Slacker Half Marathon 2014 Race Recap ~ Our First Run-Cation!

There's nothing like running 13.1 miles to celebrate 13 years of being married to this incredible man God brought into my life many years ago!

Now that our kiddos have gotten a bit older, they're starting to enjoy summer trips to see Grandparents in the summer, while Mommy and Daddy enjoy some alone time.  As hard as it is to be away from them, it's always a great reminder that we are husband and wife first, and daddy and mommy second.  My mother-in-law came and picked up the kiddos on that Wednesday and then Thursday Josh and I headed to the mountains.  Last year we went to Dillon, CO to stay the night before I ran the Slacker Half Marathon and it was just beautiful, but we didn't really have the time to enjoy the area, so we were excited to have a little extra time this trip!

We took our time traveling to Dillon and once again we were just blown away by the view.  Friday morning we enjoyed not being wakened by an alarm or little people and then went for a 2 mile run just to get rid of some pre-race jitters and to adjust to the elevation (or try to anyway).  The run along the Dillon lake was absolutely gorgeous!  After we ran 2 miles we walked and chatted for 2 more miles.  I remember telling Joshua how had we not started this journey of becoming more active, we wouldn't have even taken the time to enjoy such a beautiful run/walk.

 Is this view not just breathtaking?  God is SO good!!!

This wonderful man has always supported my journey to getting healthier, 

but absolutely nothing compares to being on this journey together!

This little morning run was a perfect reminder of why I enjoy this sport so much!

Dinner at the Dam Brewery.  Oh, he always makes me laugh!

Great food, a lovely glass of wine and the best company :)

Saturday morning finally came and it was time to head to Georgetown to be bused to the Loveland Ski area.  The temperature at the starting line was about 38 degrees and I was SO cold.  I had such a hard time taking off my sweatshirt, but I knew it was going to warm up quickly and I wasn't about to make the same mistake I did last year by dressing too warm.  To be honest though, I even had tears it was so cold.  But leave it to my husband to help me relax and get excited to run!

When we said 'I do' 13 years ago, I never would have dreamed about this very moment!  This was one of the most incredible times in our marriage.  Love him so much!!!

I felt so much better about this race than I did a year ago.  It's fun when you know what to expect and know the course.  For some reason though, I REALLY struggled through miles 5-7.  I started to have stomach cramps really bad, which I'm sure was due to the elevation and not eating and drinking enough before we got started.  I really didn't want to walk or stop at ALL through the entire race, but the cramping got so bad that I had no choice but to walk for just a bit and catch my breath.  Once I did, the rest of the race was enjoyable!  I have to say that the encouragement from the other Team Beef members and runners was awesome at this race too!

This picture was around mile 10!  I can't believe I actually had a smile.

I'm so incredible proud of Joshua for completing his first half marathon race!  He wanted to finish in under two hours, but believe it or not... he finished in TWO HOURS AND ONE MINUTE!  He's still a bit bitter about the fact that the bottleneck of runners at the starting line and a potty break prevented him from meeting his goal.  I'm still so incredibly proud of him!!!

I struggled again right before the finish line, but there my hubby was to help me finish as he ran with me the last little bit (even after he had already finished his half marathon)!  I finished in 2:20 which was 7 minutes faster than what I ran it a year ago, so I was happy!  It was such an incredible reminder of this journey we're on together.

We celebrated finishing and then headed back to Dillon to relax and enjoy our last evening away.  I still struggle with getting headaches when I run 10 miles or more from getting dehydrated, so I was prepared for one to come and ready for a nap.  One of these days, I'll get it figured out :)

After a nap and dinner we went to the Dillon Ampitheatre and enjoyed some live bluegrass music, a beautiful sunset and a gorgeous view of the mountains and lake.  I've never felt so refreshed and connected to my dear husband than I did after this trip.

I hope that we can plan another Run-cation together (I would even love for this to be an annual event for us).  It was definitely one of the best trips we've had together!  Fellow married couples ~ I challenge you to think outside the box on your next getaway.  Although, we've really enjoyed other trips, planning and preparing for this one was incredibly special and certainly some memories I will cherish!  

After such a special getaway, we were certainly ready to get the kiddos home!  

We all made some pretty special memories and we're so grateful for the time our kiddos get to have with their grandparents!!!

Blessings,

Krystal

A Helpful Workout!

As most of you know several weeks ago I put together my workout plan for now through the rest of 2013.  I'm really liking the miles I have set for every week and the goal to reach 1,000 miles for the year, but I'm really not happy with the cross training plan I have put together.  I'm averaging about 19-24 miles of running per week and then was doing Turbo Fire on my cross training days.  I really like Turbo Fire, but it's just been too much cardio for my non running days and I really don't want to get burned out.  Next to running I REALLY enjoy lifting weights, so I'm actually considering doing more of that and focusing on building my core strength as well.  I'm hoping this will help me become stronger, become a better runner and ultimately to prevent injuries.  Stay tuned as I tried to get that figured out.

