It always hurts when that alarm clock goes off in the morning and my body feels creaky and like my feet have zero desire to bend…
But then that fresh air hits my face and the views are unreal and I forget all about how badly I wanted to stay in bed. It’s always funny to me because I just assume it’s easy for most people to jump out of bed and get out the door for a run (and maybe it seems that I’m that same way) but it’s hard for EVERYONE (correct me if I’m wrong:). Luckily, after a while it just becomes routine and less of deciding whether or not to run but it never gets easy for anyone.
Saturday was one of the prettiest runs I have ever done—> Church Rocks in St. George. The red rocks and sand are my favorite views and I hit up a new to me trail.
10 miles total with 1k feet of climbing @ 9:02 average pace. The AllTrails app is awesome. It’s what I’ve been using to find new places to trail run and I’m becoming addicted to reading all of the comments and getting all of the details on new trails.
Once I was back on the roads on my way to my car I came across the IRONMAN! I saw the lead pack and the lead female and talk about inspirational! I took the kids back later to go watch the athletes too and it felt SOOOOOO good to spectate a race again. It felt like it has been ages since I had last done that.
Also, this guy was sprinting around after people filming them…
Next up was cheering for my niece at her track meet. LOOK AT THAT STRIDE.
For dinner my brother had us over for his famous steak. He has the technique down to a science. He uses a sous vide and then sears them and it was the best steak I have ever had in my life.
Can I tell you a weird fact about my brother that I recently learned and cannot comprehend? HE ENJOYS A WARM SODA?! He flies out of Vegas and he’ll leave a soda in his car and then when he returns it is hot and that is how he likes it!
It was my nephew’s 18th birthday and the trick candles were just the best things ever in Knox’s opinion!
Sunday morning started out by going to Dino Cliffs.
On this trail there are 17 well preserved dino tracks! It was pretty incredible.
During the hike Skye told us she wants to be a monster when she grows up.
And there wasn’t any complaining for about 70% of the hike which is something that should be celebrated with four kids;)
We went to church and Beck napped in my arms… I think he is ready to get back to his bed at home.
This weekend was fueled by a lot of very cold items because St. George is HOT!
—————————————————————————————————————————————–
What was the last race that you spectated?
How do you find new routes when you travel or in your area? Any others that love AllTrails?
Who has done an IRONMAN event?! Where and when?
Last cold drink, meal, smoothie or treat you had… give me the details!
39 comments
Mariah
Hot soda?! Did he accidentally leave a soda in his car one time and discovered he liked it better that way? I’ve never heard that haha.
It’s starting to get really warm in Baltimore, so thinking it’s almost smoothies for breakfast time! I love the can’t beet me smoothie from Run Fast Eat Slow.
Also, totally agree that it’s always hard to wake up! This morning my alarm went off and I was not excited. But I felt so much better once I was out there running. Plus it was drizzling and the smell of rain was amazing.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey Mariah! Hahaha I have no idea how he came about this realization that he likes hot soda… so crazy! I’m so happy that it is almost smoothie time in Baltimore. Way to get up and go even though you were not excited at all. I LOVE that smell too. Have a beautiful day friend!
Jenny
No, no, no!!! A soda must be enjoyed icy cold! There must be a wire in your brother’s brain that didn’t get connected properly or something, ha ha.
Those trails in St. George are amazing. Thanks for the gorgeous photos!
The Hungry Runner Girl
I am SO with you on that… I want more ice than soda in there haha. You are welcome and I think we should all meet here for a run. Have a great day, Jenny!
Megan
Just curious but what time do you actually get up and out the door in the morning? I usually workout at the baby’s naptime around 8:30 but I would love to wake up before everyone is up and get it done.
Kristine
Warm soda no thank you ?.
Last race I spectated. Wow it has been a couple of years. A finish line of a mountain ultra. I miss race spectating
No Ironman for me but lots of my friends have. A popular one in our area is the one in July each year in Whistler.
We had ice cream this weekend..mint chocolate chip and raspberry cheesecake ? And I tried his peanut butter Nutella.
The early mornings are never easy but so worth it when I can wake up. This weekend I was up at 5 just because. and was like might as well run early. it was the best lol. Had all the best running spots to myself.
Happy Monday and hope your week is great Janae! Your niece looks like a great runner btw:).
