Motivate me Monday;)

Today is Motivate me Monday over at Running to be skinny--my sweet friend Jessica's blog.

I've been reading Jessica's blog since before I even entered the blogging world myself.  She was one of the first people I ever "met" when I entered blog land, and I have no doubt that if we lived closer we would be BEST friends! 

Jess invited little ole' me to do a guest post about my own "running journey" on her blog today. I'm not sure how "motivational" I really am, but I was excited to have the opportunity to share about how much running has changed my life. Anyway, you can check it out HERE

And speaking of running...I just had to show you my new kicks...

(Okay..seriously...this picture makes my 8.5 foot look gigantic...oh well)

These bad boys went on their first run this morning and did pretty well! I totally broke out of my comfort zone yesterday when I purchase these NEON pink and grey sneakers, but when I saw them I thought..why not? 

During my marathon in November, I noticed that ALL the runners who finished the race first wore really funky colored shoes. I'm thinking that there is a correlation between cool colored shoes and SPEED! 

I'll have to let you know if my hypothesis is correct:)

Anyway...
Happy Monday Y'all!

Marathon Weekend

 Friday morning we hit the road bound for Savannah, Georgia! 

I was so very excited (and slightly nervous) to be participating in the Rock n' Roll Marathon there this weekend!

 Shane and I decided it was best just to take the big boys to the race and let the babies sit this one out. It was going to be a whirlwind of a trip with lots of time spent in the car.
Sophie and Hudson got to enjoy a fun-filled sleep over at Mimi's and Papa's house instead, which

I think they were totally okay with;)

After getting the little ones settled, AND a quick run through Dunkin Doughnuts,


we were finally on our merry way!

When we arrived in Savannah, our first stop was the running expo where we picked up my race packet and bib number.

My sweet friend, Ginger, met us at the expo and we had a great time touring it together!

After a little Rock n' Roll fun, it was time to head out and grab a bite to eat!
  

Shane suggested the Olive Garden as the place to go...

He knew I would have no trouble carb-ing it up there--ha;)

After dinner, we called it an early night and checked into our hotel. We knew Saturday morning would dawn bright and early and we wanted to make sure everyone was well rested and ready for the day ahead.

Our alarm sounded at 4:30am, and in less than a hour we were dressed, checked out of our hotel, and off to catch the shuttle to the start line. 

Because we were staying just outside the city, and because there were over 23,000 runners participating in this race, the only way in and out of Savannah on race day was by shuttle or ferry boat. 

All the roads down town were pretty much closed for the day.

We jumped on a shuttle bus and began our trek into town. Unfortunately, our bus driver got a little confused on the route into town and actually got lost while driving us there. What should have been a twenty minute ride, ended up taking over an hour!

Thankfully, I made it to the start line in time, but with only a few minutes to spare.

 I was so blessed to be running this race with two very sweet friends. Ginger is a dear friend from church, and Stacy is my neighbor and daily running partner. 

For the last 18 weeks, Stacy and I have been up long before the sun, pounding the pavement, and counting miles together. 

Stacy was such an encouragement to me during the race. Not only did she help me keep a consistent pace, but also helped me shave ten minutes off my time from my last marathon.
This was her first marathon and she rocked it!

While we were busy running, Shane and the boys had fun cheering on other runners from the sidelines... 

and playing a little football with friends. 

They did their best to meet up with us at several mile markers during the race, which was a HUGE encouragement to us as we ran!

I loved seeing their sweet faces and collecting their enthusiastic high fives as I ran by! 

Stacy and I crossed the finish line at 4:32:37.
Exactly where we hoped to be for this race!

We each were presented with a beautiful medal as we crossed the finish line!

It felt great to accomplish our goal, but my legs seriously felt like jello and I was so glad to be done! 

Before long, it was time for our crew to head over to Lady and Sons for a delicious lunch!

 Unfortunately for me, my stomach wasn't quite in the mood for Paula Deens sweet southern buffet like I had hoped:( I can't brag about how good the fried chicken was, or how wonderful that banana pudding tasted.

A couple glasses of Sprite was all I could handle;) 

Oh well!

What I can tell ya is...

 the sweet memories made over the weekend, and the friends we enjoyed this experience with were just as filling!!

Rock n' roll Marathon

Well...our bags are officially packed, and the car is being loaded!  

In just a few short hours we'll be Georgia bound!!!

Savannah Rock N' Roll Marathon...ready or not...here we come!

I am super excited about our weekend and to be running this race with two very sweet friends.

It should be a lot of fun! I'll be honest though, the ONE thing I am looking forward to most about our little get-a-way is...

eating some good ole' southern cooking at Lady and Son's--Paula Deen's restaurant!

We have reservations for lunch there after we finish our race! 

Can you say pass the fried chicken and banana pudding, please!?!?

 Mmmmm!

That right there may be enough motivation for me to run fast and finish quickly;)

HA!

Cannot wait!



Marathon Weekend

First of all, thank you so much for all the sweet "good luck" wishes left for me about my marathon! I really, really, really, appreciated each precious comment! You all were such an encouragement to me---THANK YOU! Also, I really enjoyed hearing from many of you who are running and/or training for your own race in the very near future too!

Way to go...that's AWESOME!!! I hope to visit your blog (if you blog) and see how you do!

So our weekend went a little like this...When Corban and Alexis got home from school on Friday, I already had the car packed up and ready to go. Shane was out of town the last half of the week for work, so the plan was for me to head out with the three "big" kids and then he would meet us in Greenville LATE Friday night. Shane's flight didn't land in Charlotte until 8:30pm, and with Greenville being another two hours away, we knew he wouldn't get to our hotel until after 11:00pm.
My wonderful mom, graciously offered to keep the babies, in order to make our quick trip a little more manageable!
Thanks Mom!

