(bra, shoes ((on sale))

It was the first run this fall when I really wished I had gloves for a few miles because my fingers were frozen…

10 miles total with a 3-mile tempo in the middle @ 6:00-6:10, and we hit a 6:03 average pace. The work is done, and I’m excited for a new half-marathon PR… I am starting my master’s years with a clean slate! So far, I have run a 5k and a 10k as a Masters Runner; time for 13.1. PS I just read that you are considered a Masters Runner when you are 35 years old and above for track & field; I thought it was 40 for both the roads and track.

We had our family pics taken in the most gorgeous spot. I am so happy that Mt. Timpanogos was the backdrop of our pictures. They went so well, except we forgot Beck’s pants (we changed into our clothes there so they wouldn’t get wrinkled on the drive), so his jean shorts made an appearance.

The weekend was all about celebrating Knox’s birthday. FOURTEEN. Knox is the best. He builds everyone he comes across, makes us all laugh so hard, and makes life a big party for us all.

During his football warm-ups, I set out for 6 miles in a new-to-me area. I found myself in the most stunning area with hills that looked on fire with the leaves.

Post-football (they won!), we went straight to present opening and the cards we each made for him (my kids spend hours on each other’s cards)

Next up was his favorite lunch, the spicy chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-A with a vanilla milkshake and fries.

He had his buddies all over that night, and we rented a mechanical bull. I didn’t even try it due to the fact that if I use the wrong pillow at night, I am sore for a week… My body is too high-maintenance these days to risk it;)

Our mountains are insane right now, and I had to get up in them.

We took a basket of food up and found a spot where we didn’t see another soul.

We all needed it.

The second my half-marathon is over this weekend, I can’t wait to focus on soaking in all of the trail running before marathon training starts.

We ended up getting stuck in traffic on the way home. It turns out everyone wanted to be in the mountains yesterday, but we had this pumpkin cake that I had made earlier waiting for us. It was perfection.

Andrew and I started this last night on Amazon Prime about ultrarunners… WATCH IT!

PS You can use code AEFALL30 for an additional 30% off (it’s also stackable!)… Brooke’s and my favorites are here, here, here, here, and here.

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Tell me about your weekend!

Would you say you are risk-averse or risk-loving?

Where was the last new-to-you area you ran?

Favorite pumpkin item?

The post VERY special bday, going for a PR, too high-maintenance. first appeared on The Hungry Runner Girl.

When your cousin, who feels like your older sis, shows up to take you for a drink before school…

I had a rest day, but Andrew got in a 2.5-hour ride as part of his training.

I had my hair done. I don’t even tell my hair girl what I want anymore; I trust her to do whatever she thinks I need. Ready for family pics today.

She sent me home with the most delicious homemade pumpkin cookie and color to touch up greys in between now and when I next see her.

She darkened it and cut an inch off.

He’s trying so hard to cope.

This happened during Brooke’s soccer game (do you see the double?!?) and we swear it was from Beretta.

Just a few bright things I already had planned out for this week before everything changed:

*If you haven’t tried DripDrop yet, it’s delicious. I look forward to it each and every day. The peach-flavored one is my absolute favorite. JANAEB20 for 20% off!

*Skye came home from school one day telling me all about the ice cream she made in science, and I decided we needed the ball that they used at our house, too. It’s so fun; the kids add all of the ingredients themselves, roll it back and forth for 20 minutes, and then I get to enjoy their creation.

*I have never been so into lifting as I am now, and I don’t know what I would do without these lifting shoes. I’ve had them for a long time now, and they still feel amazing and allow me to get into proper form. They offer stability and comfort, and keep me from attempting lifting in my running shoes.

*Jo brought these to me, and they have to be the most perfect fall gummy ever.

*I bought this dot art set for me and the kids, and we are all pretty hooked on it. I feel like it’s helping the kids a lot this week.

*I adore vests and own too many of them, but why not get one more? I wear them for runs and real life, so girl math told me I needed this one when I tried it on.

*The coziest of cozy fall sweaters is 30% off right now.

*My favorite skin product ever is still such a great price… at home microneedling.

*Madewell is still 25% off everything and an extra 40% off sale. Brooke’s and my family picture dresses here and here are part of the extra 40% off.

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Tell me about your weekend plans!

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

The kids decided to go back to school, and we got out on the trails together.

I get on the dirt and wonder how I don’t run here every single day.

It was just what we needed.

I took 70 photos.

