Finished!

Six weeks of training flew by and today I finished the Climb of Hope. It really was a climb of hope for me- I was really hoping I'd be able to get up and down the 958 steps while still jogging the  entire course! At first I jogged the stairs but then I realized lunging up the stairs two at a time and jogging down was quicker. I haven't jogged a lot of uphill since 5 years ago when my roommate and I used to jog those same hills a few times a week so the uphill was a challenge too, but overall I enjoyed the race- which considering that jogging was torturous three months ago is the best accomplishment!

My best little cheerleader and jogging stroller training partner was waiting at the finish line for me. Matt's Mom and Dad were so sweet to stay up with Jonas the night before so I could sleep a whole night for the first time in three months!

Most people would be tired after running 958 stairs- not Kalinda!

My inspiration for the healthy changes I've been making over the past month and a half. I'm trying to set healthy habits now so I can be a good example to Jonas by the time he starts paying more attention to what I do. Matt and I are actually eating vegetables with every lunch and supper! That's probably normal for most people but neither of us were very good about eating vegetables (other than potatoes) during our student phase.

Jenna and Brody, my niece and nephew, made cute little signs and cheered me on right before the last stretch. Jenna's sign said "Royall is the BEST".

This girl is ah-mazing! My ultimate fitness dream right now is to be able to run an entire 5K at Kalinda speed. Unattainable? Probably. But she is so much fun to run with it doesn't matter. Jogging track runs work pretty well for us right now. We can run a few laps together, I can take a breather lap while she runs two at Kalinda speed, and then she picks me up for another few laps at her pace. Also, we can do a cool-down walk for over an hour without even noticing the time because we're so into the conversation we're having.

Fast as Joseph

"Having food and raiment let us be wherewith content". (1 Timothy 6:8)

Ever wanted to wealthy? Try reading "Approaching Zion" by Hugh Nibley. If someone tried giving me wealth after I had just finished one of his essays I would run as fast as Joseph from Potiphar's wife.

No, seriously.

"To take more than we need is to take what does not belong to us".

"Those who believe and obey the Gospel of the Son of God forsake all for its interests, belong to the kingdom of God and all the rest belong to the other kingdom".

"Shall we now seek to make ourselves wealthy in gold and silver and the possessions which the wicked love and worship, or shall we, with all of our might, mind, and strength, seek diligently first to build up the kingdom of God? Let us decide on this, and do the one thing or the other".

"Every step in the direction of increasing one's personal holdings is a step away from Zion, which is another way of saying, as the Lord has proclaimed in various ways that one cannot serve two masters: to the degree in which he loves the one he will hate the other".

He lays down the line- Babylon or Zion- no in between. Reading Nibley's words is kind of like immersing my head in glacier water. Initially the shock of it is uncomfortable and leaves me spluttering. But then my mind is clearer. I feel a tingly sort of glow and an eagerness to act. The Lord has been very direct in his answer to what I need to do to better keep an eternal perspective.

He's a HUGE Boy!

A little before Jonas was born I was picking up a few baby supplies when I heard a funny conversation in the next aisle. Apparently some parents and their two little boys were looking at toilet training potties. The mom said "Dylan gets to pick which toilet he will use because he is a big boy". Her older son who, judging from his cute squeaky voice couldn't have been older than five, corrected her, "He's a HUGE boy".

Now whenever people comment on how big Jonas is getting I find myself mentally correcting them, "Jonas isn't a big boy, he's a HUGE boy". Here are some pictures to prove it:

Today was his first time eating in his high chair. A few days ago he figured out how to muscle his way out of his bumbo.

I made this yummy applesauce this morning.

This boy looks so much like Matt did as a toddler! I still have claim to his mouth, eyes (but I share these with Matt), and his long arms, torso, and big hands. But the rest is of him is from his Dad.

I love the sight of those round rosy cheeks when he wakes up. One of Matt and I's favorite times with Jonas is the short moment of tranquility after he wakes up. He chatters pleasantly until you come in to get him. Then he smiles, rests his warm body against yours and wraps his arm around your shoulder. A few minutes later he is a "vigorous boy" again.

6 months old...

already?

Isn't the sweater Grandma Harker knit him darling? Matt and I got to pick the color and pattern before he was born. Now he fits it!

Run of Faith

I just ran 3 miles in under 30 minutes. It has given me the greatest feeling of confidence that I will be able to jog the entire uphill 5K race. I've had to put forth faith that my interval jogging training would build up my stamina enough for a 5K. Each of my jogging workouts have been at least an hour long but the longest sustained running I had done with or without the jogging stroller over the first three weeks of my program is 10 minutes. The bulk of my workouts so far have been walking intervals. So to know I can jog for 30 minutes straight is an indescribable comfort. After not jogging for an entire year running has felt very foreign and difficult, but my muscle memory is starting to kick in and hopefully by the 8K Sight Night run, running will feel completely natural so I can focus on building back my speed for the Resolution Run. I won't be able to run my 5K on September 19 fast but I will be able to run it!

Hungry as a Hippo, Tall as a Giraffe

It turns out my baby hippo is actually a baby giraffe! Jonas was an exactly 50-50-50 percentile baby two months ago and now he is a 94-55-84 percentile baby.

Height: 28 inches 71 cm (94%)
Weight: 17 lbs 8 oz (55%)
Head Circumference: 45 cm (84%)

The doctor actually made the nurse re-measure his length while she watched her! But the nurse was right! Jonas has had a super-growth spurt, which I sort of suspected (although not to that extent). Lately Matt and I keep noticing how long he looks when the other is holding him or when Jonas is stretching out in his bath. His Jolly Jumper has needed constant adjustment and he went from sleeping 8 hours or more at night from 3-4 months to eating at least twice a night from 4-6 months. At first I thought visiting family during the holidays had upset his sleep pattern but his rumbly little tummy said it was more than just that. I guess I can't begrudge my baby 2-3 night feedings if he's growing at hyper-speed!

Switching Schedules

I think I might have gone for my last stroller jog on Monday. I jogged for a total of 30 minutes (in intervals) while pushing Jonas and my workout felt a lot like strength training (and like I was pushing a baby hippo- sorry Jonas!) I still feel like I have some serious lactic acid build up in my quad muscles. I've decided to switch to an actual 5K training program for the last three weeks because building my cardio takes precedence over shaping up my bottom half right now. Strangely though I've been missing Jonas' company on my runs (just not pushing his weight). 

I only have 16 days until the Climb for Hope. After that I have signed up for an 8K on November 20 (you get to run in the dark with headlamps!) and a 5K Resolution Run on January 1. So I just need to sign up for three more events before August 9, 2011 to meet my goal of training for and completing 6 race events in a year. One will for sure be the Magrath Sprint Triathlon in July with Melissa and I think I've convinced Amy to do the Sandpoint Long Bridge Swim (an 1.76 mile open water swim in Idaho) with me on August 6 so that leaves one more event. Maybe a super-sprint tri or 10K in March?