Holidays

I’m Alive! 2014 Space Coast Marathon Recap and Other Ramblings

December 27, 2014 by Michelle 3 Comments

Hey there – remember me?? I’m still alive! Barely. Life has been insane — between endless events, the holidays, and being busy beyond belief at work, blogging has obviously taken a backseat. I thought about quitting this blog about 20 times, but then realized that I missed it and here I am.

Let’s get this out of the way… I survived the Bad Idea Marathon. Obviously. It wasn’t easy and I wanted to quit about 800 times, but I got it done — and I’m SO HAPPY IT’S OVER!

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Worth it.

I also surpassed my goal (which was officially “Don’t quit/die.”) and I also beat my 1st marathon time, which I have to admit surprises me immensely. It really just goes to show that my conditioning/training for Chicago was so much more effective than it was for Savannah.

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Looks like someone else is happy I’m done.

I finished in 4:20:07. The most impressive (to me) part is that I ran/walked the last 5 miles because my heel hurt SO badly. Kinda makes me wonder what I COULD have done if I wasn’t haven’t plantar fasciitis issues. Damn heel.

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Looking entirely too happy – bonking at mile 21.

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Pretty much the view the entire time. Not horrible.

I would do a full recap of this marathon, but to be honest, I have mentally blocked the misery out of my mind. I will say that I enjoyed the first half much more than the second half and that I will never do Space Coast as a marathon again (I haven’t ruled out the half though!). I’ve also decided that I DO want to run more marathons, but one a year is sufficient. Half marathons are more my thing.

Also, I am incredibly proud of both of my running buddies – Paula and Tyler.

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Paula was in the same boat as me — she just did NOT want to be running this race and kicked ass anyway.

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At one point we lost Tyler and took selfies.

As for Tyler — he was aiming for sub-4, which I KNEW he could do as long as he didn’t go out too fast. Not only did he sub-4, but he came in 3:54!!

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Tyler just loooooves this picture.

I’m going to guess that he trained with someone even faster (not me!), that he would be able to many, many minutes off of that time. I’m not ready for him to quit me yet though. I have some serious spring half marathon PR goals and I need him to push me! #selfish

Oh, and another person I’m INCREDIBLY proud of? Victoria. She’s speedy.

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As for what’s next — well, my heel is STILL bothering me, despite taking a month off from running. It’s definitely better than it was, but I need to get back into higher mileage (or any mileage) very slowly.

I AM running ZOOMA Florida (you should join me — use my code to save!) in January – probably the 12K (insta-PR!), and I have Best Damn Race Orlando February 28th where I have a major A+ goal — a 1:50 half. In order to hit that goal though I need my heel to be better AND I need to do some serious speedwork training. Ugh, I’m already dreading it.

I have zero intentions run a marathon in 2015, BUT it’s still early. I could be talked into it. Maybe.

I do need to find some more half marathons to run in the next few months. Taking this month off of running has been great for my mojo, I definitely MISS it.

So here’s to 2015 – a year of running and other fun challenges, little injury (*fingers crossed*), and lots of fun. And maybe a little blogging.

Also… From my family to yours… Happy Holidays!

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What I Want Out Of 2014

December 30, 2013 by Michelle 9 Comments

Le’t s face it, 2013 was the year of Evan.

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OMG…. so tiny!

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It was a good year, if not a great year. I made progress – personally and professionally. I got to experience a lot of things I never thought I would, and I’ve really enjoyed every bit of having a baby — in ways I might not have with B and L. It was also a year of a lot of emotions (A LOT), a lot of frustration, not a lot of running, and very little sleep. So it’s safe to say I had my ups and downs.

While I don’t like to make resolutions, I do like to reflect on the year that was and make an effort to make changes so that I can keep growing as a person, and we can continue to work together as a family. This is what I want out of 2014…

More Family Time

It’s pretty easy to get caught up in things. Between work, school, friends, running, and managing a baby’s schedule – it’s easy to push family time to the side and say we’ll “do it later.” I am quickly learning that there is no “later” and that kids really do grow up in the blink of an eye.

It was a good morning ❤️

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How’d they get so big?

Instead, I’m hoping we make time each week to do something FUN together. We got a TON of games for Christmas, so Family Game Night is definitely one (of many) ways we can make this happen.

