Saturday, November 24, 2012

Another one under my belt...

On Thanksgiving morning I ran with some friends in the Hobbler Gobbler 5k. Last year, while I was getting the turkey ready I watched everybody run this race (it's directly behind our house) and I thought to myself how much I wish I could do something like that. This whole year has been about me doing something that I never thought I could do (running). As my 2nd 5k of the  year I really wanted to be able to beat my last time. 
The Hobbler Gobbler route is very difficult with 5 steep hills throughout the course. I did better than I thought I would beating my practice time by 2 minutes and coming in a little faster than my first 5k. Considering that my first 5k was flat, I find this to be very exciting! The run was so much fun and I can't wait to do it next year, although next year I plan on running the 10k! 
 Before the race began.
 Blake ran the kids k after we were all done. It was so fun!
 Here I am finishing, feeling great. It helped that the last part was downhill.
I ran it in 36:20, which is by no means super fast, but it is good for me. I was just happy I didn't come in dead last and that I finished.
I also found out that I got 22nd in my age group, which I thought was good since my age group is quite young. The first runner to finish did it in 16 minutes! Now the training starts for a 10k in April!

Friday, November 2, 2012

Running through my head

Our book club selection last month was The Happiness Project. I had heard great things about this book, so when it was picked I was super excited. Not that I feel I am unhappy, but like the author talks about, sometimes life is just passing me by and I'm just watching it.
There were so many things I completely loved about this book but there were also things that had nothing to do with my life.
One thing that has been sticking out to me since I read it, that I think of nearly every day is this: The days are long but the years are short. I felt this particularly true in my life right now. My children are still young, there are still days I wonder if I'll make it through all the whining, crying, fighting and constant need of my attention. But then lately this statement has run through my head and it's helping me to live in the moment.
I look at Blake and wonder how I have a 1st grader, when did that happen? And as soon as you have a kid that starts school, time moves even faster. Before I know it, he'll be grown and living his own life.
But there are days with Lexie that feel are never going to end. Mostly because she needs a TON of one on one attention and hates for me to be doing anything but giving her my undivided attention.
But I need to remember that there will be a day that I no longer change a diaper, fix a sippy cup, buckle a child into a high chair, lay a baby down in a crib. I will look back on that with such nostalgia and wonder where the time went.
So although the days are long (and sometimes seemingly endless) the years are short and I am trying to remember to live in the moment and enjoy each stage as it comes.