Weekly Review April 17 - 23

First off, thanks for everyone's support and enthusiasm with my big Triathlon Announcement. (ICYMI- READ HERE!) I can't reiterate enough how awesome it makes me feel to know I have such support out there!! You all know how to make a girl feel great!

Now, let's take a big picture look at how the week went in fitness, farm, and life.

Our cows were all lined up along the fence when I went out for a recent evening walk.

Fitness
I really wasn't feeling well last weekend, and my fitness took a little hit going into the week. I was able to scrape together a few short, or slow-paced runs, but everything else got pushed on the back burner due to being busy with track and seeding. I did get a lot of steps on my pedometer this week, but I didn't record them here, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Heading in to the last week of my fitness challenges, I've got to do three runs that total 12 miles and are each a different route than I've done so far this month in order to reach both my MillionMileMonth goal and my @Oisellefullhalf goal. I'm about 20 points away from hitting my Shape Up Montana goal of 600 or more total points.

I also picked up an easy yoga challenge last week that started on Thursday that I'm really loving. It's specifically for runners, through @runnersloveyoga on Instagram. A new pose each day focusing on IT band stretching. I am really loving it. It doesn't take much time, but the benefits have already been great!

Image source: @runnersloveyoga on Instagram.
Snapshot of each of the poses in the series.

This Week's Shenanigans:
Sunday- 4 mile run on flat, easy terrain, and a short pasture hike with family.

Nice to see our cows on grass that's turning greener by the second!
We walked through ths pasture on our hike.

We also spied this rare pincushion cactus on our hike. They are hard to find!

Monday- rest/nothing
Tuesday- early morning 2.2 mile hill run. First outside early morning run of the year!, 15 min yoga
Wednesday- rest/nothing
Thursday- rest/nothing
Friday- 4 mile easy run before leaving for track weekend trip.

I paused on my run for a photo op with this old pickup. 

Saturday- 30 min yoga

Year To Date, through April 23
Running: 170.5 miles
Walking/Hiking: 65.7 miles <-- Really pumped up this one this week, again!
Yoga: 790 min 
CC-Ski: 500 min / 14.1 miles *Done for the season
Alpine Ski: 3 days *Done for the season
Mountain bike: 34 miles - Watch for this to pick up as Tri Training continues!

Farm
After we dried out from the RAIN, Jeff and Tom were spraying and seeding this week. We finished seeding our barley and moved on to spring wheat. Whoever wasn't running the air drill, which is the implement we use to seed our crops, was spraying our crop land in preparation to being seeded.

Seeding barley at sunset last week.

The guys worked some really long days, trying to get as much seeding and work in as possible because we were set for another spring storm today/tomorrow. As such, we had to get a little creative with meals and food, as far as timing of when we ate, and all that. I even brought one meal out to the field because they were seeding at the farthest away field from the house and everyone agreed that we didn't want to eat dinner at the end of the work day- at 10:00 p.m. or later. Meals in the field are a more common occurrence for us during harvest, but the weather was good and it was just as easy to bring it out there. Tom said he wasn't sure if he could remember ever eating in the field at seeding time. I was out of practice for this, so I didn't have every little detail thought out, but we all got fed and got back to work, so I'd call it a success.

Jeff takes a break to eat during seeding. 

Life
We are at the busiest part of the season for track meets. Last week, this week, and next week, we are slammed with both High School and Junior High meets. It's hard at times for me to balance farm, track, and my own fitness and well-being. Hoping to continue to stay healthy. Thanks to my family members who continue to be understanding about my track coaching during this busy time, and are willing to make sacrifices and adjustments of their own.

Along the track and field theme, each year our team takes one overnight trip to an out of town meet. I've never gone on this trip before, but this year I went along. Our meet was Saturday in Missoula (a 5-6 hour bus ride from school). We left on Friday and took our team to a Carroll College track meet in Helena, where one of our former athletes was competing, then drove on to Missoula for our meet on Saturday. Our athletes really loved seeing college-level competition, and definitely seeing their former teammate competing at that level. It was really cool to see the team gather around her and soak it all up. I'm glad we could give them this opportunity.

