the reno wedding.

last summer in the craziness of my first hike ever in the grand canyon came something beautiful...a proposal :) (if you havent heard that adventure, check it out here and here.) not mine, dont worry, but our friends andrew and stephanie. i had met them the year before at mike and loras wedding in santa barbara and they were so nice and inviting. richard and andrew had been friends for a long time but he lives in reno now so i finally got to meet him that summer. the proposal was beautiful, under a waterfall and everything! andrew did good needless to say. so earlier this year we receievd an invitation to the wedding on june 2nd, off to reno we went!

1 year ago!

in the beginning we tried to coordinate with other friends going, but that went arye quickly and decided making our own plans was a better idea. we were all staying in the same general area and arriving within a few hours of each other, plus reno isnt that big. richard and i made our way to the airport around 1130a friday morning and were off to northern nevada on the bumpiest/scariest/i thought the plane would fall apart any second i have ever been on. he tried to distract me, it didnt work very well. we arrived at the small airport to find that my bag didnt make it! apparently a belt broke that morning in vegas and luggage was being misplaced all day. so we left my name and the hotel we were staying at with the very nice southwest man and hoped it would make soon.

as we walked over to the rental car counter we ran into lora who was headed to the rehersal dinner once mike got their rental car! our car pick up was actually located off the property so we arrived by shuttle to find a mini-van. we looked at each other as the rental guy was checking the car and told him no-way-jose. apparently they were all out of mid-size so they figured we would want this instead? turns out we got a ford escape instead and headed to the hotel for check-in. we arrived to mini-champagne while waiting in line and our room ready! after finding out our other friends plans we wandered around the main street for awhile playing tourisst before heading to the riverwalk to find some dinner and walk around for a bit. the riverwalk wasnt nearly as exciting as we thought but we found a rockin pizza place for dinner! they had these garlic potatoes, omg good! oh, the very nice southwest man called as were leaving to say my bag was here and would be sending to my hotel within the hour :)

the famous sign:)

he had a man vs food moment!

omg the pizza was yummy.

the wind had picked up even more so we went into a few casinos and found out reno really was like just fremont street haha. now i know it was the area we were in, downtown, but it was a little creepy! once it got dark and we had some ice cream/snocones to satisfy our sweet tooth we made our way back to the room to wait for our late-arriving friends. there was nothing on tv, so that didnt last long. there was a casino downstairs of course so we decided to gamble instead. well my $20 lasted about 20 minutes then i was done haha! see, this is why i dont gamble lol. afterward we met with our friends that had finally arrived and about midnight when they were all still ready to gamble i headed to bed. i was exhausted, needed to run in the morning, and watching other people gamble is one of the most boring things i can think of (right up there with watching boys play video games, yuck). when richard rolled in about 4am i knew i made the right choice lol.

the bike rack was so cute!

saturday afternoon was the wedding so that morning i was able to get my run in no problem. ps no one warned me about the hills in that city! i took off from downtown, rounded the university, took the hill up mccarran, and had a rockin downhill back to the hotel. between the hills and the elevation my butt was thoroughly kicked all morning. i headed back for a shower and then downstairs for some coffee while richard slept (4am remember, lol). i ran into the groom and the best man heading to the park where the wedding was taking place to start getting ready and the grooms family later on as they shopped. it was cool to see everyone and find out the details of the day. turns out that the grooms aunt and uncle have a grandson also in marines as well who is also stationed in san diego (i know thats a long way to get there lol)! richard was finally up and was in need of food. after a stop at mcdonalds we ran into matt and heather looking for breakfast. a drink, round of craps, and grabbing peter we were finally on our way to find lunch. we settled on a grille near the riverwalk with great sandwiches!

from the top of reno!
our hotel is the 1 with the ball in front.

trying to reduce the "puffiness" from the night before.
i am not joking.

we needed to head back pretty quickly to start getting ready for the afternoon wedding! richard and i changed rooms to bunk with the mike and lora for the second night but still had the space to get ready since they were with the bride and groom. we took our time and even a quick nap before heading to the park for the ceremony. we got there a little early and got a glimpse of the bride before heading to our seats! it was a perfect afternoon and the spot the chose was gorgeous. the rest of our friends arrived and before we knew it, it was time to get married!! their friend steve married them, he actually also married mike and lora in santa barbara 2 years ago, so it had a special touch. after all the i dos and the vows we watched them skip off to married bliss, yes, skip, it was so cute and very them.

the mamas:)

father and daughter.

with this ring...

i thee wed...

and they lived happily ever after :)

the reception happened at the ranch house also in the park and lots of personal touches. all of their reno friends had volunteered in shifts to help serve the thai food from their favorite restaurant and pour all the drinks. it was definitely a bit of a different wedding, but fit the bride and groom perfectly. we hung outside in the beautiful weather and talked with friends for the rest of the evening. the newlyweds had a perfect 1st dance plus the toasts were so funny and thoughout. this year has been anything but traditional weddings for me, and this one was no different. the cake was actually made out of donuts and they had ordered dozens of donuts for all the guests! like i said, very unique and very them :)

the vegas group!

the first dance :)

we even grabbed the bride and groom :)

you thought i was kidding!

