Manic Monday

I'm all kinds of nuts!

The worst part is, I know it! And not just because so many of you have told me how nuts I am for all the running I do, but because I can just tell. I'm not myself, I'm out of sorts with what is normal for me.

I have a tendency not worry about much of anything. Whatever comes my way I can handle it, or figure out how to fix it and if not I am sure I have a friend who can. (My friends are a rather amazing and talented bunch!) But right now, I cant figure anything! I even picked up one of my books on marathons and sat up on the steps of my bathtub and read it from start to finish all 200 hundred pages in one sitting, at midnight a few nights ago.

Luckily I found something that makes me feel a little justified in my crazy state. There is a well documented condition in the running world called "Taper Madness". Lots of runners get this in the weeks prior to a marathon as we are supposed to cut back on our miles and let our muscles start to heal a bit before we torture them with the marathon. Its the lack of running that makes us nuts!

I'm not kidding! On page 189 top of the page it says:

The symptoms of Taper Madness are well documented. They include but are not limited to:

1. An unnatural need to spend money

2. An attraction to buying hideous running apparel

3. A "must have" mentality toward running toys

4. A complete aversion to running

So lets start at the top, while I didn't spend tons of money, I did spend almost 4 hours wandering at the mall on Saturday, looking for things I just couldn't live without. I haven't done that since I was a teenager!

Hideous running apparel. Now I'm wondering about the skirt, am I crazy? Does it really look as hideous as I had always thought them to be? I have actually gone out and purchased a ton of running clothes in the last week too...hmmm

Next up running toys, well not so much but I am obsessing about what to wear around my waist to carry all my junk while I run. Not gonna do the water belt. Fanny pack water bottle combo, not really necessary to lug any water with me because of all the water stations, maybe I should just go find one that is just a pack with a bigger pocket... hmmm not sure still. I also really want to get a different knee support to wear. But then it may be dumb to change that right before because I don't know how it will work, but I do know the one I'm wearing now bugs me. Again undecided!

Running lately has left me wondering why I feel like I'm moving in slow motion like in my dreams where my body never works the way it is supposed to, but my watch says I'm running at my normal pace. I just feel slow and like I'm dragging and I don't know that I have trained enough or run as many miles as I should have.

Other random things Im starving all the time but nothing sounds good. Well nothing but chocolate as though that's going to satisfy my hunger. Its the comfort food. Oh and here's another random one, I keep having the strongest urge to just drop and do push ups! I think because I feel so unprepared, but I know Im supposed to give my legs a break, maybe I'm just trying to make up for it in my arms. Whatever, it can't hurt right?

Last week a friend told me about needing warm clothes to wear as we are all waiting to start the race and all 7000 people are bussed to the starting line. Hello! I knew nothing about this, what else do i not know about??? this started me wondering about all sorts of things like does it really matter if I wear toenail polish or not, what should I be eating this week, how many miles can I really get away with running, where am I staying again, visor or hat or nothing on my head, what really needs to go in my fanny pack? iphone or ipod? is there really enough battery in my phone to play my music for 4 hours? what music should be in my playlist?

SEE WHAT I MEAN? I'M NUTS!!!

So much to do, so much to decide, and really in my head I know it will all be just fine. I can't change any of it now. Now its just time to relax and then go out and do whatever I can. So why can't I shake this manic feeling?!

Walk a Mile In My Skirt!

Didn't your mom always tell you not to pass judgement, that if you could just walk a mile in someone else's shoes then you'd understand?

Well I have been passing some serious judgements. It's the skirts women are running in! Yes you read that right SKIRTS!! Skirts have no business in the running world. What do you need a skirt for? Running isn't about being cute. It's sweaty and therefore sometimes stinky, do you really want to be in a skirt for that!? Is this an attempt at getting some attention?

So my sister shows up to run with me the other day IN A SKIRT!! What is going on here...it's just WRONG! Well we had a little chat about the skirt. She convinced me I really ought to at least try one on. Yeah, yeah, whatever I will try it on but seriously there is no way I would get one.

