It doesn’t get better than this + Friday Faves + Accomplishments!

Our best attempt for a picture before school.

Oh and the kids wanted a picture with their pumpkins too.

I swear each day of pregnancy is making it harder and harder to get out of bed for me (or maybe it is because it is so dark outside in the mornings now).  I got in a few miles before Brooke went to school and then some after too and Knox joined me for those.  He told me during this bike ride to start waking him up early in the mornings so that he could ride with me during my runs.  We also talked about my poodle from high school (he is quite obsessed with her) and he wanted to hear every little fact about her life.

Yep, we had fun together… he even told me he slowed down for me because of the baby.

The absolute best part of my day= A good friend of mine (she just had a huge pr last Saturday at the St. George Marathon and BQed!) brought my ultimate craving (remember how I mentioned how bad I wanted it earlier this week?)!  The most amazing homemade bread (seriously, she needs to open a bakery) and homemade raspberry jam.  I kept going back for more and more… it hit the spot perfectly.

It doesn’t get much better than this for me right now!

We worked hard on some new words on the couch…

It was warm enough for all three of them to jump on the tramp.

Of course this happened.

I ate something green and something other than bread (I had more of that after dinner) for dinner!  Another salad mix (the kale one from Costco) with chicken on top!

PS we had a change of race plans this weekend!  Long story short but we now have Knox for a part of the weekend so we won’t be able to make it up to SLC for the race.  BUT I’ll be doing a Halloween race at the end of the month now… time to get working on my costume!

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Time for a few of my Friday Faves!!!

*The softest blankets on the planet=  Saranoni.  I had seen a few of my friends post about them and decided I wanted to get some for the baby!  I can’t even believe how soft they are.  Next—>  buy one for everyone in the family because they are heavenly.

*This picture of Andrew and Knox… Andrew trying to figure out how the heck Knox got his socks so dirty and using the vacuum to try and clean them off.  Knox having the time of his life (he has pretty ticklish feet).

*Trying new candy.  While these aren’t my favorite M&M’s ever, they do REALLY taste like pumpkin pie.  I couldn’t believe how similar they were.  PS this Thanksgiving should be interesting.  We don’t have the kids and Andrew will be flying Brooke back and forth to N. California while I’m hanging out at like 37.5 weeks pregnant (that’s when I had Brooke).  It should be interesting this year and hopefully I can get in some sort of Turkey Trot that day;)

*Someone told us to watch Manhunt on Netflix.  It is about the Unabomber case and Andrew and I could not stop watching it.  We just finished and it was intense (if you like those kinds of things, it was REALLY intense)…  for the first time in this pregnancy I stayed up past 11 watching something because I wanted to see the ending (even though I knew the ending).

*Costco did it again.  $10 awesome running gloves.  I love the Head brand to run with (not too bulky, they keep your hands really warm and you can use your phone’s touchscreen with the gloves on).  These are men’s but they are a little thicker and warmer than my normal ones.  You can also find them on Amazon HERE (but they are cheaper at Costco)!

*I’ve had a few questions about my sunglasses… I have been loving these (I got them in Vegas on my girls’ trip… ps I explain in this post how Andrew and I budget in our own personal fun stuff)!

*I can’t even explain to you how happy we both are (BUT ESPECIALLY ANDREW) that the kid’s love riding bikes.  He takes each of them out on their own little mini-bike dates and they ride for quite some time.  He loves sharing his favorite hobby with them.

*I know my mom comes across as the sweetest (she is) but she sure likes to tease too…  I mean, I wouldn’t hate getting ready for bed at 4:42.

*I drink a lot of hot chocolate now (I think I’ve told you that a million times) and was in need of a really good travel mug… this Contigo one is amazing (and keeps it hot forever).

*A few weeks ago you guys recommended some amazing face masks to me and this one WINS!!!

*The look Brooke gets when she has carbs and honey butter in her hands… I have that same look.

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You guys keep amazing me!!! If you want to share your running accomplishments, send them to [email protected]

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Arthi!!!  “I ran the Chicago Marathon last Sunday, and after 10 years of distance running and on the day of my 10th marathon, I qualified for BOSTON!!  I never considered myself a fast runner… Ever.  My endurance was strong but in terms of speed, I was a bit more average (which isn’t a bad thing!).  But I wanted to qualify more than anything… So I dedicated myself to training… And pushed myself WAY beyond my comfort zone in that race.  I ended up finishing at 3:27:53 and it was by far one of the best moments of my entire life (even though walking really hurts right now!).

Fingers crossed I get into Boston 2019!

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Laura!!!  “I commented on your post last week about October races and told you I was running the Lake Placid Classic in New York’s high peaks.  The race was absolutely incredible- scenery was amazing and I ran way faster/stronger than I expected.  It was my first race of any distance since a groin injury last year and although I knew I could run the distance, I wasn’t sure I would do it well.  I ended up running a 9:23 average pace and I felt so strong I almost didn’t want it to be over!”

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Rachel!!! “Two years ago, I ran my first full marathon in St. George.  After fighting a knee injury, I came back and did my second full this year, also at St. George.  When I ran my first, I finished in 4:01, and that one minute has haunted me ever since.  This time, I just wanted to break the four hour mark.   Training was rough this time, with most of my running buddies injured, horrible weather (smoke from fires), and tons of stress from other parts of life.  I went into the race unsure if I would be able to finish, let alone break the four hour goal I’d been dreaming of for two years.  From mile one, I knew it was not going to be a fun race.  The race conditions were absolutely perfect, but my stomach was giving me problems.  I was teetering on the edge of a cold, and my knee decided to flare up immediately.  I never felt like my taper really ‘kicked in,’ and I was completely exhausted.  I checked my watch at 16.2 miles, with ten miles left, and realized that I only had to maintain a ten minute mile pace for the rest of the race to achieve my goal.  But even that was a struggle.  I was so tired.  But I pushed through, slowing down and just setting my sights on finishing. It was frustrating to be passed left and right by all of the other runners on the awesome downhills at mile 20, but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other.  When I crossed the finish line with a time of 3:54:03, I immediately started crying when I saw my husband cheering me on.  I have never been so mentally and physically fatigued in a race, and have never had to push through so hard.  I might be done with marathons and focus mainly on the half (my favorite distance!), but I’m glad that I was able to finish that race! And on another awesome note, my friend ran her 26th marathon and qualified for her second Boston!”

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Have any Friday Favorites to share?!

What was the last candy that you ate?

How many miles are you getting in today!?

What are your favorite ways to get in protein on your salads?