Indianapolis Monumental Marathon - The Rest of Training

Seeing this video making it's way around social media this week made me realize that I haven't updated the world on my marathon training! (My favorite line is when she says, "Why would I talk about something that is interesting to no one?!") Well, this post is all about marathon training so if you're not interested, click away. :)

I left off at Week 7 and I'm now in Week 19. Without a ton of specifics, I ran a lot. Not as much as many people run during marathon training, but enough to keep me eating and sleeping more! Plus, I added in a handful of spin classes and continued strength training once a week.

I also squeezed in two half marathons in September which means I hit my 2015 running goals! One of the races I even got under 1:50! It may have an asterisk but I'm counting it! The full marathon wasn't even on my radar for the year. (Race posts upcoming!)

I'll do a quick update via photos for the missed weeks...

First up was our 14 mile run. I say "our"... Steph is in! She's doing the whole thing too! Soooooo thankful that we've been able to do all of our long runs together!

I've been on a mission to fix some foot issues. This was an attempt at heat moldable inserts. Boiling inserts on my stove is not something I ever pictured myself doing! (They didn't work.)

Next up was a 16 miler. Slow and steady has been our game plan! I'm totally convinced that this theory has made training so much more doable. I didn't start needing a nap and eating like crazy until 18 or 20 mile runs. "Slow" running is the best. :) (I'm probably running 45-60 seconds per mile slower than I did last round, but plan on beating my time in the race.)

New favorite song on my playlist this round.

After the insoles, I tried a Brooks Ghost 7 in a larger size. No dice. I then tried out some Altra's. Numb toes. Absolutely loved the cushioning though! Just a little funky looking!

Really, in total, I've only had two runs this entire time that felt bad. And, they felt terrible. The first was 18. Ugh. Plodding along and sore knees. 

I also did my first specialty 5K - the Glow Run! Super fun with black-lights and neon powder. Glow in the dark tattoo...

Here's my personal marathon cheerleader - Monica. Remember how she stood out in the freezing cold rain last time around?! She always makes everything super fun! 

The next day was a very early 20 mile run. I carb-loaded with some pancakes at Denny's around 11PM so I was ready to go! Headlamps were necessary for this one! (Maybe I should have just kept my light up glasses and necklace!) 

This 20 miler felt SO much better than the 18 of the previous week. How does that even work?! It must have felt good for Steph too because she signed up after this one!

Tom and I both ran before church that morning! 50K (31 miles) between the two of us! Not too shabby!

The next week, we took off for Virginia for Fall Break. I owe a big post on that one! On a running note though, Josie ran 4 miles with Tom at a great pace. Look at her stride! 

I got a run in at the park too and a few others on a treadmill. This morning, I had the entire State Park to myself! I seriously only saw one truck and one other runner the whole time!

Home again. I love our trails in the neighborhood, especially in the fall. So familiar!

Finally, the last 20 miler came around. This was the other awful one. I know why though I think. I slept badly, didn't fuel right and didn't have enough water. I suffered through though even if I did take to the couch until 6PM. Tough. Didn't even get any pictures. :) Appreciated seeing this on IG the next week though!

Last weekend was a 10 mile run at race pace. We brought it home with an 8:45 pace. And, talked the whole time. Piece of cake! 

Oh year. And, Tom decided he will take on the full as well. What a guy! I'm sure he'll be able to do it and I'm excited to see what he thinks!

So, here we are. Race day shows up on the 10 day forecast tomorrow.  We have less than 20 miles left in our training program. We're there folks. Bring it. 

#bemonumental

Moment in Time...Captured

Every once in a while, I get in a panic and worry that I will forget all of the little things that happen in our daily lives as the kids grow up. That panic has set in recently, so here are the memories of this sunny, yet cool, day in May.

JACK

We had a Mother's Day event at Timber Run today. Toward the end of the afternoon, Jack climbed up on a stool, turned around and jumped off. This is not something he would usually do. Did he land on his feet? Nope. His knees? Nope. He landed smack on his forehead. Much crying and a cold compress later, all that remains is a big strawberry.

TESSA

At the same event, there was a word scramble filled with words used to describe mothers. Tom was helping Tessa and asked her what were some words she would use to describe me to see if any were obvious on the scramble. First word that came to mind? Bossy. Amazingly, not on the list. She thought for a while and then said "Well, she does a lot of laundry. Is that one of them?" Also, not on the list. Apparently, our last bout of putting away laundry may have been a bit tenuous.

JOSIE

As second grade comes to a close, Josie's spelling words are getting much more difficult. I am not kidding when I say that I struggle with spelling, and even pronouncing, some of them. In fact, I can't even define a handful of them. I'm glad she's being stretched but man, I'm thankful for spell check!

Last week's list:

incident
avarice
moderation
score
nimbly
poised
derisively
lea
jutting
indignant

This week's list:

dully 

glinting 

exhaustive

dabbed 

rubbish  

proprietor

pleasantries

acquiring

crockery 

briskly 

Random Thoughts & Photo Dump

Man, it's been a while. I blame the never ending winter. Who gets snow the week of Easter?!?! Especially, when Easter falls mid-April?!?!

