Day 159

Busy week! I just got home from my first full rodeo. Lauren and I went together and had a marvelous time.

The announcer and rodeo clown could use some help, though. The clown kept on yelling jokes up to the announcer in the booth who would kind of pass them on to us through the mic. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to realize that this had the effect of listening to one half of a phone conversation for three hours. Fortunately, the parts that I did get sounded like they were all racist or misogynistic jokes, so I don't feel like I missed out on much.

"Uh-huh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oh, yeah . . . . . . . . . . . . . So, how can you tell it's married?. . . . . . . . . Oh! laughter I don't think I can repeat that to them." 

For three hours.

That being said, the rodeo itself was a whole lot of fun to watch. There are some unbelievably tough men in the rodeo business. My favorite part by far was the mini-bull riding. It's just like the big bull riding, only with little kids and little bulls. 

I was very impressed.

In news that is relevant to my goal, my knees aren't hurting, and the swelling in my foot seems to be going down, so I'm planning on running again this week. I've had it recommended to me, from a fellow runner with knee issues, that I run barefoot on the grass as part of my training. Apparently, that helps your body to just naturally fall on the balls of your feet, rather than the heels, which eliminates a lot of the stress on your knees. 

Come Monday you can fully expect to see me frolicking barefoot through my backyard for around a half hour. I also have a hunch that I will be singing a certain song.

Oh yes, I am looking forward to it.

Day 158

My right foot is pretty swollen. No idea why, but it has been for a few days now. It is also kind of sore.

It doesn't really hurt when I poke it, so I'm hesitant to get it checked out. Because, you know, everything that needs to be inspected by a physician hurts when you poke at it. So, while it still passes the poke test, I'm just going to proceed to ice and elevate it.

Today rocked. Kelsey and Natalie came over and watched a movie this morning. We watched a movie called Fireproof.




It is super corny and predictable, but I love the message that it has.

Then I had a date with Tressa tonight. We wandered around the Summerfest festival downtown, where I ran into my friend Tina, as well as my and Tres' old friend Scott and his beautiful wife, Leslie, who is expecting their first child.Then we went to Tesha's graduation from Dental Hygienist training.

We're pretty darn proud of that girl.

Then Tressa and I continued our date by going to get an ice cream cone at Charlie's Ice Cream, where my other friend, Lindsay, was working. Then our other old friend, Derek, walked in.

I can't tell you how much I love unexpectedly running into friends. My life is stellar.

The song that I am in love with at the moment is Little Romance by Ingrid Michaelson. I can't seem to stop humming it and smiling.

Day 157

I ran 3.5 miles today. This was the first time in a couple of weeks, since my knees have been giving me problems.

My right knee didn't hurt at all during or after the run, but my left was just a bit achy during the run. I didn't time myself, but I figure that I just kept an easy pace, probably around 12 min/ mile.

Knee wise, I consider today to be a success. However, I have had an awful time after my run today, and I think that it is due to a few mistakes that I made.

1. I started my run a bit after noon, when it was bordering hot outside. 
2. I haven't been drinking enough water lately, and today was no exception.
3. I slept in and just had a granola bar for breakfast, with nothing else before my run. This was after I accidentally skipped dinner last night. I also have not been eating very healthy foods for a few weeks now.

All of this added up to a migraine off and on through-out the afternoon, and I haven't been able to keep any food down all day, either. Also, I am very tired, even after sleeping half of the afternoon.

The great news with all of this, is that those 3 things are all choices that I can change for future runs. If my knees are back in the game, then so am I.

Boo-ya, baby.

Day 156

Trek was awesome.

It was also quite eventful. I am still discovering scrapes, bumps, bruises and the odd sore muscle. I'm also still recovering in the sleep department, so this is likely to be a highly revised post as I come back and re-read it.

We kicked things off with a 7 hour or so car ride through Wyoming's vast array of sagebrush and nothingness. Fortunately, I was in a vehicle with 6 people that I now know are rockstars. There were Nate and Kristen and their 8 3/4 year old son, Hyrum. My fellow young single adults were Ben, Katie, and Julie. Since I have the leg length of your average Dachshund, I volunteered to sit in the very back with Hyrum. This was also a great arrangement because I've missed in depth discussions about Legos, Skippy Jon Jones, and various ways to play dodge ball. However, my the seating arrangement made things interesting due to the fact that I still very much wanted to get to know everyone else in the car, and apparently I am an elderly woman who is experiencing hearing loss. Somebody would say something up front, and I would hear something completely different in the back, if I heard anything at all. This would lead to conversations that went something like this 

(Actual excerpt):

I heard something about a helicopter

Me: Well, it would sure have its pick of where to land out here. It's wide open. (Chuckle)

Rest of car: Silence

Ben: What's landing, Stephanie?

