(shorts, tank, run bra with phone pocket in back, sunglasses)

One thing I really love about this lightweight tank is that it’s long enough in the front to reach my shorts, but in the back it gives me a few inches of fresh air. I love the ventilation in the back; it makes all the difference on a hot run.

8 miles @ 8:32 average, and our friend, Jenisy, just got back from Sweden and brought us her favorite treats.

And then we were off to Jessie’s pool, and I brought some treats there, too. We Utahns love our treats. And this apple dip is our favorite thing ever–> 1 cup brown sugar, 8 oz cream cheese, 1 tbsp vanilla.

Why does his goggles upside down make my life?!

Love me some dramatic clouds.

And some time discussing life over the last 20 years together.

We got in some soccer practicing.

And I’m very grateful for my talent for taking a cat nap at any time of the day…. I could take one 30 minutes after I wake up in the morning because I’m so talented at napping.

And then on the way home from soccer, I took the kids to get the $5 Wednesday Sushi deal last night only to be very confused that it was actually Tuesday… and not $5.

Before I leave you today, I thought it would be fun to give you a few running reminders.

Remember:

*How impossible what you do now once felt when you started.

*When in doubt, take the gel. Even if you don’t have that much distance or time left to cover, if you need a gel, you need a gel.

*Thank your body after each and every run. We won’t get to do this forever, but I think gratitude will help us to run much longer.

*EAT BEFORE (and after). In my opinion, no matter how short your run is, you will have a much better experience with a banana or some graham crackers in your system first.

*Run the route with the best sunrise or sunset views.

*Celebrate even the smallest gains in fitness.

*Look up from your feet when on the trails.

*Run with people of all different speeds.

*Use the run to forget what you were mad about when you started your run.

*Ignore the weather.

*Stop when you know you are injured or even think you might be injured.

*Be the first to wave to the other runner.

*Adapt to whatever the day throws at you.

*Take the rest day.

*Start your run before you give your brain the chance to talk yourself out of it.

*Eat the way that makes you feel and perform your best no matter what fad is telling you to change.

*Forget how hard the race was quickly so you can sign up for another one.

*Trust the training you’ve done, not the panic feelings you are having the week of the race.

*Cry on your run if things are feeling too heavy, it is so cathartic.

*Encourage the runner passing you or the one you are passing.

*Move on after a bad run/workout/race.

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What country do you believe has the best candy to offer?

Talented at napping or not really?

Any running reminders?

What’s on your agenda today?

The post Running Reminders + We Utahns Love… first appeared on The Hungry Runner Girl.

(shorts, tank)

We’ve reached the part of summer where I must get my head wet at water fountains… Nothing cools me down faster than doing this besides stuffing a bag of ice in my sports bra, which I have done during 95% of every marathon I have ever done.

8 miles @ 8:21 average!

And then we got the pups out for their walk before the sidewalks/roads were too hot for their paws. The Foggy Dog sent this leash and collar combo for our sweet Beretta. The red looks so good on her.

14.5 yo and her walks are still her favorite part of her day.

My sister told me about a Groupon deal for a place called Little Beakers, and so we happily went and tried it out.

I cannot recommend this place enough. My kids LOVED it, especially Beck.

He told me it was cooler than an arcade, which is saying A LOT as far as recommendations go from Beck.

Andrew got off work much earlier than planned, so he met us there for a bit, too.

A very good friend of ours had her 40th birthday night, and we all went to Rockwell to celebrate!

Now to get into tangents.

*My nephew saw me at the race on Saturday and asked how it was already energy drink o’clock… I don’t find a problem with one any time before noon for an energy drink. After noon, and I would be awake all night, but as long as it is ingested before noon, I have no restraint.

*These two came up with games to play with each other during the last mile of the race… A new race tactic I might incorporate to distract me from the pain.

*Brooke’s birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and because I’m the way I am, that means we are already shopping and preparing for her FOURTEENTH birthday. Life just keeps getting better and better with her. I always freaked out thinking about her growing up, but now I wonder why I freaked out when her growing up has turned into getting a built-in best friend to hang out with all day.

