M Court Update

Okay Adina asked for it and I don’t have the energy to leave the computer so here is a super brief update:

Like everyone else our summer was busy but fun, wished it had been a few months longer. Took a fabulous trip to Utah to finish it off, drove 11 hours on Labor Day to arrive in time for school to start. We have been very busy in our house with painting all of the rooms and some furniture and trying to decorate. Outside we dug up the grass all along our fence, had a truck load of dirt delivered and then planted a bunch of trees. They are small but they will grow. It's been a ton of work but we like the result.

Tom:
** Did a sprint triathlon, a half iron man triathlon and an olympic triathlon this summer along with running in three different relays and two Oyster races. Yes, he’s a machine.
** Started a third job, he is now the emergency dentist for Williamette on Mill Plain on Tuesdays from 7-6. He continues to work in Long View on Mondays, being gone from 6:30-6 and has committed a year to both jobs.
** Loves Discovery Dental and hopes it just continues to pick up business.
** Stays very busy as the Ward Mission leader

Tracey:
** Loved that it was light out in the morning when I would run early in the summer. I miss it already and it just started getting dark.
** Swam in the Columbia River every week training for the Olympic Triathlon at the beginning of September. Very hard race but fun...I think you could call it fun.
** Loves new calling in Young Women’s working with the Mia Maids. Awesome girls and leaders I get to hang out with!
** Has been nursing a knee injury all summer, hoping it holds up for the marathon in 3 weeks.
** Has all three kids at school this is and is hoping that the promised free time will come eventually!!

Hayden:
** Loves 5th grade and not being new this year. Loves getting to sit in the back of the bus rides it every day even though I can’t get his sisters on it.
** Joined the band and is playing clarinet like Morgan
** Is playing fall ball baseball in hopes of getting his skills better so he will be ready for spring ball. He would still rather stay home on the couch but he is learning to tolerate it and is improving. At one of the games he got three hits and scored all three times!
** Got the scores back from last years standardized testing and he rocked it. It’s always nice to have that affirmation that he is in the right grade since it makes lots of other situations awkward!

Danica:
** Has really gotten into listening to music and can often be found just sitting around with her ipod.
** Has been slow to warm up to first grade, it’s hard that it’s all day everyday, she just misses me too much but it’s getting better.
** Is thriving at gymnastics and is at the top of her class. She’s content to just stay with one day a week but if she decides to add on another day I am sure she would be ready to join the team. I’m letting her decide.

Alyssa:
** Turned 5 in August and we had a carnival party with all her friends.
** She started kindergarten and is doing well. The novelty is wearing off a bit and she’s getting hesitant to go to school but she is always happy when she is there and is learning a lot. She’s much younger than Hayden and Danica were when they started school so she is really learning at school which is nice.
** She also started gymnastics, a class at the same time as Danica in order to simplify my life. She LOVES it and they make her really listen and follow directions so I love it.
** She is the highlight of my day and I’m not sure I will be able to handle letting her go to school all day everyday next year...just going half the time is perfect. I wish Danica could do that to. But alas... summer will come again....

