Serendipity

It’s a fabulous word. It sounds like it’s dancing. When it happens, “a fortuitous happenstance” or “pleasant surprise” such as it is, we often find ourselves questioning the happenstance. This past Sunday February 9, I was questioning a lot of things. As my two über fit sisters lined up beside me to run the 16th annual Palm Springs 1/2 marathon I first questioned my sanity, then my attire. I followed the questions up with a liberal dose of self doubt and the infamous “will I make it to the next porta potty” question. Then the countdown began, and we were off. I run with music and as I wished my sister luck and set my nike run app to 1/2 marathon shuffle a big smile spread across my face. I had to holler at my sister Rachel to have a listen to the fortuitous happenstance. Serendipity!
The song playing was a song I had put on my iTunes for my mom last year when she was bedridden with cancer. She would sing it all the time when offered a cup of tea. My siblings all listened to it with her, sang it with her, whistled it with her and all know it well. My brother-in-law used it as the background music for the pictorial of her life that was played at her funeral. It certainly isn’t a song you would find on a playlist of “songs to run to”, or ” great playlists for marathons”, but at that moment I couldn’t have asked for a better motivator. I went on to run the entire half, side by side with my sister Rachel. We watched our sister Hilary kick some serious butt with a solid 5th place finish in her age category and cheered her on at the out and back portion of the run. I enjoyed everything about the run; the weather, the flat course that meandered through beautiful neighbourhoods, the incredible volunteers, the support of my sister Rachel as we crossed the finish line together, and celebrating my sister Hilary’s performance. The big take away for me, medal around my neck aside, was the reminder that my mom is always with me and all of her family; in spirit, in our hearts and even in song.

The long run..

I have to admit that my running has taken the back burner to the demands of a new job and the juggling of a "flex" schedule.  My long run was the first victim of the increased demands on my schedule, and I have not been able to reclaim that precious commodity of time set aside for running from home.  You see, as the name of the blog suggests, I like to run - but I love to run from home.  I take off in the opposite direction of chores, children, clutter and chaos at least one day of the weekend for a minimum of an hour and a half, to rewind, regroup, refresh and run.  I have managed to maintain my morning week day short runs, but the long run has become  an anomaly.  I laid down my weight training as my schedule changed and now with the lost long runs the weight is starting to stick.  My winter wardrobe selection shrunk  as my waist increased in size.  This morning, when I got a glimpse of my belly in the bathroom mirror, I knew it was time to commit to be fit.  There is no better time to start than now and you will see I am tenacious when I make a commitment to something.  I'm off to the gym now but stay tuned.

Time to run

The title suggests I might have stopped running during my time away from blogger... actually the running continues, I just haven't taken the time to jot down my trials and tribulations. I missed sharing my journey as well as the feedback from other runners so I am back. Time to run my mouth I guess you could say.

I recently took part in a trail running clinic put on by North Shore Athletic that culminated in a 24km race called the Phantom Run. The clinic was fantastic and I discovered a love of and appreciation for the challenges of trail running. Race day, however, showed me no love or mercy for that matter, serving up a torrential downpour with a side of horrible run for me. Since that run I have stuck to smaller distances and safer less challenging terrain. .

While I tuned down my mileage, I amped up my expectations for this years running goals. I signed up for the Pacific Roadrunner's First Half Marathon in February (with high hopes for a better looking shirt this year), as well as the BMO Vancouver Marathon in May ( with additional hopes that this years shirt is just as nice as the one I covet from last year).

This will be my first kick at the Vancouver Marathon since 2000. When I ran it then I had yet to have confirmation that the "flu-like symptoms" I was experiencing were the result of not one but two little future athletes percolating down below..:). In other words I was pregnant with twins. It was a hard run five hour distance. I would not tip my hat at a marathon again until the Victoria marathon in 2008. So the idea of running Vancouver again excites me, especially with the beautiful new to me route, showcasing much of Vancouver's beauty.

