Sunday, she is home, last week’s training and a bc/running update.

Since our kids were gone, Beretta had to make an appearance in our Sunday family selfie.  Church is sure a different experience when our two entertainers are gone.. we were actually fully listening.  It was strange;)

Andrew’s mom sent us home on Saturday with all sorts of deliciousness from her garden.

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Sunday pancakes are back.  Remember back when Brooke was just a little thing, how I made a point to have chocolate chip pancakes with her every Sunday morning?  We need to do that again.

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Later on in the afternoon I made cookies.  I love when Beretta just sits by my feet wherever I am.  How did we ever live without her?

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I will say I don’t think she was very happy with the new dog bed that I got her… I think the mattress was too hard and she prefers a softer one and this is how she told me her thoughts about it.

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Okay, back to the cookies that I made for my mom’s dinner.   Our new go-to for snickerdoodles—>  HERE.  The cinnamon is also mixed into the dough which takes it to a new level.

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And then Andrew and I went to pick up Brookie.  While it is a million times easier to go through these weekends without her now that I have Andrew with me (I bawled to Andrew on Saturday while we were driving… he gets it entirely) but it is still hard.

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Sure good to see her happy little face!

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My mom made dinner for everyone which included jello.  Curly was thrilled.  My aunt was there and she had just run Big Cottonwood Marathon the day before.  She is doing the St. George Marathon in just a few more weeks!?!  I have never done marathons that close together (and I am pretty sure I never will ha… I can barely walk after one).

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Brooke and I showed off our cartwheels.

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And the little man came over and bent down to give Brooke a kiss.  It was pretty sweet.

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Andrew thought it was pretty funny that when he got in the car a doll was strapped into his seat;)

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I know I’m late to the meal planning/grocery shopping party but it was fun to sit down last night and come up with what we are doing for dinner this week.  PS I like handwritten lists better than electronic lists.  PPS my sister tells me that my hand writing hasn’t changed since the 4th grade and she is completely right.

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Also, my brother-in-law shared with me the story of Cliff Young!  Absolutely amazing.

He was a 61 year old farmer who won the 543.7 mile race held in Australia (it runs from Sydney to Melbourne) in 1983.   It is about a 6.5 day long race that usually consisted of the world’s best athletes sponsored by huge companies.  Cliff Young showed up to the start of this race and no one took him seriously (he was in overalls and rubber work boots ((he thought it might run)).  Most runners log in about 18 hours of running and then sleep before starting again the next day but Cliff Young just kept going and ran through the NIGHT!! On the final night he was in first place and he ended up setting the new course record by 12 hours!  He won $10,000 and then gave it away to other runners!!! I love stories like this, people are incredible.

Training last week!!! Less than three weeks until marathon #9!  PS my list of marathons so far include Utah Valley Marathon (2 times), Salt Lake City (my first), Top of Utah, NYC, St. George Marathon, Boston and Tucson.

Monday: 8 miles around Andrew’s grandparents’ house in California!  8:01 pace.  Oh sea level, my lungs prefer you (I went from sea level running Monday to running at 9,400 ft on Saturday:)

Tuesday:  SPEED DAY (full workout explanation here:)  W/U, 3 miles (6:50 pace), 2 miles (6:32 pace), 1 mile (6:05), .5 miles (5:43 pace) with 1/2 mile recovery jogs in between each one, C/D.  12 miles total for the day and average for entire run around 7:20 pace.  First speed workout in a while that I really thought was fun and I felt my stride coming back.

Wednesday:  3 treadmill miles @ 8:55 pace.

Thursday:  22 miles (those last three miles were ROUGH and a great reminder to fuel fuel fuel better on race day).  Average pace = 8:23

Friday:  5 treadmill miles @ an 8:45 pace.

Saturday:  Trail running for a little over an hour (forgot to push start again after a break—>  runner’s pet peeve).