Some of our athletes, in white, gather around for some wisdom from our former athlete, in center, wearing gray.

 HAVE A GREAT WEEK, EVERYONE!

Weekly Review April 3 - 9

First off, thanks to everyone for your nice comments about our cat, Quincy, which I wrote about in THIS POST. He is doing great and we are so happy to have him home!

Wow, what a busy week... Two track meets for me this week, seeding has begun, we gained a new calf chore, and you know, just keeping on with balancing work and fitness into the rest of this crazy thing called life!  Read on for all the highlights!

One of our runs this past week started at our old yard.
Nice to see this familiar face!

Fitness
I am continuing to make progress in all of my various fitness challenges and programs (#Oisellefullhalf, MMM, and Shape Up MT), somehow. I've had to get a little creative with finding times to run. Early morning runs, afternoon run breaks at school, and late evening runs are possibly becoming more a part of my routine. I mean, if you can call my life this time of year "routine."

Also, working/coaching at a track meet should be its own fitness category. I get a ton of steps on my pedometer those days, and it's exhausting! We had a meet on Wednesday - a meet that our school hosts - wherein we arrived at the meet at 6:30 a.m. and I got on the bus about 12 hours later after the meet was done. What that means is 12 hours of literally not sitting down once. Not even once. I'm not asking for sympathy - I love meets and I love that I have the opportunity to help give young people a positive track and field experience - I'm simply sharing how working at a meet can feel so exhausting.

Track meet days!

One thing that was a bit lacking this past week was yoga. I guess I had one morning of leading yoga at track practice, but that's it. I'm planning to pick that back up this week, for sure!


Here's how the week shook out:
Sunday- 4.7 mile trail run with Jeff

We took the dogs, too. Here we are on a trail between two winter wheat fields.

Monday- 30 minutes yoga, 8 mile bike ride

Bike selfie!

Tuesday- 3.2 mile run -- Jeff cooked dinner while I was out running! Best. Husband. Ever.

When I got back from my run, Jeff had grilled steak and asparagus and served with baked potato. I added the cheese.
SO DELICIOUS! 

Wednesday- Track Meet-- 5 miles of walking
Thursday- 3.1 mile run in town
Friday- 5 miles of walking, 20 minutes core exercises
Saturday- Track Meet-- 6.5 miles of walking

Whew. Busy week of fitness! I recorded 45.7 points in Shape Up Montana last week, not including the 10 point bonus for doing the challenge. That's my highest point week so far! Crazy.

And, here's how my YTD stats are coming along:
Running: 148.7 miles
Walking/Hiking: 53.7 miles <-- Really pumped up this one this week!
Yoga: 685 min 
CC-Ski: 500 min / 14.1 miles *Done for the season
Alpine Ski: 3 days *Done for the season
Mountain bike: 34 miles 

Farming

This week, we unfortunately had a mama cow die, leaving an orphaned calf. This means we are now bottle/bucket feeding him twice a day. It's a special bucket with a nipple at the bottom and we mix up some formula for him, called milk replacer. He's learning to adapt. In fact, he's forming some new habits and alliances that are pretty entertaining, and annoying at times. I may do a separate post on that... stay tuned! All the same, I'm getting in on helping him with his feeding chores in the evening.

Here's the little fella. We're trying to think of a name. 

Jeff and Tom worked hard at the end of last week and over the weekend to seed our peas. We are seeding yellow field peas in two different places, and they finished up over the weekend. Next, they are seeding just a little bit of a hay mix including peas, oats, and alfalfa, I think. Then, they'll move on to barley. We are *supposed* to get rain later this week, and I know the goal is to have all the barley in the ground before the rain comes. However, no one would be mad if seeding were interrupted for a day or two due to rain. Everyone send up a rain dance-- we would GLADLY suspend the seeding operation for rain! We really, really need moisture!!