YUM!

we decided around 1030p we were still hungry so we joined steve at golden flower for vietnamese food near our hotel. it was a bit of stretch for both us and i was super proud of him for trying something new. it was delicious and before we knew it was after midnight, time for bed! we got back to the hotel right before mike and lora and we all fell asleep soon as our heads hit the pillow. the next day we were all heading home and the sleep was for sure needed.

my love:)
another amazing wedding together.

the next morning we drug as long as possible before heading to the airport. after getting us a little lost on the way back to the rental car return we made it in plenty of time. one word of advice...do not count on eating in the reno airport! there are only 2 places, both with sandwiches, and super expensive. i guess we are a little spoiled in vegas lol. we came back to the heat all too soon and couldnt believe the weekend had gone by so fast! it was great time to see friends and be part of such a special day. we have gotten to see their love grow the last few summers. 1st at mike and loras wedding in santa barbara when they had only been dating about 3 months to the 2nd summer of the engagement in the grand canyon, to 3rd summer for their wedding in reno! congratulations to the newlyweds :)

the ode to running.

happy national running day! i got my miles in this morning and it was one of the best runs i have had in quite awhile. my legs just kept going and going, you have to love those mornings. it made me, like many others think about my running and what it has done for me in the last 3 years. now i know you have all read the runniversary stories (year 2 and 3) but this is a little different...

i run to...

*have days that start out like today

amazing run!

*enjoy a cupcake from time to time

its all about balance my friends :)

*share the joy of running

ive been lucky enough to be there for some new runners and their 1st steps all the way to their 1st race! if that doesnt renew your faith in running i dont know what will :)

*stay healthy

i know it sounds silly and like a no-brainer. but it has really kept me on track.

*get some bling

i mean really, the clothes and the bling is half the reason i run!

seriously, you thought i was joking ;)

*reconnect with old friends via social media

sometimes you lose touch you went to college or high school with. for some reason no matter how long its been since you last talked, running can be the best ice breaker!

*go from this...

summer 2006.

to this...

today.

*meet new people that push me to the next level

if i hadnt joined my runner group i would have never done a triathlon or gotten dangerously close to my new sub-2 hour goal!

*find myself

before this i dont think i realized how lost i really was. running has helped me figure out who i really am!

so heres to a great new year of running! may you all find the motivation you need to keep placing one foot in front of the other to reach that next mile :)

the may running recap.

total run mileage: 50.63 miles
highest weekly run mileage: 14.14 miles
# runs: 12
# rest days: 13

# xtraining workouts: 7

favorite run: the midnight 5k in st george! it was my friend tarmishas 1^st 5k and we had a blast driving up for the evening :)

finishers!

most hardcore run: my usual runner group route about a week and a half ago. it was the first run over 100* and i didn’t drink enough that day to be prepared. but i made it, as slow as it was, ha!

current reads: i finished 2 this month, that hasn’t happened in a really long time, dang grad school.

1.   last night at chateau marimont by lauren weisberger. i downloaded it while in england but didn’t get a chance to really dive in. i finally started and finished, really good! i love her books, such a good author!

2.   fifty shades of grey by e.l. james. yes, you read that correctly, i of all people read this book. with all the buzz and the rumor its turning into a movie i couldn’t resist any longer. i legit finished it in 3-days. i just had to know what happened.

current shame-inducing guilty pleasure: see #2 above! if you didn’t know i am a bit of a prude and was pretty much blushing the entire book. but seriously, good, put it on your list! and by that i mean the 2 that follow it as well, oops.

source

current obsession: planning. weird i know, i mean graduations, trips, events, days. i just have an odd need to plan things lately. i kind of feel like im planning so i can figure out when the down time is.

current drink: water and sangria hehe. it feels like forever since i could have a drink whenever i had a whim, so i had a glass or 2. delicious!

yum!

current song: i wont give up by jason mraz. love :)

current wish-list: new running clothes. it might be time to update my running wardrobe soon, i mean with all my magic money ;)

current need: to make some race decisions for the rest of the summer before nike. i had this great plan to be low-key and do a few 5ks and 10ks while kicking off a new training plan. but some habits die hard and i found myself trolling the ½ marathon race websites lately to find one before then. oh goodness im addicted.