Enough of that...

Random thoughts on this random Thursday...

The girls like stealing my phone and doctoring photos with A Beautiful Mess. They're pretty cute and sweet on their brother.

Jack is also a fan of stealing my phone. Usually for Subway Surfer but this time I got him to take a selfie.

Josie is such a reader just like I was. Now, I tend to get stuck playing mindless games on phone like 2048. Every once in a while, I force myself to read instead. I love curling up on our sectional in the hearth room and reading. Josie apparently does too.

She picked out a real winner at the library last week - an Italian Dictionary. 

I was in a goofy mood this morning on my way into work. I like those moods. They don't come around often and they don't tend to stick around either, especially on office days. I probably should have gone and done something creative but instead I sat at my desk and filled out condo questionnaires and other random paperwork.

We checked out an architectural salvage company this weekend. Wow was this place cool. Tons of neat stuff for a home. And, a Spiderman statue. Too bad it was sold.

I'm feeling very (very) iffy about the upcoming Indy Mini. I was sick last week with a cold and didn't run at all. Now, I can't keep up a good pace and everything hurts from my knees down. I haven't been very consistent with my mileage this cycle and I think it's catching up to me.

Also, I've given myself a pass on one part of my running goal this year. My thought was that if I hit under 1:50 in a half, I would train for another marathon. I decided this week that I may be sabotaging myself with hitting that time because I really don't want to train for another marathon. So, new goal... if I can hit a sub-1:50, I can quit running. (I'm in a "I hate running" season right now. It will pass.)

The "Marathon Man" we saw during the October race reached his goal of running the most marathons in one year. I can't remember how many but it was a lot. I'll bet his knees hurt worse than mine.

I'm signing Jack up for preschool which makes me tear up a bit. He saw the brochure and thought it was hilarious that Santa comes to preschool.

I decided on Friday that I wanted to make bows for the girls to match their soccer uniforms. I got this one done - beginner's luck because now I can't seem to make any more without really screwing it up.

We "planted" a "garden" this year. Use of the double quotes is needed because it was a little more like sticking seeds randomly into some dirt. Our plot is where an old, dead pine tree used to be. I used a yard rake to churn it up a bit and then let Tessa stick some seeds in haphazardly. I'm pretty sure you won't find those instructions on any gardening blog.

I want so badly to be the type of household that has a bountiful harvest every summer and fall - so many zucchini that you have to put it in everything. Well, we didn't even plant zucchini. We have lettuce, spinach, red peppers, jalepeno peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, and spearmint along with some sunflowers and sweet peas for Tessa. My best guess? We'll scrounge up one or two cucumbers.

The 100 Acres at the IMA is really cool. Tom was a little less than impressed on Saturday when we took the kids out to enjoy the 70 degree day. But, I still say it's cool.

Promptly after "planting" a "garden," and frolicking around in the outdoors, it snowed.

We got a call on Saturday asking if we wanted tickets for all five of us to go to the Pacers game. In a suite. Uh... yes please! The kids were totally spoiled for their first professional sporting event! They loved it though.

We've done a lot of spring cleaning this spring, including the guest room and the garage. The garage could already use it again.

The kids are loving the ability to play outside. Everyday they beg. And, Josie finally got up the guts to take off the training wheels on her bike. Her favorite thing to do is ride around the loop in front of our house. I have a sneaking suspicion that Tessa won't be far behind.

Soccer's been a big hit this season too. Josie is figuring out to be a great defender. Tessa finally decided on her own that she wanted to play. Moms of younger kids - I learned an important lesson. It is best to wait until kids are willing to play on their own accord. Tessa's a real go-getter this year! Attacks the ball and wants to be in the action. Better than the field crying she did the last time she played.

I heard a really great speaker at MOPS this week on Discipline - Marianne Miller - website here. She made it sound so easy. I have really been trying hard to implement her strategies this week but find myself saying her big no-no's, like, "Stop crying" and "if you ______, I'll give you _______" and "you'd better do ________ or else _________." Baby steps right? Most importantly, I remember that she talked about how God made each of our children exactly the way they are for a reason. That helps when Jack is screaming and stomping because I won't let him eat his fourth piece of Easter candy. Or, when I start to win at Candy Land.

I just looked through an old photo album of me when I was a kid. I can't believe how much I see Josie and Jack in those pictures. Tessa? Not so much.

Every once in a while, these two get really photogenic.

Other times, I get this.

I forgot how much 3 year olds love egg hunts. He thought it was awesome.

Told you it was random. Until the next random update...

What 6 & 7 Year Old Girls Do When Bored...

It seems as if I'm always walking around picking up random pieces of paper with a few scribbles or doodles. Recently, I saved back a few because I realized it is a phase of their life that I wanted to capture. Usually Tessa is the one who draws, but she's getting into writing too. Josie hardly ever draws and has taken to writing as well.

Here are some samples from their most recent portfolios!

The first few are from Josie. I can't remember what these types of things are called. But, yes, yelling is actually fairly common in our household. It's not always bad, but the general noise level is usually pretty high.

