we're back! kind of.

it's been a while, but we both put on some workout clothes and did our thang! okay, okay I didn't go running but I did feel like a runner! and I toyed with the idea of running. and I looked like my old athletic self. {well, besides the huge potruding basketball under my running tank} and it kind of made me feel like the old me. and I was happy to be outside in the sunshine, walking to my little heart's content.

and pedro? he's back on a bike! for real this time!! I don't know if I've ever told you about my super rad grandpa -- the one who is a hardcore cyclist -- the one who we all did an 80 mile bike ride with on his 80th birthday -- well, he gave pete one of his really nice, albeit older road bikes. and he says it rides like a dream and actually fits him better than his old bike. {the guy who fitted him to his old bike was on crack, I think. pete does not have freakishly small arms} he even went on a real ride!

it's like our saturday morning was normal. me out running {aka walking right now} and pete out on a ride. it really doesn't get much better. well, unless I was actually running, of course.

bowling for two

why is it that women bowl better when they're pregnant? it seems to be a true, proven fact. I wish I had realized my potential months ago, I would have made my dream a reality: join a bowling league. (number 42 on anna jo's list of rad things to do before I die -- though in reality I secretly want to be the worst team in the league, so maybe I should join sans baby baking in the womb) now I only have about a month left. . .

yesterday was my department's summer party. youth ed once again came out on top and was the champions of the bowling tournament. yep, I had a very good game for myself.

strike + strike + strike = TURKEY!!!

thank you very much.

now if it had only been thanksgiving I would have accomplished THIS goal. (number 57)

{photo credit}

an ode to the decemember'ish weather while on a four mile run

big, fatty, flurry flakes
fluttering from the sky
I am running
they are falling
falling in my eye

* * *

this is as far as I got. I had to turn my concentration from composing poetry on the run to not getting hit by anything but snowflakes.

I am exhausted.

one impromptu marathon last week

plus one week of holiday goodness {mostly eating}

plus dog sitting a rather old chocolate lab

plus running a post marathon ten miler this morning

plus dabbling in some holiday decor

plus cleaning the whole house

makes a girl very, very tired.

I think I just might go to bed and it's only eight o'clock!

you might run the fastest, but that doesn't mean you'll win

as you may or may not have heard, the woman who ran the fastest time in sunday's nike women's marathon in san fran didn't actually win. whaa?! but how could that be, you might be wondering? a technicality. some dumb rule the race organizers won't let go of.

arien o'connell {a twenty-four year old fifth grade teacher from new york city} ran the 26.2 miles in 2:55:11 {a PR of about twelve minutes!}, beating the official race "winner's" time by 11 minutes. eleven minutes?!

so why didn't she win? she wasn't registered as an elite!

{true story. the same thing happened to another guy who came in 4th place at the chicago marathon.}

so I'm thinking the USATF should rethink this little rule of theirs. they say the rule is in place so the elites know who they are racing against, since, you know, they're so nice and give them a head start and all {in the nike women's marathon they gave these ladies a twenty minute head start, which I think is ridiculous! the men's field is not that deep to necessitate such a huge gap in start times} but I say if they really are elite they'll prove it out on the course. no matter what. guts + glory to the finish line.

it's sad, though, because nike could have really done something with this story. built a really awesome marketing campaign around it.

normal, average girl wins marathon. beats the elite pack.

instead they just pooed in her face. "we've already declared our winner" and even though you ran the fastest, you're not it. booh.

{read the full story HERE}

m. phelps, the early years:

{has always been the fastest swimmer in the pool,
in world record time, of course}

the freedom hike 2K8

I feel like every time peter and I go hiking lately I fear slightly for my life. it probably has something to do with rock scrambles and steep slopes. but in any case it's always a good view + a fun time.

I love where we live.

I love our mountains.

I love our new independence day tradition.

who said donuts don't belong in endurance racing?

sad you missed
the doughnut run '08?

here's your chance
for the ride of a lifetime:

the tour de donut.

ride. eat. repeat.

the details, a la the website: {you know, just in case you actually want to participate}

giving it a tri

the summer solstice.
the longest day of the year.
a day you should be out there,
trying something new + a little scary.

six years ago I braved the daylight
with my first marathon
in the land of endless light
(and consequently endless dark)
anchorage, alaska.

it seems fitting that I begin
another chapter of the journey
again on this day -- where
possibilities are as endless
as the day is long.

{click HERE for the full cache valley tri race report}

DIY arm warmers

I started out with a little something like this:
an under armour long sleeved running top that was just way to snug for comfort. {good thing I had happened upon it for free. and even better that I found a use for it.}

with a snip at the shoulder seams and a quick little hem, I had myself a pair of my very own arm warmers. perfect for those days when your ride starts out a little chilly, but eventually warms up. just slip these babies on or off as needed. they are easily stowed in the back of your jersey.



what am I going to do with the rest of the shirt? make fold over mitts for cold weather running days of course! nothing goes to waste around here!

an update of sorts

sometimes life is just way too busy to blog.

it's a shame, though, because then we miss the small moments.

and the big moments.

in honor of this coming weekend's big moment,
let's take a look back at some recent slightly smaller moments in the life of anna jo:

my friend scotty trained for a marathon on a treadmill because running on the road hurt him too much; he ran the salt lake city marathon in 3:36 and looked good doing it. he is my hero and another one of my success stories.

