close!  Then I turned the final corner and saw the finish line. I was very disappointed because it was SO far away.  SO SO SO far!  In reality it was only about 200 yards but it seemed like it was as far away as the moon and I would never make it.  I wanted to sprint, but I honestly could not give any more.  The crowds were cheering and that helped a lot but I just could not push it like I usually can.  I saw the clock and it read 4:09.  I remember thinking I have to come in under 4:10 and so I was very determined  to beat the clock which helped me to dig even deeper and run harder.  I heard Grant cheer for me and then I saw Dave and I kept pushing and pushing and finally I reached the promised land!  Hallelujah!  It always amazes me when you think you have nothing left to give...there is always more there if you dig deep enough.  I did beat  the clock.  And thankfully that clock wasn't my real time, but the starting gun time. I was actually three minutes faster than it.  Whew!   

That is the clock time not my net time.  Which means I started over two minutes after the gun went off.

I DID IT!  AND....with a BQ!!!  I qualified for Boston 2019! I finished with a 4:07 straight up! (straight up meaning 4:07 and zero seconds, but it could also mean standing straight up....ya know, without the need for a gurney!) 

Speaking of a gurney... this ↑ one was tempting!  Dave thought he was so funny to take this at the exact time it was going by me.  Such a comedian.  Hmm......

I was so relieved to be done!  Even though I was thrilled I got a BQ, I knew that my 3 minute buffer probably isn't going to be a good enough to get in!  This year you needed a 3:23 or faster and so with a 3:00, I doubt I will get in. That made me feel sad, but at least I BQ'd!  And I made it!  I was very dizzy and not walking super well, but much better than last year and I knew I would be okay.  I couldn't do a jump like the first year I ran it, but I didn't need to be in the med tent like I did last year either.   

I'm never standing too strong after I finish.  But I am trying!  This was taken right after I crossed and got my medal so I was still a bit of a dizzy blond.

 I talked to Dave and then I went in the runner's corral and got some food and pictures. I was still feeling nauseous so I grabbed some chips and chocolate milk and some fruit. I got some bread, but threw it away because it didn't settle at all.  I ran into Mel and we got a photo. She is my sweet friend who ran Boston the year of the bombings.  I just love her. 

I talked to several people and then went out and found Dave.  He forgot my shirt to exchange and so he headed back to the car to get it and I went and watched runners come in.  There is nothing like watching a marathon finish line to really inspire you. I've never seen one (or ran one for that matter) that I don't want to just cry.  haha  

When he got back, Robin had finished and so I went back in the corral and we got some photos.  She did great. She PR'd by 17 minutes!  I was so proud of her. I know she can get that BQ if she keeps trying and doesn't give up.  She needs to take another 11 minutes off. Grant also BQ'd with a 3:19 buffer.  

I probably should have got a massage but didn't want to wait in the long line and I wasn't feeling too sore at that point. My feet were killing me and my second toe was in a lot of pain, but my legs felt pretty good.  I did get several Charley horses in my arches and then a killer one in my calf.  What?!!  I have never felt one like that. Dave tried to rub it out but that brought tears to my eyes!  On a scale of 1-10 it was a 2000! ☺ Sheesh!  But, oh man, I was soooo happy I wasn't feeling like I did last year at the end!  

This guy also deserves a medal!  He truly helped get me to that finish line! He's my #1 athletic supporter!  hehe

On our way out, we tried to stop at a spot where I saw a penny about mile 25 but I couldn't stop to get it while I was running or I would have never got back up.  Unfortunately, we couldn't get inside the spot due to the road blocks.  Oh well, just seeing it helped me to know that Tyson was watching over me and was with me those last miles.  There is no other way I would've got there without some heavenly help. That I know! 

My Garmin said I ran longer and faster than their stats.  I'm fear I'm gonna wish I could go by that instead of the official time when the cutoff for Boston comes out!

