Training: Week 10

Monday- bike 30 min, run 6 miles

Tuesday- swim 50 min, bike 14.6

Wednesday- run hills 7 miles

Thursday- swim 60 min, bike 8 

Friday- bike 30 min, run 6 miles

Saturday- swim 1500m, bike 40km, run 10k

I decided to do a Olympic distance brick training today in light of the Olympics. I loved watching the women’s triathlon. It got me super excited for Brineman. 

Training during the week went really well and my running pace improved. Today’s training wasn’t my favorite. My goggles kept leaking which is a problem I’ve never had before. Usually they are always fogging up. So it was really annoying to have to stop and get the water out every few laps. The swim is usually so easy and goes by so fast but this time it felt like it was never going to finish. The bike was ok but just a lot of weird little things that happened with water on the Murdock trail, timing with other bikers/runners, bike malfunction, etc. Just when I thought my ride couldn’t be anymore weird something else would happen. I felt like my confidence was a little shaken and I was happy it was a short ride. On the plus side, I got a bike headlight and tail light so I can now safely ride during the early morning hours when it isn’t quite light yet.

My run went well and normal thank goodness. With how the other two events went I figured I would get attacked by a oversized dog or something. Thankfully my run was uneventful and my pace was 8:38/mile so I was super happy about that.

Pool Hoppin’

We went to three different pools in 3 days. We started with Provo Rec on Wednesday. We are trying to squeeze in all the water/summer stuff we can before summer ends. 

The minis no longer need me to help them on everything so I enjoyed a little freedom and downtime in the shade. 

We met up with Penny’s family Thursday at Splash Summit. Everyone had a buddy and Penny and I could catch up. We got to choose which rides. I’m really enjoying this new phase of life and the minis independence at pools.

Friday we went to the Lindon pool with Drew. His orthodontist had a party there. Ali, Dan and Katelyn couldn’t make it so they got tickets for us to go. I thought for sure we would get rained out but it only sprinkled for a second. I love the Lindon pool because they have a hot tub and kids can sit in it. It was so nice to warm up thought out the night and have the kids be able to also.

Rocky Mountain Showcase

We are really excited about James’s soccer team this year. He has the same coach and gets to play with his friends. We are getting to know the other players and loving how well they all play together. 

This week the team competed in the Rocky Mountain Showcase and won the tournament!!! 

Pioneer Day

We celebrated Pioneer Day with a pancake breakfast and bike parade with our ward.

We finished off the night with Artic Circle shakes at the park. Marshall and James went to Tucanos with their gift card they won at their 5k last month.

Training: Week 9

Monday: run 6

Tuesday: swim 2, bike 10

Wednesday: walk 3, run hills 6

Thursday: swim 2, bike 34

Friday: run 6

Saturday: run 12.77

This week was a recovery week. Less brick training. 

I’ve been trying to train myself to eat before long runs. Lack of nutrition is always my number one down fall with all of my marathons. Since I have to eat through the triathlon I’m hoping to get used to eating for long runs. On my Saturday brick trainings I’ve eaten a squeeze applesauce pouch during my bike ride and felt great. No digestive issues. This morning I ate one before my run and it was bad. I definitely need to figure out a better pre-run food. 

My run today took me to Art Dye park in AF. I loved the route. Some nice gradual ups and downs, not too busy of streets but busy enough.  Cooler temps in the low parts, and a bathroom half way.

 

More Cousin Fun

Brooke and her kids came to town for the reunion. Since we didn’t get to spend time with her at the reunion she came over for dinner one night and we went to a splash pad one day. Sienna loved spending time with London since she is the only girl cousin her age.

Kade loved entertaining Jack and Scarlett and Lynnlee were best buds.

Sewing Camp

Lynnlee went to her second year of sewing camp. She learned a lot and sewed a lot of projects! She sewed an owl pillow, crayon holder, bags, pajama pants, hand sanitizer holders, chapstick holders, and scrunchies. 

