First pair of running shoes

I got my first pair of running shoes when I was a freshman in High School. As I ran in the 10K last weekend in Snowflake, I kept thinking about how much better I am at running now than when I was in High School Cross Country. I remember just dying at meets. Sure I was running a little faster then, but I have a lot better stamina now. I was really happy with my time of 51.55. I was hoping for something under 60 min. I think when I run with my double stroller (about 80 lbs total) I go about 11 min. miles, so I was pleasantly surprised I could run almost 8.5 min. miles by myself!! Between miles 2 and 3 I felt like I was going to puke big time, but once I hit 3 I burped and I felt so much better. The second half of the race I kept thinking "I'm just now starting to run" to make it feel like I was only running a 3 mile race. I think it helped. I wonder if I could have run even faster/better if my mp3 player had been working...

I really wanted to kick it up the last 2 miles and I focused on catching "gray shirt" in front of me. I caught him with about 1/2 a mile to go and we sprinted in together. I finished a split second behind him. I think I was about the 6th woman in, which isn't bad, but I didn't medal because the other women before me were also in my age group (20-29). I nearly puked when I came in, but boy was I happy with the race when all was said an done. I didn't drink enough water, though, so I felt pretty darn crappy a couple hours later and the rest of the day. I need to get a fuel belt for sure. That happens every time I run 6 mi. or more.

The other day I saw the cutest little pair of new balance running shoes at Kid to Kid and they happened to be the perfect size for Dean. So I bought them for a whopping $6. So worth it.




We got a video of him jogging with them, but the cutest thing about it was when he ran out of the shade into the light and noticed his shadow. The rest of the video he watches what his shadow is doing.

Family Meal Goal Follow-up

Today I check in on my one week goal of eating together as a family at the dinner table. If you've been following my side bar updates (which you probably haven't), we've done quite well.

The best thought out and executed meal was probably Monday's. The worst was the tilapia. We ran out of our Costco tilapia (and they didn't have any for sale the last time we went!) and made the mistake of buying some from Wal-mart. It was not nearly as good of quality and the taste and texture were sub par.

The results:
I have really, really enjoyed having earlier family dinners this week. It's nice to eat as a family. It's also really nice to eat earlier. I'm always hungry by that time anyway, and it allows me to get a lot of clean up done right after dinner while the dishes are fresh. That also made me feel like I had more of an evening after Dean went down. I also liked not having to cook and think of two meals. Matt wasn't that hungry a couple of the days, but he ate with us anyway and it wasn't that big of a deal. I think it's really going to help Dean, honestly. This is something I really hope I can continue for most days at least. Sure there might be days where it just doesn't happen like I want it, but that's life.

Monday: success! Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Braid, Cucumber and feta salad, fruit salad

Tuesday: On time! Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Wednesday: Timely. Tilapia, Baked Potatoes, Broccoli, Grapes

Thursday: success! Pasta-pizza and Zucchini

Friday: on time. Hard and double decker tacos

Saturday: on time but kinda cheated since Matt wasn't home. Dean and I ate together. Frozen chicken patties and fries with carrot sticks

Sunday: Failure to eat as a family. By the time we got home from church Matt hadn't eaten anything in 22 hours, so he needed something pronto. Dean went down for his nap and I had to feed Walt and we ended up napping. So Matt made himself lunch and wasn't hungry by the 5 pm dinner time. I gave Dean some left over bean and bacon soup (which he ate very well) and made vegetable stir-fry, spring rolls, and sticky rice for us after he went down for bed.

As a side note, I have to say I've finally figured out how to make good stirfry with minimal dishes! I used to create soooo many dishes with the prep and cooking of veggies, meat and sauce. Tonight I really only used my wok, 1 cutting board, and the rice maker!