Kirkley's First Fun Run!

 Kirkley did her very first fun run this weekend!

I pumped her up the night before showing her pics of Emma's first one at the same age.  

Emma's fun run was one of my running inspirations and now she's inspiring Kirkley too! :)

Alex ran with her, and I stayed put with the boys to wait for her.

As soon as she left, Jay was wishing he was running too and was not to be outdone...

Luckily we had some entertainment among the cheering section...

And here she comes!  

Jay cheering at the finish line (still rocking headphones)!!

 

 And across the finish line...it was a run/walk of sorts!

She didn't fall in love with running but hopefully we planted a little seed that it's a fun activity!

She loved her Grammy, Aunt Hannah, and Aunt Lala and Buddy being there cheering her on!!!

 

This was the first race I'd had a cheering section at the end too! 

You know, other than my friends that always finish before me there, like, yay, we can go now!?? 

Just kidding, they cheer, but so sweet to have my fam there cheering! :)

 

 Peach ice cream afterwards was a super fun prize! :)

Look to the Lord and His strength; 

seek His face always.

1 Chronicles 16:11

Seaside Half Marathon

I've thought for a long time about how I'm going to blog this. This has been one of things I've tried to really seek God on how to share because if I just post pictures, it can be a "look what I did" kind of thing, and that's not at all what this was or what I want to say. It's no mistake that this was the devotional that was emailed to me this morning. I'd never studied this scripture but this really is what was at the heart of me and exercising. So before I go on, be inspired and know that I had to come a long way to get to this point. So much prayer has gone into breaking my old ways of thinking on this issue. And if I can, you can.

I started couch to 5K last May when my second child, Jay, was 5 months old. I'd never done anything my whole life -- no gym, no dance, no sports, no running, no sweating. For some reason, that was the only spring we have ever watched Biggest Loser (probably because I was nursing and stuck with tv a lot). Towards the end of the season, they did a marathon. Driving around the next few days, I saw two super old men running. Then Ashleigh posted about Emma running a mile fun run. I felt like running was everywhere, and the question was in my face, "Do you really think you can't do this when all of these people can -- young/old, big/little, etc?!" So looked up the couch to 5K plan.

I started alone, me and a kitchen timer around a pond near my house, determined to build up endurance. It took me weeks to run one mile -- I went slow and followed the program. Really, there was no physical way I could have jumped steps in the program. The beginning months with running were really tough -- I would lay all over our floor afterward trying to catch my breath! :) It was the dead of summer so I had to run early to beat the heat which meant getting up even earlier to pump first (sorry if guys read this). It wasn't an easy thing to fit into the day as a new mama of two, but I kept telling myself I wasn't that big of a deal to get up super early twice during the week then one on a weekend that didn't have to be as early. This post was awesome at targeting my tendency to make excuses -- watch the commercial!

Eventually, I had enough confidence to try running with friends. I'll never forget Ashleigh at the top of a hill coaching me not to stop! Their accountability twice a week at 5:45am was priceless -- I'll meet anyone who wants to start this if that is what it takes! :) Remember the episode of Friends where Monica runs all around Chandler coaching him -- my friends were so great to be Monica for me!!! My man is awesome to handle the morning routine for our fam several times a week!!!

We did our first 5K in July, first 10K in November, and first half-marathon this past weekend. Now by no means does this have to be your track. I am happy as can be to go back to running 3-5 miles on a regular basis, but this was really fun to set a goal, train (well, that part was not 100% "fun"), and race! As I looked back at these race pics, I realized Scarlotte was at all of these with me -- WAY ahead of me but with me! Accountability is priceless!
Scarlotte, Emily, Casey, and I headed down for a girls' weekend in Destin and did the Seaside Half Marathon together. Our men were awesome to provide us with a quiet retreat together, good nights of sleep, and sweet time away for fun and fellowship! We sure did miss them and our little ones but a getaway can be invaluable!

We were up at the crack of dawn (except for Casey who never slept and beebopped in our room after our 5am alarm went off all dressed and ready to go!) to head to Seaside. Don't be deceived -- it was windy, cool, and overcast -- really my favorite running weather!

