A One Year Old and a Half Marathon

So...I haven't written since August of 2015 when my girl turned 3 years old and I was participating in the 21 Day Fix (which totally works and rocks, by the way, and I have abs for the first time in my 36 years of life). I have great intentions and a lot of hilarious stories and meaningful thoughts and great pictures but...I also have two kids and a running hobby. Oh and there's reading and napping too. And Netflix. So that's why I don't often post. 

But having a one year old and running my first half marathon in almost two years surely merits a post! 

So here's my one year old at his penguin themed birthday party. This little guy has brought our family so much joy and fun. He is a hoot and a snuggle and an easy smile. 

Here's the whole family. I love us. God has been good to me, and I try to tell Him every single day how thankful I am for these three people He has given me. 

So I've been running and training for this upcoming half marathon, which was January 16. It was my first post-baby half and also my first half in almost two years! It was fantastic! I went into it nervous and unsure, but also excited to just be out there doing it. I ran most of the way with my friend, Jan, and that made it go by quickly and easily. 

It didn't feel hard until mile 12 and part of that was because I'd left my fuel in the car. Jan had given me two of her gummies and they'd certainly helped, but by mile 12 I knew I was depleted. The last few miles were also a steady climb and that wore on me as well. My handsome other half (who ran it in 1:20:08) met me at mile 12 and ran me in. I finished in 1:56:40 and was quite pleased with that starting point. Lots of room for improvement, but I'm happy with where I am. 

In other news, I'm addicted to PiYo. I didn't even know what it was when I bought the DVD set, but I love it! I do it on the days I don't run. It has definitely changed my body, made me stronger, and I believe it has helped keep me from injury as I have increased my mileage. 

I am also falling in love with cooking! Which is crazy when I think of how I used to resent time spent grocery shopping and cooking dinner when Jason and I were first married. Now I take great joy and pride in feeding my family well, in cooking and baking, in new kitchen gadgets and cookbooks and Pinterest! Don't even get me started on my love affair with Pinterest! 

That's where I am these days. I keep up with my new recipes and such on Instagram, so follow me there if you are interested. For now my writing time is up as I hear the one year old summoning me from his nap.