Tuesday Tangents!

(Shoes, shorts, shirt)

I missed running a lot the last week.  I am hooked.

I met up with a group of friends for some trails, and it was the best start to running again.  This trail is called Middle Earth, and it’s on this blog post with the top 10 trails in this area.

8.18 miles @ 8:55 average with 915 feet of climbing.  My body felt great during the run, and I’ll keep my runs at an easy pace for another week or two.

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I took a tumble while we were out.  I was running right behind someone, so I wasn’t looking down, and I tripped over a root.  It didn’t hurt when it happened, but I felt it when I got home and saw my arm (seeing the pain makes me feel it more ha).

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We spent a lot of the rest of the day outside.  Warm weather parenting is my favorite type of parenting.

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I have a few tangents to talk about today!

*It’s officially been six years since our first date!  We went to Outback Steakhouse for our first date, and I can’t tell you how happy it made me when I got a text after the date from Andrew… We saw each other almost every day after that.  It felt right from the very beginning.

Picture from our second date:

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*Spring soccer games in Utah= it drops 20 degrees (a slight exaggeration) in an hour.

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*With six soccer games, three soccer practices, and two cross-country practices a week, dinners are looking like this—>  A quick stir fry over rice.  This combo was a good one.

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*Maddie let me know before Boston that she would still be my friend no matter what time I ran.  The people that love us do not care about what time we run.  Our people want us to be happy!

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*In Boston, Katie was telling me how much she loves the Nike Alphafly, so I’m just going to try these after I go through my Vaporflys.

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*We had no idea how much we would love our Peloton before buying it.  Each of the blue circles is a day that Andrew rode the Peloton, and I am so happy to be adding it back into my training again.

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*Beck wanted to give it a try.

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*If I were running the Boston Marathon for fun, I would have brought a trick-or-treating bag to collect as many Maurten gels as possible.  Those things are pricey, and they were giving so many of them out before the race and during.

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*Does anybody remember ten years ago when I would post about my nieces and nephews walking on their toes like this… One of my nieces can still do it.  My feet cramp up just watching this.

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I’d love to hear a tangent from you!

Any random things you can do (like my nieces above toe walking)?

Those in a relationship right now… What was your first date?

Ever fallen on the trails?

-I’m just glad I didn’t get a hole in my new running clothes that I was wearing… Andrew got them for me in Boston for an early Mother’s Day gift:)

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26 comments

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That last time I went for a hike (because I don’t want to hike in the winter in Pennsylvania ha) was Thanksgiving. It was just me and my dog. We made it through the almost 3 mile round trip hike and at the parking lot my dog yanked to try and catch a bird. Well I wasn’t prepared and I fell/tripped in front of like 5 people. Just had to laugh because you should always laugh at yourself, unless you’re actually hurt then maybe don’t laugh haha. Although it did really hurt once I started to walk on it but luckily nothing bad just the initial pain.

Just looking at that picture of your niece hurts my toes. Have a great day!

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I bet hiking with your dog is the absolute best.. except for when he pulls you! Hahah I definitely laughed at myself (until I got home;). Seriously, I do not know how she does that. Her poor feet! Hope your Tuesday is a beautiful one!

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First date was 2007 at an Indiana University football game and then dinner. I keep a photo from that game on our fridge. Just two kids having no clue that the photo would one day be displayed in the home that we own together. Life sure is crazy!

Super jealous of you collecting Maurten gels!

I’m always debating a Peleton bike. I feel like I run too much and wouldn’t use it enough to make it worthwhile.

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I love that you keep a photo from your first date together on the fridge! Fifteen years later… I love it! I totally know what you mean about running to much but the fact that Andrew uses it so much makes me feel better about just using it 1-2 times a week. I hope your morning is off to a great start, Molly!

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Those trails are SO beautiful!! I love trail running but ours look very different…more forest than mountain :) Much easier elevation too haha!

Dan and I met in college so I feel like we never had an “official” first date..we met in the marching band at Penn State and just started spending time together! Maybe our first date was going to an ice cream shop on campus that’s really popular, but I paid for myself because I didn’t want to seem presumptuous lol. Looking back I was trying too hard to seem “cool” but should have just accepted we were meant to be together :)

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I want to come trail run in your forest… that sounds gorgeous. I love how you and Dan met and I think the ice cream date should count as your first date. Haha playing it cool is just part of the flirting, I still try to do that at times ha. Hope your morning is off to a fabulous start. Thanks Gretchen!

