January and February in Review

Since I haven't come up with any missions for 2016 and I'm just "going with the flow", my month in reviews will be a little different than in the past.  The truth of the matter is I wasn't very motivated to run or workout in January or February.  It was too easy to choose sleep over the 4:45AM alarm.  It also didn't help that I was incredibly sick at the end of January and a few weeks into February.  I was hit hard with a sinus infection and I cough that wouldn't stop which made running quite difficult! 

January 2016 Stats
37 running miles
17.01 walking miles
54.01 total miles

February 2016 Stats
19.01 running miles
.63 walking miles
19.64 total miles

Current 2016 Stats
56.01 running miles
17.64 walking miles
73.65 total miles

The only reason for the high walking mileage in January was a family trip to Disney World!  We had a great time but boy were my feet sore from all of that walking!! 

My February mileage was even lower than January but I feel that I should count dancing as a workout since my cousin got married in February and I was on the dance floor with my cousins and friends the entire evening!

I am hoping the fact that my cousins want me to run the Cleveland 1/2 Marathon with them in May and the fact that Deb, Nikki, and I signed up for state #17 in May as well will be my motivation to get back on track with my running.  I also need to find the desire to incorporate other workouts (core, strength, etc) into my routine!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

An Unplanned Week of Rest Days That I Wouldn't Change For The World

Last Sunday I ran a 1/2 marathon with Jenn and I haven't run one single step since then and I honestly wouldn't change it for the world! We had such a great Thanksgiving week! Tuesday afternoon the kids and I headed to PA to visit friends and family. Wednesday morning was spend visiting Christmas Land!

Wednesday evening the hubby and I got to spend the evening with one of my best friends and her husband! It had been a long time since we had seen them and we had a lot of laughs stemming from the fact that the local Applebees referred to themselves as Club Apple since they had a DJ. We had a great time facebooking that one!!

Kaelynn and I were supposed to run the Gobble Wobble 5K on Thanksgiving morning but the weather had other plans for us. It was a hard decision to make but I had to pull the plug on our run because Kaelynn had just gotten over strep throat. She was very disappointed and even put on her "running gear" to wear for Thanksgiving. She settled for playing war with her uncle and playing some computer games with her brother.

Friday morning, I was up at 4:30am to do some Black Friday shopping with one of my best friends! While we were shopping, the kids made sugar cookies with Pop Pop and Grammy. Cookie making was followed by stopping to visit my Grandma on our way back to Ohio yesterday afternoon. You should have seen the smile on Grandma's face when she saw her great grandkids walk through the door! We visited with Grandma for a few minutes and then made our way home.

This morning the kids and I headed to Ford Field to watch our cousin Kyle play in the high school state championship game. He is the kicker for the Plymouth Wildcats and that boy can kick! I was very impressed with his foot skills! In fact, one of his kicks was so impressive that the entire stadium shouted "Whoa" in unison. It was so cool! Way to go #27! Best of luck to Kyle as he starts his college career at the University of Notre Dame in January!

The added benefit of going to Kyle's game was getting to see lots of family that live in Tennessee since they were in Michigan for Thanksgiving! I was especially excited to see my cousin Trinity! We were born exactly 10 days apart and have always had a strong connection. We manage to stay in touch even though we live many miles away from each other! Thank goodness for Facebook, Skype, and unlimited texting!

In the end, I probably gained at least 3 pounds and didn't burn more than a few calories while shopping and walking to the stadium today but like I said before...I wouldn't change it for the world! I love my family and friends and I am so very thankful for the time I had with them this week!

Keep running (I need to practice what I preach), you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

8 Years Ago Today, I Became A Mother...

To this beautiful young lady!!

We are in PA for our annual Family Reunion. Here is the conversation that took place between Kaelynn and I this morning.

Kaelynn: (tapping me on the shoulder over and over again) "Mom, wake up, I want to open my presents from Grammy and she said I had to wait for you to get up."

Me: "Give me five minutes Kaelynn."

Kaelynn: "1, 2, 3, 4, 5".

Me: "That was five seconds Kaelynn."

Kaelynn: "I know mom, please get up."

Me: "Okay, I'm up."

We went upstairs and she opened her gifts. She was very excited to get the next volume in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. She also got some money from Grandma Great and a few American Girl books from me (purchased while I was in Chicago for the 1/2 marathon).

Fast forward about three minutes, as she sits at the kitchen table eating breakfast, and she begins yet another conversation with me.

Kaelynn: "Mom, do you run to lose weight or because it is fun"

Me: (Choosing my words wisely) "I run because it is fun."

This picture of us before Kaelynn's first 5k is proof that running is fun!!

See, I have been sick this week and I haven't been able to get out there and run since Tuesday. I really miss it. I miss the FUN!! So, in honor of Kaelynn's birthday, get out there and "run for fun" today. I will be doing my "fun run" tomorrow since today is filled with family reunion fun. I will be running with my brother and I can't wait.

Happy Birthday Kaelynn!! I love you to the moon and back!!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and Kaelynn YOU inspire ME to run for FUN!!