The Long Run Diaries-Week 13

Oh my has it been crazy around here! Last week we were quarantined and I'm pretty sure I lost my mind! I had one little one with the flu, another with the flu and an ear infection and just when I thought we were in the clear, the third came down with strep. On top of that, the hubby was out of town all week...seriously I. Lost. My. Mind. I "think" I have recovered, although yesterday Noa told me my "brain wasn't working" so I'm not entirely sure I'm 100% myself. In the midst of all the illness I still had to find time to run and had many dates with my treadmill to get all my miles in. Lucky for me the hubby returned in time for my long run. I definitely needed some alone time with me and the pavement to clear my head. 

Week 13

19miles (woo-hoo!!!)

3:14:33

10:14 pace

After the unpleasant 18 mile run a few weeks ago I was a little nervous about this week's run. What if I couldn't get my head where it needed to be? What if it was another 3 hours of misery? What if I couldn't finish? As I've mentioned before, it's the mental "game" that's the hardest. I don't have many complaints about the run except the weather. I am so looking forward to wearing a normal amount of clothes on a run! Double pants and double gloves is getting a little old! The first 9 went by quickly, there was plenty of conversation to keep my mind off the run and the weather, though cold, wasn't too unpleasant. The way back gave us a lovely head wind which in turn kicked in my asthma and gave me an oh so pleasant persistent cough and wheeze (Note to self, bring inhaler with you). We decided to run with our music on the way back and it was a nice change of pace. I let the music take over and my feet just did what they needed to do. By the end of the 19 I was pretty sore but still had enough energy left to sprint at the end. I recovered pretty well too and even had time for a little nap-ahhhh. This week was my last mid-week 8 mile run. YAY! I just couldn't push the jogger one more time so I loaded up the DVR and hit the treadmill. So glad to have that checked off my to-do list!

This week starts the 4 week tapering down to the big "show." I have one more long long-run (20 miles) before the longest of them all-the marathon. I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel and I'm starting to get both nervous and excited. I just keep visioning myself crossing the finishing line, both upright and smiling!

The Long Run Diaries-Week 12

(Thanks Keely-love this!!!)

This week had some wonderful qualities to it. First, it was a taper week. Whoo hoo!!! "Only" 13 miles for a long run-love it! Second, it was actually somewhat warm out! Double whoo hoo. I only had to wear one pair of pants and didn't need a hat, jacket or gloves. Such a wonderful feeling. I also ran by myself. I need that. I had been in a serious funk and I think I needed some alone time on the pavement with my thoughts and my music. I just plugged in, tuned out and let my feet take the lead. I had a great run, mapped out a new route and had a pretty decent time!

13.08 miles
2:02:41
9:22 pace

I've got about a month left of training and I can feel it all coming to a close. We have two really long runs left, 19 this week and 20 in two weeks and only one more 8 mile mid-week run. I'm feeling ready. It's been a long journey for the whole family and I think we're all ready to have our lives return to normal. The hubby and I were discussing it the other day and we think when people think of running a marathon they just focus on how far it is and not how much of a commitment it is to EVERYONE involved. You have to make a lot of sacrifices. I definitely think it's worth it and will be so proud of myself when I cross that finish line, but I am so looking forward to sleeping in on a Sunday morning!

Have a great Wednesday! It's been  a little crazy around here. I've had two sick kiddos and everyone home at once has made us all a little stir-crazy! Hope you are all having a happy and healthy week!

Date Night-Skate Night

This weekend I had the most amazing double date. Check out these cuties!

Lo has been wanting to go ice skating for a very long time. I always pushed it off because I really thought they were too young and uncoordinated and would get frustrated. Boy was I wrong. They did great and had so much fun! I was so impressed by how easily they picked it up. 

Lo is usually timid in new activities, but several times she let go of my hand and skated a bit on her own. She told me she was proud of herself and said she can't wait to go again.

Don't let Noa's hugging-the-wall pose fool you. I kept having to pull her over to the side because she kept trying to go to the middle with all the fast skaters! She was pulling me around the rink most of the time. She asked more than once for skating lessons! I guess she had a great time!

Of course you can't have a fun date night without dessert!

Thank you Miss Noa for this great shot of Mommy and Daddy!

It was such a wonderful night and I can't wait until our next double date. The girls were exhausted at the end of the night and both fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

"Unexpected" Snow Day

Even though my most favorite-est weatherman Chuck told me we were going to get a lot of snow, I didn't believe him (I'm so sorry Chuck! I'll never doubt you again!!!). Imagine my surprise when I awoke to this beautiful scene:

My little shadow and I had to take advantage while GG took his nap. We're expecting it to warm up in the next few days so it's not going to last for very long. Sadly it's already starting to melt. Noa had so much fun making snowballs, sweeping and raking the snow and of course, eating her weight in snow! While she was playing I shoveled our driveway and side walk (one of my favorite winter workouts) and occasionally threw snowballs her way. It was a nice fun break from being inside all morning! 

