Morton Arboretum 5K

This past weekend we participated in the annual Morton Arboretum Fall Colors 5K. We love this race, it's so beautiful and now that we have Emma we love registering her for the kids 50 yard dash! I was sidelined this year, unfortunately, but it was still fun to spend the morning at one of our favorite places with our favorite people!

Emma loves her Auntie Trish! Trisha and Ben came to watch/cheer with me and drink coffee and eat donuts.

Brandon ran his fastest 5k ever! 22:46 with a 7:20 pace & 3rd in his division!

Emma had to have a picture with the "Elsa" scarecrow

And of course the whole family had to get together for one. She is going to be so excited for Disney!

Sloane was a little cold, haha!

Emma didn't run this year, she ended up crying at the starting line and couldn't be consoled, so she just cheered with me. Hopefully next year she'll feel more up to it! It was a cold morning and a little overwhelming with so many people, so I understand her hesitation.

Morton Arboretum 5K & Kids Dash

Brandon and I ran another 5K to round out the season. It was a beautiful run through the Morton Arboretum. The course was pretty challenging, with a steep hill right at the beginning. But towards the end there was a lot of downhill resulting in a time that was much faster than I was expecting!

Emma also ran her first race, a 50 yard dash. Brady ran it as well and it was so cute! Emma was last, but she loved running by all the people cheering for her. I think she's hooked.

Delinquent

Wow, I have been slacking in the blog department lately. I'm especially ashamed that I missed posting about Emma's 5 month birthday. I will post the shot that I took for her 5 month photo shoot this weekend. I have been so busy since I have started school again and also have started working full time again. I really miss Emma during the day, but it makes the time I get to see her when I get home at night that much more valuable. I have moved my workouts to before work, pushed my start time at work back an hour to accommodate, and many times I take a short lunch so I can leave early. I do all that to spend as much time with Emma as I can before she goes to bed. It's amazing what you will sacrifice for your kids, in my case it is sleep. I feel like there are never enough hours in the day, so it's all about prioritizing & time management. I am learning every day what is most important to me, and how to learn to make time for the people that matter. I am not perfect at it, but I am trying to figure it all out. Waking up early to hit the gym while my two favorite people are sleeping means that I get to spend three hours with my family when I get home from work before Emma goes to bed. That time is more precious to me than anything else in the world and so I will do whatever I can to protect it.

While it's been a sacrifice, I have found that I enjoy my runs before work. I love feeling like I am starting work energized and like I have already accomplished something that is meaningful to me. The longest distance I have run is 5 miles, and I am planning on running 6 this weekend with my sister since she is coming into town. I am looking forward to running outside, something I haven't done since before I was pregnant. I am also really looking forward to having a running buddy! Brandon and I used to run together all the time, but it is really hard for the both of us to get out there now. I can't wait to find a good jogging stroller on craigslist so the three of us can go for runs together this spring & summer.

For now, we are enjoying the indoors. I get the biggest smiles from Emma when I hold her in the air like Brandon is doing in the photo above. Still no giggles yet, but I am hoping to hear them soon! She is so close to laughing.

We are also embarking into the world of solid foods. So far all we have tried is rice cereal and she likes it way more than this initial photo of her trying it. She actually opens her mouth now and tries to help me guide the spoon to her mouth. Adorable. :)

This picture cracks me up, she looks like a sad puppy dog.

Goodnight all, thanks for reading!

Weekend Workout Update

I don't want to jinx myself but think I am back in the running game. I ran both Saturday and Sunday this weekend and felt really good. Granted, I didn't run the entire time I still have to take a few walking breaks. Even still, I think I love running again! I remember a couple years ago when I was running almost every day I would look forward to that feeling you get when you're about mid-distance and you get that surge of energy that takes you to the end. I lost that for a while, my runs just became something to get over with to try and burn off that extra piece of pizza or ice cream from a weekend of bad food choices.

That's all going to change now, I am signing up for my first half marathon! My sister and I, along with her husband and several members of her husband's family will be running the GO! St. Louis half marathon on April 15. I am very nervous about this, it will be my longest run ever. I finished the Soldier Field 10 mile a couple years ago, that was a lot of fun but I can still remember how dog tired I was around mile 8 & 9.

Feeling good at mile 1!

Crossing the finish line at the 50 yard line in Soldier Field-really cool experience

Showing off our medals. Tired but happy

Hopefully I will train smarter for this race, which means being serious about sticking to a training plan. I will be updating my blog every Monday with my Weekend Workout Update to hold myself acceptable to not skipping out on the long runs that are planned for the weekend. I begin my training today, 2 miles piece of cake ;)