I have been putting off signing us up for our big half marathon in October until after I had my orthopedic doctor appointment for my knee. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't having some sort of problem that would keep me from training for the race. I had my appointment last week and it went great! It was at a doctor's office that specializes in sports medicine and they were very helpful! They think it's only patella tendonitis. Which is not bad at all, just a pain and something that will eventually go away. They offered some suggestions and it made me feel a lot better. I have only let myself run several times this last month (which has been very hard), but my knee doesn't hurt at all right now. I have lots of hope that it is going away! So, as soon as we all get over the nasty colds we have right now, it will be back to running as usual!
With that good news, we are officially signed up for our half marathon at Disney in October and I couldn't be more excited!! It's a night run on October 2nd, which is our 4th wedding anniversary! We have no idea who is going to watch our kids, but we can't wait for our first ever mini vacation alone (only 1 or 2 nights) since having kids! We will miss them, but it will be nice to get away. If someone tried telling me on our wedding day, that in 4 years we would have 2 little boys and be running a half marathon together, I would have never believed it! It's funny how life changes so quickly.
I was so nervous the first half marathon I did and I had no idea what to expect. This time it will just be fun! I have run that distance quite a few times between my race back in March and other training runs. It will be James' first race of that distance, but he has already run that far in our neighborhood. I know he will do great! I'm also hoping I can jump right back into my running routine so that I can decide which full marathon to sign up for in 2011.
I can't wait to see how our shorter distance times improve, this is going to make our 5k & 10k runs so much easier! :)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Summer Fun!
We ended up doing pretty well with our garage sale a few weeks back. We used the money from all the little toys, to buy just one larger outside toy. We got the kids a little playhouse and they have been having lots of fun with it. It even has a little kitchen in it, which Logan really enjoys. He loves to pretend cook and it's always funny to listen to him talking about what he is cooking. (He also enjoys watching the Food Network and looking at my William Sonoma catalog, while talking in detail about each picture!) Maybe we have a future chef!
The summer has been very hot so far, but still lots of fun! We also got a little plastic pool from Walmart. One of the best $12 purchases ever! It has been great with this heat. We even put up our beach umbrella over it and that way the kids can't get too much sun.
The summer has been very hot so far, but still lots of fun! We also got a little plastic pool from Walmart. One of the best $12 purchases ever! It has been great with this heat. We even put up our beach umbrella over it and that way the kids can't get too much sun.
Monday, June 28, 2010
My Busy Boys
Friday, June 25, 2010
Summer Track Nights
The track club we belong to puts on a Summer Track Series. It happens every Thursday night during the months of June and July on the track at Maclay School. It is for any aged kids and adults too. They do most of the events that you would see at a high school track meet. It is just for fun, but you do get points for winning. At the end of the whole series, awards are given out. Kids get ribbons for finishing events too.
We have meant to go to all of them, but we have just been so busy. We only made it to one in June. It was really a fun thing, but it was super hot out. My Dad was in town the night we went, so he also came by to hang out also! The kids were very excited when he got them banana flavored snowcones! They were such a mess between sweat and snowcones, but they did have a great time!
James ran the 200 meter that night and did pretty good! It was the first time he ever ran a sprinting event. I would have loved to try, but I chose to just watch. I knew that type of running would not be good for my knee!
They have a 40 yard dash for kids under 5, which Logan tried. He was very excited about it and it started out great. Halfway through it, he got upset and wouldn't finish. I think he just got overwhelmed by people watching and cheering. We didn't have Jack try because we figured he wouldn't want anything to do with it, but we realized later that he loved running on the track. He would just take off in one direction and even stay between the lines. We are going to let Jack try it next time and maybe Logan might have more fun if his brother is running too.
We really hope we can make it to more track nights in July!
We have meant to go to all of them, but we have just been so busy. We only made it to one in June. It was really a fun thing, but it was super hot out. My Dad was in town the night we went, so he also came by to hang out also! The kids were very excited when he got them banana flavored snowcones! They were such a mess between sweat and snowcones, but they did have a great time!
James ran the 200 meter that night and did pretty good! It was the first time he ever ran a sprinting event. I would have loved to try, but I chose to just watch. I knew that type of running would not be good for my knee!