Sunday:  Off

Fifty miles total plus some miles in the trails for the week!  We’ve got 3 miles x 2 this week which I’m a little bit nervous about but like always, once I get a mile or two into it I feel more relaxed and excited to tackle some speed work.  As far as a long run goes, Josse and I haven’t figured out exactly what we will be doing but probably somewhere in between 16-18 (not going to lie, I’m okay not having any more 20ish millers ((until race day that is:))

Oh, and a little IUD update because I’m sure you are dying to know;)  Just read in case you are wondering about birth control and running! It took me about 3 months to feel normal again.  The first two months were the worst and the third month wasn’t too bad though.  I felt pretty awful each mile during those first two months… I was exhausted and felt nauseated and pretty much felt like that first trimester of running pregnant feels like.  PS I think that second and third trimester of pregnancy are much more enjoyable to run during.  I got slower and ran shorter distance during the last two trimesters but I loved not feeling sick the whole time. I really enjoyed running during the 2nd trimester a lot.  Running was one of the only things that made my morning sickness feel any better and that was the main reason I stuck with it because it sure was hard.  I’m interested to see how pregnant running will feel again in the future.  Okay, back to IUD talk—>  now I don’t feel any side effects (besides I think my skin has gotten worse with the IUD).  I’m glad that I stuck with it through those first few months (thanks to many comments from you guys) because I was about to be so done with it because of how I felt and how it was effecting my running.

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If you would like to (and I would like you too;) can you list your marathons or half marathons or 10ks or 5ks whatever race distance that you love the most!

Ever done back to back marathons?  How close together were they?

If you have ever run through your pregnancies—> what was your experience?  When was it the hardest and when was it the easiest? 

Meal planning—> how do you go about it?  Plan for a week?  More or less?  How often do you hit up the grocery store?

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82 comments

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I really love the Dallas Half and the Cowtown Half. I haven’t traveled much for races, so I don’t have much to compare them to, but I just really love those two!

I’m really bad about meal planning. I usually don’t know what I’m going to eat until right before I eat it. And thanks for the new snickerdoodle recipe! I’ll definitely have to try this one. :)

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I like to meal plan for a whole month, but lately that hasn’t happened. I still shop weekly even when I monthly meal plan. The biggest thing that has help me with meal planning is having a master list for dinner ideas.

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Is that a zucchini??
I ran through my last pregnancy and felt ok, never did quite feel great and kept the mileage really low. But I did run until the day my water broke–1 day overdue! :) This pregnancy is an entirely different story. I felt awful my first tri, but kept at it, second I’ve felt clompy and slow (but kept at it) and now that I’m almost to my third, I feel really great. It’s weird. I was running in the mid-high 9’s and even 10’s for the past few months, now my pace is down to high 8’s, low 9’s for my long runs and it feels so much easier. It might be the weather changing, or it might just be all that muscle I’ve gained from being heavier! ;-) We’re headed to Seattle for vacation at the end of the week and I can’t wait to get in some trail running in lower temperatures!

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It is a zucchini ha… it is huge!!! I am so glad that you are feeling great this pregnancy and you are almost in your third trimester. That is incredible! WAY TO GO!!! Enjoy Seattle and all of the trails and heavenly temps!

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I prefer half marathons (have done 7) then marathons (have done 2) then shorter distances. I am not fast, and it takes me 2 or 3 miles to warm up……..not a good thing when you are racing a 5k! Ha!
We go to the grocery store for one big trip twice a month, and we hit it up a few other times for more produce and bread. We live downtown and it is less than a mile to Publix, so we have a super easy bike ride and can often grab stuff on our lunch break from work! My races are always spaced out a lot, but I am planning a half in early March, a full the end of April, and a half in early June. We will see how that goes! Have a great day! Love that Utah shirt, by the way!

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I’ve done 6 marathons. First Light (Mobile, AL) twice, Savannah Rock N Roll, New Orleans Rock N Roll, NYC & Boston :)

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Let’s see..all my long distance races include Top of Utah 1/2 (2 times. It’s my favorite so far), She Runs retreat 1/2, Drop 13 1/2, Big Cottonwood Marathon. Can you tell the 1/2 is my favorite distance? ;) I am slowly but surely building back up my distance so I hope to get back to the half next year!
Maybe I’ll do one in Utah county! :)

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Half marathons are my favorite and I’ve done 6 of them in 6 weeks a couple of years ago. Let’s just say, I will never do that again.

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I went on a long run this weekend with a woman who tries to do one marathon every one to two months…how. I can’t fathom that at all. she is clearly a beast is all I can say.

as far as meal prep, I usually cook a lot of staples in bulk at the beginning of the week ie. a lot of turkey, cut up fruit, cut veggies. and then I use them in different ways throughout the week. having the hard part done makes it that much easier to just whip something up.