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hahah I think my brother might be the only one that enjoys warm/hot soda. Right?! Spectating is so much fun and I hope we get to do more and more of it. Andrew and I keep talking about how bad we want to go to Whistler, it sounds incredible. I saw your ice cream and it made me so happy! Sounds like the perfect run this morning and thank you, you too Kristine!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey Megan! I LOVE running during Beck’s nap so I’m happy to hear you can do that too! It really depends on whether Andrew is working or not and what we have that morning so it varies anywhere from 5-7… I feel like my alarm is never set for the same time anymore haha. I hope you have a great day with your baby!
ML
Those St. George views are so beautiful! I love the AllTrails app too. The comments are so helpful to find the perfect trail for hiking or running (or this past winter — snowshoeing!). I use Google Maps sometimes too, but more to see how busy certain spots are. Have a great week, Janae! :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
What a great idea to use AllTrails for snowshoeing too! That is a great idea to use Google Maps to see how busy a spot is! Thank you so much friend, you too!
Mollie
hahahhaa Skye wanting to be a monster. My son still wants to be a dinosaur, so they can be friends.
I took a geology class in college (in western Massachusetts) and we went on a couple different field trips to dinosaur footprints. It was so cool learning how they get preserved! My favorite though was there was an area with preserved rain drop imprints. It’s just so crazy to think about it.
There’s a Ramen place over by us now that has fruit smoothies. They only do one flavor (so like strawberry, watermelon, mango etc) but they are SO good! We go there every monday because the schools are closed monday. That’s our current favorite frozen treat. We will be heading there after lunch today. :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Bahaha I have a feeling they would definitely be friends! Okay, that is so cool that you did that in college. RAIN DROP IMPRINTS.. that is amazing. I need to come grab some ramen and those smoothies, that sounds so good and enjoy that today! Thanks Mollie!
molly
the last race I spectated was the marathon olympic trials! such an amazing and inspiring event. I would LOVE to spectate an ironman! I’ve never done a triathlon of any distance, honestly very little desire to do so, but am always impressed by people who train and accomplish them! is it weird that warm soda doesn’t sound TOO bad?? skye would be the absolute cutest monster ever. she has my blessing to go forth with that career choice.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Oh wow! Those feel like they were just yesterday but then again it feels like a lifetime ago. You are going to have to try the warm soda thing and let me know so I can tell my brother! HAHAH I’ll tell Skye that right now. Thanks friend and have a great day!
Victoria
Heh I’ve done 2 ironmans! What a long day that was. The St George course is HARD. It’s going to be the site of 70.3 worlds this fall! Very cool. Looks like such a beautiful place, glad you got to have a family weekend there.
The Hungry Runner Girl
YES… I cannot believe the hills that they have to endure! I REALLY think you need to come here, I’ll meet you and cheer for you to do the swim, bike and I’ll come for the run!
Amanda H
Last race I spectated was in 2019, my husband’s 1st marathon! I watched him finish after finishing my 10k earlier that morning.
Warm pop is gross, but I would drink that over a flat pop – my boss makes his pop go flat on purpose before he drinks it. Just YUCK.
I like how Beck is holding onto your hair while sleeping – so cute! And how are all your nieces and nephews getting so grown up? My oldest turns 14 today and I just can’t believe it. :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
HEY AMANDA! Oh I bet that was so special to be at your husband’s first marathon and to see him accomplish such a huge goal and get to race yourself too… win-win! Your boss chooses flat pop?! I cannot understand. I know… they are all growing way too fast and happy 14th birthday to your son! I hope today is perfect!
Wendy
Ok, your brother is weird! My youngest son will drink a soda without ice, but an actual warm soda?? Eewww…
Sous vide is the only way to do steaks! They come out perfect every time! We use our sous vide a lot! It’s great for prime rib too.
So fun that you came across the ironman! My husband did Ironman Santa Rosa in 2018, and it was just the most amazing day for all of us! Inspiring, emotional, exciting…. None of us will ever forget that day!
The last race I spectated was on tv… The Olympic marathon trials, but since it was on tv, does that really count? It’s been so long since I’ve spectated a race. The last race I ran was Feb. 2020, and we did spectate for a while after I had finished. I always love to watch the emotions on people’s faces at the finish line. Oh how I miss races!
I’m so glad you all had a fun weekend!
