A personal worst . . . and some post-baby personal bests! 3M half marathon race report

Yesterday morning I ran my 4th half marathon. I'm so thankful to be able to run, and after tackling the distance again, I'm in even more awe of ultrarunners who run so much farther than 13.1 or 26.2 miles!

This was my 3rd time running this race, and although I hadn't put as much effort into training for it as before (only running 15-20 miles per week this time around, as opposed to 35-45 in previous years, and not doing any speedwork this time around), I felt fairly confident that I'd either be able to finish under 1:40, or at least under 1:44 (8:00 minute pace). At any rate, I was 100% sure that I would not be any slower than my first half marathon (1:44:26). (Famous last words!)

I was so nervous when I woke up, and I didn't feel like eating anything but nibbled on a Clif bar before I left the house so my stomach wouldn't be totally empty. I also grabbed an extra energy gel to take before the race in case I felt like it, but my stomach was so tied up in knots that just the thought of eating it made me feel like puking!

The race started out really well. I felt good (although I was still a bundle of nerves!) and the weather was perfect (high 30s, dry, no wind). I started just in front of the 1:40 pace group, intending to hang near them for the race so I'd meet my goal.

Mile 1: 7:58 . . . dodging runners in front of me
Mile 2: 15:26 . . . big downhill
Mile 3: 23:xx . . . starting to feel warmed up
Mile 4: 30:47 . . . feeling like I was hitting my stride, although I was starting to get a little hungry
Mile 5: 38:18 . . . still feeling good, but definitely needing some energy and in desperate need of water
Mile 6: 46:xx

Mile 6 was where the wheels started to come off. I stopped at a water stop to drink a cup of Gatorade and eat my first gel (I am not coordinated enough to do either of those while running), and my right hamstring was so tight when I started running again. :-( I stopped briefly to stretch it, but it never loosened up again during the race, so I wasn't able to get my stride back. I was still a minute or so under 8:00 pace though, so I felt like I could make it.

Mile 7: I missed the mile marker, so I don't know what my time was. I do remember that this was around the point that the 1:40 pace group blew by me like I was standing still. Whoops!

Mile 8: 1:02:xx . . . only 5 miles left to go, and I was starting to feel pretty tired but could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I walked through another water stop. Still under 8:00 pace!

Mile 9: 1:10:56 . . . I was praying all through mile 8 that I would make it to the mile 9 marker before 1:11! :-)

Mile 10: 1:18:xx . . . I was definitely tired of running at this point. I felt like I needed my last energy gel, but I didn't feel like eating it at all. A cup of Gatorade helped me feel better, but my hamstring was really bugging me and I gave up on running and walked for about a minute before running again. About 100 people passed me while I was walking.

Mile 11: 1:28:xx . . . I just wanted it to be over! My hamstring was hurting, I couldn't extend my leg, and all I could think about was how 2 years ago I had less than a mile left at that time, and this time around I still had a little over 2 miles left. I was d-o-n-e and couldn't even remember why I liked running in the first place. I started walking again and was immediately passed by 25-50 people. Every time someone passed me, I felt a little more annoyed with myself for walking and could just see my finishing time sink lower and lower on the list of results. Right about that time, a tall woman with a pink shirt and bright green knee socks ran up behind me, slapped me on the back and told me to keep going. I was grumpy and really didn't want to start running again, but I could see her ponytail bobbing above everyone in front of me, and figured I might as well try to keep up, because at least then I'd be finished faster than if I kept on walking. :-)

Mile 12: 1:37:xx . . . I started feeling better and better, and my hamstring even started to feel not quite as tight, so I was able to run a little bit faster. And there were more and more spectators cheering the runners on, which also helped! Finally, finally, finally there was the last turn and the finish line was up ahead.

Mile 13.1: 1:46:03 (official time) Whew, I was SO GLAD TO STOP RUNNING, ha ha ha!

So, I didn't meet any of my goals, and I also ended up with a new personal worst, which I was least expecting! But what's really great is that I am just so thankful for being able to run, and that is such an answer to prayer. I'd much rather have a slow time or a bad race and end up with the right attitude, than be the way I used to be. God is so good! :-)

And, while I had a personal worst finishing time, I ended up running the race at 8:06 pace -- which is about 15 seconds per mile faster than any of my long runs in the past 18 months. :-) I will admit though, I was pretty disappointed with my time at first and was expecting a time much closer to my previous race times. But for those races, my babies were older (and sleeping through the night!!), and I only had 1 or 2 babies and could take them out in the running stroller whenever I felt like it. That makes a big difference!

I'm looking forward to taking a couple of days off of running, but I'm also already looking forward to next year's race!

