Back Up But Not Running

Hi All! 

Sorry I've been MIA for a few days.  The power cord to my laptop broke and the new one didn't arrive in the mail until we had already left for Nebraska for the Easter weekend.  Then we got home to find we had no Internet service at home.  Off I went today to find a new power cord for our modem.  Technology hates me.  Now, all of my toys are back up and running but I can't say the same for myself. 

A week and a few days after my 1/2 marathon race and I'm still not back on the road.  My left foot continues to plague me and I'm impatiently waiting to get in to see a podiatrist here in town.  I have a fairly constant pain in my foot and I'd like to rule out a stress fracture.  I'm not feeling too confident though.  I'm not scheduled to get in to see the doc until Monday morning.  It's going to make for a long weekend. 

Busted up foot aside, we had a fun time visiting my brother and family for the Easter weekend.  The girls wore each other (and 4 adults) out.  We went to 2 egg hunts, went to see the movie Rio, were visited by the Easter bunny, went to church and ate more chocolate than I'm going to admit.  My Easter gifts to the girls didn't contain one ounce of candy...so I'm not sure how we came home with so much. 

I'm off to bed but will leave you with a few pics of our weekend...mostly of Baby Lilly cus she's the cutest and least mouthy of all the cousins right now.  :)

Beautiful Baby Lilly

Successful egg hunt!

Chillin waiting for some lunch



Big Brother Rocky and Baby Lilly - love them both!



Waiting for the Weekend

Just a quick check in before bed.  We are headed out tomorrow after work to go visit my big brother Rob and his family for the Easter weekend in Nebraska.  I love to go visit family and I don't mind road trips, but I hate having to pack for it.  I'm always racing to get my stuff done last...sigh.

It's going to be a really fun weekend especially if the weather cooperates at least a little.  The Easter bunny is ready to spoil visit Aidyn (4) and her nieces - Kerrington (5), Izzy (3) and baby Lilly (baby).  I can't wait to have them all together again even with the chaos that is sure to follow.  Serenity Now!

I've been in need of a new phone since I dropped mine about a week ago and broke the camera.  We made a trip to Verizon and after MUCH deliberation, I chose the Droid Pro.  It has a touch screen and a keyboard, so it's the best of both worlds.  I really thought I was going to go with the iPhone, but I was just not liking having to type on the touch screen.  Now I just have to learn how to use the damn thing.  Yay for 5 hours in the car tomorrow to figure it out!

Ok, off to bed.  Aidyn's things are ready, Tim's stuff is mostly ready, snacks are packed - now I just have to decide what I'm going to wear.  Worst part.

Back on Monday - hopefully, I broke the cord to my laptop (see my trend, I only break the expensive things in my house) and still waiting for the replacement.  Waiting for the hamster to get going on his wheel to get the desktop computer working is just not worth it.

Have a great weekend and a Happy Easter!

And just for my Dad:

The Wrap-up!

Well, apparently it is true.  If you can run 10 miles, you can run 13.  I finished the race, and within the time I wanted to do it in. 


It was a beautiful day to race.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky and until the last mile, there wasn't much wind to speak of.  The start of the race was a really crowded.  They did a 5K, 10K and the 1/2 and all three races started at the same time.  With 671 people running the 1/2 alone, you can imagine the chaos.  We started farther back in the pack than we should have.  We got caught behind a lot of chatters and walkers and leisure racers and had to run a little faster at the beginning to make up for lost time. 


I felt great until about mile 8 and then I started to get pretty tired.  I could feel a blister working but tried to not think about it.  My legs started to get heavy.   I'm pretty sure I raced my first 10 miles, and then just tried to get to the finish for my last 3 miles.  


Here are a few stats from the day:


# of 1/2 marathon finishers: 671
# of females: 350
# of males: 321
Avg time: 2:06:26


My overall time: 1:59.02
Overall place: 282
I was 16/62 in my 30/34 age group
I was 86 out of 350 women


Once I got home and downloaded the info from my watch to my computer, I saw that we averaged about 8:52 min/miles.  This was pretty stinkin fast considering we were suppose to do 10 min. miles.  I guess the competitor in me comes out on race day, and I just can't help but push myself.  


Jenny was a GREAT person to run with.  I think we are good at helping each other get to that finish line.  She did have to slow down and wait for me at one point.  She ended up finishing just ahead of me with a 1:58 time.  I just couldn't make my legs go any faster to keep up at the end!  Stephanie also did a FANTASTIC job for her 1st race ever of all time.  She finished just behind us with a 2:08ish.  I'm very proud of all of us for getting out there and doing the best we could do.  


