Las Vegas Ragnar Relay

For four years, I've been aching to run in a Ragnar Relay race. My family started running the Wasatch Back in 2005, then the Del Sol the next year, and then the Vegas race. Adam ran in it last year, and each time I'd get invited to run, I'd find out I was pregnant. At long last, all of the stars aligned and I signed up to run with Stephanie, Amy, my mom, and some great gals whose kids cheer at our gym. I met the race with a teeny bit opposition in my corner, but it was more than I wanted. So, after a few weeks of training, I was ready to run. I had two things to prove: that I could run my legs quickly and respectably, and that two vans full of women could navigate the course without getting lost.


By the end of the race, I had five really great(er) friends, I'd learned a bunch of excellent running strategies and techniques, I overcame running on an injured knee and pushing myself to finish the race despite the intense pain I felt with every step, and I felt like I could conquer the world. I can't describe the feeling of accomplishment and power that I experienced, not to mention the great fun I had every minute of my trip. It was definitely something I want to do again!


Leslie, Steph and I set out on Thursday at noon for Vegas. We stopped in St. George to meet up with four of our other team members for pasta at Brick Oven. Then we hit Target and Rebel Sports to get some last minute gear, snacks, matching socks, and water. Two hours later, we met up with the Arizona members of our team, decorated our vans, and climbed into bed to enjoy two hours of sleep.


Waking up that morning was almost as easy as waking up early on my wedding day; I couldn't wait to get going and I couldn't stop thinking about what was ahead of me. I had no idea what a race would be like and I was excited to go for it.


For pre-race and pre-dawn, we look pretty good, no? We woke up at 2:45 a.m. to be ready to rock at Valley of Fire State Park by 5:00 a.m.


Stephanie started us off bright and early. She did an awesome job on the first run of the day.


The first hand off didn't go very smoothly, but that's what you get when you're running 8 miles an hour and slapping a bracelet onto someone who's standing still. Eventually, the bracelet was on and Amy set out on her first leg.


Amy killed all of her runs, especially this brutal 9-miler that was ALL uphill. Phew. I'm tired just looking at this photo!


Leslie, Kaye, Sarah and me chillin' by our van during Amy's first run.


Stephanie and I spent 3 and half hours cutting vinyl for our vans. They turned out so well and we voted us the best-decorated team in the race. We got lots of compliments, too, so that was fun.


We dotted the "i"s in our names with tiny hearts and skulls and crossbones. They were adorable!


Here I am, waiting not-so-patiently to begin my first run. I was so anxious and nervous and excited. I wanted to run fast so my van members wouldn't get annoyed, and I kept wondering if I had eaten the right things, if I'd have to pull over and throw up, etc. I had only run 7.5 miles once before, so I hoped I'd be able to make it through.


Amy made it up that last hill in no time, and I wasn't quite situated when she passed the bracelet on to me. I fumbled with my iPod and watch for about 100 yards while I tried to have a good takeoff.


Eventually I got into a good rhythm and really enjoyed myself. The view was so incredible on my first run. I love looking at (not running up) those desert mountains!


Finally, a downhill stretch! I hate how I look when I'm running--I always picture myself prancing along gracefully like a gazelle, but in reality, I have the weird neck/chin compression and drool flying out of the corner of my mouth. Oh well. I felt good and that's all that matters, right?


This darling redhead is Kaye the Magnificent. She was kind of like the mother hen of our van, but waaay cooler than any other mother hen I know. She is inspiring, hilarious, and wise, not to mention very talented in the running department. She had great advice for all of our worries, she let me borrow her cool GPS watch, and she jumped out of the van to support every single runner on our legs. She makes me want to run a half-marathon!


It was fun to be able to hand off to Leslie, even on that massive stretch of really steep hills. I was thrilled that Leslie could step in at the last minute and run with our team. She's one of my best friends and she made the van ride even more fun.


There was a team called TuTu Phat--all the girls wore these green tutus. We started with them, and at some point early in the race, we all decided that they were the team for us to beat (along with the White Tigers). There is Kaye, catching up to the innocent, adorable, and unsuspecting "Green Tutu" while we were scheming, snickering and yelling "Great job!" to the poor gal.


Kaye was awesome, and the look on her face was even better as she approached Green Tutu to overtake her. In Ragnar speak, a pass is called a kill, and that was one sweet kill. Kaye rocks!



A great part of the race was being able to spend time with Amy and Steph, my two awesome sisters-in-law. Hopefully someday all the Clark girls can run a race together. That'd be a party! I'd also love to run a race with my sisters.


