For the last few months, Russ has been training so hard for the Idaho Spudman triathlon. The Spudman is an olympic length triathlon (1 mile swim, 26 mile bike, 6.2 mile run). Russ definitely doesn't mess around... especially for this being his first triathlon! Usually Russ is the supportive spouse on the sidelines cheering me on during a race, but I had a blast being on the other side. Not only was it nice not feeling completely exhausted and like I kind of want to just lay down on the side of the road :), but I loved seeing Russ achieve something he has worked so hard on. And he did amazing! He is one speedy athlete.

Russ before the race with his awesome orange swim cap.

The Spudman is one of the most organized and well-planned race I have ever seen! And believe me, I've seen some pretty poorly organized events. It's a huge race with around 1,600 people, but everything was totally seamless. And I was so happy that I even got to catch Russ at every transition point. He always flashed his classic Russ-smile. 

We still don't know his official finish time -- the number below is not accurate as he was in the second wave. But either way, he did amazing. I keep asking him if he wants to another one now -- I still haven't gotten a definitive answer. :) 

 ... all I can say is that hopefully he is up for another one, because next time I want to be out there with him! He totally inspired me. I'm so proud of my triathlete!  

Provo City 1/2 Marathon

About 6 weeks ago Russ's cousin emailed me about the Provo City Half Marathon, saying she wouldn't be able to use her registration and she wanted me to run under her name. I had been running a bit more than usual, but definitely not half marathon training amount. But being the optimist I am, I responded with an enthusiastic "YES!" Gulp.

I think all forces were against me with training when I first dislocated my knee while working in the yard and had to take a week off for that to heal. And then I got the blister of all blisters on the bottom of my foot (I'm talking multiple blisters on top of each other... ouch), and had to lay off the running for that to heal. And then I went on vacation. Ha! So let's just say I had about 3 weeks of "real" training. As I expressed in this post, I was hoping just to finish. 

Continuing the documentation of my crazy weekend, I finally wrapped everything up with the baby shower at about 10:30 on Friday night (after going all day on little to no sleep as it was). I knew I needed to get to bed right away because my alarm would be waking me up at 4:15 am. SICK. I couldn't get to sleep, and I think the last time I saw the clock was 2 or 2:30. When the alarm rang to get to my race I felt terrible. I drove myself down to Provo anyway, and waited in line in the dark for the shuttle to the top of Provo Canyon, which luckily is one of my favorite places to run. 

When the gun finally blew at 7:15 all I kept thinking was "here goes nothing!" And you know what? It went. I finished my fifth half marathon! Definitely no PR for me, but I was happy just to finish. It always feels like such an achievement. (And thanks to Russ for running the last 3 miles with me... I may not have been able to keep going without him :)

I wore my Pro Compression socks for the first time during a race. I've loved them for recovery after long runs, but I've seen people running in them so I thought I'd give it a try. I did feel like my legs were a lot less sore and recovery time was much faster. I am a believer.

And one of the biggest highlights of the day came when I finally ran into my running hero, Hungry Runner Girl, who also ran the race. She is 6 months pregnant and finished in 1:39... amazing right?!? She's also one of the nicest people I've ever met. I felt a little bit like a stalker as I know more about her than a stranger should (thanks to her blog), but luckily we have some mutual friends so I wasn't totally creepy. I was so excited when I even made it onto her race re-cap post! 

In the end I'm glad I ran the race, although I would not recommend doing it on such little sleep (or training!) to anyone. I think your body likes rest. Just guessing.

Winter Running

Since we moved to Utah from Texas last year, this is my first winter in a while where I have had to get used to winter running. But luckily, I love it!! I love the feeling of the crisp, cold air against your face as your body is nice and warm (as long as you are dressed accordingly, of course :). I also love that I don't get hot when I run. It makes me feel like I can run so much longer... as long as I'm watching where I'm going and don't wipe out on some ice!

I got a few new running toys for Christmas. Other runners out there can understand how exciting running toys are. Russ gave me a heart rate monitor. I feel so official now! You wear a strap on your chest that accurately tracks your heart rate, which is displayed on a watch. So far it has really helped me to know when I can "step it up" if my heart rate just isn't as high as it could/should be while running. I probably should have taken a picture when I was actually running. According to the heart rate below, I am dead. 

