A Martin Family Update

Holy smokes! The last time we blogged was April 19, 2010. How pathetic are we???

Where do we start? Here's a recap of 2010 from April to current:

1. We had a fabulous family reunion with the Martin's in Utah. It was hot, but the kids had a blast and so did we. Thanks to all who hosted...it was really fun! Hats off to Jared, his BBQ was the best I've ever tasted, never thought I'd think BBQ'd corn tasted better than chocolate!

2. On October 2, 2010, in St. George, UT, I ran my first (and definitely NOT my last) full marathon. It was 26.2 miles in the BLISTERING heat. It wasn't my best time, I came in at 4 hours, 45 minutes...my goal was more like 4 hours to 4:30. It was, however, the hottest marathon in St. George on the books and not one I'd ever likely recommend to a newbie like me. Having said that, I'm running my next race in Phoenix, a 1/2 marathon and another full in Salt Lake in April.

3. My job....I'm still at Humana....believe it or not. The good news is, I am now linked to the Intermountain region, which means I will likely be in Salt Lake at least monthly. Don't know if that's good or bad news for my in-laws....

We seem to have had a bout of healthcare issues within the family:

Billy's Mom, Mary, was recently hospitalized, but doing well now. She had a serious illness, a viral infection of her brain due to exposure to shingles. She's on the mend and doing well now.

Billy had minor surgery, but is doing well now.

Bekah had surgery last week, she's doing well, would never know that she had tubes put in on Thursday.

4. I got called as the Relief Society President. Are you waiting for the punch line...there isn't one, it's the truth! :-0 I love it! You know the old adage, the more you have to do the more you get done!

5. Kids are all doing well. Liam started bagpipe lessons a few weeks ago and continues to do well. He is a brilliant little boy in 1st grade. Emma had a rocky start in 4th grade, not used to the autonomy and independent work time, but she's on track now and on her way to all A's (hopefully). Rachel is a terror, refusing to put her pee and poop in the potty....but, come on, do you expect anything less from her :) Rebekah is doing well, talking more and playing like mad.


Alright! So now we're current with what's been up in our lives. I can't promise there will be more consistent blogging going on....but we will certainly try to do a better job. Love you all and hope all is well in your lives!

My First Race

This past weekend I ran my first race. I ran a 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) in Salt Lake City. It was awesome! The altitude was quite a challenge, but for the most part, I'm very happy with my results.

I came in 1204 out of 4261 1/2 marathoners. My time was 1 hour, 55 minutes, 51 seconds. My pace was 8 minutes 50 seconds. In my age/sex division I came in 74th out of 435.

My awesome Utah family came to cheer me on! It was great to see Jared and Joni, who looks absolutely stunning and most notably, VERY HAPPY! I couldn't believe how big Mia and Owen were and Jenna always looks good! Since I brought no camera, she saved the day and captured the pictures I have posted.

I am hoping to run my first full marathon in October in St. George, we will see if I get picked for that one. I have recently challenged Jenna and it looks like next Spring in SLC, we may be running a race together. Woohoo! I have another convert to running.

Love you all and Joni, Jared, Jenna, Owen and Mia the most for cheering me on. Thanks so much guys!

How did THAT happen?

As my entire family knows, I had a baby just over a year ago. Most of the Martins remember that fateful family reunion we had in Arizona when I was a house, and the promise that I would be skinny at our next reunion. Well, I made good on that promise, and have lost over 80 pounds since the birth of little Rebekah.

My sister was my coach and was with me about two months after I had Rebekah. She heard me talking to a friend about how SOME DAY I'd like to run a marathon, and the next thing I knew my homework for the next week was to talk to 3 people who had run a marathon. In June 2009, I began my adventure with running. I couldn't even run a 1/3 of a mile without stopping to walk. It has been a truly amazing journey!

Yesterday, I ran the Red Rock Loop. What is the Red Rock Loop you ask? Well, it's as close to hell as I think I've ever gotten while still alive! Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area is one of the most beautiful places just outside Las Vegas. As it's name describes, there are beautiful red rocks everywhere. Inside the park is the dredded scenic loop, which is about 14 miles that elevates up to 1000 feet from the entrance of the park. Not only did I do it, but I did it in 2 hours and 17 minutes, and we started at the outside the park, our run was actaully 15.5 miles. The scenic loop is below:

The first five miles are completely uphill with a tiny little break between mile 3 and 4, which is darn good, because mile 4 is straight up, I would compare it to climbing a ladder, AND I'M NOT EXAGGERATING! I'm a little sore today, but looking forward to a time soon in the near future that I can torture myself again.

I am scheduled to run my first race in a little under two weeks, just a half marathon, but am hoping to run a full marathon in October. Running is the most challenging, exhilerating sport I have ever participated in and I look forward to my daily runs. Never in my life did I think that I would look forward to the pain of running, but I can truly say that it is awesome.

Just wanted to brag a little bit about my accomplishment and share my joy with all of you. Thanks for reading!