Dead Horse 30K

Oh jeepers.  This running post is going to make me feel guilty because I haven't been doing any running lately (our Christmas Wheeler Wobble excluded.)  Granted, it's currently seventeen degrees outside, but I turned off my alarm and didn't even go the gym this morning.  We are planning on night skiing this evening.  Hopefully that counts for something?

Back to the subject at hand, all the way back in May I registered for the Dead Horse 50K in Moab, Utah, out near Gemini bridges.  I was turning 40 and wanted a challenging, meaningful goal.  An ultra-marathon (31 miles) with 3000 feet of elevation gain promised to both deliver and whip me into shape in the process.

Well, August arrived with the unexpected twist of me accepting a new job.  It quickly became evident that I'd never find time to squeeze in four and five hour-long training runs.  So, I downgraded to the 30K distance (18.6 miles with 2000 feet of elevation gain.)  Still plenty challenging while allowing me to stay more balanced in life.

The best part?  Training got me to explore the trails right around our home.  These runs may be tough, but they are oh so beautiful!

Just looking at these pictures is enough to make me want to strap on my running shoes right now.  But then I remember the ice...and the snow...and the cold.

After a fall full of glorious runs, race day finally arrived.  The Dead Horse 30K may be one of the best race starts I've ever experienced.  Friday night we stayed at Moab's Springhill Suites, enjoying the outdoor hot tubs and heated pool until ten.  After a great night's sleep, I got up at six, hit the treadmill for a few minutes (that was dumb), ate a light breakfast, and had Jason drive me ten minutes up the road to the trailhead.  No 4 am alarms, no loading school buses in the pitch black--it was delightful.

Race start.  Kind of nervous, but super excited.  Nearly everyone around me had hydration packs, but all I was carrying was my cell phone and an inhaler.  I sure hoped I wasn't underestimating the day ahead!

I had only two goals for the race--to enjoy the experience, and to not run so hard that I was miserable for the rest of our time in Moab.  Given those parameters, I felt plenty comfortable pausing every now and again to take a few pictures.

Plus, given some of the climbs, I was grateful for the excuse to stop and walk.

My favorite part of the race was the single track marked by a yellow dashes.  I felt like such an explorer winding my way through all the twists and turns to territory unknown.

I needn't have worried about not having my own hydration pack.  The aid stations were fantastic.  Forget about gu and gels (although they were available.) Here you could load up on real food--peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips, m&ms, fruit, salted potatoes, even bacon and quesadillas fresh off the grill.

At one point, I passed a sign that said, "Not worried about your time?  Take this short spur to see Gemini Bridges."  So I did.

More glorious desert.

The trail formed what you might consider a lollipop shape.  We ran up the stick, in a big loop around the candy, and then back down the same stick to the start.  I felt delightfully strong all the way until I got back to the stick.  Then knowing the challenging trail that lay ahead of me, the road suddenly seemed very, very long.  Still, I persevered.  Every once in a while I would get passed by a 50K runner and envy their superhuman stamina.

Jason joined me for the final half mile, and thank goodness.  I was completely out of gas!  Here I am running the final 100 meters with the kids, still wondering if I would actually make it.

At last, the finish.  Nothing terribly speedy.  If my math is correct, 3:27 equates to just over an eleven minute mile.

Still every reason to feel proud.  Finishing is always an accomplishment, plus within half an hour I felt strong enough to eat a Mad Moose enchilada.

As for the kids, they didn't mind waiting around for me.

Best of all, I had enough energy left over to go hiking that afternoon.


Oh autumn, I miss you!

Winding its way along a creek, this trail was super fun because you got to pick your way across the water...

...twenty times!  (Ten each direction.)  When you're a kid, there's nothing more fun than hopping from stone to stone.  As an adult, I really like it too.

The kids also enjoyed finding some rock "hotels" like the ones they used to frequent in St. George.


Such goofballs!

Nearly there.  I had to roll my eyes as the kids kept complaining about how they were tired.


In the end though, everyone thought Morning Glory Bridge was well worth the journey.

Who knows?  Next time we come, we might bring our ropes for a good rappel as well.

One final plug for the Dead Horse Ultra.  The race was beautiful, fun, and well-organized. Really, it's hard to beat the Moab desert trails.  For me, the 30K distance was perfect: challenging, but not (extremely) punishing.  Anyone want to join me for 2019?  :)

Talia's Twelve

Happy New Year!  Merry Christmas!  Much has happened in the Wheeler household since last I blogged, so let me rewind all the way to mid-November when our Talia Lily turned twelve.  We love this gal so much that time ought to hold still just so we can celebrate.  Unsurprisingly, life keeps spinning anyway.  Knowing the day would be busy, we dined on monkey bread for breakfast to make it special.

Despite an evening filled with Girl Scouts and Brooklyn's school musical (The Adams Family), we squeezed in a few moments for gifts.  Talia seemed pretty excited about her new ukulele.

She was equally excited about her Kindle.