The kids and I arrived in Greenville @ 6:00. We checked into our hotel, and then headed over to the race expo to pick up my race number and t-shirt.
We walked around the expo for a while before it was time to figure out dinner.
Panera Bread sounded good to everyone, and I knew I would be able to fuel up on a major dose of carbs there too;)

Love their sandwiches, bagels, and breads!

Did I mention what a treat it was for me to spend some time with JUST my "big" kids!
They are so much fun and keep me laughing all the time!

After we finished dinner, it was time to head back to the hotel where I hoped we would all get a good nights rest.
The kids showered up, got their cozy pj's on, and then climbed into bed just in time to catch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
By 9:00pm lights were out!
Shane, thankfully, arrived safely at our hotel a little after 11:00pm.
I'll be honest, I really didn't sleep well at all on Friday night! I tossed and turned all night long, restless and worried about my race the next morning.

When Saturday morning finally arrived we awoke to a simply BEAUTIFUL fall day.
Bright blue skies and a cool crisp breeze filled the air!
It was PERFECT running weather!

By 7:45am I was on the starting line. I quickly found my pace group, and introduced myself to several of the runners who would be running with me.
By 8:00 am we were off!

I waved goodbye to my little cheering section, as I crossed the start line and headed onto the marathon course!
The race course itself was great. A little hilly the first half, but THANKFULLY it was fairly flat the last 13 miles or so---that's when it really counts.

I got to see my little fan club again around mile marker 10. Shane and the kids were there, holding signs, yelling my name, and ready to slap me high five as I ran by.
Nothin' like some sweet encouragement to keep you going!

Surprisingly, the hours/miles went by quickly, and before I knew it I had hit marker 20. Miles 21-25 seemed to take FOREVER though.
My legs were tired and I was ready to be DONE!
Miles 25 and 26 were when that adrenaline finally kicked in.
Lots of people, including my sweet family, lined the streets, cheering runners on as we neared the finish line.
The race ended in the Greenville Drive Baseball Stadium, right across home plate. As each runner entered the Stadium, your name was called out over the loud speaker to announce your arrival. My kids thought that was AWESOME!



You seriously DO NOT have to watch the video of me crossing the finish line.
I just put it on here to document that special moment for me.
Crossing that finish line and realizing it was all over was indeed PURE BLISS!!!

Having my family there to welcome me home and congratulate me was PURE JOY!
Official ending time... 4 hours and 42 minutes.

26.2

Alright y'all... Our bags are officially packed, and in just a few short hours we'll be bound for Greenville, S.C.

Spinx Run Fest Marathon...ready or not...here I come!

I am just a big ball of nerves y'all! I can hardly believe I am getting ready to run a MARATHON tomorrow!

If you think about me in the morning--oh lets say between the hours of 8:00am and 1:00pm--say a little prayer for me;) I'd really appreciate it!

Here's hoping I make it to the finish line in one piece---and not on a stretcher;)

23 days and counting...

Only 23 days left before I'll be lacing up my sneakers and running in my first ever marathon!!!! I am seriously just one big ball of nervous energy! Just thinking about it makes me quiver! I kind-of feel like I did on the days leading up to my wedding or the addition of one of our children. You plan for months, and really can't wait for that day to get here, BUT there's still so much nervousness before the big event actually arrives. Well, that's about how I feel right now!! Training wise...I think I'm ready. I did my big twenty miler on Saturday morning and felt pretty good after I was finished. (I can't believe I was able to run for twenty miles and still walk after it was all said and done---just CRAZY!!! I think I'm crazy sometimes for wanting to do this!) I have one more 20 to do in about a week or so, and then I'll start to taper down my mileage.

The big day is October 30th in Greenville, S.C.
The one thing I look forward to most of all, is seeing the sweet faces of my family cheering me on as I cross the finish line!



Can't wait to CROSS that glorious
FINISH LINE!!!!

My new addiction!

I have a new found addiction...RUNNING! I know it's crazy, but I LOVE running! I didn't think I would ever say that! My memories of running when I was a kid involve middle school P.E. class where every year we had the mile run. I always hated that day! I found myself huffing and puffing around the field with an cramp in my side! It is because of these wonderful memories, I just considered myself a NON-runner!!! As I got older, I have always tried to be involved in some type of physical exercise, for health purposes, but running was never on the list. That is up until now!!!! When we moved into our neighborhood I joined the ladies Bible study. Several of the ladies in the group run together. They encouraged me to join them. Anxious to make friends and get to know these ladies better, I decided to join them and give running another chance! I am so glad I did! We meet at 5:30am, five times a week for our run. It is great to have this accountability. I know there have been numerous mornings I did not want to get out of bed, but I know I have a group of ladies waiting on me. We run about 4.5 miles during the week and leave Saturdays for our long run. It took some time for me to build up my endurance, but the training had paid off. A few of my running buddies have been training for different races. I thought this was a great goal to have so I started training for a half marathon (13.1 miles). Last December my sister and I did the half marathon together. We trained on our own, but ran the entire race together. It was so much fun and left us with such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. There is another half coming up in April and I think I am going to run in it too! Most of my running buddies are doing this race, so it should be a lot of fun to do it together! I love these ladies. We spend our mornings just chatting about what's going on in everyone's lives. We pray for each other and hold each other accountable! I am so blessed to have such great running partners!!!