{And yes... winter running means you layer up. 2 to 3 long sleeve shirts/fleeces, gloves, ear warmers, you name it!}

I also got a new pair of Nike Frees! I have a bad habit of running way too long on the same pair of running shoes. I was still running on my Nike Frees I got early last year (that I loved!). These have been my favorite running shoes to date. No blisters = happy Camille. As you can see I went with the bright orange and grey, cause why the heck not?

And finally, somehow I managed to convince this guy below to run with me. Ever since reading THIS POST, I'm a bit spooked to go running by myself outside. But ironically, I've never been a fan of a "running buddy." I've thought long and hard about this, and I think it's for a few reasons. 1) I hate feeling like I'm slowing someone down or they are slowing me down, and 2) I am not very good at being set to run at a certain time and place. For instance, I had full intentions of getting up and running yesterday before work, but as soon as I woke up I knew that was NOT going to happen. But sure enough, all I could think about at work all afternoon was going for a run. I've found, with myself at least, I enjoy running so much more when I don't force a run in just because it's scheduled. (Obviously sometimes I just have to go for that run when I have the window of time, but you get the gist).  

But in case you were wondering, Russ is a good guy to have by my side, even when running. :)

The Halloween Half Marathon

This weekend I ran another half marathon. It was the Provo Canyon Halloween Half, a very entertaining race where a large majority of the racers dress up in ridiculous costumes. Apparently I am the Halloween Grinch and had no motivation to dress up. LAME. I ran it with two of my favorite people -- LG and Natalie (my sister in law), who dressed up as the anime character Pikachu. Awesome, right?

The race started at Aspen Grove and took us down the scenic Provo canyon complete with fall leaves, the Provo river, a waterfall, and parks galore. It's always been one of my favorite routes.

My goal for this race was to get under 2 hours. The first 6 miles flew by and I felt great. I got a little tired around mile 7 or 8, but after popping a starbust in my mouth I was able to keep going strong. And then mile 11 came, and I wasn't sure what I felt anymore, but it wasn't great. I soon found out what it was at about half a mile from the finish line. The next thing I know I have throw up in my mouth. Uh, what?!? I swallow it back down (I know, gross) and keep running. Nope, it wasn't staying down. It came back up and this time I just bent over and threw up right in front of all those unassuming spectators cheering on their family and friends. In my head I'm thinking "Alright, this race isn't ending as planned, but I think I can still make my goal if I keep going." The last quarter mile I swallowed down vomit 2 more times as the finish line was in sight. Right as I crossed the line it all came out and I collapsed on the ground. I know, that sounds dramatic, but it just happened.

Russ was able to snap the photo below right before I crossed the line. I still have no clue why that happened, but I'm assuming it was me ignoring my body's screaming signals that were telling me to "STOP." I thought it was absolutely disgusting, uber-weak, and embarrassing (who wants to finish a race that way??), but everyone I tell the story to just exclaims "HARDCORE!" Ha! I guess I'll take that over uber-weaksauce.

So to sum up this crazy race, I am so happy that I made my goal with only seconds to spare. I crossed the line at 1:59:25. Achieving another PR is such a great feeling, throw up and all.

Recently

Hello again friends! It's been a while. Honestly, life has finally seemed to slow down a bit, but that doesn't mean I've been any better with blogging and taking pictures. My apologies, here's a few things we have been up to recently:

// Bringing some of my pins to life. We've all seen the overpriced metal letters at Anthropologie. I liked the look, but didn't want to fork out the money. I saw this tutorial on Pinterest and made these letters for just a few bucks. I'm still not positive where I will hang them (as is the case with the majority of my house right now), so for now they are just resting on the counter. It never hurts to have another reminder to EAT, right? :)

// Finishing the sprinklers and spreading our hydroseed! This means a few things -- first off, our grass is growing, and second, we are done working outside for the year! We now literally just sit back and pray the grass comes in. Russ stands on our porch multiple times a day to watch the fruits of his labors grow.

// Enjoying our new patio! We decided to put this patio in last minute, and we are so glad we did. Now all we need is a sweet outdoor table set. Sigh. One thing at a time.

