Marathon Motivation

About 8 minutes after finishing the half marathon back in May a friend suggested going for a full and I immediately said "YES!"  I don't know why I can't drop this dream or bucket list item.  Its so much time and so demanding on your body.  I just have so much respect for anyone that can complete a marathon.  I mean "WOW!" running 26.2 miles, holy cow!  Rock star!

I want it and I'm going for it.  I said this would be the year for the full marathon and so all I can do is try.  I have started the 22 week training plan AGAIN.  I started it back in December aiming for a May marathon but my IT band was acting up and I needed to take a couple weeks off and a couple more going easy.  Now, my sights are set on the Philadelphia Marathon November 18th.  I just completed week 2 of training and I'm feeling good.

Disappointment

Just received a letter from the school I applied to that they may not be running the program if they don't have enough students.  I'm researching other programs.

Joy of Gardening

Always the most amazing sight - my roses with their first of the season blooms.

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These are two of the many new bulbs we planted this season.  The bloom lasts only one day but then another bud appears, in all five blooms with each bulb.  Definitely beautiful but I wish I had planted them in more of a cluster so I will be moving them in the fall.

Of all the new bulbs, this is the surprise favorite, elephant ear.  Its been really fun to watch it grow with the kids.  We're all taken with how the leaves manage to balance water each morning and make it look like a glass marble on top of the leaf.

Working on Progress

For the last few days we've been visiting my in-laws, so its been pretty easy to cut down on snacking and computer use.  Its also really easy to fit in my runs since there are other grown ups to watch the kids.  Feel like I'm making progress on all the fronts.

I went to the library last week and decided on Deepak Chopra's "Book of Secrets."  I'm only 20 pages in but the book is giving me a lot to think about.  I really like it but I find I reread things several times to really let it sink in.

Making Goal List Shorter by Accomplishing

Another half marathon accomplished in under two hours!  Despite the hilly course and extra 15lbs that I can't seem to lose, I got a personal best of 1 hour 58 minutes!  I had so much momentum going into this race.  I felt like I'd been training for so long.  My times were looking good.  I felt great finishing and loved feeling so prepared for the race itself.  While running the halfer, I was thinking, "This is perfect.  This is challenging and enough.  I don't need to do a full."  Then I crossed the finish line and within minutes some one mentioned doing a full marathon and I volunteered to train with them.  Monday I start training for the Philadelphia Marathon in November.  Ahh!!!  I had the same feeling as the last half marathon, that the training meant more to me than the race.  I proved to myself that I could work through some issues/injuries and disappointment (13.1 not 26.2 miles).

The half marathon was May 20th and then I proceeded to take a break from running.  I did one little race in town that I was secretly hoping back when I was regularly training for the half marathon to finish in the top 10 for my age group.  Running after not doing any thing for 3 weeks was awful!  I felt terrible running it.  Luckily, one of my mommy friends motivated me and I managed to stay close to her.  I miraculously finished 10th in my age group!  I was more excited about that than the half marathon results.  Go figure!

Anyway, instead of running this last month I've been doing lots of gardening.  Its been so great.  The kids are so involved and interested in what's growing.  I love it!   I feel like I've been doing a lot of thinking about technology and how it ends up sucking time away from productive things or just thinking. I mean for a stay at home mom I look at the computer a lot in the day yet I don't feel very informed about much.  What the heck am I wasting my time looking at a screen?  I really need to stick to some tasks that must be accomplished and specific places to read my news and just get off and stay off the computer.  Chances are I won't miss anything.  Gardening has been a wonderful way to keep myself away from checking my phone or looking online.  I hate my bad habits and worse they are so hard to get rid of!  This week I'm going to start shutting down the computer instead of it just being left on.

My poor eating habits have really caught up with me in the form of a very unflattering Facebook picture posted by my husband, no less!!!  What was he thinking!?  Anyway, I realize I could just take the tag off but I'm leaving it on as a punishment/motivation to myself to get going on losing the 15lbs already!  WW has not been doing it for me.  I sometimes go to the meetings where I don't find the leader motivating (I miss my retired old leader).  I have not done any of the points stuff or tracking.  I'm still a believer in WW its just that you have to actually work the plan.  I'm thinking about just doing the online version and getting my own scale, perhaps this week.

Drum roll, please.  The really big news....  I finished my application for school in the fall to become a Montessori teacher.  I still have to mail or e-mail all the different parts but its all filled out.  I sent out all my requests for recommendations and transcripts and I wrote up my personal statement.  It feels really good to have that done.  Really good.