New Year, New Jon

Like I said in my instagram post, this has actually been a lot of fun, and really, easier than I thought it would be (or has been in the past). Don't get me wrong, it has taken time and work (but all good things do, right?) but for me, it has been really pretty enjoyable, and I think that is the secret. As soon as it stops becoming a complete chore, and becomes more fun, that is when it can be sustainable.

I started back in January (with the rest of the country)... We had recently moved into a new house, I was in the process of getting a new office up and running, the holidays were in full swing and let's face it... I really like food. Comfort food (still do!)

As has happened so many times before, my weight began to creep up on me. I have tried many programs over the years. I have done Body for Life, Crossfit, ran marathons and half marathons. I have done crash diets and have for the most part been successful with initial weight loss. But every time it would creep back up. I tended to find myself working out to get in shape for a trip, or an event (weddings etc). These can be good motivators, but I have found that they are temporary.

I finally reached a point where I wanted something sustainable, and doable that would change my habits forever.

Clearly, working out was not my issue. As noted above, I have done some pretty extreme things and really kind of enjoyed most of them too. Working out has never been a hard thing for me, diet on the other hand has always been a struggle. I've realized that this was mostly out of lack of knowledge of what I SHOULD be eating in order to maintain a healthy body weight. I would get stuck in this rut and mind game of "I just ran 13 miles so I can eat ______________." Does that sound familiar?

I've done this for years. "I run so I can eat" has been my motto. But as the years have gone on, the weight loss has drastically slowed down. Simply exercising (even in extreme amounts) was simply not enough. My close were getting tight, I didn't like the way my body felt, I was tired all the time, I was kind of depressed. It wasn't fun.

I finally reached out to my friends Kat and Jon Fuller. We had known them from our ward in Lehi many years ago and have kept in touch over the years via facebook. This was the big game changer for me. They are health coaches and specialize in exactly what I needed. A revamp of my diet. They helped teach me how to properly fuel my body. Their program works like a charm (Average weight loss for Clients on the Optimal Weight 5&1 Plan™ with support is 20 pounds). The weight came off.... fast. I lost 33 lbs in the first 6 weeks. The first month or so I didn't even work out. Not at all. I knew that diet was a huge part of the equation and I needed to focus on that first. I loved this approach. For those that want more info on their program, message me! Happy to talk you through it. It's easy, and affordable and comes with their coaching (which is a game changer).

After a few months of creating lifestyle change with diet, I knew it was time to start toning my body and incorprating healthy exercise again with my new healthy diet. It has worked well, and exercise has felt even better with the 30 lbs gone! I started off with some treadmill intervals (my jam!) and then finally in May, OrangeTheory Fitness came to Lehi! We've been going for a few months now, and love the program!

So where am I today. I have taken the lessons learned in diet and apply them every day. This doesn't mean I am depriving my body of food I love. I am just making smarter choices each day. I have learned balance. I have learned how to properly fuel my body (again, big shout out to Kat and Jon! Couldn't have done it without you guys!) I find I crave salads more, and am constantly seeking out healthy alternatives to the food I had been eating for years. I've found dozens of options at restaurants all over town (and this country!) for the first little bit I would just text Jon and Kat pictures of menus and say, "what should I eat?" now I feel empowered and can make these decisions on my own.

I work out pretty regularly, because I love it. But have also learned that exercising doesn't mean I can eat whatever I want (like I was 16 again). I still need to make good food choices throughout the day to maintain the lifestyle I want.

This year, I have been crushing personal milestones on the treadmill, on the weight floor and on the rower. I posted my fastest 10K, 1 mile, and 2,000 m row. It's only getting better and I know it's just the begining!

Loving my new life in health and have also loved sharing it with so many friends and family that have seen very similar results to me! If you are interested in Jon and Kat's program specifically, I would love to get you in touch with them! Just holler at me!

" So... you work in the Funeral Industry? How's that?"

A question I get quite often. I had another guy at the gym ask me this question this morning as I was getting ready in the locker room. When I left my job in real estate I had a lot of explaining to do. To my family, to my friends and yes, even to strangers. "Why on earth would you do that?"

I have to tell you, over the last three years I have given many responses to this question and feel without question that this was the best decision I have made in my professional life.

A little over 6 years ago we lost our Dad to brain cancer. It was an incredibly difficult experience that although painful at the time has helped shape me in may ways. Occasionally there are parts of death and grieving that creep up on me and make me address the deeper issues that are going on inside my head and heart, but overall my Father's death has helped make me a better person and even helped drive me in my professional life as well. Let me explain.

I have a great friend, Eric Battles "Battles", and those within the Precoa circle know him well. He is a legend. We both went to BYU, our wives are best friends (they were before we met) and we got married 3 months apart from each other. We followed similar paths while at school. We both graduated during the recession and good jobs were hard to come by for a lot of people. I followed in my Fathers footsteps and went into Real Estate and was successful even despite the difficult economy. I loved sales and goals and ultimately helped develop my companies highest end product, semi-custom and custom homes, mostly built in the greater Park City area. My office was on the 6th hole of a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course. As a family we built a beautiful home in the Heber Valley and thought we would be there for some time.

Eric went down another path. He got a job with a company called "Lincoln Heritage" (now Precoa) to sell Funeral Insurance. Yikes. The economy must be rough for Eric Battles I thought. Glad I am not in that position. Not only that, he would have to leave his friends and family in Utah and head to Portland, Oregon (could it get any worse?) My wife and I were pretty determined to get them back to Utah somehow. Eric and I kept in touch (via gchat mostly) over the years. We would get together when they would come back to Utah for the holidays and the summer. Whenever they were in town I would brainstorm job opportunities with him. He never seemed too interested, which always baffled me. Come on man. You work in the funeral biz.

