Kiawah Island Marathon 2010

Hard to believe it's all over! Marsh and I completed the Kiawah Island marathon last weekend. We drove over last Thursday - 2 cars, 2 kids and 2 grandmothers. It took ALL day :) Friday was packet pickup and an attempt to relax. Saturday was race day and Sunday was the trek home.



We woke up Saturday to rain. I had been tracking the weather for the past 2 weeks...no rain...therefore we did not have rain gear. I was so upset! But when we started to run the rain didn't bother me...when the rain stopped it was worse because it was cold!! I believe that is why I ran so fast - somehow I posted an official time of 3:32:34/ gun time 3:33:14 and placed 3rd in my age group. This was much faster than I had planned to run - I was just trying to hit 3:45. So I have officially qualified for Boston - woo hoo! Only down side is that Marsh missed his goal time. It's so much harder for the men,it's not fair. He is going to try again in March.

Here are some pictures...my mom was in charge of the camera hence the far away pics of the finish....



Hope the holiday season is in full swing for everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another busy month of on the go. First was a business trip to Virginia for my company's 20th anniversary, 2 days after all of the Halloween fun. We had a big celebration so Marsh came with me; of course getting the girls taken care of was very stressful. Then it was on to Hadley's 3rd birthday! We were so fortunate to have nice weather again this year so we could have all of the festivities outside. The Cinderella party was a success (whew)...now it's time for Thanksgiving! Marsh and I will start the day by running the Atlanta Half Marathon and then we'll just eat lots of food (that hopefully I will prep starting tonight!). My mom, sister, brother and aunt & cousin are supposed to be joining us.

The marathon is 3 weeks away and I think I've reached the mental exhaustion point of training. I am ready to be DONE! We are taking both grandmothers with us so it's a quick vacation of sorts; it will be nice for the girls to spend QT with both my mom and more importantly Marsh's mother, as she doesn't get to see them very often.

Hope to get our Christmas tree up by Friday and then I need to do some online shopping! Best wishes for a safe and happy Thanksgiving. And while it's not looking too good...Go Jackets!

Halloween Pictures

Everybody is sick again

The preschool germs strike again...this time we have a lovely bout of croup going through our house. I just have a slight cold but Marsh is really sick and the girls are trying to get over it but sound awful.

Had to share this picture of my girls...out of the dozens taken its the only one where both are smiling :) Leighton was not feeling the photo shoot that day.

Way too busy

I can't believe it's been 2 months since I've posted anything...I have 5 minutes before dinner is ready so hopefully the girls will let me get this done! We have been so busy here with the daily routine. September is a blur and I spent half of it with pneumonia so that wasn't fun. Then Marsh and I had a quick weekend away in Colorado and it was such a nice visit with Jules and then just being away was nice too. I missed my girls though.

Marathon training is going well; I thought the pneumonia would set me back but thankfully I was able to get back to training quickly. Work is nuts and both Marsh and I were at a conference this week which meant scrambling for help with the girls. I of course was the more stressed of the two of us...

Hopefully we'll go pick out pumpkins this weekend. Hadley is going to be Cinderella and Leighton will be my little bumblebee for Halloween. I can't wait.

Ok time to eat! Hopefully I'll write more soon.

A couple of Firsts

We took Hadley to her 1st baseball game last week. She also got to experience her 1st rain delay. After all of the waiting we watched one whole inning before we decided to head home...but Hadley loved her Cracker Jacks and Ice Cream. She was bouncing off the walls at midnight!

Hadley's 1st day of school was Tuesday; she has moved up to the "Young 3's" class even though she isn't quite 3 yet...I was so glad she moved up since all of her friends were also moving up. She walks in like she owns the place...I was lucky to get this picture before she was off to play and socialize!

Staying busy with work and trying to stay cool. It seems a little hotter every year doesn't it?? My "official" marathon training starts August 23rd as Marsh & I are registered for the Kiawah Island Marathon in December. We've been following a half marathon training schedule all summer so we can move straight into the full. I have a 15 miler ahead of me this weekend; dreading it but looking forward to it at the same time. Running makes a crazy person like me even more mental :) I mean that in the nicest way about myself.

3 weeks until football season; we'll be roasting in Athens on 9/4 for the 12:20 kickoff. I am hoping we leave at halftime for air conditioning and the better games on TV!

Next post I will give y'all a synopsis of Hadley's swimming lessons earlier this summer. The place was interesting to say the least but my girl is swimming like a fish so we'll be going back next year!!

PS - Leighton is doing well; her molars are coming in so she is grouchy (but that's normal for her). She walks, climbs, dances, you name it and tries so hard to make big sis happy. Big sis doesn't always appreciate it though!

Summertime Celebrations!

Pictures of July 4th and Leighton's 1st birthday!




Hard to believe Hadley starts pre-school in 3 weeks. It feels like summer just got started!

How big is Leighton...So big!