It's hard to believe I started this whole process 12 weeks ago in the dead of winter.  Yesterday's event confirmed for my why I run and why I love to run and why I stuck it out through rain and cold and wind and treadmills.  I love the energy of a race day, it doesn't matter if it's just a 5K or a big event.  It's not like a basketball or football game.  There are no rivalries (well, not severe ones where a fight will break out), everyone is in it together, but at the same time you have your own personal goal and no one can take that from you - It's yours to win or lose.  I loved seeing so many people I know from around town, from my gym and even a kind of cyber friend, Natalie.  If you've never tried to run a race before, you really should put it on your Bucket list.  It's something anyone can do, all you have to do is try. 


Overall, it was a great race and a great day.  So, what's next?  Well, the way I'm moving today, next is to recover and then see where I'm at.  I've already been asked about doing a full marathon, but honestly I know my body isn't ready for that yet.  I'm going to take a little break and get my foot better (I can't put weight on it today.  If it still hurts this bad tomorrow, I'm going in to see someone) and get myself as strong as I can.  All I know is that I had a blast and can't wait to try it again!  


Good night all!

This is it!

Ok, this will be super short, cus I'm off to bed.  Tomorrow is RACE DAY!  I'm really excited and not nervous (yet), but anxious to get running.  Today was a crazy busy day, so I didn't have much time to think about it.  I know I will be really nervous in the morning. 

The weather is suppose to be alright which is great.  It was freezing this morning with a lot of wind, tomorrow is suppose to be much better. 

Tonight I hosted a little pasta dinner party at our house for a few friends that are also running tomorrow.  It was nice to just sit and chat for a while with some good carbo loading food.  I think we all have our game plans for tomorrow....mostly to just finish the race!  I hadn't really thought about a time goal for myself since I've never raced this far before.  But, I decided the other day, I'm hoping to finish in under 2 hours.  Considering we did our 10 miles in about 1:38 - this is a doable yet challenging goal. 

I've got all my stuff laid out but I don't pack it until the morning so I can double check I have everything I need.  I wish I could show you a picture of all the crap I am taking with me, but the camera on my phone is busted and it's a lot of work to take and then download pics from my camera.  You'll just have to take my word for it...this seems like a lot of stuff for a few hours worth of running. 

Ok, my alarm is set for really early, so good night to you all.  Send me fast thoughts tomorrow! 

The Countdown Begins...

Whew!  Is this week over yet?  It feels like everything on my to do list for the month of April, is taking place this week.  I'm just doing what needs to be done, and what doesn't get done, well, doesn't. 

Only a few more days before the big race.  Ready or not, I'm doing it.  As of today, the weather is calling for 65 and partly sunny.  Can't get much better than that, but since it's a 7:30 a.m. start, it might be a little chilly to start with.  I've been making my list of things I need to pack for the day, and I've been thinking about what to wear.  It might sound stupid to some , but it's all stuff you need to be ready for.  The more prepared I feel, the more relaxed I'll be. 

Yesterday, I met Jenny for a slowish 4 miles with the strollers.  Since we didn't want to be sore from pushing the strollers, we picked a very flat route.  It wasn't fast, but it felt good.  The Aidyn and Arlo talked NON-STOP from start to finish.  They were a pretty silly bunch. 

Chatty Cathy and Chatty Chester - Stroller Buddies

Today, I had to work later than normal again.  By the time I got home, sat for a few minutes, and played with Aidyn it was almost time for dinner.  Since today was a run or cross-training day, we ended up walking downtown to have dinner.   I like to combine my exercise with my food. 

Tomorrow will be another long day but I only have to get in a 2 miles run.  That will probably be my last run before race day.  Crazy!  My brother Rob sent me the P90X stretching video so I'm hoping to get that in a few times before Sunday. 

Ok, off to bed.  So much to get done tomorrow!

Weekend Pics

I'm off to bed pretty soon, but wanted to add the pictures from our weekend!



Farmer's Market



Haircut

Lunching

Dress Shopping...Sigh

Make-up and our new dress and shoes



Less is more Ad...less is more

I made a new stir-fry last night and it turned out pretty well.   I will be making it later this week for the kids at school and wanted to try it out before I had to make it for real.  I also tried making some baked egg rolls.  I need a little lesson in making the filling, but for a first try, they weren't bad.  Aidyn took credit for making most of them. 

