The other day on IG, I asked for any questions to answer in a blog post, so let’s roll right into it! I haven’t gotten to them all yet, but I will continue doing posts like these if they are fun for you… (let me know)!
*Did you ever find a birth control that you liked?
-Nope… So we are always risking things, but I cannot find a good one for me, and we aren’t ready to make permanent solutions yet. I swear Andrew and I are always on different pages on this topic. The other day, he sent a text while he was at work about how badly he wanted another baby after I had just spent the day at the water park and was on the brink of losing my marbles. I laughed when I saw his text about having another, and at other times, I am DYING for another baby, and Andrew is like, ‘Yeah, no, haha.’
*How’s your sister doing? I remember when she’d pop up on the blog!
I had a lot of questions about her and where she went. I told her that everyone was wondering where she was, and we thought about starting a big fight to get some drama on my blog;). We hang out multiple times a week, love each other’s kids fiercely, and she is doing AMAZING!
*I want to know behind-the-scenes blogging stuff! For example, when do you write your posts?
-I wish I had a concrete answer for this, but it is ALL over the place. Sometimes, I wake up at 4:30 am before my run and get a chunk done (my dad wakes up at 2 some mornings to work, so I’ll blame him on this habit), sometimes I work from my phone at soccer practice, and sometimes I work in 12-minute increments between kid’s things throughout the day (hence, my tangentish posts often). I plan to do my sponsored content and more in-depth posts when Andrew isn’t working, and he can take the kids somewhere because I cannot focus on work when someone is licking my ankles or asking me to make a sandwich for them.
*What do Brooke and Knox want to be when they grow up/have they talked about college?
They talk about maybe going to BYU, attending a trade school, or becoming entrepreneurs (Shark Tank is their favorite show). I can’t wait to see the amazing things they do.
*Would your family ever add another dog to your crew?
-We’ve talked about it and decided not to. I don’t know how we will handle it when Beretta passes, but once we are no longer tied to custody arrangements (in about six years), we aren’t really sure what our plan is (my job is flexible, and Andrew’s can be too), so we don’t want to add another dog when we don’t know our plans yet.
*How do you and Andrew pay for student loans?
-We both went to BYU and when we were there, it was only $1800 a semester. I could cover my tuition with my waitressing jobs and help from my parents, and Andrew did the same, so we didn’t have any debt for our undergrads. The cost of living in Utah at that time was also extremely low. For nursing school, Andrew had sold his house recently and made money from it, and I was working to cover life/insurance for us, so we were able to cover tuition as he went (and as he is still going in his master’s program). I grew up with my siblings going to BYU and many of my peers, too, so when I hear about tuition prices everywhere else, I am shocked!
*How not to feel discouraged as a slow marathoner?
-My eyes filled up with tears when I read this. I HATE that anyone would ever feel this way (even though I get it when I don’t hit my goals and feel discouraged). I want to hug you if you ever feel this way. Running is so incredibly challenging. The fact that you run marathons BLOWS MY MIND. It is so hard. There are a lot of genetics that come into play with running speeds… I come from a family where my grandpa and uncles were state record holders. It is in my genes. I think it is important to remember that! Remember, you are enough. I remember once I met Meb and couldn’t stop telling him how amazing he was, and he replied, ‘You are way more amazing; I’m home and showered in my robe while you are still out there on the marathon course running hard.’ It’s all the same distance; we are all on the same road and putting out the same effort. That is why we feel such a community amongst each other as runners, regardless of our PRs.
*What are your family’s screen time rules?
-This q is tricky because I feel like it is always changing and I feel like it is so specific to each family and their situation. Each parent knows what’s best for their kid…. As far as cell phones go, our current rule is they can have a Gabb phone in 8th grade and an iPhone (with very basic apps/no internet when they are 16). Many of my nieces and nephews haven’t had social media until they turned 18, and we’ll do the same… Luckily, I can say when they are begging for a phone or social media in the future, ‘Well, ______ survived without it, you can too;).’ BUT things like this are easy to say… hard to do ha. So we will see how things go as our kids get older.
*Do you ever regret starting your blog?
-Should I hahah? There have been times when I have gotten some pretty harsh comments, and I’ve wondered why in the world I do this, but other than that, no… My sibling’s professions are doctors, lawyers, designers, and pilots, and here I am taking selfies each day and posting them to strangers, but I am very proud of it. I LOVE trying to help people find their love of movement and work towards their goals no matter their age. I love building friendships with people all over the world online and sharing my insides (I started doing this when I first learned to write; I would deliver a ‘newspaper’ to all of my neighbors, telling them what was going on in our household). I’ll be blogging at 70, and nobody can stop me;). But I do have something I’m working on that has nothing to do with my blog… Any guesses??! It makes my heart rate go up to 180 bpm; when I think about it, I am so excited.
