Geo Nerdos

After the half marathon last Saturday we just sat around our hotel and watched the world cup and rested up. So by Sunday we were nice and refreshed and ready to go. Our first stop of the day was Lava Lands right outside of Sunriver. Basically this mountain exploded like 7,000 years ago and the lava hardened into lava rock. It's crazy because half of the mountain had lava rock and the other half is pretty bare with some trees. Then right next to the lava rock is a few miles of forest, and then right next to the forest are these snow covered mountains. So beautiful!

Thomas is really strong, really he is.

This is a littl mini lava tube.

Lava rock, forest, mountains.

Next stop was the Lava Tube Caves. This cave, made by the lava flow, is about 1 mile long. Partway through the cave there is a sign that tells you that you are actually walking under the freeway!

See my breath!

At the entrance of the cave.

About to step into the warm sunlight.

I tried to take more pics but it is so dark in there my flash wasn't bright enough. In some pics all I got was complete darkness and my breath cause it was so cold. It was pretty crazy going from about 85 degrees and taking a couple steps towards the front of the cave and feeling like it was about 45 degrees!

Thomas and I have decided when we have kids we really want to take them to stuff like this. Walking through the lava land and lava caves reminded me so much of geography class and made me wish that was how I was taught, through experience, not just sitting in a classroom. The Pacific Science Center made me wish the same thing. So I totally want to take our kids to these kind of places so it will help them have more real life experience to connect with their classroom learning.

After the Lava Cave, we headed to Sunriver Resort. We stayed Sunday til Monday at Thomas’ parent’s timeshare. The resort is where the half marathon was held. There are 31 miles of paved bike path. Sunday we took an hour and a half bike ride and snapped pictures of the half marathon course.

Beautiful view of Mt. Bachelor

Deshcutes river

We ran threw a few of these tunnels.

These are some of the condos on the resort and spectators would sit on their porches and cheer us on as we passed.

More of the Deschutes River.

Is this picture perfect or what!?

I have been wanting to go on a bike ride for a long time and this was the most perfect bike ride ever! After this wonderful trip to Sunriver we want to go back every year.  As I said, there are miles of bike trail, there is a river to go float down, swimming pools, sand volleyball courts, tennis courts, parks, just everything. 

Monday before checking out and heading home we went on another 45 minute bike ride.  I could seriously start every day doing that.  Such a wonderful weekend.  Running has given us a great chance to visit places that we wouldn't normally plan to see.  I love running and I love vacations!

Pacific Crest 1/2 Marathon

This was my fourth 1/2 marathon ever and very rewarding.  When talking with Thomas the other day I was saying how crazy it is when people do multiple 1/2 marathons or marathons in one year and he reminded me that this one would be my third in a year. 

We left for Bend, Oregon Friday morning after I had done a short 3 miler.  I was super worried after that three miles cause I felt soooooo slow!

Here are some pics from the drive over to Bend.  We caravaned over there with our good friends John and Kaisey.

Mt. Bachelor (I think)  there were at least four mountains that you could see in the landscape at one time.

These windmills are HUGE! There were hundreds of them a

To start some carb loading we stopped at Subway for lunch around 1pm. I got the turkey breast on wheat as usual with all the veggies except for onions.
We got to the hotel around 3pm and then headed over to Sunriver Resort where we picked up our packets.

At the Race Expo

Packet pick up was super quick and easy.  I was very impressed with the race expo. The expo was full of good vendors and the things they were selling were very decently priced.  We stopped by the Hammer Gel tent and they were selling Hammer Gels for $1! That is such a steal! In a normal store they cost at least $2.  I tried the Hammer Electrolyte drink and did not like it at all.  It tasted very watered down and bland.  Luckily I discovered this before the race so I wasn't totally disgusted during the race.

The band at the expo was excellent.

Goodies from our race bag.

I wasn't impressed by the shirts.  They were cotton long sleeved shirts!! It's summer time! I don't know if this typical for this race or it was just this year.  I want a shirt I can sport NOW, not in 6 months.  They would be fine if it was winter time. 
The bag also included some Hammer Gel drink mix and electrolyte pills.  I had Clif Shot Blocs for the first time and LOVED them! I'm a huge fan of fruit snacks and that is what they tasted like.  I had three the night before the race and three the morning of the race.

