Blue Points 5k

On August 7th, I ran the Blue Points 5k outside Panthers Stadium. It was the morning of their Fan Fest so there was also a kids' 100 meter dash. We signed Wes up for it, but he was too afraid of Sir Purr (the Panthers' mascot) to actually race. It was a bummer since 1) we paid money for him to do it, and 2) he really loves running.

Photo op with Sir Purr.

This is a picture of the kids "racing" to their finish line. You can see the look of fear on both of their faces as we approach Sir Purr.




I did make Wes give Sir Purr a high five because his fear of mascots (and animals) is getting a little ridiculous.



As for me, my race went really well. It was a great morning temperature-wise and that makes a huge difference. The stadium is less than a mile from our house so I did a 4.5 mile loop and then headed to the stadium.

The race started at 7:30am and as we took off and headed downhill I could see all of the people in front of me running and it just gave me chills and made me smile. All of these people had decided to come out and run on their Saturday morning. Cool stuff.

The first half was downhill, but since it was a looped course (part of which I'd already run once that morning), I knew it'd have to go back up in the second half. So at least I knew what to expect, which helps. I was pleasantly surprised with my time as I passed each mile marker and I was feeling really good. I think the pre-run run actually helped me do better. My final time was 24:25 which is a pace of 7:54 min/mi. Here are my stats:

Division Place: 12 of 90
Sex Place: 49 of 430
Overall: 236 of 957

After this race I had the "I'm back" feeling even though it wasn't a PR. This past week I've still be running my usual 9:30-10:00 min/mi pace, but that's okay. I was just glad I could push it out for one race (on a great day, which helped) and feel good about what I had accomplished.

No More Diapers For Me!*

*At least until we decide (if we decide) to have any more kids. But I'll probably still carry wipes. Those things are very useful with kids this age!

I'm not one for naked baby pictures, but I think toddlers (and my preschooler) in underwear are so cute. Look at Sydney's still baby-fatted thighs (and Wes' super skinny legs). Cute!

A couple of weeks ago it was coming time to buy Sydney more diapers and I just decided I didn't want to buy anymore diapers. Plus, she's 22 months now (which the 3-day potty training e-book says is the ideal age), she's a girl, and she's pretty much like a 2-year-old (or older) already. So I figured we'd just take on potty training.

On the morning of August 2nd (after dreaming about potty training the night before), I got home from running and we had a mini "potty party" before Brian went to work. Sydney opened her present of underwear! (Lucky girl!) At first she was super stressed to put them on, but we bribed her with a sticker and that worked. However, she wouldn't sit on the potty seat.

The second time I went to put her on the potty, she sat fought it but relented for a second with another sticker bribe. The third time, she sat and looked at the stickers without problem. By the fourth time, she was walking into the bathroom, putting the potty seat up herself, and pushing down her own underwear. She's Miss Independent for sure (and thankfully loves stickers)!

I'm not saying that each of these times she actually got anything out on the potty. Really, she just wanted stickers. But of course, on day one it's whatever works. We did have a few accidents, but mostly in the bathroom because she'd run in and couldn't get to the potty fast enough and then start running out of the bathroom freaking out (one time she biffed it on her own pee...oops!). However, we've mostly been accident free!

She was a quick learner, as we suspected, but it helps she has an older brother that is fully supportive of her. He'll run in the bathroom saying: "Did Sydney do it?!?" She also make the cutest face when she goes on the potty: she's so proud of herself. We really need to try and get a video.

Now we have two cute kiddos in underoos morning and night!

Run For Your Cause 4-miler

I'm still running!

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but I'm not really training for anything. It turned out I didn't do the triathlon (I was overly optimistic about doing a triathlon the Saturday after I flew from Utah to Charlotte after a week-long vacation in Hawaii). After that, I was running about once a week and trying to figure out what was going to motivate me to get on a schedule. I figured running a race would be just the ticket!

On July 24th I ran the Run For Your Life Run For Your Cause 4-miler. The start of the course was very near my apartment (about two miles), so before the race I ran from my place to the start as a warm up. This also left the car for Brian and the kids to come meet me.

It was a lot of fun to see Brian and the kids at the finish line!

I guess since I've never run a 4-mile race before, it was technically a PR, but it wasn't my best race ever. I felt good about it though because I've basically felt like I've been starting over with running ever since I moved to Charlotte. I'm not sure if it's been adjusting to the humidity and heat (we had record highs of 100*+ that day plus I've never sweat so much in my life!) or the lack of consistency I've had with running since the National Marathon, but I was just glad to finally be out there working hard and enjoying it!

I have really come to love races. It's kind of an emotional experience for me. Silly, I know, but it's just kind of awesome to run races. :) My finishing time was 35:22 which is a pace of 8:54 min/mi. Here are my stats:

Division Place: 25 of 69

Sex Place: 74 of 297

Overall: 281 of 623

Another silly thing: I kind of felt like I was "cheating" on the Ann Arbor running store (Running Fit) when I put on the Charlotte running store (Run For Your Life) shirt. I think I'm over it now though. :)

Random July Pictures

Here are some more pictures from July to (almost) get me caught up.

The kids were painting and Dad stepped in to help. I think Brian just wanted his own paints. :)

The kids are lucky enough to have a TV in their room (since we live in BofA furnished housing). They think it's really fun to lay on Wes' bed and watch a show.




Cute kids! (PS: These shots are proof that I actually do Sydney's hair in the morning; it's just that by the end of the day it's a disaster.)

Wes helping Dad fix a toy.

We went to McDonald's to use a gift card and Sydney was fishing the mini M&Ms out of the McFlurry with her hands.

Wes opted for the spoon to eat, but still made a mess!

I always love the cheezy grins Brian gives me when I take an eating picture of him.