Aluminum Man Olympic Triathlon

Last year I was the photographer for Tom, Adina and Peter as they competed in the Aluminum Man Sprint Triathlon in The Dalles. They were amazing and I remember watching them thinking that there was no way I could do it. Well, this year something possessed me to try. I did a sprint triathlon at Blue Lake in June and it was tough but doable. So for extra challenge we decided to sign up for the Olympic Distance in the Dalles. I really tried to train amid all the chaos of summer. I got up really early to fit in a 22 mile bike ride every week, my friend and I went to the river to swim every Wednesday, I kept on my running... but I’m not sure it was enough to really prepare for an Olympic Triathlon. It’s kind of like running 26 miles over the coarse of a week and thinking that makes you ready for a marathon.... it doesn’t. But we worked hard, we persisted and in the end we succeeded. Although we felt like it was way too hard we did okay. Tom ended up 4th in his age division and I was second. It was a small race so that’s not saying much but it’s something. The three hours it took to complete the event gave me plenty of time to talk to myself...here are some of things going through my head during each event: (Tom says this is way too long and will be painful for others to read so read at your own risk...I wrote it mostly so I could remember it!)
The Swim:
Well I was hoping to do it under 30 minutes so I at least met that goal, finishing in 25 minutes which is the speed (or lack of speed) I was finishing in during my training swims. I went in telling myself it would be okay that I would be last because I knew I would be but it was still hard to handle when it was happening! I had an anxiety attack around the first buoy thinking I wouldn't be able to do it and my heart started racing and I couldn’t breath but I did the back stroke for a bit and calmed down and managed to find a rhythm and caught up quite a bit finishing just a few minutes behind everyone else. Not dead last but close... but I did finish...through out the swim I tried to distract myself from the fact that I was out there all alone, with nothing to look at but grey water and nothing to listen to except my breathing so I was trying to think of what color to paint the kitchen. Not exactly the kind of thinking to motivate me to go faster but it did keep my heart from racing. I was so happy to be done but dismayed by how far behind I was! I tried to hurry through my transition but I was all out of sorts from the swim and I can see my transition time online and it wasn’t great. Oh well, I managed to get out on my bike determined to do my best and hopefully catch up to the other women!
The Bike:
As I had come up from the swim I saw my friend Chelsea leaving on her bike and wished her well. I saw one other lady in the transition area but as I mounted my bike I was all alone and stayed alone most of the ride. I tried to tell myself to just enjoy it and not stress but I couldn’t help it. I was pushing it as hard as I could with every pedal telling myself that I could rest all I wanted when I got home that night but right then I had to give it my all! It felt like a really long ride and there were plenty of hills but I did enjoy the ride, I liked the scenery, talked to the few people I saw and got chased by a dog. I passed a couple people and finally at 22 miles I caught up with my friend and was excited to ride with her for a bit after being so lonely. I thought it would be finished at 24 miles so I pushed it hard. I finished with a decent pace around 17 mph, that's pretty good considering I usually average closer to 15. I just kept telling myself to give it my all instead of saving something for the run. I figured I would worry about that part when I got to the run! I was dismayed when the course just kept going and going and we didn’t actually finish until closer to 29 miles!! But I hopped off the bike, exhausted and still so far behind but determined to do what I do best: run.
The Run:
It was very hot and there was no shade but I kept telling myself "you're a runner, you can do this!" Every step took a lot of effort because my legs were so tired from the bike but I managed to convince them to keep going. My Garmin wouldn't turn on so I didn't know my pace or distance but that was probably a blessing since I was just focused on not stopping. I powered past the 1.5 mile water station and turn around for the sprint runners really wishing I was turning around too! But I had been looking for Tom so I was I was motivated to keep going. Not long after that I saw him and I threw my arms in the air in excitement! Here we were, we were actually doing it! He was on his way back and I was terribly jealous wishing I could turn around and run with him. But instead I was happily surprised when he stopped just long enough to give me a fantastic sweaty hug! We wished each other well and pushed ahead in our separate directions.
The next 1.5 miles was the longest of my life. At one point I rounded a corner sure I would see the turn around and when I could see far off in the distance and there was no turn around I let out an audible cry of dismay! Honestly it was one of the hardest things I've done, I wanted to quit so badly. But I made it to the turn around and got some water. Then I headed back... I was so hot, so tired and my wet shorts were really uncomfortable but I just kept telling myself that if I would just get to the end I would be done. I kept making little deals with myself like “just run to the end of this song and then you can walk for the time in between songs.” But the song would end and I would somehow manage to keep going without stopping to walk and I would make a new deal with myself which I would inevitably not keep...I did stop for water at that 4.5 mark and then just kept making deals with myself to convince myself to run all the way back. I was more tired than I was after the marathon I ran. I didn’t know my pace at the time, but it turns out I averaged 7:27. Not bad considering my speed has gone down since my knee injury. Definitely not bad considering how exhausted I was. I'm happy I finished it. Glad I challenged myself and now I know I need to train harder in the future if I ever plan to do it again.

Speaking of doing it again...I decided I definitely won’t do it again until I take some formal swimming training so I can use less energy and hopefully go faster. I would also really like a bike that fits me better so I’m not as uncomfortable but that is a long way down the road so I’ll probably just have to put up with what I have. For now, I’ll stick to being a runner... I’ve got a marathon in a month so I better get training! Here are the results: http://www.racecenter.com/results/2012/res_am12.htm#25

Winning the Half Marathon!

