1st day of 1st Grade!

 With her sparkly purple backpack strapped on, Alison bravely entered 1st grade at a new school.  She was excited to meet new friends and play on a new playground.

Eli did not like being left out of going to school and insisted on also packing his lunch and carried a backpack around all day.  I thought he would enjoy some time by himself, but after about an hour he said, "okay, let's go get sissy."

 

Letting go this year was easier, but still not fun.  I wasn't ready for summer to be over and I sure do miss having her home.  Thankfully she loves school and is excited to go.

 

Virginia Beach Rock N' Roll Half Marathon 2013

My friend, Julie, and her family drove all the way here from Michigan to run the half marathon.  It was almost surreal to see her and spend time with her again.  Julie was the one who got me into running in the first place.  She was the one who met me twice a week at Metro Beach with our little #1's and coached me through training for a 5k.  The last time we saw eachother we both had #2's in our belly, so it was awesome to have all 6 of our kids together.

Kyle, Colin, Eliot, Evan, Alison, Luke

Saturday morning we went on a short run in our neighborhood and then took the kids for a walk through Windsor Castle trail.  I don't think we even needed that run, because pushing kids in double strollers on a hilly trail was far harder than any run I've been on.  

After some Ringo's donuts, the men took the kids to the pool and we took the babies with us down to VA Beach to pick up our packets.

 

 Sunday morning we were up at 4am to get ready for the race.  A friend of mine graciously drove us down to Virginia Beach (her husband was also running) and it was awesome to not have to worry about parking or shuttles.  By 6:45am we were in corral 5, waiting to start the race.

 We heard the gunshot for corral 1 to start and Julie said she was going to vomit.

I was nervous too, but told her to think back to 6 years ago, when we were struggling to jog a block.  Now we're running 13 miles and just think what we'll be doing in 6 more years.

We took a deep breath and decided to enjoy the ride.

 There was one major terrible thing that happened during the race, but I'll blog about that later.  Other than that, the race was amazing.  

We averaged an 8:30 pace the whole 13.1 miles and finished at exactly 2 hours.  

I couldn't believe it...we actually met our lofty goal.

We came in at the top 15% of 16,000 runners!

At mile 10.5  Julie got a major side cramp and had to walk.  We decided that I would keep running and I thought I would finish and then go back to help her.  Little did I know that she found a heap of determination somewhere and was right behind me the whole time.  The guys were so confused when we ran by only seconds apart.  But it made the pictures Ben took pretty funny.

I was beyond excited to see my family and Julie is desperately trying to get my attention.

Last mile of the race on the boardwalk...I'm the pink shorts:

p.s.  don't wear pink shorts on a long run.  I dumped water on my head at every water station and it made my shorts bleed pink down my legs.  My socks turned pink and you can only imagine was everyone behind me was thinking.  Julie said she heard a guy say, "well, that's unfortunate".

I actually felt good most of the race, except for mile 9 and 13...then I was ready to be lounging on the beach.  By mile 11, my feet hurt, but I was thankful that was all.  No blisters, no cramps, no injuries.

So what got me through?

First, I thought about all the training I did and how many times I thought about this race...and now I was in it.  I was finally there and I just tried to take in each mile.

Second, there was a lot to see.  It actually went by pretty quickly.  There were bands along the way and water/gaterade stations.  There were people wearing crazy outfits, people throwing up and every once in awhile someone would leap into a bush for an emergancy bathroom.  There were couples running together, parents with kids, and several people pushing jogging strollers with disabled people in them.

Finally, I thought about Ben and the kids.  If you could dedicate a mile, I would give the last one to Colin.  He made me stronger than I thought possible and knowing he was waiting for me at the finish line is what drove me. 

look at that hair!  now I see why women cut their hair short...

We crossed the finish line and they announced our names, handed us medals and chocolate milk.

I know it sounds gross-chocolate milk.  But it was the best.thing.ever.  That and an ice cold rag.  We chugged a couple bottles of water, found our families and were finally able to lounge on the beach. 

Speaking of our families, they were amazing.  The men got up early too and got all 6 kids ready for a long day.  I know they felt like they ran a half marathon by the end of the day, with all the walking and pushing big strollers and bathroom runs.  And to say our thanks for being there to support us, we took everyone to get slurpees.

I know the big question remains...will I do it again?

Perhaps.

But first I have to beat Ben in the hog jog :) 

First "real" haircut

Tropical Smoothie after her first haircut in a salon

She is so beautiful.

I cannot believe my little girl will be in 1st grade next week.

Marathon Training

T-minus 9 days until the big race.

Here's some snidbits from my training...

~I ran 10 miles in the rain on Monday.  It was crazy, yet beautiful.  I feel like this is the theme of my life right now.  I usually pour water on my head throughout my long runs, but God did it for me this day and it was one of the best experiences of my life.

 ~I ate skittles on my 10 mile run.  I tried those energy sport jellybeans...I ate 3 and thought I was going to vomit.  I figured the whole idea is to boost your sugar levels, so I switched them out for skittles.  Plus, what's more motivating than skittles?