Our devo for that morning from Jesus Calling:

Continue on this path with Me, enjoying My Presence even in adversity.
I am always before you, as well as alongside you.
See Me beckoning to you: Come! Follow Me.
The One who goes ahead of you, opening up the way,
is the same One who stays close and never lets go of your hand....

Casey and I hung together the whole way running almost a minute faster a mile than we'd been training, much in part to a girl named Jessica who appeared at mile 6 with a pacing watch (I'd left mine at home!). I quickly made friends with her and her pacing watch then we realized that she and Casey went to high school together. So us three hung in there the rest of the race and finished together! God sent her at just the right time -- miles 6-8 are my hardest! Then at mile 10 we started rattling off things we're thankful for to keep us going (this book is already in my head).

We crossed the line (with Emily and Scarlotte cheering!), and just as I'd been warned, felt myself starting to get emotional. Until they handed me a medal, and it was time to pick out what color Vera Bradley bag I wanted! :) So thankful Jessica was right with us!

I really had to have a major heart/perspective change about this to get here. To be grateful for healthy legs, the ability to run, the chance to show my daughter what a mama of two little ones can do (I hope she's inspired when she's in my stage one day), etc. A grateful heart was in stark contrast to my previous way of thinking it's a pain, I didn't have time for it, I'm not athletic, etc. This has been such a big life lesson for me!

"Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting."
Psalm 139:23-24

"Those who live according to the flesh
have their minds set on what the flesh desires;
but those who live in accordance with the Spirit
have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
The mind governed by the flesh is death,
but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace."

Romans 8:5-6

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified
the sinful nature with its passions and desires."
Galatians 5:22-25

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:13 NASB

"always giving thanks for all things
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God..."
Ephesians 5:20 NASB

Callaway 10k

Scarlotte and I headed over to do the Callaway Gardens Twilight 10k this afternoon! It was a fun tradition to start. Running through the lights and the music was so neat and made the cold wind almost bearable -- a race we'll definitely do again! Really different too running with 500+ people. No records were set, but I was excited to finish and run the whole thing!

the rundown

I should really call it the "jog"down! Running is probably an overstatement, but 10 weeks ago today is when I started a running program from nada! This post is filled with goals/tips not to say "Look what I did," but to say, "If I can, YOU can!" :) I have had so many people ask me about this so here is a rundown of what I have done. If you're a real runner, this will all probably be hilarious, but I hope it helps and encourages anyone that is considering starting.

Warning -- I started this a few days ago and kept adding random things I thought of.

I bounced between Couch to 5K and Jillian's. Here is another if you get bored with those. I have not skipped more than 1-2 days in the 10 weeks. Not because I'm sooo disciplined but because I'm soooo scared that it will be as hard as it was on week 1 if I put too much distance between my days. The first 1-3 weeks, I aimed to do every 36 hours because I was mostly walking. I have reached the goal of being able to run 3+ miles nonstop -- this is much more attainable when I jog on the treadmill. But I have not hit being able to run 3 in 30 min -- still working on speed.

I have kept a calendar with details of every attempt. How long each mile took, how long the total run was, etc. This way I can look back and see that I cut 4 minutes off of my time in a month or whatever. Shows progress. I need to see that progress now as much as I did at the beginning.

I invested in some gear. This is especially a must for kicking this off in the summer. Target has great stuff for under $20 and works just as good as the few Nike things I got. Dry wick t-shirts, thin socks, etc. are a must. Get something fun and cute! :) This was a great use of the Christmas/bday money I kept stashed all year. December bdays have to hang on to it! I had barely used running shoes that have worked fine, but Alex had to get fitted. Who knew you couldn't just buy the cute color!?

The fun in this really emerged in week 5 or 6 when I started meeting friends. What started off with a sweet friend who really "trained" me and got me through my first nonstop 5k route, has grown into a regular meeting of 6-8 girls at 6am twice a week. Accountability works wonders for me. We can't breathe enough to chat and we don't all stay at the same pace, but we all do our 3+ miles! Who wants to join us!?

