St. George Marathon & Getaway!!!

Ever since we found out Clay got a spot for the St. George marathon, we've been planning for it to be just the two of us instead of taking the kids. We haven't been away together since before Will was born and we figured it was time! It was short enough that the family wouldn't be too worn out but enough time for us to be away together! We have been looking forward to this weekend for 4 months!

Friday morning, we went to a little talent show for Addie's kindergarten class, then the kids came back to the house with Grandma while we took off for St. George! Only an hour into the drive, I got a text with photos of them having gelato and then eating donuts at home! Lucky kids!!!


We weren't really paying attention to the gas and how much further we had and barely made it to Beaver on a very EMPTY tank! We were coasting down hills and turning off the A/C it was that bad!!! Thank goodness we made it!

Once in St. George, we picked up Clay's bib and checked into the hotel then met some friends from the neighborhood for dinner at Olive Garden. We knew it would be a long wait, but none of us had kids so it didn't matter too much. We had a nice meal and got to know some of our neighbors a little better!


We finally got out of there around 7, got a few things at the store and went to see Cardin and Mitch and their apartment before they headed up to Salt Lake for the weekend! It was fun to see them and where they are living.

We finished watching the BYU game and were so glad they squeaked out a win before doing some reading in bed! It felt so strange to be down there without the kids but it was nice to not have to worry about rushing them to bed and Clay not getting enough sleep the night before the marathon.

Saturday morning, Clay got up nice and early for the race while I stayed in bed! Took my time getting ready (this felt really strange- usually I'm trying to get everyone fed and ready and out the door) and then headed down to the finish.

I found a spot near the finish line and waited and watched for Clay to come through. He was really hoping for a good time this year and he did just that!!! His final time was 3:41:221!! A personal record!





He was tired afterward but we were able to take our time, he got some food in him and got a massage and we chatted with a few of our friends and family.




We headed back to the hotel and he took a nap while I went out and did some shopping. We met up with our neighbors again for dinner and had a fun time.


After dinner, the girls went out for some more shopping, the boys went to the hotel to finish the Utah game and then we all went back to the house they were staying at to play games. We had a lot of fun hanging out with them!

Sunday morning we slept in, watched conference, got some lunch before heading home to get the kids! I'm not going to lie....we love our kids but it was REALLY nice to have some time to ourselves...we may not ever want to take them back for this race! Can't wait to head down there again!

Another Marathon!!!

Clay and some of our neighbors ran the Ogden Marathon in May. This was his 9th marathon!! All the guys drove up on Friday night and stayed at a hotel so they wouldn't miss out on precious sleep to drive up on Saturday morning. I'm sure they all enjoyed a child free evening in preparation for their race!

Since the race was going to be in Gaga's neck of the woods, we decided it would be a perfect time for a sleepover! It was just going to be Addie but when Gaga came to get her, she asked if any of the cousins were coming and so Gaga called them up and Colton and Cooper decided to join them! They had fun riding bikes and being silly together! Gaga even took them to McDonald's!


On Saturday morning, we (me, Will and a few of the neighbors) headed up to Ogden to meet up with Gaga and the kids and to cheer the guys on at the finish. We got there earlier than anticipated, the race started a little late and they weren't running quite as fast as we expected so it was a bit of a wait for the kids. Luckily, there were plenty of friends, treats and people to watch to keep them from getting too bored! At one point, Cooper commented that they weren't running very fast if it was a race!






We finally were able to see Clay just before he ran past us! He changed hats on me (I usually find out what he's wearing the night before so I can find him easier) so we almost missed him but we are so glad we didn't!





Good job babe! We are so proud of you for accomplishing your goal!

Marathon #8

Clay ran The Top of Utah marathon in September. This was his 8th marathon and we are so PROUD of him!!!!

We drove up to Logan that morning (with a car full of kids) to hopefully catch him near the finish. We were running really late and of course there was a lot of traffic and we had no idea where we were going!

As we were driving down the main street- part of the course was right along side the cars. I thought, too bad Clay isn't running right here and then, I looked over and he was right there! We rolled down the windows and started yelling and honking and he heard us! We were so glad to see him at that point because by the time we parked and got to the finish line, he was done.


He completed the marathon with a great time of 4:09 (especially with how little training he actually got in and with how much physical work he'd been doing in the yard the previous weeks) and Grayson also completed it (a little faster - so we missed him).

We caught up with the two exhausted runners at the end so the kids could see them and say hello and of course some photos. Unfortunately, Will wasn't feeling very good so he just sat in the stroller the whole time.



After that, the guys went back to their hotel to shower and we took the kids to the playground before heading back to meet up with them and drive back home.




Way to go!!! You are awesome! We love you!