I am a Spartan!

Last month I participated in a Spartan Race at Fort Carson with my parents and Joe. It was by far the most difficult race that I have every participated in. It was a 4.5 mile race with 24 military inspired obstacles. The race took place on a Saturday and we were in the 12:00 heat. We arrived on post at 10:00 to watch my 12 year old sister participate in the kids race. She is a natural athlete and did really well.

We waited around and watched as hundreds of people of all shapes and sizes (mainly really fit) started the race. Mal met us there to watch my sister and to take photos. It was nice to have someone there to document this race. I started to get nervous as the race approached and I remember thinking to myself that I really should have trained. At 11:45 we needed to go to the start line. Just to begin the race I needed to jump over a 4ft wall. I successfully made it over and got into the start line. My nervous got worse.  But, it was great to have my mom, dad, and Joe there to support me!

The race began and the first obstacle quickly approached. I was feeling good, it was an easy obstacle. But sure enough it was  followed by jumping over a 8ft wall! I only tried to jump over an 8ft wall once before the race and it was a success! I felt good the first half of a mile and my nerves started to settle, until I saw a man passed out on top of the hill we climbed. I re-gained my confidence once I completed a few that I didn't think I would be able to do. Around the 1 mile mark I needed water, but a water station was no where in sight. My mom stuck with me and encouraged me to push through it and I made it to the next water station. 

We made our way up and around the hill doing everything from pulling a cinder block to wearing a ruck sack up and down that hill. The course took us though a underpass through sewer water and over muck. It was gross. Once we  made it back to the viewing area we were faced with very cold water and mud, we climbed up hills and slid down them into ice cold water pits. We army crawled under barbed wire and pulled heavy things. The entire time we were encouraged and help by strangers, people we didn't know pulled us up. The spartan race not only puts you through difficult obstacles but it forces you to work as a team with people you don't know.  

There are too many obstacles to go over in detail, but here are a few photos to give you an idea of what I went through. 

Overall, I am very happy that I finished the race! It was great to start the race with my parents and Joe and to finish with them! I am not sure if another spartan race is in my future, but I so glad that I signed up for this one. It was tough and I wanted to quit, but this race taught me that I am fit and I can do anything! It taught me the true meaning of team and best of all, I can now say that I am a spartan! 

Have you ever ran a mud or obstacle race?

If not, is it on your bucket list?

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Things I am Missing!

I have been here in Colorado for just over 2 months and time is flying. I am really enjoying my time here in Colorado, I have met new friends (some bloggy friends turned real life friends; Mallory, Kaitlyn, and Hannah!), started a new dream job, put our new house together, and am trying to get back on a running schedule. Life here has been very busy and fulfilling. But I would be lying if I told you that I didn't think about life in LA every single day!

Here are a few things that I am missing about California:
My Family- I miss having someone to always go to the store with me, go to a movie, or just hang out with.

My old job and co-workers- I loved working at the airport on the field. I miss the tight group of friends that I gained from my job, both inside and outside of the work place. I always had Ana to work out with and be my bestie, Brenda to talk about aviation stuff, and Mereca to remind me what it means to be young and have fun! I worked with so many amazing people and I miss those days! I also miss seeing celebrities every day (Josh Duhmel, Justin Timberlake, and Adam Levine I am talking about you).

I miss Disneyland! - I am really missing just getting up and going to Disneyland. It was always an option, even if it was just a few hours! I spend countless hours with my family making memories. I loved every minute of it. I miss trying to get all of the character signatures, I miss training for the Disneyland Marathon with my sister, I miss late nights watching fireworks. I miss it all. 

I miss the Food! - Food Truck Friday was my favorite day of the week! There is nothing better then just heading to the food trucks to try all kinds of fun and different types of food all out of a truck! There was also a really great breakfast joint near my house that I am really craving! I also miss the amazing farmers markets. I loved all of the fresh from the field produce, it made my green drinks so good. 

The list really could go on, I miss home. 

What have you been missing lately?

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High Five for Friday!

This week has been so much fun! My dad came to visit and I made sure he got a good taste of what Colorado is all about. 

1. The first day I took him to Garden of the Gods and we did a little bit of rick climbing and hiking. My dad and I share a passion for adventure, so we went off the normal path and found a bunch of really neat red rocks. So naturally I decided it was a good idea to climb them. :)

2. My dad and I made the drive up Pikes Peak and the weather couldn't have been any more perfect. We also went at a great time to see the leaves change colors. It is officially fall here in Colorado! 