Helping me make egg rolls



Beef Stir-fry

Tonight we had leftover stir-fry and I made one of my favorite warm weather salads.  Tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, olive oil, balsamic, and salt.  Once it gets hot, I'll make this about once a week.  Can't wait for tomatoes to show up at the Farmer's Market! 

Caprese Salad

 Ok, I'm out!  I'm trying to watch my bed time this week.  Goodnight!

Lost the Funk, Bring on the Fun

Hi All,

Sorry, I know I went MIA on your for a few days, but to tell you the truth, I was in a bit of a running funk and just couldn't get out.  Before today, I hadn't run since Tuesday and I was getting pretty discouraged.  It was just a busy week at work and the normal crazy scheduling we have at home, and I just wasn't making my training a priority.  Even though this week will still be crazy at work, I'm hoping to get myself back on track.  I don't have much choice really, my race is a week away...I have to be ready for it. 

I was able to get out this evening to run and did 6.3 miles.  I was pretty ambitious and picked a route that was really hilly.  It felt good to be back on road.  Even though I didn't start until about 6 p.m., it was still 80 degrees outside and windy.  Even though we've lived here for 4 years now, I find I really need to get myself used to running it the super heat year after year.  It really does take some getting used to. 

This week, I'm going to focus on my water intake and some major stretching along with my tapering runs.  I have a feeling this week is going to go by fast.   

This weekend was a pretty fun one.  On Saturday, Aidyn and I had a unplanned girls days.  We got up and jogged downtown for opening day of our Farmer's Market.  I'm so excited about it, it's my favorite thing to do with Aidyn on Sat. mornings.  We saw tons of people we knew and Aidyn got to get her favorite treat, honey sticks.  We started to head home but then I saw a sign advertising a book sale, so we detoured and went and did some shopping.  Our library does a major book sale about twice a year and it's a great way for me to load Aidyn up on new reads for not a lot of money.  I'm trying to grow a reader, so I rarely say no to a new book.  After the sale, we ran home (literally) and had just enough time to hit the potty and grab a snack before heading back out to get Aidyn a haircut.  She was super fidgety but we got through it.  Then it was back downtown for a bite of lunch, and then we hit up my favorite store which is actually closing soon.  They sell cookware, coffee, tea, food gifts and other really fun stuff.  I'm very sad.  Whenever I need a gift for someone, that is often the first place I go.  It was pretty empty already by the time we got there.  I at least found a little something for Aidyn which I've put away until next Christmas (Yup, I'm a year round holiday shopper).  After we left there, Aidyn thought we needed to hit up The Gap.  I very rarely shop there, I find it unnecessary to pay such high prices for clothes that will be covered in chocolate ice cream and outgrown within a few months.  I do go in when I know there is a good sale, and they were having a decent sale.  BUT, of course my fashionista didn't head to the sales rack.  She picked out a few dresses and wanted to try them on.  As I was trying to steer her toward the less expensive dresses, the sales lady VERY helpfully asked if she should start a dressing room for us.  Of course, the answer was yes.  I, all of a sudden lost control of all decision making.  I don't know where it comes from, because Tim and I are certainly not what you would call fashion forward.  This little girl, knows how to shop, and she knows what she likes.  I am now very much dreading the teen years.  I have a feeling it's going to be very expensive.  We made it out of the store with one not on sale dress (it really was the cutest one she put on, but still hurt to pay for it) and a pair of extremely pink ballet shoes, a pair of clearance tights for next winter, and a clearance long sleeve for fall.  I was tired and out of money, so it was time to go home!  We ended our night with a quick bite of dinner with Tim and a Blockbuster Scooby-Doo. 

Sunday, was cleaning day but I didn't get as much done as I had hoped.  Story of my life.  I was actually suppose to go and take a bread making class in the afternoon which I was really excited for.  As we were walking out the door for me to take Aidyn to Grammy and Grampy's house, I called the store (My fav which is closing soon, they do cooking classes too) to see if I needed to bring anything with me.  Wouldn't you know it, the class had been cancelled due to not enough interest, and no one had bothered to call and tell me.  Sigh.  Bummer.
I still took Aidyn over to play at Grammy and Grampy's house and I went off to run a few errands.  I ended up buying a few summery clothes for myself, which I rarely do.  
After we got home, I started our dinner, and when Tim got home, I went and ran my 6 miles.  I think that brings us up to speed.     