11 months old; can't believe it! Bye bye formula and hello whole milk. My wallet is so happy, especially since big sister Hadley has finally decided to use the potty regularly. She is only wearing a diaper for naptime and bedtime. Very exciting stuff.

Looking forward to a weekend of US Open, World Cup, College World Series, Braves baseball, the pool, an 11 mile run and wine, of course!! Cheers!

Family Photo

A halfway decent shot of all of us taken last weekend in Augusta. Leighton still does not care for riding in the car for more than a few minutes...which means a 6+ hour drive to the beach is probably a long way off. It's hard for me to squeeze between 2 carseats to entertain her!! I see a portable DVD player in our future.

Hope everyone enjoys the holiday weekend!

Springing towards Summer

The months go by so fast especially when each month is a milestone for our little one. Leighton is 10 months old and trying to walk. I am just excited that whole milk is a month away and we can say good-bye to formula! Now if I could get the oldest out of diapers then our expenses would really be reduced! Leighton has had a blocked tear duct since birth and we were on our way to the eye specialist this week...until it cleared up 2 weeks ago. I am so happy that we will not have to go through surgery!! Hadley's last day of pre-school is tomorrow; didn't we just start?? I know she will miss it this summer. Although she has picked up some bad habits...

Marsh and I had a night away to the Ritz at Lake Oconee for our 5th anniversary. It was nice to get away for a day. Although the hotel/pool was super crowded with kids, then we met up with our neighbors for a boat ride...it was a bit like home. Ha ha! The girls did well with Nana so that was a relief.

I've changed up my running slightly as I am starting to follow the FIRST program in hopes of running the Kiawah Island Marathon in December. The repeats are super tough - way faster than I am used to. But hopefully it gets me to the next level. Marsh and I have also been doing the P90X workout program and we're on Week 10. I am not following it 100% because I run too but I love all of the workouts with weights and I see a difference. I also love the Yoga but it's hard to find the time for it.

Next month we have swimming lessons for Hadley and then July 4th is staring us in the face. And then Miss Leighton turns 1! WOW is all I can say.

Keep on keeping on

Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks; the girls are both doing really well and keeping us very busy. Leighton is 9 months and goes in for her checkup Friday. She is crawling around and getting into everything. Daddy broke down and bought his girls a swingset for the backyard...Hadley is in heaven.

I had to travel for work last week; first time away from Leighton overnight. We all made it - whew. I also took a trip back to my youth as I finally saw Bon Jovi in concert; lost my voice to Bad Medicine but still yelled out the words to I'll Be There For You. It was lots of fun but way past my bedtime. I was a zombie at work the next day.

Speaking of bedtime, off I go.

Let's Go Racin'

Marsh and I ran the ING Georgia Half Marathon yesterday and recorded a PR of 1:41:34 which made me very happy. We shaved 5 minutes off our time since November. We focused alot on speed while training so I am glad it paid off. We really want to find a full marathon to train for but if we were to keep going right now that would put us ready to run in late June...and unless we want to go to the Pacific NW or Montana there aren't alot of choices. The fall is a bad time due to football...so we may have wait until 2011. In the meantime we are going to try to do more 10Ks locally; we've been remiss in our T-shirt collecting over the past few years :)

Happy Belated St Patty's Day

Also Leighton's 8 month birthday and her present is 2 upper teeth cutting through. Lucky girl!

Snow Pics

We got 3 inches yesterday (and that is enough - I don't see how your cope with 30 inches Laura). We may get more on Monday. Hadley had fun playing in the snow; unfortunately she does not yet own ski pants so she was a popsicle after a few minutes.

Freezing in February

We are so over this winter. I cannot imagine dealing with all of the snow that is falling to the north of us; these temps and the wind are bad enough.

It's business as usual around here; wish I had interesting info to share but it's kind of the daily routine. Both girls had bad colds that took 2 weeks to shake; I had it too, it went away, and now it seems to be back. We can thank pre-school for the germs:) It was rough on Leighton since she can't blow her nose!!

I always have great ideas for this blog when I run but then I either forget them or don't have enough time to really type it all in. Marsh has really focused on his running lately; we had a "date" last Sunday for a 10 miler and he set a blistering pace. I am still feeling it. He wants us to finish the half we're doing in March at some crazy sub 1:40 time...he might, but I don't think I can go that fast. 8 minute miles is killing me as it is. I am excited that he is so into it again though.

Gotta run (no pun intended)...the calls for Mommy have begun.

6 months old!

Leighton turned 6 months old last Sunday and we also celebrated her baptism! Her 1st tooth has come through and hoping the rest will be a little easier...she was quite cranky. She weighs 16 lbs, 1 oz and is 26.75 in tall. At 6 months, Hadley was 16 lbs even and the same height. Pretty cool.

Pretty much all about babies and work around here...running and reading mixed in early/late in the day. The days fly by much too fast.

Hope everyone is doing well!

First Day of Preschool!

Hadley had a great time - went in liked she owned the place. I am very proud of her.