Yaktrax...a MUST for winter running!

We've had a weird winter here in Indy. One day we're getting tons of snow and the next it's melting because the sun is out and then it freezes and everything is icy. I can't keep up!

Two weeks ago we got a huge amount of snow and the temperature dropped to 2 degrees with the windchill (funny story...for my first two years living in Boston I thought it was called the "windshield factor" and NO ONE ever corrected me!). Of course it was a long run day and the roads and sidewalks were completely full of ice and snow. I had already slipped and fell on the ice the previous week (thinking that I broke my wrist at first) and I was determined not to have a repeat spill. I called our local running store, Blue Mile, and asked them if they had anything I could put on my shoes to prevent slipping on the ice and snow. They recommended Yaktax and they seriously are the best thing EVER!

They just slip over your running shoes (or any shoes for that matter) and you're good to go! I like that they are coiled. I feel like they won't wear down as much as spikes would. They have a few different "styles" to choose from. I went with the Pros. They also have ones made for running, but they said "they can be worn in temperatures as low as 41 degrees" and I'm going to be running in temps much colder than that!

So far I've run in them three times and haven't had any problems. I can tell they are there but they don't seem to effect my stride or pace. You do have to be careful on slick surfaces, like if you put them on inside where there's tile or on a slippery garage floor, but other than that they are AWE-SOME!

With all the miles ahead of me this winter I know I'm going to be so glad that I have them!

*These are just my thoughts and opinions. Yaktrax has never heard of me and didn't not pay or compensate me in anyway. I was just happy to find a great product and wanted to share!*

The quest to 26.2

In a moment of insanity in mid-December I decided to run my first* marathon...even as I type this I can tell that I'm going to be hooked...I didn't say "a marathon"...I said "first"...implying that there will be more...

The notion of running 26.2 miles was always a fleeting thought that would quickly disappear. It's a big commitment, it's more than just running far. It requires discipline to stick to your training schedule. You need to rearrange your priorities. Schedules need to be adjusted. You need to alter your diet, no one is going to run 26.2 miles on Diet Coke and wine! You need a team of supporters. Not just people to cheer you on, but a hubby who is willing to give up sleeping in on Sundays so you can run 20 miles, a baby who will spend most of his winter mornings strapped into a jogging stroller, friends who understand why you have given up wine while training and a family who is willing to take on the marathon with you. It takes more than you, it takes a team!

After talking it over with the hubby and getting his support, I needed to find a training program that would fit into our lives. I've been a fan of the Hal Higdon training programs and had used several of them for my half-marathon training in the past. After checking them out I decided to go with Novice 2. It has me running 4 days a week, cross training1-2xs and resting 1-2days. It fits into my kids' schedules well and the mid-week runs don't get past 8 miles which is doable with a jogging stroller. I'm trying not to look too far ahead in the schedule. I'm just trying to take it one week at at time. I know if I focus too much on the huge milage ahead of me I'll just freak out. A marathon is so much more than being fit and running. Your mental health is equally important as your physical health. 

Yesterday GG and I had our first run with the jogging stroller. I think he liked it! He even took a nice long nap for most of the run. 

We only had to do 6, so it wasn't terrible. He's so light right now that maneuvering the stroller is pretty easy. The worse part was the headwind on the way home. There were times that I was sure even though my feet were moving, we weren't really going anywhere. It was nice not to have to carry everything. The stroller has lots of pockets for water, iPhones and other running necessities. 

You also may have noticed that I updated my Dailymile widget. Now there's a place for you to comment on my runs or leave encouragement. I REALLY hope you use it! I'm sure as it gets closer to race day I'm going to need lots of encouragement. I try not to think about how far 26.2 miles really is or how I'm going to be running for 5 hours, but sometimes (like right now) those thoughts creep in and I need to adjust how I look at it all. The next big step is working on proper nutrition both while in training and during the actual race. For my past races I never really thought about or care about my nutrition. Some days I would go out for a run on an empty stomach, other days I'd have a Diet Coke and go. There is such a science to finding the right fuel for your body. I'm not trying to be fast, but I want to enjoy the experience as much as possible.

My Bestie and running partner Traci is running the race and training with me (actually it's her fault we're running...she signed up first). This will be her second marathon (they really are addicting). I'm so thankful she agreed to run with me. There is NO way I'd get through all the training without her by my side. You need someone to support you and commiserate with you. I've given us the unofficial team name "Misery Loves Company." Let's be honest, there are going to be times in the next 4 months that it is going to be miserable. There are going to be bad runs, sore muscles and mental break downs, but there will be great days too. Days of strong runs and feelings of "I can do this!" I'm going to try really hard to focus on the good days, and when we cross the finish line, hand in hand, there will be no better feeling of accomplishment!

