HTC*HOOD TO COAST*H2C

197 miles w/12 runners, 2 hardcore drivers, & 3 supportive volunteers. Absolutely amazing and worth every mile. It's actually difficult to describe the emotions, exhaustion, exhilaration, joy, and pain we experienced during this event. Our prayers, tears, and thoughts go out to the female runner that went down on my 3rd leg, and was brought back to life after 8 minutes w/no pulse and no breath. She is currently in the hospital but will remain an inspiration to me. Another inspiration..... my sweet husband. He battled injury after injury and ran through the pain to run this relay with his family. He doesn't regret a minute of it as he hobbles around now.
What a rush!! I had the privilege of starting the HTC for our team at 8:00 am. It was just under 6 miles. I ran a 7.46 minute mile. My favorite leg of the entire race. 2nd leg occured at 6:30 in downtown Portland. Good run - 9 minute mile - 4.1 miles. Across a bridge and under 6 more. Only negative was that I got motion sickness because I ran beside the water. Weird!! Last leg (run on about 2 hours sleep) began at 6 am. Again a 9 minute mile - just under 4 miles.
The hardest part is the starting and stopping. My leg muscles tightened up. Remedy, hydrate and constant stretching. Awesome! The only other weird thing was knowing how much water/Poweraide to drink, how much food and which foods to eat, and somehow figuring out when to eat so that I wouldn't end up in the HoneyBuckett (port-a-potty) when I needed to be running! I refuse to jump into the bushes to do my "business" during my run. I'm a potty snob!
We had a great van with 6 of our runners and an awesome driver. We managed a hot tub at the end of our last leg.Van 1 Rocked it! Van 2 was also amazing. Completely pushing themselves beyond all of their goals.
My kids were all okay while I was gone. No seizures for my youngest!! I have great friends that cared for my kids. I came home and crashed pretty hard a Sunday night!
I would run it again in a heartbeat! The bonding was immeasurable.

Had to include a picture if the beating my feet took! I gimped around after the run but felt tons better the next day. Pretty gross though. Blistered both feet!!

Every Day My Kids Get Older

I watch my kids growing, learning, playing every day. You know what??? I love it but then I think.... oh, they're getting older! I miss the moments we've shared already! Of course, the next moment happens and it's great too! I'm excited to see what each new day has with the 3 greatest boys in the world! Here are a few things that I love about being a Mom to my 3 fabulous boys.........

The smell of boys, laughing, snuggling, struggling to learn new concepts, learning socially appropriate behavior (not tooting or burping for a laugh), learning how to tease and joke around (sometimes tricky to figure out appropriate when/how), praying, crying, needing me when ill, Cub Scouts, wrestling/playing with me and Daddy, accomplishing tasks, feeling proud, tickling, uncontrollable laughter, made up jokes that are only funny to them, helping them through confusing times, watching them hurrumph away when irked, playing, jumping on the tramp, baseball, reading books with them, discussing books, watching funny TV, seeing Isaac hide his face during movies that you wouldn't know were scary, marking growth charts, watching them help each other when hurt, singing in the car at the top of our lungs, stitches and bruises, Noah saying "Sorry, sorry, sorry" so the other boys won't tell Mom how Noah hurt them, dirt socks, floppy socks on the ends of their feet, dirty clothes shoved into drawers, one on one time, family night, crepes for Sunday dinner, campfires with marshmallows snarffed by the boys, camping, driving to Utah and talking with Griff all the way, Disneyland, Star Wars and light sabres, spiritual moments, baptism, star gazing, warm fires in the fireplace with hot chocolate and 3 boys around me, snuggling in our bed, scripture reading, excitement for bath time, summer buzz cuts, dirty fingernails that need to be clipped (often a struggle when my boys want to be dragons), jello, Z Bars, dancing in the living room, first crushes, seeing the world through their eyes and experiencing it that way too........
I could go on and on. I hope they know how much I love them. I'm always trying to be a better Mom. I have A LOT of room for improvement....... but I hope they remember that I loved them.

Just some thoughts about my loveable boys.

Running Hood To Coast

I can't believe it is one week away. Friday, August 24th - Saturday, August 25th is the Hood To Coast Relay Race in Oregon. I'm completely freaked at this point. Am I really ready?

I've been workin' the Body for Life program for 5 months. It's helped me soooo much. Lost fat and I've learned to eat "clean." "Clean" meaning leave out the sauces, fats, and simple carbs. I eat 6 times per day. A complex carbohydrate and a protein. Portions matter. I'm really never hungry and I'm purchasing food that is tons better for my entire family. Honestly, I haven't eaten at McDonald's or any other fast food place except on a road trip. Still - I only ate a healthy, non fried wrap. I'm sure my kids are missing the fast food but I'm not!! I've gained muscle and more muscle tone. I'm pretty excited about the results as well as the stress reduction and time alone to think.

The weight training is pretty detailed and intense. 3 x per week. The opposite days are spent in a cardio interval portion. For cardio I enjoy running and cycling. However, with the Hood To Coast around the corner, I've had to spend my cardio time running for distance and not interval training. I like the interval training better. Actually, I'm excited to return to the interval training and out of the distance stuff. Unfortunately, I don't like distance running. But, for the race, I've increased my runs to 5 miles three times per week. I hope I'm ready.


