4th Marathon

This entry is just to get it down for posterity.  Warning: There will be whining.  It's nice to have 4 done.  I have already signed up for #5 (Ogden again with a few friends), but I'm very glad there are many months between now and then.  #4 really beat me up. 
Matt picked Jen up from the airport while I tried to finish up school with the kids after the Christmas Play practice.  I have never had such a hectic week coming up to a race.  There really was no time to stress about the run, which was kind of a nice change.  We drove up to Mesquite, got our numbers, checked into the hotel and drove around to try and find some food.  We should have gone for the safe choice of Quiznos, but wanted something a little more indulgent.  Sadly Jen's dinner disagreed with her and she was up from 2:45 am on.  I followed suit an hour and a half later.  We got up, ate, packed and checked out of the room by 5.  They wouldn't let us do late check out and we couldn't guarantee being back in time.  So we checked our bags at the desk and locked our wallets and phones in the glove box of the car.  Ride the bus up, wait for the start.  We had been watching the weather carefully.  The day was supposed to get nasty, but not until noonish.  We took off pants and sweatshirts and sent them back to the finish line on the bus.  We basically had shorts, tank tops and the nifty arm warmers made from men's socks. 
This is all the good stuff.  The weather was gorgeous.  We were feeling great.  The first 3-4 miles were in Utah.  They were downhill and we couldn't help starting fast, knowing it wasn't smart, but enjoying the moment.  Our first few miles were all well under an 8 minute pace.  (Paid for that later.)  Then the road leveled out and it started sprinkling.  That was the first warning sign.  The rain didn't ever really set in, but the wind came, took its place with a vengeance and didn't let up--for 3 days. 
It was the wind that did me in more than anything else.  I have run in wind before.  I have even had one run in worse wind, but it was only for 5 miles.  This was 4 hours.  ug.  Once Jen and I separated--I lagged behind--I tried to listen to my ipod, but it was hard to hear.  The wind knocked my visor off so I had to tighten it to headache tightness.  Whenever there was loose dirt or sand nearby, you felt like you were getting sandblasted with the grit stinging and digging into your skin.  Lovely.  And then there were hills. The elevation map just didn't do it justice.  Hard hills, plenty of hills.  And you finally enter Mesquite, not to run straight down the main street to the finish, but to to take all these stupid detours through random neighborhoods to add the last 6 miles.  Blah.  There were no spectators. All normal, sane people were staying indoors.  The poor sweet volunteers at the aid tables, dressed in parkas, hats and gloves, would call out "water or gaterade?" so they could quickly pour you a cup. Couldn't do it early or it would get blown away.  And I didn't realize until WAY too late (mile 21) that my marvelous arm socks were chaffing me something horrible.  I never left them on so long before.  I have the hugest nastiest patches under my arms that are still so raw and painful 4 days later. 

This race became an exercise in enduring to the end.  I have never wanted to quit something so badly.  You can never plan on the weather.  I know there have been plenty of worse races for others, this is just mine.  I hope not to top it.  I hope Ogden is gorgeous again this May.  I did finish in 4:4something, so it wasn't my slowest, but nowhere near fastest.  The medal is pretty cool.  I'm so glad Jen came and did it with me.  If I only had myself to drive back, I would have been even more tempted to climb into the back of a squad car and beg to be taken back.

Funny note of interest: on the race instructions for directing people driving themselves to the race it said, "On Highway 91, 3-4 miles into the Utah border.  Look for the painted rebar about 15 feet from the side of the road."  We literally started in the middle of nowhere.

Glad to be done.  My necklace that reminds me that I can do hard things has a new layer of meaning now.  

Swimming with the Lintons

It was a gorgeous, huge pool and we had it all to ourselves. Nippy air, but nice water.

Linton Visit

We had a fun visit from our "Germany friends", the Lintons.  Todd had to come to town for a conference up at Creech, so Chalon and the kids came along too.  We got to see them Monday afternoon, all day Tuesday and Wednesday morning.  Our kids were prepping last week, trying to do some extra school, so they could enjoy the visit guilt free.  (They probably felt no guilt over school either way, but it helped me!) It's amazing how it takes the kids about 15 seconds to warm up to each other even though we only see them once or twice a year.

There were swords, dress-ups, Wii, Settlers of Catan, Springs Preserve, air hockey, pretend, and swimming at their Marriot resort pool. 

 

Before the flash flood.  Certain socks never got dry that day thanks to more water play later.

