NYC HALF MARATHON....MARCH 2011
My husband and I took a weekend away from the kids to head to NYC to run the NYC Half Marathon back in March. We applied for the lottery drawing for the race and got in, so we were very excited to run. I went out with a plan to get a PR (personal record) for my 13.1 miles. Didn't quite happen. I hung around my usual 2 1/2 hours but enjoyed the race immensely! It was awesome to run down the streets of New York, right through Times Square! My husband and a friend ran with me, so we all had a great time.
MOTHER'S DAY DASH....MAY 2011
May 8th was Mother's Day. In honor of this wonderful holiday I found a "Mother's Day Dash" 5k not too far from our home. I even got MY mom (who was not a runner. Notice I said WAS. I got her hooked!) to run too! Even better...they had a kids race as well that my daughter ran in. That's 3 generations of us that celebrated with a run! 
Our daughter, Me, my Mom, Hubby, and our son
The kids race was before the 5k. It was a half mile run around a grassy field. My daughter loves to run, and she sees both my husband and I run all the time, so we had her do the kids race. She was so excited! (mind you she is only 2 1/2 years old). I am pretty sure she was the youngest competitor there.
After stretching, the kids lined up and were off! My daughter held her own for quite awhile, and I ran right along side her cheering. When we looped around by the basketball courts she got distracted ( "look mamma a ball!!!") and she occasionally stopped to smell the flowers. When we rounded the corner to get to the finish line everyone was cheering for her! Our Gracie was dead last, but she could care less! She was all smiles and you could tell from the look on her face she was so proud. We are so proud of her!
THE Y TRIATHLON....MAY 2011
Two weeks ago I competed in a sprint triathlon to get me ready for Ironman 70.3. It was a 300 yard pool swim, 10 mile bike, 3 mile run. During the swim I thought I was going to drown, although towards the end of the swim I started to feel better in the water. Conclusion...once I am warmed up I will do fine. 1.2 miles is far to swim. I may not be fast, but I will get through it. I felt awesome on my bike, and on the second lap (it was a two loop course) I passed many people. The run was great! I felt like I was flying. I pushed through the "OMG I need to walk my legs feel like jello" feeling, and ended up pulling off my fastest 3 mile run time ever. That's right...EVER~!! (24:38 for 3 miles at the end of a triathlon) The day of the triathlon I was awarded 3rd place in the female 30-34 age group. While checking the results online a few days later, come to find out I placed 2nd instead! I really don't care that I have a 3rd place medal and not the 2nd place one I actually won. I am just walking on air knowing I GOT SECOND!!!!! Yipee!!! 
And now here I am. It's Thursday. The Ironman 70.3 Mooseman triathlon is on Sunday.
Am I nervous? HECK YEAH!
Am I excited? Well, when the nerves are at bay I am totally excited!
The bike racks are on the minivan, the hotel reservations are made. The kids bags are half packed. I have to work the night shift tonight and once I get out at 7am tomorrow morning we are headed up to New Hampshire.
Sometimes I think about this race and get emotional. It is a big deal for me. I always looked up to triathletes who competed in either a full or half Ironman. Now I will be one of them. I can't wait to cross the finish line and see the look on my children's faces, as they say, "LOOK! It's Mommy!! That's my Mommy!" I want to make them proud. I want to show them that their Mommy can do anything she is determined to do, and they can to.
There is a quote hanging on my daughter's wall. It reads...
"She believed she could, so she did."
This Mommy believes she can. And she will.
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