Today was my first long run for a while and to make it easier I enjoyed the company of two of my sisters. Frances put the call out for a sister run from English Bay to Spanish Banks and back. Rachel and I both responded with a YES!. Could we have picked a better day? It was cold to the bone but breathtakingly beautiful with the blue sky and mountains forming a backdrop that made it hard to concentrate on footwork.

Settled in now at home after a nice soak in Epsom salts, a gorgeous meal that I thoroughly enjoyed preparing and eating (Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding with all the trimmings). Yes settled in after a long run with no aches and pains. I have a good feeling about the training that lies ahead and I'm excited for the year of running to come. Happy trails!

sticking to a plan

I have always been a planner,whether it is a three week holiday across states, a road trip to Disneyland or a day trip to the park I enjoy the preparation for the event just as much as the event itself. I have found with my running that I enjoy the planning too, although I seem to procrastinate in the choosing of minor details. Once I choose the main goals everything else seems to flow. I have chosen Victoria as
my goal marathon and with that October deadline ahead
 I can start hammering out the details. I like to look forward on my schedule and see
when the long runs will be coming in the summertime. I'm hoping to get
one long Oregon beach run in again this year if it works out.
I love the portability of my chosen sport. No added apparatus required. No special equipment needed. Every road is a treadmill with a view. This is one place
where I don't plan. I love the long run. I run for time and I run without a planned route. My feet take me where I need to go and for as long as I need to travel.....happy trails!

I spent some time debating which marathon I would tackle next.  In fact I spent so much time debating I stopped running long enough to put on a few extra pounds.I am back with a vengeance and having seen the garment that will be bestowed on all marathon finishers at the Royal Victoria Marathon this year I believe I will stick with my old friend Victoria and head over in October for my fourth marathon.

I started my actual marathon training this week and I am following the "Quest for Improvement" Marathon program on the marathon website.  I had success with this program in the past and last year I shaved 11 minutes off my personal best.  I have always been a slow and steady marathoner having a PR of 4:18.  I would love to break four hours but this year I am going to just see where my training takes me.  I plan on sticking to the program verbatim .  This means I will be hitting the track every Saturday to do that much loved speedwork.

A fun twist on speedwork is the new app for iphone "Zombie Run".  I have only used it for one run so far but it is quite hilarious as you basically are chased by zombies while running.  I am hearing impaired so had a hard time with the british accents narrating the story but it is a really neat idea to add some zing to your workouts.   I wonder what I looked like as I ran in and out of  people on sixth street, dodging every virtual zombie in my path.  Next time I will try it at Burnaby Lake where the shadows on the trails and the ripples in the lake will make my heart race just a little bit faster.

I have missed blogging so I am going to try to blog every Tuesday and see how that works for me.  I am juggling a few balls at the moment as I am volunteering, just signed up for a few online fitness courses and of course working and then there are those kids and their sports and my son is graduating this year, the garden is calling and I`m enjoying planting, and of course that work thing.....

Yesterday my sister texted me and asked me to come join her and her husband for a pint at the Dublin Castle...I was so tempted.   I had had a hectic but enjoyable day with the kids that included running around, getting out in the yard, housecleaning, visiting.  I was due for a 2 1/2 hour run if I was to keep to my Vancouver Marathon training schedule and it was a day that was made for runners.  Crisp and cool and breathtakingly beautiful.
So can you believe I texted my sister back and said I was going to opt for fitness.  As iphones have a tendency to do it autocorrected my misspelled fitness and replaced it with the word finesse.  I was opting for finesse. 
Now if we were to analyse this statement I really couldn't have said it any better.   I mean finesse is "to do something skillfully or slyly, especially something that requires delicacy".  Well!!!
Lol!  I have to say that running long requires a great deal of finesse. 
So yes Rachel I know you are proud of me when I say I opted for finesse.

