Because I'm a runner... and this is what I do.

I'm scheduled for another 5k this weekend. This time it's on Poppa's birthday and all three of us (me, Poppa and Owen) are going to rock it.

I was out for a run last night and listening to one of my favorite tracks by my running coach. In it he gives us a little motivational chat, talking about how we have conquered our bodies, how we have pushed through our previous limits and reached levels of strength and determination we never have before. At the end he says, "because you are a runner, and this is what you do."

Every time he says that I either tear up a bit or want to pump my fist in the air and exclaim, "Damn right! I AM a runner!!"

I had just started my run last night when Pops called me to see where I was at, which is unusual. Apparently my little bro wanted to come with me on my run and and even ran out on the sidewalk looking for me and yelling my name when he realized I had left without him. Well, him and Poppa grabbed a bike and Rollerblades and came out to find me and finish my run with me.

About 3/4 of the way through my run my brother asks me, "Did you run this WHOLE way?!?" Then he says that he doesn't think he would be able to run that far.

I started to explain to him that three months ago I couldn't have run that far either, but I've been training and I've gotten a lot better. As I was talking between heavy breaths I was grateful when Poppa took over and explained to him that with practice anyone can get better. It was then that Tuffy asked if he could Rollerblade the 5k with us on Saturday. I smiled.

I'm happy that I'm a good example for him. I'm excited that he is seeing that with some effort and determination you can accomplish great things. I love that he likes to get outside on the trail with me and get his heart pumping a bit and breathe the fresh air. And I love love love it when he tells me that I'm getting faster with my running.

When Mom came and cheered me on during my very first 5k (three weeks ago) she called my style of running the "Bootie Shuffle". It was a quick little short step with a jogging gate to it. It wasn't fast at all, but it did the trick!

I was very proud yesterday when I was able to say to Poppa... "I think I've moved past the Bootie Shuffle".... and he didn't hesitate one second when he said, "I think you definitely have!" Then about five minutes later he told Tuffy, "We have to pick up the pace, Sara is leaving us in her dust!" hahahaha

That's right!! Because I'm a runner, and that's what I do!

RACE WEEKEND!

This girl has racing in her blood... which has made this weekend incredibly fun.

Yesterday we went out to the Miller Motorsports Park for the Superbikes. Talk about crazy stuff! These guys were incredible. While we were there we were able to see their qualifying heats and also catch the BMW stunt riders -- talk about insane!

Superbikes and motorcycles is a new world of racing to our family and we are enjoying the opportunity to broaden our knowledge and racing experiences. It was a gorgeous day out at the track and we even escaped right before the rain came down hard. What a great day!!!


Today was the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500 -- which translates into PARTY AT THE BEAUDRY HOUSE!! We woke up to pre-race festivities with the famous "Spud Diner Breakfast" happening (that means Poppa is cooking, haha) and it only got better from there!!

This year the race was phenomenal! Some crashes, but everyone was safe. Lots of green flag racing, a little mechanical craziness, lots of race leaders and an absolutely mind-blowing finish!

We were jumping and screaming the entire time!!

Now I'm at work and my partner and I have on some Nascar. When I got here we were talking racing (a rare treat to talk to a race fan out here) and I mentioned that I usually don't watch Nascar. He laughed and said, "Well, you are about to." So here we sit, with more racing.

What a great weekend!!!

Time for new shoes....

I've literally worn through my running shoes.... time for some new ones.

Yesterday was my first day in my new shoes. So far my feet didn't take too kindly to them, but that should change.

Photography Camp

Yesterday I spent the entire day at a photography class. I learned a TON and by the end of the day my head was spinning with all the new stuff I learned.

We spent the morning in classroom and then in the afternoon we went out to a local park and practiced everything we had learned.

We shot in manual mode the entire time (I was quite proud of myself) and I was able to wrap my head around some things!

Now I just need to PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

Here is a shot I took right off the bat, practicing on metering and exposure.


Our instructor helped us experiment with shutter speeds, panning and background blur by running and jumping thru the middle of us. What a sport. :)

This is what our group looked like all day.... paparazzi in the park!! LOL

I think I might be most proud of this shot. I was working on light metering and this is what I produced. I love it.

Working on depth and aperture.

Again, working on depth and aperture. Bluring the foreground and background.

Metering and light again. Trying not to underexpose or overexpose certain parts.

Working on manual settings -- ISO, aperture, shutter speed, etc in different lights and depths.

I liked this little smiley face I found...

Depth of field in landscape.... having everything in perfect focus, not just one depth.

Again just working with manual settings, learning how to choose settings and piece them together.

I have always wanted to get more into photography and this was a great jumping off point. It has been a goal for years to get into a class and I finally did it. Now I just need to practice and practice. So... let's go do some photo shoots!!

How I found my heart...

I danced all growing up. I remember Poppa picking me up from the dance studio when I was little and stopping by the grocery store on the way home. I would follow him down the aisle tap dancing, spinning, twirling, leaping and shuffle-ball-changing the whole way.

