My first half-marathon

I have to admit, for the 24 hours before the race, I felt so sick! And I had one of those nights where you're always somewhat conscious, so I definitely wasn't rested, which didn't help the nerves.

We waited in the cold for quite a while for our bus, and then we drove and drove and drove! Oh my...the longer you drive the longer you have to run! When the gun went off (which I don't even remember hearing) we were running around trying to drop off our jackets, but even though we weren't physically there on time, it worked out since you are timed by the thing on your shoe anyway. Hehe.

(pictures are screenshots from the photographer's site...yes I'm too cheap to purchase these little memories)
The starting line in Georgetown. (notice ALL the port-a-potties!) And the beautiful lake!

Zach (Natalie's husband) stayed with us for the first couple miles, but I don't think his longer legs could stay back with us. Pretty sure it was the legs. Otherwise we would have killed him in the race. Haha!

The course was beautiful. However, it was also quite hilly. Everyone says its all downhill (it started at 8700 ft!) but it was more rolling hills. I'd say around mile 7 we were both feeling it. Our hips were starting to ache. And our knees. And ankles. So then we'd stop every couple of miles to stretch, and I made sure to stop my watch each time. Hehehehe... The last 3 or 4 miles were pretty rough. The farthest I had run prior to the race was 10 miles, so I should have expected that, but Natalie had run 6 or 7 prior, so I was super impressed that she was still truckin' right along! We saw a couple photographers so we put on a little show for them. LOL. We held hands and looked really goofy and obviously they captured the essence of our friendship. Hehe.
Hey look! It's Natalie and me! She's way cuter. I don't think action shots are my thing :) Maybe because I felt like my hips were gonna fall off!




We slowed down mile 12 so we could finish strong. The last part was through the little town of Idaho Springs, and it was the longest mile ever! We ran together until the last 10 yards and then Natalie told me to sprint ahead, so I did! And I obviously didn't get too far ahead of her :)

13 miles!!!


After the race we went to some lake (yeah I dunno what it's called) with Zach's family and had a yummy lunch made by his mommy :) We weren't interested in moving very much, so that was pretty much it. Oh, and we took some after-the-race photos there, just because I know you all wanted to see my pasty legs again. I love how when it's just Natalie and me we look normal, and then with Zach we look like midgets.


The rest of my time spent in the Denver area was really nice. We mostly hung out with all the family that was in town (for Zach's sister's wedding), but that's my style. I love being around good people in a comfortable setting. And then running 13 miles. Geez.

Well, folks guess what? I'm running another half-marathon in 10 days! It's the Top Of Utah half, so I figured since it's in Logan, and I've already put in the hard work, I might as well sign up, right?

I almost forgot to post pictures of my new hair! Natalie is the coolest. I gots highlights! I took these for my sister, so, you understand...

My race TO Denver

Before I tell you how my race went, I have to tell you the horrendous time I had getting to Denver.

We dropped off Grizzly at a friend's house in Ogden. We stayed for too long, and then got lost up there in one huge complicated neighborhood. At this point we were afraid I'd miss my flight, but I said "if you get me there in 30 minutes I'll be fine!" So finally we get to the airport, in 30 minutes! just in time for my flight to start boarding. Quick kiss and see ya! Hurry! Run!

Well it turns out I was approx 7 minutes late for boarding (I figured I could just run to my gate). The problem was, if you aren't there 30 minutes before, not 23 minutes before, you can't check your bags onto the plane. No problem, I'll just check it at the gate. But NOOooo my bag was too big! "Guess you'll just have to catch a later flight" I was told. Oh my gosh.