We can work hard and do everything right, but in the end we're very dependent on nature to have a good crop.

Life
Outside of fitness, track and field, and farming, there's not a whole lot else going on to report on this week. A LOT of my coworkers at school have been coming down with bad flu viruses and I'm really trying hard not to get sick. I did get a flu shot just a few weeks ago, so I'm hoping that will help. BUT--this is typically the time of year that I do get sick. Extra vitamin C for me!

Have a great week, everyone!

Hello from all of our pets! Clockwise from top left: Harvey, Quincy, Peanut, Iggy, and Abby.

Welcome to Oiselle!

I mentioned a few posts ago that I had an announcement to make, and today is the day you'll read all about it!  I joined the Oiselle Volee running team! (There's supposed to be an accent over that first e in Volee, but I don't know how to type that in...) I am so excited and honored to be part of this group of fast-flying, strong women from all over the country! Read on to find out more about Oiselle and what being part of this team means to me, and to read my review/love affair with the Distance Shorts, which is the short that started it all for me!  

If you haven't heard of Oiselle yet, you definitely haven't been reading my blog for very long! I've been pretty much obsessed with this brand since I first discovered them about three years ago while trolling through the Zulily sales one October day. That's when I bought my first pair of Distance Shorts and the day I fell in love with this company.

Pre-Race family photo from Dawson's Run back in June. Brett (he's not actually family, but he feels like he is sometimes!), Katie, Josh, Tom (holding Brandon), Me in my hot pink Distance Shorts, and Jeff. Carol is in front with Harvey.

Oiselle (Pronounced Wa-Zell) is a women's fitness and running apparel brand that's relatively young, but is committed to designing quality running clothes that FIT a woman's body. And they do not mess around with this mission! The first time I tried those Distance Shorts on, I was completely smitten and have recommended them over and over since then. They are currently my go-to summer racing shorts and they never fail to perform.

Pre-run planking in my Distance Shorts (with a non-Oiselle top).

Just the other day, I actually had all my Oiselle running clothes in the dirty laundry so I ran in an old pair of (Big Name Brand) Tempo shorts. Man... I never realized how poorly they fit until after I've been running in Oiselle! I mean, the crotch area has a pooch of extra fabric as if they should fit a man! A lot of other running and active apparel companies unfortunately have the design model of taking men's styles and just recreating them in "feminine" colors. In the industry, this is known as "Shrink it and Pink it." (I should know thanks to my degree in Apparel Design and 10+ years working in active apparel retail!) That is why it is SO REFRESHING to see styles from Oiselle that are specifically designed by and for women athletes.

Distance Shorts (again!) with Verazzano Bra from Oiselle.

And they do not settle for anything less than perfect! Take the example of the newly released Bra-Zen style they just put out. Oiselle has offered a few styles of sports bras and has done a really great job with them, but to be honest, they're more for smaller-cup ladies. Ladies who are blessed with bosom have requested over and over a good, functional sports bra to give them the support they need, and preferably with the same awesome Oiselle style. Oiselle heard them and spent a long time perfecting the new Bra-Zen style. It had to be just right before they'd release it! I haven't tried it, but I do love my Verrazano Bra and my Traction Bra. All the reviews I've read about Bra-Zen are RAVING, so I'd say it's probably a smashing success!

Bra-Zen bra from Oiselle.

Ok, so enough about the clothes. I mean, they are fabulous and functional, but what really kept me hooked on this company is the culture it fosters. Oiselle is all about empowering women to be the best versions of themselves. Take this excerpt from the Flight Manual (sort of a company manifesto) for example:
"We are not building a single sport, or a cause, or even an idea. We're building a new kind of family. One that is strong, supportive, passionate, and all-in on a woman-up world." This is an idea I can get behind. It's a better-stated-than-I-could-ever-come-up-with reason why I coach track. It's why I run. It's why I strive to support and inspire.