Yes, I am disappointed that I was on pace for a PR of a 3:56 - 3:57 but just couldn't pull it off.  But, I am also extremely grateful I finished under 4:10 and got a BQ!   I also know I left it all on the course. I didn't have anything left to give.  I gave it my all and even though I am sure if I don't get in Boston 2019 it will only be by a minute or even just seconds and I will beat myself up for stopping too long at an aid station or for getting those Icy Hot rub downs or for walking those few steps, because if I hadn't done those things, then I would have finished a minute or more sooner.  BUT...I did my very best and I gave it all I had and left it all on the course and if that wasn't good enough, then it wasn't good enough. I will have to do better next time.  It is what it is and I can't change it.  I am so blessed I have already ran Boston and I get to again this spring.  I am going to focus ONLY on those blessings and be grateful for that!  What a great gift!  

This is the only marathon I've run that gives you these cool stats ↑

 Some of my other stats:
 Time: 4:07:00
Pace: 9:25
17th out of 111 in Age Division
831 out of 2216 Females
2108 out of 4720 Overall

Sorry about the picture overload.  I'm adding the "official" ones here to save because they take them off the website and I'm not going to pay $25 a picture to have the watermarks taken off.

FACEBOOK POST: (This is the 5K post)
Marathon #9 in the books! Third time running St. George which is my favorite marathon of all. Running a marathon is like a box of chocolates....you never know what you're going to get. ;) 26.2 miles is a distance that must be respected. You train hard for over four months and it all comes down to four + hours. I was feeling great and on pace for a Sub 4 time until mile 19 and then things kind of fell apart. My hamstrings were severely cramping (I'm sure it was dehydration because I wasn't drinking enough due to nausea) and I had to push harder and dig deeper than ever to get to that finish line. I was pretty much ready to quit until I saw Dave at mile 22 cheering and encouraging me on. I think he is the main reason I got to that finish line yesterday. He kept telling me I was doing great and that I was on pace to BQ again. I kept telling him that I was not doing great and wasn't sure I could make it with how I was feeling. I was only half kidding. Even though you question your sanity about mile 18 and always tell yourself you will never do this again, there is something inside a marathoner that makes it really hard to quit a race that you have already invested four months in and fought through many tough miles so when you get close enough to that finish line you somehow find something inside you that you didn't know was there and it pushes you to get there even though you have no idea how you do sometimes. I am certain I also had help from the other side. I am happy to say I reached my goal and qualified for Boston 2019 with a 4:07 finish time. I am also so happy for and very proud of my running buddy Robin Peterson Singleton who got a new PR by 17 minutes yesterday! Overall, it was a great race other than side effects of having to walk down the stairs backwards! ;) Bring on the winter training for Boston 2018! #stgeorgemarathon2017 #sheergrit #heavenlyhelphelps #tyson #BQ#Bostonmarathon2019
*If you survived this marathon post...you deserve a medal! But like always here's the POINT TWO (one of my favorite running quotes):
"The marathon’s about being in contention over the last 10K. That’s when it’s about what you have in your core. You have run all the strength, all the superficial fitness out of yourself, and it really comes down to what’s left inside you. To be able to draw deep and pull something out of yourself is one of the most tremendous things about the marathon." ~ Rob de Castell

dear saturday, it was so nice after the race to have a place to shower without being rushed!  That shower felt so good other than I ended up with a cold shower because the hot water was gone.  We all talked about the race and Robin was still feeling great.  I, on the other hand, was not feeling too well.  I tend to always get sick after running a full. I think it is from the dehydration because I mostly feel nauseated.  We left around 3:30.  We stopped to eat at a Subway in Fillmore or somewhere.  I still wasn't feeling too great.  We made pretty good time.  When we got home Sky was here.  It was nice to see him.  I didn't feel like doing much and so I put on my PJ's and just kind of chilled. I am so glad I don't have to teach tomorrow!

dear sunday, I was still not feeling too great in the morning. I went to sacrament and it was about all I could do to sit there.  I came home after and went to bed and rested.  McKay and Taylor were here when I got up.  We had a good dinner and then Carson wanted to Skype.  He wanted to play Hide and Skype.  That is where he hides things behind his back and I have to guess what it is and which hand it's in.  He was a hoot and then suddenly he left and we waited and he never came back. Funniest thing ever. Sky said sometimes he gets busy playing and forgets!  haha  McKay and Taylor had a juggling contest.  They are both really good.  It's so fun to have them all around.  I love watching them interact.  They all get along so well.