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Probably NOT going to play this one with my kids, but just seeing if you’re paying attention.

I also want to give my kids more fun experiences – a trip to the Tampa aquarium, a trip to Disney (we haven’t been in two years!), and a beach trip are on my list of things I want to do this year.

Patience and Less Yelling

About 80% of the time my demeanor is calm and laid back. That 20% though… I have been known to surprise people. While, I think there is a time and a place for yelling – I resort to it TOO MUCH with my kids. So much so that I see B doing now when he is frustrated. Not good. So, I need to find another outlet. Maybe I need to give myself a time out. Something definitely needs to change – it doesn’t make anyone feel good.

More Sleep

I think it’s a given that I WILL (eventually) get more sleep this year than I did last year! In the next few weeks we REALLY need to sleep train E. It’s going to be painful and tedious (and crying-it-out is not going to work with his stubborn streak — oh my little Taurus), but it needs to be done!

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Good thing he’s adorable.

More Date Nights

I’m pretty sure Dan and I went on all of 3 dates this year. One being the night out we had last weekend to celebrate our anniversary!

Perfect end to our anniversary.

Not a bad view.

We also need to find a local babysitter. While I KNOW our parents love spending time with our kids, I hate having to depend on them. Especially when there are three crazies involved! I don’t really know how you find a babysitter (daycare teachers are out) – but I’m thinking the gym daycare is a great place to start, right?

More Running

I REALLY want to train for another marathon this year – as well as PR in the half and 10k distances. I am pretty sure ALL of these can happen — especially once we get that whole “more sleep” thing down. I’m also hoping for a lot more racing with this lady…

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I’d like to be back to morning workouts by February – at least twice a week.

From earlier... Decided to take out my new friend for a little spin after Bootcamp. I think we're going to be spending a lot of miles together!

Say hi to my new Garmin. She’s pretty and I love her.

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Also, I love these shoes. I may be a full-blown Mizuno loyalist now.

More Strength

It’s going to be hard to keep up with strength training while I’m marathon training – but I’m committed to making sure I do at least one strength training workout a week (if not more).

Sweating out the alcohol.

Ouch. I’m still feeling this one.

I feel stronger than ever right now (the 22lb baby might help!), and I’d like to keep those muscles.

More Reading

I feel like I really slacked on reading this year. It’s like I had other priorities or something? Well, in 2014 the books are coming back! It helps that Book Club was just revived by this lady. I can’t wait!

Focus on Healthy Cooking and Baking

I made Chocolate Chip Banana Bread as I was writing this. Definitely not healthy. Good thing it’s still 2013!

I LOVE EATING so it’s not going away, ever. However, I think we really need to make a shift. I’m not going to go OVERBOARD – let’s face it, my favorite thing in the world to eat is a bowl of pasta and drink a lot of wine – but I’d like to make an effort to eat MORE whole foods, drink more water, and consume less crap.

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These also aren’t healthy, but let’s pretend they are, OK?

This includes more simple ingredient recipes and less quick and easy processed food. I’d also like to teach my kids how to cook and bake as well – I think that’s an important part of passing on healthy eating habits.

Spend Time Reflecting

I’m not big into meditating or praying – but I do think it’s important and it’s something I don’t do enough of. So maybe 2014 will be the year I bring a little reflection, prayer, and gratitude into my life. I do have A LOT to be thankful for every day.

World Peace

world peace

Too optimistic? Ok then…

Have Fun

It’s not that I didn’t have fun this year, but when you spend the first half of the year pregnant and the second half with a baby who is NOT sleeping through the night (*yawn*) — you end up a little tired, a little cranky, and a little consumed with other things going on in your life. I am full on committed to making the most of out 2014. This doesn’t mean partying 24/7 – but letting go a little. Living in the moment. Having more dance parties with my kids (and maybe at work?), and finding ways to make the monotonous things fun.

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FYI – Fun things almost always make my raise my arms. Or maybe that’s just alcohol.

So basically what I’m saying is… it’s been real 2013. Bring it 2014.

What do YOU hope to get out of 2014?

Merry Christmas!! {2013}

December 23, 2013 by Michelle 16 Comments

Where am I? What month is it? Is it really Christmas??? Holy…

Well, in that case, from my family to yours….