So who are my new teammates on the Oiselle Volee team? They are women from all walks of life, every corner of the country, and every level of running ability. From someone like me who is middle-of-the-pack at best in the local 5k Fun Run all the way up to Elites like Kara Goucher and Lauren Fleshman. This team encompasses everyone and is full of positive and encouraging people who just want to help one another. It's like when I saw Heather Lieberg at Governor's Cup and she was so friendly and gracious. I feel lucky and proud to be part of this group, and to know that when I race in my Oiselle singlet (coming soon!) I represent this company and this body of outstanding people.

Now, I'm teammates with Heather Lieberg as a part of Oiselle Volee!

My perks for signing up include extra discounts on Oiselle clothing and gear, and freebies and opportunities throughout the year. I'm not a paid member or sponsored athlete by any means, and I didn't join for clothing discounts. I joined to be part of something bigger. Isn't that what being part of a team is all about? I did get sent some cool items right away, including my new bright Oiselle Orange spike bag, some temporary tattoos, and a copy of the Flight Manual. My singlet will be here sometime in September.

New swag from Oiselle, since joining Volee!

There are only a few other Volee members in Montana, but Montana is a really big state and we all live in opposite corners, it seems! So, it's not likely I'll see or network in-person with other Montana birds, or anyone else, very often. That means, in order to continue to feel connected to my teammates, I'll be trying to stay active on the Volee Facebook group, Instagram, Strava, and Gametiime, in addition to reading/commenting on other birds' blogs. Maybe when I travel I can get in some runs with other ladies from around the country. Who knows?!

Don't worry--I haven't given up on Team Beef Montana for joining Oiselle Volee! I'll still be wearing my Team Beef jersey at select races throughout the year and will continue to be an advocate for beef as part of a healthy diet to fuel the run and recovery. I mean, we're serving hamburgers after our 5K On The Farm, for Pete's sake! Now, I just get to represent TWO different teams instead of just one! Kind of nice to have options, right? ;)

In order to really kick off my new membership with Volee, I've decided to start a new series on my blog. I'm calling it Oiselle Flight Fridays. Each Friday over the next seven weeks, I'll be taking one of the seven "Principles of Flight" from the Flight Manual and writing about it. What that principle means to me and how I can challenge myself to fly with it. For a teaser, here are the seven principles:

1. Build the Sisterhood
2. Set a Goal
3. Own the Journey
4. Fly With the Winners
5. Feed the Machine
6. Be a Superfan
7. Believe

I'll be mixing in my own stories and experiences when introducing each of those principles, and probably showing off some of my favorite pieces of Oiselle gear along the way. I hope you'll check back on Fridays to read more about what this awesome company, my new team, is all about! 

New spike bag from Oiselle.

Stay tuned for more Oiselle posts! And remember- Head Up, Wings Out!

Memorial Day Weekend in Review

Jeff and I had a busy Memorial Day Weekend. We went from track meet to concert to quality family time. Read on to hear more!

The weekend began with the conclusion of track season for me. Our State Meet was held in Laurel, MT this year. Competition began on Thursday evening and concluded on Saturday afternoon. The Knights were represented well by three boys and two girls, who had qualified in a total of ten events, and competed throughout the weekend. Our kids competed well all season and those that qualified for State brought their best efforts to the big show. The two seniors who competed at State definitely went out on a high note-- One scored fourth place in the Shot Put, and the other scored in four events: fifth in 200M Dash, third in Long Jump, second in 100M Dash, and State Champion Pole Vaulter.

State was fun, it always is, but I also felt sort of sad off and on throughout the weekend and the week leading up to the meet. Sad because it was another season gone and there's not much I love more than coaching.

Our team flag flies proudly at the State Track Meet. 

