Wednesday, June 25, 2014

The Home Stretch

I've now been running at least a mile every day for over 30 days! I'm really proud of myself for keeping it up this far. There have definitely been days when I wanted to quit, when I felt like I was too tired to even think about getting a run in, but thanks to Hubby's encouragement and my own stubbornness, I've managed to keep the streak alive! I've started to notice over the past few days that my knees and shins are complaining a little bit on my runs, so I'm trying to be careful and not over-do it. I haven't gotten in my "long" runs the past couple of weekends, because life got in the way, but I'm okay with that (and I think my knees are, too).

Here's what I've been up to since my last post:

19. Friday, June 13th: 1 mile, 8:29, average pace: 8:29/mile My fastest mile so far, just to prove I can!
20. Saturday, June 14th: 2.08 miles, 19:38, average pace: 9:24/mile A great run with Hubby and Dad (I totally kicked their butts)!
21. Sunday, June 15th: 2.03 miles, 20:08, average pace: 9:52/mile A Father’s Day run with my Dad.
22. Monday, June 16th: 1.06 miles, 11:19, average pace: 10:38/mile A little jog with Mischa.
23. Tuesday, June 17th: 3.1 miles, 30:35, average pace: 9:52/mile An easy evening run in humid weather.
24. Wednesday, June 18th: 1.1 miles, 9:36, average pace: 8:42/mile A zippy evening mile.
25. Thursday, June 19th: 3.5 miles, 34:09, average pace: 9:45/mile Negative splits on my evening run.
26. Friday, June 20th: 2 miles, 18:30, average pace: 9:15/mile A quick run to my neighborhood running store to donate old running shoes!
27. Saturday, June 21st: 1.14 miles, 9:14, average pace: 8:05/mile My new fastest mile ever! All is takes to beat your previous PR is a mad dash in a thunderstorm/torrential downpour!
28. Sunday, June 22nd: 2.68 miles, 25:07, average pace: 9:22/mile A gentle loop around the neighborhood--my legs are definitely getting tired.
29. Monday, June 23rd: 1.3 miles, 12:56, average pace: 9:56/mile Met some new neighbors expecting their first baby in August!
30. Tuesday, June 24th: 3.1 miles, 30:14, average pace: 9:45/mile Another run that felt like a swim, trying to take it easy on my knees and shins.
31. Wednesday, June 25th: 1.15 miles, 10:02, average pace: 8:43/mile Felt pretty strong tonight, striding and gliding along.

It's a huge relief to be able to see the finish line of this challenge. Only 9 runs to go! I can do that, no problem! Right? Right?

Bath time!
The Things are now 41 weeks old, and we're seeing fun new changes with them. Up until very recently, as soon as 5:30 rolled around, it was time to get ready for bed, or you'd have a huge meltdown from an over-tired Thing 1. But all of a sudden, they're both becoming more social at night. They want to stay awake longer and visit more, instead of just passing out as soon as they've finished their bottle. There are still some nights where it's lights out right away, but Hubby and I are enjoying having a little more time with them in the evenings. They're starting to develop real personalities (really funny personalities), and it's so much fun to see them in action! I can't get over how cute and silly they are, and it's so much fun to watch them learn new things together. One of my favorite things right now is when they both decide they need to climb on Mommy right away. It's usually in the mornings when we're playing downstairs; they'll both crawl over as fast as they can, and climb into my lap. Sometimes there are tears, when one gets jealous of the other, but there's nothing warm and fuzzier than having two little people who can't wait to snuggle with you!


Four generations!
The Things had a great first Father's Day visiting with my family. We got to visit with Nana, Grandad and Gigi, and the babies had lots of cuddles and play time! They also had their first trip to the pool! Thing 2 had a fantastic time--she was totally happy, as long as she was getting wet (I had to keep splashing her in the lazy river, otherwise she'd fidget). I think we've got a little water bug on our hands! I'm pretty sure Thing 1 would have been just as happy, had he not decided that he desperately needed a nap right then. We didn't get to spend as long at the pool as Thing 2 would have liked, but it's great to know that these two like more than just splashing in the tub!

As we head into summer, I know we're going to have lots of adventures together, and I'm really looking forward to them. The things are very excited to sleep through their first fireworks next week!
 
Papa Bear and his Baby Bears

Thursday, June 12, 2014

You're HOW old now?!?!

Tuesday marked the Things' 9 month/39 week birthday! I can't believe they've been in our lives for so long already--it feels like it was only yesterday that I was still enormously pregnant with them! (And, I mean enormously pregnant: talk about cankles!)

Good morning!
The Things decided we needed a present for their special day, and greeted us first thing in the morning like this:

Talk about a surprise! We knew Thing 1 could do it, as he demonstrated the other day (I promise, he has more than one pair of pajamas), but Thing 2 hadn't really shown any interest. She'd pull herself up if she was sitting in your lap and could use you as leverage, but that was about it. So, to walk in on this was quite a surprise!

In other Thing developments, Thing 2 now has two teeth! We're still waiting for Thing 1 to cut his first, but we've been expecting it any day, with all the drooling he does!

Yesterday was their 9 month check-in with the doctor, and they passed with flying colors! They're both huge (he's slightly above 50%, and she's slightly below 50% in weight), and they haven't been on an adjusted scale for a while. We've seen the evidence of their development every day, but it's really nice to have the doctor agree with what we've been seeing! Two health, happy babies, who are growing just right!