This Sunday is our 11 mile "long-run"...it'll be a walk in the park compared to what's coming!

Hee, hee, hee

Have a great Friday,

Aleida's Challenge

I am so excited to share this idea/challenge with you. The idea is not mine, but when I read about it I knew it was perfect for me. We all know I don't like to be in front of the camera and I rarely post pictures of myself. I'm sure you've all noticed too that I prefer myself "Instagrammed"...a little out of focus and the color distorted. Well, that's all about to change. 

I first heard about Aleida's Challenge from Cheri at I Am Momma-Hear Me Roar. Aleida Franklin was a woman who made sure she took a picture of herself with her kids each month. She expressed that when children look at a picture of their mom they don't care how she looks, if she has make-up on, or what she is wearing, they just see the love of their mom. Aleida died unexpectedly in 2008 leaving her two small children a wonderful gift of pictures with their mama. 

Myself and other moms are taking on Aleida's Challenge this year and taking more pictures of ourselves with our kids. Even if you don't have kids you can participate. Pledge to take more pictures of yourself being you, not worrying about whether you are "camera ready" or not. I'll be sharing my pictures along the way. You can also post your pictures {HERE} and check out other mamas and their babies.

Here are our first pics for the callenge. The girls are BIG fans of "silly pictures" so I'm sure most of ours will be with funny faces. Poor lil' G, he has no idea what's going on!

Thanks for checking in!

Catching Up With Noa

December is always a busy month for the Murrays. Noa and Nate have their birthdays. Christmas always brings fun activities like decorating, baking, seeing the lights at the zoo, as well as shopping and wrapping. It's usually a total blur! 

This past December was no exception and I wanted to share a few highlights that our feisty Noa enjoyed!

First, she turned 5! She is officially a full handful! 

Oh my little Monkey...She's a early riser and most days wakes up with a big smile on her face. She loves crawling into our bed and snuggling before her brother and sister wake up. She never walks, she bounces around the house and loves to dance and put on "shows" for her family. She LOVES picking out her own clothes and changes at least 3 times a day. She can do her own hair and loves to come up with her own unique styles. A side-pony with a headband is currently her favorite. She has the biggest heart ever! She is always willing to share her treats and toys with her sister. We put a dozen balloons in her room overnight as a surprise for her birthday. Before Lo even woke up, Noa was dividing them up so she could give Logan half. When ever we're out running errands she always asks if we can bring a treat home for her sister and then she can't wait to bring it to the bus stop-so thoughtful! She loves to play games and do puzzles. Don't let her set up the match game on her own, she'll cheat EVERY TIME and then totally deny it. She loves dolls and was super excited when Santa brought her a dollhouse. She creates all sorts of stories and situations for her dolls. Last week one of the dolls said, "It's okay. I'm 18 I can do it if I want"...Oh my! She's really sneaky too, but most of the time she gets caught before she can put her diabolical plan into motion. She's very smart, but doesn't like to show it. She love pushing her boundaries and is comfortable to be who she is. I love my feisty little monkey!!!

She had a great birthday! She didn't have school so she got to spend the whole day at home doing whatever she wanted. We did puzzles, played games and she ate all her favorite foods. For dinner she picked Red Robin (YUM), mainly because she wanted a balloon, but we were all happy to have yummy burgers!

She is quite the little ham...

We made the servers sing happy birthday to her, she was a little shy...

 That all went away once the sundae appeared...

She has such a kind and generous heart. She was more than willing to share her tasty birthday ice cream with her sister.

At home we had more sweets and she got to blow out her birthday candles. I mistakenly bought her a "4" candle at the store. I didn't even realize it until I brought out her cake and she said, "Hey! I'm not 4 I'm 5!!!" Good thing I had extra candles at home! I think I was a little in denial. I want her to stay little just a little bit longer!

The other exciting thing for Noa in December was her first art gallery opening!

She had been going to Art Club at her school for the past 12 weeks. Each week they learned about a different art method and created a masterpiece. At the gallery opening we got to see all the students work. It was so amazing. All the kids are in pre-K and I can't believe how detailed all their work was. They were all so proud! There even were little appetizers for the guests to nibble on while they took in all the art!

This is her self-portrait, complete with her bright blue eyes and mile-long lashes!

She loved her little pink dish that she made out of clay.

...and her Christmas Cow...

Each artist had their own display. There even was a description of each piece that told what type of materials they used and what the inspiration was. SO FUN!