 From the Track Meet in Laurel, Jeff and I made the easy drive to Bozeman, where we'd be staying the rest of the weekend with his sister, her husband, and their six-month baby. We kicked off the evening by attending an Eric Church concert! My husband has been a huge Eric Church fan for many years and I like his songs quite well, too. We had general admission floor tickets for the show, but since we're old and kind of weenies, we stood toward the back where it wasn't super crammed and mosh-pit-like. We still had a great view and it was a really awesome show. I'd definitely go to an Eric Church concert again! We spent the night singing and dancing along. I didn't take any photos because I didn't even take my phone to the concert-- I just wanted to keep my phone away and enjoy the show. Going to concerts is always fun and this one was definitely worth the price of admission!

Katie and Josh live near this beautiful pasture with mountain view.
Bozeman is so perfect. I miss living there quite a bit sometimes.

Sunday was pretty rainy all day, so we spent lots of quality time indoors with Josh, Katie, and Brandon, and Jeff and I got some big-city shopping done. Jeff and I picked up some groceries while we were out and about so that we could do dinner on the grill for Katie and Josh. With their six-month baby, our nephew, they definitely have their hands full. It was nice to be able to do something helpful for them that we could all enjoy, and grilling is definitely something Jeff and I are skilled at! We had some brats and "Hot Hen" sausages, both from Redneck Sausage. They don't have a website, but they are a local, Montana company and their encased meats are super tasty! If you ever happen to see them in the store, grab a package! We also grilled potatoes in a foil packet and grilled corn on the cob, and had sliced watermelon (not grilled) on the side. Delicious! So great to enjoy a meal together. Perfect Memorial Day Weekend grilled feast!

Sunday morning, the guys went golfing with a buddy of theirs and Katie and I hung out around the house with Brandon. It was a lovely, sunny day, and we were able to take him outside for a walk in his stroller, then spent some time later on playing on a blanket in the grass. It was nice to have some quality time with him and Katie. I think the best part of the morning was when he learned what grass felt like. We rolled up part of the blanket so he could touch the grass with his hand. You could really see him processing what that feeling was like and thinking and experiencing that for the first time. Pretty cool. :)

Quality Auntie/Nephew time! 

I also snuck in a run on Sunday morning, weaving my way around some paths and streets in the neighborhood around Katie and Josh's new house. I'm getting better at run selfies, but not outstanding... Highlight of the run was seeing a big red fox pretty close-up. He moved too quick to get a photo, and again, I thought about getting out my camera but decided to just enjoy looking at him for a while instead.

All in all, a great weekend with team, friends, and family, but also a little sad for me at times. I'm always sad to say goodbye to the end of track season, sad to say goodbye to Bozeman, and sad to say goodbye to Katie, Josh, and Brandon. Such is life. Until next time!

Spring wheat right in the middle of town. You can see some of the MSU buildings in the background, and further back, the Bridger Mountains, with the "M" on that south face. So long, Bozeman!

Thankful Thursday ~ What is a Trophy Worth?

**Today's Thankful Thursday post, a day late! I had it done yesterday, I swear, I just didn't get around to publishing it!! **

Yesterday was the Montana 9C District Track and Field Meet, and the North Star Track and Field Teams, of which I am an Assistant Coach, performed very well. Our Boys team earned the First Place Team title and the Girls earned Second Place Team. Some new hardware will be added to the trophy case at school, continuing the tradition of excellence for North Star Track and Field. While pretty, shiny objects in trophy cases are cool, I think the greater story is in the the life lessons learned on a day like yesterday. When talking and writing about my own running, whenever I win a medal at a race, I like to think about how that the medal is important, but what it symbolizes is the culmination of hard work and personal growth that took place in the days, weeks, and months leading up to the receipt of that medal. It's no different for a track team earning a trophy.