I won a pie eating contest with my youth ed teammates at work. hopefully there will be video coming shortly. let's just say I attacked some apple pie with my face. and then won a "trophy."

I "quit" my job at bcdc. I'm not sure if they know that yet or not... okay, so they've probably figured it out by now. but I didn't really tell anyone, because I didn't know quite who to tell. that's certainly a grey area when your supervisor gets fired and your manager quits all within a week of each other. and you're only there for like two more days. but my discount code still works, so all is well!

I had the complete joy of going to jury duty last week. unfortunately I didn't make the cut. but I did get to sit there all day, waiting endlessly so I guess I still got the full experience. I was kind of interested in seeing how the criminal case played out, though. oh well, maybe in two years I'll get another chance.

the only running I've done over the past three weeks has been in a pool. and this weekend I get to run 26.2 miles through the streets of fargo, north dakota. is anyone else scared for me? well don't be, 'cause I'm gonna rock the socks off this race. uff da!

I cut up about eighteen-thousand carrots today. hurrah for roadtrips!

amiGO Scott!

overcoming mountains

sometimes life puts obstacles in my path at the most inopportune times. but for every mountain there is a miracle. I just need the patience to see it through to the top. because if there is one thought that I have really taken to heart lately it is this:

you are stronger than you know.

image: thoos
words: robert h. schuller

rockin' the pink!

ali, the first female biggest loser {video clip}

remember my favorite show? the biggest loser? well, I don't know what I'll do with myself on tuesday nights (besides being able to go to bed at a decent hour so I can wake for the early am swimteam) because now it's over.

but don't you see why this is the best television show on these days? it is transforming people! it is inspiring people! {click HERE for all the inspiration. check out mark he looks fantastic too. oh and roger!} seriously, while I was watching the finale last night, I just couldn't help but feel this overwhelming sense of happiness for these people. they've reclaimed their lives. it's truly amazing. and everyone looks. so. good. especially ali. she is my hero.

she and her mother were kicked off on episode 4, I do believe. not because they lost the least amount of weight, but because of game play. as ali left the elimination room she told everyone she was going to be the biggest loser. bold statement from a girl who just got voted off. but with a twist of the game, all eliminated contestants were invited back to the biggest loser campus for one final weigh in. one man and one woman would be invited back to the game. ali and mark won. ali then proceeded to kick everyone's trash in future weigh ins. even the guys. she was a rock star that fought for what she wanted.

she is so inspiring to me! seriously. I wish I could be her best friend. because I think we would be best friends. she has such a determination and drive. I truly believe that she can do anything she puts her mind to. anything. and that means beating out all the big guys on the biggest loser. {remember when kelly and brittany were whining because they felt it was impossible to beat the guys? all the cards were stacked against them? yeah, well ali comes back on the scene and proves it can be done. and she continued to prove it week after week}

she lost almost half her body weight, looks super toned + fit, and can finally reclaim her true athlete self. she is amazing.

I hope to see her on the triathlon scene someday. she'd probably kick my butt.

a tasty five-k

you all know how much I love doughnuts. and you know how I love to run. why not put them together? it is the doughnut run '08.

for every doughnut you eat, time is taken off your overall 5K finish time. there are eight "aid stations." you can eat as many doughnuts as you want at each one. but please don't purge (intentionally or not); it only counts if you keep it down. sounds like fun, no?

sign me up for the doughnut run '09! who's in for a road trip to iowa?!

{check out steve in a speedo's full race report. his was an epic adventure. not to mention he ate fifteen doughnuts and won the thing.}

after all the dreamin'

first of all, can I just tell you about my dreams? slightly bizarre. . .

[somewhere in the half-light of saturday morning. right before my eighteen mile run.]

it was marathon morning. I didn't seem all that prepared. like I didn't even have my favorite socks! (you know, the ones with the L and the R on the toes) the ones I have been planning to race in because they're probably the thinnest ones I own. so I had to use someone else's socks. luckily they were the ones with the L and the R on the toes. I finally got myself over to the race and had to find my pace group. I found the leader and there was only one other runner in the group. we must've started the race, but the other guy just seemed to disappear. it was just me and the pace group leader. for some reason--and this is where it starts to really get weird--we went to my parents house (you know, in utah. nowhere close to north dakota!) and had scripture study with my family. scripture study?! that took a while and after it was done we went into my parents kitchen and mr pace group guy started showing me all these little trinkets that he had and was trying to give to me. then I realized, hey, wait a minute! we're supposed to be running a race here. I'm trying to qualify! we'll never make it in time! pure panic. and it's like the guy didn't even really seam to care. yeah. so I'm freaking out, thinking how fast are we going to have to run to make up this time?!

I was in that state of half-consciousness, wondering if I ever finished. if I qualified for boston or not. and then I slipped into my next dream. . .