They have a 40 yard dash for kids under 5, which Logan tried. He was very excited about it and it started out great. Halfway through it, he got upset and wouldn't finish. I think he just got overwhelmed by people watching and cheering. We didn't have Jack try because we figured he wouldn't want anything to do with it, but we realized later that he loved running on the track. He would just take off in one direction and even stay between the lines. We are going to let Jack try it next time and maybe Logan might have more fun if his brother is running too.
We really hope we can make it to more track nights in July!
Pot Luck Bash 4 Mile Prediction Run - June 5, 2010
Early in June we participated in a run that the track club puts on. It was 4 miles, run on trails (right after a day of lots of rain!) It actually quit storming right before it was time to start. Made for a messy run in some areas of the trails! This run was called a predition run. We had never heard of one of these before, but it sounded like a lot of fun! At a predition run, no watches or distance trackers of any kind are allowed. So that meant no nike plus for us! There are no mile markers during the run either. When sigining up for this race, you give them a time which you predict you will finish in. Winning is not based on who finished first, but who was closest to predicting their finish time.
This run made me realize how much I depended on my nike plus. It wasn't necessarily the speed I needed to know, but the distance. My mind was playing games with me and I really had no clue how far into my run I was. It was very strange! I think I need to go out and run more often without knowing my speed or distance.
James came out pretty close. He predicted he would finish in 28:40 and finished in 29:14. Only 34 seconds off, not too bad! I predicted I would finish in 33:12 and finished in 37:27. Not so good for me! I actually stopped to walk for a bit in this race, which I never do. I felt like I was going to get sick and I'm not a fan of throwing up while running.
After the race there was a big pot luck dinner! A low country boil with shrimp was provided and everyone else brought a dish to share! We brought lots of chocolate chip cookies! Overall a really fun event and lots of great food! Hopefully next year we will be better at the prediction part of it! :)
(I will add some pictures later)
This run made me realize how much I depended on my nike plus. It wasn't necessarily the speed I needed to know, but the distance. My mind was playing games with me and I really had no clue how far into my run I was. It was very strange! I think I need to go out and run more often without knowing my speed or distance.
James came out pretty close. He predicted he would finish in 28:40 and finished in 29:14. Only 34 seconds off, not too bad! I predicted I would finish in 33:12 and finished in 37:27. Not so good for me! I actually stopped to walk for a bit in this race, which I never do. I felt like I was going to get sick and I'm not a fan of throwing up while running.
After the race there was a big pot luck dinner! A low country boil with shrimp was provided and everyone else brought a dish to share! We brought lots of chocolate chip cookies! Overall a really fun event and lots of great food! Hopefully next year we will be better at the prediction part of it! :)
(I will add some pictures later)
More updates to come soon :)
I didn't forget about this blog already, I promise. We are back in town, but I just haven't had the time to sit down and work on any updates. We have had a really busy last few weeks. I promise to get some up over this weekend! Lots to come! Here's just one cute picture of James and Jack (James Junior) watching soccer together!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Busy, Busy
What a beautiful summer night! (I took this picture tonight, while hanging out with Jack in the playroom)
I feel like I have been losing my mind lately, between the heat and how busy we have been. I have many updates to work on, but no time! They will have to wait until next week because we have a busy next few days and are preparing for our weekend away. Hope everyone has a wonderful Father's Day Weekend!!
I feel like I have been losing my mind lately, between the heat and how busy we have been. I have many updates to work on, but no time! They will have to wait until next week because we have a busy next few days and are preparing for our weekend away. Hope everyone has a wonderful Father's Day Weekend!!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Garage Sale?