current triumph: i am officially in my 7^th class for my grad school program! my finish date is january 5^th and i cannot wait to finish. im also finding it hard to believe that i am already 60% done!

current bane of my existence: the return of the summer heat, yuck. we are already under an excessive heat warning. yesterday morning on my way to work it 90* at 1030am, gross!

current goal: keep myself busy. we have some family things kicking into high gear and i need to keep moving so i don’t dwell. this week i have been doing great with it, heres to continuing!

current indulgence: well not at the moment, but this month i did overdue it a little bit with my diet. nothing crazy, but i had fast food more than i should have in a week. or that extra glass of tea sounds so much better than water. the 2^nd half of the month has been much better than the 1^st couple of weeks.

i went to san genarro fest with tiffany,
amazing.

oh yeah those are brownies and strawberries!

current excitement: nwm. it is quite far away i know, but i am already scoping out hotels, tours, sights, bay cruises:) i need something to look forward too! 

the may foodie penpal.

can you believe that today is the last day of may?? how did that happen? how is it officially summer? the first part of this year has flown by! may now also makes my 3rd month in the new foodie penpal adventure. it seriously is so fun if you dont already partake, please sign up. you never know, we might get matched up! heres the way it works if you havent heard...

*each month you are paired up with a new blogger or reader in a different part of the country.

*on the 5th of each month you will receive your penpal and have 48 hours to contact them.

*now who you send to will be sending to someone else, so it is almost a pay it forward thing!

*there is a $15 limit on the package you send and it is filled with all your favorite things. local favorites, healthy or splurge snacks. emails are exchanged to find out about dietary restrictions (diabetic, gluten-free, vegetarian, etc) and if there is anything you just plain dont like. it may be 1 large item or a few small items, up to the sender. and away you go!

*you must also include something written like a note or card or recipe, its up to you.

*by the 15th of the month you must drop it in the mail and at the end of the month everyone posts on the same day!

 

so onto the deliciousness of this month! i was graciously sent a box by willow and got to put together my own package for a reader named jo ann. ::side note. do you guys send your boxes through the post office?! i know lindsay always reminds us this is a good idea, but seriously it is soooo much easier, faster, and cheaper than going through a ups!:: i got that lovely orange slip in my mailbox on friday afternoon that meant i had a package and richard picked it up for me saturday morning so i had a fun box when i came home from work! there were lots of new things this month and a few that were a little outside my normal comfort zone. but i mean this is the whole point, finding new foods you may never try on your own. 

yum, yum!

i was super excited about the trail mix 1st thing. i have seen it everywhere recently and been wanting to try it. this one has a little cinnamon something in it along with cranberries, its delicious! the raspberry lemonade is yummy, very summery and perfect for this time of the year. i am always up for trying new bars which she included a couple. a new bar in a previous package has become my new favorite. the soy chips i actually passed on to a friend that loved them because im not really a bbq fan. but dont worry, they went to a good home:) willows hand written note explained everything and the last line was my favorite. "and, no box is complete without chocolate!" this was of course what i dug into 1st :) you never know when a wrapping talks about a certain amount of cocoa, but dang this one was/is super good! i am holding on to my last few pieces and am so glad im the only that eats chocolate at my house:) 

thank you willow and jo ann, who i got a very sweet email from thanking me so much for her package! the box was great and filled with lots of new things. if you havent signed up, head over to this page at the lean green bean blog and sign up for next month!

the post 3 1/2 marathons in a row and triathlon blues.

during the end of my triathlon training i was sooo looking forward to a training break. i had been non-stop since about july last year and was for sure ready to take it a little slower for awhile. when i found out i got into nike i was super excited and knew that i could have my break and still have plenty of time to be race ready. well that much anticipated break came and at first my body loved it. run when i wanted and however far i felt like that day at any pace, or rest when i felt like it. then it didnt really know what to do or react.

now what?

all the while everything else in my life really started to build up. work was getting really crazy and sometimes my job is just hard. my class at the time was getting to the final and it was completely overwhelming and really hard. i was also beginning to look at my life as i realized i had graduated exactly 5 years ago and what had i done. there were things i had accomplished i wouldnt trade for the world, but felt incredibly stuck in my current situation. while all this was building i was able to keep it under control for the most part until my brother came home that weekend. after he graciously took me being upset about him not being there or asking about my triathlon and our pure excitement about nike, he told the big reason he had come home, he was being deployed in about 45 days. at first i was ok, i asked a lot of questions and he answered as much as he could. it wasnt until we came back from running errands that day that it hit me, he was really leaving.

