curlymamaof2

26.2 Miles

Well, I can't believe it. I did it. I ran a marathon! 26.2 miles - Woohoo!!! It's still a little surreal and hard to fathom that I did it... 


 It was so intense both physically and mentally. I think other than giving birth, it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I am so glad I did it and I got the t-shirt!!

I have to say that along the 24.2 miles it definitely wasn’t lost on me just how far I’ve come in a relatively short amount of time. It’s really incredible. And yes, I am taking a minute to toot my own horn. :) Since July of 2011 I have lost 43 lbs, gained an incredible amount of strength and confidence, lost inches, gone down 4+ sizes and gained some amazing friendships. It seems like just yesterday I was celebrating the fact that I could run one mile (ONE MILE!!) without stopping. And now I just did 26.2!  

With all that said and as proud as I am of myself for accomplishing such a daunting feat, I don’t know that I will ever do another marathon. It’s taken me a week to recuperate and feel somewhat functional again. I love running and I love challenging myself in new ways, but I think half marathons are crazy enough for this girl!

Looking for Eric and Katy

Still scanning the crowds for my peeps….

Finally I spot them!!

And then I become an emotional wreck!

Hiccuping and trying to catch my breath…

As Jacob would say, “WHEW! I made it!”

Christmas Craft

Jacob decided that he wanted to paint some ornaments again this year…

It was quite comical as every time Jake gets a dot of paint on his skin or on the newspaper, he shouts, “Wipe it off Mama!!!”

He is definitely my clean child… 🙂

Hannah painted for all of about 10 seconds before deciding it wasn’t for her when she couldn’t eat the paint! Off to nap time she went!!

It was a fun morning and we are ready for Christmas!!! 🙂

My First Half

Today I ran a half marathon. I just need to breathe that in for a moment. Wow.

I woke up this morning full of adrenaline and anticipation (having slept very lightly as my mind was racing all night long!) I have been looking forward to this race for sometime - even before I had actually signed up. It has been a goal of mine for awhile, but even as I got dressed at o'dark thirty and ate some breakfast, I still thought to myself, "Can I actually do this?!" Today that answer was a resounding YES!

I have ran distances like this before, but there is something inspiring about being in an event with 1000+ other runners of all different athletic abilities. The other runners inspire me. The faster ones whom I hope to one day be like, and the slower pacers whom I was just a few short months ago. That is one thing I love about the running community. We are out there encouraging each other whether we realize it or not. Whether its deliberate or not. And there is room for all fitness levels. We walk before we jog, we jog before we run, we run before we sprint. Bill Murray was right - Baby steps!!!

On the run itself there were moments of euphoria and moments where I was asking myself why the hell am I doing this?! The euphoric moments cannot be beat! When I look up and see Diamondhead crater to my right and never ending ocean on my left. No - you can't beat that. I feel powerful in those moments. I can do this. I can do anything I set my mind to. The, shall we say, "less than euphoric" moments were hard. Some runners call that hitting the wall. I feel like 75% of this is mental. The whole "if you think you can or you can't - you're right" definitely applies. I try to learn from the hard moments too. Focus on breathing. In and out. I repeat my weightloss goals...I listen to music. Whatever it takes to push the focus from pain and negativity to whatever thought will get me to another one of those euphoric moments! They just can't be beat!

I love running with music. So much so that I really doubt I would run as far or as fast without it. I love the shuffle feature on the iPod...it never fails to have THE most perfect song come up just when I need it!

But all of these thoughts aside, this run for me means so much more. I crossed the finish line (SPRINTING) with my battle buddy who has been on this fitness journey with me. We have cried and laughed and achieved goals together that neither of us thought were possible.

I had given up. I was just going to be a mom. Just a mom. I am learning that while I strive to be the best mom I can be, I do also need other things in my life, some that are just for me. Running is that "just for me" thing. I crave it. When I get that time to work on me. It makes me a better mom, a better wife, and a better friend. It is possible. It can be done. I can dream big. Without holding back. I did it.

Now - time to take a nap!

Me and my battle buddy Katy!

We’re almost to the finish line!

…and this is where I start becoming emotional 🙂

Sprinting to the finish line!!

Relief! It’s over!

And it hits me that we actually did this!

Very emotional!

I am so grateful for these two ladies! They inspire and teach me everyday!!

HodgePodge!

Well…it’s been a crazy couple of weeks!

This week will conclude the fourth month of bootcamp – and what a difference 4 months makes…

Here is my before/after shots:

It really is amazing to me how fast a body will adapt if you just work out and eat clean and healthy. Not always perfect, but since I have stuck with it – the results are well worth it! If I can do it – ANYONE can! It’s amazing how it is much more than just weight loss. I’ve learned so much about myself in the past year it’s incredible. Still have a little ways to go and I’m sure the weight loss will start to taper as I get to my goal weight. What a journey! I’m actually going to be running not 1, but 2 half marathons in the next month. It’s crazy and I can’t even believe it. Perhaps a full marathon sometime next year….hmmm….I’ll let you know!

And then I took the opportunity to have a little photo session with my two favorite subjects!!!

Fun on the slide!!

Hannah being a cutie pie!

Fun!! I just love to watch them play together!

Rolling down the hill!

Hannah is always running to try to keep up with her big brother! It’s adorable and melts my heart! I love it when they play together!

Jacob had his 3 year check up today and did great! So much better than last year! He is now weighing in at 36 lbs and he is 34 inches tall putting him in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. Growing like a weed!!

Not much else is going on….and moving is just around the corner so we are starting to gear up for that!

Halloween 2011

Halloween this year was interesting…to say the least. Unfortunately Eric was out of town for work, so he missed this one.

Hannah dressed up as a lady bug this year…

She wasn’t a big fan of the hat!

But I did manage to snap one pic with it on!!

Jacob had a Woody from Toy Story costume, but refused to put it on….

Here he is with our friend Batgirl!

Jake didn’t really get what Halloween was all about. Luckily we went with some friends to show him the ropes 🙂

Once he figured out that he could go up to some one and simply say “trick or treat” and get candy, he was all over “doing it for Hannah”!!!

It wasn’t too long and he got the hang of it!!

So fun!

It was fun watching him try to figure it all out. Hannah just ran after the big kids and screamed and giggled! When I asked Jacob if he wanted to get into his costume since the other kids were doing it, he said, “No! I’m Jacob”

I guess he just wanted to be himself for Halloween.

I love that kid!

He did have a couple of pieces of candy that night, but then magically it disappeared by morning. Go figure!!! And we will be donating the remainder to the troops overseas. I am proud to say I did not partake in the candy eating at all. Quite a difference from last year when I bought candy way ahead of time, ate it all, then had to go get more!!! LOL!!

Wowee!!! Jacob is 3!!!

Well our baby just turned 3! Can hardly believe it! I got a few shots of Hannah playing in the backyard before the festivities began!!

Playing ball!!

Jake really doesn’t care for cake and doesn’t like frosting at all….

So we made a chocolate chip cookie party!! Jake got a giant cookie with his name spelled out in chocolate chips!! (Which Eric made by the way! GO DAD!!)

We had a great time with Cars themed plates and decorations….

And friends to help us celebrate!!

Hannah even got into the action!

CHEESE!!!!

Jake had a good time, but doesn’t really get what birthdays are about so we basically celebrated the fact that 3 years ago we became parents…..and, as our good friend Kim said, we found purpose.

Well said.

Happy birthday Jacob! We love you!

Trip to Maui

We got a chance to get a girls night out!! So much fun! We did our usual dinner at the mai tai bar at the Royal Hawaiian hotel. It is so beautiful there and dinner on the water just can’t be beat!