 

Two spinning statues

 

Grinding corn

 

The rocks that are just TOO tempting not to climb on.

 

Waiting for our late lunch.

 

We finally tried the cafe and it was good.

Soccer SCORE!

 

The most awesome post game treat ever.  So glad we were assigned the first week of the season.  Can't compete with that.  

Go UFL?

We were leaving one of Isaac's football games and a guy comes up trying to give away tickets.  They were for that night's UFL game.  Our home team, the Las Vegas Locos (locomotives, not crazy people) vs the Sacramento Lions.  He had lots of tickets, but after calling a few families, and getting no interest, we just took 5.  We went home, got warmer clothes and drove down to the stadium at UNLV.  It was pretty fun.  There weren't tons of people there--kind of like going to the hockey games back in Matt's 3Com days.  Less enthusiastic crowd than college, but more skilled players.  It was low 70's/high 60's, but felt freezing when the sun went down.  Jess wanted to stay till the bitter end, but it started pouring rain at half time and we bailed.  We certainly never thought, when we woke up that morning, we would be at a semi-pro football game that night.  And we really really didn't worry about getting rained out of anything in Vegas. 

Weather Girls

Jessica is doing the weather unit in science right now. It's fun for both girls because Makenna remembers doing all the observations and measurements herself, and Jess remembers helping her. So now Jess is the boss and Makenna is the helper. In the picture, Makenna is holding the anamometer and thermometer and Jess is taking notes. Of course most of the days have been calm with not a cloud in the sky--not the most interesting for weather.

I kept thinking back to this day during my recent race, wishing I could trade days. Jess could have measured crazy wind (if it didn't break apart her device), identify at least 2 different cloud types and even have some rain to meausre. And Jen and I could have had a lovely clear day to run.

Fundraiser

Makenna and her friend were having a late over, but instead of watching a movie, they made a grand humanitarian plan.  They decorated the area around the piano with Christmas stuff, dressed themselves up and started taking pictures.  They want to glue the photos onto homemade Christmas cards (decorated by themselves) and sell them for 10 cents each.  Then they are going to buy groceries with all the money they make and take the food to a homeless shelter.  I have to admire their vision. 

 

Checking outfits.

 

Posing for the timer.

 

The lighting in this room at night is horrible, but they just couldn't wait.  They want me to start printing the pictures right away too!

Flight Show at Nellis

We went to Nellis Air Base on family day again this year to watch the flight show.  I didn't expect too much.  I mean, we just went last year and once you've seen the Thunderbirds in action, there's not much more, is there?  Wrong.  They were the finale again and were amazing again.  But the mind blowing part was watching the F-22 Raptor.  Wow.  My words will not do it justice and the still shots from the camera don't show it basically stopping in mid-air, turning and flying off in the other direction.  That thing's maneuverability defied my imagination.  Who was it that said truth is stranger than fiction?  We have over a hundred pictures.  Most of them are of Thunderbird formations.  I'm going to dump in some highlights and comment on a few.  Matt took most of the pictures.  His amazing timing paid off; they were fast!

 

F4, F22, F-86 and one other. . .  Aviation time warp.

 

It was a gorgeous, warm, fall day.

 

Their bellies.

 

Raptor turning on a dime.

 

Some guys Matt used to work with were out there with a couple Predators.  Under the blue tent (barely seen on the right) they had a screen set up showing a live feed from one flying 2-3 miles above us.  Isaac stood outside the canopy doing jumping jacks and we watched him on the screen.  Wow resolution.  

 

Jess in the cockpit.

 

Before take off.

 

Flew in WWII

 

I don't remember its name, but I thought the folding wings were crazy.

 

Makenna and Jess in a navigation chair (I think) This is in the belly of a big cargo plane.  

 

Once the Thunderbirds started flying this is how Jess looked.  She took more pictures than Matt and I put together.  Filled her memory card.  I need to pull the pictures off and look at them, but have to recharge the battery first. 

 

Memories for Matt.

 

Jess was busy taking pictures and had an "I'm lost!!" moment.  When she heard us yelling for her (over the noise of the jets), she ran over, grabbed onto Matt's neck and didn't let go for a long time.  

Better Off Dead?

I found these on iPhoto after the last time Isaac synched his camera.  I couldn't help thinking of the bathroom scene in Better Off Dead where the kid is sticking q-tips in his ears and nose.  I just thought the pictures were so funny--even better in zombie make-up.  Enjoy.