6am sound ridiculous to you? It sure does to us, but it feels soooo good to be riding home before 7am and know that it's checked off. I found this ebook recently and LOVE it: Maximize your Mornings. This is the morning game plan I have SO been needing. Print it and read/work through it as soon as you can! I certainly don't wake up at 5:10 thinking, "I love this," but I do think that after the fact. I am selfishly excited about the day I can wake up a little later and skip pumping beforehand! Guys don't read blogs do they!? Sorry, guys. I certainly couldn't do this without my man who runs before me on these mornings and then helps with our early risers while I'm gone!

Google has a program where you can map routes so that it tells you distance, calories, etc. I didn't find it until after several drives mapping routes the old school way! I'm sort of addicted to knowing my time, mileage, etc. We borrowed a Garmin watch, and I finally gave in and used a bday amazon gift card for my own! Try to talk someone in your group into getting one or tell Santa. :)

Doing an actual 5K race helps. I did one at week 7. I had to walk every once in a while in miles 2 and 3, but it was interesting just to see how it works, see a finish line, see old men schooling me in their short shorts, etc. Learning what to eat before/after helped for this. There are races every month providing fun goals to look forward to! There is talk of a 10K or half-marathon, but I think I may be sticking with 5K for a while.

What I've really found in this newfound hobby is solitude. There are few quiet moments in my day, but getting out early provides great quiet time for me to think, pray, recite "I can do all things through Christ" as we power up a hill, or just zone out! It has been great "me" time! I think all parents need some quiet me time to think uninterrupted thoughts! So it's not that I heart running, but I am loving some time of peace.

If you've made it this far in the post, I'm shocked, but I hope this answers questions for anyone wanting to start. I think this is everything I've had to search out these last 2 1/2 months for tips/help! Okay, now it's on the world wide web so I've got to keep doing it. Someone random will ask me how it's going and I'd rather crawl in a hole than say I quit! :)

First 5K

We made it! We survived our first 5K this morning. I know in the world of running, a 5K is no biggie, but for complete non-runners, we were excited to all get our personal best times today!! I was thrilled to see 33 min on the clock as I turned the corner even though my man beat me by a minute! :)

We were all psyched up before the run as we'd practiced the course area a few times....
After the race -- so glad to be on the other side!
Nothing like a run on a muggy July morning! :) Next on is August 14 -- who wants to join!?!?

embrace the camera

This week's embrace the camera pic is a true no makeup, first thing in the morning, totally stinky kind of pic after I jogged. YES you read that right, a month ago I decided to start running. A drastic take off the baby weight and then some kind of move. If you've known me at any point in my life, you're as shocked as I am! I have never been one to exercise, but I decided I can't push athletics onto my children and without participating too. I saw Emma did a race and decided I had no excuse! :)
I started couch to 5K and have been hitting the treadmill 3-4 times a week. I am super happy with my 11:05 minute mile though I know in the world of running that is not super fast! I like this plan from Jillian Michaels and have been aiming to do Tues/Thurs mornings then just one weekend day for 30 minutes or 3 miles if I have time. I especially love that I've picked something you're not supposed to do every day! I have also invested in the gear so there is no turning back -- power sox are my fave -- thin and cool! Any running must haves??

Alex and I are considering a 5K in July but, wow, July 10 sounds hot. I really just want to attempt it though! We may attempt the route this weekend to see if we can keep me from passing out from the heat! :) Major difference from treadmill running.

And, yes, Jay wears those jammies nearly every night -- $3 from WM and they ZIP -- I have the hardest time finding zip sleepers! No time for 92 snaps.

One of K's most recent funny things was something she said to Alex the other day. He was holding Jay, she asked to be held, and he said he couldn't hold both of them. She responded, "Mommy does!" :) I cracked up -- I can't hold both of them for long but I do end up with an armful of 50+ lbs of children at some point in the day. I know you mommas can sympathize!

Now go grab your camera and take a random pic with the kids!