Chop Chop!

I finally got around to getting a haircut and boy did I get it cut! My hair has never been this long so I knew it was probably my only opportunity to donate to locks of love so I cut off 11 inches!

I'm glad I did it and the stylist said as much hair as I have they should be able to make 2-3 wigs out of my donation. Don't think that's the case but I said as thick as my hair is I expect to lose 5 pounds by getting it cut off!

Goal of Running a 5k Accomplished!

I am proud to say I RAN a 5k! I still can't believe that a little over 2 months ago I dreamed about doing one and now I can say I DID IT! No one else did it for me and I didn't do it for anyone else, I did it for ME! Sometimes it is all about me!

Surprisingly the actual race wasn't as emotional as I thought it would be. I had a huge team of supporters at the race and it was so cool to see them there to support me. A lot of friends wished me luck via facebook and phone calls. I was so touched that so many people supported me on such a personal goal. It was truely inspiring.

Ok, now the details of the race. First off when I'm nervous I have to pee. Not a good thing when it's hot out and you should be drinking lots of water! I was super excited to get my bib (that's the number you pin to your shirt) and I was #647, I just might frame it - kidding, sort of.

When I run I don't listen to music or run with anyone, it's a very personal thing and I'm so focused. This race had 2000 runners all crammed into a 2 lane street. It was so crowded and there was so much noise I was a little cranky!

The first half of the race was uphill, wasn't expecting that! I could tell it wasn't going to be a good running day when I was super tired after the first mile but I DIDN'T STOP! I kept going along at my turtle speed and I eventually made it. It was super cool to see my family on the sidelines.

As usual I ended my run with a sprint and as I crossed the finish line I held both hands up and said YES! The thrill didn't last as long as I wanted because I had to pee! Right after the race I bee lined for the bathroom. Let's just say it was a good thing there wasn't a line!!!

I read an amazing quote in the July 2009 issue of Runner's World magazine:

"The miracle isn't that I finish. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."

Oh so true! I'm getting teary eyed now just thinking about it. This was such a HUGE goal for me and I DID IT! I knew I could run 3.1 miles, I've been doing that for about a month. The miracle is that I didn't give up on day one when I COULD NOT run for 1 minute.

So what's next? Another 5k this weekend and then in September a 8k! I'll keep you posted! My sister in law Carrie and my mom also ran in the race. Here we are after the race.

Mariner's Game

We try and go to at least one baseball game a year (one of the perks of having a husband that works for a sports network, free tickets!). We had a great time as usual.

Is there anything healthy to eat at a baseball game? Maybe some apples or carrots, anything. The boys got to experience cotton candy, nasty stuff in my opinion, but they loved seeing their tongue turn blue! We also got some kettle corn which is slowly growing on me.

It was a night game so the kids fell asleep in the car. But we are such good parents (haha) that we woke the kids up when we got home and made them brush their teeth. Our dentist would be proud!

Camping at Richardson Park

We just finished camping trip #2 of the season. Every year for the boys birthday we go to Richardson Park in Eugene Oregon. This campground has some of the most private sites we've seen. We really like it there.

For the boys birthday we always get the same 2 spots, #37 and #38. My Dad takes one and we take the other and my sister in law and her family tent camp with us too. It's perfect. The boys have a lot of green grass to play in. My dad puts up a swimming pool and this year he did one step further and got a sprinkler. All the other campers were jealous because it was so hot!

There's a lake there for going out on a boat, playground, huge area to swim or play in the fields of grass. It's really a fun place. This is our 3rd year camping there and I don't see it ending any time soon.

Their cake was Super Mario Brothers and for a gift they got a volcano to erupt. Volcano was a big let down but the cake was super cool so I guess it all worked out in the end.

Couch to 5k Update!

I'm on week 4 of the Couch to 5k program. I really like this program and can't recommend it enough for the out of shape/can't run unless being chased person.

So week one had me gasping for breath while running one minute and walking one minute for 20 minutes. I'm now up to running 5 minutes and walking 2 minutes for 35 minutes. I know that's still a long ways off from completing a 5k but progress is progress no matter how small!

So I've learned a few things in the last 4 weeks about running and thought I would share.

• Running on garbage days suck.
• Running in cotton pants on a hot day makes it look like I peed my pants.
• My new Nike dri fit socks have a L and a R on them. Glad I had them on the right feet when I noticed that!
• My stop watch speeds up when I'm walking and slows down when I'm running. Well, it seems that way anyway.
  

The Big 05!

My boys are 5 years old and I am so excited! I know lots of people say they grow up too fast but I haven't felt that yet, maybe it's a twin thing, I don't know but I'm excited!

We had a great day on their birthday. My mom and I decorated the dining room with streamers and balloons and got all the presents out so when they woke up they were super surprised! I made a old family breakfast recipe called cocoa gravy and the boys ATE IT UP! I mean how can their little tummies hold so much food?

For lunch we went to a little Seattle tourist hot spot, you may have heard of it, The Space Noodle! The boys had never been so we have been waiting for their birthday to go. IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT! They loved it. Yes it is expensive to eat there but, you get a free ride up (normally $16.50 for adults), vallet parking for only $8 for 4 hours (you know how horrible parking is downtown) and the best views in town. It was totally worth it!

We played at the International Fountain and walked around downtown. Then it was time to go home, have banana splits and a birthday swim in the hot tub! It was a great day.

Word to the wise, Transformers suck! We got the boys a few transformers and I don't know how to "transform" them into their different shapes. Most frustrating toy ever! I might need to hire a 10 year old to teach me how these things work. For ages 4 and up yeah right!

Couch To 5k!

I've always wanted to be a runner! My BFF Carrie just ran a marathon, yes a MARATHON, and I'm just in awe at her accompolishment. She wasn't a runner before this but she found a training schedule, stuck to it, and ran a MARATHON!

Needless to say it inspired me. I've always wanted to run my local towns 5k but have never gotten up off the couch to train for it until now. I went online and found a training plan to run a 5k, oddly it's called Couch to 5k. It's really good because it's based on time intervals. It starts out running for 1 minute than walking for 1 minute and repeat for 20 minutes. Sounds easy enough, who can't run for 1 minute? Well, me! I will be totally honest that first day I was gasping for air and wondering what I got myself into only to look at my stop watch and see it had only been 47 seconds! What?

But I stuck with it because I really really want to run this 5k. I was sore as all get out that day and the next but here's the cool thing about the Couch to 5k, it knows you are totally out of shape so you only have to run 3x a week so I didn't have to run the next day, it was a scheduled REST day! Yahoo!

The rest of the week went much better and I saw a lot of progress! I just started week 2 and still going strong! Plus it's really fun, did I just say running is fun?