This went on for months and one day we had a conversation that changed everything. After another one of our routine conversations where I tried to open up the opportunities of looking for jobs in Utah he said to me, "You know Jon, I don't think I plan on ever leaving this company..." I was stunned. What? Is he serious? No one and I mean NO ONE my age said things like that. My interest was suddenly peaked. I certainly didn't plan on staying with my current company for the rest of my life. If Eric (who I trusted and respected a lot) said something as serious as that, then I'm interested and needed to know more.

I think at this point we finally took our conversation offline and onto the phone. Things accelerated from there. I didn't mention this to my wife. How on earth was she going to understand this one. The funeral industry? 

Eric began to talk to me about this amazing company. The two founders Bret and Mark and the incredible culture they had created. Honestly, it all sounded too good to be true (I'm usually a huge skeptic with the too good to be true stories). But somehow it was different. I don't know what it was but I was interested and knew I needed to fly out to Portland to see what this was all about. I must admit, I was more excited to fly up and see Eric and to be back in the Pacific Northwest for at least a day or two than I was to see this company at first, but I went into this visit with an open mind and wanted to check this place out.

I had a few other BYU connections that worked there (also, very strange to me) and my first night there we went to dinner at a great foodie restaurant downtown and headed to our friend Chris's flat in the Pearl District. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. It was a fun night reconnecting. These guys were young like me, but were passionate about changing an industry. Their passion and excitement for this "funeral company" was intriguing.

The next day I woke up early and headed into the Precoa home office. It was like love at first sight for me. I fell hard for this little "Funeral company in Portland." Every person I met had a smile on their face. They were warm and kind. They loved what they did. One of the first things I did that morning was head to the Planning Center (from the outside it seems more like a call center). Outbound calls to families to talk about planning their funeral in advance. Sounds dull and boring, right? It wasn't. These "planners" LOVED their jobs. Again, their excitement was contagious. You mean, you get here every day and dial 180 times and book 8 appointments a day and you are excited about coming in to work each day? This can't be real.

This was real. It was legit. These people loved their job. They were deeply passionate about helping these families plan their funerals. Why? 

Great question. I think every great company has to start with this question and need to continually help their people understand why they are in business. If people know WHY they do what they do, they will be satisfied. They will work harder and they will be happier. At Precoa we believe in Prearranging All Families through ProActive Preneed by partnering with leading funeral homes all across the country. We do through this our company values of Kindness, Progression and Craftsmanship.

We could talk about the company vision, mission and values all day long... but we will save that discussion for another post. How many companies do you know have Kindness as one of their core values? Anyway...

Point is. They believe this. They live this day in and day out. This could have been an act, but it seemed completely real and authentic to me. At the end of the day there wasn't a position that directly correlated with my most recent experience and formal education. I had a degree in Advertising and a Masters degree in Real Estate Development. But I was the right cultural fit, and I wanted a seat on this bus. I also had this personal experience with death that I sincerely hoped I could use to help others.

After several discussions and another trip to Portland (this time with my wife so she could see what I was talking about for herself) we decided to take the leap of faith and to pack our family of 5 up and move to Portland, Oregon. Wow.

It's been 3 and a half years now and I've held two positions since working at Precoa and have loved both of them. Truly, I have LOVED my job. Everything Eric had talked about was true. All of it.

"So, you work for the Funeral Industry? How's that?" 

It's awesome. I have absolutely LOVED working in this industry. While the reactions I get from strangers never get's old (and is almost always the same) my enthusiasm has only increased as the years have gone on. I love helping families get their final wishes in writing. I love helping funeral homes all across this country increase their preened business so they can serve more families in their communities during the hardest day of their life. I believe families deserve to have a great service where their loved one is remembered and and ultimately where they can gather and focus on what is next. Their personal Healing. None of us will escape death but we can prepare for this in advance.

My parents didn't do this. I don't blame them. They were young and when you are fighting cancer you  exercise faith that you will beat it. You don't go to your local funeral home and take care of your arrangements.

I'll never forget the morning I woke up while my father was in Hospice and was days away from passing. My mom came to me and said, "I think we need to go to the Funeral Home". Having virtually no experience with death and certainly no experience planning a funeral I went with her to the funeral home and helped take care of my fathers arrangements. We picked out a casket, bought a plot, arranged the viewing. The whole thing was awful and hard. All of it. I needed to be there for my Mom and siblings but I just wanted to be with my Dad. Be with my wife and kids. Focus on what I was feeling and going through, but I couldn't. We had things to take care of.

You see, preplanning a funeral is not for yourself. It is for those you love and will leave behind, so they don't have to go through what I went through.

My name is Jon Lefrandt and I am a PreNeed enthusiast. If you are fortunate enough to get a job with this great company and to work in the Funeral Industry, than I am sure you will feel as I do.

Extremely blessed. 

Eric and I celebrating our birthday last year on the golf course. Enjoying the #precoalife 

My Grown Up Christmas Wish...

Over the years my consumption of the news has decreased drastically. My heart simply cannot handle it. Sometimes I feel guilt for this. Am I simply putting my head in the sand and acting like none of this is happening? 

