A 5K, a Soccer Game, and a Birthday Party!

This past Saturday, Jonathan participated in the Monkey C Monkey Run 5K, benefiting Camp Smile-A-Mile!  The race actually started in Homewood Park and ended right in front of our house!  Jack and I took advantage of our close proximity and sat on our porch and watched as all of the runners crossed the finish line.  Definitely a fun way to spend the morning! 

After the race, we drove up to Huntsville for our nephew, Henry's, 2nd birthday party!

Our niece, Kate, had a soccer game at noon, so it worked out well that we could be there for that too!  The Black Mambas played well, and Kate looked so cute in her little soccer uniform!

It seems like just yesterday we were driving down from Virginia to meet Henry for the first time and now he's two!  I can hardly believe it.  And he just so happens to be the cutest, sweetest little two year old around, I might add.

Laura really outdid herself (as she always does) and planned a precious cowboy themed party.  There were cute little activities for the kids, like panning for gold.  She made horses out of pool noodles and even had a tent set up!  It was the perfect, and the food was delicious too!

I just love watching these two little boys together.  They don't get to see each other as much as I know we would all like for them to, but I know they are going to be big buds and will have so much fun growing up together.

We had such a fun weekend!  Happy 2nd Birthday, Henry!

We got a . . .

Jogging stroller!

I am pretty excited about this, although it will be a while before I can actually use it.

Reasons:

A.  Jack is too small and can't hold himself up in it yet, and

B.  I think it is going to rain until summer.

Luckily, Jack will be six months old with much better head-control at the end of April when the weather should be getting nicer . . . 

unless it's still raining . . . 

and then I'll be forced to jump off our balcony.  

Only kidding. . . kind of. 

And I am especially excited, because we got a super deal on it!  I had been looking at some single jogging strollers online, and they were all pretty much at least $200 and up.  Now while I am not one of those people who scours the internet for deals, I still couldn't bring myself to feel OK with spending that kind of money on a single jogging stroller when we may have more kids and need a double ( I am staying cautiously optimistic that I can even push one of these, much less jog with it ).  Trust me, I tried.

So my mom called the other day and said she saw one on Ashley's List for - get this - $75 or best offer.

SOLD!!

I thought, if this thing has wheels and rolls, it'll be worth it.  And it does!  I ended up getting it for $65, and all I had to do was meet the guy in Trussville and pick it up!  I probably should have been a little more weary about the kind of condition it was in, but they seemed like a nice, trust-worthy couple, so I went with it.  Hopefully one of wheels won't fly off as we're running down the sidewalk.

We'll see in April!

Oh, Beautiful Town of Lexington

Workout - 4.5 mi, 47 min.  (Nice and slow...)

With fall officially here, Jonathan and I decided to get out and become "one" with nature.  We have been given the opportunity to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the country - truly, it is breathtaking.  I really wonder if people who were born and raised here appreciate just how beautiful it actually is.  Any time I'm lucky enough to get out of the office and take a drive down any one of the many two lane country roads in the area,  I honestly feel like I'm driving through a postcard.  It's at times like these when I really wish I knew the exact setting on my camera to capture exactly what I'm seeing at that moment.  I can't tell you how many times a day I think to myself, "I can't believe we get to live here.  This is so pretty."

A couple of weekends ago, we drove out to Goshen Pass - a popular nearby spot for all kinds of outdoor activities.  We had heard so many wonderful things about it, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint!

This past Sunday, we took our six miles to the Chessie Nature Trail and finished in 59:55!  With times like these, we may need to think about investing in personalized Road I.D. bracelets, lest we pass out on the trail and can't be identified.  We were told about this beautiful, FLAT trail by a fellow classmate of Jonathan's, and boy are we glad!  It runs along side the Maurry River, is covered in a canopy of soon-to-be fall-colored trees, and did I mention it's flat!  A nice break from the hilly streets of Lexington.  Till next time! 

 

Half Marathon Training: Day 1

Well, as I said before we all have to start somewhere.  And this morning I started the day off with a VERY slow and difficult run of three miles.  In a recent post, I said that I was going to be recording my workouts on here to keep myself accountable.  Well, you haven't seen any workouts on here recently, because I haven't been working out!  Funny how that happens. 

But today I have started anew!  I am starting September with a new mindset and a new goal.

Every article I have read about staying motivated when it comes to running, talks about setting a goal.  Whether it's to run three days a week or complete your first triathlon, start with a goal.  One suggestion I so naively followed was to go ahead and sign up for the race.  Sign up for the race you want to run and then you'll be more motivated to run and train, because you will have already paid your money. 

So, a couple of weeks ago I got really ambitious and signed up for a half marathon.  On November 12, I will be participating in the McDonald's Half Marathon in Richmond, Virginia.  The irony in this kills me.  That my very first half marathon is named for a fast food restaurant.  So appropriate! 

Well, I know one thing's for sure.  Fast food will have to take a backseat to some healthier options for the time being.  However, my feelings wouldn't be hurt if instead of medals, they rewarded us with Bic Macs.  I'm just saying I think that would put a little pep in my step.
  