Lagoon

Katie took James and Kade to Lagoon with her family Monday. It didn’t work for the rest of us to go but it was fun they could go with cousins.

Family Dinner

We had our last family dinner before Katie’s family went home. We’ve had family in town for the last month and have enjoyed spending time with everyone. It’s always sad when it ends.

On a random note, it’s awesome having a shoe designer for a sister. I get to be a shoe tester every couple of months and get free shoes! This is the latest and they are really comfortable. Kizik is the only shoe with hands free backs so you can slip them on and off really easy.

Training: Week 8

I wasn’t planning on brick training today since we were suppose to be in Boise. So my training during the week was planned around that. I rode 50 miles and ran 2 on Monday. Tuesday I swam 2 and biked 10. Wednesday I biked 10 and ran 6. Thursday I swam 2 miles with speed workouts and biked 10. Friday I biked and then ran 7. I thought Saturday would be an easy long run. Then we didn’t go to Boise and I decided I should brick train since next Saturday we have plans.

So I got up early and rode to the pool. The swim went well. It always flys by. I really need to practice open water but all of the ponds around here have parasites and swimming is not recommended.

I now have biking shoes and clip in pedals thanks to Marshall for helping me become more official. I biked 49 miles and my new shoes felt great. I was a little nervous I would forget my feet were clipped in and fall over. For today though I had no problems. 

The run was hot. I took it slow. One step at a time. I ran to the Saratoga Springs temple (sort of, across Redwood by it) I was thankful for the drinking fountain along the Jordan River trail so I could refill my water bottles. 

Swim: 1.2 miles

Bike: 49 miles

Run: 10 miles

It was a hard week of training but so good. I’m feeling stronger and more conditioned. 

Upside Down Plans

 Things have been going really well this summer. I love the schedule that has naturally happened with everyone's practice schedule, camps, etc. We are around in the mornings for sports and such and then have the whole afternoon to play. It's been perfect! 

We planned to go to the Lowry Family reunion this weekend in Boise. Everything was going well until it wasn't. A few of my kids came down with impetigo and once we realized how contagious it was we knew it wouldn't be a good idea to go to the reunion and risk sharing it with everyone. It's been disappointing to not to be with everyone at the reunion. Now the weekend is wide open but we are quarantined. To kill some time Sienna painted my nails and I painted hers. It's going to be a long weekend.

Jazz Hoops

One of the perks of Betsy's Jazz job is employee night where you get to shoot hoops at the arena. It was so nice of Betsy to take Kade, Taggart and Sienna! They had so much fun shooting around and playing speed.

 

Manila Creek Pond

I took Katie's family kayaking and paddle boarding to Manila Creek Pond. James and Lynnlee were in Brigham City so it was weird only having three of my kids. They paddled around and played in the sand with Brigham, Sid and Miriel. It was fun hanging out with Katie. Coby was recently called to be bishop in their ward in New Hampshire so it's fun to have that in common with her. Although wards are a lot different outside of Utah. Things Marshall deals with are different than things Coby deals with. It will be interesting to compare their experiences. I guess they won't be moving closer anytime in the next five years.

Half a Century

I love the Murdock Canal trail. I’ve wanted to ride or run the whole trail. Today was the day! I started at 5:30 and finished at 8:30. I rode from my house to the trail and rode the whole trail. I still needed a few more miles to get to 25 miles one way so I rode up the Provo Canyon trail a few miles. Then I rode back which made a total of 50 miles, half a century. I had some feet cramping though the middle of the ride but it didn’t last so overall I felt pretty good. 

All In a Day

We don't make it to Brigham City very often. Thank goodness for family baptisms to get us there. We went to Kyler's baptism in the morning. It was super simple with no talks or songs. Just the baptism and confirmation. So it's interesting how different each stake is in the church.

