Purling Sprite

The Pink Series 5K

I had a dream! A dream that I will run a 5K around 20 minutes. I never thought I could be that fast, thus it was a dream. I am slow, remember, I was the Chubbette for awhile, the one that ran 13minute miles and puked a lung each time I had to run more than half a block.

But my dream became a reality on April 28th at the Pink Series 5K event. I am a big fan of the Pink Series events, they surely know how to make a gal feel special. From packet pick up to the welcoming "hunks" they keep at the Finish Line waiting eagerly to place our medals around our necks, to the awesome awesome food at the other side of the Finish Line. If you haven't had a chance to do one of their events, take a day and sign up for one and run it, you won't regret it ;).

The course was all downhill and when I say downhill, I truly mean it. 400 feet loss in 3 miles--it is sweetly fast! So fast that my legs couldn't keep up with the turnover. Heck yeah! Being a marathon runner seriously makes me appreciate short runs like this one even more.

One of the funnest parts about this race was our "token" runner, Pleasant Grove City Fire Chief Sanderson, anyone who crossed the Finish Line before him, would receive a gift card as a prize. I didn't think I stood a chance, he is an ultra runner and superb runner all around, so when I made it to the Finish Line just a couple of seconds before him, it made my day. I think he was just being nice and let me get there before him so not to break my heart so close to the finish line.

The race was over before I could realize that I was getting tired. 20:34, my fastest 5K ever! And the course was actually a little longer, many garmin's clocked it at  3.21.

Here we are, the top 5 and Fire Chief, Sanderson.

Thank you The Pink Series for an awesome time and an awesome event!

 

Moab Adventurers!

We don't get out much, we pretty much stay around our house most of the time. Our trips consist of going to the park or going for a little hike around our area. We are blessed to be surrounded by great trails where we live so we do not really see the necessity of going far to have fun. However, since we were already in Moab for the Canyonlands Half Marathon, we decided to stay an extra day and take our kiddos around to see the beautiful arches. Our friend, Adrian Toledo, was with us and that just made the entire adventure even more fun for the kids--we adopted him as "uncle Adrian".

The kids had a blast going to all the different sites. Even today, they still talk about the "Delicate Arch" that is going to fall down and they hope they are around when it does. Silly monkeys!

Here they are being "birds on flight!"

Oh, wait, that is "uncle Adrian" demonstrating how to do it. Here is Bryant, showing him how it is actually done, "Crossfit Style!"

And Nyah giving us some of her sassy! Yes, I do allow my child to dress herself, hahaha. To replicate her awesomeness, you will need: a pair of shorts that used to belong to your older brother, a pair of long crossfit socks, and a hoodie, and of course, lots and lots of sass!

Although lots of fun was had at the sights, I even have to admit that the most fun was had at a pile of sand! Talk about exfoliation for your tootsies! Especially heavenly the day after a 13 mile run. It was all Uncle Adrian's idea!!!

Here are my little rascals going up and down and up and down and up and down...well, you get the idea.

Ah, so much fun! It was a wonderful adventure and the kids loved it! They are already asking us to take them to another national park so they can see more "cool stuff". 

 

Canyonlands Half Marathon

On March 17th, I had the chance to participate in a spectacular race in Moab, UT, Canyonlands Half Marathon. The views on this particular half marathon are outstanding! I wanted to stop and simply take in the view various times, and it wasn't because I was coughing up a lung cuz I was so out of shape, no, the beauty of this magnificient area is just lovely! The beautiful red rock and the rock formations are a beauty to the eye.

This was my very first Canyonlands Half and I didn't know what to expect. I knew it was down the canyon and I have ran down canyons but not this particular one. As we made our way up to the start line, we didn't know what to expect. It was a little chilly and I was wearing shorts. What we didn't expect was the wind, lots and lots of wind with small particles of sand all around. I remember breathing at one point and getting a mouthful of dirt in, hahaha, I quickly learned not to run with my mouth wide open on this one.

The course is pretty gentle downhill, beautiful views, and a very, very small little uphill, nothing to be afraid of, then it flatens out at the end.

I did however find the last 3 miles of this particular half to be the hardest, not because I was tired, rather due to the wind factor. It was fierce out there! I always wear sunglasses and this was a day that I was truly grateful for them, the dirt was flying everywhere! The wind was so bad that at points I felt I was running backwards. Thank goodness for my spare tire as it helped kept me on the ground, 10 pounds lighter and I am sure I would have been flying like a piece of candy wrapper. At one point, I found a taller gal than me and I just ran behind her, everything was cool until she decided to spit and well due to the wind, I got a big chunk of it on my arm and my shirt--serves me right for trying to hide from the wind behind her.

It was my first race of the season and the wind factor was brutal, and although I should take those two things into consideration, I still felt badly about my performance, it is one of my slowest marathon to date in my short racing life. I clocked in at 1:47:58. I know, I know, I shouldn't beat myself up about it as I did give it my all but still, one always likes to perform better not worse. My kids just tell me that I am getting old...and I guess they are right, hahaha.

My awesome little cheerleaders were waiting for me at the end with big smiles and hugs and ready to tell me that I was a "stinky" mom and needed a bath fast! Aren't they adorable? Yes, I keep them cuz they make adorable cheerleaders, especially when one of them wears tiny little socks that have St. Patty's days all over!

Overall, I loved this race. The views alone make the entire 13.1 miles worth it! I will definitely do it again if I have a chance.

And another picture because it just shows my awesome muscles, alright, I just want to show you how spectacular my little treasures are, one of them on each side of the road just waiting for me to give them high-five :). I sure love them both to pieces ;).