Favorite goodies: Free 16oz Jamba Juice and Clif Shot Bloks

I loved that the timing chips were on the back of the race bibs.  So we didn't have to turn in an ankle chip at the end of the race.  We also had to wear these yellow wrist bands to get into the Athlete Village after the race for the post-race snacks.  I guess this is so spectators don't eat the snacks, but I'm pretty sure you can tell who has just ran a 1/2 marathon but what they look like (sweaty, walking funny, race bib, finisher's medal). 

John, Kaisey, Me, and Thomas at the Expo

After the expo we stopped by a little outlet mall and did a little shopping and then headed to Olive Garden for dinner.  For the Wenatchee 1/2 we went there for dinner the night before so we knew it would be a good choice to stick with something we were comfortable with.  Last time I had the chicken primavera and this time I had the lasanga clasico.
After dinner we headed back to the hotel to relax with a friendly game of Phase 10.

Phase 10 Fun

I slept pretty well the night before.  There was the usually waking up every couple hours to check the clock but overall a good nights sleep. 6am didn't seem too early because it was nice and bright outside. We left from our hotel at 6:45am and arrived at the start at 7am.
It was a little bit confusing as to where we were supposed to meet.  The marathoner's and walkers of the half marathoner's started a little earlier than the runners of the half marathoner's. But they had a loud announcement about 20 minutes before the start of the race and we all began walking to the start line. 

Thomas walked with me to the start line.  He is the best fan.

Waiting with the rest of the crowd to start the race.

Chatting it up while we wait.

The race started promptly at 8am.  It only took about one minute for us to get to the start line.  The first couple miles were really congested because there were 1600 runners and the path we were running on wasn't very wide.  But it kind of helped me to keep my speed in check the first couple miles which is when I usually want to go out fast. I think my first mile was around a 9:30 and my second was a 9:15.
After mile 2 I started getting into about an 8:45 pace and had found some people that I wanted to stick with throughout the race. 
Thomas had asked me before we went to bed what my goals/strategy/plan was going to be.  He reminded me of somethings that I had wanted to change after last half marathon.  One of those things was I wanted to go out slower and stick with somebody.  I successfully accomplished both of those girls.
After the race there was a lady who came up to me and congratulated me and said that she stuck behind me the whole time and just kept her eye on my bright pink shirt. 
I felt soooo amazing miles 1-6.  I was kind of separating the race into a 10k (mile 6), then getting to mile 10, and then a 5K.  It really helped splitting it up in my head like that.
At mile 6 I got some water and tried to get down some Clif Bar Energy Gel.  I don't know why but I could not get that stuff down.  I swallowed a little bit and tried to swallow some more and ended up just throwing it up.  I felt bad cause there was a lady next to me trying to get some gel down too and that probably didn't help.  I heard her say to her husband "I don't think I can get it down."  After that till about mile 7.25 I felt very naseaus and had a sideache on both sides.  I let myself walk for 20 seconds and then pushed through it.
I was sooooo happy to see Thomas at mile 7.5! I teared up a bit because it was exactly what I needed right now.  He told me later he had just wanted to jump in the race and finish with me.  Love that guy!

Mile 7.5 Don't you love the little tunnel? I thought I was going to hit my head.

I made it to mile 10 and then just thought "a 5k is all I have left!"  Those last 3 miles dragged by but by then I knew I was super close to making my goal. 

And.... I DID IT!!! I finished in under 2 hours! My official time was 1:56:30! So about a 8:53min mile.  I was so relieved and happy to finish and have completed my goal!

The hardware

This course was so beautiful! It was all on an asphalt bike path. Most of it had shade from all of the pine trees.  We ran past the Deshutes river and passed meadows, just beautiful.  No big hills, just some little inclines.  The temperature was absolutely perfect.  A little chilly while waiting for the race to start but wonderful once I started running.
The finisher medals were really pretty and they had different ones.  Kaisey and I both got different ones.  I use to just through my medals away cause I didn't want to be a hoarder but my running bud Haley convinced me to start saving them.
I am a happy girl! I am thinking of doing another one at the end of August but for the next week or so I'm looking forward to doing more Jillian and switching things up a bit.