Oliver's clone walker

After a brief (very brief!) hiatus from building with Legos, Oliver got back into it again big time this week. He made a couple of police stations, an animal rescue center, and a restaurant. Then, yesterday afternoon he decided that he wanted to draw his own Lego directions for a Star Wars clone walker and then build the model based on his design. :-)

Here he is, with his own directions! Later on he added text to describe the parts of the model, but I was busy with a fussy baby and didn't get a picture of it.


Here's the front of the walker, with a rotating laser cannon and other cool stuff (I can't remember what he called everything).


On the back, he added a storage unit for holding droids and tools.



Good job, Oliver! :-)

Beef stew (slow cooker recipe)

I used to be too afraid to try to make stew. Something about it just seemed too . . . grown up, or out of my league for me to be able to make it. I don't know why! But I found this recipe in my Taste of Home Slow Cooker recipe book, and I've made it twice and I really like it! I'm proud to say that I feel like a competent stew-maker now. :-)

Beef Stew
2 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed clean and quartered
2 pounds lean beef stew meat
4 medium carrots, sliced (I actually use several big handfuls of baby carrots, to save time)
2 medium onions, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce, or 1 6 ounce can tomato paste + 8 ounces of water
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place the potatoes in the slow cooker first, then top with beef, carrots, onion and celery. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over the vegetables.

Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours, or until veggies and beef are tender.

Grins at the duck park

When we were at the duck park yesterday, I was trying to take a picture of Buttercup's face. I didn't care if she was smiling or not, I only wanted a picture of her face instead of the back or side of her head. The problem is, as soon as you point a camera in her direction, she whips her head around and/or runs away. So, I bribed her with a (very small!) piece of candy to smile for a picture. As soon as he heard the word "candy," Oliver ran over as fast as he could to stand next to her so he could get some, too. :-) They're so crazy. :-)

Big water at the duck park

We had a big (and much needed!) rainstorm last night, so naturally this afternoon the kids and I headed out to look at the creek. Since they've both outgrown their rubber boots and I haven't gotten around to getting them new pairs, I decided to go to the duck park since it seemed like the place where Oliver was least likely to end up covered in mud. :-)

Eight months

Guess who's 8 months old today???

If you guessed this little guy, you were right!


Theodore is doing so many fun, new things these days. He claps, crawls, feeds himself, and holds his own cup.



He hasn't had too many new foods yet, but so far he hasn't turned his nose up at anything. The only thing is that he rarely lets me spoon-feed him. He never turns down yogurt, but the only other time that he'll eat off of a spoon is if he's super hungry. It's just too much fun for him to feed himself!



His latest trick is pulling himself up to standing!! He's not quite strong enough to really stand yet, but he does get himself up on his toes before he wipes out. :-)





He's still a super happy, laidback little guy, too. (Whew.) Everyone who comes in contact with him always says how happy he is. And he really is a happy guy! He rarely cries (except at night, ha ha).


And of course, no matter where he is, you can count on his big sister (and brother) being nearby. :-)


Happy 8 months, little fat boy!

En garde!

What's better than 70 degrees at dusk in January?

Walloping your sibling with a light saber, of course!



On a side note, Oliver is the quintessential gentleman when sparring with his female friends. He never fights back -- he just deflects and blocks their blows and steps back to keep himself from getting hurt. Fighting with his sister is a totally different story. ;-)

Rosemary roasted chicken with potatoes

I found this McCormick recipe a few months ago, and I love it! It's healthy, delicious, and everyone requests second helpings when I make it.

Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Potatoes
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp crushed rosemary leaves
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
6 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs (I've made it with bone-in thighs, boneless thighs, and boneless breasts and it comes out the same every time, so use whatever you have)
1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium green bell pepper, sliced (optional)

Mix oil, all of the spices and salt in a large bowl. Add chicken, potatoes and peppers; toss to coat well. Cover bowl with foil and refrigerate for several hours.

Arrange chicken, potatoes and peppers in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.

Roast, uncovered, in preheated 425 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender, turning potatoes occasionally.

Yum!

Taking a (brief) break from Legos

One day last week, the kids were looking for something to do while the baby napped, and I suggested that they play with their Playmobil sets.

Buttercup was excited to play with her nursery set. Here she is, putting the baby down for a nap.

And in this picture, she's feeding the baby a jar of food in its bed. :-)



(By the way, it's hard to take pictures of tiny, little Playmobil pieces!)

At first Oliver looked at me like I had two heads (whaaat? not Legos?!) but then he got into it, too. He combined his construction and beach sets to make a . . . construction-beach set. :-)


After a while, Oliver posed everyone in a circle for snack time. :-)


The construction workers got to take a ride in the cargo bucket!



About an hour later, both kiddos were tired of playing with their Playmobil sets and decided it was Funny Face Time.



I love how much they love playing together!