This week is National Week of the Young Child, which is exactly what it sounds like.  So, at work, we have special center wide themes all week long and I have a new menu planned for the whole week.  It's a lot of work but the kids love it, so it's worth it.  Tomorrow is pajama day and I'm making pancakes for lunch.  Pancakes for close to 100 kids and staff...all done on one little residential sized griddle.  True story.  It should be interesting. 

With that, I need to head to bed.  Hears hoping for a good week.  One week from now, I'll have completed my first 1/2 marathon!  :)

A few pics from our weekend tomorrow!

Are you a reader?  Do you make it a priority in your life to read for yourself and/or to your kids?

Dinner Out

I just want to check in before I head to bed.  Everyone else is fast asleep, and I'm enjoying a nice quiet moment with my feet up. 

I took today off from running since I did 5 miles on Tuesday and will try and do 5 again on Thursday.  Instead, I did a little cross training.  Tim and Aidyn and I walked downtown to have dinner.  Walking to eat...it's one of my most favorite things to do when the weather is nice.  :) We went to one of our favorite places, Zen Zero.  It's one of the few Asian places in town where we can take Aidyn and know she's going to enjoy it.  A big plate of edamame (soybeans)and a bowl of noodles, and she's good to go.  Of course, eating downtown and being sweet toothholics also means we have to get ice cream of some kind before we can go home.  See why we need to walk?  We rounded out our excursion with a shortish trip to The Toy Store to browse around and say goodnight to the store's night watchman kitty, Scout. 

I have a few more things to get ready for the morning, so that's all I've got for tonight.  Happy end of Wednesday!  It means the weekend is just around the corner.  

What is your favorite restaurant?  How often do you go?

Birthday Wishes and One Big Kid

First I would like to send my Mom a Happy Birthday!  I know  it's technically over now, but it just can't be said enough. 

Today was a pretty busy day.  Bruce and Nancy needed to go to Kansas City today, so Tim and I had to tweak our schedules a little bit today so that we could get Aidyn to school by one.  I had to hustle to get out of work on time, but it all worked out and I think Aidyn liked having both of us drop her off at school. 

Once Tim went off to work, I took advantage of my free time to get in my 5 miles for the day.  It took me 48:41.  The weather was nice today, I hope it's here to stay.  Sunday was 91 degrees here, but yesterday I don't think it got above 50.  Today it was back to sunny and warm.  Pick a season already!

After my run, I went to pick up Aidyn and we headed out to do a little shopping.  Our purchase was a VERY important one. 

Aidyn and Bear with their new Booster Seat

Bruce and Nancy have a seat for Aidyn in their van, but she has outgrown it.  So, we're going to try out the booster seat in their car and see how she likes it before we switch her seat in our car too.  We had fun putting it together and then sitting in it for the rest of the night.  She asked Daddy if he would take her for a ride in his car with her new seat, because he doesn't have one, and she's never ridden in his car before.  It's the little things that make her happy! 

That was our big day!  I also have a soup I made last night that I would like to share with you, but it's going to have to wait until tomorrow.  I'm just too tired tonight.

White bean soup with sausage and spinach

Good night for now, until tomorrow!

Slow Moving Monday

I hope you all had a great weekend.  I'm recovering from an over scheduled weekend.  I guess I really am motivated by the warm weather.  

On Saturday, after hitting up a garage sale in the morning (Thanks Elaine, your "treasures" have found a good home), Aidyn and I headed to Walmart to pick up a few things including new seeds for Aidyn's flower garden.  They were doing a little gardening event for kids and Aidyn got to take home a sunflower seed in a cup she decorated.  Our yard doesn't really get enough sunlight for a sunflower, but they seem to be one of her favorites, so I hope something grows.

Waiting for her sunflower

After we got home we I got to work getting the flower bed ready to plant new flowers. 



Before - with tons of leaves already taken out




After - ready for planting



Aidyn was very helpful while I worked.  She held the bag so I could fill it with leaves.



After "working" up a sweat, Aidyn decided she wanted to play in some water. 

Fashion show included:



Then, she changed into something a little more fitting for gardening and finally decided to help. 

After all that work, I was too worn out to think about making dinner, so we headed out to grab some Mexican and hit up Borders which is closing down and everything is on sale.  An empty bookstore is a sad sight to me.  