Note that this version has the Oxford Comma… my actual card does not because it was EDITED. #bitter

It’s taken a little effort, but it’s safe to say we are officially jolly and full of Christmas spirit. Or maybe just alcohol. Well, the kids aren’t full of alcohol (or are they??).

It helps that the we FINALLY got around to seeing Santa on Sunday. It’s always a wait , but it’s ALWAYS worth it. This Santa is legit.

Isn’t he the best?

And now I’m off to wrap a hundred gifts, bake a thousand cookies, and drink A LOT of wine. After all… ’tis the season!

Wishing you and yours a safe and HAPPY holiday!

Let’s Get Jolly, B*tches

December 17, 2013 by Michelle 4 Comments

The countdown to Christmas is on and I’m definitely feeling the crunch. While I’ve finished the majority of my Christmas shopping (!!), there are still a million and ten things I feel like I need to do. There are Christmas traditions I’d like to uphold (and in some cases start), cards to send out (at I ordered them!) and we still haven’t seen the big guy….

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From last year… minus one kid, plus some teeth.

We did FINALLY get the lights and the tree up last week.

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And we only broke one (unimportant ornament) in the process. Christmas miracles do happen!

With everything we have going on, I’m really REALLY trying to take the time and enjoy Christmas through the eyes of my babies. The magic of Santa only lasts so long and first Christmases ARE only celebrated once.

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I really need to find that hat…

Truthfully, my heart gets a little sad when I think about the day that there won’t be a 5:00am wakeup just to see if Santa came. I really want my kids to have the same kind of memories that I had. Memories full of cookies, family, singing, and laughter. I want them to get just excited about giving gifts – as they are to receive them. I’ve always loved Christmas. It’s by far my FAVORITE time of year. Even when I feel like it’s really hard to relax and ENJOY it.

So, while this Christmas is feeling a little crunched for time (seriously – how is Christmas NEXT WEDNESDAY??), it’s time for me to suck it up, hang the mistletoe…

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(on the baby)

Bake some cookies…

Salted Dark Chocolate Cookies. Don't you wish you worked with me?

These are to die for, especially if you’re into dark chocolate

Get fancy…

And get JOLLY.

Evan DEMANDS IT

Hello ladies...

with smiles, of course

What gets you into the holiday spirit?

I’m Still Alive!

December 4, 2013 by Michelle 11 Comments

It’s true… I’M STILL ALIVE!

Did a major holiday happen or something?

These past few weeks have been a blur. Hell, these last 12 MONTHS have been a blur. Hello December, how did we get here???

I really can’t believe Thanksgiving was a WEEK ago! It was a great holiday. I REALLY enjoyed those four days off. I prepped and ate lots of food. I mean, A LOT of food. More than half is still in my fridge though, so I’m 100% sure I’m not going to be cooking an extravagant Thanksgiving dinner for a while.

Next year will be simpler. And possibly without the turkey.

After Thanksgiving we took our traditional family holiday photos. To sum it up: exhausting, but also hilarious….

We did manage to get a few good ones though so I couldn’t just skip out on the Christmas Card. I was tempted though.

This week is my first week back to 40 hours and I’m already hating it. I looooooved my Fridays with Evan. However, my bank account will be happy. I might try to work from home once a week so I can sneak in some E time, but we’ll see.

And finally…. this Saturday is my next half marathon!! I’m pretty excited, even though it’s supposed to be warm and humid. And the last time I ran was a 10 miler a week and a half ago. I also still don’t have a Garmin. I’m going to buy the new 220. I think. Until then, I can’t decide if I want to try to borrow one from someone (umm, anyone have a Garmin/GPS watch I can borrow?) or just wing it. I know that Track Shack DOES provide a clock at most mile markers, so I wouldn’t be running completely clueless. I also don’t know what I’m going to wear yet — and I might commit the cardinal sin of wearing something new that I haven’t worn on a long run. I KNOW I’m not going to be PRing this thing, so it’s really just another training run… where I push a little harder than usual.

So, yeah, that’s what’s going on with me. I’m busy, tired, not running much, and trying not to overdo it during the holidays (HA!). What’s going on with you?