we did it!

As you may remember, one of my New Year's Resolutions for 2012 was to complete a half-marathon. Well....I did it!!! Bobby, my dad and I ran the Inaugural San Luis Obispo Half-Marathon today! 13.1 miles! Now we can say we were part of the first ever SLO Half-Marathon! It was such a great experience! It started at 6:30 this morning and provided a great tour of the city as it started at SLO Highschool, wound around downtown, through some historical neighborhoods, out to the countryside/vineyards, and ended up at the famous Madonna Inn. It attracted many people from out of town and some even from other countries (a full marathon was offered as well). A total of 5,000 runners between both races participated. My dad was nice enough to run with me the whole way (Bobby smoked us runs at a faster pace) and it was so awesome having an encouraging running partner for the race! My dad is a stud.

this is at about mile 1.5. mom & Tracy braved the early morning to stand on the corner and cheer for us because this segment of the race was very close to our house.

I was so happy with all the training I did for this race because it made it way more enjoyable to not have to struggle through it. There was quite a few challenging hills on the course but we chugged through and made it.

dad and I after just crossing the finish line!!

 

 finished!

sweaty much? note to self: wear a dri-fit shirt next race.

Bobby came in at 1:52:38, and my dad beat me by 1 second! He got 2:10:57 and I got 2:10:58. We all did better than our goals (mine was to beat 2:15) so I'm 100% happy!

and considering we burned off more than 1,300 calories in the race, we treated ourselves to gigantic sandwiches at Gus' Deli and then we got some dessert....

I love that Foster's Freeze is 2 blocks from our house. Dangerous?

Overall, it was a great day and I feel very proud of myself. We are already looking at doing another one in a couple months! Overambitious? Nahh. Gotta run 'em while we are in shape! 

And the best part is we are flying out tomorrow morning (my 25th birthday!) to go to Kauai for 9 days! Can't think of a better place to rest my legs than on a white sand beach in the sun! 

ALOHA!

backpacking & bobcats

Over Easter weekend, Bobby and I decided to go backpacking in Henry W. Coe State Park, up north by Gilroy. We chose the perfect weekend! We had great weather, only saw a handful of people the whole weekend, and had a campsite with no one around. What better way to celebrate the risen Lord than to enjoy his creation!

We woke up at 5:00 AM on Saturday morning (it's amazing how much easier it is to get up at 5 AM to go backpacking than it is to get up at 7 AM and go to work!) and drove about 3 hours up to the state park. It was very cold in the morning, but the sun came out and it warmed up pretty quick!

starting out on the trail.

we followed a winding path for about 8 miles of towering oak trees, fields of green grass, stream crossings, and wildflowers.

we also saw an array of wildlife on our trip including wild turkeys, deer, newts, ticks, frogs, bats, horses, cows, and a bobcat! 

we found an amazing campsite down off the trail with no one around.

we enjoyed a delicious meal for dinner. who says you can't eat gourmet food when camping??

corn tortilla, dehydrated black beans, boil-in-the-bag brown rice, canned chicken, fresh cilantro and onion.

We enjoyed some hot chocolate by a fire and watched a bunch of bats fly around above us. We had a cool time of reflecting on what God has done in our lives and spent some time praying for each other under the stars.

Easter morning, we woke up and had a hearty breakfast of oatmeal and banana and read the Gospels' accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection. He is risen!

We left our campsite feeling rejuvenated and just plain ole happy!

we took our time on the way back, enjoying the scenery, stopping for lunch and exploring an abandoned barn.

and at our last stream crossing, Bobby caught this little guy!

We are so thankful for the freedom we have to get away and enjoy nature and spend time with each other. Above all, I'm thankful to have a Creator who gave his life so that we may live and enjoy His creation!

Luke 24:46-47 "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations."

see canyon

Bobby and I needed a day off running today (11.8 mile run yesterday!) so we decided to go on a bike ride in See Canyon which is out in Avila Beach, just south of SLO. It was a perfectly sunny, crisp day and the scenery was unbeatable. We decided to caravan both of our cars down there and parked one at the end of the road and one at the top where we would start riding from so we could just enjoy the downhill and not have to go back up (lazy?). See Canyon is lined with apple orchards and vineyards and everything is starting to bloom so it was very peaceful and beautiful.

 helmet head me at the top!

 perfect spot for a picnic or nap in the sun in the future.

love the towering trees.

this guy has mad skills taking pictures while flying down the hill

it was a great way to spend our Sunday together in the sunshine!

few exciting things coming up:

SLO Half-Marathon is coming up in 3 weeks on April 22. Our training has been going great. I have been learning so much about my body and what it means to be mentally strong as well as physically strong. I have been amazed at the way it constantly adapts and gets stronger and enables me to run great distances I never thought I could.

Birthday trip to KAUAI: Bobby surprised me and is taking us to Kauai on April 23rd for my 25th birthday!! We are going to be there for 8 days and are staying with some of our good friends who live there. We are looking forward to endless sunshine, warm water, surfing, hiking, and maybe even some beach camping and lots of relaxation. Needless to say, Bobby is amazing and we are counting down the days until we arrive on the island!

I also wanted to share something that God has been teaching me lately. He has taught me (many times) that my worrying is useless and doesn't accomplish anything. When things come up in life that are unexpected or challenging, I need to rest in the fact that God has placed that challenge in my life for a purpose and for me to learn from...not to worry and stress out about. I want to encourage anyone who feels burdened, stressed or is worrying about something that has come up recently in your life to know that God is in control and "that in all things God works for the good of those who love him". (Romans 8:28). God will always come through! 

Have a great week everyone!