Me: The helicopter. (Awkward chuckling as I wait for everyone to catch on)

Katie: None of us said anything about a helicopter . . . 

Me: Oh . . .

Eventually, we made it to Martin's Cove.  We only had a short 2 mile hike into the cove. 

It was relatively flat and a well paved trail. Everything went according to plan, except for the weather. The wind was strong enough that I could spread my arms and lean most of my weight into the wind and it would support me. I took a video that doesn't completely do it justice. Fair warning: Turn down your volume before watching.

After a very thought provoking trip through Martin's Cove, we hopped back into the cars for the hour trip to where we would set up camp. Ben was kind enough to cram himself into the back seat for this leg of the journey. I stretched out my legs in the next seat up, enjoyed the scenery out of the window, and felt slightly vindicated as this conversation took place:

Me: That is one of the most beautiful horizons I've ever seen in my life.

Ben: What dress?

Me: Huh?

Ben: The pretty dress you just talked about . . .

Me: HA! It's not my ears! It's the back seat! The words change between here and there! HA!

After nearly flying away while setting up the tent in the ridiculous wind, the weather began to calm a bit as we ate dinner and then were taught some square dances by the resident senior missionaries.

Then we unwound even more by playing jump rope with an enormous rope. We then played tug-of-war, stick-pull, and leg-wrestling. After spending a bit of time around the campfire, I hopped in my bed a bit early, with the hopes of being well rested for the next day's 10-mile hike.

Around 11:30 camp quieted down enough for me to drift off.

Around 12:15 I was awoken by a couple of the guys talking. I was beginning to be slightly annoyed, when my mind registered that they were talking about their tent being flooded with at least 4 inches of water.

My semi-coherent mind threw out the thought, "At least I'm sleeping on an inflatable pool float. I'll be fine."

Then the thought of a flooded tent fully sunk in and my eyes flew open in unison with my hand struggling its way out of my mummy bag to feel the ground around me.

Dry.

The floor was dry.

I started to breathe again. My tent with 5 girls had lucked out. Several other tents weren't so fortunate and had to wade with their stuff over to the trailer we used to haul stuff around in, which became a make-shift shelter. It was decided that we should move our tent a bit further away from our new shoreline property, just to be on the safe side. So, we all stumbled around in the dark to unstake our tent and maneuver it to a place that we deemed safer. 

I loved all the people who were on Trek. Seriously, these people are amazing. Even after all of this, I heard very little complaining. I fell back asleep to the sounds of the flood victims all laughing and joking from the trailer.

We woke up early to a gorgeous day and hit the trail.

 I found out later that there were conflicting reports floating around about the trail condition, but all that I heard was that we would encounter some water in our first 1/2 mile, and then we would be okay until the official river crossing, much later. In actuality, the trail-head was underwater. We were in and out of thigh-deep water for our first 3 1/2 miles. Nobody knew when the next flooded part was, so we spent a great deal of time drying our feet and changing in and out of our hiking shoes.

It was a really cool experience. Everyone was so quick to help each other in whichever way they could. It seemed like every time that I started into the water, someone was offering me a hand, or shouting out from ahead to tell me when I was approaching a hole under the murky water. Some of the smaller girls, and those with injuries, were carried across. 

I watched as men waded back and forth, sometimes in water up to their hips, to make sure that every girl made it across safely. These are some incredible people.

Would we laugh when somebody face planted and came up covered in mud? Oh, yeah. But, it would always be as several people were running forward with their hands outstretched to help them back up.

After lunch it was decided that we would take the fork ahead for the 6-mile loop, rather than our original 10-mile. The original purpose of going the whole 10 miles was to experience a river crossing, but, well, we were as water-logged as we cared to get from the unexpectedly flooded trail. I must confess that I was pretty bummed about not doing the entire 10 miles. I knew that I was becoming completely exhausted, but I was enjoying myself immensely. There were so many experiences on that trail that strengthened my faith and brought me closer to all of those around me. 

A little over half-way, I noticed that the most significant thing that was occurring, was something that was not hurting. I had been very nervous about my knees. Even with Aleve and my braces, they were feeling achy the previous day. I can only think that it must be a tender mercy that I did not feel one bit of pain in my knees during the 6-mile trek, up and down some steep hills and rough terrain. Near the end, I managed to trip and fall on my way out of a water-crossing. I went down hard, landing right with my knees on some rocks. This was when the tubing in my braces saved me from anything worse than some slight bruising and a few scrapes.

I am a very blessed girl.

After we made it back to camp I sat down, and never wanted to get back up. At that moment, I thought the patch of shaded grass where I had planted myself with my feet in the sun was the absolute best place in the entire world. Pulling a handcart requires muscles that I just don't use in everyday life. Every move that I made awoke soreness in parts of my body that I'm not certain have ever been sore before. 

