T minus two days

I am running my second marathon on Saturday and I am nervous. More nervous than I was last year because now I have a real, and achievable, goal that I will be disappointed if I don't reach. I should stop setting goals, I don't like being disappointed. Or nervous.

This will be the second time I have trained for a marathon running two days a week. Yup, I said two days out of seven. That's not much.

I am a morning runner (before the kids gets up). If my run is not started between 5:30am-7:30am, it doesn't happen. Just to clarify, when my alarm goes off, I actually hate my life that minute. But once I drag myself out of bed, I'm so glad. So don't think I'm all chipper, cute and annoying. I'm grumpy, ugly and annoying.

Anyway, I get to run Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matt plays basketball Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and I work Fridays (which means I would have to get up at like 5am to work out. Umm, no).

Sundays are a long run. So Mondays I usually just recover with a walk on the treadmill. I do a semi long run on Wednesdays. I do some sprints on Thursdays. That's it.

So both years, I've felt under-prepared total mileage wise.

However, both years I've done pretty well (for me) during my long runs. This year, I ran my 20 miles in 2:47 which means I think I could legitimately run a 3:47 race. Taking almost 30 minutes off my last year's time is good with me (I ran a 4:15)!

This year my nutrition is completely different (protein, protein and more protein and no sugar for the past two weeks), I don't have a five month old and 20 month old, and I have been drinking coconut milk like crazy.

I feel good.

Yet, I'm still not sure my game plan for the race. This is probably going to be my last marathon for a while, so this is my chance and I want to succeed. I ran with a pace team last year and I think the steady pace is what killed me.

I actually did a tempo run for my 20 miles and felt great.

Can you tempo a race?

(Editor's note: Just for clarification, I am merely questioning the wisdom of alternating some easy miles with some faster miles, wondering if I would burn out faster. As previously stated, I think one pace the whole time kills my legs. We shall see. Glad we set that straight.)

Because in the end, whether you started off slow or fast, the last 5 miles is a killer. So I'm thinking I may run like I'm running a 20 mile run, then see what happens the last 6.2 miles.

I don't know.

Now back to my family.

Hannah's now only speaks in a whiney tone. It's pretty great. Olivia is super super clingy. That's pretty great too.

But, oh how a mother's love can overcome.

My precious girls, I love every moment.

Yesterday we were going to our first BSF so we were sitting eating our breakfast when the contractor I had hired for some electrical work arrived.

He walked into the dining room and Hannah looked at me and said, "Mom, I want to read the Bible."

Here's your five dollars, kid. Thanks for making me look good.

But really, isn't that cute? Then she wanted to do devotions this morning for breakfast and for lunch. So we did. I know she won't be saying that in 10 years so we will take advantage now!

After BSF, Olivia's leader asked me if I knew how smart she was. I wasn't really sure how to respond, so I just said, "Oh, well I know she is on track with reaching milestones." But what I wanted to say was, "First of all, I think 99% of people completely underestimate what a 16 month old understands and secondly, thanks so much for saying that to me because I really have no idea what kind of brains either one of my kids have!"

One of the many benefits to adoption, not being able to put your kid in a box of who you think they might be. While I think they are borderline genius (kidding, but hey, I'm their mother), if they aren't and they end working a manual labor job and not going to college, then I want them to be the hardest working, most polite and thankful non college educated kid around. I would be very grateful for a kid like that.

Today we went to the park and after 10 minutes Hannah had a meltdown and asked to go home. So we did.

After lunch we decided to go on a walk and after five minutes Hannah had a meltdown and asked to go home. So we did.

I'm not sure what's up with her. So I snuggled with her before nap.

When Hannah is grumpy and fussy and meldowny, I have made a mental note that she needs physical touch. That is the hardest thing for me to do in that moment but when I put my feelings and frustration aside, and snuggle her, everything, in her world, is all better. That just made me a bit verklempt.

When I don't post a couple posts a week, you get one really long one. Sorry.

Now for pictures.

I loved their outfits this day. Hannah's shirt is a mini Boden from a garage sale for less than $1.

Little Sister has to do whatever Big Sister does.

Precious little one.

Precious big one.

My time here is up. Time for chores.