I even bribed convinced her to let me take a few snowy day pictures of her with my big girl camera. She's not the easiest model, pretty much always on the move, but I'm pretty pleased with how they came out and she was happy to earn an extra treat! I was able to adjust the White Balance and Aperture all by myself which is a big accomplishment for me. 

 This is by far my favorite! It captures her feisty personality perfectly!

Oh boy do I love my little Monkey!

GG is 9 Months!!!

Our little man turned 9 months old this week! Not only is he the cutest baby ever, he's HUGE!

Weight: 19lbs, 10oz (34%)
Height: 29in (73%)
Head Circumference: 17.5in (25%)

He's a big eater too! No baby food for our little guy. He love the big boy stuff. He's starting to feed himself a little so he's also a big mess most of the time.

It's so amazing to see his little personality develop! He loves his sisters so much and his little face lights up whenever he sees them. He thinks Noa is hilarious and she can get his giggles going immediately. Lo can get him to talk, he loves repeating what she has to say. She was the first one to get him to say her name. "La-La" came out clear as a bell! He also has said "illk" for milk, "da" for dog and "bite" came out yesterday when he was sternly told "no bite!"

He's on the move so naturally he's into EVERYTHING and of course it all goes into his mouth. We've fished quite a few things out of his little chompers. He loves to pull himself up and gets so proud of himself when he does. 

He's still my Mama's Boy. He has learned to "snuggle" and knows that he is cute when he does it so he snuggles every chance he gets. Now that he can crawl he can come and find me when ever he wants, that makes him a very happy baby. He also gives lots of slobbery kisses which we're all happy to accept!

We love our little GG so much and all the joy and happiness he has brought to our family!

Long Run Diaries-Week 11

*WARNING: Crankiness and whining ahead*

If it's cold out you can put on more clothes. If you're thirsty you can carry a Camel Bak. If you're hungry, eat a snack. But what do you do when you're downright cranky and don't want to run? This was my big problem this week for my long run. It wasn't so much that I was thinking, "I can't do this" but more, "I don't want to do this!" I was in a funk and I knew it. It started on Saturday and I knew it would effect me on Sunday. I think it mainly stems from being tired. Tired of not having one day to sleep in. Tired of running a million miles each week. Tired of wearing layers and layers of clothing each week because it's still ridiculously cold. Tired of being tired. Tired of my weekends going by in a flash (I did warn you that there would be some whining!). I'm about half-way through my training and I'm just physically and mentally exhausted! This week is another taper week so I have high hopes that I can get myself out of this funk quickly. 

Week 11

17.98 miles

3:09:41

10:33 pace (actually faster than last week)

We ran on the Monon again and it's really great for longer runs. You run half the distance down the trail and turn around and run back. It's relatively flat and there usually are a ton of runners out. It was clear that we were all in some sort of funk because it was a VERY quite run which made it a VERY long run. I also had Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" in my head the WHOLE time (thanks Noa) which just added to my crankiness!  We again took a walking break every 4 miles and each group of 4 miles seemed like 18! I'm not sure how, but we actually ran faster than last week when I felt terrific! As I mentioned earlier, I had all my gear, nutrition and hydration where it needed to be. I felt pretty good after and lasted most of the day before I crashed into bed. We run 19 miles in a few weeks and I'm definitely going to bring my music just in case. I normally wouldn't listen to music when running with other people, but I think that this week it might have made my run just a little less awful.

Have a happy Monday and thanks for listening to my whining...you guys are the best!

Friday Favorite-Better Oats

Oh what. A. Week! The hubby was in Boston this week for work and it seemed like the girls had a million and one activities! We ate Subway two nights in a row for dinner. That's pretty much unheard of around here. Needless to say, the girls were thrilled! At least it was somewhat healthy...

With all my training the same "healthy" meals week after week are getting a little boring. I've been searching for new ideas. Last week a had a coupon for Better Oats oatmeal and I thought I'd give it a try. 

I'll be honest, I was totally leery at first and if I didn't have a coupon I probably wouldn't have tried them. Steel cut oats make me gag and I was worried these would taste the same. 

Oh YUM! They were good! 

They are super easy to make, under 3 minutes on the stovetop or in the microwave, and come in a TON of (like 30) flavors! I picked Lavish Dark Chocolate and Abundance Apples and Cinnamon. They are full of whole grain oats and when you look at the ingredient list you recognize the ingredients as actual foods! The two I picked were under 200 calories per serving and under 3 grams of fat. For a big breakfast eater like me the serving size seemed puny, but it kept me full all morning! I can't wait to try some of the other flavors like Spiced Chai and Pomegranate! I found them at Meijer but I've seen them at Target too so I'm sure they're pretty much anywhere you can buy oatmeal! If you try them let me know what flavor you get! We can compare notes. I also think it would be fun to mix a few different flavors to make a totally new one! With 30 different kinds there are a TON of possibilities! 

*This is an unpaid shout-out for Better Oats. They don't know me, I just wanted to share some yummy goodness I found!*