Occasionally I decide to jump back in and see what the news headlines have for the day. This morning I read, "Six suicide bombers scaled the walls of a school in Pakistan and killed at least 137 people, most of them children, in an hours-long siege." Wow. 

It is sobering to read this and realize how blessed I am that my children and I don't live in fear like these families must. Yes, bad things still happen. Even in our "safe" communities. But mostly, I feel blessed to be surrounded by goodness. People who care and are trying their best. 

I don't have any personal connection to the people of Pakistan but my heart aches for those families. For the turmoil in their country that currently can't be solved by peaceful dialogue and discussion. They are our brothers and sisters and they need our prayers. 

Sometimes politics and debate over social, economic and religious issues can get nasty, even here in the United States. I've at times been a part of the heated debates, dialogue and the name calling. It can be hard when you feel passionately about what you believe in. Unfortunately in our country, at times, even violent acts are the result. Lives are lost. It pains me to think about this and for whatever reason (it may be the Christmas season) I am especially sensitive and prayerful for those that are struggling so much this morning and only wish I could do more. 

Rather than get overwhelmed at the task of solving all of the worlds problems (Am I the only one that gets crazy like that and thinks I need to try and take that enormous project on) instead I want to share one thought with you, my Facebook friends. Please be kind. I have observed that we are made kind by being kind. Sophocles, a great philosopher once said, “Kindness is ever the begetter of kindness.” 

"I have wept in the night
For the shortness of sight
That to somebody’s need made me blind;
But I never have yet
Felt a tinge of regret
For being a little too kind." 

No act of kindness is ever wasted. You cannot do a kindness too soon. Acting kindly can change both the giver and the receiver for good.

I, too, will try to be more kind and thank those that have shown kindness to me and my family. Especially during this Christmas season.

This is my grown up Christmas wish... 

Marathon Take 2

Why just run a marathon? You better blog about it.

It has only been a week since I ran the Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon and I feel like my memory is already starting to fade. Let me try and tell you my story from the beginning (of my training that is).

When I ran the Salt Lake Marathon 4 years ago I ran in my Dads shoes (see here for the story of my marathon and click here for the story of my Dad, his battle with Cancer and our journey as a family). 

It was a life changing experience and one I wanted to potentially experience again. At the time I told Ash that I got it out of my system and that I would wait until the kids were older and I had more time on my hands. Several years went by, I ran three other half marathons, and several 10K and other races. It was all fine and good, but nothing really compared to the experience I had while training and running my first Marathon.

For whatever reason when 2013 arrived I felt this need to run a marathon again. Do you ever have the desire to be apart of something great? I think there is tremendous value in doing things (like a Marathon) often so you can prove to yourself that you can. There may have been something to the fact that I was on my 29th year and I wanted to add one more thing to my list of accomplishments for my 20's. I also remembered the incredible feeling of accomplishment that the first Marathon gave me. It brought on success in so many other facets of my life. I literally felt like I could DO and BE anything! I personally believe that running a marathon is at least 70-80% mental (just run one and you will see that many of the marathoners are not the perfect human specimens). Marathoners are often over weight and have something greater to run for other than just weight loss. Sure fitness is a part of it, but it isn't the sole motive. So who knows... it could have been any number of things but it was enough to get me to commit.

Now here is a little look inside who I am. When I commit to something (like a marathon) I commit. All I need to do is tell someone about it and hope that they will keep me accountable. I actually didn't pay my Marathon entry fee until a week before the race (yes, I realize I pay more this way, but I would rather pay more than injure myself along the way and lose the money since entry fees are not refundable). I realize this is somewhat backwards for most people, but for me, it works. I recruited three of my buddies to run with me and I began reporting my runs on 365in365.org, nikeplus, instagram and facebook. The world knew I was running one. They would ask me how my training was going and they would cheer me on with every post I made. This was enough to keep me going through the five months of training (although it was probably annoying to most).

Here's a photo of the guys. They're pretty great. 

So I (we) started training. I ran 3-4 times a week, followed the program and hated every minute of it (seriously). Since I had previously committed to Ashley that I would not be running one for many years (more than 4) I decided I would try and do as many of my runs as possible in the early morning hours so that my training wouldn't infringe on family time. I think I did a pretty good job of this. A couple of the Saturday runs would go until 9-10 but never longer than that. Getting up at 5 am, running insanely long distances, working a full long day, coming home and juggling dinner, kids bed times and the occasional young men's activity on Wednesdays and Saturdays however, was enough to bring my tank to empty...OFTEN.

A little over half way through my training, on a 12 mile run, I banged my knee up pretty bad (never run long distances with Nike Free's... they have terrible support). I am still fairly certain that I tore my meniscus. I am just waiting to see how bad it gets before I resort to surgery. For a couple weeks I had to switch completely over to biking to lessen the blow to my knee... but that was a LONG time in the saddle and wasn't quite the same. But I kept going. I had committed and I was going to do whatever it takes to cross that finish line.

Things got better. I was consistently averaging a 9:20 mile pace even on my 18 and 20 mile runs. I thought, "this may not be so bad after all" but those thoughts would only last for a moment and then they would flee from my memory and I would go back to that negative place.

After months of training it finally came time to run my race. I went to our ward Youth Conference that Wednesday and Thursday (which I had never done before and underestimated the levels of exhaustion that I would endure those few days). Friday came and I was off to downtown Seattle. Headed to the Centurylink expo to meet one of my running buddies, Jason and his wife Kathy, to go and get our running bibs. I started feeling a little bit better about the next morning. I was getting excited and was "ready to run".