I love the "Supersmart" and "Supernice." 

I found this in our office after they had left and never did get a chance to ask Josie what it all meant. Interesting to say the least. 

This is a favorite of mine that Tessa brought home from school after Veteran's Day.

Tessa wrote me this note in the car on the way home from Ohio. She thanked me BEFORE I helped her with her project. Smart little girl. :)

These are my favorites. Tom and I found these in our office after the girls had been there playing. Apparently, they were playing New Home Salesperson. :)

Perfect Weekend at Home!

Another fun weekend at home! This really doesn't happen very often and it is even more rare that we actually stay home. (Last one was Memorial Day and it was memorable enough to blog about too!) The thought crossed my mind to hit Conner Prairie today, but was overruled by sticking around home and I am happy we did. Here's a rundown!

Friday was my day out of the office this week. I have worked hard to only work three days a week this summer, but since we just returned from vacation, I worked four this week. On my day off, we hit the library, Walmart and just hung out around the house. The kids did a little bike riding too. Jack is really getting the hang of riding his bike.

I ran Friday night once Tom came home. I decided to run hill repeats to add in some variety. I signed up for the October Indianapolis Marathon (more running posts to come) and it is a hilly one. Maybe if I do hills specifically once a week, I'll be prepared. 

Tom ran out for dinner fixings and I hit the back porch with a glass of wine and Runner's World. This was a perfect way to end quite a stressful and busy week!

Somewhere along the way, Josie lost her second front tooth! She lost the first one a few days ago and then the second one started looking really bad. It was almost totally sideways! It finally came out after days of wiggling. You can tell she's having a really hard time talking with them gone!

Here is the progression of tooth photos!

Saturday morning, the girls had their second gymnastics' camp. They have a fun time going to these but have to be convinced to actually go. Tom, Jack and I hit up the Sweet Shop for donuts and took them north to the Beckenholdt Park. This place is truly a hidden gem and I always forget about it. I need to go up there to run someday. Jack had a great time being an only child and was very cuddly! He also stopped to pose for a few photos. We need to take the "good" camera up there with the close up lens one of these days.

Then, we took Jack to his favorite store, Home Depot. We gathered supplies for our weekend projects and then picked up the girls. The rest of the day consisted of lots of projects, snow cones for the kids and a two hour nap for me! Tom worked on the garage, laundry shelves and the grill. I worked on the craft cupboard and junk drawer. I had to take another trip to Walmart and Home Depot to finish gathering supplies at one point.

We did venture out to the Fortville Bastille Day celebration. It was a really cute little small town festival. I felt like I was in the movies! Unfortunately, the kids weren't in the best mood but it was a nice distraction. Tom finished out the day at the neighbor's fire and I finished it out in bed with a book!

Today, I didn't wake up until 10! I thought for sure I wouldn't sleep well after my long nap yesterday but I was wrong. I seriously had a rough and stressful week and did not sleep well at all. Now, I think I'm all caught up and ready to go. Tessa was the first of the kids to wake up at 9, so I guess I'm not the only one!

Today was spent finishing up projects. Tom fit in a 3 mile run with Josie on her bike and I went out for 7. It was a very long, very slow and very hot 7 miles, but I did it. I planned to run this evening but went out at 12:30 instead to just get it done. We also took the kids to the neighbor's pool and Tom took Josie fishing which included setting a trap for minnows and then a creek walk. They're still gone at 7PM. :) 

Here is a photo synopsis of our projects this weekend. I wish I had taken "before" photos! It was a successful weekend! :)

New shelves and bins in the laundry room!

Which allowed me to clear off the top of the dryer. :) 

And, the top and side of the freezer. One project we didn't finish? Repainting the enamel top table to the right of the freezer. We have the paint and big plans. :) 

One of these days, I really want to paint the laundry room some funky colors, get some cool decor and really finish it up. For now, at least it's organized!

Speaking of laundry, I managed to get it all done and it will be put away before bedtime - 

I will demand it!

Here are some shots of the garage. Again, I wish I had "before" shots.

My happiest spot I was able to organize is the craft cupboard. I unloaded the girls' backpacks (finally!) and pitched all of the broken crayons and eraser-less pencils. I organized and labeled school boxes and sharpened more pencils. Unfortunately, school starts all too soon and I wanted to make sure I was ready for homework and projects. I think I'm good! I also managed to pass along a bunch of coloring books and workbooks that the girls have outgrown. (This is a bad photo, but trust me, it looks awesome!)

Right above this cabinet is the junk drawer. I spent a little money on organizers and I'm pretty happy with the resulting junk drawer. 

One area that I did not make it to this weekend is the girls' school papers. I wanted the girls to work on their summer packets but we couldn't find Tessa's. So, right now, all of their stuff is on the guest room bed. I guess I have this week's project!

All in all? A great weekend. We needed it. As I've said, it was a stressful week after vacation and I'm sure next week will be no different. Or, maybe it will be better. I hope so. I am very happy for the weekend respite from the crazy weekday grind.