 

After the baptism and brunch we visited Juliet's grave. Then we helped Beckie with a service project in memory of Juliet. We put together angels with beads. They will take them to the hospital to give to others who lose a baby. It was nice being a part of a good thing. My kids really liked putting them together.

James and Lynnlee got to stay with cousins in Brigham City and the rest of headed home that afternoon. That evening Kade, Taggart, and Sienna played at the splash pad while Marshall and I watched Brazil vs. Argentina. It was pretty great and we were so happy that Argentina won!

Later that night I went to the temple for the last session of the night. I am so happy that temples are open again! I have always loved temples. It was a great ending to the day!

Training: Week 7

This week was so busy and I was going on 4-5 hours of sleep a night. It made the workouts so tough. I took a 3 hour nap Friday and went to bed early to try and catch back up on sleep. I also ate so much junk food through the holiday and birthdays that I felt like junk. It’s good though to motivate me to eat better. Thankfully it was a recovery week so Saturday’s workout was trimmed down. 

Swim: 1.2 miles 

Bike: 20 miles

Run: 3.7 miles

Kade is 9!!!

Kade is 9! He started the morning with a scavenger hunt to find his presents per his request. He had Swedish pancakes for his birthday breakfast.

Kade is full of energy. He loves soccer and basketball. He is always making everyone laugh, has good come backs, and is thoughtful.

I was so happy he wanted a donut cake. After making two cakes for his siblings this was perfect!

His friend birthday party was on his birthday. He spent the party playing on the inflatable obstacle course, water balloon fight, and eating pizza. 

I had moon shoes when I was a kid so it's fun seeing Kade with them. He played with all of his presents the rest of the day.

Kade is a super picky eater so all he wanted for his birthday dinner was cold cereal. He really wanted to watch Godzilla vs Kong for his birthday movie. It was tricky to find a theater playing it so instead he got to watch Godzilla at home.

The Minis Turn 7!!!

Wednesday the Minis- Taggart and Sienna turned 7!!! I'm terrible with words so here goes my best attempt of describing what the last seven years have been like. 

Finding out I was expecting not one but two babies😱

Seeing them when they were born😍

Getting through the first few years 😜😳😬😫

Seeing them hit their milestones 👏😃😎

Enjoying their independence 😌

Every year gets a little easier. Sienna is loud, social, and full of energy. Taggart is more reserved, shy and contains his energy. They know how to balance each other out. They care about each other and love doing most things together. 

We started off the day with presents in bed. Since they sleep in different rooms we switch off who's room we go to. This year it was Taggart's room so we woke up Sienna and they opened their presents in the boys room.

This year I decided to make a candy bar poster for Lynnlee's birthday so to be fair I made them for Kade, Taggart and Sienna. I was questioning this choice around midnight the night before when I was scrambling to get everything ready for their birthdays. 😴 I don't think this will be a yearly tradition.

I took the kids to Fat Cats that morning for some mini golf and arcade games. Drew is like another brother to my kids. We were happy he could sleep over Tuesday and spend the day with us celebrating the minis. We just wish aunt Pat could have celebrated with us as well.

That night Grandpa and Grandma Lowry took us to dinner at Chuck-A-Rama, our kids' favorite. Then the night finished with Marshall taking the birthday kiddos to see Boss Baby 2.

We had their birthday party the next day. We rented an inflatable obstacle course, slide thing and had back to back birthday parties for Kade, Taggart and Sienna.We did the same thing two years ago and it made for one crazy day but it was also nice to get everything done in one day. 

Taggart's and Sienna's party is one party but it's hard with their different interests to have a theme that they both like. Thankfully since it was a water party we didn't really need an additional character type theme but they each picked a cake so that helped it be individual. I am not a cake decorator so this was my best attempt at a turtle and Barbie cake. Lynnlee helped decorate the barbie cake.

I consider the party a success because no one got hurt and everyone was happy. The older they get, the easier hosting birthday parties is becoming.