Well let me tell you I have learned my lesson! These skirts are SO not about being cute, which i kinda think they are, but they are ALL about functionality!

WHO KNEW?!!

These things are sooo sneaky, they are really compression shorts, spandex, or stretchy pants if you will. The most comfortable thing to run in for sure, but hello who in their right mind puts on a pair of those and thinks," yeah that looks great I'll run in those today!" ??? Only barbie dolls and professionals, and I am neither one. Therefore I wear my shorts with compression shorts underneath half of the time.

Well the smarty pants over at Nike are now hiding your stretchy pants with two flattering little panels (that don't ride up into a wedgie EVER) and whalah...you have a running skirt. The most comfortable thing to run in ever and they're totally practical!

So, if you see me out on the trail running in my skirt, don't judge me until you have walked a mile in my skirt. Better yet, RUN!

Primary Program Antics

The Sunday featuring the primary children's program is always one of my favorite Sundays of the year. It's fun to see the kids diligently working to memorize their little parts for the program. There are always tender moments where a child bears a sweet and simple testimony of our Saviour, but I have to admit my favorites are the comedic moments that always accompany the program, usually by the youngest bunch.

This year was no exception. While this was the first time Wes was old enough to sit with us and watch, the other three were up front. Drew sat quietly and at one point I was worried he was going to fall asleep. Garrett wouldn't stop scowling because he didn't like the teacher's choice of classmate to sit beside him, and our little Brynne was part of that youngest bunch providing the entertaining moments. The first part of the program went relatively well, she stood up to sing when she was supposed to and even remembered most of the words and hand movements to the songs. She was so proud of herself after she declared into the microphone, "I am a spirit child of Heavenly Father".

About halfway through one of the songs Brynne was staring off blankly and I began to mouth the words to remind her. She waved her arms out at me and exaggeratedly pointed her finger at me and calls out "No mom, stop singing!! Don't sing! You're not supposed to sing mom, just us!" We were sitting in the front row and I was hoping not too many people could hear her chastising me. Then she decides to start climbing up onto the railing and tried to get on top of it. When she realized that wasn't going to fly she started in on a nice little round of Peek a Boo! Down and out of sight and then POP! she was back up again smiling broadly at us as though we should be so proud.

When the next song started she decided it would be a great time to fix her headband. Of course she ended up dropping it, and since I couldn't leave well enough alone, I try telling her to just leave it. Well once she realized she was getting a reaction out of me she started playing with it, wearing it like a crown on her head and then like sunglasses covering her eyes.

Next thing you know the whole front row of sunbeams is bobbing up and down and back and forth and the two teachers sitting behind them are cracking up laughing. Apparently they all were growing quite tired of their shoes and socks and ties etc. and were plopping down on the floor, taking them off and then popping back up into sight handing their teachers all their "extra" stuff. Both of the teachers bags were full of clothes and shoes by the time sacrament meeting was over!

Towards the end the kids sang Families can be Together Forever. Brynne sang along so well except for when she stopped to blow beauty queen kisses to each member of our family. My heart melted. She may be as sassy as they come but I completely adore her!

(okay so I know we were totally breaking the rules, but I found out after church that Jeff took a short video of Brynne's performance. It was not as dramatic as some of the other moments but gives just a glimpse of what was going on before everyone decided socks and shoes were optional)

Dive In!

My sister Tara likes to say that half the fun of a sport is the cute outfits you get to wear while you do them. I think I'm picking the wrong sports...first the Stretchy Pants for my bike and now the wet suits accompanied by tanks, tubes and masks...not so cute! But fun, absolutely! We're just getting started but I am so excited!