We got home from dinner and we were all ready to wind-down for the night, but the neighbors next door were just getting started.  The disadvantage to being the only single-family home on the whole block.  Usually, I don't mind.  I'm not so old that I don't remember Sat. nights (and Thurs, and Fri, and Wed.), but I did have to get up and run at 8 a.m. and I was worried they would wake up Aidyn.  Luckily, they headed to the bar at some point because I woke up and the music was off.  Now, they just need to come and get the beer cans out of my yard. 

Sunday, I was up bright and early for my 10 mile run.  I met my friend Jenny at 8 and we ran the course that we will be running in just a few short weeks.  The weather was so warm, it actually hit 91 yesterday afternoon, but it was really REALLY windy.  I don't mean it was breezy, I'm talking wind advisory with 30-35 mile and hour winds.  The run went well and I think now we're pretty clear on where the whole course goes.  It's actually pretty boring but it should be a great spectator course which will be fun.  The whole course is pretty flat except for one hill around mile 6.  Not too bad, but just enough to give your legs a little wake up call.  Even with the wind in our face all the way back we managed to run it in 1 hour and 38 minutes and change. 

I know this is suppose to be my last big run before the race, but I'm really starting to waiver on the theory that if you can run 10 miles, you can run 13.  Maybe it was just the wind taking the wind out of our sails so to speak, but when my watch hit 10, I was ready to be done.  3 more miles seemed not impossible, but close.  It's a little crazy.  I had hoped to feel stronger after reaching my mental block of 10 miles.  Instead I just have a new mental block.  Hey, all you marathoners out there...suggestions? 

Since I am done with my really long runs, I plan on taking a lot of extra time stretching and working on my hydration and my diet until race day.  My tummy growled around mile 8, so I need to figure out how to fix that.  My foot also hurt after the run yesterday and today.  I couldn't put much weight on it this morning.  I did go downtown to our local running shoe store yesterday and talked to the guys there and they were really helpful with suggestions for my feet.  I'm trying out a new insert for my shoe which they think will help with my foot hurting and my toes falling asleep.  We'll see.  

After my run and after hitting up the shoe store and a few other stores downtown, I raced home to change clothes and head out to our indoor pool with Tim and Aidyn.  Stepping Stones celebrates it's birthday every year by having a pool party for our families and staff.  It's just a fun afternoon of swimming with the kids and then we have some juice and cookies.  It's a good time, but it wore me out!  

After our swim, we headed over to Tim's mom and dad's house to pick up some compost soil to use in Aidyn's new flower garden.  Nancy was also kind enough to give us half a casserole she had made so I didn't have to cook.  After our busy day, I was happy about that.  We got home just in time to spread a little of the soil before the rains came.  There were severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings in the area, but we ended up missing most of it.  We did get a little hail though.  We got a good laugh at Daddy getting pelted with hail so we could take a closer look at it. 

I'm glad we missed out on the golf ball sized hail that other areas got!

Ok, off to bed.  My computer battery is about to die, so I'm going to post now.  Until tomorrow!!

Love the Weekend!

Happy Saturday to you all!!

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty glad the weekend is finally here.  I feel like I had to really work for my days off this week.  It was picture day at school on Thursday and Friday, and for some reason those two days are ALWAYS very hard and stressful for everyone.  I'm very glad picture day is over...until the fall.  Tim brought Aidyn in to get her picture taken but she was very grumpy.  She had just woken up from a mid-morning nap, and she was hungry.  Not a good combo.  She didn't want to smile.  Luckily, someone started talking to her about puppies, and that warmed her up and I think we got a few good shots.  As soon as they are ready for viewing, I'll post a link. 

I know I haven't posted anything for a few days, but quite frankly, I didn't have anything too exciting to talk about.  Aidyn is feeling better now and terrorizing my house at full steam again.  I think she lost some sleep this week from not feeling very well.  It is 9:15 in the morning, and she's still asleep!  At least she'll be nice and cheery when she gets up. 

I went for a run in the rain on Thursday.  It was suppose to be 5 miles, but because of work, I got started late and was only able to get in 4.  Yesterday, I wanted to get to the gym for lifting, but again had to work a longer day and didn't make it.  We went out for dinner and ice cream instead.  :)

Tim is working today, so not sure yet what us girls are going to do.  Hopefully we'll get outside for a while though.  I'm happy we finally have some sunshine!

Tomorrow I'm doing 10 miles, and I'm excited/nervous.   It's the highest mileage I've done since college, if not ever.  It is also my big mental block.  I know if I can do 10, I can do the 13.  Wish me luck!

Ok, off for the day.  Enjoy your weekend!