Some Exciting News!

Workout - Ran outside 4 miles, 45:09, 388 cal.

Now that it's out, I can finally express my overwhelming excitement for Josh and Bonnie who are expecting their first BABY this February!!! 

I also just realized that I never expressed my excitement on here for Ben and Laura who are expecting their second BABY, a little BOY, at the end of September!!!  

I am beyond excited for these two little additions to join the fold!  And may I say how fortunate they both are to have such amazing parents.  I am so excited for all of the wonderful times ahead and so happy to get to be a part of it. 

On another note, the week is upon us . . .

SEASIDE!

One would think that by now with all the traveling I've been doing, I would be a pro at this.  The common phrase "pack light" has always been a foreign concept to me, and I fear that some things may never change. 

Sunday Funday

Workout - Ran outside 5 miles, 55:59, 500 cal.

I got up and ran before church this morning.  I know - I can't believe it either.  It was a much more pleasant experience today than it was yesterday.  Today, I didn't feel like I was going to pass out until around mile 4, and yesterday it was around mile 1.  And I didn't stop this time!  I think I started out at a slower pace today, which helped A LOT.

I stopped by Target and Wal-Mart after church today only to realize that we are quickly approaching one of my most favorite times of the year . . .

BACK TO SCHOOL!

I kept having to say over and over to myself:

"You don't need new pens."

"You don't need a new binder."

"You don't need an accordion file folder.  What would you use that for anyway?"

These are the things that went through my mind.  But it didn't stop me from looking!

I used to love getting the supply list for the new school year and going shopping with my mom.  If only I could justify buying a new backpack, lunchbox, and pencil pouch for work :)

      

We All Have to Start Somewhere

I am hoping this will stick, but I guess we'll see. 

I have been inspired by one of my new favorite blogs, SkinnyRunner, to keep a log of my workouts.  If you have any interest in running and have trouble getting and staying motivated, this is the blog for you - hers, not mine.  I'm obsessed with it!   

I hope that by doing this, I will increase my accountability and also my ability as a runner.  I'm not sure I'll ever be able to run twenty miles all at once like she does, but we all have to start somewhere!  So here goes...

Workout:  Ran outside 3.39 miles, 35:57, 325 cal.

Today's run was really hard!  Not only did it feel like it was about 1,000 degrees outside, but it also felt like there was not a breath of air to be found.  It would probably be a good idea from now on to run either early in the morning or later in the evening.  I think I'll get more miles that way and maybe also avoid a really embarrassing collapse onto the pavement.  One o'clock in the afternoon in mid July is a little more than I can handle at this point.  I have to admit - I stopped to walk three times.  My only pick-me-up was when  I heard Rihanna and T.I.'s "Live Your Life" over the earbuds, and I was able to pick up the pace a bit.

Also, for the first time today, I uploaded my workout to Garmin Connect.  With this program you are able to see a map of your route, your timing, and your elevation for each workout.  It keeps track of your distance, pace, time, and calories burned. 

  

It also has a calender feature, which allows you to keep track of your miles run per day, per week, and per month!

On another note, I thought a few of you would think this was funny.  This hand soap and lotion set has been sitting here next to our kitchen sink for over a month now.  It's my "fancy" Caldrea soap from Target, and I have yet to use it.  It was definitely an impulse buy.  I remember being so excited just to be in a Target that I felt I had to buy something fun and unnecessary, and this was it.  In my mind, I am saving it for a special occasion, I guess. Which is funny, because if that's the case,  it won't get used until graduation next May!

Instead of running today . . .

. . . I got an icing-covered oatmeal raisin cookie.

And no, I couldn't do both. I had to choose.

It was a tough decision

but worth every colorie.



Fourth of July Weekend

This past Thursday after work, I set out ONCE AGAIN for the Lynchburg airport.

Seriously, United Airways needs to give me a job. I practically have the flight attendant's safety shpeel memorized, and I'm sure flying the plane would be no big deal. Oh, what would Enterprise do without me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .eww, that's dangerous.

I knew that I would have more than one full day in between my travel days this weekend, so that made it a little more tolerable.

Thursday night, You, Me, and Dupree picked me up from the airport, and we made our usual Mcflurry run on the way home (with a side of fries for me, of course).

Friday morning J and I went on a rather slow, painful, and HOT run around Homewood. I'm sure the fact that I felt like I weighed 100 pounds more than I actually do had absolutely nothing to do with my dinner selection the night before. Not only did this run serve to remind me that healthy eating habits = easier run, but it also reaffirmed my feelings of hopefully one day living right down the street from Josh and Bon :) I love Homewood!

Then it was off to Trussville and Moody to see the fam, and then back into town for a visit with the Rowes and their new addition, Veda Jane! I wish I wasn't so forgetful, and I would have a picture of this long-awaited visit. She is perfect, and its probably better this way, because my poor photography skills would scarcely do her justice.

We continued our tour de Alabama northward to Florence, where we basically spent the rest of the weekend on the lake. I got some pretty good shots of folks wake surfing. And for the FIRST time I was able to throw the rope in the boat! I was pretty excited as you can see by the fist pump.