One of the most exciting things that happened for me this past spring is that I was able to be a part of this amazing organization called First Descents and I ran the Hippie Chick Half Marathon on their behalf and won the race! The two things go together but are great in their own ways so I'll discuss the details seperately. First I'll tell you about the race. After the marathon I ran last October I decided I wanted to give myself a big physical challenge. One that would be hard but attainable. I was trying to train to tackle a triathlon but wanted to run faster. So I got the book "Run Less, Run Faster" from Runners World and set the goal to run a half marathon in a 7 minute pace. That's a finish time of just over 1:30. I knew it would be tough and it was, many early mornings in the dark and the rain out there running my intervals faster or pushing through a tempo run. I also had to keep up on the cross training of swimming and biking. It was a lot but it was working and I was getting faster. As the race approached I was running my long runs in just under 7 minute paces and I knew I could do it! What I didn't expect was to be the fastest runner at the race! I started the race with the front pack and just stayed up with them. After the first mile I was one of the front runners and knew I needed to go even faster to meet my goal. I kept watching for someone to pull ahead but no one did and as I approached the 2nd mile I made the decision to just take the lead and run what I had trained for. I was nervous wondering what made me think I should be the lead runner but none the less I just tailed the lead bike and monitored my pace as the miles flowed behind me. At about half way there was a turn around point that led you back the way you had come for about a mile before taking you down a different path. It was really exciting at this point because as I turned around and ran back I got to see my friends who were also running the race and all the other women who were so excited with the race. Women are awesome and so supportive and we all just yelled encouraging words at each other. I felt like a real celebrity as I passed them. By the time I turned off down the road alone again I was well over half way and knew that if I could just keep it up I would not only make my goal but maybe win the race. I didn't know how far back the next runner was and the closer I got to the end more I got nervous someone would blast past me right at the finish so I pushed on even harder. It was getting pretty hot by this point and I just kept reminding myself that it was nothing compared to all the running in Okinawa and I couldn't let it affect me. The last three miles were tough because by then I had met up with the 10K run/walkers so they were merrily walking along on the right while I had to push past on the left. They were great and encouraging but I felt like I was pushing so hard and going so fast compared to their happy walk that I was dismayed to look down and see my pace at times and know I had to step it up! Luckily, I was able to get back on pace and the adrenaline of wanting to meet my goal and win took over and I powered through to the finish!! It was pretty exciting. Tom, my parents and other family members were there at the finish line. My mom said she felt pretty special when the guy next to her said "Wow, she's amazing" and my mom got to say "Yeah, that's my daughter." :) After winning they grabbed me for a quick interview with the microphone and I was too overwhelmed to really think of what to say. I'm sure I sounded pretty lame mumbling something about the beautiful course. My running friends! The finish line! (You can see some 10K run/walkers behind me) You can see the race results here: http://www.racecenter.com/results/2012/res_p712.htm All around a great race, I felt great and did exactly what I had trained so hard to do. But the success didn't stop there. I entered the race on behalf of the organization First Descents. It helps young adult cancer survivors by giving them a chance to go out and face a fear or challenge other than cancer. They take them kayaking or rock climbing or even surfing. It’s an incredible week for the participants. I understand the need to push yourself physically and the strength that comes from it. It’s free for the participants and in order to do this they need to raise money and get people involved. Entering the race on their behalf meant that I pledged to raise a certain amount of money and then wear a First Descents shirt and represent them at the race to try to raise awareness of what they do. I was able to talk about them the friends on Facebook and through email. I wanted to get involved because First Descents has been a powerful influence in the life of our good friend Shanda. When they gave out the awards after the race I was able to take a few minutes at the microphone to tell everyone about First Descents and encourage their involvement. It was exciting! I'm so glad I got a chance to help support that is so valuable and life changing for those involved! I look forward to doing more. I was featured as the Athlete of the Week on First Descents web page. You can read more about First Descents and my experience and why I got involved by reading this entry from their website: http://teamfd.firstdescents.org/2012/fd/hippiechickhalf/stinchfield/ If you're looking for an amazing worthwhile cause to support you've found it!! Check out their website, watch their videos and read about what they do and then figure out who you can involved!!