Here’s to a great new week! ?
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hahaha he really is when it comes to some things! Without ice… that’s a no to me too. Seriously the sous vide is magic! Andrew did that same Ironman before I knew him… that must have been INCREDIBLE to watch your husband do that! I think that counts as spectating! Thanks Wendy and I hope your Monday is off to a great start!
Wendy
That’s so cool that Andrew did that Ironman too! Did you know that Des Linden’s husband did the same one that year too? How cool! And she was there! I never saw her though, and Ryan Linden is pretty speedy, so I’m sure we were never in the same place at the same time… ha ha.
YES… I too need to have ice in my sodas! We give our son a hard time about that.
I also wanted to share that Tina Muir is doing weekly “Together Runs” on her podcast, and they are so much fun! I just got back from the 3rd one, and it really feels like you’re running with her. I do most of my running by myself, so these runs have become so fun for me. If you have a run by yourself, you should definitely check it out :)
Kelsie
That trail was beautiful! And it’s so helpful to know how you found it! You should put together a list of your St. George favorites!
Also I have such a love/hate relationship with mornings! It’s my favorite time to have time to myself and get outside but every morning bed just sounds so good! It’s always good to hear it’s hard for everyone! I think a post about what you do to help yourself get out of bed before you have to would be super interesting. Especially with a baby!
Also do you think you’d ever do a triathlon?! I’ve always thought they were amazing but I think the swim portion would do me in!
The Hungry Runner Girl
I’ll get started on both of those posts right away! I’m with you on that love/hate relationship with mornings! I have done some sprint triathlons in the past but I don’t know if there will be any more for a while! I’m with you on the swimming being the thing holding me back too. Have the best day and thanks Kelsie!
Amy S
Hi Janae! Saturday I went for my long run by running somewhere and meeting my friends there for more miles except they all slept in and weren’t there when I got there! I did a few more miles waiting for them and then luckily I saw this group of women running so I asked to join them and now I have new running buddies! They were really nice. And then my friends came and I ran with them too so I ended up doing way more miles than I expected. Then yesterday my friends celebrated Orthodox Easter so I went over for a feast. That was fun.
Happy Monday and enjoy those gorgeous trails!!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
HEY AMY! Oh that is such a bummer that they weren’t there for your run until later! SO SO SO cool that you joined that other group, I love that you did that and I’m going to try that too! Sounds like a great weekend, thanks friend!
Erica
You and the kids on the hiking trail pic. Love, love, love!!!
Last race I spectated was Hope’s. We put her in a quarter mile race yesterday and she outsprinted a girl to the line for the win. Girl can make it hurt like her Dad.
The Hungry Runner Girl
GO HOPE GO! I love that she raced yesterday… I bet you were in heaven watching her. Tell her I need pointers on how to sprint at the end!
Stephanie
Warm soda?!?!? Man, that is a very unique thing. And one that I don’t think I can ever understand. EVER. I haven’t had a soda since Feb 6, 2013 (though for the last handful of months I have been CRAVING the taste of diet coke…is that weird?). But–the colder the better. As in: cold soda or bust. And even though I am hoping to stay determined to NOT give in to buying a diet coke despite cravings (it is a slippery slippery slope…), I will maintain my right to have a very impassioned opinion over ICE COLD sodas.
St. George looks so beautiful. SO beautiful. I always love when your posts have pictures from there!
I’ve started to take a couple afternoons a week, once I can shut my work laptop, to just hit a trail for a leisurely walk. I never knew the ALLTRAILS app, but I need to look it up. The skies right now are nearly black, and we are slated for big, bad storms through Wednesday. I think my walks this week will all have to be at the very end of the week. BUT, maybe that app will help me uncover trails relatively near me that I don’t quite know yet.