Spark joined us for the celebration since November 15th is his year-mark with our family as well.  I love how Annika is intently petting her stuffed guinea pig while Jason holds the real deal.

We held off on birthday pie until Justin, Brianna, and Ruby could join us.  Here we are counting candles.

Ablaze with joy.

Perhaps the best part of Talia's birthday was keeping her home from school the very next morning so that she could go to the Salt Lake Temple.  It was such a special experience for Jason and I to accompany her to the baptistry where she got to perform proxy baptisms and confirmations for deceased ancestors on the other side of the veil.  As almost no one else was in the baptistry on this weekday morning, it was a beautifully personal experience.  Little did we know that this twelfth birthday pilgrimage would be one of the last.  Just a few weeks later, the Church announced a change in policy.  Beginning in 2019, youth will be able to do temple baptisms starting in January of the year they turn twelve, meaning that Eli will attend when he is eleven and a few months.

Following our temple trip, we headed over to Kneaders for some tasty french toast.

Next up, a quick stroll around City Creek.  I dunno, she doesn't look very Wicked to me.

Somehow our beautiful Talia grew up before I was ready.  A couple Sundays ago, she gave a remarkably insightful talk in sacrament meeting, explaining her experience reading the Book of Mormon and how it had impacted her life.  Listening to her speak, I was both inspired and a little regretful that this spunky little gal who used to sneak out of the house to steal popsicles from Brittney had matured so quickly. 

Talia, you are creative, intelligent, motivated, and most-importantly, kind. We love the passion with which you seize life, giving your best to everything you do, whether it's learning a new song on the piano, delving into a book, or crocheting a new project. 

As the Primary song leader, I may be sad to see you graduate to Young Women's, but as your mother, I am so grateful to know that you will always be part of our family.  Happy Birthday!

Spiky Shoes

We have the most amazing bishop.  (For anyone who might not know, we call the leader of our local church congregation "bishop.")  Instead of scheduling tithing settlements at the church, he offered to come to every family's home if they preferred.  I know that's not possible outside of Utah, but even so, that's definitely going above and beyond.

As soon as Bishop James walked in the door, Annika, in her true quirky style, immediately asked if she could stomp on his foot.  (!)  A bit surprised, he agreed as long as she wasn't wearing spiky shoes, which led to an elaborate conversation all about spikes.

A few days later, we received the following in the mail.  In case you are wondering, he painted the shoes.

Outside of family, this is without a doubt the most tender piece of mail we have ever received.  I am so grateful for this thoughtful man who ministers to each member of our congregation individually...

...even those who are five.

November News

It's winter!  (Well, not technically, but our yard is covered in snow and we've been skiing twice.)  As such, it's high time to post these photos of fall.

Who doesn't love playing in the crunchy leaves?

For a brief spell, the colors were positively brilliant.

Pausing to build a leaf pile in front of the church.

At the beginning of November, I checked Annika out of school early so that we could visit the Tracy Aviary during their winter dollar days.  I remember when Annika was a baby, Papa Kay said that her hair reminded him of this bird's crown.

Maybe he wasn't that far off.

More presently, this is a recent photo of Annika with bedhead.

Back to the aviary, enjoy the pretty pink flamingos.

Speaking of pretty, I was jealous of the eyelashes on this hornbill.

Back at home, it was time for a game of Go Fish, accompanied by a guinea pig, of course.


Moving on to other children, here's Eli with a super cool star he learned to make at our Relief Society art night.  (He's an honorary member.)

And here's Brooklyn with her cute group of friends, celebrating a birthday at the Classic Fun Center.

Here she is again at an inspiring luncheon our council hosted for all the Girl Scouts who earned their gold, silver, and bronze awards.

Silver, bronze, and three summit awards.  I'm super proud of this girl and her commitment.  I'm equally grateful for the amazing leaders who have mentored her along the journey.  Brooklyn's silver award project involved volunteering at a local elementary school during their afterschool program.

Talia was recognized too for earning her bronze award via her Bags to Beds project where she crocheted plastic grocery bags into a sleeping mat for the homeless.


A photo with their cute Daisy sister.  Annika's got some great role models to look up to.

Talia (front center) with the Bronze Award recipients.

Brooklyn (mid-center) with the Silver awardees.

 I have a hunch that these sweet girls may be recognized again some day for going the extra mile to earn their gold.

Speaking of scouts, Eli got to wear his cub scout uniform for their school veteran's day performance.  Not quite sure why they stuck him in the back row.  (Far right.)  He said he was half-falling off of the bleacher the entire time.  Still, he performed beautifully.

Talia's sixth grade Veteran's Day performance at Wasatch was far more elaborate.  Pretty fantastic costumes!


My eyes filled with tears listening to them sing, and crinkled with smiles watching them dance.  Who knew Talia did such a mean Charleston?   Can you spot her in the front row?

Reciting poetry.

So proud of all these munchkins, both within our family and within our community.

Now if only they would stop growing up so fast.