*I win my kid’s hearts each time I make sheet-pan pancakes, but this time I had to get a bit more creative with chocolate shavings due to the fact that I melted my bags of chocolate chips in the car by accident. I put them in the fridge to harden up again because I can’t waste an ounce of these bags when they feel like they are $100 a bag these days.

*We’ve been LOVING this card game over here. It’s quick, and even Beck can play!

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Question from Brooke: If you had to choose just one of Taylor Swift’s albums to listen to for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Prepare early or last second?

-I am a WEEKS in advance person, but it is something I should probably learn to chill with…

Any tips you have to cool down on summer runs?

Anything that is shocking you by the drastic increase in price?

The post Tangents + a new race tactic + We have reached that part. first appeared on The Hungry Runner Girl.

Pioneer Day is a very big day in Utah. It’s when Utahns celebrate the pioneers’ first arrival in Utah. There is a free race here every Pioneer Day that runs from one temple to another… They are just 3.1 miles apart from each other! There are usually well over 10,000 runners participating, and it’s one of my favorite things to see everyone out with their families and moving. Some people even dress up as Pioneers for the day, but I haven’t ever leaned into the holiday quite that much;)

Brooke and Knox were still gone at their camp, but we were able to meet up with my sis and her family and another nephew.

A SEA of people:

Skye’s goal was to run the entire time, and she did just that…

We were passed by my incredible 69 (almost 70)-year-old good friend who is absolute goals. She inspires me in every way.

Skye even kept running while she took drinks from Andrew’s water bottle. When this girl sets a goal, she does whatever it takes to get it. Beck had zero desire to run, so he hung in the jogging stroller.

We found one of my nephews again and ran a little over a mile with him and my sis, too.

At what age do we think Skye will be beating me in the 5k? I am guessing in about 4 years!

Andrew’s doing his weight training in the garage, and so I decided to join him and fry in there… I did a posterior chain workout on the CGX app and had to finish up inside because it was too hot.

Our Saturday looked like this:

We should have started about 4 hours before we did, but got in 9 miles together. Andrew brought ice water in his bottles on the bike, which absolutely saved me.

I ran each segment in about double the time I normally do, but that is just what we have to remember goes along with running in the heat.

(bra, shorts)

Brooke and Knox were at a church camp at BYU all week, FSY, and had the time of their lives. They made so many good new friends, and loved all of the independence that came with those 5 days! We wrapped up Saturday with a swim with a bunch of friends.

And this is how we all feel right about now… But we only have a few more weeks of this summer goodness, and so we will continue to go hard.

FUN FACT: It’s Black Friday in July for Wayfair! Everything is up to 80% off and ships free! I need these chairs in my front room, I need this dining table, these sheets are a STEAL, love these dishes, want this tile in my bathroom, and it’s time to update our towels with these!

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Tell me about your weekend!

Parents: Any camps that your kids have done or are doing this summer?

How are you feeling energy-wise this summer?

When was your first 5k??

The post A race, the weekend, and a fun fact. first appeared on The Hungry Runner Girl.

(tank, shorts)

We ran on the shadiest path we could for our 7 miles at an 8:21 pace. I have not convinced myself to do a workout this week with the heat; I might try on Saturday, or I might wait until next week.

On the way back, I had a first… I met a sweet lady who passes out candy to everyone she passes on the path.

A cantaloupe cheers with my fruit-loving child.

And a bike ride after Andrew got back from riding in the mountains.

Andrew is also getting into strength training (I wonder if the motivation is because Knox is coming up on him;) and he put in a new pull-up bar.

Sarah is in town (we met in 8th grade and have been close ever since… she lives in Switzerland and so I do not get enough time with her!) and we were able to go and get dinner together at Sundance. I could never get sick of Sundance.

Let’s jump right on over to some favorites!

*I have such an obsession with my Z Supply tanks, and I decided to try out the matching pants (lots of colors in both). I’m mad at myself for not trying these sooner. They are SO soft and lightweight. Somehow they are cooler than wearing shorts! I went with a medium in the top and a small in the bottoms. (Also, my daily necklace and flip-flops that actually give enough support for me to wear)

They feel like you are wearing nothing. I could order every item they have on their best-sellers list.