I know

Seriously I know....I mean it has been a long while..I am just going to apologize and move on. Yesterday was the death anniversary of my brother Christopher. He would have been 55. He died when I was 8 years old. He was only 19 years young at the time. I can remember moments from the day he died as clear as crystal. I was in grade 2 and it was donut day at Our Lady of Mercy School. All the kids were just getting their donuts. I hadn't ordered mine for whatever reason, mom forgot, I forgot, no change that day for myself and my two other siblings still in grade school. Not sure why but there was a reason. I knew I hadn't ordered a donut so wasn't expecting one. As the donuts were being handed out, Mrs Thomas, the loveliest grade two teacher you could ever meet, called my name and said my Dad was here to see me. Once already that school year my dad had shown up on a hot lunch day with homemade hamburgers for my grade school siblings and I so I was excited by his appearance. What treat was he bringing today? I didn't run out of the classroom because I wasn't a rule breaker but I practically skipped to the door. I didn't notice that Mrs Thomas looked sad or that the principal was whispering to the Nuns in the hall. All I saw was my Daddy with his arms reaching out to me. I noticed my sister and my brother almost simultaneously coming out of their classrooms down the hall. When I got to my Dad I noticed the tears on his face. I don't think I had ever seen him cry before. He looked shocked as he said your brother Chris died today... I can only remember feeling overwhelmed by the situation. I wanted to cry but couldn't. I didn't know how to act. I didn't know what to feel. I didn't understand what was going on. As the days went by and sorrow blanketed our house like a winter storm, the grief of my siblings and my parents overwhelmed me. I would walk into a room and they would be sobbing. I thought there was something really wrong with me because I couldn't cry. Hadn't I loved my brother too? It wasn't until his casket was brought to the house for the wake and the open casket sat  in the hall that I was finally able to cry. I think back now to the feelings of an 8 year old child trying to understand the death of her brother. Trying to understand that she would never get to see him do those amazing handstands that went on for a lifetime or until his face turned blue. One thing I was truly reminded of yesterday is the importance of keeping my brothers memory alive. I told a few stories to my children yesterday about their uncle and we visited his grave site. We are all thinking of you Chris and what a wonderful gentleman you were and wishing we had had more time with you.  - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fun Hill

Just coming off my first full week of work after vacation and it feels like forever ago already.  But I haven't taken a vacation from my running and since I have been back I have diligently returned to the gym.  I have had a few epic runs (one which included a run over Pattulo Bridge) and this weekends training run route is still up in the air but I definitely plan to challenge myself.
Speaking of challenges I went for a run last night and headed down towards the Quay forgetting that my training run was supposed to be "rolling hills".  Now anyone who knows their way around New Westminster knows that once you head down to the river the only "rolling hills" you will find are those of the large roll size and probably not what my training plan had in mind. 

When we were little kids we would beg our Dad to take us down "fun hill", a gut dropper of a hill at the end of Queens Avenue in New Westminster that goes down really steep and then (God bless those road engineers - but what were they thinking?) has a colossul dip that then continues in a steep descent.  I can remember being in the blue Valiant when it actually "caught air" before we rocketed back to the ground.  Serious gut dropping fun better than any roller coaster or Zipper ride that Playland has to offer.  My little ladies now scream for the "fun hill" experience and my little Mazda likes the thrill too, although my shocks..not so much.

But screaming was exactly what my calves and quads and glutes were doing as I did a reverse up fun hill last night and declare it to be not so fun hill when you aren't in a vehicle.  In fact I would even go so far as to say tortourous, especially as I had already ran about 8km and my legs just weren't in the mood for a hill.

Lucky for me the best song to run hills to came on, Seven Nation Army by White Stripes and I was able to dig really deep and charge up the hill and home.

