Each Day Is a Gift

Ward Conference today.  My choir sang "Let the Holy Spirit Guide" with Dillon on the violin.  They called up two members on the spot to bear their testimonies.  Wendy was one of them.  She is as humble, sweet, kind and Christlike as anyone I know.  Her testimony touched me so much that I was bawling and could hardly look at the music.  Thankfully the choir sang beautifully and Dillon played so well.  It was a perfect number just before hubby's talk on the guidance and companionship of the Holy Ghost.   My Primary class gave me not 1 but 3 spontaneous *circle bear hugs* that about knocked me over!!!  ♥♥♥♥♥!!!  I SO SO SO LOVE and NEED the Sabbath! :):):)

 Gung Hey Faat Choy!!!  Happy Chinese New Year!!!

7 nice easy chatty miles with Wendy, Carolyn and Karen (Sky) on canal trail.  :) :) :)

Core and hip stability exercises while watching Monk!  :)

No soreness to speak of except for the knee owies, so couldn't do the donkey whips and fire hydrants!

Note to self:  start wearing the Ascends on trails in case I need to wear them for the Orphan Hope Marathon in 19 days.  Still trying to figure out what races to run in March!

I've been wanting to invite my running buddies for a home-gym workout.  Today's the day... with the wind and icy road this morning... perfect time to stay indoor.  We rotated every 20 min. between the machines and watched two episodes of Monk.  We also did Myrtle and Pfitz's CSE.  It was SO FUN!  Karen and I convinced Carolyn and Wendy to sign up for UVM.  YAY!!!!  :) :) :)

Trying to decide between running the Red Rock Canyon Marathon on Mar 10 or the Buffalo 25K on Mar 24.  What I would really like to run is the National Marathon on Mar 17.  But it's too much money to travel to D.C. since we're going to TX in Feb and Boston in Apr.  The closest marathon is Sand Hollow; but it's 16 days from Boston...too close...what to do?!!! 

10 with Karen, Wendy and Carolyn.  Wore the Ascend hoping to run some trail, but the canal trail was too muddy.  Ran up to Highland via Suncrest to Hog Hollow trail head.  Got two pre-blisters on the 4th toes. :) 

5 with Karen, Wendy and Carolyn.  3 by myself at mp.  NICE weather.

Myrtle.

3 circuits of CSE.

Watched My Name is Khan, heart warming movie.  Finished reading the second book of the Hunger Games, depressing book, very well written, but I don't think I want to see the movie.  :)

Ran to meet Karen for a sunny windy hilly run down 3rd west, up rail trail and Bull River. Really enjoy these great outdoor running weather.  Knee owies healing up nicely.  Am sure the blisters will get calloused in time for the Orphan Marathon. 

Karen had to be at her daughter's futsal game this morning so we had a tight schedule.  She needed 15 miles.  I needed 17 and the rest of the gang needed 10-11.  So I started half hour earlier and ran 1 mile to Karen's house.  We ran 3+ miles together.  Got to Wendy's house where John (Zeus), Wendy and Carolyn were ready to join us. 

Ran up to Alpine with a stop at the fountain of youth.  To not loose track of time I wanted to keep a 9:30-9:45 pace and not stop the watch even when waiting for traffic and at the drinking fountain.  Temp was in the high teens, calm, partly sunny.  Fingers were frozen for 16+ miles...should've worn ski mittens!!! :)  Got Karen back in time! Success!!! :) Didn't even know my face was chocolate-Gu-smeared 'till I got home and hubby got an *extra sweet* kiss! :)

17.5 miles in 2:43:43.  AP: 9:29.  Splits: 11:31 (waited for Karen outside her home), 10:09, 9:43, 9:28, 9:25, 9:23, 10:04 (traffic light and beginning of uphill) 9:31 (not bad for uphill), 9:06, 8:55, 9:31, 9:51 (gu'd & pit stop), 9:00, 8:44, 8:48, 9:30 (traffic light), 8:55, 8:21.

Glad I got in a 50+ miles week since the week in Texas with the grandkids will be a step down week! :)