So, of course, we did more square dancing. We all stumbled and staggered our way, laughing through the whole thing. Then one of the girls from the ward lead us all in yoga. I didn't get pictures of it, however I know that somebody else did. If I ever get my hands on them I will post them on here. There's just something about watching a bunch of pioneers doing Downward Dog that I find hilarious.

After a powerful fireside devotional, we spent a couple of hours cooking s'mores and talking around the fire.

Didn't turn out how I was imagining.
If you look closely you can see some pioneer silhouettes, though.

At some point I went to bed.

Saturday morning we woke up, cleaned up the camp grounds and broke camp. On our way home we stopped at a site called Rock Creek Hollow, where 13 members of a handcart company died in one night and were buried. There was still an impressive amount of snow there.

The panorama feature on my camera decided the scene needed some pink.
Thanks, camera.

 After that, our long journey home was only broken by a stop to split a few big pizzas at Bear Lake.

While I was super excited to take a long, long hot shower and sleep on a bed, I was really sorry to see Trek end. It was an amazing adventure with some of the most magnificently stupendous people I have ever gotten to know in my life. I'd go just about anywhere with this group.

Day 155

I leave for Trek at 6:30 in the morning, which is just less than 8 hours from right now.

Don't think I've quit or died or anything, but I'll be gone for 3 days.

The last time I went on Trek, there was a strict weight limit for what I could bring with me. That was not the case this time. So, what do I bring to get my pioneer on and hike across the barren Wyoming nothingness?

This is what:

The sweats are for sleeping in. The Chacos are for the river crossing. The rest of the time I will be in my pioneer garb.
Those baby wipes are my bath for the next 3 days, so things are about to get pretty ripe up in here.

And then I crammed it all into a large backpack and a smaller backpack, while the bedding went into a trash bag.

And now I bid thee all a fond farewell, until we meet again.

Day 154

In preparation for an 80's themed party tonight, I was digging through the darkest corners of my parents' basement, when I came across a hidden treasure.

I had the glorious artifact in my hand and was half-way up the stairs to laugh directly to my mom's face, when I remembered the man in my own closet.

Tags: Josh Groban, Music, More Music Videos

Josh Groban is my Lionel Richie.

What can I say? I am my mother's daughter.

Speaking of daughters, here's to hoping that Josh Groban doesn't end up with one like Lionel Richie's.

Day 153

I am going to be spending this Thursday through Saturday hiking through the absolute middle of nowhere, while wearing a skirt, bloomers, and a bonnet.

That's correct, my friends, I am going on Trek.

Back in the 1800's, Mormon pioneers made their way across America on foot to settle in the Salt Lake valley. If you are unfamiliar with the basics of this story, go here to learn more details about the general story of the Mormon pioneers. Among the pioneers that made the journey West, were the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies. The full tragic story of their trek can be found here.

Members of the Latter-Day Saint community honor all of the pioneers, but specifically those who sacrificed so much in the barren part of Wyoming now known as Martin's Cove. Many members of our faith get groups together to literally follow in their footsteps. We dress the part of pioneers and pull handcarts along a portion of exact trail they traveled over 150 years ago.

Some may say that this sounds like an absolutely miserable idea. I can tell you that, first off, seeing as we d this in the summer, no one is risking death or serious injury. Secondly, my previous experience with Trek was one of the most powerful spiritual experiences of my life.

Sadly, I was unable to dig up any pictures from the Trek I took 7 years ago, however I did stumble upon some other memorabilia.

As I held these items again, I was flooded with some amazing memories. 

Truly, Martin's Cove is hallowed ground. I cannot wait to return to it and pay respect to all of those people who gave their lives in search of a safe place to worship God as they believed.

"Cold historic facts mean nothing here, for they give no proper interpretation of the questions involved. Mistake to send the Handcart Company out so late in the season? Yes! But I was in that company and my wife was in it, and Sister Nellie Unthank whom you have cited here was there, too. We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but did you ever hear a survivor of that company utter a word of criticism? Every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with Him in our extremities!
I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said, I can go only that far and there I must give up for I cannot pull the load through it. I have gone to that sand and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me! I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the Angels of God were there. Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No! Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company.” 

Francis Webster - Survivor from the Martin Handcart Company

                                                                   

Day 152

Today I got in on some ultimate frisbee. I'm not completely awful, when I'm actually paying attention to the game.

Then Garrett had some boxing gloves just laying around the round house, so Scott told me to start punching him. Elise gave me some pro tips, and pretty soon I was really enjoying myself. Poor Scott had no way of knowing he was asking the girl with repressed knee anger issues to take a swing at him.

While at the Round House, I visited the recovering Jacie. Heart surgery ain't no picnic.

After that we went star gazing in Paradise.

Scott, Lis, and Amber

Garrett

Nate and Melissa

Me, Cassie, and Elise.
This was try about 1,254 out of 5,649.
The flash was messing with our eyes in a big way.