// Rockin' out to new tunes, and in particular Coldplay's new album Mylo Xyloto. You better believe that Best Buy was the first place I went after work yesterday. I was smiling ear to ear the whole drive home. You guys, this album is amazing. Every Coldplay album is a new experience, and this one is full of energetic beats and catchy melodies. I foresee many of these songs being new favorites on the ol' running mix.

// Which brings me to my next point. I've been having lots of quality time with just me and the road as I've been training and preparing for yet another 1/2 marathon. The big day is this Saturday, and I'm just hoping for the best. My training started out great, but as the race has been getting closer my runs have been getting worse and worse. One word: FRUSTRATING. I did a 12 miler last week and just about died. Sigh. I sincerely believe running is just as much mental as it is physical, so I'm still feeling optimistic and am hoping for the best. :)

Dirty Dashin'

Last weekend I was dirtier than I've ever been in my whole life. I'm talking literally dirty, as in I was finding dirt in places I didn't know dirt could go. But it was so. worth. it. My extended McLaws family (dad's side) had a little reunion this weekend, and keeping with McLaws tradition, it was not your run-in-the-mill reunion. When was the last time you got dunked in a pool of mud by your aunt?

My cousin Megan's purple wig looks all clean and shiny in this picture, but I assure you, she was covered in mud in about 3.2 seconds after this was taken. This is the last "mud pool" before the finish line. I'm in the front row second from the right... that shirt I'm wearing was white at the beginning.

We all registered for the Dirty Dash a while back, all being as unsure of what to expect as the next person. This race was a blast, and probably the most "easy going" race I've ever participated in. By "easy going" I don't mean it was easy, because it wasn't, I mean it was NOT competitive, NOT serious in the least, and I was the LEAST anxious I've ever been for a race.

The reason we all look relatively "cleaner" in this picture is because it was mid-race. I don't know why being muddy makes us feel like we have to flex our muscles?

Before the race started you heard a man yelling these sort of phrases over the microphone:

"For those of you stretching at the starting line, yeah, I'm going to make fun of you"
"If you ask me what your time was when you cross the finish line you are stupid"
"Water is overrated. Go drink some chocolate milk and eat donuts!"
"If you are keeping track of your mile splits, you are dumb"

I'm totally serious. I loved it. It was a 10K (6.2 miles) of hills, obstacles courses, and yes, MUD. With that said, I truly think anyone -- a runner or not -- could do this race. Next time, and there will be a next time, I will make sure to dress up and wear the nastiest shoes I can find, because the thought of keeping the shoes you wore in this race is out of the question. You can watch this video for a good idea of what the Dirty Dash really means:


* Both photos taken by my wonderful Grandpa Bob. Thanks Grandpa!

We Did It!!

I am so happy to say that Half-Marathon #3 is over and done with!

Natalie, me, and Marcella (from left to right) literally cheering for joy  

This was such a great weekend. I loved spending time with my husband and our family. I loved creating new memories. I loved pushing myself to the limit. And most of all, I loved accomplishing another goal.

At the beginning of the year I had made a goal to run another half marathon, and by golly, I did it! I started my training in Texas, and quite honestly, was feeling great about my progress. I felt faster and stronger than I have ever felt in my life. And then we moved to Utah, and added about 4,000 feet to the elevation. Ouch! Talk about feeling like wheezy McGee! Just about the point where I felt like my lungs were no longer burning during every run, it was time for the big event. We drove the 3 hours north to Bear Lake, adding another 1,000 feet to the elevation. Let me just say this race was HARD. Then again, I'm not sure when running 13.1 miles will ever be easy. That will be a good day. Long story short, I didn't quite hit my "goal time." But considering the circumstances, I feel I did really well. I knocked about 5 minutes off of my last half marathon time, which in and of itself, is something to be happy about.

I am also extremely proud of my two sister in-laws. We all accomplished something that we each struggled in our own individual ways to achieve. I am especially impressed with Marcella, a mother of 3 kids (her youngest is 6 months), and before yesterday had never run longer than 6 miles. But she did it, and even crossed the finish line with a smile. 