"Run Jeni Run"

Okay so I know the line from the movie is really "Run Forrest Run" but I think he and I have a lot in common these days. For starters we both have a thing with running...At the beginning of last summer I started really running for love of it not just to shed a few pounds. A year later I am gearing up for my first marathon! It has been quite a ride. The St. George Marathon uses a lottery system to decide who gets to run each year. This year 70% of those who entered the lottery got into the race. My brother Billy, my sister Tara, my uncle Darrell, cousin James and his wife Megan, my friends Talli, Jamie, Emily and Mandi all got in. I was part of the 30% who did not. After doing some research the VanWagenen's who also didn't get in found us a little loop hole and after a nice donation we were in the race!

After several weeks of training Tara got a stress fracture on her tibia and I lost my training partner. Since I have always been one of those "people who doesn't read the books" (click here for further explanation) I was a little off schedule from everyone else I knew who was training. I was completely on my own. I decided to bump up my miles and did a lot more running on the treadmill since I didn't want to be alone on the trails in the early morning. This was the perfect recipe for injury. Sure enough the first week of August, I was out of the running completely! Patella tendonitis, runners knee, overuse injury, whatever you want to call it, it meant NO RUNNING PERIOD.

I'm reading all of it now!

This is what put me over the edge and caused me to buy a road bike, and really start learning how to swim, the right way. Both of these things are getting easier, but have been quite humbling experiences. Regardless I was determined to do whatever I could to keep up my fitness level so I wouldn't have lost too much when I could start to run again. My doctor said I had to ease back into it slowly. We all know patience is not one my strongest virtues, but I think I've done okay at least by my own standards.

A few purchases I was surprised to make

I have been running again for the past 3 weeks. This too has been a bit humbling. I am back but not as fast as I was and a little worse for the wear. I am also not running as often as I would like to be but I am working on the patience thing. I managed to do a 17 mile run last week and I was pretty miserable afterwards. I think it was the first glimpse I really got of what I had signed up for. I also had run it all alone and the day after my longest run in 3 and a half weeks which was only 10 miles!

You name it, I've tried it!

Yesterday my run was 20 MILES! It is such a strange thing to do for the first time. It's a bit surreal. I was smart enough not to run or exercise at all the day before and I enlisted a few friends to run with me. It made all the difference! My knee was pretty sore by the middle of my run and slowed me down a bit, but otherwise I felt pretty dang good! I think I will actually be able to do this! I am really looking forward to it.

So maybe Forrest Gump is just some made up guy in a movie, but out of what seemed to be purely dumb luck, so many great things came his way. I promise not to grow a really long beard, or to attempt to run across the entire country, at least not any time soon, but I do want to do like Forrest and just keep running and running and running. Lets see if I still feel like that at the end of the day on October 3rd!

Happy P Day

Big P little p what begins with p? Pajamas, projects and productivity all begin with p! Tree trimming, garden box making, trash dumping, folding laundry, and sweeping, don't really begin with P but they fall under the categories of productivity and projects and those begin with P. Paying bills, Planning vacations, and watering Plants, these are more P activities happening today with happy pajama wearing me!

Let the Games Begin!

Saturday marked the beginning of game season for us. It was the annual Football Carnival for all the elementary schools in our high school district. Garrett is finally old enough to play. He was pumped!
Football season started about a month ago for Wes. They started 2 weeks before school did. Garrett started football practice on the first day of school. BYU has had games on TV for the last 2 weeks. Garrett and Drew are both playing soccer as well.

Through November I will make 13 trips to various sports practices a week and watch a football game after school every Friday. Saturdays will be spent watching Drew play soccer sometime in the morning, Garrett playing soccer sometime before 3pm and Wes playing a football game sometime in between or possibly at the same time as one or both of the previous games.

When all of the games the boys are participating in are over, there will be a gathering, likely at my house, to watch the BYU game that will be recorded and ready to skip through commercials or watch a play over and over in slow motion. All of my boys will be glued to the screen. Welcome to the fall game season at the Bohn house!

Bring it on!

Battle of Wills

My sweet sassy Brynne has had me cracking up lately! Just last night she ran up to me saying,"Mom I have something to tell you! There is something very mysterious going on, my dads new car is right in the garage, but my dad is not here. It just doesn't make sense! Very mysterious isn't it mom?"