didnt we just get to do this?!

that was the straw that broke the camels back. that next week i was a mess. i couldnt focus, keep myself together at work, my runs werent the same, and i couldnt shake this terrible feeling. i broke down a few times, tried to go home from work, and not unload everything on my richard or my family as much as i could. when i couldnt get right after running and had a full breakdown in my bosses office 1 thursday i realized there was something bigger going on. we talked for awhile and i started thinking about post-partum depression. now i didnt think i was fully depressed plus i hadnt given birth. but i did start some research and found that it could be a very real possiblity. you have this buildup for an incredibly long time and then just like that, its over.


in the research it talked about this happening to runners and the best way to combat it was to line up your next something before you finished your current training. i realized i pretty much had always done this without knowing it. i did have nike, but it wasnt for 5 months and i knew that was too long to wait. the thing it didnt talk about was what to do when your actually in it or how to get out. it sounded like a "each runner has to find their way." what does that mean? i was looking for some direction here people! it seems that no one really talks about any of this. i decided i want to put myself out there so others can know that it really does happen to people.


now its been about 2 weeks since the culmination of everything and i am still trying to kick the end of this funk.  i also have been doing some research into another 1/2 before nike, which i know sounds a little nuts, but everything seems more balanced when i have a training plan and working toward something closer than 5 months from now. luckily when i pitched that idea to richard he hopped on board right away, knowing the same thing. i have been keeping very busy, as always, and still running of course, but i know inside i am not back to my whole normal self quite yet. i am signed up for a 5k with a friend doing her very 1st one this weekend and cant help but secretly hope this will be the final push i need to get back on track!

plus i get a date with this guy on sunday!
maybe that will help too :)

the 3 year runniversary

today is an important and fun day for me. it is the exact day, 3 years ago that i took my first steps running :) if you missed it last year here is the whole story! the short version is i had always put a 1/2 marathon on my bucket list but continued to think it wasnt the right time to train and actually do it. till i visited a very wise friend in nashville and he told me it was never going to be the perfect time, i would just need to do it. turned out to be good advice as i sit here 3 years later with a million things changed since receiving that fantastic advice.

not everything has been running related though. for example...

*i met richard which changed everything (for the best!). i learned what it was really like to have a supportive boyfriend that would wake up wayyy before any normal person to come with me to watch me run, i mean how awesome is that :) 

love :)

*i started a blog! i always loved writing and thought a blog would be so cool but had no idea what i would write about, until i moved in with a boy.

*i started my masters degree! something i never thought i would do, ever. its like running has made me reach for higher things :)

now the running stuff! in the last year i have grown as a runner like crazy and even switched my view on a few things. 

#5 the long beach marathon and half maradthon

long beach, california

october 9th, 2011

finished in 2:03:56!! after not getting into my dream race and my original one being cancelled i decided it was all a sign to get me back to long beach. this time it was just richard and i on our own adventure. my secret goal was to break 2:10:00 and i had no idea that the feeling of the course flying by was really happening until i crossed the finish line to find richard and hear the unbelievable news!! 

running and vacation :)

 #6 rock and roll vegas marathon and half marathon

las vegas, nevada

december 4th, 2011

 finished in 2:00:38!! i had no intentions of running this race so close to long beach, until i heard it was at night on the strip. just like that i had signed up and was doing the quickest turnaround ever. i crossed my fingers for a sub-2:00 and came so incredibly close. by now youve heard all the craziness with the race, the mass people, the water claims, and the changes that are coming for next year. if i had to rewind and do it all again...totally signing up:)

theres always a plan ;)

#7 tinkerbell inaugural half marathon

anaheim, ca

january 29th, 2012

 finished in 2:05:30!! this race was all about fun. it was the last one in my crazy 15 week schedule and i am so glad tinkerbell was last. they took us a different route than the disneyland half in september and being all-womens i got to start in corral a! that meant shorter lines at the characters and a finish time i didnt even fathom. plus i got to participate in my moms "last 1/2." thats what she tells me anyway ;)

no disney adventure is complete without mickey!

 #1 (and only) the rage triathlon

las vegas, nv

april 21st, 2012

 finished in 5:14:31!! i finished. that was all that mattered at the end of the day. it was the hardest thing i have ever done and i am glad i can cross it off the bucket list. and somehow it refocused my love for running. it made me realize this is my true sport and the thing i will always stick with. 

best support team ever!

this year i also remembered what it was like to have fun while running and it didnt have to be time goals or worrying about mileage all the time. its good to have a blast too!

the color run!
2/25 las vegas, nv

the warrior dash!
4/28 phoenix, az

 i cant wait to see where this next year will take me:) now its time to celebrate!