I was with katie holmes and tom cruise. you know, of tomkat fame. oh, and there little baby, suri. in their house. cleaning their toilet. I was mostly hanging out with katie. we didn't want to disturb tom because it was apparent that he wasn't a nice guy. like I was a little scared for katie, like maybe he had threatened her life at some point. like there was that unspoken tension between them. it was a weird vibe. and why was I cleaning tomkat's toilet, you might be wondering? I have no idea. I should've just made that little miss katie holmes scrub that bowl herself.

now when I woke up I still couldn't shake that feeling. . . that slight panic, wondering if I ever qualified or not. and I was also wondering why tomkat made an appearance at all. pete thinks it's because I'm still so bitter that she ever thought she could just up and run the boston marathon because she's a celebrity. (or was that really just a rumor? a publicity rouse?) people have to earn that right, missy! people like me, so just back off!!

*phew!*

okay, so now all my psycho-analysis readers, analyze me! do you think my dreams mean anything in particular? are they even related? weigh in. the best interpretation wins a prize.*

*prize yet to be determined, but will be super cool. obviously.

march 15th | sunday cliffs | snowbird

this is my ski bum husband. isn't he hot?

bake room yoga

salt lake city bikram yoga

many people started this year with a word. a mantra that would take them from where they are to where they want themselves to be. what they want to embody. what they want to strive for. recently, I have found my word.

release.

I want to release myself from self-doubt. I want to release myself from a body that is holding me back. I want to embrace what I have been given, where I am right now, acknowledge it and then find a way to push past it. I have been held hostage by tight muscles for far too long. it is time to release. it is time to let my body relax. let the tissue elongate and really start to stretch for the first time.

I am throwing myself full-force into yoga. bikram yoga. as peter likes to call it, bake room yoga, or sauna yoga. I just like to call it hot yoga. plain and simple. it is what it is. in a one-hundred degree room your muscles loosen, your body opens. sweat is pouring out of every inch of your body. it is cleansing + exhausting + energizing. as in the words of the yoga teacher, it is magical.

super bowl, super yum!

even though I love tom brady and the pats, I was rooting for eli and the giants the whole time. hey, I'm a sucker for an underdog. and I just love the mannings. peyton won last year, eli wins this year. it's what dreams are made of.

final score: giants 17 | pats 14


the recipe below is for vlo. he just couldn't get enough of the dip. {and here's the recipe for the crackers} thanks for coming m + v -- and thanks for that fruit tray! the carbonated kiwi was a hit! -- you made the party a party. {we sure did miss you e + p}


Best Ever Spinach Artichoke Dip
* 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
* 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
* 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 1 cup Alfredo sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a small casserole dish, mix the spinach, artichoke hearts, cheese, mayonnaise, and Alfredo sauce.
3. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly bubbly and lightly browned.

the post vaca ski

have you ever had one of those days where you just got back from a fantastic vacation and you really didn't want to go to work? -- and let's be honest, your boss never really knows when you are or are not going to be there anyway -- and it had just snowed a bunch too, so the thought of doing anything somewhat productive seemed a bit silly as well?

yeah. well today I had one of those days. and so did peter. so for anyone who might have a reason to care, our flight got delayed, canceled, rerouted. we could not make it in to work today. sorry.

btw, conditions were pretty good today. not as much powder as might be expected after last night's storm, but there was still plenty of pow-pow for me! my quads kill and my tele turns are getting better. it was a fantastic ski day. now if I could only ditch the rest of my responsibilities tonight. . .

my secret television addiction revealed

I want to be on the biggest loser. not because I think I'm fat, but because I want to work out for six hours a day with a really mean trainer. I want someone telling me what to do and when. I want my refrigerator stocked full of the fresh fruit and veg. all the time. I want a team full of medical professionals plus nutrition specialists making sure I'm doing ok. I want 24 hour access to the gym. okay, not really on that last part. who needs to work out at 4am? not me. but don't those challenges seem fun? I want to work out and do those challenges. I want to compete!

is it weird to want to be on the biggest loser? is it weird to have contemplated gaining a grossly huge amount of weight just to get on the show? I think I would just be ridiculed and ostracized by the other contestants. I would be that skinny girl in the house that already works out a lot and eats healthy. nobody likes that girl.

so this is what I'm proposing. not a show for fat people, but for fit people: fit club. or fit team. or I want to work out in a skimpy outfit on tv to get my fifteen minutes of fame team. come on, with the writer's strike still going on this could really fly.

maybe it could be a show about a bunch of people who are trying to train for some really intense endurance event. you know, like ultramarathons or an ironman. and they have coaches, et cetera but then you can throw in that whole voting off element that everyone loves so much. oh, and don't forget the fun fitness challenges.

I could be on that show. in fact, I think I need to be on that show if I ever want to conquer number fifty off the list. the ironman. [2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run. in one day. the ultimate in endurance sport.] I know a couple of people who have done one, and if they can {be crazy enough to} do it then maybe I can {be crazy enough to} do it too.

but until all this goes through, I guess I'll just stick to the couch.