These kids worked their tails off yesterday. For the first (and likely only) time this season, each student-athlete participated in five events during the meet, which is the maximum number of events an athlete is allowed to compete in. Every individual on the team had a season best or all-time-best performance in one or more of their events. Some kids even made very courageous personal sacrifices to participate in some very challenging events for the first time all season. For example, two of our boys competed in the 3200 meter run (approx. two miles), having never competed in that event before. Others made similar commitments to participate in events they may never have done, putting the team ahead of themselves. When it comes to winning a track meet, every point counts, which means that each athlete's individual efforts are important. Our head track coach stated to the team prior to the meet, "Your individual successes will lead to team success." His statement definitely rang true yesterday as individual efforts all day long added up, leading to team trophies.

As the meet began, I had the chance to watch one of our standout Senior athletes compete in her first event of the day, Long Jump. Right away, she popped out her season-best jump and as she got out of the sand pit, she had a huge smile on her face-- grinning ear to ear. I knew from that moment and from her expression that it was going to be a great day. Her jump was a great jump, but it's still only a jump. One jump out of many she has taken and will take, and it could symbolize any number of different types of "jumps" she'll make in life, metaphorically speaking. Her response and positive attitude was contagious and she carried it throughout her day. She affected every other athlete she encountered, and in the end she was nominated and won a Sportsmanship Award for her actions (as well as four First Place finishes and one Second Place finish, and several PRs!) It's a great reminder that our actions and attitudes affect everyone around us.  She wasn't the only athlete who let a smile lead the way yesterday.

Results of the Girls' 100 Meter Dash.

My own responsibilities at the meet yesterday kept me off the track for most of the day, but when I could sneak down and watch the athletes perform, I was continually blown away by the positive attitudes of each individual I came across. All day long, our North Star kids were smiling, laughing, cheering each other on and celebrating each others successes. I saw kids running across the infield to congratulate one of their peers for making it to Finals for her event. I saw two athletes give each other high-tens after their race, because they knew they had crushed it. One girl, who all season long has been nervous and very hesitant before her races approached the start line in the 800, her most difficult race and was smiling before the race even began-- and when she crossed the finish line, she had a new PR to show for her efforts.  All of us coaches, parents, and fans who attended the meet could add our own stories of positive energy that we witnessed to this list. All of this goes to prove that when we're having fun, we're relaxed, and we perform better. In life, when we're having fun and are relaxed, we are the best versions of ourselves.

This is only my third season coaching and already I have seen some outstanding individuals go through our program in my previous two years. Outstanding as athletes and as human beings. This year's crew was young. We started off the year having lost a number of talented leaders from the previous season. This year, it took us a long time to figure out who we were as a team and what we were made of. We began the year as a gathering of individuals who happened to be wearing the same blue and black uniforms, trying to figure out if and how each fit in with each other. As coaches, we spent a lot of time talking about how to motivate individuals, and also just simply figuring out each of their personalities. We also spent a lot of time thinking and talking about what events each kid would do best in personally, and how they could help the team. It took each and every practice, each and every meet to get the kids to where they are now, to be a TEAM. The credit doesn't go to us, it goes to them- the student-athletes- for putting in the hard work and recognizing their own positive results. A team is more than a uniform, and yesterday, our athletes were a TEAM in every sense of the word.

What our team learned about is what a team trophy is worth. More than anything else yesterday, they learned about the power of unity, encouragement, and positive attitude. Track and Field is just a sport, and trophies are just engraved bits of metal and wood, but what these athletes learn by participating in this sport are life lessons that will stay with them for years to come. To learn to give your best effort, even when it's challenging or scary, is not easy. To learn to put others before yourself can be monumentally difficult. To learn to be positive and celebrate the successes of yourself and others graciously is an art. More than winning races, jumping or throwing far, the team trophies the kids earned yesterday are celebrating each of those skills. That is how to earn a trophy, and that is what a trophy is worth. I hope that when they look at their trophies in the case, they remember their own individual events, but also what it felt like to be part of a team, part of something bigger than themselves.

