Post Half Marathon

I am alive and I'm not sore anymore :) The half marathon was an absolute blast and though I thought my knees would NEVER be the same, just two days afterward I can walk normal and my knees feel back to their same old selves. Running that 13.1 miles was the most enlightening experience of my life. While I was running it was almost surreal, I had to keep reminding myself that I was doing it and that I was accomplishing one of my goals. Visualizing the finish line kept me going and I didn't allow myself to walk.

This was the longest that I had ever run in my life. Around miles 8-10 I had the worst stomach cramp but I made myself keep going and I tried everything to make it go away. Finally after drinking some extra water it quit hurting. Then at mile 12 there was a short moment where I thought I wasn't going to make it but then I reminded myself that I was almost there and that I couldn't stop now. I saw people walking and I just told myself "what's the point in walking when I made it this far." My final time was 2 hours 26 minutes and 44 seconds. I was proud of my time but I realized that in my age group I was 30th out of 36th so then I started feeling like I could have been faster.

I would love to run another half marathon but I'm up in the air as to when I would like to begin training again. A big part of me wants to keep going and spend the next 13 weeks training for my next one but another part of me wants a break. There is a half marathon close to us on October 6th so if I decide to do it my training would begin next week. I'm definitely taking this week off because I need a break, though I've had some cravings to go out running today, lol. I'm afraid that if I don't have a goal then I'll just let other things get in the way of my running. Plus I want to try to work on getting faster and working in cross training. I love the way my body looks right now so I'd really like to keep on going and pushing myself even more.

I have a few things to consider so I'll keep you posted on my decision.

It's Winding Down

Wow, it's been way too long since I've written! We have 5 more days of school left, only three with the kids. I'm really hoping to have all my stuff done by Wednesday afternoon. That way I can get my checklist done and I can be done with the year and not have to come in on Friday. We have a first annual picnic with all the schools that are run by our management company on Thursday so I have to drive an hour and stay at the picnic for 4 hours, but that shouldn't be too bad.

My half marathon is one week from today!!!!!! I'm so proud of myself because I've been training for 13 weeks and I really have done an awesome job managing my time and getting all my runs in. Usually I have a hard time seeing through longer projects or tasks so this is a major accomplishment! Also, my husband and I usually train for things together and he isn't running this race with me, so it was all ME :) He of course is of course going to cheer me on but his foot is bothering him and he isn't able to run much anymore. He doesn't have insurance so we are unable to get him checked out.

I have my first 10 mile run tomorrow morning which I'm a little nervous about because the farthest I've run has been 8 miles. I'm very confident that I can do it though because I'm getting really immune to the longer distances and they don't bother me too much. Just a little update, have to get my "to do" list started for the day.

The Weekend, Thus Far

R ran his first race of the season today and took second place in his age group. Little man and I went to cheer him on and take pictures. It was a fun morning because it started at a church so we had bathrooms to use, a playground for Little man, as well as a glorious sunny day. We were home by lunch time so it didn't take that much out of our day. R has around 2 or 3 races planned each month so we'll see how the season progresses. We used to do them together so it was a little bittersweet because we ran together last season. I have to admit there was a small part of me that missed the running and I've been having this itch to get back into it. I was running quite a bit last summer/fall but then once we moved and winter hit that sorta put a damper on my running. I would really like to get back to doing some slow jogging so I'm going to discuss with the dr if that would be possible since my body was conditioned to running not too long ago. I'm sure the 6 month break for winter though will affect the recommendation so we'll see what he says. I walk a great deal but there I would like something a little more upbeat.

It was gorgeous today, almost 65 degrees so we took advantage of the wonderful weather and raked, took a couple walks with the wagon, and went to the park. Tomorrow we will get the rest of the yard work done and prepare for planting flowers, which I can't wait for! It's so nice to be outside for the majority of the day. Little man seemed to have an accident prone day today though. He got a sliver, huge goose egg on his head from tripping over a ball, and then fell in the bath tub. I swear he has days like that every so often and I feel so bad for him because everything happens on the same day :o( At least I can be glad that he doesn't have those days too often.