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I dont normally comment, but I HAD TO on this one! I just got back to Texas from a trail Ragnar in Atlanta (my 7th overall with my team) and I always fall. This time was no different – about 30 minutes into my first leg, I tripped on a root and did a super hero type roll into the dirt. Just after I had passed a runner from the self-named “Slow Dads” team.

Like a great dad, he checked on me. But after a quick mental inventory (ankles, knees, arms… all ok!) I was back up and running and even passed him again at the end. Just some scrapes on my knee, hands, elbow, and back :)

I tripped a few more times – especially on my night run – but this was my best fall of the weekend. And my sons think my scars are cool!

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Hey Emily! Congrats on your trail Ragnar, you guys are on fire! I am SO so sorry about that fall but I am so glad you were okay and got back up to speed. Trails at night= you are my hero. SO so tough. Have you ever done the Zions Ragnar? I really want to do that one. I hope you are recovering well from an awesome weekend!

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Easy meals are the best! I need to try that rice bowl one. Yesterday I made 20 minute red curry garlic oil noodles from Half Baked Harvest and it was a great dinner.

I don’t run on the trails much, but I’ve fallen on the road too, which is not fun either! Last time was last summer and I tore up one of my legs, not pretty.

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YES, let me know what you think of the rice bowl! I swear I never have time to make anything lately. I MUST try those noodles, I drooled just reading the name of them. She really posts the most amazing things. The road rash from falling on the roads is so so bad. I hope you don’t have any more falls! Happy Tuesday, Mariah!

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Good morning, Janae! That’s a nasty looking scratch – hope it’s feeling better today. I love trail running and the ones around you are gorgeous! I have had some spills for sure. Worst one was in a summer cross country race series and a portion of the course was in an old railroad bed, so it was filled with all kinds of dirt, rocks, and gravel. I fell on a steep downhill where a bridge for the trains once was and got soooo much debris ground into both hands and one leg. It hurt, but the thing I was most upset about was the blood on my new running socks! LOL
So many wonderful things have happened for you and Andrew in just 6 years!! Our first date was just over 5 years ago. We had dinner at this great Mediterranean restaurant and have been together ever since :o)
Have an awesome day, Janae!

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Luckily, it is so much better today! Thank you! Ummm I cannot imagine trying to run fast on that course, that fall sounds terrible! Hahah I relate so much to your worry about the new socks. Five years ago… that Mediterranean restaurant started things off perfectly! Thank you Janine, you too!

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Happy 6 years to you and Andrew.
Chris and I met 5 days before leaving college for summer after sophomore year.
We exchanged numbers and talked all summer.
By the end of the summer I invited him to come up and be my date to a wedding.
We call it our first date, cause it was in person, but it was not first date conversation because we talked hours a night on the phone all summer.
And we are so old we had to talk on the phone cause texting was not a thing yet. ha.

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Thank you, Erica! You’ve been with me the whole way:) I didn’t know this about you and Chris, I love it so so much. You guys built such a strong foundation that summer of phone calls (haha I remember the phone call dating scene too;). Hope your day is a beautiful one and I am very grateful for you!

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Janae, so sorry to hear about your fall! The same thing happened to me last week (fell on a trail), only I cut up and bruised my knees and legs. Thankfully it looks worse than it felt. My students were very concerned when I showed up wearing a dress with bruises and scrapes on my legs; they are so sweet! Belated congrats on your Boston achievement! I’ve been following along but haven’t had the chance to post yet. You are such an inspiration! My first date with my husband was to a Mexican restaurant which has since closed down. We immediately started dating within a week and have been together since (just celebrated 10 years of being together back in November). Thanks for the reminder that the best things (in running and in life) are always yet to come! Happy Tuesday!

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Thank you, Emily! I am so sorry the same thing happened to you. Your students sure love you and watch out for you:) TEN YEARS! Congrats to you guys and I hope you have found a new favorite Mexican restaurant. I really appreciate what you said and I hope your day is off to a great start!