A few hours later I met up with Ash and the kids and we went to pick up my sister Jeanette and her husband Todd from Sea Tac airport. Let me add here how blessed I am to have an incredibly supportive family. They all flew into town for the race and I couldn't be more grateful for their generosity in taking time away from their schedules, booking flights, or driving 12 hours to see me run. Who does that? The Lefrandt's do. It made a world of difference.

I realize this novel is getting a bit lengthy, but bare with me... the good stuff is about to come.
We arrived at our hotel, back in my hometown, Issaquah Washington! It has been years since I went back to visit that wonderful city. It truly felt like "home" and to finally bring My family there and show them my house, my Dads house growing up, my high school and introducing them to some of our dearest friends made the trip that much more special. All seemed right in the world.

The kids did fairly well at night (thanks to the fact that Jeanette and Todd took care of Lily and Sophie for us). I set my alarm for 5:30 and got to sleep. I fortunately had a pretty good nights sleep and felt energized and ready to go when my alarm went off. The weather was perfect. Clear blue skies, and warm. When does that happen in Seattle? Fortunately I have had good luck with weather on events like this.

My brother in law Todd was a saint and drove me down to Seattle Center so I didn't have to think about parking. I got there early and joined the 20,000+ people that were waiting at the start line. We were spaced into corrals, I was in corral 24. Every minute after the gun went off they would release another corral. About 30 minutes AFTER the gun went off, we finally crossed the staring line.

Here's a shot I took after the gun had gone off... you can tell by the people around me that we weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

The feeling and energy was electric. There is something incredible about the running community that I just love. I found this on a fellow runners blog that resonated with me. 

"Runners have an unspoken bond that’s unmatched in any other sport. We’re trusting of complete strangers. In every other group I’ve joined in my life, trust is earned gradually—it has to be proven. With most runners I’ve met, trust is assumed. We support each other immediately and without hesitation. More than any other group, my running friends are fiercely loyal. I don’t know why “good people run,” but I have a guess. We build relationships outside in nature, forcing us to leave the stress, anxiety, and societal pressures behind for just an hour or so. We leave the drama at work, family stress, and we just focus on the run. All we need to have a good time is a pair of shoes."

- Joanna Reuland

I've never fully understood why I run. I remember why I started... but why do I keep going? I think Joanna explained it as good as any. I feel this sense of community and camaraderie when I run. Such an neat experience. If you haven't experienced it... get off your butt and get out there!

I digress... back to the story.

The run began. The city was beautiful. This was the Rock n' Roll Marathon and there were bands and music every mile or two. It helped take my mind of off the run for the first little bit. At mile 7 or 8 we started the scenic portion of the run around Lake Washington. Cheerleaders and fans were everywhere... there was even a tribute with family members of loved ones that have sacrificed their life for us in the service of our country. It was moving and powerful. There were people running on their behalf.

Two of the guys I had ran with had gone enough ahead of us that there was no way to catch up with them. My friend Jason stayed by my side and together we were enjoying the run. As we ran, the temperature began to rise. I was used to running in 45-50 degree temperatures. It was over 80 that day. At first I didn't think much of it and was just grateful it wasn't raining. It could have been worse. Right?

Time went on and the miles continued to climb. My body started to ache and then THE HILLS. Around mile 17 or 18 the hills started picking up (perfect timing right?) I had added hills into my training, but not the heat and certainly not both. Plus, my body was not 100%. I am about 24 pounds heavier than when I ran my first marathon... and my tank was on empty. Not my food tank, that was still fine. I was following the guidelines. I carb loaded appropriately. I was hydrating my body. I was eating when I was supposed to. Physically, mentally, and emotionally I was drained. I really was not in a state of mind to run this thing, but I was so committed to following through with what I said I would do that there was no stopping me. Or so I thought.

Add another 2-4 miles and you can imagine what happened next. Imagine the gas running out in your car on the middle of the floating bridge in Seattle. Ya... this is what happened (minus the car part). I was on empty. At this point I was walking. The pacer that I was hoping to always stay in front of passed me (4 hrs 25 minutes). Nothing was more demoralizing. I knew they were going to get further and further ahead of me.

Before I completely lost my mind I snapped a quick shot from my phone running through a tunnel...

After this point it started getting ugly... I was worried about the next hour or so of this race. How was I going to get through this. I hesitated, but decided I should text Ashley. I had my cell phone with me (fortunately). My first text to her read:

"I hate myself."

Ashley responded to me:

"Keep Going Baby!!!"

I don't think she realized the seriousness of what my message entailed. My next message said:

"I want to die!!!"

She then said, " We're so proud of you! You're almost done!!!"

{insert crickets here} Minutes passed by...

"What mile are you on?" she asked.

"No Clue:I responded. I had officially lost my mind.

I think she got the point. She then did something that I will forever thank her for. She immediately sent out a text to her family that told them I was struggling, that I only had 4 miles left to go and that I needed their prayers to help me finish.

Almost 30 seconds later something incredible happened. Something I hope to never forget. This marathon experience from training to this moment had been mostly awful but what happened in the next 4 miles made it all worth it.


I was run/walking at this time. And then out of no where I heard a woman's voice.

"Hi, what is your name?" the woman said.


A bit puzzled I replied, "Jon".

"Hi Jon. I'm Carrie and I'm going to run the rest of this race with you."

I immediately tried to help her understand just how bad of shape I was in. I didn't want to hold her back.