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I’ve done a number of races, but the Boston Marathon has been my favorite by far. The energy of the city for the entire weekend was so magnetic and inspiring. I write a lot about motivation and sticking with a running goal and there’s nothing like signing up for a race like this to get you out the door for a training run each morning.
Diana
betterthanalive.com

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What in the world is that big green thing you’re holding? Is that a zucchini? Anytime I try to grow something, it’s tiny! I never get veggies like that.

Last weekend I went to the DC Adventure Film Fest. If anyone likes running films, check out The Last Time I Heard True Silence. So, so good, and it’s short so not a big time commitment.

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Did back to back marathons after my very first marathon! Ran the Marine Corps Marathon at the end of October 2013 (I think it might have been the 29th or 30th or something) … And then ran the Richmond Marathon two weeks later! I actually ran Richmond a bit faster and felt great throughout the whole thing!

Question on your IUD – Did you experience any other symptoms? I got my MIrena on May 4th and still hate it … Been wanting to get it out but still feel it’s a better option than the pill. I’m fairly confident it’s caused weight gain and affected my mood!

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I meal plan for a whole week and I like having Friday as my shopping day. If I actually plan instead of winging it, we usually only go to the grocery store once a week. I shop my list at Aldi first (cheaper!!!) and then head to another favorite store to fill in. Trader Joe’s/whole foods are faves.

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I’ve never done back to back marathons and honestly I don’t think my body could handle it right now being so injury prone. My favorite distance to race is the half marathon although I do like the ability to race 5ks often.

I had a great 5k that I finally feel like I’m coming back from injury. Why does it take so long to come back? LOL.

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Girl, I am so so so excited for you! You are coming back stronger than ever. So many exciting things in your future. So crazy happy for you and yes… it takes so much work and time to come back but good thing we like the work;)

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My skin got worse after the IUD as well. Had no idea all those hormones circulating in my body were helping my skin out. Sigh. Oh well. I’m much happier with the IUD than I was on the pill.

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Thank you for letting me know Pam! I figure that I’d rather have acne than the craziness that accompanies the pill for me! Good to know I’m not alone with the skin thing though!

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I really liked the wine marathon route in Corning, NY (i dropped down to the half from the full though ;) )

I’m a huge proponent of birth control and it works reallyyy well for me so I’ve been lucky haha

I don’t meal plan! It’s bad! I’m so horrible at grocery shopping and cooking for myself. But I’m only one so its not that bad to just make pasta or cereal… right??

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I 100% support IUDs but just wanted to share something random…a health teacher of mine in HS said that she quit using IUDs bc the egg becomes fertilised, but it’s unable to implant in the uterine wall so she felt it was kind of like abortion. She did not believe in abortion so she felt this was not ok. I support abortion, but thought that maybe this info might be helpful to you … I totally cannot back up the science here but thought I’d share.

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Katelyn,
Thank you so much for sharing that information! Definitely something Andrew and I will talk about (with my doctor too). THANK YOU and I hope you are having a beautiful day!

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Biology professor here… most of the time IUDs prevent pregnancy other ways besides preventing implantation. Especially if you have the Mirena, which prevents ovulation most of the time, then a secondary way is by thickening mucous so the swimmers can’t find the egg, and finally it’s possible to prevent implantation, but practically speaking that’s not usually what happens because the other two work so well. The copper one is different and may be more likely to work by prevention of implantation than the Mirena, but still mostly works by preventing sperm movement/vitality. Also consider some experts estimate that 25% of fertilized eggs are lost before implantation with no birth control of any sort. I’ve always thought that number sounded a bit high, but it’s not insignificant anyway that this happens naturally quite a bit. Anyway, definitely discuss with your doc, but thought this might help!

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Wow. Kate. Thank you so so much for explanation. Andrew and I appreciate this big time. I hope you have a fabulous rest of your week and I know who to email if I have more questions now:)

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We ran two 100 mile races 13 days apart in the summer of 2012 as part of our journey to get second place that year in the Midwest Grand Slam of Ultra Running. It was quite the experience!

We pretty much eat the same things every week day. I posted about it a few weeks ago and detailed what we eat. We are simple when it comes to eating and don’t require a lot of variation, which saves us time but is certainly not for everyone. I LOVE seeing your different foods, though, so I am glad that you are not as boring as us!

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I love meal planning. I usually plan my meals and do my grocery shop every Sunday
I would love to make a list of my favorite races but I’ve only been in one 5k race before. I can’t wait to increase my racing game soon though:)

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I try meal planning and going food shopping on sunday mornings…works pretty well for us.