*New absolute favorite thing in my pool bag, ever. This SPF goes on SO good and smells like heaven. It also adds the prettiest glow to your skin.

*And I finally found my one and only true love makeup item… These lip oils give the perfect shine and hydration. I cannot get enough of the trio set. It feels like a treat on my lips.

*The dress came, and I love it even more than I thought I would! My sister tried mine on as soon as she got it, and while we share basically everything, she had to buy one for herself because she loved it so much.

*If you are an oversized t-shirt lover like me, you must try out this one. The colors are so bold, the material is so soft, and the comfort is unmatched. I’m wearing a size small, and I am doing my best not to order every color, but I can’t make any promises.

*How we are already at back-to-school shopping, I do not know. I picked out these adidas pieces for Beck and Skye (and they gifted them)! Basically everything is on sale… Skye: shoes, sweats, t-shirt, hoodie, shorts. Beck: Hoodie and shoes. Their back-to-school section has a ton of awesome deals.

*Anthropologie is giving $50 off when you spend $150 and $100 off when you spend $300! This is the perfect time for me to try out the Hoka 11s and the Challengers.

*Abercrombie is buy one, get one 50% off on almost everything right now! Their activewear is the cutest, and their jeans are a must.

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What are your weekend plans??

Does school start where you are in July (Arizona people?!), August, or September?

Any favorite things this week?! I would love to hear!

The post Friday Favorites! first appeared on The Hungry Runner Girl.

(tank, shorts)

A run with Jo, and weights with Little House on the Prairie playing on my computer.

Skye requested that when I got home from my trip, we go on a run/walk, followed by our favorite food.

Acai bowls. My kids know that any date they ask to go on with me is an instant yes.

The other best thing I ate yesterday was this salsa that a friend of ours made for us! Fresh homemade salsa >>>

It was just Skye yesterday; everyone else had plans, so we got a lot of quality time in with her.

Baking and coloring were the theme of our day together.

Now for some tangents even though it isn’t Tuesday:

*Running in humidity lately (it’s been 20x more humid here than it usually is) has been giving me the strangest rashes… anyone else have that? It’s not chafing, but rashes?!?

*New Boston update!

*Nail day with Brookie:

*I want summer to last forever, but I’m not sure we would physically be able to… somehow we stay up way later but have to get up way earlier.

*Wanna hear about a time I got scammed? One summer during college, Jessie was doing an internship in NYC, and we were dying to go and visit her. A few friends and I in Utah met someone that we started hanging out with, and long story short, he convinced us that he had his own private plane. He told us we could use his plane and pilot to get us all there for $200 each. We sent him the money and showed up to the private airport right on time. Surprise, he never showed up and we never heard from him again! We ended up buying real tickets and still visiting her that summer, but as a very naive young Utah gal… it was my first taste of not trusting everyone I met;).

*It’s pretty ridiculous how many statues have scared me while running because I think they are real animals at first.

*The other day, with my movie buddy, I was thinking about how lucky I was to be able to move back to Utah during my divorce. I can’t imagine a life without being in the front row watching my nieces and nephews grow up, too.

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Have any tangents? I would love to hear them!

Ever been scammed? Please tell us how!

Do you live where you grew up or not?

The post The time I was scammed and Tangents! first appeared on The Hungry Runner Girl.

(tank, shoes, shorts)

Twenty years of friendship needed to be adequately celebrated. The two of us met at BYU Hawaii in 2006. We both went without knowing a soul, met on the first day at orientation, and have been close ever since. She is the best. Everything is so much more fun with Jessie.

And of course a scrapbook collage of our first few weeks of friendship:

We decided that a getaway to Park City was just what we both needed.

We went to the nicest hotel I have ever stayed at (thanks to an amazing deal that Jess had), Montage Deer Valley. It’s tucked away in the mountains at 8500 ft and prettier than I could have even imagined.

We happily enjoyed every amenity they had to offer.

We checked out the gorgeous indoor pool, too.

And then we went to Park City Main Street, which is about a 7-minute drive from the hotel. Each and every store is so unique here.