At this point in the race it is what I like to call the "come to Jesus" period. It is truly every man for himself. People slow down. Their bodies start rejecting the run. A lot of things can happen, and certainly I am not the only person that was struggling. There were many others run/walking. So why me? Why did Carrie not take my 'no' for an answer? I was just a stranger.

"Come on. Let's go," she said.

I didn't really have a choice in the matter. One foot in front of the other I began the last 4 mile leg of this already very long journey.

I had no clue how long I would last but appreciated her willingness to stick through it with me. I thought maybe she would stick around for a half a mile at most. But she didn't. She was with me every step of the way. She would coach me on my breathing and tell me to raise my arms. She gave me check points to focus in on to help relieve the mental pain. When a hill would be ahead she would put her hand on my nape of my back and I would immediately feel relief. She knew exactly what to do to help.

I am sure she was awfully tired of my moaning, groaning and negative self talk. I was a pretty pathetic site at this point. She was determined to help me finish what I started and to finish it with pride.

Not long after we started running again I realized just what had happened.

God had answered my prayer. Instantly.

I am a faithful, God fearing man. I know he knows me and understands what I am going through, but it has been a long time since I have had an immediate answer of this kind. It is tender mercies such as this that bring everything I know and believe back to my remembrance. God knows and loves me individually and he knew what I was struggling with in that very moment. He didn't need to, but he prompted this woman to reach out and help me. I needed it. I believe wholeheartedly that without her I would have possibly given up on the race.

The miles passed. It was still slow, but they passed. As the finish line grew nearer, my emotions rose to the surface. I could barely compose myself. Somewhere along the 25th mile my foot tripped on a pot hole. My body went into complete spasms and I immediately thought the worst.

"Here I am, a mile away from the finish line and this is how I am going to go out".

Once again, had it not been for Carrie, I would have fallen to the ground and that likely would have been the end of my race. I can't imagine how that would have affected me mentally for much longer than that moment. What would I tell the people back home? All my supporters and cheerleaders along the way? What about my family that were waiting for me at the finish line? What would I tell my children? All of those thoughts crossed my mind... but fortunately, because of this incredible woman, I was able to shake off the spasms, pull myself together and finish what I started.

One of my favorite talks was given by Thomas S. Monson and is entitled, "Finishers Wanted". In that talk Monson outlines the marks of a true finisher. The second is the Mark of Effort. Monson says:


The Mark of Effort. Vision without effort is daydreaming; effort without vision is drudgery; but vision, coupled with effort, will obtain the prize.

Needed is the capacity to make that second effort when life’s challenges lay us low.

Stick to your task ’til it sticks to you;

Beginners are many, but enders are few.

Honor, power, place and praise

Will always come to the one who stays. Stick to your task ’til it sticks to you;

Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it, too;

For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile

Will come life’s victories after a while.

—Author Unknown

Beginners are many... and enders are few. I have always thrived to be a finisher. I have proven to myself time and time again that I can do hard and difficult things. That is why I do crazy things like run a marathon. It isn't easy and it isn't always fun. But the lessons I learn from doing hard things always pay off and I know I have invested well.

So you are probably wondering how this story ends... I finished.

Actually, WE finished.

I will forever be grateful for this experience and for my answer to prayer. I also am grateful for my family and support system. They supported me from beginning to end. Without them it never would have been possible.

And of course in the end, no post or story would ever be complete with out my biggest fan and love of my life, Ashley. If it wasn't for her inspired text and immediate instinct to pray and ask others to pray I may never have finished. I love you Ashley and am so grateful you are patient with me and my crazy running antics :)

As for the future of running. I ran a 10K on the fourth of July... but I don't think I will hit the pavement again any time soon (never say never) but I will forever be grateful for my experiences out there on the course. It is through trials and adversity that we learn the most about our self and about the divine. Sometimes we need to just humble ourselves so much, even take ourselves to our breaking point, in order for us to realize that God does in fact exist and he knows our every need and will deliver us in even our darkest of moments (even if they are self inflicted). I am grateful for that knowledge and for the reminder once again that He lives. I hope I can continue to be present, and be aware for when he manifests himself in my life again.

 

"Therefore, dearly beloved...let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power, and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for His arm to be revealed"

Doctrine and Covenants 123:17

Change

I can tell that change is on the horizon. I am anxiously awaiting it. But am anxiously engaged trying to make sure I am doing everything I can to make sure I am in the right place at the right time. It is exhausting. Since this blog is an online journal of sorts... I will write.

I have enrolled in a GMAT prep course and have started studying... (by start I mean, glanced over the material. I will start tomorrow afternoon). In the mean time I discovered that the University of Utah is offering a Master in Real Estate Development Program (MRED). I have applied. One of the requirements is that I take the GMAT. I am not able to do that in time... so I had an online interview and we will see if they are able to wave it. Hopefully. I am keeping my fingers crossed but am getting ready to pray my guts out that they allow me in. This program would be perfect for me, and the timing is great as well. We feel good about it, and hopefully it will happen.

I still plan on taking the GMAT and applying to MBA schools this fall. If all goes as planned I will be getting my MBA next fall. Hopefully from a top tier school.

I am working at Ivory Homes right now. It is a great company and they are seeing a lot of success. I just had a closing, and I have two more in the next two weeks. Things are on the up and up. I don't know that I will be able to stay with them through my Masters program... so I am in the middle of trying to figure out where I fit in in the work force.

