Half Marathon…Check

Sunday was the big day! 

19, 19, 1985!

 

The day I had been training for for almost 7 months…the Borgess Run for the Health of It Half Marathon!

It was cool and sunny, perfect for running.  I had my running buddy, Reita with me.  We started this journey together and we were going to finish it together, too.

Ready to run!

 

13 miles is a LONG run! Previous to this race, 10.25 miles was my longest run.  I kept saying to myself going into this “If you can do 10, you can do 13”. Easier said than done that’s for sure!  The last 3 miles were the most difficult and I found that I struggled the most through mile 12.  

At mile 9.

My official time was 2:53:56.  That time included 2 bathroom stops.  My total running time minus bathroom breaks was 2:47:59.  I was figuring I’d go at least 2:45, so I am very happy with my time. I just wanted to finish in under 3 hours.

Here are some more photos!

With some friends before the race.

 

The home stretch!

 

Almost there!

 

Crossing the finish line!

 

After the race.

 

Woo hoo!  We finished!

 

Check out our hardware!

 

This is definitely an experience I’ll remember forever!

 

I’m feeling pretty good today, I was pretty sore this morning until I started moving around and such.  I did aggravate an old ankle injury, so I have a little bit of swelling in my right ankle.  I’m sure that with ice and rest, it’ll be fine in a couple of days.

Overall it was an amazing experience!  One that I will definitely repeat at some point, I’m just not sure when!  =)

Run happy!

This entry was originally posted here on 5/5/14.

Our Lives, Lately

Busy times in our neck of the woods!  So much going on now that the kids are in school.  Concerts, open houses, conferences and the like. 

I’ve been running lots of races…and now I’m training for my first half marathon in May 2014!  I’ve lost 107 pounds now…I feel amazing!

Warning…lots of photos coming up…It’s so hard to choose!

Our Life, As of Late…

Sorry about the lack of posts lately!  We’ve been having a terrific summer!

I’ll be back soon…promise!

One Year

I miss you, Mom.

Spring is Here!

After a yucky and cold winter, spring is finally making an appearance!  It’s a good thing, too, because there’s a lot of this going on:

This is going to keep us super busy!

Snippets

It’s been a month since my last “Snippets” post…here’s a look at what we’ve been up to!

Aaron’s new super hero: Captain Iron Cowboy.

 

All ready for bed!

 

Aaron makes me feel so short!

 

Tay’s first ride on a 4 wheeler.

 

Emma and her baby cousin, Gabe.

 

Emma meeting Snow White and Prince Charming.

 

Taylor meeting her favorite Princess, Rapunzel!

 

Kid’s got great taste in eyewear.

 

My hunky lunch date.

 

It’s been raining a lot lately.

 

Kenzie and Gabe.

 

Nayomie and Gabe.

 

Taylor and Grandpa hanging out after dinner.

 

Taylor’s blue nails.

 

A look at my evening walk.

 

Emma got to hold a duck!

 

Ducky face!

 

Quiet morning about town.

Father Daughter Dance

Every year our school district’s PTO puts on a Father Daughter dance.  Even though this is Emma’s third year in school (Young 5’s , K, 1st grade) it’s the first time her and Doug have gone.  The theme for the night was 80’s.  I was actually so disappointed when I heard that.  I know it was meant for fun, but I think the 80’s were so tacky.  So I gave Emma the option of dressing 80’s or picking out a nice dress and accessories to wear.  She (thankfully!) chose the latter.

Last night was the night.  Emma was so excited all day.  The dance was all she could talk about.  We started with her hair.

All this took an hour and a half.  She loved it, though.  She said “Mom, I look like a princess!”

Next came the dress, shoes and accessories.  I think I may have a diva in training.

Then we added a surprise accessory (from her grandpa).

Lastly, we had to get a photo of the lovely couple.

I do not have any photos of the dance itself.  Doug said there had to have been 300 people there!  For a small town, that’s a huge turnout! 

Emma had a blast.  They went to dinner before the dance and she made it 2 of the 2 and a half hours of the dance before she was ready to come home.   I have a feeling that they will both remember this night for the rest of their lives.

******

You may be wondering why only Emma went to the dance.  Unfortunately, Taylor does not attend school in the district, so she can’t attend.  It’s not a huge deal, though, because Taylor hates crowds and loud music, so she probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as Emma.  But no worries, Taylor had her Father Daughter outing with Doug last weekend.

They went to see The Croods!  Taylor really loves going to the movies (which is something I never thought we would be able to do with her.) and she really enjoyed it!  Doug said she was really engaged in the movie and even put her puzzle piece down near the end and gave it her full attention!  Go Taylor!

******

Doug really enjoyed the time spent with his girls.  They are growing up so quickly and he treasures every moment spent with them!

Hello, Monday!

Just popping in to let you know that I’m guest posting over at In Real Life: Kids, Cupcakes & Other Ramblings today with a post on Autism and Autism Awareness.  Plus there’s a super cute photo of Taylor to go with it!

Check it out!

Six Weeks

Six weeks from today, I will be putting on my running shoes and running in my very first “official” 5k race. I am getting so excited!  Every time I run, I feel like I’m pushing myself a little harder, trying to get a better time.  I’m still pretty slow by runner’s standards, with my best time being about 40 minutes.  But, I look at it this way: last year at this time I was well over 300 pounds and I couldn’t run 50 yards.  I’ve lost over 80 pounds with at least another 100 to go. So I’m a little slow? Not my biggest priority.  Finishing the race is my biggest priority.  I can worry about speed next year.

My next biggest priority is fundraising for the race.  I normally hate fundraising, but for this, I’m making an exception.  I’m running in the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure in memory of my Mother, who lost her fight with cancer almost a year ago.  Losing her was the most devastating thing that’s ever happened to me.  I took my grief and turned it into positive things. The lifestyle change, the running, things I should have done years ago.  I made them happen. 

Another thing that I want to make happen, is to reach my fundraising goal for this race.  Right now I’ve raised $260 of my $500 goal.  With your help, I can make this goal and beyond!  Please help me make this possible!

Should you feel inclined to donate, you may do so here.

Thanks so much!

Chantelle

(This post was originally published at She’s Losing It on April 07, 2013)