The Stride

Back in May the whole family participated in an annual 5K race and kids fun run to raise money for the school district. Discovery Dental (Tom's brother's clinic) is the title sponsor for the event so the whole family comes out to support it. We were excited to be a part of it this year and the kids had a blast participating in their different age group races. They were in training for a few weeks leading up to the race and it paid off. Hayden and Danica both enjoyed the runs and finished near the top of their grade levels. Danica said she got a cramp while running but just kept going anyway! That's my girl!! My running buddy Teresa and I ran it together and crossed the finish line as the first two women. Tom and Dave did a little contest with the community saying that anyone that could beat them both at the race would get movie tickets. Tom tried to slow down a bit but still only managed to let a handful of people beat him. All around a fun morning! Each group got to stretch and warm up...Danica's so flexible! She loves her medal! 4th grade cousins! I got to run with Alyssa!

The Epic Relay

On June 14-15 we took the challenge and participated in the Epic Relay. It started in Beaverton OR, and ended in Eugene OR. It was 187 miles, 12 runners, two vans, 3 groupies (that would be Kenn and Barb and baby Brie), and a total blast. It's fun to be part of an extended that can not only tolerate each other enough to spend 30+ hours living together in a van but we actually enjoy it! There is a video contest so Adina put this together with stuff Dave shot using his awesome GoPro camera. It's amazing. It's only 5 minutes long and worth watching!!

Blue Lake Triathlon

My blog is dying and I need to revive it so here is my plan... lots of short blogs whenever I want instead of these long things that take me all night to write... so here's the first one (that actually turned out to take me half the night to write...) Last Saturday Tom and I did a Sprint Triathlon. It was my first one and his second. I watched him do a Sprint Triathlon last September and he was so awesome and did a great job. I felt certain I would drown if I ever tried one because I didn't know how to swim. However, his enthusiasm got the better of me and I decided I needed to learn to swim. Taking lessons wasn't in the budget but we managed a membership to a gym with a pool and I started to teach myself...most days I came home ready to qive up because I could barely manage the 25 meters across the pool. However, Tom wouldn't let me quit and finally it started to click and I was able to swim longer and longer distances. So this event last Saturday was a long time in the making and I really glad to have it behind me!! The swim, 800 meters, looked impossibly long as they pointed out all the buoys, it felt like it took forever and I was getting passed by all the swimmers who started after me, but I survived it and it turns out my time on the swim wasn't actually that bad!! The transition to the bike took a long time and I was still just amazed I survived the swim but being on the bike felt great. It was a nice flat ride, 12 miles. Then I hopped off the bike, switch my shoes and took off running. At this point I still thought I had failed the swim so I just kept telling myself I had to prove to myself that I deserved to be there and needed to ace the run. It was a cold morning and my toes were completely numb after the swim and bike so it felt very weird running for the first mile but eventually they warmed up and I was able to do a solid fast run. Tom can tell his own story but I know just from talking to him that he felt great and performed well every step of the way. He is definitely ready to step it up and gets the chance to in a few weeks when he does a half iron man!! Here are our results: Tracey https://www.athletepath.com/blue-lake-triathlon/2012-06-09/sprint-triathlon/a/traceystinch Tom https://www.athletepath.com/blue-lake-triathlon/2012-06-09/sprint-triathlon/a/650398

