I ran the Utah Valley Marathon on Saturday with 3 friends of mine. Pictured left to right are Becky, Suzanne, Christa (me!) and Marci. Our finishing times ranged from 3 1/2 hours (speedy Marci) to just over 5 hours (slow me).

I ran about an hour slower than my first marathon in 2009 because of a recurring problem with plantar fasciitis. (Not fun!)

However, we all had a great time doing it and we all met our running goals.

It took weeks and weeks of training to build up our distance, with harder workouts thrown in mid-week to build our endurance. At about mile 20 I thought, why the heck am I doing this?? But then at the finish (26.2 miles later) I had the answer: because I can!

Here are some pictures during the race:Jason and the kids met me at mile 20 to give me a high 5. I needed the support by then!

Here’s me at the home stretch. That finish line never looked so good! I am so glad I did this race. I am sore, but not injured and now I can look forward to much shorter workouts (and more time for sewing!!)

This weekend I’m heading north to run the Utah Valley Marathon. My first marathon was in St. George in 2009 (pictured left) in which I “earned” a foot injury that took more than a year to recover from. This time around I’ve been much more careful during my training, and have taken better care of myself.

My goal will be to finish without injury and to have a good time. I’m a little slower and still a few pounds away from my goal weight but it’s been great getting back up to speed and running long distances again. Wish me luck!

I spent this morning in my garden weeding, pruning and lovingly taking care of my produce that is starting to pop up. Both quilting and gardening are very therapeutic for me. I love to create something beautiful with just a few basic elements.

The grape vines remind me of a Hoffman grape leaf fabric I used to sell awhile back!

I planted grapes a few years ago and every spring I get tons of lush vines. However, my grapes have been small and bitter so a friend of mine gave me a tip. She said to cut the vines back so the plant can devote more energy to grape production. Now I have a garbage bag full of clippings to show for my efforts this morning (I hope it works). You can see the grape pods starting to grow now.

I planted a couple of tomato plants underneath the grape vines and was very pleased to see them starting to fruit.

We live in a very hot climate with lots of sun which can be hard on tomatoes. An unintended consequence is that they are being shaded by the grape leaves.  You can see the vines beginning to curl around the tomato cage. What a great combo!

For part of his science project, my son is helping me with the garden. He planted some peas and was so thrilled that they actually grew. He enjoyed plucking them and eating them. He loved to pull apart the shells and eat the individual peas.

I just threw a handful of them in my mouth, pods and all. I think we will have to plant many more of those next season. What a delicious, healthy snack!

Finally, I’m cleaning out one of my garden beds. It’s amazing how many weeds can pop up when you aren’t looking!

My son was supposed to help with the weeding but got very interested in a big fat tomato worm instead. I couldn’t bring myself to take a picture of that yucky thing but it did keep him entertained for awhile so I can’t complain!

My oldest son is in a Shakespeare group preparing to put on a performance of “The Comedy of Errors.” Lucky me, I got to be on the costume committee!

This is my friend Becky, an extraordinary seamstress, wheeling in racks of costumes that she’s made over the last few years for prior Shakespeare performances.

Under her tutelage I’ve learned how to add a “yoke” to a “doublet” and how to adjust sizing by using drawstring ties and grommets.

Here’s a whole shot of the cast during a dress rehearsal. Too bad you can’t see closeups of the many buttons, beads, sequins and trim we added by hand!!

Here’s my son and  his “twin” from the play. It takes a real Shakespeare thespian to wear that kind of a hat!! It’s nearly opening night and I’m kind of sad. Although I’ll be able to return to my regularly scheduled quilting routine, I sure will miss all the embellishments!

I ran a half marathon race this past Saturday with several friends of mine. Here’s a picture of us after we all finished. We dubbed ourselves “Team Purple” because we all got matching warm up jackets for after the race. I’m the shortest one in the middle.

This was a comeback race of sorts for me because I injured my foot when I ran a marathon in 2009 and it’s taken me that long to recover. However, I had a great time and met my race goal. I ran 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 15 minutes and felt fantastic after!

The race was located in the beautiful Salt Lake City, Utah Valley surrounded by pretty snow-capped mountains. This picture makes me want to make a scenic landscape quilt.

The most fun part about my weekend (after I recovered) was meeting my friend’s mom and discovering that she has an affinity for “runners”, too! She gave me a mini show-n-tell of seasonal tablerunners & wallhangings she’s been making. Aren’t they “sew” cute?