13.1 just isn't fun!

Wow, one week ago I ran 13.1 miles! That is insane. If I told you all that has happened since then, you'd be impressed.. especially at the amount of food I have consumed. Almost 3 pizzas is only the beginning! I did decide to go running this morning after taking the week off, and boy, 3 miles felt glorious.

13 weeks of preparation for a 13 mile race. This training consisted of running 3 days a week, adding up to be 170 miles before the big day. I had a vein stripping done in my leg during my training and dealt with patella tendinitis,  but other than that my body was healthy and strong. For that I am grateful. My runs were awesome and I was super pumped until after my 9 mile run, which was when I just wanted the race to be overwith. I ran my 9 miles at an average of 9.12, so I really thought I'd be able to finish under 2 hours on race day. I ended up finishing at 2:08.24, with an average pace of 9.49/mi. I was 610/1600 running the half, and I was 43/93 in my division.

Now onto the race. It sucked. But for real. I crossed the start line with other runners who were supposed to be running between an 8 and 9 minute mile. I felt great jogging down rehoboth avenue, until I looked at my watch and saw that I was running at a 9.35 pace instead of an 8.15 that I should have been at. So I had to shuffle around many people for a while in order to find free space to run at a good pace. After that, my first few miles were great, and I maintained an 8.40 pace for a while. I hit my first wall around 4 miles and honestly didn't think I could do it. I kept thinking of my kids and the fact that I want them to set goals and reach those goals, so I kept pushing. At around mile 5 when we reached the trail that we would be on for 7ish miles,  I wanted to die. It was gravel, and dirt, and pine cones surrounded by trees, trees, and more trees. Not very enticing to me.

At that point I just focused on not stopping, all I wanted to do was finish that race without walking. I ran a few miles so slowly, my grandma could run faster, but I did not stop. At mile 10 I began imagining that I was running at home on my normal 3 mile course and pretended to picture the police department,  horse, and flashing yellow light. That got me through. With one mile left, I picked up my grandma pace and finished with a 9 minute mile.
My dad cheered my name as I ran the final stretch to the finish, and knowing my parents, Christa,  Andrew and our kids were there filled me with joy. I'm so grateful to have an awesome family and amazing friends. After the race, I just wanted to go home, but we did eat at Bob Evans on the way.

I'm proud of myself for never giving up. I wish I had been able to run as quickly as I know I am capable of,  but I am so happy I didn't give into the urge to walk. People ask if it was worth it to train and run that far... I say I'm glad I did it but I do not recommend it. I'd rather pop out a baby all natural any day. Hahaha. For all you marathon runners out there, I have a new and improved respect for how difficult that must be! I see many 5ks and a few 10ks in my future, but I will leave the halves and the marathons for all the crazies :)

Smartphone Mom

Well folks, 2 weeks ago I finally upgraded my phone and got my first smartphone. Whew. This is something I've pushed back against for years now- cell phone companies giving you no choice but to own one. I hate technology. I just do.. I hate that it distracts parents, is a substitute for in person interactions,  and that it's used so much more now than parks and playgrounds. So, because I am cheap and really want to be the best parent I can be, until now I have decided not to own one.

Don't get me wrong,  I know the Internet is fun and that technology can be used  to do so much good; in my opinion the good is definitely outweighed by the bad. Regardless,  I finally upgraded!  I really, really wanted a nice camera in my phone,  and it's only costing us $10 more a month. It has been super fun to be able to take pictures of my kids on all the different adventures we go on. But then again I ask myself why we need 30 pictures of our children each time we take then to the park. Even though I'm there with my kids, I find myself not really playing with or giving my full attention to them because I'm chasing them trying to get the perfect picture.

Is anyone else bothered by how much technology and social media we are exposing ourselves to? Last week I heard on the radio that the average person uses over 8 hours of technology a day,  between tv, phones, gaming, tablets,  and computers. We sleep less than that. I don't know how well the study was conducted or any details, b ut it bothers me. Enjoy your friends.  Play with your kids. Go for a walk. Turn off the TV and read. Sing out loud. I say that as I'm typing this blog on my phone ;) Technology is amazing.  I love that I can talk to my best friend any time and tell her how awesome my run was or what terrors my children are being. I love that I can see pictures and blogs of family and friends all around the world. I love that I can access any church scriptures,  talks, or messages any time and any where. It's such a blessing.. and a curse. Oh, and don't even get me started on #filters.... I enjoyed this article today about parenting without distractions :) Something to think about
I know we're all trying to be our very best selves,   but I just feel like we could all try a little harder to put down the phone and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us. And now I will do just that ♡

Happy birthday, Clara Marie!