Each time I finish a race I think "What next?" Now that we are in Utah where there are multiple half or full marathons almost every weekend, I hope to run another by the end of the summer. Committing this goal to the blog-o-sphere will make it hard to back out. :)

And that my friends, is why runners are insane. We finish one painful experience (I mean literally painful -- it hurts to walk today), and think "when can I do this again?"

PS. Thanks for waving at the camera, Nat. Practicing for Miss Utah??

On Running

The 1/2 Marathon I signed up for a few months ago is just 6 short Saturdays away! Wowzers! It's amazing how fast those races creep up on you. I've been trying to up my mileage lately in order to be prepared for 1/2 marathon numero tres. Texas blessed us with a cool and crisp morning today which I used to its full advantage as I got another long run in. It was one of those runs that reminded me how much I love running.

I haven't always loved running, believe you me. In fact I used to hate it. But in college I found it to be the best and fastest way to get a burn. My sister convinced me to do the Moab 1/2 Marathon with her in March 2009, and I haven't looked back since. There really is something to be said about the "runners high." Not every run is amazing, however. In fact, some, and perhaps most, are just down right hard and sometimes painful.  But somehow you still get back out there to try again.

But it's those blessed runs that come every so often that make you truly love the sport. Maybe it was my favorite shorts or my awesome neon yellow shirt given to me for my birthday by my running friend/hero, Andrea, or maybe it was just luck. But today was one of those blessed days. It's the runs like today where I went out for a 9 mile run, but ended up running 10.5 miles, just because I could.  It's the runs where I dance a little bit while running when a good song comes on, or when my mind stops thinking and just let's me be. It's the runs where I feel strong, confident, and accomplished.

Whatever it is, I'm just so grateful for running. I love that every running achievement is a personal one, and no matter how far a run is--whether it's 1 mile or 10.5 miles, you never regret that you did it.

A Ruffled Wreath... and more!

I made yet another wreath. Well, I guess you can say its just a revised edition of a wreath I made a few months ago. Remember this wreath? Remember how I only pinned the rosettes in so I could modify if need be? Best. Idea. Ever. Now picture me sitting on my couch on a Friday night, needing something to occupy my time besides eating homemade cookies, and finding some scrap fabric needing a home. This is the scenario that led to this new wreath.

Ruffles make me happy. And obviously so do homemade wreaths.

If I were you, at this point I'd be thinking "geez Camille, you need to get out more!!" Don't worry. I tried making this weekend a productive yet enjoyable one, by doing the following:

I ran for a cause! I ran in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, along with about 28,000 other people. It was quite an amazing sight. I ran in honor of my amazing Grandma Joyce, who is a survivor of breast cancer. She's sure a fighter, and I am so grateful for her example and the privilege I have to be her granddaughter.

I spent a few hours at the pool. Ahhh yeah. Russ told me he woke up to 2 inches of snow in Utah this morning. Yikes. I may die when I move there in a few weeks. So I figured I may as well try and soak in the sun while I still have it.

I watched Elizabethtown while doing 3 loads of laundry (how does 1 person have so many loads??). Do you guys remember that movie? I had never seen it. It was quirky, yet surprisingly charming with an awesome soundtrack. With tunes from Elton John, Ryan Adams, Lynyrd Skynyrd and others you can't go wrong.

Now I need to go do those dishes that for some reason won't clean themselves. See? I've got a life!

Saturday Morning Diversions

It's a Saturday morning and I just got to work. Being here is not really what the doctor ordered after a really looooong, exhausting, and honestly, down-right stressful week. I feel like I'm on the verge of getting sick, and to top it off, Russ and I both woke up this morning at 4:30 restless and unable to sleep. Perfect.

Obviously the mere fact I am blogging and not working on taxes shows how I'm not quite ready to crack down and get to work. So why not dream of pretty things I can wear? I saw on this blog how Talbots has come out with their spring line. I've always known Talbots had nice stuff, but didn't think it was necessarily my cup of tea. That is, until I was drooling over much of their new line, especially these skirts:

Umm, yes please. I'm totally digging all of these looks. My birthday is coming up and all... hint hint. :)

In other news, I am now a step closer to achieving one of my New-Year's Resolutions by signing up for this:

In case you can't see it, I signed up for the Bear Lake Half Marathon in June. I'm trying to run at least one half marathon a year (see here and here) just for an extra ounce of motivation to stay in shape. My sister-in-law recruited a group of us girls to all run it together. She even promised we could go to McDonald's afterward. That was really what convinced me. ;) And plus, I figured the first step to achieving one of your goals is merely committing to it. I've paid, and being the cheap-wad I am, I now have to do it.  Well watch out, cause half marathon #3 is about to get OWNED!

