Mission...Accomplished!

I did it! I finished the 5K in Ardmore this morning in 30:35...and my goal was just to finish under 33. As a whole the family did great
Mom 31st woman 3rd in age bracket
Carrie 32nd woman 8th in age bracket (but only b/c she finished with Mom)
Me 69th woman 15th in age bracket (out of 54!)
Dad 51st male 5th in age bracket
Rob 44th male 8th in age bracket
Chad 81st male 13th in age bracket

So now? On to my next goals...under 30 minutes for a 5K and running a 10K. After that(as eventual goals)...an 8-minute mile pace for a 5K and a half marathon!

But how to get there? I'm starting with strength training this week. My sweet sister has put together a training plan for me for the next three months. I'm going to add in interval training once a week and increase my incline on my runs. I'd like to add in one more run each week or a longer bike ride with the family.

Speaking of which...we took the bikes and trailer to Grammy and Big Daddy's tonight instead of driving. Probably not the best idea after the run this morning, but I'm not going to turn down the chance for a little family exercise and outdoor time. Even if the pollen count is through the roof.

I am so proud of my mother...running a 5K to celebrate her 50th birthday and placing 3rd in her age division! She is truly and inspiration to me...and so is my Dad. He ran the same pace...and he's 54!

I am so proud of my sister. She is so strong, mentally and physically! She is working to accomplish her goals of being a personal trainer and a Zumba instructor. Actually, she accomplished that last one this weekend!

I am so proud of my brother. He jumped right in and ran the race with no training. And he was really hurting. But he finished with a great time! He and his wife are working to create a wonderful life for themselves and their little Gabby. So awesome to be able to share in just a little of it.

And I am so proud of my hubby. He is the one who suggested taking the bikes to the in-laws tonight. I know that exercise is not his favorite thing, but he knows how important it is to me. Important enough that he stayed home with a sick kid this morning so I could get my run in. I am so blessed and lucky!

Yuck

I am not feeling well at all today...and I can't figure out exactly what is wrong. Weird, I know. How do you "fix" something when you don't know what "it" is?! I wouldn't mind so much, but I'm running a 5K with my family in the morning to celebrate my mom's 50th birthday. And I really, really want to run a best time. I've been working so hard these past few weeks to improve my time. I do not need this right now! I'm hoping the next few hours bring a huge turnaround in the way I feel. I felt fine yesterday...and the day before...but not now. Aaarrgh!

What's next?

I've got a 5K in 5 days. I so want to do well, but I haven't been the best about my running. One of these days, I'll get it all together and get a real routine to increase my speed and distance and get some real strength. I so want to be that "fit" woman everyone wants to be...but more than that, I want to be the woman everyone wants to be because she has it all together.

Back to the Grind

I can't say I'm happy to go back to school tomorrow...but I can't say I'm not either. This week has been productive. But, it has also been trying. SB has thrown three huge fits in three days. I just can't handle this much more. I know, in my head, that it doesn't really reflect on me as a mother, but in my heart, I feel like I've failed at motherhood when she acts this way. I just don't know what else to do. I'm not the mom I want to be. I want to be so much more. I want to get it all together and keep the house clean, and put good food on the table, and be healthy, and play with the kids, and plan fun things for them, and be a Godly Proverbs 31 woman...but just when I get one thing going right, something else falls by the wayside. Oh, to be superwoman.

Wannabe Hippie Chick

I'm pretty sure I could easily be a Hippie Chick...I'm not, but I could be. I made my own granola today. Tried it in the crockpot. Not so good. Switched to the oven...and delicious! Now I have yogurt started in the crockpot...hope it works out better than the granola, but I am really looking forward to a preservative-free, sugar-controlled parfait for breakfast in the morning. But I may have to go get some fresh blueberries tonight.

I've decided I want to cut out as much processed food as possible to monitor our preservative and sodium intake. We're really doing pretty good in this department, but I may try to make our own taco seasoning and seasoned salt soon. Eventually, we may try cutting out gluten. Sounds crazy for someone who doesn't have to, but I think it's something that is a problem for my crazy, messed-up body.

When I'm in this mode, I really wish I was a stay-at-home mom so I could do more from-scratch cooking. And right now, I'm a clutter kick, so I've been cleaning like crazy. At least it's spring break, so I'm not losing a ton of sleep while trying to get everything cleaned out and cleaned up. I know being a stay-at-home mom isn't a piece of cake, but at least I'd actually be here to try to clean it.

Hmmm...

Wow, I stink at this blogging thing. I'd really like to be a good blogger, but life just catches up with me. I have so much on my plate and so much I'd really like to share, but I get sidetracked so easily. Things I'd like my blog to focus on:
1. Cooking
2. Running/exercising
3. Crafting
4. Organizing

I love my crockpot. I started a Crockpot Cooker group on Facebook and have 550 members now. I love the recipes everyone is sharing. And I love using my crockpot.

I am working on decreasing my 5K time so that I don't get beaten by my almost 50-year-old mother and 54-year-old father in the 5K at the end of the month my mother wants to run for her 50th birthday. I'm down to 35.37 for 3.2 miles...which, by the way, is not a 5K as I learned Friday. A 5K is actually only 3.1. Still...my parents ran their last 5K in 30.45!!!

I also want to start some strength training to get toned up all over...abs, back, arms, legs...you name it. I just don't want to have to use fancy equipment to do it. And the information out there is overwhelming. I just can't get it all put together in a way that will work for me.

And crafting...my long lost friend. Right now, I can't even see the table top in my craft closet...and haven't for months. I miss that outlet, but I dread the organizing I'm going to have to do to get caught up. And the photos alone...I am so behind on my picture printing. I don't think I've printed since last June, so I probably have 2000 pictures to print--seriously.

But organizing...that's where I'm at this week. Sarah Beth's room has already been rearranged. Ryan's was just done, so the big focus this month is going to be the garage. Which goes back to #2. Once we clear out the garage, it's becoming a home gym. I want to go full force with it and put down matting and put up a flat screen TV, get a weight bench and weights, and really...I'd love to hang a punching bag! Something about running on the treadmill surrounded by clutter is bad for my soul. I'd rather be running outside, but I run too early, alone and in the dark. Once summer gets here, I'm so out there!