Road-tripping

The last day of our road-trip ended with a little stress as I struggled to find a hotel late in the night. Not quite finished our shopping and wanting to take advantage of the duty free limits we were one more night on the road. Driving with the camper, I am never tempted to speed the way I do in my little Mazda zoom zoom zoom car, but when the cop with lights flashing came up in my rearview mirror,  I instinctively checked my speedometer and started to pull over. He flew by. I wasn't his prey. Something far ahead had sent him gunning. As I watched him drive away I was awarded a memory from a road-trip long ago. I'm pretty sure it was the Summer of 1979. I was the same age as the ladies are now, just going into Grade 6. Mom, Dad, my brother Miles and my sister Hilary, all heading across Canada to soak up the sites. And we did. There wasn't a museum, parliament building or Catholic Church that we didn't tour, visit or photograph. Province to province across the TransCanada Highway, experiencing what my father felt every Canadian child should - our land from sea to shining sea.
When we hit Port Elgin, New Brunswick we were starting to feel the stress of the cramped van and the long days of driving. My father did all the driving and it must have been exhausting to not get a break. My mother had just as hard a time as passenger. The stress of navigating your way across Canada weighs pretty heavy.
It was late in the night on that stretch of the highway when the RCMP officer pulled as over. I can remember Mom giving Dad heck for speeding and my dad saying he wasn't. The police officer came to the side of the car and asked my father if he knew why he was being pulled over. My father, always the gentleman, said, " I don't believe I was speeding sir." And the officer said, " I see you are from out of town. What brings you all this way? Do you have friends in town?"  Dad replied, "No we were just passing through, enjoying the sites along the way."   The officer informed Dad that the annual parade was the following day and as was the history of the parade, an out of town guest was appointed Grand Marshal and given the key to the City. We were to be the Grand Marshal Family. For my father who spent his life trying to give us moments, this must have felt like quite a coup. The ultimate Canadiana experience. It didn't get much better than this. We obviously accepted and were given a police escort into town where we were treated to a lobster dinner maritime style. The next day it was all business as we had to judge the parade after riding front and center on the Grand Marshal float ( which I believe was horse and cart?). We totally flubbed it up and ended up picking people who had never won before. I am sure the town still talks about the year those coast folk came and sent everything topsy turvy. But what a memory. As was the way of my Dad, he got to know the locals, and even had the local realtor showing him houses and had us dreaming of the maritime life.
 When we got home there was mail from Port Elgin, New Brunswick ,
A Certificate making us honorary citizens of the town and a copy of the local paper with a write up on the parade. I'm not sure what happened to that paperwork but I'm making a note to send an email off and find out if I can get a copy of that newspaper article. Canadiana.

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Winding Down

My five mile run this morning ended on a sandy beach, roar of the ocean in my ears and sand between my toes. I couldn't wait to wake the ladies for a bit of beachcombing. I could only get Gracie up but she was a willing assistant. We found some lovely agates (she says) that she has promised to polish and transform into some type of wearable art. Rachel soon straggled down to the beach and the three of us frolicked for a bit before heading up to camp.

Not only did my early morning exercise afford me one more opportunity to fill my lungs with fresh sea air it also allowed me to splurge on the calories at breakfast. We stopped in at the Newport Cafe this morning and while Dad enjoyed a seafood scramble that was loaded with crab and scallops and shrimp, I indulged in eggs and grilled calamari. I checked first just to be sure it was calamari done the right way (one big slab of calamari, like a piece of fish) and of course it was. Very yummy!
The girls gobbled up all their French toast and we were off. Turns out that Astoria sounds a lot like Albany to members of our party who have full use of their ears ;), so we are headed back to the I5 and to Albany, Oregon to meet up with John and Vicki before shopping and stopping in Portland. Then homeward.