I’ve run a bunch of half marathons and 3 marathons so far (in training for my 4th, NYC!) Marathon wise i’ve run Chicago, Philly, and Big Sur. I’d have to say half marathon is by far my favorite distance though. The marathon takes sooo much time commitment and its hard on my body. I think after running NYC i’m going to take a break from marathoning for a while and focus on halfs :) I’m so much slower after having my baby, look forward to getting more weight off and getting back to the speeds I used to hit…but for this marathon i’ll be happy just to finish, lol!

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OH and I also wanted to say that I give super props to preggo runners!! I never felt comfortable running throughout my pregnancy, it just felt too hard for me and I figured why would I keep running if I was just miserable? I did run Big Sur in the very very beginning of my pregnancy but I felt burnt out from running two marathons within a year span. I thought a break was in order. I do hope maybe in future pregnancies that I can run…because coming back to running after taking that time off was the WORST. It was SO tough!!

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I ran my first ever & second ever marathon TWO WEEKS APART. Because I was all, like, go big or go home, right? Plus, my hometown Cincinnati & my new hometown Pittsburgh always have their marathons on the same day, but for whatever reason in 2011 they were 2 weeks apart, so I said, like BOGO, train for one marathon, get one free.

Not my best idea. It took me 4 years to want to run another marathon. BUT, I was like 3 whole minutes faster at marathon #2. So, hows that for a PR.

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I have run through most of this pregnancy and just had to switch to walking at 33 weeks. (I am due any day now) I agree that running helped my morning sickness in the first trimester and was the only time of the day I felt kind of normal. Running in the second trimester was the best but then my belly started to get really big and heavy in the last trimester and I started to feel pain regularly in my hips and pubic bone area so I finally stopped. I use the Gabrialla support belt and I think it really helps!

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Favorite Race Distance – 4 miles! The city I live in (Peoria, IL) has the Steamboat Classic every June with a super flat and fast 4 mile course and a super hilly 15k course. I’ve done them both and really enjoyed them, but I super like the 4 mile because it is longer than a 5k (so feels more challenging) but it is not too long (I have raced longer distances but they are not my cup of tea). The 15k was an accomplishment for sure – it just felt so so good to be done with a 9.3 mile run – I felt like a bada$$. ;)

For meal planning I definitely have to do it otherwise I don’t have enough food to make meals, haha! I plan about a week at a time and I try to visit the grocery store once a week. One thing I am thinking about doing is putting all the meal names on note cards and keeping that around for quick ideas; not the full recipes, just the names… hopefully this will help me remember all the yummy meals I want to try/that I already love.

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Coeur d’Alene Marathon in Northern Idaho. Gorgeous course along a lake with an extra-early start for those of us that aren’t real speedy. I’m hoping to do this again next year.

I’m totally with you on the hand-written lists. My husband calls me “the list maker.” There is something about having your list hand written that makes it more satisfying.

We usually go to the store about twice a week. The idea is to go once, but we end up having to go in the middle of the week because we’ve forgotten something.

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St. Louis Half, Omaha Half, Hillbilly Hike Half. So I guess I like halfs! I try to meal plan out 4-5 days at a time and then I play the pantry game for a couple of days, hodge podging meals together with what we have. It works really well until something throws me off, like we spontaneously go out to dinner or get invited somewhere. All great things except then I have produce and meat that I’m using a day later than expected which can be a problem. So I try to make my most produce-heavy meals the first nights and have a mostly pantry based meal toward the end.

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I didn’t really run at all when I was pregnant! I did a lot of walking though. and swimming.

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I meal plan by the week — but I keep an ongoing bank of recipes/meals so it’s more of a “drop in what we’re making” type of deal.

I find this much easier than looking for recipes over and over of our favorites. I can also add notes to the recipes that we modify or change!

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Ha – my boyfriend insisted on buying the dog a pricey great bed, which she promptly destroyed. It took her a while, but she also later ate the $2 yard sale bed I bought her. She seems happy with the current mid-range one. Guess I should’ve taken Goldilocks along to pick it out!

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I’ve never been able to run through any of my pregnancies, I just get too tired. I am in awe of women that run the whole time!

For meal planning I use an app and I generally put the dinner meals on there a week or two out. Then I keep a list on my phone of what items I need. I generally try to only hit the grocery store once per week. I find meal planning is so helpful cause I’m not wasting time thinking of dinners to make.