Of course, star gazing quickly turned into just hanging out and talking in a park in the dark.

Not a shabby way at all to spend a summer Saturday.

Definitely better than how Ben, over at Ben Does Life, spent his day.

Day 151

Well, it's official.

I am taking an indefinite break from running.

I made the decision after I was walking around like an 80 year old with arthritic knees all day today. Now that the day is drawing to a close, I went to change out of my pants and noticed bruising around both of my kneecaps, and I haven't banged them against anything today or yesterday. Unfortunately, that means that I likely have done some kind of internal damage to my knees. That's not something I want to screw around with. So, starting tomorrow I'm back to putting a heavy emphasis on a healthy diet, and low impact exercises, with the goal of rehabilitating my knees and running again in the future.

This is not an easy decision for me to make. It's extremely difficult to actually type this, because this means that it's real, and I have worked hard to get where I am now. I've put all that I've got into it, and all the while I was dreaming of a bright, shining future, where I was the healthy runner of many marathons. I want it, and I want it bad. But, this body is mine for life. It's not worth getting skinny if it cripples me. The point of all of this was to increase the quality of my life.

I'd make one hot invalid, though. I'm just gonna throw that out there.

 However, I'd rather not go there.

So, I still have that dream of running a marathon. But, for right now it is on the back burner.

That being said, my dream of losing a hundred pounds, becoming healthier, and living a fantastic life, is still very much alive and completely attainable. In fact, it is already about halfway attained.

No more tears here. No more woe is me.

My life is still better than it was on January 3rd. That means I'm winning. Not Charlie Sheen "winning", I'm talking legit winning.

This is just an opportunity to find a different physical activity to excel at.

In other news, I helped Vikki and Kelley move into their beautiful new home today!

The view from their yard

Just in time, too! Baby Elena is ready to make her way into the world any day now. I, for one, am very excited to meet her.

Day 150

So, I ran 7 miles today.

Well, actually I guess that I ran about 6 miles of it, and walked about a mile.

It was a very, very rough run. At almost half way, my knees started hurting. I would walk until my knees felt alright again, and then run until they hurt. My walking times became gradually longer and my running times began to decrease. Then, with about 2 miles to go, my feet skipped right past aching and were causing me a great deal of pain.

With about a mile left I seriously considered calling my mom to come pick me up. But, I couldn't quit. I knew that even if I had to walk home, I could live with myself better than if I just stopped. With just a few blocks left, my playlist on my iPod ran out and in the sudden silence I heard sobbing. I reached up to my face and realized that I was crying. That easily ranks as one of the most miserable moments of my life.

I think that it was more out of frustration than pain. A week ago today I had the best run of my life. Both of my knees were fine. Now, I'm not completely sure what to do. I'm taking some joint supplement pills. I also took some Aleve before my run. I'm going to get some water shoes and try running in the pool for physical therapy. Of course, I've got my two new black running buddies to assist me, as well.

That's all that I can think to do. That and pray.

Speaking of prayers, my friend, Jacie, went in for heart surgery today. I'm dedicating this video to her. I hope to see you laughing again in person very soon. Like, preferably tomorrow. Until then, I know this video made me laugh hard while I was completely sober. I can only imagine the wonders it will do with your loopy lortab mind.



Get well soon, love.

Day 149

I picked up a little band thing to put under my knee while I run. It specifically says that it is for running and jumping, so there ya go. I wore it on my knee during my run. While that knee did get a little sore, there was no actual pain. After I was done running, that knee didn't hurt at all. Sadly, I'll have to get another one for my other knee. It was really bothering me towards the end of my run. The good news is that I didn't have to push myself too hard to finish the whole 4.5 miles within a minute total time of last Thursday. I'm still around a 10:50 min/ mile pace. I've also been noticing that after I run 4 miles or above, a few hours later I will get sick to my stomach for a bit. Although, some of that may be due to the fact that I have blown my diet completely lately. I should probably focus more on what I'm eating again.

I also went to Honk's dollar store with some friends, and we picked up some sweet tramp stamps. We decided not to trampify ourselves, and opted for other body parts.

Group shot. Tesha's foot turtle is my favorite

Close up of my hardcore roses

On the way back to my car, I heard, "Miss Stephanie!" and turned around to find one of the After School Club first graders running up to hug me. I really miss those kids. A lot. A whole stinkin' lot.

Back at the Round House, we played Apples to Apples. I ended up with the Viagra card in my hand, and no idea how to play it. When someone says something that is funny or can easily be taken out of context at the Round House, it is written on an index card, and stuck on the Quote Wall. At the end of Apples to Apples I blurted out my first Quote Wall comment. "I have Viagra, and I don't have a clue what to do with it." 

Oy vey.

I am going to have a busy summer extricating my foot from my mouth.