Check - Crossing that off my list!

** I wrote this post over a week ago but I’m just now getting a chance to post it with photos. Looking forward to Easter with our family, more photos soon.**

I’m very happy to report that I survived my first half marathon! Last weekend we made a quick trip up to the panhandle for the race. We arrived on Saturday afternoon and visited with Josh’s parents and Mamaw at their Sunday School cookout. Colton loved running around the beautiful property and looking at the water and also loved hearing his Papa sing with the quartet. He loved it so much that he attempted to rush the stage and get up there and sing with him!

After the cookout Josh and I left for Pensacola (about an hour away) and Colton stayed for an overnight visit with Nana and Papa.

Eron (Josh’s cousin) and his wife Lacey opened their home to us so we stayed there with their adorable kids, Cameron and Gage. We had such a nice, relaxing time just catching up. My favorite part was when Gage crawled up into my lap at dinner and started playing with my hair. He then asked me if I was Rapunzel! I think it’s time for a haircut!

Bright and early Sunday we got up and snuck out to head to the beach for the race. It was extremely foggy and warm. At 6 a.m. it was 72 degrees with a high 82, yikes! More so than the warmth, I was worried about the 95% humidity.

We met up with Josh’s best friend Daniel and his girlfriend Stephanie who was also running. There were 1,500 people running in the half so it was quite the crowd. I was a little intimidated to say the least. There were so many people that fit the part of a runner that I started to second guess what I was even doing there. I reminded myself that 1) I can run and 2) it’s not a competition, at least not for me. That helped :)

The first 6 miles were awesome. I felt strong and I knew I was keeping a good pace. When I passed the half way point I was about two minutes ahead of where I expected to be at the half and that definitely gave me a confidence boost. About the same time I saw the first person of the race (four more were to follow) go down. He was a runner passing me on his way to the finish and he collapsed on the side of the road. Scary! I realized that I was starting to get a little lightheaded myself and better hold up and save my big push for the end. Well…from then on I really struggled. Once I stopped to walk I had a difficult time picking it back up again. Regardless, I still felt great and knew that the end was in sight.

Mile 9 was tough. That’s when my right calf started cramping. I pounded more water and Gatorade at each station and kept going. Mile 12 was the best. I knew I only had a little bit more to go and so many people were out to cheer us on.

Finally, the end was in sight! Despite the cramping in my calf that nearly took me to the ground I managed to pick it back up and run in to the finish. While my time certainly isn’t all that impressive, I’m so incredibly proud of myself for following through on a commitment I made to myself over a year ago. In April last year I was sleep deprived, overwhelmed, hanging on to the last few baby pounds and couldn’t even think about running around the block, let alone 13.1 miles. This April, it’s a completely different story. While I’m still sometimes sleep deprived, I’ve learned to live with it and learned how to squeeze in workouts when I can and also how to let go when I just don’t have the time. Working full-time while maintaining a home and raising a toddler is no easy feat and at times, it makes running the half seem downright easy. I’m so thankful that Josh was so supportive and worked with me on daycare pick-ups and drop-offs so I could fit in training runs. I certainly didn’t do as much as I would have liked but I’ll take the extra 15 minutes on my finish time any day to have the time spent with my family. If I didn’t get to run into their arms at the end none of it would have mattered.

So, to sum it all up, the race was awesome and I definitely have the bug. I plan to run another half sometime next year and who knows, maybe one day when Colton (and any future babies) are older and I have a few more hours in my day I might even attempt a full marathon. Momma always told me never say never and can’t isn’t a word in our vocabulary!!

Oh, and Rapunzel decided to chop her locks. I’m feeling so much lighter with 7 inches gone. I waited until after the race for fear that I wouldn’t be able to pull my hair back in a ponytail (yep, it’s that short!).

Below is a video of my finish, a link to the official race photos if you want to see me in action (warning: they aren't pretty and I was giving an awful smurk because I knew they were taking my photo) and also another album with more photos!

Race Weekend

Click Here for Official Race Photos

Love, Jenny

Finally Ready to Race

Wish me luck! I’ll be running in my first half marathon this Sunday on Pensacola Beach. My foot issue has completely resolved thanks to new shoes, shoe inserts, ice baths and foot massage. If you’re wondering what my goal might be I’m glad to share it with you – my goal is to FINISH. I’ve loosely been following Jeff Galloway’s training program at the recommendation of a friend and I just wish I had discovered it sooner. I’m planning to do a combination of running and walking and while I hope to really push myself beyond what I’ve accomplished in my past long runs, I don’t plan to try and break any world records or anything. I have no desire to be the fastest or have the prettiest running stride, I just want to get out there and push myself beyond what I would have thought possible a year ago after giving birth to Colton (and stay injury free). Running gives you such a good high and I’m incredibly grateful for two strong legs that allow me the opportunity to run at all.

My iPod is loaded up, my new sneakers are packed and my stomach is a ball of nerves. So, with that, I’m off to the race!

Life With Our Little Man

Life with Colton is such a joy. I really can't imagine what I did before he was here. Just turning around to see him do something silly or see him walk into the same room gives me goosebumps sometimes. He is so much a part of our lives now that it's as if he was always here. I thought I would share just a quick glimpse into an average night in our household. In this video Colton had just gotten in trouble for lifting up the rug and dragging it off around the house. I had to tell him that was a no-no and that instead of lifting the rug we needed his help patting it down flat and keeping it in place. Josh showed him how to stomp on it and pat it down. Miraculously it completely distracted him from dragging it around and instead we got cute video footage of his "dance."

On another note, I got one of the best compliments (in my opinion) that a mom can receive the other day. One of the teachers at Colton's school said to me as I walked in to drop him off, "Colton is always smiling and happy. I've never seen a child so happy before." While he definitely has his moments (and she's not there at nap time or diaper changes!!) he really is such a happy child. At least it gives me some confidence that we're doing something right.

Love,

Jenny