Offical Chip Time: 1:56:30



Pace: 8:53


15/55 in age group


279/1399 overall


207/1017 female overall

Taco Cornbread Pizza

Such a simple, easy, recipe.  So delish too!

1 pkg cornbread mix
salsa
sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1lb ground beef
1pkg taco seasoning
1 tomato
lettuce

Make cornbread mix according to the package.  Spread on a pizza dish and back in oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Brown and crumble ground beef and taco seasoning.  When cornbread is done sprinkle with cheese.  Then spread the meat over the crust.  Add tomato, lettuce, sour cream, and salsa as desired.

Statue Act - JOURNEY OF MAN (Cirque du Soleil, 1999)

Science Nerdo-s

Thomas and I went on another little getaway to Seattle this week.  Wednesday, Thomas took his boards and he PASSED!!!! He did amazing,  his preliminary score was a 93! And he needed a 75 to pass, so needless to say he passed with flying colors.

Soon after he got back from taking his boards we headed off to Seattle to spend a couple days with my sister Ashley and her hubby.  Wednesday we just hung out at their place and relaxed and watched t.v.  Ashley and my mom are on a diet called the HCG diet and it has an online recipe book with some yummy very low cal recipes.  Ashley made us thai broccoli and beef with jasmine rice for dinner, so good. 

Thursday I started the day off with a six miler.  I don't know if I'm getting bored or what but when I'm running for awhile I just have been stopping and walking for a bit. It's not cause I'm too physically tired, I just don't feel like running.  Still, I got the mileage in.  Even the 6x100 meter strides at the end felt slow for me. 

Once we were all showered and ready to go we headed to the Pacific Science Center. 

This view reminds me of the Seattle Rock and Roll 1/2 last year.  The finish line was right there near Qwest Field.

The Butterfly House at the Science Center. This little guy did not want to get off of my pant leg.  A little boy watching was like "I want a butterfly to land on me!" Truthfully I was a little freaked out when they landed near me.  They remind me of moths and I HATE moths.

They had little charts so you could identify the different butterlies.

When I asked Thomas his favorite part of the museum he said "the x-ray part."  Here you are trying to identify what bone you are looking at and what is broken.  Of course Thomas was  pro at it.

This is just a bar with a string attatched that you pull up and can make a giant bubble!

If you spin the bike wheel and then stand on a little spinning thing it will automatically move you from side to side.

The main exhibit this month was circus themed so they had this jumpy thing you could do flips on and a tightrope 9 feet above the ground you could walk across (with a harness on). This little girls was so funny she didn't know how to flip so she just kind of hung out up there for a few minutes, enjoying the view.

Bet you didn't know I married a body builder!?

Did you know that knife eaters actually do swallow the knives!? They just practice with really dull bladed knives and learn to supress their gag reflex!

Infectious laughter is the best!

A kid tried this right before we did and made it look so easy! I couldn't even get half myself in there!

Did you know that lions can't purr? Their throats are made differently than cats.

We like the Science Center

I wish that schools were able to have things like the Science Center.  It's so fun to learn by seeing and doing.  We went to the planetarium and as you are leaning back in your seat and looking up to the dome shaped ceiling you can see all the planets and stars, it's sweet.  I learned that some solar systems have more than one sun. And I learned that there are 4 year olds that know more than I do.  This little 4 year old girl sitting next to us was sitting there pointing to the planets and naming them for her mom! And the "scientist" teaching us let us ask questions and some of the questions the kids asked just blew me away.  Such an awesome way to learn.  It was a great refresher for me on the planets.

We also went to an IMAX show called "The Journey of Man".  It had Cirquedu Soleil acts in it.  Amazing!

I'll post my favorite part from it in the next blog!

New Running Duds

Yesterday I got to spend a nice day away, shopping with my mama.  Got some great deals and had some gift cards so only ended up spending like $15 of my own money! Gotta love gift cards, they make it so you have to spend money and you feel guilty if you don't! And when do you EVER get to feel guilty for NOT spending money?!