Something in my knee malfunctioned in a major way toward the end of leg number 2, and when I woke up for my third run, I couldn't even walk. I was in tears most of the morning, but not wanting to be a wuss, I swallowed the lump in my throat and said a prayer and set out to run my last 5.5 miles. Amy and Kaye, the resident experts, fixed me up with some awesome tape and topical medicine, and my makeshift leg warmers helped to keep my knee flexible, I guess. Halfway through the run, though, I wanted to quit because I couldn't bear the pain. Then I thought about how hard I had worked to prepare for the race and how mad I'd be at myself if I didn't finish, and I figured that walking to the finish line was better than hopping back in the van.
Cue the cheesey music and slo-mo recap: I was listening to my sisters' C.D. (Crazy About You) and there's a line in a song that says "when the bad gets worse and each step hurts, just keep on movin'" and I figured I could run a little bit more. My sisters inspired me, and I started running. Aaawww...but anyway, I made it across the line, just in time to heave a few really hideous, dramatic, and embarrassing sobs as I collapsed onto the nearest chair. My awesome teammates were there to help me, and they didn't seem to be too humiliated by my antics (thank heavens, because I was!). After sitting in the car for another 4 hours, I couldn't even walk up the stairs to our hotel room and I was worried that I had done some serious damage. Fortunately, my knee feels better today and I'm only having minor problems now. Phhew. Looks like the Del Sol Ragnar is still a go!


Terra was the last runner, so she had to get dressed in her matching team gear while she ran. That's talent!


Leslie, Steph and I represented Van 1 at the finish line since Amy, Kaye and Sarah had to fly home shortly after we finished our legs. Check out our shiny medals and our cute shirts (Leslie helped me make them and she saved my life). I really loved our socks and legwarmers, too.


Utah Hold 'Em...Amy, Sarah, Kaye (all not pictured), Sabrina, Stephanie, Shelley (my mom), Terra, Joy, Leslie, Natalie, Sheri, and Rena. Nice legs, nice shirts, nice van, and nice abs (some of us). This was more fun than I've had in a really long time, and I can't wait to do it again!

Case's First Word

Case has officially learned his first word: Woody. Whenever he sees the Toy Story cowboy, he squeals "Uuh-dee!" He's done it on demand about seven times, so I think it's more than a coincident. He is getting so big and his personality is sweet and adorable. We love him lots!

A Little Fashionista

Amber dressed herself for school the other day. For one second, I thought "there is no way she's wearing that crazy getup to school!" but immediately after that, I realized how cool it was that she got herself dressed with such a funky flair and added that great bracelet to pull her look together. Even better, though, was the confidence she had as she stepped out of the car and rocked that outfit all day long. I love my little Project Runway buddy!

Big and Little

Case and his cousin, Colton, love to cruise the floor together and climb on each other and steal toys from everyone and sample crumbs on the floor. Case has three more cousins who are the same age as well, so I'm excited to get a picture of the 2009 babies next time we're all together. What cuties!

Bathtime for the Boys

I adore bathtub pictures, and it's nice to have boys because I don't have to strategically place bubbles to cover the upper-region private parts. These two boys LOVE the tub and I'm crazy about these two boys!

A tea party in the tub? How manly.

Cute Utes

While Amber insists that she's a BYU fan, I love that Karli, Rex, and Case will sport their red and white with me every Saturday. It's fun to cheer for a winning team!

Pageant Perfection

I've always been horrified by the T.V. shows I see about little girls in pageants, so I made a commitment to myself that even if my girls ask, I wouldn't let them be in pageants until they're teenagers. I still feel that way, but Amber had a chance to be an escort for a contestant in the Miss Utah Outstanding Teen pageant this weekend, and we couldn't pass it up.

My friend Tiffany asked us to fill in for Celina Wang's escort who couldn't attend at the last minute, and it turned out to be really fun. Amber couldn't wait to get on stage with her darling tiara and she stole the show (of course she did...I'm a proud mama watching her daughter just like those crazy ladies on the pageant shows!). She walked, waved, smiled, curtsied, and twirled adorably. I see pageants in her future!

Amber was thrilled to be able to wear eyeliner and blush along with the usual mascara and red lipstick that she wears to cheer performances.

I love Amber's tiara, but not as much as she does. She's worn it every minute since the pageant ended.

It was Tiffany's idea for me to sport the crown and I really love this picture. Thanks, Tiff!