North Star Boys Track and Field, First Place.
Congratulations, men! Looking forward to many years of continued success. :)

North Star Girls Track and Field Team, Second Place.
Congratulations on a hard fought battle, ladies! 

Should go without saying at this point, but I'm pretty thankful to be a Coach of so many fine young men and women, and to witness and be part of their personal growth and positive Track and Field experience. It's an honor and a privilege, and one I don't take lightly.

What are you thankful for this week?

Weekend Happenings

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a nice weekend! My weekend was pretty good around here, though busy. The major highlight of the weekend was that my birthday was on Saturday! Woohoo! Today's post is more or less a recap of the weekend's activities, which were many and varied, and also of what's going on on the farm.

The crabapple tree bloomed (early!) in time for my birthday this year.

Birthday Happenings
Saturday was my birthday. Yay! I celebrated with Jeff, Tom and Carol on Friday evening. Tom and Carol had a nice meal of grilled steaks, tossed salad with volunteer spinach from our garden, potatoes from the grill, a nice crusty bread, delicious wine, and some cheesecake squares for dessert. It was low-key and nice to get together and share good food and good conversation. Saturday, my actual birthday, I got to take a group of Junior High kids to their track meet in Cut Bank, along with another Coach. It was a long day, but good to be with some of these youngsters as they're discovering the sport of Track and Field. They surprised me with a nice birthday card and some singing of Happy Birthday. Pretty thoughtful for a group of pre-teens, right? Made me feel special and appreciated. :)

It was a pop-up card- my favorite! :) Delivered on the bus ride home.

Farm Happenings
We are officially DONE with seeding. The winter wheat was, of course, seeded last fall, but we still had lots of spring wheat, peas, and barley to do this spring, along with some land that we re-seeded into grass. Overall, seeding went well with little to no machinery breakdowns. The biggest news related to seeding is that we purchased a new blockage monitor system for our air-drill (seeder) this year, which is a little hard to explain, but helps show the person who's running the drill if the seed is flowing through the implement and into the ground as it should be. Jeff, Tom, and Stephanie (when she was here) installed sensors on each hose of the air drill. Each sensor is monitored using an iPad app that Jeff or whoever is driving the tractor can view. The app would buzz if it sensed that no seed was flowing through a hose on the drill, and would indicate which hose was blocked. Then Jeff could go out and see what was up, or how that particular hose was blocked, clear the blockage, and get back to work. The system worked very well and definitely ensured that seeding continued to run efficiently. Without a system like this, a person could have a blockage and not know for a very long time, which means that part of the ground goes un-seeded. So, with this system in place, we know we didn't miss any ground. Pretty cool how technology can work in agriculture and improve productivity, and therefore yields. Now we just need some rain. Seriously, folks, pray for rain!

This is what an air drill seeder looks like. Normally, it's hooked up to trail and seed behind a tractor.

Fitness Happenings
Shape Up Montana ended last Thursday. Overall, I'm happy with my own performance this year. I wanted to make it to 500 miles and I eclipsed that and then some by reaching 565 or so. As a team, my team did awesome, too, and I can't wait to see where we finished in the team standings. I ran and biked quite a bit more this year than in previous years, and already have a 10K under my belt, so I attribute that as a big reason why I scored so many more points this year. Over the weekend, I ran on Friday and Sunday. Friday was a windy uphill run of 3 miles or so in the afternoon, and Sunday was an easy walk/jog combo of less than two miles. I was pretty sore for some reason yesterday morning, plus I knew that Jeff and I were planning our big bike ride for that afternoon so I didn't want to overdo it... I am planning to do the 10K at the Buffalo Jump Race Series in Ulm, MT on May 17, so I do need to concentrate on keeping my mileage and training up this week, then "tapering" next week in preparation for the race.

I love this logo for the Buffalo Jump races!