3. We also made a trip to the Cave of Winds! It was so much fun. I have been there before with Joe and I knew it was on the list of things that I needed to take my dad to. Unfortunately, the candle your was not available. But, the exploration tour was just as good. 

4. A few coworkers of mine had suggested that we go and see the Denver zoo and it was such a great zoo! The animals were so active and they had every type of animal that you can think of. I will be taking Joe to the Denver zoo when he comes home for sure!

5. I just might have the best boyfriend ever. He knows exactly when to send me flowers and when to surprise me. It's always so nice to come home to fresh flowers. 

I  am so sad that my dad is leaving but the good news is that Joe will be home in a month!! 

I hope you have an amazing weekend! 

California to Colorado - H54F

This week has been so much fun. I was lucky enough to get to go back home to LA for the weekend to spend some time with my family. Mid week I was back to Colorado and back to reality. This week I am linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F! 

1. The main reason for my trip to LA was to run the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon with my mom and sister. You can read the recap of the race here. I am so happy that I was able to run a race with both my mom and my sister. 

2. On Monday, my parents took my middle sister to back to college and I got to spend the entire day with my little sister. We started the day at the Aquarium of the Pacific, took a boat ride in Long Beach, then met some aviation friends for dinner. It was so much fun to spend the day with her. 

3. Tuesday morning I woke up way too early and caught a flight back home to Colorado. LAX was a nightmare, the TSA line was a 2 hour wait. I got in to Denver around 10am and went straight to work. I had a 12 hour shift at work but spending the weekend with my family made it so worth it. 

4. I love Joe! He is the best. I causally said that I really like Justin Timberlake and that I would love to see his concert. I didn't think much of it, but Joe surprised me with tickets to his 20/20 Concert in Denver!! I am so excited and so spoiled. 

5. I received my VoxBox this week! It was actually filled with a ton of really great products and I can't wait to do a few product reviews. 

My new schedule is kind of amazing/sucks. I work 4 days a week 10 hour days, which means I have 3 days off a week in a row! But...My work week is Friday to Monday. So, tomorrow is my "Monday". So long weekends, it was good knowing you. 

What was your highlight of the week?

I hope you have a great weekend! 

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Disneyland 1/2 Marathon Recap

My legs are finally free from soreness and I am officially back to my normal everyday life. This past Labor Day weekend I ran the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon with my mom and my sister back in California. Overall this race was fun, but not as fun as the RunDisney events that I have ran in the past in Florida.

The weekend started with a trip to Disneyland to pick up our bibs and goodie bags on Saturday. The Fitness Expo was well done and had a lot of great vendors. I think I bought everything my little runners heart desired. A new running watch, a few Sweaty Bands, some really cute running tanks, and some cliff gels for the run. This year the race shirts were orange and huge. I ordered a small, thinking that it would fit ok, but turns out they were a mens small. The shirt is so big, I didn't even bother to bring it back to Colorado with me. After the expo we "carbed up" with spaghetti and meat balls with lots of bread. After a yummy dinner we went back to our hotel room to try to get to bed early.

The morning of the race quickly arrived. We set our alarms for 3:45am, we had to be in our corals by 5.   It was dark when we arrived and not cold at all. We were place in coral E and didn't start the race until 30 minutes after the first coral started. It was a long wait. There were people everywhere, I believe

I was really excited to get going and wanted to break my PR. I tried to find the race totals, but was not able to find anything published. I saw numbers ranging from 23 to 23,000. So let's just say there were a lot of people. Once, we finally got to start the race I spent the first mile weaving in and out of people. This was my first mistake, I should have just slowed my pace down until I was able to break free from the crowds.  My sister and I were running a 8:30 per mile pace for the first 5 miles, but we spent a lot of energy weaving in and out of people. The first 4 miles were spent running through the park. The entertainment was limited, but nothing compares to running behind the scenes and through 2 of my favorite parks.

By mile 6, I could feel the heat. It didn't help that by that point I was running on the streets on Anahime with little to no music or entertainment. In the Florida races I was entertained every mile and music could be heard through out the entire race. But, mile 9 made up for the lack of entertainment. At mile 9 we entered Angel Stadium and it was AMAZING. Hundreds of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts were cheering me on as I enter the stadium crossed home plate and exited the stadium. I was on the jumbotron and the "fans" were going wild! It was by far my favorite part of the race. The remainder of the race was spent running back to the parks.

At the end of the race I did not break my PR. I could blame it on the huge crowds, narrow track, or the heat, but I won't. I wasn't prepared for the run. I need to re-focus on my training and get back to a schedule and prepare for the Disney World Marathon. My move to Colorado has allowed me to slack, but there really shouldn't be an excuse.