We stopped taking Max on our rides/runs for a while because it broke Beretta’s heart to not be able to come because of her arthritis, and Max didn’t even want to come anymore because he hated leaving her… so, he’ll start coming with us again.

I checked my emails and found this slideshow that Brooke made while she was at school and sent to me… A few of the slides:

Guys, I don’t know what we are going to do; I swear I’m carrying each of my kids’ pain right now, too.

But we are having to carry on with life, and things like orthodontist appointments (their orthodontist gives them a treat if they wear their shirts in, and he was very amused by Knox’s alterations to his).

I found this on Brooke’s wrist, and now we all want to get it tattooed.

They played in the sand for a while.

Brooke and I went and had our nails done… we went with the color chocolate in honor of Beretta.

Andrew made the most delicious Harvest Bowls (but subbed the rice for farro, didn’t add kale, and 4x the dressing)… it was perfect.

Every night we’ve had someone new in our bed.

I can’t thank you enough for your comments, empathy, and love; I don’t know how I got so lucky to have my internet besties.

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Give me your sentence of the day

The post Sentence Per Picture. first appeared on The Hungry Runner Girl.

Since I learned how to write, I’ve kept a journal. It’s always been my coping tool and my favorite way to process things, especially when I can’t sleep… aka last night.

Andrew found Beretta through KSL (online classifieds) and picked her up when she was just 8 weeks old. Andrew had Beretta even before Knox was born.

I remember Andrew telling me about how much Beretta helped him through his divorce when Knox was just one years old. He was dealing with so much loneliness, but Beretta was by his side (and Knox’s) through it all.

When I first told my sister about Andrew, I told her that he had a chocolate lab. She was sleep-deprived with a newborn and assumed I meant a lab where chocolate was made. I remember that Andrew having a dog was a major plus for me because of Brooke’s strong connection to animals, especially dogs.

The first time they met, there was an INSTANT BOND. Andrew jokes with Brooke that she approved of Andrew quickly because of Beretta.

Andrew and I got married, and Beretta was constantly by Brooke’s side.

We called them the triplets because they were all so close in age.

And then she was there to bring Skye and Beck home from the hospital.

Never has there been a more patient and loving dog with children. Never.

She got more grey hair just like I did with each baby.

I’ll owe her forever for what she gave our children. She made them feel safe, loved, and adored every single day of her life.

She got us out for so many adventures together.

I have thousands of memories watching Andrew on the ground snuggling her.

I’m grateful for the miles we shared together on the trails. Beretta LOVED the snow, and it was hard to be grumpy about running in the cold with her because of how happy it made her. She made me feel safe for those years of Andrew working the night shift, she made us feel famous every time we got home from wherever we were, she made us laugh over her obsession with Goldfish crackers, and she was the best pillow for our family… physically and mentally. She was always there. I don’t think it has hit any of us yet that she is really gone.

On Sunday, she ran around the backyard as we were all sitting back there after dinner. On Monday morning, she seemed like herself and was moving normally for her. On Monday afternoon, Knox first noticed that she couldn’t walk anymore. I ran to the fridge to grab rotisserie chicken for her because it was one of her favorite things in the world. She wouldn’t eat it. That’s when we all knew.

We laid on the floor next to her for hours and cried. She didn’t move except for her eyes to look at each of us. Andrew called a vet who came over, assessed her, and told us it was time. I am so grateful for this vet. He talked to us a lot about grief, what to expect with the whole process, and never made us feel rushed in the slightest. I am grateful we were able to be home and do this together. It was a sacred experience that we will all never forget. There were a lot of tender mercies with the timing. We had hours to say our goodbyes. We weren’t on a trip and away from her. She had all of us surrounding her. With our family dynamics, someone is often missing, but we felt like Beretta made sure we were all there when it was time.

We stayed in bed all day together yesterday. We got out to take Max on a walk, and Beck said, “I think Beretta is here walking with us right now, too.”

The girls haven’t put her collar down, even snuggling it at night.

She left with her favorite ball, a bag of goldfish, and a picture of us.

Max is mourning his best friend, too. The vet told us it was important for Max to see Beretta leave with them and say goodbye once she had passed, because they can tell when there is no heartbeat. We find him looking for her at times, but we do think he knows she is gone.

We’ve been picturing Beretta sprinting after tennis balls the way she did before her hip started hurting her, eating unlimited people food, and swimming without getting tired up in heaven.

Thank you for all of your kind words. I am so grateful for this place to share and go through the highs and lows of life together.

The post Beretta Baron first appeared on The Hungry Runner Girl.