So I got some pink and purple flip fops from Old Navy 2 for $5.

Nike running shorts and Dri-Fit shirt from Macy's for $14 and $12.

And new sportsbra from Victoria's Secret for $22 plus cause I'm an Angel's card holder got a free gift :) I love Victoria's sportsbras.  Lots of support and last forever!

So I now have my new outfit all planned out for the half marathon next Saturday! One week!! AHHH!!! This week has been a tough one running.  I just have not been mentally strong and a couple of my runs I've just stopped and walked.  I hate that! But this coming week is a taper week so hopefully I'll get back into it mentally and feel great come Saturday.

Also, got some of my fave chapstick. Softlips vanilla and strawberry flavors with SPF 20.

Running Repeat

This week and last week have been pretty much the same schedule for running. 

Monday: 2x1200 at 10K pace with 600 rest, 4x400 at 5K pace with 200 rest, 4x200 at 5K pace with 100 rest. 
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: 4 miles at marathon pace with 800 rest, 800 at 10k pace with 400 rest, 2 miles at marathon pace. 
This workout has been so hard both weeks! It has been a little discouraging cause it makes me think "If it's so hard to keep my marathon for 4 miles, how am I going to keep it up for 13 miles?!" 
Thursday: rest
Friday: 6 miles plus 6x100 strides
Saturday: 12 miles (This Saturday will only be 6 miles cause I'm starting to taper for the 1/2 marathon next weekend!)
I ran the 12 with one of my friends and our pace was a little slower than I normally like to go.  But it's pretty cool to finish running 12 miles and feel refreshed rather than absolutley exhausted and spent. 
The weather has been SO perfect for running! When I run in the morning it's like 60 degrees and with a nice little breeze. 

10 more days!!!! Can't wait till Sunriver Half!

Homemaking

This little vinyl letter board I made at an activity one Saturday at church for all of the woman.  We have it hanging right by the door.

I found this apron at Ross for $3! And it's reversable!

Fam time in the summer time

This weekend we got a surprise visit from my sister Briana and her fam.  I can't believe how much baby Alex has changed in the two months since I've seen him! Two months ago he wasn't quite crawling yet and now he is crawling away and can even stand up on his own!

The reason they came up is quite comical.  My mom called them this past Wednesday to ask if they could keep a secret.  She told them my dad was being put into the bishopric at church so it would be nice if they could come up and support him.  Well she had asked Thomas and I if we would go to church with them on Sunday but told us it was because Bea and Ivan were coming to surpise Dad so she wanted us all to be there together.  On Thursday though, my Dad asked Thomas and I "are you guys coming to church with us on Sunday?"  We said yes, but then were wondering how he knew cause it was supposed to be a surprise. 

Saturday once Bea and Ivan had arrived I asked my Dad how he knew we were going to go to church with them and he told me it was cause he was being put in the bishopric. 
A couple hours later one of the high council men (the one who had asked my Dad to accept the calling) showed up to the house.  Thomas and I were downstairs but could hear laughing outside.  A few minutes later my Dad comes downstairs laughing.  He tells us that the high council man was really embarrassed and told him "I made a big mistake! I was supposed to call the OTHER Brother Clement to be in the bishopric!"  There are two Clement families in the ward. 
My Dad laughed and laughed about it.  He was pretty relieved.  He said he kept thinking about what he was going to say in church that Sunday but nothing was coming to him. 
Apparently the high council man was doing some service project earlier that day with some of the church leaders and they asked him "Did you talk to Brother Clement?"  He said he did and then they mentioned something about "Steve".  He was confused and was like "Steve!?" Haha
But thanks to that little mix up we got to see Bea and Ivan and Baby Alex! So no worries :)

Alex was very interested while Thomas was opening his graduation presents.

My Dad's idea for one of Thomas' grad gifts was Pirate's Booty and Tang.  Whenever we are at my parent's house Thomas makes himself a glass of Tang and snacks on Pirate's Booty from Costco.  My Dad officially deamed Pirate's Booty as the official snack of the Clement family.

Thomas also scored us some new padded camping chairs with a built in cooler thingy!