Of course Noa loved the snacks! That's my girl!

December was a good month to be Noa!

The Proposal

Yesterday the hubby and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary...

What a difference 11 years can make...

Last year I shared a little bit about our wedding...

I thought it would be fun to share the proposal...

It was the summer of 2000, the FIRST day of summer actually, June 21st. The hubby and I had already made our big plans to move to Boston in a few months. We were enjoying our last few months of the San Diego sunshine. Hubby had suggested we go for an early morning run, and by early I mean 6am early. I grudgingly agreed and out we went into the darkness. We hadn't gone more than a few blocks when we came upon a limo. Apparently Nate "knew" the driver, he said that he drove a lot of business men to his office and he had gotten to know him. 

(I'm sure at this point you're all wondering how could I be so naive...those of you who know Nate know that it is not farfetched that he would randomly run into a limo driver that he knew.) 

So Nate asks his "friend" if we can go for a ride in his limo. 

(Those of you that know me know that this just annoyed me. I was in "running mode," I didn't want to go for a ride in someone else's limo! I wanted to run, shower and go back to bed!) 

Anyway...Nate convinces me to go for a ride and we drive around for a bit. I'm not really paying attention, I'm to busy being annoyed that we're not going to get our run in because we're too busy riding around in limos. We finally come to a stop and Nate gets out. He gives some excuse that he needs to use the ATM. ATM?!?! Why do you have your wallet on a run? Then I look and see where we are, outside a bar restaurant where our sorority and fraternity had an exchange (which is a whole other story for another day...) and we had our first dance. Then I see that he's on his knee and I lose it. I'm crying, he's crying. I'm saying "yes" and we're hugging and kissing! We take the limo, which is now our limo (duh Kimberlee) and we go to the top of Mount Soledad and watch the sun rise while drinking champagne...all very romantic! 

...and here we are 11 years, 3 kids, 2 big moves and millions of laughs later...

**BIG thanks to Raw Sugar Photography for our awesome pictures! I've been wanting snow pictures for FOREVER and I couldn't be more pleased with how they came out! If you've been following me for any amount of time you know I rarely am in front of the camera. I love that we have a new picture of the two of us! Follow Raw Sugar on Facebook {HERE} and don't forget to check out her fab-u-lous galleries {HERE}.

This Is 7

This is what 7 looks like:

Seven collects discarded items and turns them in to amazing art projects. Seven carries her diary everywhere she goes and writes about EVERYTHING. Seven is a messy, messy hoarder of rocks, socks and boxes. Seven LOVES to read and visits the school library nearly every day. Seven loves animals, bugs, dessert and art. Seven loves dressing up and putting on plays and "shows" with her sister. Seven prefers high-heels. Seven is NOT a morning person. Seven loves to cuddle and have her back scratched. Seven is a smart, inquisitive, persistent, big-hearted perfectionist. Seven leaves me love notes on my bedside table. Seven believes in magic and fairies and sees the world through untainted eyes. Seven isn't too big for cuddling and will give kisses and tell you she loves you without any hesitation. I love seven, seven melts my heart!

Happy 7th birthday to my beautiful "baby" Logan!

Looking Forward to 2013

HAPPY 2013!!!

I find it a little hard to believe that 2013 has already arrived. The past 6 months since GG's arrival have blown by so fast that at times I find it hard to catch my breath! Summer, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are all such a blur and I'm hoping to catch you all up on the past few weeks of Murray Family Fun we've been having! Thank you to everyone for being so patient and supportive while I've attempted adjust to our schedules. I love blogging and I know I've put it to the bottom of my to-do list lately, but I'm moving it on up and making it a priority!

So what's can you expect with 2013???

• More pics of the kids and what we've been up to! 
• Furniture refurbishes! I've got a few unfinished pieces that have been sitting here for months that are begging for a new coat of paint!
• A marathon in April! Yep, I finally did it. I signed up for the Carmel Marathon on April 20th. Training has already started (despite the ridiculously low temps here in Indy) and I'll be sharing my journey to 26.2!
• Photo school! I bought a Groupon for an online school, Flying Photo School, and my classes start next week. I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm hoping to be able to take my Big Girl camera off "auto" and learn about all the other features that baffle me!
• Recipes! I have a few new cookbooks full of recipes I can't wait to try and share! We've been in a mealtime rut around here so we are all ready for a fresh menu!
• Sewing and crafting! It's finally time to try all the projects I've been dreaming of starting while feeding and holding GG. I'm hoping to try more "boy" projects this year!

Again, thank you for all your support and kind words! It means so much to me and I am so grateful that so many of you check in to see what we're up to!