On March 8th, my amazing Grandma Edith Rowan passed away at the age of 92. We knew it was coming and we knew she was ready and are thankful that she can be reunited with her loved ones and is happy once again. I was very thankful for the fact that I am here in the states and got the call on Thursday morning that she had passed away and got in the car on Friday morning to drive to Utah. I took the kids and we enjoyed a beautiful weekend remembering her life and being with loved ones. I was blessed to give the eulogy at her funeral. If you have a moment you can read it here and then you to will know how amazing she is. I’m grateful that I get to tell you a little bit about my Grandma. I know that if everyone who has been touched by her love were able to be here today we wouldn’t have a building large enough to house everyone. But of course, many could not make the trip in time and still many more have already passed on and are celebrating with her there. When I was told that I would have the privilege of reading her obituary I felt like it was only right since I was her favorite. It wasn’t until I was reflecting on this during my long drive to Utah that I realized that everyone probably thinks this. It was one of her gifts to make you feel like are the most special person in the world. Her love for others was all encompassing and ran very deep. I have spent my life watching her love and serve everyone. She was always writing cards, sending candy, going on visits or inviting others in. My parents say she could take a meal meant for 4 people and turn into to one to serve 20. No one ever left grandma’s house hungry and you were always treated with a dish of ice cream. She was born November 7, 1919 in Provo, Utah to Edward William Payne and Lucy Alice Farr. She was the last surviving child in a large and loving family of 13 children. She married her sweetheart, Jerald (Jake) G. Rowan on August 19, 1940 in the Salt Lake Temple. I loved to hear her tell the stories of how they met when he stole her umbrella at that fateful church dance. Theirs was a love story of devotion and selfless service. They enjoyed 60 wonderful years together and I have so many memories of watching them walk arm in arm just so happy being together. My Grandma was active in the LDS church where she served as president and counselor in the ward Primary and Relief Society and in the Stake Relief Society. I remember in her later years she told me about how much she loved her calling of going in to the nursery every week to help the kids with their snack. There was never a time she wasn’t serving everyone around her. She loved music, especially the piano, and it was said that at the age of 3 she could play any tune she heard on the piano. She taught piano for 50 years; teaching her children, grandchildren, and countless other students how to love and cherish music. I know for me it is a gift that will last forever and I am now able to share it with my children as I teach them to play the piano. She loved flowers, especially roses, and spent so many hours sharing the beauties of the earth with us. Flowers always make me think of grandma and the way she would love and care for each one just the way she loved and cared for all of us. She was known for making candy (that the kids never got), and Mexican food. Her tostados are legendary in the family and she shared them often at ward and family parties. Most of all she loved her family and spending time with them. She leaves behind a legacy of unconditional love, as the Savior taught, and her kindness and smile will be greatly missed. She is survived by her four children: Lana and Roger Moon, So. Ogden, Utah; Jerry Rowan, Jr., Provo, Utah; Bill and Kay Rowan, Provo, Utah; and Jack and Robbi Rowan, Sandy, Utah; 27 grandchildren; 67 great-grandchildren; and 3 great-great grandchildren. I am so grateful that we can be together today to celebrate today to celebrate her amazing life. I know that her examples of love, service and all that was good will continue to influence me forever. I will literally walk in her shoes in hopes that when I grow up I can be just like my Grandma.

Our Friend Shanda is in this movie that they made about First Descents. They even went out to her house to get footage of her darling little girls. It just won an award at the film festival where it was released. Hopefully can we watch the full video sometime. Check out the trailer:

Mountain Marathon

Let me start by saying sorry this is so long.

So, about 7 weeks ago, in late January Dave decided that it would be a good idea to bring up a marathon that was to occur on the 3rd of March. So, initially I scoffed at him. We were sitting at work and I could tell that he was really thinking about doing this thing. That was when I just thought it was a somewhat normal marathon. I brought up the point to him that he would only have like 6 or 7 weeks to train for this thing. Anyway, to make a short story shorter, he signed up for the Mountain Marathon in Olympia Washington.
I consider myself a competitive. Someone who likes to be challenged. But I was not willing to commit to doing this thing until I knew that I was going to do it. I did not want to waste the money on this thing if I was not going to do it. So, I decided I would train for a few weeks and up my milage to 10, then 12, then I committed to do the race. My training routine was similar to the one Tracey and I did for Leavenworth last year. I don’t like the taper so I just ramp up from 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20...then I do the marathon the next week. This is the best training program for an established runner. It is short and sweet. If I had to adjust it, and I will, I would do some more speed training. I did not in this case. I would just go out and run. I felt like I was being so smart. I would do some of my shorter runs on the lacamas trail. And, I would even incorporate some of that trail into my long 14, 16, and 20 mile runs. I would do like 5 miles of trail running in the middle of that. Golden right?

Ok, so the day has come, We drove up to Mike and Brookes place and stayed the night there. I got a good night sleep with Amber(ambien) by my side. We woke up and headed out for the race. it was like 48 degree and not raining so we were thrilled. I think something was wrong with the thermometer in the car because it was colder when we got outside. The wind was pretty gusty and that added to the coolness. It was nice to just sit around these big barrel fires that they had and just hang out. We sat in the car for a little while and then we headed out to the starting line.