The Only Reason to Love New Jersey

Adam came across a killer deal the other day: $5 tickets for The Gaslight Anthem concert at The Depot downtown. We, of course, couldn't pass up a bargain like that, so we pawned our kids off on Ryan and Stephanie (the saints!) and cruised north to listen to a talented and little-known band. The show was fabulous, but the whole evening was to die for. It was great to get fixed up in some rockin' jeans and my hot black six-inch stilettos (walking in those things is really an accomplishment for me), grab some food from JCW's to eat on the way, and to spend a fantastic evening with Adam and without our kids.

This concert ended up being among my favorites. The music was wicked and the band members are great performers. They offered very little vulgarity, lots of passion, and some sweet improv (Lou Reid, even!) that made the show really great. I even bought a t-shirt because I loved it so much. I think I'll be a fan for life. Hooray for date night and hooray for, finally, something cool coming from New Jersey.

I Love These Photos

I was thrilled to know that Trina Harris would be photographing my sister's wedding. She is the awesome photographer who took our family pictures last year (the long tutu pictures of my girls). She did a magnificent job, of course, and Allison ended up with over a thousand thoughtful photos of her special day. Check out her blog to see more of her awesome work and to book an appointment. You'll love her!

Since I can only see Dusty and Allison kiss so many times, I'm not posting any photos of them. He he. But, here are a few of my family that I thought were darling:

Running for Recovery and Remembering Hayden

Today was a good day: I ran in my first race! It was fun and I did better than I thought I would. I'm not much of a runner, but since I started P90X, running has become more enjoyable for me because I'm stronger in the cardiovascular department. I ended up coming in 43rd overall, with a time of 34 minutes. I was happy with those results!

As part of the Utah Substance and Alcohol Recovery Awareness Day in Salt Lake City, a bunch of my family members ran the 5K race in honor of my cousin, Hayden, who died a year ago today of a drug overdose. I was glad to be able to support people in recovery because, since Hayden died, I've gained a better understanding how important it is to overcome the harmful habit of using drugs. We all miss him dearly, and because his death was personal to me, I'm even more vocal now about saying no to drugs and alcohol. I felt like the activities of the morning were a great way to remember Hayden's life and the importance of staying healthy and drug-free.

Sean and Vanessa (Hayden's dad and stepmom), Mary Ann (Hayden's mom), Preston, Bella, Hunter (Hayden's siblings), Karen (Hayden's grandma), Jane and her husband, me, my mom, Skyler and Casey, and Tanner (cousins and aunties) all ran along with about 600 other runners. The course was beautiful; we started at Gallivan Center and ran up State Street to North Temple. Then, we ran a block east and up the hill through Memory Grove. The weather was brisk, the sun was shining, and the trees were just beginning to show some yellow. It was perfect! Then, we turned around at the top of the hill and ran back down the route. It was a nice run.

At the finish line, we enjoyed some of Mary Ann's gourmet granola in delicious yogurt parfaits. Then, we rocked out to a show by Pink Stilettos. The crowd was groovin' and everyone had a great time. When the girls sang "Beautiful Heart", a song that my sister Angela wrote about Hayden, there wasn't a dry eye in the audience. It was really touching and I think the song had special meaning to the attendees who are in recovery and who have lost loved ones to drug addiction and alcoholism. It's really a beautiful tune; click here if you want to listen to it.

I am thankful to have a healthy body, to be able to run in a gorgeous setting while reflecting on all the good things Hayden did in his life, to spend a special morning with some dear family members and friends, and to support people who are trying to make their lives better and recover from bad decisions they've made. I'm thankful to know that Christ atoned for the bad decsions we all make in our lives and that He made it possible for us to be together after we die. Families are forever!

I loved Mary Ann's Sharpie tattoo: HH for Hayden Housel.

Bella and Skyler before the race. We'll see if they're smiling at the end. He he.

Skyler, Jolyn, Hunter, Bella, Sean, and Vanessa waiting for the race to begin.

Preston, Hunter, Skyler, and Mary Ann before the race.

Shelley, Sean, and Nat during a warm-up chat.

Here's Bella at the finish line. Yep...still smiling! She's adorable.

Mary Ann and Hunter finishing the race.

Finishing my first race in my humongous t-shirt. Yay!

Hunter, Sean, and Grandma Karen cross the finish line.

This food was the prize at the finish line. Mary Ann is a magnificent cook and her granola was to die for!

Someday I'll run as well as my mom. She's an awesome runner!