My daughter is growing like a weed. She has so much spunk and personality, I feel like I need 5 acres for her to live on and three dogs just to entertain her everyday. Being trapped in this little townhome is tough for her. I do not know how families do it in little two bedroom apartments... I admire them, and wish my child were easier. We are grateful for her though and she has been a blessing in our life. Round two for kids is right around the corner. Are we ready?... Ready or not HERE WE COME! This is going to take a lot of faith, but we know it is right and hope for the best.

My brother comes home from his mission on September first. He has served faithfully and I know will return with honor and accomplish great things. My other little brother just got into BYU and will playing for the football team this fall. My other sister just graduated from BYU with a degree in Broadcast journalism. Our family is growing and changing constantly... now we just need to add more spouses and kids to the mix :) Ash and I are the only ones contributing!

Life is good. I need to be better and work harder. I always feel inadequate and overwhelmed but know that I have the gifts, and abilities to make things happen and be successful. Time to apply these skills and achieve greatness.

That is all for tonight... until next time.

26.2

Throughout the past 5 months I have had so many different reactions when I have told people that I was training for the Salt Lake City Marathon. Often peoples first reaction was... the half? They seemed surprised that I was just jumping in to the full without hesitation. No half for me. Straight for the full. Their next question would usually be why? I have often asked myself this same question. Why am I running this marathon? Well over the past 5 months I have thought enough about this that I would like to now share my thoughts with you. Feel free to read if you are interested. If you are not interested... feel free to look at the pictures and enjoy :)

When I was on my mission in Japan I sat down and wrote in my journal some goals that I had for my life. I took goals very seriously on my mission and strived to accomplish them. Some of these goals were to get into BYU and graduate, Get married in the temple, have kids, and... run a marathon. Not really sure why I wrote this down other than it seemed like an extremely difficult physical challenge and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do anything that I put my mind too, even physically. So that is where the desire was planted.

When I came home from my mission I had two friends Bret and Jordan that decided they were going to run the Ogden Marathon. I figured this is my chance! I have some friends that are running it as well, now is the time. So I jumped into training. It was winter, and I had to do all of my training on the treadmill. I was naive as to how rigorous this training would be. And I believed that I pushed myself to hard to fast. This resulted in a pretty serious injury. I completely tore my ACL and Miniscus in the middle of Winter Semester. My running goals were gone and I had a good years worth of physical therapy in store for me to get back to feeling normal again. My dreams to run the marathon were put on hold.

Life continued on. I ended up meeting the love of my life during my recovery. We were married later that year. I got into my major and dived into the Advertising world, full time work and full time school. Shortly after we were married little Lily came along, we built our little town home in Lehi... A LOT happened. That running goal got further and further away.

In the summer of 2008 as many of you know my Dads cancer came back and our world was turned upside once again. We rallied together as a family and tried our hardest to endure the trial that was presented to us. As my Dads health continued to decline I thought a lot about his life and what he has done for me. Dad was incredible. He is the man that taught me how to run. I ran track and cross country in middle school and high school. He was a great personal coach. I remember hearing his incredible running stories. He was a maniac! And would run straight up mountains. One of my personal favorites was when he was a freshman at BYU, he decided to ignore the switchbacks up to the Y and he ran straight up the mountain. Only my Dad could do that... he was a machine! Many of my memories include Dad teaching me how to run. I remember him coming to my Cross Country meets and running besides me at certain check points giving me pointers, in the rain... he was die hard and it meant the world. Often I felt that I didn't live up to his standards. That pressure was put on by myself, but ultimately I knew my Dad was always proud of me regardless of what place I came in.

When my Dad passed away, it was hard. I lost my coach. One night I was going through his closet with my Mom and came across his running shoes. The dream reignited within me. I was going to run the Marathon... In Dads shoes. This was the one of the best decisions that I had made.

The day before Thanksgiving I got on the scale and saw that I weighed nearly 220 lbs. It made my decision that much easier I knew that the following Monday was day one of my training. The weekend came and went. I enjoyed my last bit of junk food for a while, and I headed to the gym. I wanted to just see how far I could run. After going a lousy 10 minute 30 second pace for about 9 minutes I realized I wasn't going to be able to complete a full mile without stopping. Stop I did, and I started to walk. I was completely embarrassed. My conviction to run continued. I decided I wasn't going to get discouraged, I just wanted to do a little bit better the next day. The next came and I was able to finish a full mile at a little bit slower pace. But I finished the mile. I was on my way.

There were many frustrating days that followed those. But with all the frustration came a lot of pride as I would set small goals and accomplish them. As the Christmas season approached I realized that a good friend from my ward was also planning on running the Salt Lake City Marathon in April. He and I started talking and compared notes. He had been working out a couple months longer than I had, so I had some catching up to do. But he became a great source and great training partner for the following months. I have realized how crucial it is to have a training partner when training for a marathon. Without him I don't think I would have finished.

The mileage started building up each week, it was awesome to feel that sense of accomplishment when we would reach certain landmarks. 5 miles felt great, then 6, then 7... 10 seemed like an incredible feet and it was! We knew that in order to be successful in our training we needed to run outside, come rain or shine. And run outside we did! Living in Utah that was difficult. I remember the Saturday that we needed to run 11 miles. We found a great trail that was only about 5 minutes from our house by car. We drove out there, it was warm the day before but had got very cold. Ice covered the paved trail. It was early in the morning. Around 6:15... We figured, let's just start running and as the sun comes up it will melt the layer of ice and we will be fine.... the sun came up and the ice never melted. Before we knew it we were 5 1/2 miles away from our car, and exhausted. We needed to go back but were so frustrated that the ice did not melt. We turned around and began running back to our car. It felt like we ran 21 miles that morning. As horrible as that morning run was it did something for Brian and I. It committed us once again to our goal. We were going to run regardless of the circumstances that were before us. When you train for a marathon I think all runners have certain days and experiences such as that were you have to recommit. If you don't you will never make it to the finish line. Always commit.