I'm proud to say, that today is day 18 of the Runner's World Run Streak, and I'm still going strong! Okay, maybe not strong (at least, not this morning), but I know I'm developing good stamina for my big race this fall. This morning in particular was a challenge, since I was just so tired (thanks, kids), but I knew I had to get out there and get my run in, and I did it! This week is pretty busy for us, so I have to fit in three morning runs in a row, which is really rough for me. But, I've already knocked out two of them, so I feel like tomorrow should be a piece of cake! The runs may not always be my fastest or best, but I'm still running smart and feeling good about my effort. Plus, just think about how well I'll be able to power through feeling tired in a race when I'm done with this!

Without further ado, here's the current tally:

10. Wednesday, June 4th: 1.05 miles, 10:30, average pace: 9:56/mile Mischa had a great time running with me--finally some nice weather for her to run in!
11. Thursday, June 5th: 3.5 miles, 34:42, average pace: 9:54/mile Too hungry to make it a speed workout or anything, but another beautiful evening for a run!
12. Friday, June 6th: 1.25 miles, 12:50, average pace: 10:14/mile Mischa’s longest run in a while, and aside from some issues with sharing the sidewalk, she did pretty well!
13. Saturday, June 7th: 5.5 miles, 57:55, average pace: 10:32/mile A slow, hot run, but it felt pretty good. I think I ran a lot smarter than I did last week, so I’m pleased with that.
14. Sunday, June 8th: 1.12 miles, 11:01, average pace: 9:48/mile A run with the whole family! Babies, Mischa and hubby all out together!
15. Monday, June 9th: 3.1 miles, 28:50, average pace, 9:18/mile Some cooler weather came in, so I had a nice, quick run.
16. Tuesday, June 10th: 1.12 miles, 10:40, average pace: 9:31/mile Yup, Mischa still hates running in the rain.
17. Wednesday, June 11th: 1.12 miles, 9:57, average pace: 8:50/mile Just a quick dash in the morning rain before taking the Things in for their 9 month check-up!!!!
18. Thursday, June 12th: 3.1 miles, 30:05, average pace: 9:42/mile Not a hot day, but really humid.

I'm at 42.31 miles for the challenge, and it's a lot of fun to see the miles rack up! I've got 22 days to go, so I'm almost at the halfway point! Wahoo! Then, I get a little break, and it's on to half marathon training... Yikes!

Soooooooooo big!
We're heading to Nana and Grandad's tomorrow for Father's Day weekend--I'm really excited to finally get to take the babies to the pool, I think they'll love it! We tried to go to the pool when we visited last, but that's when we were all struck by the dreaded stomach bug...shudder... This visit should be lots more fun! I should have cute pictures to share next week, but to tide you over, here's the Things' 9 month picture.

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there! Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Streaking!

Well, I've completed 9 days of the Runner's World Run Streak, and after tonight it will be 10 straight days of running! I passed the "most days I've run in a row" mark around day 3 or 4, so every day beyond that is an adventure. I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it through the whole challenge, but I'm sure going to try. I've had issues with shin splints before, and I don't want to go into half marathon training with an injury, so I want to be careful while I do this crazy thing. So far, it's going well! I've been feeling good during my runs, and I'm not sore, so I don't feel like I'm pushing myself too hard. Hopefully I'm able to maintain that feeling for the next month!

Here's an update on my runs for the past week: 

3. Wednesday, May 28th: 1.1 miles, 10:56, average pace: 9:55/mile. Mischa likes running much better when it’s not raining.
4. Thursday, May 29th: 3.5 miles, 34:50, average pace: 9:57/mile. A cloudy morning run, with a little hill work thrown in.
5. Friday, May 30th: 2.3 miles, 21:00, average pace: 9:03/mile. A fast, hard run with hubby.
6. Saturday, May 31st: 5 miles, 52:32, average pace: 10:30/mile. Maybe, just maybe doing a long run at noon in 80+ degree weather wasn’t my best idea ever, but I did it! My farthest run since before the babies were born!
7. Sunday, June 1st: 1.12 miles, 9:39, average pace: 8:34/mile. So that’s what a mile feels like when you don’t drag your dog along with you…
8. Monday, June 2nd: 1.12 miles, 10:10, average pace: 9:02/mile. Not as fast as Sunday, but I was paying more attention to my stride (I was trying new shoes).
9. Tuesday, June 3rd: 3.1 miles, 29:40, average pace: 9:34/mile. Beautiful, balmy weather, and an easy run through our nearby forest preserve. Didn’t see any deer like hubby did a few minutes before me, but it was great!

So far, I've run 16.45 miles during the challenge. It feels great to be over a week into it, but I know I still have a month to go, so I'm not getting too excited yet. I'll just keep plugging away for now.

And, in Thing news: Thing 1 has decided that he's ready to stand up! We went in to get them Friday morning, and he greeted us like this:

"Hey mommy! Let's play!"

We'd heard some extra giggles before we went in, but had no idea what was waiting for us. Obviously, he's very proud of himself, and uses every opportunity to practice his new trick. Thing 2 isn't far behind, but she's not quite there yet. Hubby decided she was jealous this morning, and gave her a little help, so we got this precious moment:

Let us out!


 I am sooooooooooooo not ready for this!