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Hi Janae! So glad you are okay those tree roots can be really dangerous! One of my running club friends tripped over a tree root and got a concussion and had to get stitches in her face! Then one year later she was running the same trail and tripped over another root and punctured her lung. She’s definitely the most injury prone person I know but it makes me extra careful on the trails!
My first date with my husband I asked him to go geocaching with a few of my friends! And then he asked me to a concert with some of his friends! And then our next date was just the two of us and we stayed up talking until 4am. Man I can barely stay up past midnight nowadays ;)
Happy Tuesday!

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My first date was 9/1/1998. That’s insane and I don’t feel like I can possibly be that old! We ate at a local restaurant and went bowling and we try and sit in the same booth anytime we go back.

Me & falling are a thing. It’s annoying. I tripped on a pinecone last week and rolled my ankle. Thankfully it wasn’t anything major but dang! I always run with a light too.

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Happy 6th dating anniversary!

My boyfriend and I had our first date in Port Washington, WI. We had lunch and walked around a park and pretended to be Olympic commentators while we watched people surf in Lake Michigan. The park also overlooks a sewage treatment facility, so we still joke that that’s where our first date was.

Also, the Valentine’s Day before last, I had emailed you after you posted that we could reach out to you if we were having a rough day. I was in the middle of my never ending line of bad dates at that time, but now I’m happy to report that I found a really great one! It took a long time, but it has been so worth the wait.

Have a great day and thank you for keeping me motivated!

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The views on your run look AMAZING! I dream of running in Utah someday!

My husband and I had our first date at the movies and we saw The Descendents…I couldn’t stop crying because it was such a sad movie and I felt so bad haha

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I have always been able to do that weird walking on your toes thing too. My familiy still makes fun of me. Lol

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Oh my, the days of multiple practices/games! I remember so many of those quick meals and coming up with random ideas for dinner on the go! We ate so many wraps (both hot and cold), pasta salads (put individual portions in zip lock baggies or reusable eco bags), and home made chicken strips! Embrace the busyness of it all as it evolves each year! And you are definitely right, parenting in mild weather is sooooo nice!

I’m a faller for sure. One year I felt flat on my face on Terwilliger Blvd, my toe caught a split in the asphalt (thanks to roots that broke up the asphalt) and I hit my face, shoulder, forearm and knee. My mom and I had to walk back and I’m sure I looked terrible walking along that route! I scarred my lip of all things, too. One year I tripped on a trail and the tip of my soft flask damaged the cartilage in my chest and my breast tissue and I couldn’t take a deep breath for about 6 weeks….just in time for the trail ultra I was training for ;) The most recent one was on a single track and I had been thinking “if I ever fell here would I describe it as the single track or the garden store trail” and then I found myself on the ground. It creeped me out.

Your arm gash looks super painful for showering!!!

Have a good week!

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I’ve fallen many times…worst was ripping my knee open down to the patellar tendon and having to run with it flapping open down 45 minutes to my car. I may have a little PTSD from that one:) Glad you are ok!

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I would love to run that Middle Earth trail as it looks beautiful! However, I’m having a hard time finding it – even looking in TrailForks! I clicked the link to the MTB page but unfortunately he doesn’t talk about middle earth just 51. Any help please!

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I’ll be excited to hear what marathon your choose. I think since you’re so good at running hills, you should NOT do Indy- a flat course can get very monotonous. But… it would be fun to do something completely different I guess. This is a tough one!

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My 3 yr old can do that exact thing with her feet and it looks like it hurts! She’ll walk around like that and I wonder if it’s bad for her. But I suppose if your niece can still do it, it can’t be that bad!

My husband and I’s real first date was at the zoo! We were friends for a long time before, so I would say going out with friends when we were in the unknown zone, I wouldn’t count that. That’s also where we got engaged, when they do the wild lights, so now we have to go every year!

I’ve never had a bad fall on a trail, but the day before my first cross country meet ever my freshman year of high school, I was rushing to get home and ran on the sidewalk in sandals and ate it pretty hard on my knee and shoulder. I still ran my first meet all bandaged up bc I didn’t want to miss my first ever race! I also feel the same way and get upset when I tear a hole in my clothes from a fall lol

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