Almost every Saturday Brian and I ran together. I worked on Saturdays and so we needed to get the runs done by 9:30. As the mileage increased, this became increasingly more difficult. But I made sure that I did it... EVERY WEEK. I remember running 16 miles on my birthday. Brian was in Las Vegas that week with his wife and in laws. So I ran it alone. But it was on this run that I had a great experience. I was able to run with my first running partner... my Dad. I felt that he was out there on the trail with me. Telling me how proud he was of me and telling me that I can do this. It was incredible. Such a great payday for me. Not only did this event confirm to me that I wanted to complete this marathon, it also helped me confirm and commit to myself that I want to live my life to the fullest, like my Dad did. I want to live my life in such a way that I might be able to see him again someday. I loved that Saturday. I hope I never forget it.

The next few weeks the training got more and more difficult. It was very time consuming. I was running upwards of 40 miles a week and lifting. I was already working 11-7 everyday, I know it was hard on Ash. She was home alone. Wishing that this marathon was over. I was grateful for her though, she knew that I needed to get this out of my system and she supported me even though from time to time it was difficult. She was great and she knows that it will be a while before I run a marathon again :) In the end the timing was best... more kids will come and our lives will get busier and busier so it was good to do it now.

My body began to ache. my hips and ankles and heels were in constant pain. My toe nails began changing colors and I was worried that they may fall off, but I had to run through it. There was no turning back now. I didn't want all my hard work to be in vain. So run I did.

The last two weeks were good. I was able to taper and to reduce my mileage which felt kind of strange. I cut my mileage in half but I needed to let my body heal so that I would be refreshed and ready to go come race day. The weather got pretty bad here and I had to run a lot on the treadmill because there were several inches of snow outside... in APRIL! Oh Utah weather...

Finally, the day was here. April 18. The day before I went over to Brians house. We planned everything out and made sure our all our ducks were in a row. We talked about what we were going to wear, eat, what time we would sleep, how we were feeling, what pace we wanted to run, What time we needed to get up to head to the trax station. So many details to cover. The nerves were for sure setting in. I had complete nightmares of me getting to mile nine and taring my ACL again. I didn't even want to eat anything for fear that it was going to mess with my system the next morning. But I tried to breathe in and out and not think too hard about how long the run was.

5:00 AM: Alarm went off. I had woken up every hour on the hour through out the night worried that I was going to sleep in. I got up and started getting ready. Put on all my clothes, new hat that I had bought the night before. Pinned my number on my shirt and finally put on Dads running shoes... today was the big day! I walked down the stairs, took some Advil because I knew I would need it a couple hours later. I started drinking water and anxiously awaited Brains Honda Civic to pull up.

5:15 AM: Brians car pulled up and I walked out the door hoping to myself that I would live to return back to our little home. Brian welcomed me in his car with Queens, We are the Champions playing from his iPod. I was kind of bummed that I hadn't added those classics to my play list. Chariots of Fire, We are the Champions, Eye of the Tiger... what was I thinking? Regardless... I was pumped. We were going to do this.

5:43 AM: We got to the Trax Station off of 106th. Started walking to the station and Brian asked, Hey Jon, did you remember your race chip. I said, "yup!" then I looked down at my shoe and realized it was gone... Great start Jon. Way to go. I was frustrated but tried not to let it affect me.

There were a couple other runners on the train, all listening to their headphones, probably wondering the same thing we were... ARE WE REALLY GOING TO RUN THIS? Most of them looked like beginners just like us. There was a fun special needs girl that got on the next stop. She gave us some comic relief and let us all laugh a bit and cut the stress and tension out for a bit. She was going to volunteer at the finish line. Hand out medals. She proceeded to ask us if we thought the Jazz would be able to beat the Lakers. One guy responded, "I think the Jazz stand just as good a chance as I do winning this race." We all got a good laugh out of that. She didn't like it though. She was the Jazz's number one fan! She was fun.

We got off our train downtown ready to get on the train that would head up to the U of U stadium/Legacy bridge. The second train came and it was PACKED with runners. I felt like I was back in Tokyo and that they may just need a board to cram us all on to the train. We squeezed on and invaded everyones personal space. The energy was pretty amazing though. Everyone was buzzing about the marathon and half marathon. After talking to a couple people I realized that MANY of these runners were running the half. Not many marathoners. Was I nuts trying to do this? Oh well... no turning back now.

We finally got to the starting line and it was MASS CHAOS. Lines and lines of runners trying to get in to one of the porta potties. And everyone else was trying to put all their belongings into a bag so that they could send them in the truck to the finish line. The energy was UN REAL. On the top of the bridge was a black gospel choir. They were INCREDIBLE. And they really set the mood. It was exciting. We all pushed like cattle to the starting line and my emotions were all over the place. I was frustrated that I didn't have time to go to the bathroom, but figured that I would end up finding one somewhere a long the 26.2 mile trail. We were off and feeling great. Brian and I originally wanted to run at about a 10 minute mile pace. We wanted to conserve our energy but the adrenaline made us go much faster than that. We ran at about a 9 minute pace for the first 10 miles or so. It felt great. Every mile that came and went was always a surprise. The mile markers would just pop up! I kept thinking to myself, this marathon is going to be over before I know it! at about mile 4, we split off from the half marathoners for the first time in the race. It was near Sugar House Park. It was beautiful. This is where I started to see people start to get frazzled. Runners were pulling over to the side to stretch, go to the bathroom, walk even. It was a great feeling to pass people and it felt horrible when someone would come speeding past you. But you just kept going regardless. I remember thinking... I wonder if I will see that runner again in an hour or so... almost all of them I never saw again.