My Weekend

On Friday I busted my butt to get my assignments for class done before we left for our race. R, Little man, and I went to Holland, MI to stay with R's friend A before our 5K race yesterday morning. We left about 4:30 and ate dinner at M@caroni Grill in Grand Rapids. We arrived in Holland and A and J were gone to a rehersal dinner so we just let ourself in their beautiful house and hung out playing pool and watching TV until they got home. We stayed up until 11:30pm chatting and catching up before we hit the sack for the night.

Yesterday morning we woke up at 6:00am to get ready for our 5K run in Saugatuck, MI. It takes about 20 minutes to get there from Holland. R's parents met us at the race so they could watch Little man while we ran. R ended up getting 2nd place in his age group and I ended up getting 8th. I bet my last time by about 1 minute, but the second mile killed me. I always tank it on the second mile. My third mile was of course my fastest. We stayed long enough for R to get his award before we left to head to lunch. We met A and J at Applebee'$ for lunch, along with R's parents. From there we headed home and proceeded to crash from lack of sleep and running. I layed down for a nap at around 5:30 and didn't wake up until 10:20pm, whoops.

Today I am struggling to get my last assignment done for the week. It's a reflection of what I learned this week in my children's lit class. We do so much reflecting that I feel like I am saying the same stuff over and over. This reflection has to be 2-3 pages, where as the rest have just been 1-2 so I have to think of more to write about what I "learned." Tomorrow I have a meeting with the elementary school principal to set up my case study students and volunteering at the school. I have to prepare for that meeting tonight as well as dig something out of boxes to wear since all our stuff is pretty much packed still from the move. My schedule is so damn busy that I feel like I don't have enough time in the day.

Little man is driving me NUTS!!!! He's now decided to fight tooth and nail with the whole potty training thing and now has started throwing a fit with getting dressed. I really need to get him on a predictable, set schedule so that he knows exactly what to expect. Well I've put off this assignment long enough. I'll write more later.

Success!!

I had my first scrapbooking get together yesterday and it went great. It was for my aunts, cousins, and grandma. They had a great time and it was so fun to see their creative sides come out. My aunt is even going to get started with scrapbooking and I am so excited. The rest of my family is going to begin getting their photos organized and that's awesome too! We actually had the event to keep my aunt busy while my uncle and cousin got her surprise 50th birthday party ready. Then when she left the get together everyone piled in their cars and raced over to their house to get there before she arrived. It's amazing that people don't arrive to a "surprise" birthday party on time!! There were tons of people that got there after the surprise. Not a time when fashionable late is really in fashion!!

I haven't blogged much about running lately but my ankle is almost back to normal and things are going really well. R ran a 5K yesterday and took first place for his age group so I'm so proud of him!!!!!!!!!!! I did speedwork tonight and ran my personal best lap at 1 minute and 45 seconds, too bad I can't keep that pace up for all my laps!!! R was very proud of me and helped me a lot with my form. The greatest thing is that my lap times kept getting better the more I ran, which usually isn't the case. I am loving the way my body is feeling from running and probably am hooked for life!!!!!!

Well I have to get to bed because despite it being Labor Day tomorrow I am going to be busy doing school work due to my heavy work load this semester! I just finished my last assignment for this week a few minutes ago and now tomorrow starts a new week. Half of the battle is just time management, thank God for my planner! Well I am whipped so I'm off to bed. I hope everyone takes it easy tomorrow :o)

So Far So Good

Speaking in terms of my ankle injury. I ran 5 miles last night doing speedwork and it felt good. I still have tenderness if I move it a certain way or sit with my legs crossed, but I'm hoping things will continue to heal and I'll be okay. R and I decided that since the train run we had previously decided on doing may or may not happen we're switching to the Detroit Half Marathon. It's October 20, so it's about a month later than the train run but that will give my ankle more time to get back to normal.