So, the race starts. The first mile and a half was just an uphill climb with a few little downhills(these did not seem so little on the way back)interspersed. I felt pretty strong. At the starting line I said goodbye to Dave. Thinking about the experience now there is a real part of me that wishes we would have run together to be able to joke about the absurdity of it all. But, that did not happen. I was probably about #6 on the way up the hill. I just kept thinking, alright, at least we are getting the hill out of the way now. Well, that did not happen. We got to the top of that hill and entered into the trails. We then traveled up various switchbacks that were littered with mud and puddles that you would have to jump to the side to avoid. This part seemed like totally extreme trail running to me at the time. I thought it could not get much worse than this. I did everything I could to avoid getting my feet wet. What a waste. We got to the top of all those trails and ran up a road for about a mile. It was a really pretty view. Most of the run was really pretty but enclosed. This was one of the rare moments where you were out in the open.
You then enter back into the trails with more mud, more puddles, and snow. There was one area we came to that was just an opening with a snowy hill and one path running along the slope of it. It was flat and I remember there was a guy in a bright orange jacket ahead of me. It just looked so cool to see the orange against the white backdrop. I had one of those....this is so cool moments. I actually said something to the guy right ahead of me and he had no comment. I am hoping he just didn’t hear me.
So, we kept running through more trails with deep mud, puddles, snow for another few miles, until we came an aid station at about mile 6.5. So, this was the turn around for the half. I felt like I had traveled a lot more than 6.5 miles and the prospect of doing that 3 more times seems fairly daunting. But, I headed up the hill. It was a snow covered hill, about a mile and a half long. the snow was about 1.5 to 2 feet deep and the only tracks in it were from the quad runners that were driving through it. This hill was crazy steep. We went from about 1600 to 2300 feet in about a mile and half. When you add snow on top of that and throw in a little windiness, forget about it. But, I made it to the top of that hill. There was another aid station at the top that marked the 8 mile mark, I believe. So, at that point, you took a hard right down a very steep grade. I remember there was a guy that came up behind me on the hill that was in a Seattle Sounders shirt. I let him pass me up as we set out on the trail and he told me 2 times, “Just let me know if you want to pass.” That was the last thing on my mind. My feel were totally wet by this point. In fact, long before this point. I assured him there would be no passing up and I began my decent down the hill. It was quick. Just a ton of switchbacks. The snow was about the same depth as the road and was probably untouched when the first runner came through. It was a lot of sliding and it made me grateful for the trail shows. Occasionally you would end up stepping right through the snow into a pool of ice cold water. That was always a nice surprise. Eventually we exited the snow and entered into some hard dirt trails. There were difficult to maneuver because a lot of it was just a deep V shape so there was no great way to run. I alternated between jumping from one side to the other and just going back and forth each step. Neither of these were particularly great but we got through it.
The next few miles were kind of a blur. I kept thinking I had to be getting sloes to the turn around. For about 4 miles I did not see a single person. They had the paths marked with blue and red streamers and they actually did a pretty good job of it. So, it was just series of long roads with HUGE puddles taking up the road. The roads were like 8-10 feet wide and the puddles would go for 20-30 feet. The only way to get past these would be to run up on the muddy side. This usually had a slope down a hill on one side and a puddle on the other. Multiple times I would just slip down into the puddle and these were not shallow puddles. This really slows you down. The last few miles before the turnaround were covered with snowy switchbacks with slush, low hanging trees, and just really bad paths. I was happy when I finally saw the leader some around the corner because it meant there actually was a turn around. I remember prior to this thinking that it was a big joke. My mind had thought up a few scenarios. One came to mind because there were some gun shots in the distance. I had figured out that there were shooting everybody as they got to the turn around. I know, it makes no sense. The other scenario was that when we got to the turnaround they said, “Seriously, you think we would make you run back through that crap?” The last scenario was that somebody had died at the turnaround and they were holding everybody up until they figured that out. All of those were proved wrong when I saw that guy and I as glad I was near the turnaround. I stopped at the aid station to eat a few oreos and drink some water before heading back out. I saw Dave about a mile down the road and we spoke briefly. I was happy he had a camera because I wanted some evidence of this mess. Heading back was good at first. My legs were tired, my feet numb, but I was over half way and that was positive. I knew I would be in for it when I got to the up hill trail and snow part but that was later. So, I trucked on. Through the puddles, mud, slush. Me and another guy just walked up the trail part and the snowy part. I knew that my legs would need it. It seemed like that trail went on forever. We climbed from 1500 feet to about 2300 feet in what had to be less than a mile. It was crazy. The other bad thing was that my feet would not warm up as we were heading up this trail. And, the snow was not thick slush. So, wet and cold and the footing was terrible. You really did not have an option to run without wasting all kinds of energy. Each step was a struggle to stay put and not slide back. I remember looking up the steep slope and not seeing the top. It was demoralizing. But, I knew that when I got to the top I was at the peak of the race. I would have 8 miles left and most of it would be down hill. My legs were locking up at this point though and my feet were numb. But, I was going down, so I headed down the long snowy road. There was still not a real well formed path so I just kept jumping back and forth from one track to another. When I to the bottom of the road I only had 6 miles left. The rest of the race was rolling hills with mud paths. All of the half marathoners and the full marathoners had already passed over this area so it as really soft and wet. It was a mess. I was grateful that my legs would continue moving forward. The last 3 miles was pretty much a dash downhill. My adrenaline was pumping as I ran down the mountain. When I got to the final road and the guy told me there was a mile and half remaining, I really felt like it was going to end. I could feel the end. There were a few up hills on the road back but the majority was a long down hill that brought me into the finish. It felt so good to finish. I actually started getting emotional when the guys just up from the finish told me good job. I felt so accomplished. I had many highs and lows. Many conversations with myself about how stupid this was. But, in the end, Dave and I accomplished it. There were 12 of the 70 that began the race that did not finish. I was number 16 out of 58 that finished. Dave was #31. The last guy came in at 8:30 hours. It was funny talking about it with Dave because we had a lot of the exact same thoughts and expereiences. Intense. That is what it was. And crazy.