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I don’t meal plan. I should be more organized, as a cookbook author, but I decide usually the day of, sometimes the night of. I’m a work in progress, what can I say.

Your workouts are inspiring. I live at sea level and I feel so much tougher when I train somewhere with even a smidge of altitude. I guess attitude for me has to trump altitude ;)

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Meal planning –> I also love a pen to paper list for this and when I plan meals, I eat MUCH better during the week. Being organized makes me feel like I ‘have it together’ hah though that’s probably far from the truth.

I’m 28-wks pregnant and running is just not in my playing cards. The first trimester I slept 14+ hrs a day and the second wasn’t far off (all the naps). I haven’t (knock on wood) experienced morning sickness but my anemic iron levels had me useless for a while. I did run a 10-mile road race in July but did it at a 5mph jog pace as I literally had no energy. I’m hoping to take lessons from this pregnancy to see what I can do better in pregnancy #2 (if I ever get there haha)

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I ran with my last pregnancy up until 7 months. Then my hips and pelvic muscles got too sore and I couldn’t do it anymore.

I meal plan every week. On Sunday we make a list of dinners everyone wants for the week and then make a list of things we need for those meals. Makes grocery shopping way easier

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I would recognize that cookbook anywhere. I meal plan one week at a time. I make a very detailed list and I hit the grocery store once a week…and then no matter what happens…no matter how great my list is….I swear I end up at the grocery store at least 2 more times during the week. Ugh. It’s lame.

I want your Utah shirt. Give me details.

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Isn’t it kind of your bible? Best cookbook around! I got it at Soel online. It would look perfect one. I need to see you this week.

http://www.soelboutique.com/collections/tees/products/utah-tee

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That zucchini is HUGE. OMG…come to mama! You have no idea how much I love zucchini.

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Meal planning is an essential for me, otherwise we end up eating out way too much. Every Sunday morning over breakfast we plan out dinners for the week, make a grocery list and hit the store. I hate throwing out food so if we’ve got stuff for meals on hand it makes me cook at home.

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Woah! Awesome Zucchini! I meal plan only when I make my food shopping list – and usually end up stopping out mid-week on my way home when a meal pops into my mind.

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I ran my very first marathon and then less than 4 weeks later, I ran my first ultra (40 miles). It was because I didn’t know any better and was on such a high from my first marathon – ignorance is bliss. I would NEVER be able to do that now!! lol

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The closest I’ve come to back-to-back marathons is the year I did May-October-May. I’ve never repeated that.
Half marathons: Slacker x 9, Georgetown/Idaho Springs x2, ADT Trail, Canyonlands, Hellyer Half, Bay Breeze.
Marathons: ADT Trail x 4, Shiprock, Dirty Girls, St George x 2, Ogden x 3, Grand Valley, Charity, Canyon City.

I didn’t run much with my first two pregnancies (working full time) but made it through 28 weeks with my third.
I meal plan 5 weeks at a time. Four “fresh” meals a week, two planned leftovers days, and one whatever day (extra leftovers, random choice, or eating out.) Fifteen of the 20 fresh meals flip over from cycle to cycle, four of them are new each cycle.

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Hi Janae! I’m a longtime reader/lurker – this is my first time commenting. I lived in SLC for 4 years in the 1980s, and I just HAD to comment on the Utah handwriting. It blows my mind that this handwriting is still in vogue in Utah after all of these years. All of the “cool girls” in my middle and high school had that EXACT SAME HANDWRITING (that you have) – it was as though they all copied each other to try to write like that. It’s crazy that it has persisted and girls still write like that 25-30 years later. I moved my senior year of high school to another state, and I have never seen a similar phenomenon. I’m a neurologist so this sort of thing fascinates me, btw. ;) I’d be curious to know whether you deliberately write like that, or if it is unconscious. I can see your true handwriting trying to come out underneath, but the Utah cool girl handwriting is superimposed on it! Totally off topic, but interesting (to my nerdy brain, anyway). Anyway, love your blog, and I’m enjoying reading about your awesome runs!!

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HI REBECCA!!!! Haha yep… same handwriting and it has never changed! I honestly just do it unconscious now and I think it is even more strange because I am left handed and still picked it up haha! That is so funny that you noticed that! Thank you so much Rebecca and I hope you have a fabulous day!