So I go to the ticket counter and talk to the Delta dude. My flight leaves at 4:50pm and by this time it's about 4:35. He tells me what I was already just told by the first guy (short on time here!) so when is the next flight? 7:00. Oh, but it's completely full. And the next flight with any openings is at 6am the next day. Well can't I just jump on my flight real quick and you can send my luggage with the next plane to Denver? No, you have to travel with your luggage. So can I get a refund? No, because I was so awesome I bought my ticket a couple months early which is too early. Okay, so maybe I'll sleep in the airport and catch the flight in the morning. Oh, well Delta adds on $250 in penalty fees to bump my flight, so I might as well buy a new plane ticket. And my return ticket would also be no good, so I'd have to buy a new one to get home. So at this point I'm considering losing my $200 round trip ticket, and buying a couple new (expensive) ones (even though we had the "wow we're pretty poor" convo earlier that day). On another airline.

I tell the Delta dude I need to call my husband, but asked if he'd check if my plane was still boarding. He said they were actually delayed for some reason and stopped boarding, but I better hurry anyway.

So I called A.J....and cried.

And then he turned around, ran into the airport, threw me over his shoulder, flipped off the security guards, hijacked a plane, and flew me to Denver.

Well, no, but it was pretty close.

I told him the whole story, and he was like, "wait, you could still get on your plane if you just had a smaller bag??? Well just take out only the things you need, throw them in a bag, and I'll swing by to pick up your suitcase." "uhhh, okay I'll go ask the Delta dude! sniff."

MY HUSBAND IS A GENIUS!

The Delta dude looked at me like I was crazy, but said "uh I guess that will work. But you can't leave your suitcase here or it will get confiscated. Tell your husband to meet you at the top of the escalator in the parking garage." So then it was frenzy time and I was shouting "K i'm gonna open everything right here! What liquids can I take? Lotion? Is soap okay? Do you have a plastic bag?!?!" He brought me out a huge CLEAR Delta plastic bag. I mean, it was big, I could have fit in it. And this whole time I'm throwing clothes etc. around and hoping my plane still hasn't left.

As a side note, I had packed like a champion, and I had every little thing I needed. Well now I just had clothes and soap. And running shoes.

I zipped up my half-empty suitcase, swung the big awkward bag over my shoulder, and sprinted up the escalator where my GENIUS husband was already waiting for me! Yes! I handed off the baton/suitcase to him, and ran down to security.

I shoved my hobo (not the cool kind) bag into the bin.

Beep!

Ma'am you need to take off your belt.

Beep! AAHHH!

You need to take off your earrings.

K, so I make it through. I just grab everything, barely putting my shoes on and keep running for it. Well guess what happens when you've got a heavy plastic bag slung over your shoulder and your hands are full and you're not wearing a belt? Well if you made the poor choice of wearing shorts 2 sizes too large, then that means your pants are about to fall off. So I'm running, trying to hold up my pants with my full hands, looking like a huge idiot. Finally I stop to put my belt on. And that was the last time I saw my earrings (R.I.P.)

I finally get to my gate (if you've been on a Skywest "connection" flight you know you are in the very farthest gates) and I get there panting and sweaty holding my hobo sack, and everyone's just kinda looking at me. Well, my flight was still delayed, and my plane was still on the ground. And everyone looked annoyed that it was so late.

HOORAY!!! I MADE IT!!!

It was one of those moments where you feel tears of joy that God was looking out for you, one of those moments where you are definitely sure that He provided a huge thunderstorm to annoy hundreds of people in 2 different states, as long as it allows you to make it to your flight in time. Okay, it's a ridiculous and selfish feeling, but I was feeling pretty darn blessed!

Also, if you've been on a Skywest/Delta connection flight, you know that you will be boarding a very tiny plane. Well, this is why most people who have larger bags will check them at the gate, but seeing as I couldn't risk anything happening to my big plastic bag, I brought it on with me. And created a traffic jam since I was "that" lady, trying to squish a huge bag into the overhead compartment. Well it fit, suckas!

2 hours after I was scheduled to leave, I was finally flying to Denver. There was a nice lady next to me. She had her phone's wallpaper set to a photo of her dog, too. Instant friends. Hahaha...

