Sarah Borst Jarvis

Zion NP I was hoping to make it back to Flagstaff in time for NAM swim & brunch extravaganza on New Year's Eve morning. But, alas, it is not happening. The husband wants to hang at his parents' house a little longer and who can blame him? So, I came up with a different plan . I am good at that. Actually, Coachie came up with a plan for me. He invited me* to go down to St. George with him for a little smashfest on the bike. Who wants to end 2011 with a bang ? Me! Me! We will be biking to one of my favorite places: Zion National Park . If you have not been, I suggest you go soon. It is a marvelous place! I am sure there will also be some swimming and running action... and I get to stay with one of my favorite girls: Colleen Soon-to-be-Ironwoman Rue! In case it is not obvious: I am excited !!! Karl graciously offered to pick me up in their way back home to Flagstaff. Although, I would not mind just staying in St. George until the half marathon at the end of January... Bu...

me, Heath, Missy Today Coach M's plan called for a Timed Mile in the pool. Actually, the plan has been calling for a Timed Mile the last 2 weeks but I have not been able to get my act together. Swimming (i.e. getting to the pool when it is actually open) without Karl around has been a struggle to say the least. But, alas, he rolled into town last night and I have no more excuses! Fortunately, Coach M knows (most of) my many weaknesses and suggested that Heath could pace me for the mile. A pacer ? For me? Yes please! I love being in the same city as HT training! (Although I still hate how traveling messes up everything!) In case you don't know Coach Heath - he is an amazing swimmer! At Ironman CDA this year he exited the water in 2nd overall and in front of world champion Craig Alexander. So, needless to say, he could swim circles around me. Since that would not be very fun for either of us, he instead put on some ankle bands to slow himself down. Have you ever tried to ...

I don't really like the word 'hero'. Especially not relating to the world of sports. But I will take this definition of the word: hero : someone of distinguished courage or ability ; admired for his/her brave deeds and noble qualities. I know quite a few people that I admire for these qualities and one of them is Chrissie Wellington ! There are many athletes that I find intriguing and look up to but Chrissie is more than that. From all I have read, heard, and seen: she is the most inspiring athlete I know. I wanna be (just a little more) like her when I grow up. I am not talking about her breath-taking speed or incredible physique - although I would not mind that either! I am simply amazed by her mental fortitude , her burning will to succeed, her ability to overcome self-doubt, her obvious joy and passion for life and triathlon, and her strong desire to be a great role-model . I have the utmost respect for this amazing woman and am thrilled to see her at the top o...

Flagstaff this morning (My friend, Erin, took this picture this morning. View from her house. Since I basically live down the street, I figured I could snatch her picture and post it here. Karl took our camera...) Today they called a snow day . Actually, they called it last night already. School cancelled. Boys home all day. We had a great time enjoying the fresh powder, sledding, baking, and playing. I also managed to convince them to come to the gym with me in the morning and to the pool at night. Because they are such good sports, I let them do some more (!) sledding after my swim. It was past their bedtime, my hair was wet, and we had yet to have dinner. But they just could not pass up the awesome jumps some college students had built! They passed out as soon as their cute little heads hit the pillow. And I am about to do the same... I don't think I can handle 2 snow days in a row without Karl around, so I am praying for school to be in session tomorrow! Besides, I have an...

Since nobody wants to read (or write) another post about how I am losing it over here, I figured I would just give you my motto for this week: I don't need easy. I just need possible. As you may know, this is a quote by Bethany Hamilton in the movie Soul Surfer . I admire that girl. What an inspiration! It certainly has not been easy without KJ as my companion. 7 days down. 11 more to go. So far so good. The boys and I have had our ups and downs but, I am happy to report, we are safe and (mostly) sound. I am able to squeeze in the training and have logged almost 16 hours this week so far. With another 3 tomorrow, I should be fine. Remember? Training to me is therapy . If my life is out of order, chaotic and hectic, I love getting on the spin bike and staring at the wall for 2 hours. Time to think. Time to refocus. Time to enjoy being in control of at least one thing: this workout. A run in the snow under bright blue skies in 25 degrees does the trick as well. Or a hardcore ...

picture me here instead of Max This is what I was going to tell you about 3 weeks ago: I am losing my mind because I love to travel but I really don't like it. I like my routine and I like having a plan. Both go out the window when I travel and it makes me nervous. I told Karl Sunday night that I was feeling somewhat stressed about taking the kids to Utah by myself. Ironically, that proved to be the easy part. We noticed our car shaking when breaking at high speed and figured it could easily be fixed by rotating the tires. Or something like that. Wrong! When Karl called the shop they told us we would most likely need to replace the rotors and break pads. It would cost around $250 and we could bring it in tomorrow. What?!? I don't have time or money for that! Needless to say that I was feeling a little more stressed... Noah was due for his flu shot Monday afternoon. Nothing like taking two healthy children to the doctor and waiting for 45 minutes for a tiny little shot! Th...

(post written on Thursday but finished on Friday because author fell asleep) Well. This picture gives it away. Today was a double swim day! Yippee! Believe it or not, it was self-imposed . Coach M asked for a swim where I don't just blindly follow the guys in my lane but actually pay attention to the clock. She also asked for 10*100 on 1:35. Now that should be doable, right? There are plenty of people I know and compete with and beat out of the water in a race that can swim 10*100 on 1:30. What is my problem? Well. Let me come up with 3 excuses : 1. I am talking meters not yards. 2. It's long-course. 3. We live at 7,000 ft and I am having a hard time breathing just sitting here. So I am basically hoping that the 1:30 people are swimming short-course yards at a lower elevation. If they are not, then I am in serious trouble ... I chose to swim Masters in the morning because... Now I can't even remember why... Oh. Yes. Because Karl is leaving town on Saturday and I am afraid...