Individual Updates

Well my mom has been asking for an update on how everyone is doing and it's always a good thing to remember so here it is. Some of this might be repeated but it's the first thing that comes to my mind:

Alyssa:
She started in the older preschool class at the first of the year and loves it. Now she is with the other kids who will start kindergarten this fall. (Did I really just say that? Can she be that old?) She has become even more of a social butterfly and loves her friends! It’s been a lot of fun getting her friends together for play dates. However, her sister is still her very best friend and they spend endless hours making up games. The favorites right now usually revolved around using all the stuffed animals to make a pet store, using their dolls as students while they are the teachers or Alyssa being the baby and Danica being her mom. She likes her doll house and creates fun stories with her Barbies. She continues her role as the family clown making sure everyone is always laughing. I got frustrated last night because they weren’t following directions at bedtime and she later got out of bed to come tell me she was sorry. I said thank you and she said “okay, so you’re happy now?” Apparently she couldn’t sleep while she was worried I was upset. She is well aware that she’s the baby of the family and she plays that card often. I tend to find myself carrying her around and putting on her shoes and all sorts of other things I know she can do by herself...oh well, she won’t let me do it forever.

Danica:
She was invited to try out for JAG, it stands for Jupiter Advanced Girls, it is the advanced girls gymnastics group for her age. She did well and has joined the new class where she is completely thriving!

It's a huge commitment for our family because she now goes to class on Wednesday and Friday from 4-6, yes, that's 4 hours a week! But she loves every minute of it. She is constantly working on getting stronger and being presented with new challenges but instead of shying away from them or coming crying to me because she can't do it, she is just trying her hardest and is so happy with each little success. She’s always been such a shy, timid girl that this is a very positive change in her and we are happy she is having so much fun. She recently got brave enough and strong enough to climb to the top of the very high rope!! Her new found confidence has also been great as we have taken up rock climbing at our gym. Instead of being to scared to try she just scales the wall so fast! It’s really fun to watch!

I started teaching her piano lessons and she is doing really well. She’s eager to learn and enjoys it. It helps that she is such a great reader. In fact, she’s on page 40 of a chapter book she’s reading all by herself!
Among other things she has also proven her ability to clean up her room all by herself and when she is given enough time and motivation. I stayed downstairs and they called me up and I found it immaculate! The only problem is that now that I know what she is capable of I want it to be cleaned well all the time! Hopefully Alyssa can learn to help out! Here is a picture of them after cleaning it so well!

Danica is the sweetest big sister, she wrote Alyssa this note.


Hayden:
He has finally found his stride in 4th grade and is doing well and enjoying the confidence of climbing to the top of the class. Math was tough but he’s got a handle on all the division and fractions and doesn’t complain as much...although he still complains plenty! He has made some friends but still wishes he had more. He told me this morning that it’s just not fair that Danica and Alyssa have each other and he has no one. His friends and cousin couldn’t play much last week and he had “the worst week of his life.” The best thing in Hayden’s life is his cousins, he lives for the chance to hang out with them.