For dinner, we went to Handle for a multi-course meal. The watermelon and goat cheese salad was my favorite, along with the steak. Jess and I tend to order and split as many things as possible when we are together.

We woke up the next morning and decided a hike was what we needed.

We left right from the hotel to do the Corvair trail. The trail was gorgeous and shaded almost the entire way.

4.5ish miles of views.

The weather was perfection.

And then we had some fruit and yogurt and hit the pool again. Have you ever been to a pool with recovery tools there for you to use poolside? It was brilliant. We used these for an hour. BY FAR the best massage gun I have ever used.

We ordered some beautiful food and hung out there for a few hours.

How cute were the little kid cabana beds next to the kiddie pool?

And then went shopping on Main Street, along with ice cream.

Then we started the drive back, stopping at Heber Valley Milk & Artisan Cheese for their classic grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. For the 36 hours we were together, the only time we stopped talking was when we were asleep. It was just what we both needed.

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Love a girls’ trip? What did you do for your last one?

Ever been to Park City? Any cute ski towns that you love?

How’d you meet any of your closest friends?

What’s your workout today??

The post 20th Anniversary in Park City Recap! first appeared on The Hungry Runner Girl.

Hey everyone!!! I kicked Janae out of the house….. so she could run and have some R&R in the mountains with one of her best friends. But her FOMO required that all the bigger ones in the house could run together. She started her day with her niece, then a few miles with me, and then Brooke and Knox decided to jump into the fun.

Not 1/16th of a mile into our mile, I look over and see Knox dancing and drinking from the sprinklers. Thirty seconds later, he asks why running is so hard. I tried to explain conserving energy, but he decided to race Janae again. Someday he might learn, but maybe he won’t.

We had to do a quick mall run this morning, and I saw this sweatshirt. When is it generally acceptable to start getting ready for Halloween? I want to do something different this year; I’m just not quite sure what to do yet. Please send ANY and ALL IDEAS!!!

Somehow we find ourselves in this part of the mall. Knox and I let the girls shop while we relaxed.

Summer is crazy; we just got her back, and she is gone for another sports camp with Knox. Having a blended family and being involved with all the extracurriculars makes us all say goodbye too many times.

With all the family summer plans, I got to hang out with my built-in best friend. He calls me just about every night, and he is always planning how we can tease all the members of our family. His latest plan is to go to Walmart, bring Janae, and play hide-and-seek, but while doing so, we leave her alone at the store until she notices.

We tried to live his perfect day. I asked him where he wanted to go. First on the list was Walmart… Don’t worry he asked us to play hide and seek, but we didn’t fall for his plan. And we were his ride home too, so he didn’t think that through. His latest trick on the family was that he posted on Facebook that his family decided to sell their house and move to Washington State, needless to say his parents got a few phone calls why they were moving so abruptly!

I think we spent 20 minutes at this cash register. He has to buy everything in cash, one thing at a time. It took a while… good thing we only had 20 items.

Next stop was Deseret Industries, a second-hand store that has just about everything! He was determined to find anything Marvel, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter. We looked for any DVDs, books, games, toys, and anything else. I’m pretty sure that he has bought this store too many times to find anything new.

Next second-hand store, Savers. We struck out at both stores!!

So what do you look for if you can’t find anything else: you look at 10-year-old vaccumns to do who knows what with.

Skye and Beck were the best sidekicks that we could ask for!!

After going to 5+ stores, we had to go to my favorite place on earth, and everyone seemed to be happy about that!

I think I promised these shakes after we went to our third store.

I’m tired and its only 5pm… there is no way I’m making it to 9 for bedtime.

After a very long day all over town and to every second-hand store in the 40-mile radius, we finally coaxed Gregory to come home and do a Star Wars marathon. We will see how many movies we can watch before everyone starts falling asleep!!

Questions:

– What is the best prank that you have ever done?

– How many stores is too much for shopping? Is there such a thing?

– What should I do for Halloween this year? I need it to be different and amazing!!

The post A guest post from Andrew! Had to kick her out…. first appeared on The Hungry Runner Girl.