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Tonight we are at Sun and Sand RV Park outside of Lincoln City Oregon on the Pacific Coast Highway. It is a jewel of a place with campsites right on the sand, killer sunsets and outlet shopping just down the road. Yes you can only hold off for so long. It is Oregon right? So no tax and great deals make for fun shopping excursions.
As soon as we got to our campsite we took the camper off and I headed into town with the ladies to shop and shop and shop.
We went to the Tangers Outlet in Lincoln City and got some pretty good bargains. I am still hoping to hit Nordstrom Rack before we head home but as far as the kids are concerned I did pretty good today.
After a quick stop for a few groceries we headed back to the campsite. The girls took their Dad down to the beach while I BBQ'd some chicken and tried a new prawn recipe. I got some chili olive oil in Lodi so I sprinkled a bit on the prawns with the usual lime zest and garlic then wrapped them in aluminum foil and stuck them on the que. Rachel came running up from the beach saying I had to come quick so I left the que for a bit and ran down just in time to catch the sun dropping out of the sky. I might have gone on and on about how stunning the Bryce Canyon. Sunset was but this Coast girl knows there is nothing more beautiful then the sun setting over the ocean! We got back to the campsite just in time for


me to pull the prawns off! They were delicious!

It is nice to be back on the coast! Grace said she felt less homesick today! I have to agree ! A bit more sea air and then time to head home.


Woke up early this am and just in from a gorgeous 5 miles into GlenEden State Park then around the Wyndham Resort. Beautiful morning. Now waking the ladies for some beach combing before heading up to Portland.- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Jump Off Joe Creek

Although I do love to plan, part of a vacation and especially a road-trip is best left to chance. You stumble upon great little campsites with incredibly friendly people sometimes when you arrive in the middle of the night road weary and looking for a place to settle in. Jump off Joe Creek Campground Oregon for example. Would you ever actually make this a destination? How would you ever know about a place like this? The for sale sign hangs at the end of the long road and you know they have seen better times. Yet they have planted the annuals in the window boxes, the welcoming lights are on, and the owner eagerly comes down the path to meet you when you arrive.
We left early this morning and the owner waved as we headed out. Friendly as all get out. :)
Then again today hunger struck so we asked the trusty GPS to find us a good breakfast and there it was, Steve's Breakfast & More in Springfield, Oregon. I mean the name alone should bring you in. Although Steve wasn't slinging breakfast or busting his hump like our waitress who was the only one serving in the hopping joint. What a great breakfast though. Huge blueberry pancakes, incredibly delicious sausage and perfectly cooked eggs. Hidden gems that the locals all enjoy and travelers rarely get a crack at are now a little easier to find with gps and apps like flavourtown USA etc.

As our road-trip winds down, over 5,000 more kilometers on the odometer than when we started our adventure, I am thankful that we were able to make it happen for our ladies. I am also thankful for the memories that flooded back to me over the trip. Many road-trips taken, many memories of family and many hidden gems unearthed from my memory.
Watching that waitress today in that diner reminded me of a road-trip with my mom and dad and my
Mom's family. We travelled to Oak Lake, Manitoba for their centennial. We stayed at a bed and breakfast there and the owner of the bed and breakfast also owned the towns restaurant. You can imagine that a celebration of this magnitude in a small prairie town would bring in a lot of extra income for the small businesses. The owner of the bed and breakfast and the restaurant had had a kitchen accident the week before and had been badly burnt. So my wonderful generous father offered to help out and suggested that I help out as a waitress. I was 14 years old and though I had been working at a wedding catering company since I was 12 working in a busy diner was a whole new ballgame. It was HARD work and hot and greasy and so not the way I had imagined spending my summer.
I think I only worked there a few days but at the time it felt like forever. It wasn't all bad as I got a few good tips and made some extra pocket money.
Road-trips....