Natalie had arranged for a shuttle to pick me up, and when I talked to the shuttle people, it turned out I'd have to wait another hour, and THEN hope I wasn't the last to be dropped off. Well, Natalie and Zach are awesome, so they came and picked me up. I told her the story about why I was going to look like a homeless person living at the airport, and we decided we better get a picture of it.




I'm pretty happy looking here, but that's just because my journey was over and Natalie and Zach came to save me! Now imagine me with tears in my eyes and sweat on my brow, and that's what I looked like most of the day. Hehe.

Stay tuned for the race summary :)

It's the Fi-nal Count-down..

Na na NAH na. Na na NAH na na. Na na NAH na. Na na NA na na NA na... (Gob Bluth magic show song)

This coming Saturday is my first HALF-MARATHON!

I'm flying to Denver tomorrow! My awesome friend/old roommate Natalie challenged me to do the Georgetown to Idaho Springs half-marathon with her a few months ago, and it's finally here. She's the one with this site, remember? I think I'm ready. I've only ran 10.6 miles on my own, but 13.1 is attainable I believe :) I was going to run 12 last week, but I did something really dumb and couldn't. I sunburned my belly so bad I didn't want to move and have since gone through a lot of aloe, lotion, and cold wash cloths, and sweat bubbles and peeling skin (gross I know). AJ has this Gold Bond medicated lotion that is sweet because it moisturizes, cools down, and relieves itching. Just thought I'd recommend it.

Anyway, so I think the race will go great. I believe it starts at 8700 ft., which I will not be prepared for, but oh well. Its downhill, it's beautiful, it will be cool, I'll be running with my buddy...it will be great.

I'll be gone 5 days, and the race will take up like 3 hours of that time, so I don't know what we're doing the other days, but it will be really fun! OH and Natalie is doing my hair which I badly badly need. Hooray!

Wish me luck :)

And now, I present a slideshow of one special night when it was late and Natalie, Noel, and I decided it was more fun to make silly faces than go to bed. Enjoy.

For added entertainment, click the sound icon to hear the Pussycat Dolls serenade you. And don't forget to look out for the paparazzi! Oh boy, too much fun with these slideshow maker things...

Good News

My awesome husband weldin' it up :)

AJ just called me and said "well I've done my part to get us a house, now it's up to you!"

For the first time since November my husband now has an official full-time job! We get health insurance again! Luckily he has been able to work pretty consistently, but nothing has really been secure. I am sooo happy for him. And I'm so lucky to be married to such a hard-workin' man, who is very resourceful. He can do anything.

After both of us losing jobs, it's time for some good news!

Made For Cache Giveaway!

Made For Cache is the name of our Etsy team, here in Cache Valley (get it?) We meet every month to talk about ways to promote our Etsy shops and our little businesses (Etsy.com is a place where you can sell your handmade items). So far we've got a blog up, a Twitter account, a Facebook group, a Google group...we're trying our best to get the word out.

Well a great way to promote our stuff, is to give it away! Right now on our blog we are hosting a giveaway where one lucky winner will receive handmade items from all of us. What I've contributed is a coordinating set of greeting cards. They are just cute and simple:

There are also some really talented knitters, sewers, jewelry makers, and photographers in our group, so there has to be something you will want to win.

All you have to do to enter, is to visit one our our Etsy shops (links to the shops are on the right side of the blog), and then leave a comment on the Made For Cache blog about any item your viewed. That's it! You are entered to win! So stop by, and if you like what you see, make sure to tell your friends so they can all get in on the action!

Perkins Party time

My dad posted on the Perkins family blog! It's been 2 years since anyone has posted on it, so I thought I'd better announce the news to the world :)

The Perkins Blog

Any of you cousins (or friends) should read it. Apparently there's a really sweet book about our heritage! Plus my dad just said some really nice things.