The HTC is a relay race that covers 197 miles from Mount Hood to Seaside, Oregon. It's run by everyday people as well as professional runners. Nike sponsors the run. 3000 teams applied but only 1000 teams were accepted. Wow!! Each team has 12 runners, 2 drivers, and 3 volunteers. Our volunteers are friends of Bry's brother. Everyone else is part of the Holt Family. Our awesome drivers are Rame (a brother) and Jordan (a brother-in-law). "The Incredible Holts" runners consist of me, Bry, Marie (a sister and the Team Captain), Sue (sister), Jared (brother-in-law), Jeanne (sister-in-law), Brian (brother-in-law), Devin (niece), Amy (niece), Becky (niece), and Wayne and Anne (friends of the family). We each run 3 legs of the race. We average about 5 miles per leg per person although everyone's terrain is variable. We start 8 am Friday and relay until Saturday evening. Yikes!

A great team. I' m really excited about this. It's my first big race and I think I'm ready but of course I have a few concerns. I'm running a leg that begins with an enormous downhill for 5 3/4 miles. It's a 2000 foot descent. I tried running 5 1/2 miles down Mt. Diablo. It went well. I lost two toenails but have purchased new and bigger shoes since in addition to clipping my toenails. I'm planning on packing ice packs and Ibuprofen!! I'll need it. My last two legs are both under 5 miles each. I can do this!! I might not be walking Sunday the 26th but it'll be worth it!

Pray for us all. Bry's had injury after injury and keeps healing and training. With only one week prayers are a big necessity!! Staying injury free at this point, for all of us, is key!!!

Run Run Run As Fast As You Can, You Can Catch Me.......

Camping With The Family

We went on an overnight camping trip to Mt. Diablo. 15 minutes away! Love it! We went with the Elder's Quorum group from our church. It was so much fun. We saw raccoons, wild turkeys, meteor showers, and listened to coyotes howl first thing this morning. The boys enjoyed playing night tag with their friends while the adults hung out and talked until 1 AM. I really enjoy the families in our church. Some how we all relate so well to each other. I enjoy the spiritual bond that exists. Really..... they are family.

Most of all, I enjoyed just being close to my boys and MSH without worrying about the busy life at home. School isn't too far a way and I'm hiding out in summer a little longer.

The best quote of the weekend goes to my youngest son...... I took him into the restroom near our camp. The toilet was there but once you open the lid, you stare down into an endlessly dark and stinky abyss. Noah asked "Mommy, is dere (there) an alligator in dere?"

Love it!

ECLIPSE!!! What more can I say? If you haven't read the current trilogy of "Twilight", "New Moon", and "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer, then you've definitely missed out. The secret to enjoying the first book is not to read the back of the book or the prologue. Just, dig right into the first chapter.

I loved all three books and was definitely relieved to read that there will be a fourth. I love reading. If you know me, you know that I read a ton of books. I like every kind of book except for horror. No nightmares for me thanks! The greatest part of this trilogy is the excitement that carries through every chapter. Not just danger, but anticipation and romance. I'm not a real romancy reader either. Actually, it's young love described at it's most passionate. However, no sex, language, or inappropriate stuff!! No wonder all of us Mormon women are freaking out over it!!!! I would describe the books as "yummy!" Honestly, I got flushed several times. Let's just say that Edward is to die for!!!!! MSH laughs at me as well as at all of his sisters and nieces that have read this book too. Yep, it's appropriate for teenage readers too! (A little weird that my nieces are getting flushed over the same book that I'm getting flushed over! )

I was a little embarassed after reading the first book "Twilight" as I went to purchase the second book "New Moon" at Barnes and Noble. I walked up to the help desk and asked the young man behind the counter if he could help me find the sequel to "Twilight."

"Yes, Mam. (I'm a Mam already, I can't believe it!) Okay, let's see....... That's right over here in the teenage fiction section!"

(In my head - I'm freaking out) "What, I got all hot and bothered over a teenage fiction book????" Oh well, it was great - there's no denying it even if it is considered teenage fiction."


So..... pick up a copy of the first book and I'll guarantee that you'll be buying the second and third. Happy reading!!

This Is The Place

As our Utah vacation comes to a close, I'm feeling extremely sentimental. I enjoyed the visits with friends that I've sadly not seen in years. I love seeing the happy faces of friends that have transplanted themselves back to Utah.
I'm extremely grateful for my pioneer heritage. I often feel sad that many of my siblings don't carry this knowledge and draw strength from the amazing lives of their ancestors. I feel soooo connected here to my ancestors. I'm incredibly indebted to them for their courage and intense dedication to the LDS religion. I've spent the past 15 years studying the doctrines of this church. I've found truth, light, and love focused on the Savior. It's exactly where God wants me to be. In part, the fact that I can live my religious beliefs are because of the sacrifices and dedication of my ancestors. Utah pioneers!!
I'm grateful for the time that both my family and MSH's family have set aside for us. We've felt loved while here. I've enjoyed time with my sweet sister-in-law, Sue. We've spent time running together and even visited our high school again together. We took time to watch the LaNichees and laugh that this years team was actually born when we were in high school and part of the drill team.










I loved laughing with my big sister. Truly laughing!! I love her.
I enjoy watching my Mom and MSH's parents delight in their grandsons.
I loved watching my boys enjoy attending baseball and soccer games, lighting fireworks, swimming, shopping, and playing.
I loved being with MSH on vacation. It's nice to be with each other without the everyday stuff to worry about.
I loved watching my boys knock on the doors of the temple. I dream of the day that we will all be in the temple together. It will be an amazing day. The importance of which really hit me today as my boys stood at the temple.
I'm grateful for my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. I'm amazed at the depth of His love for me. I'm thankful for the knowledge that my Father in Heaven loves me and can directly speak to me and guide me with the Holy Spirit. I'm thankful for the desire to study the doctrines, history, and truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm also grateful for the LDS church that dedicates itself to teaching those truths. I have so much left to learn but I'm excited about the journey and not just the ending. I'm especially thankful to my God for MSH and beautiful boys.

Pretty sappy....