Sacramento

A busy day of touring yesterday that the girls and I capped off with a late night run/rollerblade around the resort followed by an even later night swim before tucking in for the night. It was a really nice quiet spot and we enjoyed our stay in Lodi. Didn't feel stuck at all.
Today we headed to Sacramento and tried out another DDD, Dad's Kitchen. This one was more my style with lighter fare. It had a gorgeous seating area out back that reminded me a bit of Crave on Main St. I had a really good vegetarian breakfast sandwich and their homemade sourdough was awesome. Dad enjoyed his platter of eggs with chili. The girls shared French toast and thankfully couldn't finish it so I got the honors. Topped with sliced bananas the syrup was an orange zest that with the cinnamon added just enough oomph to send it over the top.





Cream for your coffee -in a baby bottle -cute?.





There was a cute little shop next door with everything half off and a strapless dress in the window that had my name on it.
Of course it was the last one and the sales clerk made a big deal about it being no problem to get it off the mannequin so I could try in on. I should have known it would end up being too tight in the chest so I left the store empty handed and the store was left with a naked mannequin with pasties in the window. My ladies thought it was hilarious...me not so much!



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Posted By Kathryn to irun from home at 8/14/2011 09:13:00 PM

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Stuck in Lodi?

We made it to Lodi,California last night and I would argue with CCR that is not such a bad place to be stuck. We are at Flag Rv Resort and last night enjoyed a pool swim after a long hot days drive. We watched the sunset from the pool and although it was not the same as Bryce Canyon,the colours were spectacular and it was a nice welcome to the California Delta. There are many wineries in the area, pistachio and almond groves, corn fields and fruit trees.
I found out that the Lodi Running club meets at 6:30 am on Saturdays for their weekly run and I sooo wanted to join them...but with the camper on, me the only one wanting to go, and 7 miles between me and the meeting spot...it just wasn't meant to be. Instead I woke and ran two loops of the 2.5 mile recreation area that surrounds the RV park. No long run today. We are planning to head to Lodi this afternoon so I was thinking of running back from there once i see what the road is like.
As I write this we are driving through the California Delta bound for Fairville which is home to the JellyBelly factory. Once my little candy loving detectives became aware of this we decided an extra night here would be fruitful (is that a play on words sort of). We all love jellybellys and apparently you can purchase seconds or should I say "belly flops" here which is definitely a bonus.
We just passed through a drawbridge which was a first for the girls. We are now driving past a large field of wind turbines, huge in stature, they look so sterile against this fertile land and the cows grazing under them look so out of place. Although on the opposite field the electrical lines that have traversed these fields for decades look even more obtrusive." Greener-pastures" is a phrase that comes to mind.

I was driving home..early Sunday morning through...

After what I can only call a stressful days drive we arrived in Bakersfield,California, the song Faraway Eyes playing in my head. We left Vegas with no destination forward. I had planned everything to this point but the road back had always been uncertain. And I'm not very good when there isn't a plan. I like a plan. I like to know where I am going and not just where I have been.
We stopped at a Denny's for breakfast in Primm Nevada home to Buffalo Bills Casino. Let's just say aghhhhhh and move on shall we.
From there we drove. And highway 15 is a truckers highway with a convoy all the way in the slow lane and every crazy California driver in the state in the fast lane. Not fun. Made driving in the rainstorm in Utah a day in the park.
With only a quick rest stop and driver change we made it to Bakersfield around dinner time. Now the stress of finding a good place to camp. There are no state or national parks on this route so we are camping at the rv sites. I have been using the rv park reviews website to find campgrounds but I hadn't researched this area.
I was thinking about when we were kids and went on roadtrips without the luxury of GPS or wifi. Right now we just plug in find a campground and then go by the name. Our first try here in Bakersfield was the Castle Rv park, and let's just say that we ended up in a rather shady part of town.
Second attempt brought us here to the Riverside Rv Park, full hook ups, green grass, beautiful clean facility with a pool, cardio room, laundry and wifi.


We are taking our time leaving


this morning but are heading for
Sacramento area today. Sun is shining. It was 38 at the peak yesterday. Hoping for a bit cooler today! Hope the sun is shining wherever you are!

