31 weeks isn't feeling so far away

The crazy thing about this count down is that once I get closer it means the Holidays are approaching..I am not going to think about that or I may completely stress myself out! I AM excited to post this week, I am 1 day late due to the Easter Holiday as well as working that evening. So here we go...

Goals for last week:
  

• Prepare my foods for home cooked meals: I could probably do better with this, but no one can change over night. It is a learning process and I am progressing!
• Jazzercise: I did go...only twice this week.
• Run 3-4x/wk: I ran 3 times this week. Monday we did 3 miles, Tuesday we did 4.5 miles and on Sunday 3.1 miles! Look at me, I am turning into a runner!
• 5K April 7th: This is why I am excited!! My friend and I did a 5K on Saturday, it was her 1st and my 2nd (my 1st was over 2 years ago). We ran for Prayer Child, it is their 2nd annual race and still quite small (about 70 runners). It is a wonderful organization geared to help children with special needs. I was so blessed to have raised money for them, knowing the money was going to someone who really needed it. Right before they started the race they had a family share their story, and then they handed them a check for $1000! I ran the 3.1 miles in 37:09 minutes, a pace of 11:58 minute per mile. We timed our first mile though and we did it a 9:50 min. My faster..EVER! I sure paid for it though and slowed down the last 2 miles. But I kept going and I finished and after I caught my breath and drank some water I was ready to enjoy my victory! We might not have won a medal but we accomplished something and that means way more to me! Plus..there's always next time!!

Our matching outfits to STAND OUT!

After we crossed the finish line!

Our Goal this week:

• Make at least one new healthy meal this week, and I will post it!
• Jazzercise
• Run twice this week, I want take it easy.
• Sign up for our next 5K

 

32 weeks makes 8 months

8 months til the half marathon. Thank God! Because I am SO not ready!! Somehow life always gets in the way and I have to make the effort to do the work. I know what I have to do and I commit to this 100%. The last 2 weeks have been hard on me on different levels. I feel like I have only been giving 50% effort. I know if I were to give 100% I could amaze myself...I have already lost 5 pounds; I haven't seen that number on the scale in quite some time!

 Goals from last 2 weeks:

• Stick to eating 1200-1400 calories: I do good MOST days, need to stop eating out so much again. Been hard to stick to cooking at home when I am on the go so much. 
• Jazzercise: I have only been about 3 times in the last 2 weeks, but I am going when I can! My instructor has added more classes, so I am hoping to be able to make more.
• Run 3x/wk: Not at all..yes, I am training for a half marathon. Yes, I have not been running. No, I am not an idiot. I am running this morning and have plans for the whole week AND I signed up for a 5K for next Saturday. Motivation at its finest!!
• Pass all 3 exams: YES!! Didn't do as well as I would have hoped, but I passed and I still have some time to make up for the point I did miss.

Goals for this week:

• Prepare my foods for home cooked meals
• Jazzercise
• Run 3-4x/wk
• 5K April 7th!

 

Hard to believe..

It is hard to believe that 6 years ago I was pregnant, almost feels like a life time ago. For the first 5 years of my adult life I was pregnant. That was my life, making babies and taking care of them. I truly loved it. I even miss being pregnant and had my husband not gotten the big 'V' 6 years ago, I would probably have more. 

Not that I could handle it. 

Being pregnant and having a sweet little baby..that's the easy part. 

Yes, it is difficult to go through 9 months of pregnancy, it is painful at child birth, it takes unimaginable strength to care for a newborn baby while healing from the inside out. 

But the hard part....

The hard parts are potty training an unwilling participant, being in a store with a cranky child and getting stares, having to leave a store without your needed items because you can't stop a 2 year old in her manic tantrum, having to see them cry in pain and not being able to do anything about it, having to send them to school and trust others to take care of your child the way you would, having to teach your child that others can be mean, but they are perfect just the way the are, seeing the disappointment in their eye when you say 'no', grounding them even when it hurts YOU more, answering the hard questions about life, death, sex...learning to let go because you know that they can't grow into who they are if you don't. 

It'll be even harder to watch them make choices they will have to pay the consequences for. Bad decision they will make because we ALL make them. Comforting their broken heart. Hearing words from them that will break YOUR heart.

How you handle these hard moments, I think that is what defines you as a mother. or even a father. Showing your love through your own pain. 

Unconditional love.

It is hard work being a mother but the rewards are priceless. 

I cannot be a perfect mother, but I can apologize when I am wrong, I can cry with them through the pain, I can laugh, I can trust and I can love.

my girls

my boy

 

Prayer Request

I know I didn't update my 1/2 Marathon journey the last week, it been a really off couple weeks with the kids being on Spring Break. They went back to school on Monday and I'm finally feeling back to normal to some extent. 

But the main reason I wanted to write is for everyone to pray for my cousin's daughter, Cailyn! We found out last week she has a rare form of cancer, and it is located on her brain stem. Because of this, they cannot operate and she has to do radiation and chemotherapy . She is a beautiful 3 year old and she has a little brother, Ian, who is 15 months. The whole family just needs prayer and support! They live in Florida, my cousin is in the Navy and just returned from a 6 month deployment. He had to come home and receive this devastating news. I know it is easy to give up during hard times, but they are strong and brave and will get through this. We serve an AWESOME God that can heal her! I want everyone around the world praying for Cailyn!!! 

Thank you!

 

34 and ready for more..

I had a hard time this week with exercising. I was very busy with work, the kids being off for Spring Break and just needing some good old fashion rest! I probably needed my rest more than working out and I tried to maintain my calories just for that reason! Amazingly enough I saw a number on the scale I hadn't seen for quite some time--down 4 pounds! Woohoo!! 

The kids and I were able to make a trip to Tucson for the weekend so my sister and I were able to go for a 3 mile run! A little taste of running together before the 1/2 marathon! It was so nice to be able to do that & she definitely helped me push through and run more-Thanks Salina! Maybe I'll be able to keep up with her after all :-)

 

 Goals for last week:

• Keep up with my calories: Did great, only went over my daily calorie allowance one day & not by much :)
  
• Jazzercise 3x/wk: unfortunately I missed Jazzercise ALL week! I worked during most of the classes, I slept in on Tuesday and Friday's class didn't work out because I only got 5 hours of sleep, still needed to pack & head to Tucson for the weekend. But that is OK, I will be back full swing next week!
• Run 3x/wk-Walk 3min/Run 7min repeat 3 times: I did this once, on Sunday and it went great! Then I did not run all week. Saturday I ran the 3 miles with my sister and we pretty much ran the whole time...except the 2nd mile when I had to stop because my foot went numb HAHA Is that normal??
• Stop stressing: I did my share of stressing, but not about this. I am enjoying this part of my life. Now if only I could get out and run more!!

Goals for this week:

• Stick to eating 1200-1400 calories
• Jazzercise
• Run 3x/wk
• Pass all 3 exams this week! Eek! :-)