Because two is better than one, right?

I decided to create a fitness blog. Because yes, if ignoring one blog for months on end is good, then ignoring two is awesome. It's brand new so it's super ugly and boring {as opposed to this cute and boring one}, and the only post right now is a duplicate of the one before this. So basically I created another blog to say the exact same nothings I say here. There is no understanding my brain, I tell you.

http://runswithtutus.blogspot.com

A million years later, a 2012 Disneyland Half recap

Warning: photo heavy!

I have been laid up on the couch all day, thanks to a nagging achy back that blasted full throttle into debilitating pain last night. Thanks, back. It has been hurting for a few weeks and I've been seeing the chiropractor every week, and it was finally getting better after I tweaked the way I've been sleeping (for nearly 10 years...). The chiro said it looked better this past weekend, so I never gave it another thought. But somehow I destroyed it at the beach on Tuesday. Apparently sitting for 6 hours talking to a friend is very strenuous. 

So, my friend picked up the kids to take them to the last (free) summer movie and lunch while I did nothing but stay in the horizontal position all day and feel sorry for myself. It wasn't all bad though. I did get to start a chick flick in a perfectly silent house with no one needing a thing from me. That was a new experience. 

In unrelated [but sorta related] news, the Disneyland Half Marathon is in 2 1/2 weeks! That is related to my back because, holy freakout mama. I was so worried that if this didn't go away, I wouldn't be able to run. I can't even tell you how crushed I would be. Training for months, endless excitement, planning, endless excitement... Anyway, I guess I'm not used to pain that doesn't leave because it makes me a little dramatic. Prayerfully this is nothing a day on the couch, ibuprofen and tons of ice can't solve, as well as a visit to my chiropractor tomorrow morning. 

Okay so I guess it was pretty related because I'm talking about my back again. 

The Half Marathon is seriously one of the most fun things I've ever done. I realize that I never shared pictures here. So what better time? 

{port-a-potties for miles. just try maneuvering one of these beauties at dark o'clock with a giant tutu in the way of your, uh, tushy}

{my boy and I at the race expo, ready to hear former Olympian Jeff Galloway speak} 

{me and Jeff Galloway. this man and his run/walk method are entirely to thank for my 

being able to finish a Half Marathon. he is a genius.}

{I ran with my dear friend Annaliese. Having her there definitely helped with my nerves!}

{um, are we really going to do this?} {apparently the lady behind us was thinking the same thing}

{me, Walt, and Annaliese}

{it's an understatement to say we were excited to run down through Disneyland}

{my awesome husband got the kids up at the crack of dawn and drove all over Anaheim to meet me FIVE times during the race. he is seriously the best. see my baby girl's tutu to match mine?}

{Lightning McQueen came to see us! ;)}

{seriously so cool. it was so unreal to run through Angel stadium with a huge crowd cheering for us. it was deafening.}

{their 4th stop to see me was just outside of Angel Stadium}

{there was not a stretch of road that did not have someone cheering us on. school bands, cheer squads, boy scout troops, you name it. i wish every run were like this!}

{we split up after mile 7; reunited at the finish line. (annaliese was ellie from Up)}

{my baby girl's sign}

{WE DID IT!!}

{my amazingly supportive, tired family}

 

{bio-freeze is our friend!}

This was truly one of my best experiences ever. I will never forget it. We ran 13.1 miles, but from the looks of our goofy smiles and the amount of giggling we did, you'd think we were at a party. It was seriously the most fun thing I've ever done and I can't imagine any race being as fun as a Disney race! So many things I want to always remember. Seeing my husband and kids at mile markers 1, 5, 7, 9 and at the finish (and oh the tears I cried at the finish! And, the entire last mile); running the first 7.5 miles or so with my dear friend, having the time of our lives; stopping with Annaliese to play in the sprinklers someone had left on for the runners (I vaguely remember Annaliese taking a drink from it too, haha!); the massive amount of classic cars and their owners cheering for us; high-fiving all of the Disney cast members down Main Street (even the germaphobe ones that weren't so convinced); World of Color playing for us as we ran through CA Adventure; high-fiving all of the Boy Scouts that came to cheer us on... Are we noticing a trend here? I honestly think, as crazy as this sounds, that the strings of people high-fiving us were my favorite part! It was just so much fun! I remember one cast member on Main Street that was waving to us but I ran up to him and said, "Come on, you know you want to!" and high-fived him.

Reminiscing about that day only makes me SO much more excited for this year. Two weeks from today I'll be at the Expo shopping my heart out (hello birthday money!) and hearing Jeff Galloway speak again, then spending the day at Disneyland with my family. Then, on September 1st, my 36th birthday, I will run in my second Half Marathon. Eeeeek!!

After 8 months does the title even matter?

So, yeah. Every time I have the best intentions to sit down and write a post, life happens. And then I find myself thinking that if I'm going to post, it has to be some monumental mess of words. Because, after all, it's been months. Surely I'd have something important to say after all this time, right?

No. I do not, in fact, have anything important to say. ;)

We've just been trucking along and living life. Mike is turning 11 on Sunday and Ikey turned 9 last month. We had a really successful school year and I'm SO glad for how it all ended. It was the first year we've had that was just really smooth and that everything kind of clicked. We studied California history together, for science we used Apologia's Swimming Creatures of the 5th Day, and then the kids each did their own math and language arts curriculum. It was a great year.

Work has been really rough for Big Hunk. He has been under SO much stress. Really, this is the worst it has been for us in years. We've had many times in our 17 years together when we've struggled. But now they just suck. Maybe it's because we're getting older and just expect it to be over, or maybe it's just that we're frustrated we're not learning whatever lesson God keeps trying to teach us. lol Either way, it's hard.

I'm running the Disneyland Half Marathon again this year! I am SO excited. And yes, I know that I never even posted about last year's. Maybe sometime before September... ;) This year I'm raising money for the Special Olympics of Southern CA and I am so thrilled to be partnering with them this year. In June I was able to attend their summer games, and was so inspired. It was amazing to see the way every single person in the crowds would cheer and scream for every single athlete, not stopping until each competitor crossed the finish line. Or to see the joy on the gymnasts' faces when their names were called to receive their medals. I am so happy to be a part of the amazing work SOSC does for their athletes and their families. It is truly inspirational.

Our summer hasn't been anything too extravagant, but at the same time we're having a good time. I don't want summer to end! We've gone to the summer movies several times with friends, 3 beach trips, Disneyland (up until a few weeks ago, before we were blocked out for forever and a day), and of course, sports. Mikey made it onto the All Star baseball team again this year, so for a good month that's all our lives consisted of. ;) Of course he had a blast and even though our team didn't do very well, I love watching my boy play ball. Sometimes you get the chance to witness your kids doing something that just absolutely clicks for them and that they enjoy more than anything else in the world. That is baseball for my boy. He is so good, and loves it more than anything he could ever do. It is so much fun to be in the presence of that kind of joy.

Okay well baby steps. I have officially broken my 8 month silence. Now anything less than that is progress. :-)