This is very random, but lately I have been in love with the athletic gear from Senita Athletics. I’ll admit that a ton of instagram ads and facebook ads made me start looking on the website last summer, and a few months ago I finally gave in and bought a few items (and fell in love with what I’ve gotten, tbh…but me falling in love with athletic gear is easy). I wondered where I first heard of Senita, and then I remembered you mentioning them when you got some of their running shorts. It seems like the only bras I wear now to yoga are the ‘strappy’ ones, which are a more affordable take on the energy bra from lululemon. But they really are that good!!!! (ALSO, random and not asked for: I have VERY SPECIFIC opinions over what individual pieces of clothing to wear from what brands for each of the activities I am currently focusing on–my Les Mills spin classes, and strength workouts, and yoga, and walks…when I get back to running–and my target is mid-fall as long as tkaing care of a few things happens A-OK without a hitch–I will gain some specific opinions about running gear, I’m sure…)
Since Skye wants to be a monster when she grows up, you should make monster cookies with her! Here’s a recipe that looks really really good: https://www.justataste.com/re-post-monster-cookies/
Hope you all have a great day out there…and that it has a lot sunnier skies than what’s happening here in Atlanta (she says as a LOUD thunder-clap screams outside her office window…blergh…)
Beth
My husband raced Ironman St. George in 2019 and I loved spectating that race and the town. I can’t wait to go back and hopefully run the marathon there someday.
The run and your family hike look incredible!
I agree getting up early is always hard but after a couple weeks of consistency it gets a lot easier!
Have a wonderful Monday!
Loribeth
I want to visit St George so badly!
After my hot runs, I end them about a mile from home so I can either get cold brew coffee (there’s like 6 local places within a mile of me) or a local popsicle. They have fruit flavors like raspberry lemonade, odd flavors like avocado lime, and creamy flavors like coconut. And they will also dip them in local chocolate if you want. so good! I walk home and enjoy it on the way!
Janine
Good morning! What a gorgeous place to run!! At the risk of sounding super judgy…hot soda?!?! The thought actually makes me a little ill LOL! To each their own :o)
You are definitely not alone with how challenging it is to get up and out in the morning! While it may not come easily to you, I am so impressed with your commitment to “just gettin’ it done” every day with how much you have going on in your world!
I haven’t spectated many races lately. Honestly, the last one was Boston a couple of years back when I was a medical volunteer on the course. It was always so exciting to be there!!
When travel or moving someplace new, I usually check in with the locals and/or do a little google searching for good routes.
Can’t even imagine doing an IRONMAN and have so much admiration for those who do.
Had to laugh at your question about our last cold meal, drink, etc. It’s cold enough here still that those things aren’t even on the radar yet!! Can’t wait for the days when popsicles are a thing again :o) Have a wonderful day!
Kathy McElhaney
I don’t remember the last race I spectated, but my favorite race to spectate is the Honolulu Marathon. I’ve run it once, it’s not my favorite in that regard, but I love watching it! It’s not a true out and back, but there is a place near the finish line where the elites run towards the runners that are still going out. The last time I was there, I was cheering for the people still going out and then started telling them to cheer for the winner that was coming their way! It’s also fun because Les rides with the cycling teams who escort the wheelchair racers.
We had amazing food in Hilton Head last week! Fajitas, carrot cake, Filet Mignon, Butterfinger cake, ice cream, BBQ pulled pork. We even found a New Orleans style cafe that served beignets! Lucky for me, we also rented bikes so I enjoyed my time without guilt!
kelly
So many people I know like warm cola. blech.
I have done two IM’s: one in Canada and one in Coeur d’ Alene. The one in Coeur d’Alene was ridiculous hot and humid. They had to call extra medical help from neighboring counties because people were melting. It took me many weeks to recover from it (I felt wonky, like post marathon wonky when you’re ravenous at the drop of a hat and exhausted). But I will say that the training was so much fun and the event exciting.
I love that Skye wants to be a Monster when she grows up. That must have been the most hilarious thing to hear!!!
Beck all snuggled up is so sweet!
Eveline
Those photos of the trails look amazing! I just did my first half ironman this weekend and had an absolute blast but it also made me really think twice about ever wanting to do a full ironman!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
CONGRATULATIONS!!! You are absolutely incredible!!!
Jenica
I want to be a morning runner so badly, but I have 0 views lol! Maybe if I moved somewhere neat like St. George….which I have considered, because it’s the sweetest town I’ve visited. But you are right about it being HOT, and that is probably the #1 reason I only visit in the winter. Definitely a fair-weather visitor. Looks like you are having an amazing time though, and the dino trail looks so cool!
Emma
Sure looks like your niece is a cool girl! ?
The Hungry Runner Girl
If you only knew how cool she was… and beautiful and crazy fast and kind and the best baker and her hair is stunning and basically I just want to be just like her.
Emma
Pretty much ?