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I have only ran one half marathon – the Cowtown half. I am running the plano balloon festival half in 2 weeks. I haven’t done a 5k since I have been able to run 3 miles without stopping. Lol. It has been 5 years and 2 kids since then. I should do that.
I meal plan loosely. Monday spaghetti, tuesday chicken, wednesday pork, Thursday leftovers, friday out, Saturday burgers and sunday at church. Sometimes i plan fancy meals other times it’s just meat + veg.

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I’ve done 16 marathons but prefer half marathons. The closest back to back marathons I did together were CIM (Dec)-Napa (Mar)-Boston (Apr.) Let’s just say I welcomed the break afterwards.

Congratulations to your Aunt! My husband just qualified for Boston at Cottonwood.

I was lucky to run until I was about 35wks pregnant. I came down with a sinus infection and bronchitis then tore several back muscles so I had to resort to walking.

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Omgosh this post was so funny lol that zucchini the size of you lol and boy can I relate to doggie messes. TJ Maxx has some really nice soft beds for not too expensive.
I’m heading out to an 8 miler and I’m in the worst shape ever leading up to this half but I’m gonna have fun with it and not run for time:)

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4 marathons for me – Ojai to Ocean (now called Mountains to Beach), Santa Barbara, Honolulu, and Canyon City. The closest marathons were my first 2 – about 5 months apart. I decided then I only want to do one a year.

I have a general menu plan for the week and try to go to the grocery store only once a week. It can be a challenge since we live part time in California and part time in Hawaii. I’m always trying to have enough food without having too much – especially produce that will grow while we are away!

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Felt fantastic pregnant and ran throughout the whole thing. 4 miles 2 days before her birth!

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LOVE IT ERICA:) Right… pregnant running is a blast!

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The pic of your sisters little guy giving Brooke a kiss is so sweet! I ran 4 marathons in 6 weeks once to become a Marathon Maniac, and the following year I ran 1 marathon per month. That video of the farmer was amazing, thank you!

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4 marathons in SIX weeks. HOLY COW and 1 marathon per month. You are incredible Jade! Give me your endurance skills please;)

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You should look into minocycline or doxycline for your skin. It is not accutane, but simply an antibiotic that will get rid of your acne/any skin problems. Ask your dermatologist; this stuff is a dream!

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THANK YOU x a million Steph! I will totally ask my dermatologist about it… I need all the help I can get right now!

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Five days apart…Boston and then West Mountain down in Genola. Last year and this year are Big Cottonwood and St G three weeks apart.

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WOW WOW WOW!! Five days apart… that is incredible!!! Oh how did Big Cottonwood go for you this year? GOOD LUCK AT ST. GEORGE and I hope to see you there!

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Big C was awesome…had a PR. See you at St G!!

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Oh that is so so awesome! CONGRATS!!!!!!

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I ran Erie Marathon ( and got my first BQ) yesterday! I am running Chicago on 10/9.

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AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY!!! HUGE HUGE CONGRATS YESTERDAY!!! I am so so excited for you and stoked for you to run Chicago too. Absolutely amazing!

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A couple of years ago, I was in an ultramarathon kick for a (short) while, and I did a 50k followed by a 50-miler < 2 months later. Except I should call it an "attempted 50 miler" because I got swept for being too slow. But I got swept at mile 31, so now I just say I did two 50k's! Uhhhh never again, though.

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Marathons: Shamrock, Marine Corps, Wineglass, Richmond (run twice, and planning on running it again this November)
Half Marathons: Richmond (three times), Marine Corps Historic Half, Run for the Dream (Williamsburg), and Flying Pirate.
Can you tell I live near Richmond? :)
But I think my favorite distance to race is the 10K, and I’ve only done one!

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I love your blog! I got one of the REALLY good sugar cookies last night at Wegmans (our big grocery in PA), and I kinda thought of you? lol.
I’m so happy to see your posts with Beretta now! She’s so beautiful….my little pup (Trout) is a little over 1 year old now and the love of our lives. ANYWAY! Love your stripey leggings! Where are they from?

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Oh thanks Nicole!! I got them from Brooks a year ago! Oh I want to see your Trout:) We are obsessed with dogs over here!

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Your handwriting is great! I’m a penmanship/font geek so love seeing all the different styles people have.

