Winter Blues.. and yellows!

Winter is.. special.  I love it because it's the season in which Christmas takes place. I love one good snow fall each year. I love drinking hot chocolate and eating the comfort foods of winter. I love wearing sweatpants. I love having a greater appreciation for spring, summer and fall. I love.... yup, that's about all I love about winter. Winter is challenging!  The wind blows constantly, kids are sick non stop,  we're trapped inside, and delaware simply does not have fun winter activities.
To stay happy this winter we have done lots of arts and crafts.

 We go to our library story time each week and to the indoor bounce house at least every other week.

 We babysit our friends, Juliet and Tucker 2 times a week.

We've gone to the temple, to chuckee cheese, to chicfila and to see the OC lights.

We have played in the snow and outside on any day that feels like it is in the 30s.

We have seen old friends and have made new friends.

We have read hundreds and hundreds of books and have eaten thousands and thousands of delicious calories.

Looking back on all the fun we've had, maybe winter isn't so bad afterall? 

I love my life. 

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 ♡