the Amasa Back trail run (and then after the run . . .)

I'm the one running like a granny on the left.

Wake at 5:30am. Wake the kids. Pack the car. 6am, start driving. Take of seatbelt to apply sunscreen. Watch your husband narrowly miss a deer (and I mean divine-intervention narrowly) and feel the wave of adrenaline. Arrive in the parking lot. Force your baby to nurse. Result in a wet shirt and milky 6month old. Hope she holds out for your hubster. 

Race begins! 

running! 

Feel your second burst of adrenaline in less than 2 hours. Tell yourself to slow down. 

(See those huge cliffs that you can't see the top of here? We ran to the top of those; 1,300ft of elevation. Dang Gina. I shouldn't say ran. I actually hiked the uphills). 

The 9.7 miles in between these two pictures were phenomenal. Over lots and lots of slickrock. The thing I loved the most was that after the first mile, every inch of the trail was new to me. I had never been on the Amasa Back trail which was a gnarly jeep road for the first 4.5 miles up and over slick rock and passing by Jackson's hole (an abandoned river meander), then a single-track trail winding all over the rocks and then right down this cliff (pic below). I was staring right at the rock fins called Behind the Rocks and the flowing Colorado River below. One wrong move and you could easily pitch right off. Okay, maybe a little dramatic, but this trail was so cool! 

a quarter if you can find me.
I think that was my greatest advantage in this race. I'm really not a good runner, but I can do downhill. . . especially scary downhill. And all thanks to keeping up with Brian in some seriously exposed and rocky terrain (hello Rocky, Tetons, Zion, Canyonlands . . .) Even on our second date I was literally RUNNING to keep up with him on our way out of Pine Creek in Zion. 

 I barely made my goal: 1:44:38. I wanted to get less than an 1:45. 

 Found my boo-boo with messy hair and a McDonald's burrito. 

Brynlee, Samuel and Hannah demonstrating how they cheered us on.

 Look at my awesome lady friends. All of us have had babies in the past 6 months (them in the past 4 months). Heidi (far left) and Leslie (middle) are the greatest. The verdict from the dads: the babies were angels, the toddlers were. . . well, you know. . . toddlers. 

After the race: 

[while I may want to forget most of these details right now, I'll someday want to remember what our town-runs were like while living at the Needles with a toddler and a 6monthold]

 after the race I did a quick nurse session in the car, clothes change in the park, diaper change in the grass, snack break while swinging Liesel. Meet up with the Allred's and Skyler (Heidi's husband) at Big Bend to boulder in 20mph gusts. Believe it or not, it's fun. Marvel at how chicken you are and how amazingly cool Moab is. Watch Liesel and Owen play adorably. Fun ends when Liesel and Owen get in a sand throwing fight. Time to call it good. Liesel and Hannah both fall asleep in the car on the way back to Moab (miracle). Drive around town aimlessly while trying to keep them asleep. Convince yourselves they'll both stay asleep with the car in park. Go into City Market for a little grocery shopping. Leave both sleeping girls with Brian. Walk in knowing it is a bad idea. Five minutes after you go into the store, Hannah starts crying. Hannah wakes Liesel. A full-on toddler meltdown ensues (level 5 people). Return after 35 minutes. Brian is wearing that face. The one where he regrets having children. He inspects groceries. Notices there's no ketchup. Goes in to get it. Liesel is still wailing. Strangers give me pity looks. Finally console her with the promise of a free cookie when Brian returns. Brian returns. We go in to get one. Cookies are of course totally gone (tourists!). I tell the deli-woman it is a cookie emergency (911! The swollen eyes! Red-speckled cheeks!). She tells me I'm out of luck. I tell her: you have no idea. Toddler wailing continues all the way to the Allred's. I ask if we can shower hoping that it will calm the two-year-old down. It does. I bless the Allred's. Chow on BBQ, tots, salad and chocolate cake. Eat enough to earn back all the lost calories and then some. More nursing. Pjs on. Teeth brushed. Silent prayer they'll fall asleep on the way home. Curse yourself for not bringing reading material to entertain you and Brian for the drive. Liesel never sleeps. Repeatedly says, "hey! I want somefing!" Hand her every item in your purse one at a time. Curse the lost dvd-car-charger. Talk about how long the drive is. Again. Pull up to the door. Rush kids in. Both are sleeping10 minutes later (including a turbo-nurse). Unpack the car. 30 minutes later, still unpacking the car. Quick clean up b/c tomorrow is Sunday. Pack your diaper bag (got to leave by 7:50am to get to church on time tomorrow). Sigh. Curl up with husband on the sofa. Watch 30 mins of Shark Tank. Think about how awesome your day was. Go to sleep on the floor in the living room b/c baby now owns your room. Wake up at 2am. Nurse. Wake up at 5:50. Nurse. Sleep till 6:30am. Time for church.