Sarah Borst Jarvis

... that I don't run in less than 30 degrees! Unless the sun is in full force. Or something. An early Saturday morning trail run in Provo Canyon with great company including KJ*? Sounded like a fantastic idea until it was time to get out of bed. I don't mind waking up early but I made the mistake to check the current air temperature . 24 . I did not think it was too bad until KJ reminded me that there is always wind in the canyon. And the sun won't be up for at least half the run. Suddenly, my bed was feeling extremely comfortable and warm... I have decided for myself that I just don't like the cold. Extreme cold = No fun Not sure why have turned into a wuss over the last few years but ... I have. Glad to say that we did, indeed, drag ourselves out of bed and enjoyed all Saturday morning had to offer: Snow-covered peaks New friends Good conversations Bright blue skies Fun trails Except for maybe one little episode of me whining because I still had not warmed up ...

Before filling you in on why I am very close to losing my sanity, I thought I would write something positive. That is, after all, my motto these days: Relentlessly Positive . It's been difficult, to say the least. The good news is that we made it to Utah and had a wonderful time! So excited for my good friend and BYU roommate Courtney to get married to a great man. What a fantastic excuse to get the Cherry Chubs (and then some) together for a weekend of fun! I got into town late Wednesday night, slept some, trained some, dumped the kids on my wonderful in-laws, and spent all of Thursday with my girlfriends . I was not kidding about the all-day Bachelorette Party. Just the break I needed! We played all day on Friday and then went to Courtney and Roger's Party at night. It was very casual and so fun! On Saturday, the beautiful couple was sealed in the Temple for Time and all Eternity. I am very blessed to be able to call this wonderful lady one of my best friends. Sometime...

(Has it really been 10 days? Yikes. I have been a slacker ... Rip me out of my routine and throw me in a car for 10 hours with 2 little guys, and I will surely end up a mess . Add a 3-day wedding and a stomach bug , and I am barely able to function. Let alone write a blog post that makes sense. So I dug up a review I wrote for the RMR&T magazine back in September. I have been meaning to edit it and make it more fun before I post it here but it is not happening tonight because somehow I need to drag myself out of bed tomorrow morning at 5 am and ride my bike on the deck before the in-laws and kids wake up. Can't wait for Karl to arrive tomorrow night...) Also referred to as a swimskin, a speedsuit is a thin outer garment that can be worn in non-wetsuit races. It fits over your triathlon outfit, provides hydrodynamic advantage and buoyancy, and significantly reduces drag. When wetsuits are not legal in races because the water temperature is too high, a speedsuit is your bes...

Miss my Alpine Loop so much! Nothing like a weekend all to myself ! Ok. It is not all weekend but I take what I can get. Seeing how I am taking the kids up to Provo on Wednesday for Courtney's wedding * and Karl may or may not join us for Thanksgiving, I suggested he could take them on a little camp-out this weekend. Did I mention that Karl is leaving for New Zealand and Fiji at the very beginning of December and won't be back until Christmas ? Yeah. I so deserve this break! (* Picture me jumping up and down with excitement. Can't wait for a little Cherry Chub reunion! Bachelorette Party that starts at 11am and goes all day? Count me in!) As the good wife that I am, I should've stayed home Friday morning and gotten things ready for their camp out... Well. I decided to go swimming instead. There might be no school or NAU or library on Veteran's Day but there is always Masters. Thank you, Coach Liz! Came home to delicious French Toast and kids playing happily. So I...

Noah ready to roll There is not a whole lot of interesting stuff going on these days. Base training does not usually make for very good stories. Add snow and freezing temperatures to that, and you've got a bunch of rather boring treadmill runs and trainer rides. Today's highlights consisted of a) running next to a whole bunch of McMillan Elite Team members that are shooting to qualify for the Olympics. Talk about inspiration ! Except that I was not allowed to get my HR above 145... b) picking Max and later Noah up from school on bikes . 35 degrees, snowy roads, wind. We decided that on top of boots, winter jacket, gloves, and balaclava we also need to wear ski goggles . There is no such thing as bad weather! At least that's what I try to tell myself... c) I am slowly making progress in the strength department. Remember this post ? I am not such a big wimp anymore. Just a little wimp. Considering my bulging arm muscles* and the fact that Karl currently weighs 149 pound...

(This picture has nothing to do with my post. But it is just so incredibly cute.) ... off-season is officially over ! How did that happen so fast ? I was just getting really into doing-whatever-I-feel-like and enjoying myself immensely, when I got an email from TrainingPeaks telling me the plan for this week! Yikes! So I hurried and squeezed in a mountain bike ride on Monday and, since the first one was so fun, another one on Wednesday. Not exactly what the plan called for but I am a fan of cross-training in the winter. On Tuesday, an hour before the TRF track workout, I frantically called Coach M to have her tell me (again) why I am banned from the track now. She did not answer her phone. I was about to give into temptation... Good thing I have 2 coaches. HT was available and gave me a lengthy explanation of why I am not supposed to do a hard track session during heart rate training. Don't ask me to reiterate what he said but he did indeed convince me to stay away. I went to ...