This race was a good one, just not my best one. I was able to run with both my mom and my sister, spend time with my family, and run through the park that I grew up in. It is always so much fun to be at Disneyland. Being at Disneyland takes me back to all of the memories that I have shared with my family through out the years.

Do you work out with your mom?
What is your favorite run?

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Sunday Social - Being a Kid

This Sunday, I am linking up with A Complete Waste of Makeup for her Sunday Social! 

1. What do you miss most about being a kid?

I miss having the longest Summer breaks. Isn't it amazing how time would go by so slowly, when you are kid. It seemed like days and weeks would last forever. Now, time just flies by. I also really miss having zero responsibility. Man, Kids don't know how lucky they really are.

2. Did you have a nickname growing up?

I didn't really have a nickname at school. But I went to a small private school, with only 15-20 kids in each grade, and in my my grade there were always 3 Stephanie's. So we would often go by, Steph, Stephy, and Stephanie. I guess I was boring and always picked Stephanie. Some of my family would call me boo or booboo. 

3. What was your favorite thing to do at recess? 

I loved four square. Since I went to a small school, we were always doing the same thing at recess. It was kind of like organized recess. One year our teacher was a professional basketball player from Europe, so we ran basketball drill all recess. You would think I would be a little bit better with a basketball. 

4. What did you want to be when you grew up?

I have always been one of those kids who knew exactly what I wanted to be, kind of. I wanted to  be pilot and I got my pilots license when I was 16. Then I realized that I love being in the sky, but being a pilot was not for me. I still found a college where everyone was passionate about aviation and I thought I wanted to be an aerospace engineer. I took a few classes and decided that the kids in my class were great, but I needed to socialized with people who were more like me. So I changed my major once to Aviation Business, with 2 areas of concentration; Sales and Marketing and Airport Management. Turns out that is exactly what I have been getting jobs in. I am one of the few lucky people out there who got a job doing what they went to school for. 

5. Did you participate in any school activities?

Yes, I did drama in grade school, softball, student council, sailing, and I am sure there are a lot of others. My mom made sure I had plenty to do when I was growing up. But it is early and I can't really remember school. Kind of sad. 

6. What is the funniest thing you did as a kid that your parents still remind you about? 

When I was in kindergarden, I didn't want to go to school one day, so I told my mom that I can't go to school because my brain was already too full with stuff. 

What do you miss most about being a kid?

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Road Trip with my Mom

I can not believe that I am in Colorado. I have been here for about 10 days now and it's crazy to think that it was just over 3 weeks ago that the airport called me for my final interview. It all happened so quickly. 

I am so lucky and blessed to have a family that has always supported me in whatever it is that I might be doing. Normally my dad is the one that drives me across the country, because he is good with the heavy lifting. But, this time around my mom drove with me from California to Colorado. 

Beautiful photo of Colorado taken by my mom

The drive was only suppose to be 18 hours, but we ended up stopping in Las Vegas the first night and Vail the following night. The first day I think that we I only drove about 6 hours total. We were in Vegas by 6 pm. I could have kept driving but it was actually cheaper to stay in Vegas then it would have been to stay in Utah somewhere. The following day we got up and had a early start and made it all the way to Vail. Once again, I could have kept driving but, we decided to stop in Vail and go for a hike the next day. After our hike we made it to Colorado Springs, turns out that it was only 2 hours away. 

5 Reasons why my mom is a great person to take a road trip with, even if she doesn't like to drive:

1. She is always entertainment. She will take a picture with anything and stay up and talk about anything.

My mom will take a picture with anything!

 2. She knows how to enjoy herself. It was my party moms idea to stay in Vegas. She is so funny and out going. I really do enjoy being around her and spending time with her.

My mom and I in Vegas 

3. She is very supportive. I know that my mom is sad that I have moved, but she continues to support me in what ever I do. She makes me a better person.

Mom and I in Utah

 4. She is a great photographer. She is always willing to take a photo or 10 to make sure that I have the perfect one.

We (Joe Doll and I) finally made it to Colorado 

My mom was taking pictures of everything and anything

 5. She is adventurous and in shape. No matter what I through at her, she is ready to go. We went on an amazing 6 mile hike and vail and she is not only able to keep up, but she gives me the motivation to be a healthier and happier person.

My mom enjoying a hike in Vail

 

I know that my dad was very jealous that my mom was able to go with me this time, but I am happy 

that I was able to spend some great quality time with her.

Who would you rather spend 18 hours in a car with?

What's the longest road trip you have ever been on?

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