50K...and a couple other things

So, I know it has been way too long since I have updated this thing, but I finally had a moment to write about everything I have wanted...so here it goes!

The weather is beautiful right now, so Casey and I have been trying to enjoy as much of the outdoors as we possibly can! Many days we spend working in the yard and playing fetch with the dogs. It is also nice that it doesn't get dark until 10 o'clock!! That way when we come home, there is still plenty of time to be outside. Kodi is still the big baby he has always been and tends to over heat because of his thick dark coat, so I decided to purchase him a little 10 dollar pool (which we discovered today has blown away). He was so excited and eventually Aspen even came around. I think she is more afraid of water than Kodi since we had to give her baths so often in the cold when she was a puppy since Kodi marked her every day! She kept trying to eat the shapes on the inside of the pool. But they didn't pop it, so that was impressive!
Then we had David and Danielle up for what was supposed to be a lovely visit, until they brought the rain with them! It was great to see them and catch up on life, like old times! Boy do I miss our weekly dinners Danielle! Other than the rain, it was wonderful. And just a side note, it hasn't even rained since that weekend! I can't wait to see you guys again in August!

Finally, the main purpose for this blog, the 50K. I don't think I will ever understand what possesses anyone, especially the Smith family (Pops, I blame you), to love running so much, that you want to run 31 miles. But, Casey did this past weekend. Although I didn't understand it, and had two pain in the butt dogs to take care of for 7 hours (bring on the kids, I bet it will be easier!), I was very proud of my husband when he crossed the finish line. I was there waiting and cheering him on to finish his first ultra. Even though it took him a little long than he wanted, without training, I don't think he could have asked to do much better. He was in the top 100 and I had a great time exploring the paths of the St. Croix river. It was a beautiful setting, just an extremely tough course. We were looking at the map and noticed that in a span of 3 miles, he climbed a 500 ft elevation twice and within the first 9 minutes of the race, he climbed 500 ft. On the website, they give you an elevation map and the quote says "Believe us when we tell you, it's worse than it looks!" which is rather amusing. Here are before and after pictures, I'm sure you can tell the difference...
Until next time, we hope everyone is doing well, and will try to update a little more often!