So far no pottying for Little Man. He had the day off today because R and him went to visit my inlaws for the day so we decided that taking the potty on the road was just not a good idea and we figured he probably would enjoy a break. I'm glad that I have 6 months to transition into this because it's going to be a long journey, I have a feeling.

Well today produced another rejection letter from a job that I applied for! I sent three other huge manilla envelopes to three new school districts today that have one job opening each. I still have three others that I haven't heard from. The postage is adding up! You wouldn't believe how many different things I had to send to one district today. Here goes the long list: resume, cover letter, transcripts, teaching certificate, completed 5 page application, two letters of recommendation, a lesson plan, and state test scores for my elementary education test. It cost $1.31 to mail, and the sad thing is that this is the second time in two years that I applied to this district. I really hope that I get a call for an interview sometime soon. R applied for another job yesterday and received an e-mail back telling him that he would be considered for the position. I hope something comes up soon!!!!! My friends are all going back to work next Tuesday and the school year begins on August 20th so it's a bit depressing to know that it could be me going back to my secure job in less than a week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I keep repeating my mantra "good things come to those who wait." However, it's getting harder and harder to believe.

My mom is having a Body Shop party tonight where we are going to do pedicures on ourselves so that should be fun. I also had the day to apply for jobs, sign up for classes, and get my scrapbooking all set up, basically a day of errands without Little Man. I have decided that I am going to start my Early Childhood degree in the spring so hopefully by then I'll have in state tuition. I signed up for two classes and have to get an override to sign up for another class and a lab. I really ideally would like R to get a job so we would have benefits and then I could just do scrapbooking and my classes. I also online tutor, so I would be making money. It would save on daycare, an extra car, insurance, etc... The problem we are running into is that we have to weigh my wages compared to how much daycare, car, insurance, gas, etc... would cost. There is a good possibility that my job would not yeild any profit depending on how far I would have to drive for the job. So much to think about!!!!! Keep your fingers crossed that everything just falls into place for us :o)

Fun Weekend!

R and I had a good time at my friend's cottage in the thumb of MI. It was really relaxing before all the people arrived and then it got a little more lively. I think I actually preferred the relaxing to the partying, but it was fun. It made me feel a bit old though because I definitely didn't drink much and I definitely had fun watching everyone drunk since I was mostly sober.

I'm hoping that my ankle is pretty much back to normal so I can start up running again this week. It feels much better but I still have a bruise that's a bit tender. I need to get moving because I'm feeling like crap! I was so into the rush that running provided for me, not to mention stress relief. We also ate like crap this weekend because there were so many good salads, sweets, etc... I'm going to start doing yoga and Pilate's again too because that just seems to work wonders for me.

Little Man seemed to grow an inch and expand his vocabulary by 100 words since we left on Thursday. He's so damn cute and he just cracks me up. My mom went to the store today and he was really sad to see her pull out of the drive way. He walked over to me with this pouty look on his face and said "I lost grandma." I bought this great preschool curriculum book to help me find activities and projects to keep him busy. They are all by theme. This week we are doing a "summer" theme and last week we did "camping." We had a good time and it kept him more occupied and things a bit structured like his daycare used to be. I think I'm going to hit potty training hard starting this week. We have the underwear and I am going to attempt it again. Pull ups are not going to work because he thinks they are swim diapers. Wish me luck with that. So far he's seemed less than interested, yet does show interest on his own terms. We'll see how things go.

I will hopefully have two meetings this week with friends who are interested in scrapbooking so I can try to sell some of my products and get this business off the ground. My aunt offered to have a get together so I need to get that scheduled also. I'm finally done with class for the next three weeks so I hope to get back to Little Man's scrapbook. Most of my friends are probably not interested in scrapbooking but they have awesome albums that you can add some special touches to that look really nice. I still have like 4 DVD's to watch that will help me get all the information I need to be successful.

I'm praying so hard that R will hear something this week from one of the jobs he applied for. We've been in Michigan for over 2 months I think it's high time we get something other than rejection letters and silence. Keep us in your prayers!!!