I was shocked to realize that I was going to be taking a trip down memory lane. We ran by Olympus Highschool, the house that I grew up in, my elementary school, the chapel that my Dad baptized me in when I was 8. It was awesome. I was able to see Bruce Boucher standing on the side of the road. It made the run down memory lane that much better. We ran all the way down to 6200 SOUTH. For those of you from the Salt Lake area you know just how long this is... it's long. Here is a link of the map.

http://www.saltlakecitymarathon.com/fileadmin/SLC_pdf/SLC_09_AllCourse_map.pdf

The first 13 miles were pretty easy. Once I got to mile 14 things got a little ugly... the body started shutting down. I was kind of frustrated with the Salt Lake Marathon people. They had advertised that we would have gel packs at mile 10 and 16... we did not. I feel bad for all those people that relied on that. YIKES! That would be hard to finish without the nourishment.

Once mile 17 hit, I could tell that Brian was starting to hit a wall. On mile 18 he told me to go ahead of him a ways. I thought he was going to catch back up but that was the last I saw of him until the finish line. Prior to the race the furthest distance that I had run was 20 miles. I was able to make it to mile 20 no problem, but once I hit mile 21 things got UGLY. It was at about mile 21 that the "temptation station" presented itself. There was a group of about 10-15 people there with negative signs telling people to quit now and that if they did they could have all the free alcohol they wanted. And there was a table filled with it. It really made me upset. Up until this time the signs were filled with nothing but encouragement. Simple signs that said, "YOU CAN" were inspiring and kept me going. I was so grateful for people that did this for the runners and then here at my weakest moment I see the temptation station. I clearly was never tempted to stop right there and take these idiots up on their offer, but it just made me mad. The next 5 miles were filled with nothing but frustration. The mile markers took longer and longer to get to. My mind was going crazy. Will I ever finish this race? Will I falter or will I finish? Not only that but I had committed to RUN the marathon, not WALK it... so run I did. My pace got slower and slower... but I was determined to finish it. Up until this point the race was visually very appealing. It was beautiful. Around mile 23 it was just UGLY. South Salt Lake is not very pretty. It was frustrating. There were not many people running next to me either... at this point in the race you really start spreading yourself out from the other runners.

Then the beast of all beasts... mile 25 was on State Street in Salt Lake. It was literally a gradual up hill climb the entire way. WHO PUTS MILE 25 UP HILL?!?!? It was so difficult, especially when I had committed to RUN this marathon. the last quarter mile up to the top of state street by the temple I had to give in and walk or I would never be able to run that last mile to the finish line. I walked... at probably as fast of a pace as I was running, but it felt better so I justified it. Then the point came where I turned the corner, I could see the Union Station and the sign that said GATEWAY. The feeling was exciting. I was going to finish. I was so exited to see Ash and my family. I was hoping that they were there, and that they were on time. I rounded the corner and there they were. All my nieces and nephews, brother and sister in laws, my Mom and siblings, and Ash and Lily with signs and they were cheering me on! Of course... I melted down and started crying, Ash leaped onto the course and she ran the last 100 yards with me. I ran fast and to complete exhaustion. I was crying and had way to many emotions to even express. It was one of the greatest feelings in the world. I did it, I completed the race. They placed my medal around my neck and gave me water and told me to keep walking so I didn't cramp up. My family all rounded the corner to greet me. I had done it. It took me 4:30 minutes. But I had done it! It felt great. Shortly after we snapped some pictures I looked for the bathroom that I had waited 4 and a half hours for :) Perfect way to end the race.





So there it is. My Marathon story. I ran for Dad. In his shoes. I accomplished what most people can't. It felt great. Will I do it again... maybe. But for now I am enjoying saying that I ran a marathon.

March Madness

March was a crazy and fun month for us. I love March because we kick it off with Jon's birthday on the first...that's always a great start! And then there is always the 1- 1 1/2 weeks of really great weather in March to give us a break from all this bitter cold. The down side of that however is going back to the cold once Spring has decided to tease us. Seems like the depression gets twice as bad, because I realize I now have to go back to the hideousness of winter clothes just when I got all excited getting out my spring clothes. The good news is, I know I can suffer through because I've done it for 25 years previous to this one. Meanwhile, here are all of our fun photos from March :)


We kicked off the birthday weekend with the Vanilla Ice/MC Hammer concert...I realized how old I've become by just sitting in the seats and having no desire to join all partiers down below.




Our theme song for the day was "Lucky to be in love with my best friend"


Lily had so much fun at Kangaroo Zoo for Amy's birthday!


Except for when she tipped the stool upside down and then got stuck.



Making Caramel apples at Gigi's.


I took away the apple the Gigi had dipped in white chocolate for her...oops.


Then she got it back.


We babysat baby Adelaide overnight and Lily was the best helper. She LOVED to hold her and of course, give her her bink (or occasionally steel it).


We figured out how to work the ipod


And finally, this picture was taken just a couple days ago when she got the flu. We got our TV in our room just in time...it was a lifesaver!