Bicycle Happenings
Jeff has a fitness goal this summer of getting in a lot more mountain biking. I told him that for my birthday I didn't want any presents, but let's plan to go on a long bike ride instead. So, Sunday afternoon, we spent about an hour and a half on our mountain bikes. For the first time, really, we rode through our pastures instead of on the gravel roads. We mostly followed cow paths, which are a lot like single-track, except where there were no trails, then we just picked our way carefully through the grass. We left from Tom's house and made a big loop heading out to the Southwest, crossing the creek, then by the tepee rings, across the Inverness Road by the gravel pit and reservoirs over there, then crossed back into Chuck's pasture, and headed toward home. We think we covered about 8 miles. Harvey and Abby came with us and particularly enjoyed all the creek crossings and reservoirs. We had a great time!

Our first creek crossing of the afternoon. 

Stopping at another reservoir. Dogs went for a swim. :)

You can see how brown the grass is in these photos. We really need some rain. 

The narrowest, most harrowing portion of our ride. Barbed wire fence on one side, steep drop off on the other...
No big deal, right? We made it through with no spills. :)

 It was a jam-packed, but awesome weekend of work, play, and celebration. How was your weekend? Did you do anything exciting? Happy trails, everyone!

One of my favorite views on our entire farm. Actually in some pasture that Jeff and I rent. Sage Creek with the Sweetgrass Hills in the background. 

Protein Challenge Week 2

Today is a review day in the 30 day Protein Challenge I'm doing. I thought I'd just type it out on my blog. I didn't do as good of a job of taking detailed notes this week since I've been super busy with track meets and practice, but I still think it's pretty accurate.



This week I was focusing on trying to eat more protein at breakfast and lunch, and on days when I knew would be long days, i.e. track meet days. On meet days, I am literally on my feet from the moment we get off the team bus until we board it again at the end of the meet. I spend my time walking from event to event coaching kids and often helping run specific events, setting up/taking down hurdles, or judging a relay exchange. They're long days and I need a lot of extra protein to fuel to the finish.

In this past week, I had two meets. In looking at my food journal, I had different protein approaches to each meet. The first meet, my approach was to graze all day on high protein snacks, then I had a fast food sandwich wrap with the team after the meet. My total protein that day was 132 grams. (Remember that goal for a normal diet is 75-90 grams). On the other meet day, I tried eating a more high protein breakfast and then snacked only when I was hungry throughout the day. I had about 35 grams at breakfast and it carried me through most of the way to lunch, when I had about 20 grams. On this day, I felt like I ate high protein and high carb throughout the day, so I ordered a chicken salad at fast food with the team after the meet. On this day, I ended up with 72 grams of protein.

Comparing the two, both approaches seemed to work well, but I felt better at the end of the day on the second meet and I think it had to do with being more conscious of balancing protein with veggies. I still had enough protein to power myself through the day, but I was also getting all of the other yummy goodness that fruits and veggies have to offer.

My other observation after reading through my notes is that I get better, more balanced meals on days I work at school than I do on days I am at home all day. On school days, I eat breakfast and lunch at school and I love it. There are many healthy options available at both meals at school and best of all, I don't have to prepare it.

This week, I'm trying to be better at prepping food ahead of time so that I can have more protein value in meals I do eat at home or on the go. In my previous post, I wrote all about making salad in a jar and I'm really looking forward to seeing how that translates to my energy level and overall healthy eating when I dig into those this week. Jeff had his first one yesterday, really liked it, and is thinking it's a great idea to do again in the future. I've got another track meet this afternoon so I packed a salad in a jar for my post-meet dinner. No fast food for this girl today! I'm really looking forward to digging in!

This photo is from www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com
My mason jar salads look pretty good but a steak salad would be awesome, too!

To read my previous posts about the protein challenge, click below:
30 Day Protein Challenge
Protein Challenge Week 1

Stay tuned in another week to read about how the protein challenge continues!