We have been so busy this week, I feel like I can barely think straight! We decided work, the kids and everything else wasn't enough to keep us busy. We figured a garage sale would be a good idea. Since we have 2 little boys so close together, we have massive amounts of clothes and toys that we just don't need. I don't know where it all comes from! I have been cleaning things out all week. Not just kids stuff, but the garage, my closet, James' closet and every other random closet in this house. Pretty much a huge mix of all kinds of stuff, but probably 70% kids stuff! So any of our local friends... we are having a garage sale on Saturday morning. Hopefully people show up. Hopefully we sell all the toys! We are going to use money from all the little toys to get the kids just one nice outside toy. Anything left over after that will go towards some storage to make our garage more organized. I love things being neat and organized. I can't wait until this sale is over! I am exhausted!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Garden Goodness
I meant to do some updates on gardening sooner, so I have just been saving up all of these pictures over the last month or so. We are so excited about all of the good things coming out of our garden! This is our third year doing it and the best one so far! Having a garden was just a spur of the moment project a few years back and neither of us had any idea what we were doing. It wasn't a common thing where we grew up. We are still amazed that we have actually figured out how to grow our own food! It works out great for us because we always have fresh veggies to add to our dinners and it really saves us money on produce too. Last year we even added canning to the process. It's almost time to start canning the jalapenos and banana peppers. My FAVORITE thing that comes out of this garden are the Tobasco Chili Peppers. I can't wait to start making hot sauce once those ripen. We have lived off of the hot sauce all year and we are almost out!
Most of the Garden
Monday, June 7, 2010
Weekends need to be longer.
Well the weekend came and went by way too fast! Life has seemed very busy lately. Time has been flying between work, the kids and everything else! Our children have been somewhat of a challenge lately too. Logan all of a sudden realized that he was 2. Our sweet natured little boy is dealing with a case of "the terrible two's" and sometimes it feels like we have a completely different child. I hope this stage goes by quick, he is making me crazy some days! And well Jack... he has always been somewhat of a challenge! :)
We spent most of the weekend around the house. Friday we had a yummy steak dinner along with potatoes and onions. (both from the garden!) Saturday we tried some lake fishing. No luck again! Saturday night we had a babysitter and we spent our "date night" at a 4 mile prediction run and potluck bash! (post to follow)
Sunday morning we went to our wonderful church. Logan no longer cries when we drop him off at his class. That is a HUGE accomplishment! This has been a big problem for him, especially since he is not in daycare or preschool. Also, while at church, my knee almost gave out on me a few times and I was having some issues. I decided to stop by the walk in clinic since it was open and just blocks from our church. I really wouldn't have gone otherwise, but we were right there. Stayed for a few hours, got some x-rays and got told by the doctor... "you really should find a new way to exercise instead of running." Pretty much a waste of time. She wanted me to get an MRI to check if I tore my meniscus, but I think I am going to just wait for my orthopedic appointment in two weeks since they will have a better idea of what is going on. It can't be anything too serious, just completely annoying! Oh well, worth a try! I'm not good at being patient.
Nothing too exciting planned over the next few weeks for us, but we are looking forward to a trip to Clearwater to see both of the Grandpas for Fathers Day! :)
Here are a few pictures from our weekend...
We spent most of the weekend around the house. Friday we had a yummy steak dinner along with potatoes and onions. (both from the garden!) Saturday we tried some lake fishing. No luck again! Saturday night we had a babysitter and we spent our "date night" at a 4 mile prediction run and potluck bash! (post to follow)
Sunday morning we went to our wonderful church. Logan no longer cries when we drop him off at his class. That is a HUGE accomplishment! This has been a big problem for him, especially since he is not in daycare or preschool. Also, while at church, my knee almost gave out on me a few times and I was having some issues. I decided to stop by the walk in clinic since it was open and just blocks from our church. I really wouldn't have gone otherwise, but we were right there. Stayed for a few hours, got some x-rays and got told by the doctor... "you really should find a new way to exercise instead of running." Pretty much a waste of time. She wanted me to get an MRI to check if I tore my meniscus, but I think I am going to just wait for my orthopedic appointment in two weeks since they will have a better idea of what is going on. It can't be anything too serious, just completely annoying! Oh well, worth a try! I'm not good at being patient.
Nothing too exciting planned over the next few weeks for us, but we are looking forward to a trip to Clearwater to see both of the Grandpas for Fathers Day! :)
Here are a few pictures from our weekend...
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Who Wants Tomatoes??