Just yesterday I was talking with a friend about how good it feels to be able to be strong enough to help our husbands on projects at home.  Then last night I was talking with my dear husband how I've been frustrated with my cross training, and he had just the idea for me.  Those of you who know my husband, know he's an incredibly talented, hard working and amazing man (so I'm a little biased).  He's currently working on building a wrap around porch for our house and he's doing most of the work himself.

So, while I re-evaluate my cross training, Joshua is going to come up with some things that I can help with on this porch project.  This morning he had me move a pile of wood that he used to form the porch from the patio to the shop.

It wasn't a huge task, but it was definitely something different and it felt good to be able to help my husband!  This workout simply consisted of continuing until the job was done.  I didn't focus on the number of reps, a certain time, I just kept going until the task was complete!

Before I was really committed to evaluating my health and physical activity (about 14 months ago) I wouldn't have had the strength (or desire) to really help my husband in this way.  God has taught me so much about being the wife He has called me to be throughout this journey.  Submitting to this wonderful man and being his helper are tasks I take seriously and with joy!

I'm actually excited to see what he has in mind for my next cross training task for Friday!  I challenge you to think outside the box for your next workout and help someone you love :)

Blessings,

Krystal

A Quick Dinner Date!

Earlier last week my boss asked if him and his wife could take my kids to a movie.  They don't have grandkids yet and love to borrow grandkids!  The last time they took them, my kids talked about it for days so needless to say they were so incredibly excited to go again.  I'm not sure if they were more excited about the movie or the popcorn.  Those of you who know me well, know that I have major issues with the smell of popcorn and therefore my poor kids don't ever get to have it at home and needless to say don't get to go to the movies very often.  

Look at the smiles on these four!

The timing for them to bless us was just wonderful.  Josh and several other guys went to ride in some sand dunes in Oklahoma and he was getting home Sunday evening while the kids were at the movie.    So that meant we got a quick dinner date!

I greeted my husband with my new t-shirt on that I got from Union 28 that says "My Husband ROCKS." I love their shirts and they're ministry to encourage marriages.  We only had an hour to eat and catch up after being apart for several days before we needed to pick up our babies, but the time was so wonderful.  This was such an incredible blessing.  

My piece of advise with this post... don't EVER turn down someone who wants to bless you!  

It's these little moments that are so precious!

Blessings,

Krystal

Remodel = A Strengthened Marriage

This post is not about my running journey but a little about a journey with my dear husband. 

The journey to this one little corner of our home.

Deciding to remodel parts of your home can be such a challenge.  Through this challenge a marriage can be strengthened so much (and strained a bit at times as well)!  And remodeling with two little people in the house can add some additional challenges!  A year ago my dear husband was busy working on some remodel work on the inside of our home.  We replaced carpet with wood floors and tile, we painted the walls, changed the trim, changed the doors, etc. It was a long and stressful process but I am so incredibly grateful for the hard work he did and the way it strengthened our marriage.

We are currently getting ready to put a porch on our house.  We're excited and a little anxious all at the same time to dive into another big project!  This time I'm excited to be more involved in helping my man!

Here's a picture of Joshua working hard to install the wood floor in our dining room last January.

Here is a picture of Joshua and his baby girl dancing on Valentine's Day last year. You can see an awkward corner in the background during mid-construction.  I've struggled with how to decorate it since the very day we moved into this house. 

After some of the remodel was done, I felt like I had a blank canvas to decorate.  It's still a work in progress, but isn't having a home ALWAYS a work in progress?  I was so excited to finally come up with an idea for this awkward corner.  I contacted Trista with Heritage Design to design and make a sign for my family.  I was absolutely amazed and loved what she came up with.  Here's the sign she wrote (photo also by Heritage Design), designed and put together (I've blurred out the years for privacy purposes).  The sign says 'God Blessed One Day.  He made me for you and you for me.  We made a vow and sealed it with a kiss, a baby came and brought us bliss.  Another came and made us whole.  Praise God for those ONE DAYS that blessed our soul!'

After hanging the sign on one side of the corner, I decided to gather pictures of each of us at 1 year old and our wedding picture and hung them in a variety of frames to represent each of these special dates that God has truly blessed!  It's so fun to look and see who our kids look like and a constant reminder to

 'Praise God for those ONE DAYS that blessed our soul!'

Here's the baby pictures!

I just love walking by this corner multiple times a day and being reminded of how God blessed so many days (actually every day) leading up to today! 

When decorating I continue to look for ways to be encouraged and blessed. 

Blessings,

Krystal