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A

As of last week we are now proud members of a GYM! Ok, I know, so is every other person out there. But joining the YMCA is a big deal to me, for a few reasons:

1) We tried to get by at our apartment complex by using that facility for the last year. Ever since the majority of the equipment broke down and was never repaired, the whole complex was sharing ONE TREADMILL. Yeah, kind of ridiculous and frustrating, especially for one who primarily runs to exercise. Running outside? Not possible in Texas during the summertime.

2) It was FREE! Thank you to my office and the corporate wellness program. I love free memberships.

3) It has all sorts of perks -- rock climbing wall, outdoor pool, yoga! (oh, how I have missed yoga), and friends who are fellow members

4) It is literally 3 minutes from our house.

Now reading over this list, I realize I have no more excuses. Oh wait, no more excuses? Shucks.

THE RUNDOWN.

WOW.

Wow wow wow.

Now this was one heck of a whirlwind weekend. It was non-stop from the moment I said peace out to my office until 1:30 am Sunday night when we finally arrived back to our apartment

But so good.

A special thanks to all those who helped make this birthday weekend one of the best yet! I really felt so loved and cared for, and that is all that matters. It would be hard to say that this was the best birthday, because last year this happened:

... but dang, it was still amazing. Pretty crazy to think of all that has happened in a year. Well here's a quick rundown of this epic weekend:

FRIDAY:
How can this day not be fabulous when you start it off with an amazing strawberry french toast breakfast made especially by Randal and Argelia? Well that's what happened. And I have fabulous in-laws. Later we met up with MY mom who flew down from Washington for the weekend (definitely not a coincidence). We had lunch, caught up on life, shopped, you know, everything you should do with your mom. Oh yeah, and we picked up our race packets!

I think I'm beginning to see why people say "like mother like daughter"

We finished the day off with an amazing dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Perfect fuel for the big race.

SATURDAY:

After sleeping approximately 2 hours Friday night (definitely NOT on purpose), us three girls suited up, tied our running shoes nice and tight, and headed to the starting line. Honestly, I had no clue how this race was going to go with fighting training injuries, limited time to train, an extreme change of altitude (trained at about 900 ft above sea level, raced at about 4,300), lack of sleep, etc. To my astonishment, I beat my previous 1/2 marathon time by 9 minutes! I also came in 2 minutes faster than my "goal time." So I was happy. My feet weren't so happy, but I was happy. 

I must also give a shout out to my amazing sister and mother. Brittney dominated yet another race and my mom proved how amazingly in shape she really is! I feel so lucky to be able to accomplish such a huge goal with my family. We have definitely bonded on a whole different level.

The three McLaws girls. 

I must also publicly thank Russell and Stuart for having a tray with three large Diet Cokes waiting for us at the finish line. 

You don't even know how much that meant.

We most definitely cannot forget to mention Russell's awesome accomplishment. 

HE BIKED A MARATHON!!! 

He had a blast in this race. I think I see road biking in our future....

I apologize for this picture. But Russell said people are drawn to disturbing things, so here you are. I really wasn't exaggerating when I say I get reeeeally bad blisters.

Ok moving on. The rest of my birthday consisted of a fabulous refueling lunch, watching a Fictionist concert on the grass under the sun, saying goodbye to my Mom, visiting friends, and more.

I feel spring coming on! Hallelujah.

Isn't she cute? I think so.

Natalie works at this dangerously delicious cookie shop in Salt Lake City called My Dough Girl. I'm still thinking about these cookies. And also about how cute Natalie is at all times.

So then Russ outdid himself once again and planned a surprise party for me at one of my favorite places to eat in Provo, Costa Vida. We then headed to Brittney's for an evening of fabulous treats and fun. It was so fun to see a bunch of our friends from Provo. We miss these people so much, and hate that we see them so little. But at the same time, I feel so blessed to have such amazing friends. What more could you want?

