The Great Rat Hunt.

Last summer we started to notice some nibbles out of our vegetables. That is when we discovered Rats coming over from the nearby stream and partaking of our harvest. So with the help of my brother Spencer, we decided to take matters into our own hands. Watch the clip below to see how it all played out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvKFQzlaOIA

Marathon Play by Play (with pics)

Ouch! That is all I have to say! I finished hours ago and I am perfectly content sitting on my couch and not moving for the next 3 days. But you know what? Inside, I feel pretty good. As crazy as it sounds, there is something rewarding about pushing yourself to absolute exhaustion. It is rare in life that you have the 'opportunity' to push yourself to your absolute breaking point.
So here is the play by play...
3:50 a.m. I'm up and nervously getting ready. Awesome Mitchell gets up with me and fixes me a killer PB&J and oatmeal for breakfast
4:20 a.m: I leave and pick up Tyler (my brother in law)
5:00 am: get on the bus in Ogden
6:00 am: I begin to pin on my racing number only to realize that my tank top is inside out with the 'built in bra' on the outside. What a nerd! I'm just glad I caught it early! :)
7:00 am: The race begins!
7:30 am: We pull into a comfortable 8 minute/mile pace. I feel pretty good.
7:30-9:45 am: We kept an even 8 minute/mile pace. My legs begin feeling banged up at about mile 18. It's an awful feeling that I have never felt before. It's as if they are completely flexed, but your not flexing.
(sorry, I'm going to switch to mile markers now).
Mile 19- I go to take a drink of gatorade (while running) and end up tossing it over my shoulder. I start to realize I'm losing it.
Mile 20- It's a mental game now, Tyler informs me that I'm going to beat my brother Spencer's P.R. if I can hold the pace (His was 3:39). I have a new goal.
Mile 21- I imagine myself crossing the line and start forcing myself to hold back tears. I knew it would throw off my breathing if I let it out, I choked up 3 or 4 times. Tyler is awesome as ever, encouraging me every five minutes or so.
Mile 22- I think "I can run 4 miles, that's a short run on any other day"
Mile 23- I start thinking "Good crap, 3 miles is so long"
Mile 24- I completely hit the wall. I'm pretty sure it's made out of brick. I basically stopped in my tracks. I lose my ability to think positively (WITH 2 MILES LEFT!) For the first time in the race I have to walk. I told myself "you have 20 steps, then you have to get back on this". Tyler stopped with me which was good because I was not walking straight. :) I would say delirium was starting to set in.
Mile 24 (and 20 walking steps)-I start back to running. I'm in survival shuffle mode. My pace drops off to about 9-9:30 pace. I'm honestly in complete survival mode and my legs were screaming!
Mile 25- Last one! I begin talking to myself..."you got this...you got this..." Having a baby is way easier then a marathon(for me at least). I could have used an epidural at this point.
Mile 25 1/2- I see the finish line. Tyler say's "only 5 more blocks! I told him that was not encouraging (at least I tried to, it came out, "noot (breath) encour (breath) age (breath) ing)". I find the middle line on the road and tell myself to stay on it.
Mile 26-People are on both sides cheering, I see Trish and Mom crying and Mitchell cheering. I barely turn my head to look at them (too much energy at that point :) (Matt, Keira, and Amy were there too, I couldn't see them (things were getting blurry.) :)
Mile 26.2- I cross the line and just about tip over. I DID IT! MY FIRST MARATHON! OUCH! I ran a 3:35.4 and qualified for the BOSTON Marathon! YAHOO!

After the race: Some medical staff take me to a tent. Check my H.R. which had dropped a bit too low (which accounts for the lack of coherence). Thank goodness for them! I'm pretty sure I ate everything they had.

20 min later- I see Mitch for the first time and totally break down sobbing. (I started crying just typing about that moment)

1 hour later- I'm sitting on the grass, can't walk, still wearing the medal
2 hours later- I'm sitting in the car, never wanting to move, still wearing the medal
3 hours later- I'm sitting on my front lawn next to the car, still not moving, still wearing the medal
4 hours later- I'm sitting on the couch, still not moving, yes, with my medal. In fact I might just wear it to church!
etc. etc. etc. ...Still not walking.

I'm not to the point of saying "I want to do another one," but I will say it is an accomplishment that feels pretty dang good to have under my belt. It really is amazing what the human body can do. Thanks for all the prayers and support!

By the way, Ellies shirt says, "My mom is faster than your dad" :)

Marathon Time! 5 days and counting!

When I was 8 months pregnant I gained a deceiving fear of never being skinny again so I did what any 'out of their mind' pregnant woman would do, signed up for a marathon! It was not long before I found myself saying, what was I thinking?!
So about a month and a half after Ellie was born I strapped on my NIKES and hit the pavement only to find that things had been 'shifted' a bit. My muscles in my legs were nearly gone, my stomach had an extra pooch (we're still working on that), and my 'bosoms' had blossomed! It only took me one run to learn that you must 'express' yourself before running (is that not the funniest word you have ever heard! Who made that up!?).
However, in March, life became a bit overwhelming and I decided that this might not be the best time of life to train for a marathon. So I sold it. Well at least I thought it was sold. Feeling relief by not having 26.2 miles looming over me I stopped worrying about training and simply enjoyed my time just being a Mommy. But three weeks ago I learned that the marathon committee would not transfer the name and that the marathon was still mine.
Now, 75 bucks is a lot to go to waste even if I am not in the shape I would like to be in, so naturally I have to run it! I decided that the only way I could do it was if I had an awesome pair of running shoes. Thanks to Mitchell, I spent MORE money and got me some sweet Asics and again I've been hitting the pavement. For some reason a new pair of shoes always gets me back in the mood. and naturally, I will need a sweet marathon outfit because after all it is still my first, and although I may look like death physically and least I will have good style:). Don't worry i'll post pics.
So Five days and counting, here I go, wish me luck! My goal is under 4:15 you all can hold me to it! gulp!