Seriously... we are giving them away. We have more than we know what to do with. I will do a post soon on our garden and what it looks like now, but I just had to put this one up here. These are just some of the tomatoes I took off of one plant last night (and we have at least 7 tomato plants). It is non stop tomatoes around here. Our kids will eat these like candy, but we can only feed them so many. The bell peppers were pretty awesome that we picked last night too. We should have a bunch of those to share soon also! :)
Our Little Visitor
If you have spent much time at our house you know that we have deer everywhere. We were amazed by all of them at first, but then it kind of turned into a nuisance. They eat everything! They are the biggest enemy to my garden. They aren't that exciting anymore to us. However, we do get very excited when we either see a little baby or a big buck. There are lots of pregnant mama deer around right now, so we have been waiting to see a baby. I got up this morning and we had a baby in our yard! It hung out here all morning. I walked out with Logan to make sure it was doing ok and we took a few pictures. It's body was only about a foot long and it looked to be a newborn. Logan loved seeing it up close.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
A good article for running moms!
I came across this article months ago, even before having a knee injury that interrupted my running schedule. I saved it because It made me smile, I can relate :) I'm sure many other's can too! It is a little extreme, but I just thought I would share it.
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7124,s6-243-297--13439-0,00.html
Obviously, there are quite a few other things more important in my life than running! It's just hard when you can't physically do something you love to do and that makes you feel so much better! Right now in my life, running is my "me" time and my hobby of choice! I hope it will continue for a long, long time.
Whether it is running or something else completely different, it is not fun for anyone when you just can't do something. It has been hard on me, but on the plus side I had a great run last night and I felt back to normal. My knee is paying for it today though! :)
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7124,s6-243-297--13439-0,00.html
Obviously, there are quite a few other things more important in my life than running! It's just hard when you can't physically do something you love to do and that makes you feel so much better! Right now in my life, running is my "me" time and my hobby of choice! I hope it will continue for a long, long time.
Whether it is running or something else completely different, it is not fun for anyone when you just can't do something. It has been hard on me, but on the plus side I had a great run last night and I felt back to normal. My knee is paying for it today though! :)
Tulip Trot 5K - May 22, 2010
On Saturday May 22nd, we did the Tulip Trot 5k. It was at Tom Brown Park and it was to benefit Parkinson's Disease. It ended up being a pretty big crowd with 318 runners. We picked up my mom on the way to help with the kids and she also took some good pictures for us! The kids had lots of fun and really enjoyed the tulip balloons that were passed out!
It was a hard run for both of us. It was very hot and humid out. James still did well! (as usual!) I was not so lucky! James finished in 21:19 and was 19th overall! I finished in 30:14 and was 126th overall. I was so disappointed when I saw my time. My worst time ever!! It took everything for me to not stop and walk during this run. My knee issues have been so frustrating. I'm not exactly in pain anymore, I just can't seem to run normal. I can't get back in my normal running stride, it just feels awkward. I have not been doing my normal long distance runs lately to give myself some time to heal and it has made my endurance horrible. So I had both those disadvantages working against me at this run. I have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor later this month, so hopefully I can get some answers. I don't think it is anything horrible, I just have to find out what the problem is so I know how to get it better.
Even with difficulties, it was a fun race as usual! We think every race is fun, no matter what the outcome!
It was a hard run for both of us. It was very hot and humid out. James still did well! (as usual!) I was not so lucky! James finished in 21:19 and was 19th overall! I finished in 30:14 and was 126th overall. I was so disappointed when I saw my time. My worst time ever!! It took everything for me to not stop and walk during this run. My knee issues have been so frustrating. I'm not exactly in pain anymore, I just can't seem to run normal. I can't get back in my normal running stride, it just feels awkward. I have not been doing my normal long distance runs lately to give myself some time to heal and it has made my endurance horrible. So I had both those disadvantages working against me at this run. I have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor later this month, so hopefully I can get some answers. I don't think it is anything horrible, I just have to find out what the problem is so I know how to get it better.
Even with difficulties, it was a fun race as usual! We think every race is fun, no matter what the outcome!
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- Half Marathon in October, Here We Come!
- Summer Fun!
- My Busy Boys
- Summer Track Nights
- Pot Luck Bash 4 Mile Prediction Run - June 5, 2010
- More updates to come soon :)
- Busy, Busy
- Garage Sale?
- Garden Goodness
- Weekends need to be longer.
- Who Wants Tomatoes??
- Our Little Visitor
- A good article for running moms!
- Tulip Trot 5K - May 22, 2010
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