*Do you struggle with the comparison game with your running friends?
-My current group, nope. We honestly only talk about running .00002% of the time. We also know each other’s life situations so closely that it makes sense whenever someone is running, whatever time they are… we see how hard that person is working, we know each other’s current life situations, and we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so it would be pointless to compare. Have I been bummed that I haven’t been able to keep up with one of them in a race? YES, but that’s because I want PRs, not because of the comparison game. My group now has zero percent drama, which feels beyond special because there have been plenty of groups I’ve been a part of that have had plenty of drama (and I haven’t always been innocent in those circumstances… you live, YOU LEARN).
*Does Andrew still do CrossFit?
-No… He loves biking too much. He is now obsessed with Zwift.
*Do Brooke or Knox have any step siblings/half siblings from their other sides?
-Yes, they both have half-siblings in their other families! They love them dearly, and I love hearing the stories they have together with them. The more people they love and that love them, THE BETTER.
*Wondering what your cadence is?
-I looked it up on Garmin Connect, and for an easy run, it is around 172. When I am doing speed work, it is around 184. During my last marathon, Sevilla, it averaged 175. The marathon I am most proud of was Boston 2022, and it was 174.
*Ever had problems with the Adios Pro 3 peeling on the outsole?
-Thankfully, no. They are by far the most durable speed shoes I have ever had.
*How do you deal with sweaty hair due to daily running & not looking greasy w/o washing?
-Do not judge me, but washing my hair is one of my least favorite things to do. I just blow dry the sweat out (TMI?)… and sometimes, I will just wash my bangs and the front of my hair so the front looks nice and fresh without the work of washing it all.
*Do I still fast?
-I’m not sure I have ever really been great at fasting (for church) from food and water, but I do love to ‘fast’ from vices like my phone sometimes and focus more on my priorities. So, no, I don’t do a food/water fast.
*How do you not quit on a goal during a race when it gets hard?
-To be honest, I have a million times. The times I have been stubborn with my goals have been my best races. I’ve been repeating to myself lately, ‘no regrets’ because I want to live that way more and not quit the second something gets hard. Making mini goals helps and focusing on doing the best you can at the moment. I also love switching things up to distract myself from quitting, like taking another gel, changing the song, or grabbing water. Make a mantra before the race because you must enter prepared for this moment. You aren’t going to be able to come up with one in the moment of wanting to quit.
*Wondering how Brooke is doing and what her long-term recovery looks like.
-She is doing so much better. Mentally, she is nervous about it happening again (ME, TOO), but she is almost back to herself. She took antibiotics three times a day once we left the hospital for six weeks and had follow-up appointments and bloodwork during that time to check in on her healing.
*Are you still drinking the green smoothie every day?
-If Andrew is home and makes them, yes, but otherwise, I am too lazy these days. I wish I was more consistent, but maybe I will be more consistent when the kids return to school. My sister has one every day of her life! I am focusing on getting 100 grams of protein a day, and that has been really helpful for me.
*Do you ever get burnt out with running? You always seem to be so consistent.
When I ran alone most days, I got more burnt out. Running has become such a social event that I get so excited to see my friends each morning to talk. At the end of a marathon, I am more than ready for a two-week break from running. This blog is my job, so that always makes it easier to stick with it, and I must have at least one (and lately 2) rest day a week, or else I get very burnt out. But I genuinely love running and what it does for me for the 15 hours after the run.
*How has your parenting style evolved/changed with each of your children?
Negatively-> I have gotten much worse at taking the younger ones out to do ALL the kid activities like I did with Brooke and Knox. I feel bad about this, but I think it is pretty normal because the older kids keep us so busy with their activities. My mom always says, as the youngest of 5 kids, that I lived in the car with my bottle, and I turned out semi-okay;)
Positively-> I’m more laid back (thank you, Andrew). I’m better at going with the flow than I used to be. I am much more open-minded, and I feel much happier this way in all of my life, along with parenthood. I’ve realized that parenthood is all about the relationship I build with each one, not me checking off what I thought were the duties of a mom.
Working on-> I’m great at doing fun things with my kids but want to do better at teaching them to serve others.
I have found with each child how different they are from one another and how important it is to learn their love languages and communication styles and work with them in their unique ways. I’ve learned over the years that there is no one right way to do things and that it is the relationship that matters, not doing things perfectly.
Any questions you want me to answer in my next post like this?
I would love to hear your answers to any questions that apply to you, too!