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This week I'm flying to Turlock to my parents' (yes "home" is finally starting to feel like it's "here" instead of "there", but lets be honest, they're both home.) My good friend Heather is getting married on Saturday, and I'm sooo excited for her and to see my friends. Remember last Summer? My friend Maren got married, and we all got to see eachother then. Since then Stef has been living in Missouri, and Maren in Arizona, and I just can't wait to see everyone again. By the way, if you look at that old post, that is SERIOUSLY the last time I had my hair cut. A year ago. My layers are so weird right now. Luckily my friend Natalie is going to give my hair a makeover when I see her in a few weeks for our half-marathon! Oh, and she just did Design Mom's hair! How awesome is that? K getting off topic..

So anyway...we are doing well. I'm just finishing a big project I've been working on for a few months, so that, you know, feels good. AJ has been working a lot, including 2 big side-jobs recently, and there's another company here in town that is noticing his hard work and talent. So basically we're feeling good about him having work in the future, whether it's with this current company or a different one.

If all our little dreams come true, we may even find a house here to buy. We've been casually looking at some, which has been fun. It's a challenge trying to find aaaalllll the stuff we want within our price range, but when the time comes I think we'll be able to find something. Plus...first-time home buyers...that's like 8 grand in our pockets. I would just love having a garden and painting walls and and all that other fun stuff.

In Grizzly news, he turns 9 months in 2 days and is 65 lbs. And he crawled onto my lap in the front seat of the car yesterday because the bass of AJ's music scared him. Ooof. Hehe.

Blacksmith Fork Freedom Run

On Saturday I ran my first 15k. 9.3 miles! It was in Blacksmith Fork Canyon, near Hyrum. I have to say, at every one of these running events I sign up for, I'm ALWAYS surprised at how many people actually show up! It's good, it's just funny. I guess I don't expect anyone else to get up that early, or to sign up for a crazy long run to begin with.

During my 10k (6 miles) several weeks ago I kept counting down the miles and constantly thought about how long it was. Plus I had a side ache the whole time. This run went really well. I learned how to breathe so I would have side pains, and I ran strong and consistent, at a good pace. It also felt great having the race be downhill most of the way. It was a beautiful run, and I felt good. And I wasn't counting down TOO bad so I was actually surprised that I wasn't "suffering" with the distance like before. It was either flat or downhill the whole time until the 7th mile, which was a huge incline for at least a quarter mile. But I was strong! I didn't have to walk (although I walked for a second since the water station was there–no drinking while running!) and passed some people, and I stayed ahead of this one lady I was trying to beat and/or run with for the last few miles. So after that we were in Hyrum, running down to the park. I had no idea where the finish line was, but I saw the 8 mile marker, so I started speeding up. I felt pretty good so just kept with a strong pace and passed lots of people. That one lady was on my tail, but I had a good lead. I was feelin pretty confident.

I'm trying to see the finish line past all the runners and trees, when I noticed the 9 mile marker. Yes! .3 miles to go! I'm awesome! Then someone shot me in the ribs. Okay, not really, but seriously, out of no where I had the sharpest side pain ever and I had to stop running completely. Oh, and NOW I can see the finish line, GREAT! It was SOOO horrible!!! So all the people I had passed are now passing me and saying "you can do it! Don't give up! Almost there!" I seriously couldn't move. Finally I could barely walk, and I managed to slowly jog through the finish line, but I felt so defeated. It was awful. And AJ was there for me at the finish thank goodness because I needed to cry for .7 seconds about the whole thing. He just kept telling me how I did it and finished...I was so mad though. Still am. 9 freaking miles with no pain, and then BAM!

Then I got on AJ's motorcycle (I was wearing shorts and his big jacket so basically it looked like I had no pants on) and he drove me back to my car at the starting line. That was a long drive! I couldn't believe I ran that far. So anyway, overall I did well. My time was 1 hour 23 minutes, which is better than I thought I'd do time-wise.

So that's the latest on my running progress. My next run is the half-marathon! AHHH!!! 13.1 miles at a super high elevation in Denver. I'm pretty darn excited. August 8th! And even though the side-pain thing is really frustrating, I'm starting to feel like 13 miles is definitely doable now!