I don’t have a set meal plan for the week but I buy base ingredients to have on hand for our schedule so on busy days I can throw something in the crockpot, then there’s menus for the following days of that! My daughter LOVES to take leftovers in her lunch (I am so lucky) so we rarely have too much on our hands.

Happy week to you and your family!!

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My favorite distance is probably 10k. Challenging but fast. I have done one marathon…rock n roll Phoenix. I’m so glad I experienced it but doubt I’ll do it again.

I love meal planning. I don’t know how people shop without a plan. We do a week at a time and I try to only go to the store once but usually wind up half way through the week going back.

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Which IUD do you have? Do you recommend getting one? Can you do a post solely on the IUD?! Thank you!

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When did you start having morning sickness symptoms in your pregnancy?

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Oh they were pretty early on. I did a half marathon about a month into pregnancy and remember feeling so awful during and after but blaming it on the water problem they had there… then the sickness never went away (until a few months later) and I found out I was pregnant. Hope you are having a great week Mary!

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Man, can we just be best friends? I wish I could live the lifestyle you do- constant training AND chocolate chip pancakes?!

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I don’t exactly meal plan for each day but I think of a few meals and make my list from that. I do want to start trying to add a new meal or two to each weeks meals because I am getting pretty bad about making the same meals over and over and over.

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Sorry that this is a super late comment but for the longest time I couldn’t read your blog at work. I mean – that’s when I supposed to read it, right?

I’ve only done 2 full marathons and they were 2+ years apart. HA! But I have done a half marathon in West Lafayette, IN on a Saturday morning, drove 3 hours to Springfield, IL and did a 5K that night and then did the half marathon the next morning. Done half marathon on Saturday and then one on Sunday 4 different time (if I remember correctly)

My favorite half marathons are: Christie Clinic Illinois Half (Champagne/Urbana, IL), Capital City River Run Half (Lansing, MI), IMT Des Moines Half (Des Moines, Iowa), Space Coast Half (Cocoa, FL), Little Rock Half (Little Rock, AR), 500Festival Mini Marathon Half & Monumental Half (Indianapolis, IN), GHS Half (Greenville, SC)…to name a few. :)

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HEY SUSAN!! SO is it working at work now? I’m sorry about that problem!! I’ll try to get it figured out! Half marathon on Saturday and then one on Sunday… that is incredible!!! I need to come out and do those halves that you mentioned!!!

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‘The Cliffy Shuffle’ is a well know Aussie running technique for us slow runners. ?
He was an absolute champion.

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I have been wanting you to update about the IUD actually!! I’m in month 7 of mine and I am finally starting to realize it is the reason my skin is terrible!! I was wondering if it had affected you that way. I always thought it was sweaty skin/too long until shower etc but I have never broken out like this!

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Yes yes yes yes yes. I think the combination of sweating a lot plus the IUD is just causing mayhem with my skin. Keep me updated on how your skin is doing and if it gets better with more time? It might just be a thing for me for as long as I have it. Just so grateful I don’t feel sick anymore.

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I love your blog! I’m so happy you are so open about talking about your IUD! I’ve been going back and forth between getting one or not for the last year or so. I’ve tried birth control pills before and they made my skin break out HORRIBLY. Worse than it’s ever been in my life! It was such an awful and embarrassing experience, it made me not want to go on any hormonal BC again. My doctor tried to convince me the Mirena option would be localized hormones so it shouldn’t have the same effect on my skin.. but clearly you haven’t found this? Are you that sure the Mirena is the reason? She also recommended the non hormonal copper IUD (Paraguard), but was there a reason you didn’t chose that option? Perhaps it would work just as well and not cause skin problems since there’s no hormones! Thanks Janae :)

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HEY AILISH!!! Thank you for your comment! Oh goodness, birth control is such a huge decisions. It’s almost like just making the decision based on which side effects are the worst. So as far as the non-hormonal copper IUD goes the only reason I didn’t do that one was because a bunch of my running buddies told me pretty awful stories about theirs and it freaked me out. I have no idea if they are just the random people that had problems with it or if a lot of people do but I trusted their stories and decided it wasn’t for me. I’m loving the Mirena right now but it took me a few months and it seems like my skin isn’t happy about it. I did use the pill in the past and that just made me crazy. SO MANY CHOICES. Good luck and I hope you find what works best for you!

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Thanks for sharing.
I still shop weekly, but sometimes when an idea of a recipe comes across my mind, I’ll go for it.
Anyway, thanks again. Hope to see your new post.

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