Catching Up On Life

I had no idea 4 runs a week would be so much harder to work into the schedule than 3 would be. With 3 if one had to shift it was no big deal, but with 4 if one shifts it shifts all the others, especially with the way this training program is set up. The runs are in a specific order for a reason and it doesn't work well to jumble it all up. 

Add in that I'm trying really hard to only bust out the laptop in the morning before Sky's up, and leave after her bedtime laptop free, as much as possible, so Mark and I have our evenings together. Something had to give last week and it was the blog. 

Sticking to the training plan is paying off though. Michelle and I ran Tacoma's St. P Day race Saturday morning (5K) and it was our best time on that course. A course neither one of us cares for, but we managed to stay at or below goal race pace (for SB Half) and finished fast enough to earn a coveted finishers pint glass. I actually dislike this course so much that I only run this race every other year. It takes that long to get over how much I despise the course. We had fun though, and it felt good mentally to run a race again, push the pace, push up the hills, even if it didn't feel super great physically. My legs just don't have it back yet, but they are getting there. 

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Non running stuff we've been up to since the last post.....

Bruno Mars turns a sleepover into a dance party!

 My fave Hefe!

 It's a picture of her school picture...I think it's just lovely! 

 The things Silas puts up with. 

 Seriously missing the string of sunny days we had. She wants to run and ride, and given her progress at swimming she may just be a triathlete in the making! 

 Crashed out after something we were doing, which I can't remember now. Mostly I love that she picks this hat to wear!

 I love any drink that has ginger in it...I love that pop of flavor. This was kale, ginger, pear, and pineapple and was really yummy!

 This girl has more wheels than anyone I know! Her newest bike accessory...she loves it! 

 That face again...it's her determined face!

Now, back to rainy PNW weather, and real life. Sky is fascinated with work. What daddy does, what my work is (I tell her it's taking care of her, the house, daddy, and cooking), and what her work is. Today it's swimming and we spend our drive time talking about what work she will do in the pool. Same goes for school mornings, school is her work for the day and we talk about what she will do at work. 

Trying to get her to make the connection between daddy working, and making money, and her being able to get the new dress and pants we found for her yesterday. She's all about paying and money...pretty big concepts for an almost 4 year old. But, the earlier she learns the more apt she will be to be responsible with her own money some day. 

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Who's ready for March Madness?! I am...have my bracket filled out and a fun friends group set up for others to join. Since being a SAHM I have filled out a bracket, but missed being part of a group, so this year I changed it up a bit. Nothing but bragging rights at stake, but that's enough for me! 

Winter Run Challenge Update

First I want to give a shout out to my sister.  She is 7 weeks into training for Way Too Cool 50K and was injured yesterday.  Like, had to be helped by mountain bikers who called a ranger to get her off the mountain hurt.  I remember how excited her and her husband were that they both won lottery spots into this race, and she instantly put together a training plan/schedule and has been doing great. 

If thinking positive/healing thoughts were enough then she'd already be 100% better and able to run today.  I know it doesn't work that way though, but still I wanted her to know I'm thinking of her and hoping this is just a "needs a few days of rest" type of thing vs a "needs a few months of recovery" type of thing.

You may remember I posted about a Winter Run Challenge HERE and let me tell you, so far it's going great!

By the way, it's not too late to get in on this if you need a little winter running motivation.  I'm not much of a joiner, I like to fly solo, but I have to admit that committing to this, and let's face it posting it here for the world to see, has kept me accountable.  I have over achieved on miles every week and am having fun doing it.  There have been a few times that I just have lacked motivation but knowing I still need X number of miles to make the goal for the week has gotten me out the door, so it's working! 

I'm finding that the earlier in  the week I run the more likely I am to get it done and get extra miles even.  (Sort of like blogging, if I don't get up early before Sky and do it, lets face it chances are it isn't happening.  I have been sleeping in more and more the last few weeks,  hence the hit and miss blogging as of late, I'm back on track though!).  

I had a great run last night with the group!  Michelle joined me, I may have twisted her arm just a little - it's just more fun running with her than without, for adidas night last night!  It was the end of the first session of Winter Warriors.  Fleet Feet runs a winter incentive, and every group run you attend over a certain period of time enters you into a grand prize drawing.  It's another way to stay motivated to run when it's cold, wet, and dark out.  I didn't test run any shoes, but I did get to pick a prize from the adidas box.  I would totally post pics but the backpack (for me) and hat (for Mark) I got are in the room and Mark is still asleep.  

February is my get (more) real about running month for sure.  Several races open up for registration and my race calender will go from "what I'm considering" to "what I'm committed to doing" in a hurry.  Plus, training for the Whidbey Island 1/2 starts next week!!!  I'm so excited to have a set running schedule again, and tons of Elya running time!  Also excited we resolved the lodging issue and found a camping cabin we can afford!  We were considering bailing on this race because lodging on the island is really expensive, but fellow Half Fanatics helped us out with suggestions and it's full steam ahead to the first 1/2 of the year!   

Enough about running...a few Sky pics from the last several days for you:

 Dance Party and I love the Steelers shirt!!

 Frog n Kiwi play time.

 Reading to herself. 

 She loves to "cook" soup...it's her favorite thing to do lately. 

 

How do you stay motivated for winter running? 

Do you register for races early, or are you a register last minute type of person?

Opening day...I want the best price possible!

How far out do you plan your race schedule?

I'm not registered for all of them, but I pretty much know what I'm running through Dec 2014.  

Have a great Wednesday...only 4 1/2 more days until SB!!!  Not my teams, but I'm still way excited!

 

Quick Weekend Post

Not a long post, just a few highlights while the babe and baby are taking naps. 

First - Take a look at THIS link.  Lauren Fleshman is a runner who had a baby last year and 3 months later walked the runway for Oiselle at NY fashion week.  She shows the difference between how she looks on the runway and what the non-airbrushed, non flexing, non tummy sucking in version of her looks like.  Bottom line you don't have to look like a runway model (hell runway model's don't even look like runway model's all the time) to feel good about yourself.  It's a quick read with a strong message...just take the time to check it out!  

Second - I have had a new route plotted in my head for months and finally ran it today.  It's only 4 miles, but I LOVE it.  I also love how awesome the pace felt.  Mostly I was excited at how quickly I recovered and dropped back down to goal pace after the hill I had to slowly run up.  It's not a long hill, but it's steep and I hate running it, so getting to the top and getting right back to a 2 minute faster pace was awesome!

Third - A few pics to share...

 She picked the hat out herself, and it looked perfect with her outfit.

Coloring with Grandma is very serious work.  She was so excited when I told her we were seeing Grandma today!

It's a low-key weekend around here.  Lot's of football, cuddling, and pj's!

Anyone doing anything fun this weekend?