~At least 6 regular marathon runners have told me that they will not run this race because of the conditions.  Sure wish someone would have told me that 4 months ago!  When a friend, who is a full marathon runner and triathlete, found out I was training for this race said, "if you are training through this heat and humidity, you're not a runner, you're a warrior."  That's right!  I am a warrior and I have definitely acclimated to running in hot conditions.

~I've been training primarily on the Windsor Castle Trial.  It's hilly and all gravel, but it's shaded and there's always a nice breeze.  When I've attempted runs through neighborhoods, the heat is unbearable.  My short run pace is about 8:30/mile and long run pace is about 9:30/mile.  I'm hoping that with a flat race course, my marathon pace will average out at 9:00, but I've been told that's a lofty goal for a first race.  Hey, I can dream, right?

~I couldn't have made it through training without Ben.  He's been there to encourage me when I've had a hard run and prayed with me when I wanted to quit.  He's finished dinner when I've hit a wall at the end of a long day and brought me tylenol when I can no longer move.  He showed the kids how far I ran in the car one day and took them to the trail to find my lost car key, all while teaching them how our great God provides and takes care of us.

~I've learned two lessons from training that I know my dad tried to teach me as a child.

       A.  Walk on the outsides of your feet:  he knew early on I needed to work on my form.  I struggled for about 3 weeks with blisters.  After the investment of special blister socks, wrapping my feet in high-tech tape and refining my "gate" I'm finally blister free.

      B.  If you don't think you can, you won't be able to do it:  running is 98% mental.  If you don't think you can do it, you won't.  If you don't want to do it, you won't.  If you for one minute think 10 miles is too long, it will be.

~I've had several mental road blocks to work through.  Running in rain was one.  Running on a treadmill is another, however I never conquered this one.  I just can't do it...I'd rather run in 100 degree weather for 20 miles than run on a treadmill.  I've had several runs that I spent the whole time thinking "This is so dumb!  Why in the world did I decide to do this?  If I wanted to do something for myself, why didn't I go get a pedicure?!?!  Is it really worth the sacrifice of time, energy and money?"

I now know why they make you pay $100 to run the race...because if I hadn't paid that much money, I for sure would have backed out.  

      

           ~On that note, running is an investment.  Running clothes, shoes, blister socks and tape, iphone holders and handheld water bottles.  But the best investment I've made over the last few months has been in Tide Sport with Febreeze.  I've always been a generic brand laundry detergent buyer, until now.  It's worth it and so nice to smell fresh and clean even when you're drenched in sweat.

           ~I've had to remind myself time and time again why I am doing this.  Yes, it's for me...it's a celebration of me.  For so many years I've wanted to do this and I'm celebrating finally being able to.  But more than that, I'm celebrating all of the blessings God has given me; a body that has carried and birthed 3 children, that has fought and conquered baby weight and now a body that can run 13.1 miles.  It's pretty amazing how God has designed and fashioned our bodies.  When a run is tough, I think back to being pregnant with Colin and how I felt like an alien in my own body.  I was screaming inside to run and be active and after he was born, I struggled immensely with not being immediately back to "normal" Jen.  And here I am.  I'm finally at the place I for so long longed to be.  And it's time to celebrate.

This is a shot from today's short 2.5 mile run...

 

And this is the hill that mentally gets me every time.  It doesn't look like much, but after the curve, there's another steep hill, and then another.  If I'm having a hard run, this is the spot I avoid at all costs. 

I cannot wait to be done, check it off my bucket list and slap that '13.1' sticker on my car.

What's next on my bucket list?

A getaway with my hubs to a vineyard to experience a real wine tasting.

Busch Gardens adventure

You can add on the list of things Shears' are not: 

amusement park people.

Big crowds, long lines and fast rides=not interested in the least.

However, Busch Garden's in Williamsburg has a Sesame Street section and military families can get in for free one day a year.  A fellow Y instructor has a son Eli's age and has been going to Busch Gardens her whole life.  So when she offered to escort me and the kids there, I decided I couldn't pass up the experience for the kids.

We rode the ferry across the river to get to Williamsburg.

Eli and his bff, Nash.

It was actually pretty chilly on the ferry and the wind was splashing water onto us.

 

I love how kids love the little things.
Just the ferry, trolley and train ride to get to the park was enough fun for them.

 

 We finally made it to Sesame Street!

We splashed and played until everyone's teeth were chattering and headed to look at the rides.

I was really proud of the kids.  They asked to ride several things and got on with no fear.

Eli and Nash on the Dragon Float

Alison riding the hot air balloons with Nash

Eli and Alison "flying" together

We said 'Hi!' to Elmo, Zoe and Big Bird...



And ate some purple cotton candy.

We only saw a fraction of the park, but the kids had a blast.  We're already looking forward to going back next year when maybe we'll have more time to play.

Riding the train back to the front of the park

The perfect afternoon

The weather has cooled slightly here, staying perfectly at 77.

Just cool enough to have your windows open, but still warm enough for shorts and fun afternoons in the sun.

This particular perfect day, the kids and I were playing on our chalk drawn track on the driveway, when Ben got home from work.  We loaded up the double stroller and took our first walk around our neighborhood and headed for the park.  We watched the ducks, looked for fish, played tag, swung high and ordered food from "chef Eliot" in his pretend jungle gym kitchen.  

It was definitely an afternoon I wished never had to end.