He has gotten into the rock climbing and is doing well and enjoys challenging himself which is nice because he hates challenges at school or in the piano.

We signed him up for little league and look forward to that starting. He’s gone out running a few times and is good to ride his bike to his friends or cousins house. He set out on his bike today in the rain and I just kept telling him to be careful until he finally cut in with “Mom, I get it, I’ll be careful!” I guess I’m not totally ready for him to grow up either! Luckily he still loves for me to rub his back and read to him at night. Hopefully that will never stop!

Tom:
He continues to enjoy working at Discovery Dental and hopes that work will just keep getting busier. In the meantime, there is a lot of great marketing going on. One thing being done is putting holiday themed lights on the big tree outside the practice. People loved the Christmas lights so much we decided to keep it going. Right now they are pink and red. Next month we’ll do green and people get to guess how many lights are on the tree. It’s attracting good attention.

Tom is also going around to the schools in the area doing fantastic presentations about dental hygeine. They are fun and informative and the kids really love it.

He sends them all home with a bag of goodies including info about Discovery Dental so hopefully that will bring in more patients.
On Monday he works at a practice up in Longview (about an hour north of here). In the free time he does find he is busy training for his half iron man this summer. He’s biking, running and swimming a lot. Right now his main focus is actually on trail running because he signed up for a Mountain Man Marathon! He’s been training and it’s just two weeks away! 26 miles on a trail! I’ll let you know how it goes!
At church he has thankfully been relieved of his scout committee duties and is now the Ward Mission Leader. It proves to be bringing in some good challenges and the opportunity to work with a lot of great men.
We got to dog sit last weekend for his brother’s beloved Boston Terrier. Tom was in heaven wishing he could keep it forever. The kids were terrified and spent the first few days sitting on the table and wearing snow boots around the house but we finally got them used to him and now they really miss having him around. If Tom has his way he’ll have a dog soon.



Tom’s birthday was on the 16th. It was not the most fun day, just a lot of work and he had a church meeting while I was doing a scout meeting. But we did get to go out the next night to a concert in Portland. We saw Mat Kearney and he was fantastic. Great music and a really fun show!! I can’t wait to go see him again!

Tracey:
Busy as usual. That’s the way I like it. Of course the kids are the primary factor in my life. I am working really hard to help them be more independent. They are getting better at doing their chores and helping around the house. I don’t want to put myself out of a job but I do feel like they need to know how to be responsible. I know I'm doing it right because the kids hate the extra work. In fact, sweet little Danica left me this note one day. But don't worry, she later changed it saying I as the best.

I’ve been in charge of the 8 year old cub scouts and just finished taking the lead on the Blue and Gold banquet last week. It was a ton of work and I”m glad it’s over. I was actually released as the scout leader and am now the Relief Society Compassionate Service leader which is a wonderful opportunity to get to know everyone and to serve. Until they get a new scout leader I am doing both jobs which is fine because it reminds me of how busy I was in Japan!
However, I am not too busy to still take time for myself every day and I am working hard to train for my sprint triathlon in June. We joined a gym with a pool so that I could learn to swim.

Starting in January I could only make it 25 meters without stopping because I was completely exhausted and out of breath. I wasn’t sure I would survive the swim portion of the race and every time I tried to go swimming I just hated it. I really wanted to give up but Tom wouldn’t let me and I didn’t want to be a quitter so I’ve persisted. Finally one day after getting some in the pool coaching from my sister-in-law who’s a great swimmer, things finally clicked. I began to be able to swim for greater distances and started to hate it less. I tried to get Hayden excited for me and I said “Hayden, I’ve got great news! I have been trying really hard to learn to swim and I really wanted to quit but I didn’t! And now I am able to swim. Isn’t that great?” I was hoping to inspire him and all he said was “How is that great news to me?” Oh well.
I still like running the best and am working on getting faster in preparation for a half marathon in May. I actually won a local 10K race on Presidents day. It was a lot of fun. I try to get on my bike 1-2 times a week as well but need it to stop raining so I can get out there on some longer rides!! I went out one day in a big wind storm and ended up getting literally blown over on my bike which is a problem because I was clipped to my pedals and couldn't' break my fall. I think I'll skip the ride the next time it's that's windy!!

Well I think that’s about it for now....