I danced through college and then fell away from it due to knee surgeries, lack of avaliable adult classes, getting busy, etc....

I've known for sometime that I've wanted to get back into dancing and once told myself that when I got down to a certain weight I would start dancing again....

Well, I got to within 5 pounds of that weight and then life got in the way and I never got dancing again.

So, now two-years and an abusive relationship later I realized that my heart couldn't wait any longer. I NEEDED TO DANCE.

I searched high and low for an adult modern class. I didn't want to dance with kids, but that seemed to be all that was avaliable... until I found that the local professional dance company has open classes a few nights a week.

Yes, they are expensive. Yes, they are a bit intimidating. Yes, they take up a night out of the week.....

But that is a small price to pay to have this guy help me find my heart again.

Last night I went to my first modern class with Aaron, and I had to hold back the tears several times throughout class because it just felt that good.

It felt incredible to be dancing again. It felt so instictual to move and let my body find it's natural flow again.

This was all about me. About me finding what I've been missing, what I've needed.

Although, I will admit that when Aaron told me I did something well and when one of the ladies in class said, "you move so beautifully. You can tell you have training." I was flattered. Sometimes it's nice to hear that you still got it.

So, my love affair has been brought to life once again.... and now every Monday night I will go see Aaron and lay my heart in the middle of the dance studio and then take it with me again when I leave. It's time to have this part of me back, and it feels.... so damn good.

My birthday 5k = SUCCESS!!

The morning of my 5k came and I was EXCITED, not only was it my 30th birthday... but today I was going to run my very first 5k! I'd been training for this for eight weeks and I was ready to get the "show on the road."

I got to the start line and my fantastic brother met up with me. As we waited for it to start it was hard not to bounce in place! The music was pumping, people were everywhere and the energy was strong!

Before I knew it, we were off!!! My family was just a few hundred yards down from the start line and where already cheering me on.

I was pretty stoked and feeling good. My awesome running coach (from my training podcasts) was talking me through things in my headphones and I was settling into my pace. I kept my pace slow and conservative, but that was all part of my plan.... My only goal for this race was to finish by RUNNING THE ENTIRE THING. To do that I knew I had to keep my pace conservative. So I settled in and things felt great.

Every mile or so I had another cheering section. My family and friends are SERIOUSLY SO WONDERFUL. They would see me coming and the cheering would start.... signs, yelling, clapping, cowbells.... Then as soon as I was past they would jump into their car and race to meet me at the finish line. As they passed they yelled and honked.

I told Owen (my brother and running partner) on multiple occasions that I felt like a celebrity. It was so fun!

As I approached the finish line I saw this rowdy crowd! They were so LOUD! As I got closer they started singing happy birthday and a lot of people at the finish line joined in. I had to choke back the tears as Owen was encouraging me to "kick it in" and I realized that not only was I about to finish my first 5k, but I had done it on my 30th birthday!

My baby brother jumped in the race with me and I crossed the finish line with both of my brothers... Are they not the best?!?!

As I got closer to the finish line I "kicked it in" with Owen cheering me on.

With my legs tingling and my lungs burning from the "final push" I crossed the finish line.

I looked at the clock...... 51 minutes.

I felt GREAT!

I crossed the finish line absolutely exhuberant. I was on cloud 9. I had done it!! Everything I had worked for, everything I had dreamed about as I pushed through those training runs, I had done it!! And I'll let you in on a little secret, it felt better than I had imagined.

I took a quick cool-down walk afterwards and Owen came with me. We were about a block down the road when I started to choke up. Owen must have heard me choke back a tear and put his arm around me and said, "you ok?"

I was more than ok.... I told him, "Oh yeah, I've just come a long way in a year, I'm really proud of myself."

He just smiled. He understood.

Afterwards the kids played, we hung out and relaxed while I stretched and downed about three bottles of cold water. Of course we took lots of pictures!!!

Here I am with my brother Owen, my running partner, pace coach and constant cheerleader.

Here is the whole group. These guys are absolutely awesome. They were so supportive the entire day and it made it really fun!!!

Thanks, Everyone! Love you bunches and bunches!!

6 days and counting...

I'm 6 days out from my first 5k. Today I started my final week of my 5k training and ran for an 30 minutes straight. The great part??? It didn't kill me!!

I'm feeling pretty confident that I can run this entire 5k on Saturday. It will be difficult, sure... but I'm feeling confident!

I'm so proud of my body for adapting the way it has. Honestly, this is one of the most empowering things I have ever done. Being able to see my progress in 8 short weeks is nothing short of staggering.

My pops came and ran with me today and it was a lot of fun. It's really fun to run with someone sometimes!! My awesome bro is going to run my 5k with me and I'm grateful for that. He will be able to help distract me and push me through the times when it gets hard.

Today my running coach (in my ipod) said, "You are a real runner now!!" It was really cool to hear.

In other news, my brother, Mom and Dad all graduated from Utah Valley University this week!!!
I'm so incredibly proud of them!! We have partied our guts out and had a blast!!!

Now we can start planning all those fun things to do since they won't be stuck with a nose in their book all the time!!!