Emily and Erin. The fantastic trio of Enclave 303. Wow that was a fun apartment. And double wow... I miss them like crazy.

Thanks again to everyone who stopped by. Perfect end to the perfect day.

SUNDAY:

Dinner with the Lewis's!!! Always a party. Argelia made yet another fantastic meal with fantastic carrot cake. 

 I was just a little excited about the Anthropologie gift card from the Lewis's, as you can see. And as always, little Lucy is such a great helper.

So then we left. All good things must come to an end. Such is life. After a loooooooooooong flight home, we finally show up to our little apartment at an obscene hour for how early we knew we had to wake up. Considering I was half asleep, you can imagine my confusion and utter surprise when I open the door to find this in our living room:

Let me explain. For the last month Russell has been helping his friend build a pie chest for Melissa, his wife, on Saturday afternoons while I would be taxing away. He also was working pretty late at work for it not being busy season. Or so I thought. He was really in Matt's garage building this -- an ingeniously designed desk where I can store my sewing machine, craft supplies, and more. That whole left side of the table collapses down to conserve space when not in use. He built this!!! For ME! Wow, I love him a lot. We are now just trying to decide what color to paint this perfect little craft desk of mine.

Lessons we have learned with this story? Russell is incredibly thoughtful and creative, and I am really gullible and easy to deceive. Apparently a whole slew of our family and friends were in on this secret, or at least knew about it. Thanks to all of you who helped Russell accomplish this little surprise and helped keep it a secret. 

It really was a perfect day.

The end.

Let's make a play list.

Ok you guys, I just worked my last Saturday and am on the home stretch, for a lot of things. Busy season... vacation... race... etc. So now I need your help:

I am in the midst of building the ultimate race play list. Any awesome running/exercise songs I need to know about? What song(s) pumps you up???

Limited

As some of you know, I have been training for my second half-marathon that's quickly approaching (about 6 weeks away). It will be my post tax-season "celebration" and "happy birthday me" event, as I run the Salt Lake City race on April 17th. I wanted to push myself to stay in shape during this busy season, when it is oh-so-easy to put such activities aside.

I wanted to set a goal and reach it.

Then why, why, WHY am I limited?

Training this time around was going awesome. I felt stronger and faster than before. However, lately I have been having some extreme pain in my leg -- I think it's an injury that stems from my knee (no surprise), and is affecting my hip flexor. I had to quit my long run on Saturday at 2 miles, when I was supposed to have run 9. aaaaargh.

There really is no point to this post, besides letting off some steam. I know I have some awesome friends out there who are amazing runners, so if you have any advice or experience with these kind of injuries, I'd love your help. Until then I will continue to send healing vibes to my hip flexor. Your vibes would be great, too.

Do you Pojo?

While living in Provo I loved going to Liz Jones' yoga and pilates classes at 24 Hour Fitness. They were fun, she played awesome music, and her classes always, always kicked my butt. I have really missed attending those classes here in Texas, so when I found that Liz had her own company I was quite thrilled! It's called Pojo Fitness. Liz is pictured on the right, and her co-founder, Allison, is on the left. I got the "Full Body Pilates" DVD for Christmas, and tried it out last night. All I can say is "ouch."

The best part of the experience, however, was having Russell do it with me. I don't think he was too thrilled about doing pilates, but I think my taunting him by saying he would probably even think it's hard gave him enough reason to prove his manliness. He even admitted it was hard, and that he was working out muscles he didn't know he had. I realized how many "awesome husband" points he deserves when Liz calls out "come on girls! Reshape those booties!" He rolled his eyes a few times, but happily completed the DVD with me. I'm feelin' it today, but feeling sore is such a good feeling. Here's to Pojo!!

The Green Drink

I made this the other day, and was surprised when I liked it. A great way to start my day!

1 cup orange juice

1 apple, sliced

1 banana, sliced

tons of spinach

1/2 to 1 cup of ice

pour orange juice into blender, add apple and banana. stuff as much spinach as you can into the blender. blend. add ice, and blend a bit more. voila, green drink. you can always add pineapple or peaches, however berries not so much.

Give it a try -- you might just surprise yourself.
picture and recipe found HERE