Right now, this girl is the love of my life! She is an absolute joy. It hasn't always been this way, but for almost 2 months she has shown us how fun and happy she really is. From the moment she sees me in the morning when I walk into her room, she makes goofy sounds and laughs out loud. She gets so excited when we go to get her out of her crib that she'll crawl laps around the edge of the crib at her fastest pace, laughing the entire time. She is crazy!

Clara loves to have fun, end of story. She loves to "get" Colten and pull his hair, she loves to imitate sounds, she loves playing peek-a-boo, and seriously, this girl can dance! Even if I'm singing a lullaby to her, she's shaking her hips and bobbing her head. She cracks me up. If I had to label one thing as her favorite, it would be water. She LOVES the water table, the pool, the bath, the ocean, and the wet sand box. She loves to splash, stand up in, and crawl around in any kind of water without any fear. She is brave, and I love it. She crawls, she climbs, she falls, and she gets back up again. Yesterday she took SEVEN steps!! She'll be walking everywhere within weeks, I'm sure of it.

Clara can say "no", "thank you (deh-di)", "mama", "dada", and can shake her head yes. She can clap, wave, give high fives, and if you ask her what the fox says, she says, "di di di di di!!". She could eat cheese and blueberries all day every day, and she finally likes cows milk now! This morning was the last time I nursed her, and I'm so happy I made it a year! It's a little sad to see her growing and not "need" me as much anymore, but one is FUN & I am so excited to see what more this girl has to show us about herself! We are so blessed. Happy birthday, Clara beara!

.....Babe, time for baby #3???? :)

Baldcypress Adventure Race

It was on Memorial Day that my good friend, Amanda, first mentioned the adventure race to me. 7 mile road bike, 2.1 mile trail run, and 1 mile canoe with an obstacle course thrown into the mix. I was excited about it from the instant she told me about it, and I agreed to do it with her as a team. Amanda has been on incredible weight loss and fitness journey over the last 18 months. I knew I'd have to prepare to do this race with her! My only goal was to not stop for breaks during each segment of the race, and I did it!

 Amanda and I showed up at our race at 8:57, when there was a prerace meeting at 8:30 and the race began at 9. Classy. We missed the explanation of the race, the route, and every important detail other than "just keep turning right". Thankfully, we heard that tiny tidbit because the 7 mile bike ride was not marked, but by making many right turns, we found our way. Running 2 miles is no problem, and I thought biking 7 would be the same, so I didn't hop in a bike until 1 week before the race. Not such a good idea. The last time I rode a bike I was 8 months pregnant with Colten living in the 3rd story apartment. Anyone remember that story?? Needless to say, the biking was a challenge. Amanda has been riding a lot lately, and she pushed me to pedal away. She was just cruising a lot most of the time, and I was pedaling to death thinking I'd never make it. She pushed me to go faster and to not give up. It was a beautiful scene through Sussex County; we even saw a fox and a snake!

 After the biking was the running portion. It was through the woods where it was cool, shaded, and beautiful. Amanda struggled with cramps and nausea during this part, but it didn't stop us. We kept on pushing! As we rounded the bend and approached the boat house to start the canoeing portion of the race, we heard cheers from my mom and Gavin. It was very exciting to have "fans" routing for us and taking pictures. I think they gave us the last little boost we needed to hop into the canoe.

 We had been looking forward to canoeing the entire time, saying that once we made it that far, it was a piece of cake from there on out. It was... mostly true. The worker helping us get set up in the canoe told us to sit backward (see picture above), so the canoe was not doing what we told it to. We laughed hysterically and eventually got ourselves turned around and headed to the orange buoy where the obstacle course was located. Amanda was strong in the rear and steered us well. The inflatable obstacle course was a joke. Muddy, hot, and stinky, but we laughed and recorded ourselves flying down the slide. I took the back seat on the ride back to the finish line... don't think that was a good idea. I could NOT steer the canoe (I haven't been in a canoe in say, 5 years). We ended up paddling parallel to the shore rather than in a direct line from the buoy to the finish line. We even made it through two trees that were sticking out of the water that were not in our path from point A to point B.

Once we got back to the shore, we hopped out of the canoe, took off our life vests, and ran through the finish line! THREE TIMES. My sweet mom didn't make it over in time to get a picture of us crossing the finish line, so we reenacted the event again. Well, she missed it that time too, so we got to run through a 3rd time laughing with everyone watching us. It was worth it though :)

 We finished the race in 1:19 & I feel awesome about it!! Next year we are going to train, and we are going to WIN!  <3