We thought we had more time with her. She was running around on Sunday. Monday afternoon hit, and we all knew it was happening. We lost Beretta last night at 7:30 pm. Our hearts are shattered. I didn’t know it was possible for us to all cry the way we did yesterday. We miss her so much.

She was the very best girl.

The post The most horrible day. first appeared on The Hungry Runner Girl.

(shoes, socks, tank, shorts… code FRESH to get 30% off at adidas right now!)

What our coach told us to do: 15 miles with 3 x 2 miles (5:55-6:10 pace) with .5 mile recoveries.

What we actually did: We arrived on time at the parking lot, sat in my car for 17 minutes because it was dumping rain, finally got out, and started the run. It cleared up within a few minutes of running, and then we lucked out and had the most gorgeous sunrise. We started our workout: 2 miles @ 6:04, .5 mile easy, 2 miles @ 6:08, and realized we didn’t have it in us to do another set. At that exact moment, as we decided to cut a set, it started pouring/sleeting again, so we got back to our cars as quickly as possible at 11.3 miles.

It wasn’t raining at my house when I left for the run, so I took out my new shoes for the 11.3 miles, and they were sadly soaked by the end. But my first impression of them–> they are amazing.

I got the kids to school and then, once it cleared up a few hours later, ran another 3.7 to hit the 15 miles. I’m calling it an A+ for what we were up against that day! (tank below)

Brooke and I took her bestie out for sushi that evening for her birthday. I am loving this stage of motherhood.

On Saturday, it was another split-up-the-run situation–> I got in 3.3 miles before I needed to get the kids up and out the door for games. And then during Skye’s warm-ups for her game, I did another 4.7. I hit 53 miles for the week, which I am very proud of, and also quite confused about how 80 miles a week used to be the norm for me… 53 felt like a full-time job this last week. 12 days until race-day.

Their team is undefeated so far this season!

Curly went to homecoming, and we had to go see her before she left.

Andrew and I got out for dinner together. Slackwater’s California Sunrise is unreal. Their Goddess dressing needs to be sold by the bottle.

Just another normal Sunday for us.

We watched this for the first time.

And then had my family over for dinner.

Sunday dinners have to be the highlight of the week.

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Please tell me about something from your weekend!

Ever split up your run to make it work?

Are you in a stage of life where you are running more miles per week than you used to or less?

What was the last movie that you watched?

The post Theme of my runs lately + I’m confused. first appeared on The Hungry Runner Girl.

(shirt, shorts, sunglasses)

A walk instead of a run for my Thursday morning. I’m off to do a long run that intimidates me this morning… Here goes nothing!

Andrew and I went to find the rest of the outfits we needed for family pictures, and then we hit up the mall food court to celebrate being done thinking about what each person should wear. I’m crossing my fingers and toes that Skye will okay the skirt that I bought her;)

I could eat Greek food each day of my life.

And then it was a soccer night! My cute mom and Beck:

Beck loves the sidelines with his people.

They ended up having a delay due to lightning, and once they came back from the break, they were extra hungry, and won 2-0!

Excited to try these out today:

Let’s go for some favorites!

*This regenerating mask has my heart. I use it on Sundays because it feels special and makes my hair feel more alive than ever. I also use this leave-in conditioner mist every time that I wash my hair. Code JANAEBCR20 for 20% off everything at Christophe Robin! Don’t mind the lid still being wet from my shower;)

*Outdoor Voices sent me this set, and if you are looking for more of a lightweight set that is extremely soft, this is the one for you–> top and bottoms.

*Have you tried these ones? I love trű frű, and the banana ones are another winner.

*Madewell Insiders, this is a GOOD one! Get 25% off EVERYTHING. Just sign in to your Insider account and shop away. You can sign up for free to be an Insider HERE, and you’ll get the discount too. They sent me this sweater, this purse, these flats, these boots, and the barrel jeans I have LOVED for eternity. Other items I am obsessed with–> here, here, here, here, here, and here. I got this dress for me and this one for Brooke and our upcoming family pictures.

*Baublebar fans–> I am obsessed with this turquoise necklace (that reminds me so much of my grandma, Mer; she adored turquoise), and this ring.

*My beloved Dermal Micropoints are on sale right now! I traded in my microneedling at a med spa for this stuff and haven’t looked back. I am positive it works even better for me and you can FEEL it working.

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Favorite trü frü variety if you have one!

Tell me about your Friday night plans?

Had or have any intimidating runs lately?

Tell me your thoughts and feelings about going for walks?

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