A few days ago, she came in and asked me to take a picture of her because she couldn't believe how fancy she looked. Earlier in the week helping her to get dressed as I suggested different shirts for her to wear she answered "Oh no mom, that just won't do!"

Today was no laughing matter, today it was a battle of wills. Brynne was wearing this pink dress with brown polka dots. She was insisting she needed to wear her "pink and polka dot shoes" with her dress. The only problem is that the "pink and polka dot shoes" are tennis shoes and definitely not suitable for church. She would hear of wearing nothing but these shoes. She cried and took off anything else I put on. As I was curling her hair she had this stubborn look on her face as she gazed into the mirror. I could see the resolve in her eyes and that the wheels were turning. She looked defiantly up at me and said, "Well mom thats just fine, if you don't let me wear the pink and polka dot shoes, then I am just going to wear no shoes." She was calm and oh so defiant.

I tried explaining to her how inappropriate it would be to go to church barefoot. I told her they might not let her practice her part for the primary program in the chapel without shoes. I told her she wouldn't get to have a snack or the church bag with books and coloring pages in it if she didn't wear her shoes. She continued calmly gazing ahead and said well Im just not going to wear anything except for my pink and polka dot ones.

Jeff had to go to church early and I had spent all morning getting the kids ready and wasn't done myself. As he was leaving and taking all the kids with him, I told him where he could find Brynnes shoes. I thought we would bring the 2 pair that matched and she could choose while driving over in the car. When I joined my family in the pew I looked over at my daughter. She looked like a mess. "Where is her bow?" I asked Jeff. He passed it down to me. "Where are her shoes?" "She didn't wear any", he mouths down to me. I couldn't believe it! No shoes and church had started.

I thought about my options and decided it was better to stay at church than leave to get shoes. I wondered what sense Brynne would make of this little incident, and what the ramifications would be. As we arrived at my moms for our Sunday dinner I found out. "Hello grandma! Guess what I went to church barefoot today! They didn't even kick me out!" "Why did you do that?" my mom asked. "I just felt like it" she answered.

I'm toast. This was a battle I clearly had not won!

Humble Pie

Humble Pie, had any lately? Don't worry I've had enough for you too! Sometimes you think you know right where you stand, exactly what you're doing. And then BAM you get socked with a little dose of reality. Suddenly it all becomes quite clear where you really are and it is NOWHERE near where you thought. Humble Pie, it's not so sweet!

Under the Boardwalk

As Labor Day approached and I thought about the coming weeks of soccer and football games every Saturday, daily practices followed by Monday and Wednesday night practices, piles of homework, and the student government speech waiting to be written, I got that urge! You know the one I'm talking about, it says RUN!

So on Thursday when we went to lunch with the Poulsens it was decided we should all head for the coast. I found us a house to rent just a few doors down from the beach. It was a perfect place for the rowdy bunch of kids occupying the space, we weren't worried about ruining anything and if you ask me thats exactly as a beach house should be!

Talli and I tried making a quick dash to the store in hopes of some fresh sheets, only to find that everything was closed! And while we didn't find sheets we did get stopped at a sobriety check point, found the most hilarious things sold at the local Rite Aid, and saw some pretty interesting folks! Here is a picture from my phone of one of our favorite local crazies.

Saturday was spent playing in the sand and waves

Badminton

Smash-ball

Boogie Boarding

Reading and Napping

At 4pm everyone headed back to watch BYU whoop Oklahoma, and rinse the sand off. I opted for another hour on the beach of reading and then a gorgeous run along the coastline! That night we bundled everyone up and went to the boardwalk. It was the Poulsens first time!

The boys loved the roller coasters, and that they all had matching sweatshirts!

Good friends, fun rides, and warm sun made for some GREAT memories! Now its back to reality!

The Joys of Boys

One of the great joys of little boys is that they can turn something as simple as soccer practice into mischievous fun!

These two stumbled upon the perfect mud bath "slip 'n slide" conveniently next to the girls soccer practice.

Boys will be boys!