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Fence sitting poolside

I'm sort of on the fence when it comes to Vegas. It is definitely a place to party and people are generally happy and there certainly is a lot to see and do....but...
Maybe it is because of the way we travelled in via car through pristine Utah then gorgeous Arizona then Nevada, where you notice the litter starting on the roadside, the air gets thicker and it just feels so different.
Maybe it is because we just spent days reveling in nature and soaking up all that pure air and pure living and now here we are in Sin city.
Don't get me wrong. I like it enough that I will come back sans 10 year olds. And I see what all the fuss is about. Who wouldn't?
I guess a little bit of me is still standing on the edge looking down into the canyon and taking in those big breaths of clean air.
Yesterday we did a bit more shopping and the heat was killer. So we all just hit the pool until it closed at 7 then dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. The ladies loved that!





I got up early this am and got my treadmill workout in. I woke the girls after and I am typing this poolside as they enjoy their last swim at Mandalay Bay.



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Kid in a Candy Store

My run this morning was completely different from
yesterday's except for the time of day. I woke early. Yes I know. My first time in Vegas and the morning after my arrival I am up before the dawn. Doesn't say much for my partying gene but we did have fun. We arrived at around 5 which was 6 to us as we had been on Utah time. Check in took awhile but our room was nice (on the 13 floor which Grace said was extremely lucky ;) ) with a pool view that made the kids go nuts over the wave pool. But alas this is Vegas, and the pool closes at 7. Seriously. 42 degrees out there and they shut her down at 7. They want your money at the tables and in the barstools.
So we decided that we would check out the strip and in the 42 heat it was hard to fully enjoy our first look at the glitz. Of course we did have two very excited 10 year olds who quickly spotted the large m&m's outside of m&m world.





Yes there really is a store entirely devoted to this delightful candy. Four floors of store. And we checked out every square-foot and the girls parted with their Benjamin that they had been saving for the excursion. But as grace said, as she hugged her newly acquired yellow peanut, this is my dream world. ;)





We toured alot of the hotels then headed back to Mandalay bay and on to the house of blues for a late dinner. After asking for a table switch we were front and center for the band and they played alot of great tunes that the girls enjoyed, sang along and even danced a bit.





Food was fine, drinks were good and the atmosphere was cool. So after that busy day (I didnt even tell u about the outlet shopping in st George Utah ) it was pretty good that I got up for my run and hit the cardio center this morning. After my run I went up to the room and woke the girls and they put on their suits and we were in the 8am lineup to the pool. We got nice loungers close to the pool and the girls and I swam for an hour and a half. Total blast! The pool is a wave pool and so fun with sandy beaches and a lazy river.











After our swim we got Dad up and went for breakfast and now to Shark reef and back to pool and m&m world to return the already broken bracelet.
Very different version of Vegas when you are with kids but I am loving watching my girls together without any entanglements. They are such good friends to each other and they really have a special bond. It is a wonderful thing!

Thanks Utah! And can I just say Wow!

This morning I woke before the sun and quietly slipped into my running gear and out the door. My iPod had died in the night so no pictures this time and I was without music which was odd for me. I wanted to run without music this morning anyway just in case I startled a rattlesnake coming out from a rock. I wanted to hear it's warning sign so I had my hearing aid in.
It's funny how cold it is in the morning. It is crisp and cold. Yet by 8 it will be 30.
There is an awesome bike path that goes all the way into the Red Canyon. I only ran a four mile this am so just to the top of the canyon and back. I was nervous to venture down on my own so I turned back at the two mile mark. The sun had been busy rising behind me and I was awarded a gorgeous run back making the big hill seem flat and the road easy. The air is thin here and a four mile felt like a ten on my body. Everything felt heavy as I heated up with the asphalt.
I'm so glad I got that run in though as we pack up today and head to Nevada. Although I didn't have the camera I will always have a picture in my mind of one of the most gorgeous running routes I have enjoyed to date.


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Grand Canyon

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