{wordless wednesday} Bigfoot

no, not that bigfoot... this one!

today was national autism awareness day.  and seeing as how we are the proud owners of the home of bigfoot, we combined the two in what could only be known as heaven on earth for little boys.  

a monster truck smash + a fundraiser for autism speaks.  

grandma joined us, which then made it the ultimate trifecta for b. 

 

we were afraid the event was going to be rained out, but mother nature held out long enough for us the event and let us stay nice and dry.   underneath our layers we all were wearing blue in support of autism awareness. 

we were able to do a little bit of exploring around bigfoot headquarters and snapped a few photos.

 

then, on to the main event.  car smashing!

 {before}

{during}

{and after}

there were photo opportunities with monster truck drivers,

splashing in puddles...

glow necklaces and fritos. 

sounds like the ultimate day for a 3 year old boy, huh?!

{eighteen}

i wrote this post, and accidentally left it as a draft last week.  oops. so i'm gonna back date it so it falls where it was supposed to.  sorry :)

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with my crazy work schedule, i can't always fit my long runs in over the weekend.  so a midweek long run it was... 18 miles.  there is something about those 18-20 mile runs during marathon training that are unnerving.  i've put in the time, built up the miles, and yet inevitably, i feel a sense of dread and uneasiness before these distances.   luckily, i had a friend who was willing to join in on the crazy!

almost all of the snow had melted except for a few really shay parts of the path, and we ended up doing three loops around the park.  the sun was trying to shine over the lake and the temp was just warm enough.

photo via

compare this run's view to the same lake on my long run a few weeks ago... spring is coming.  soon.

it feels good to have that run out of the way, and not be thinking about still fitting it in over the weekend.  and we finished in a pretty impressive time too {10:15 min/mile}. 

not too shabby!

{fifteen}

i am coming up to some of the more challenging distances in my marathon training.  and coupling that with this cold, snowy winter we are having, marathon training for a spring race is proving to be much more difficult than i had anticipated. 

thursday, the high was anticipated to be 45*. with that kind of forecast, i certainly wasn't spending that kind of miles on a treadmill. i drove out to a local park {not really that local, as it was almost a 40 min drive} assuming the path would be plowed.  i was wrong. 

but i trudged out anyway. it was warm {ish} and even snow covered, it was better than a treadmill.

the long loop around the park is 5.5 miles. i made two full loops, and then added the small loop to finish my total distance.

that is the lake behind me, after loop # 2. 

by the end of the run, the path had turned into a slushy, melty mess. my socks and shoes were soaked, and i couldn't wait to get them off and get into some dry clothes. 

the after photo really doesn't do justice to how soggy it really was.  but... i did it. 15 miles. 

this weeks weather is supposed to be significantly more tolerable. let's hope so! 

runs this week are scheduled as 4, 7, 4 and 13.  

Linking up with Ashley, at the domestic wannabe for Move it Monday!

october running: move it monday

hi all... i figured it was about time for a post for you all.  if, of course, there is anyone out there still reading...

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i decided a move it monday post would be a nice little post to ease myself back into posting again. 

well, you all remember that half marathon i ran back in october, right?! well, that has been about the extent of my running workouts for the last month.  i had made the decision to cut back on my running and take some time to really focus on yoga and increasing my flexibility (mostly... my hamstrings and those darn IT bands).  well, then i got sick. again.  so i have taken a few weeks off.

my monthly training log from dailymile, shows 14 miles for the month of october.  not too good considering 13 of those miles was my half marathon.  there was a 5 miler that didn't get put into daily mile, but thats it... 2 runs, a bike ride, and 3 yoga classes.  

and i wonder why my jeans were starting to feel snug.  

so, looking back at my monthly milage, i decided to set a goal of fifty miles run during the month of november.  yes... 5-0.  i know it is a bit lofty since i have only had two 50 mile months this year, and one of those was marathon month. eek.  but apparently, i needed some motivation.

i also signed up for this 15k race in december.  hot chocolate, fondue, and a tech fleece jacket? a coupon code for a travel mug that says 'will run for chocolate'.  uh, yes please.  

(p.s. use code ITZLINZMUG for the chocolate travel mug if you sign up for this race!)

how's november going, you ask?! so far, 3.6 + 3.0 miles.  and i feel like i did when i just started running.  i've been working lots of night shift, making poor food choices, & doing minimal workouts.  these have left me feeling like a beginner again.  i can't wait until my body remembers how it is supposed to behave, and starts feeling like that of a runner again.  

so, there is my move it monday post for you all.  

hoping to link up with ashley from the domestic wannabe.

pumpkin patch: 2013

{october 6th} we took b to eagle fork farms for our annual pumpkin patch visit.   

we have been going here since 2010.  it is right up the road from our house and is such a cute little pumpkin patch.  

it was a really windy day, but not too cold to enjoy ourselves.  a nice brisk day that finally was feeling like fall.  

we kept ourselves warm with cups of hot chocolate.  yum.  

b still loves john deere tractors.  he asked to get his picture taken by it.   

we took a hayride down to the fields for pick your own pumpkins.

b and daddy, looking for the perfect pumpkin  

this is the required photo for the visit... 

we've been taking these pics since our first trip when he was 6 days old!

 this is the first year he was finally big enough to ride the mini tractors.  he wasn't quite strong enough to pedal through the gravel without some help though.

and b rode a pony too.  he was so excited to get to ride on them this year. last year he was pretty uneasy!

 since the weather was so nice... we decided to swing over to valley farms pumpkin patch too.  they aren't as big as the other one, but they have a beautiful hayride and a small petting zoo.  so of course, we had to go there too.   

crossing over indian camp creek 

feeding the alpacas

{p.s. i am backdating these posts so in the future (like if i ever get caught up on my photo books) they will be in the right order... }