22 Months!

Madeline is 22 months old! And I am getting pretty emotional about her upcoming SECOND birthday! I am LOVING this stage! I don't want her to grow up and stop saying "tank you" all the time. I don't want her to stop running up to me and giving me hugs when I pick her up. And I especially don't want the nap time snuggles on the weekends to go away! Here's what Madeline's been up to lately....

Wearing Tiger masks

Putting Stickers in her hair- I was a bad mom and took pictures of her instead of help her get them out. Of Course I was driving while doing all this, so I couldn't really help her. I'm sure the stickers in her hair seemed like a good idea at first... not so much when she tired to get them out!

Salsa! This girl LOVES Medium salsa! She is her father's child! I can not hang with them!

Reading the Sunday Comics with Daddy

We got this bike seat recently and she LOVES it! I love it too! She wrote in it for a good two miles with the helmet and sunglasses on!

While she's been doing all of that, I've been running and running and running! Not really.... only a little. We completed our LAST LOOOONNNG training run last Saturday- 24 miles. I felt great! My training partner Brenda and I have picked a a third person to run with us. My friend Connie is running the marathon too. So glad to have another person with us!

Here's my thought process during the run:

mile 1-15 we are only counting in 5 mile increments.

Miles 1-10 go really fast. We walk every 5 miles so we don't get too tired and have the energy at the end.

Mile 10- eat a banana. I start getting hungry around mile 7- always!

Mile 10-15 I am ready to get to mile 15 and stretch! Take a stretch break at 15 and eat 4 GU CHAMPS (fruit snack things).

Mile 15-20 are the hardest for me. This would be called "hitting the wall". Usually mile 18 and 19 are the worst of the whole run. I am tired and sore.

We stop at mile 20 and stretch/walk a quarter of a mile. Eat rest of CHAMPS- those are the best tasting things EVER during a run!

Mile 20-24 I felt great! It's like I get a shot of adrenaline and can just go and go! I am HOPING this is how I feel during the real marathon until the end. I am worried about miles 25-26, but every training run we have increased by 2 miles and every time we do, those 2 miles are totally doable. And, I have to say that if I didn't have Brenda to run with, there is NO way I would be doing this! We talk for at least the first 13 miles. That makes the run go by so much faster! I am so thankful for her and our friendship- and what God has done in her life this year... but that's another post for another time.

We have two more weekend runs before the race. I am getting really excited because I feel so great! I am running really well right now and I have NO idea why??!! My week day training runs with my running group are amazing! I mean I feel great and run fast- something new for me!

So, now all I have to do is some hill work because we run flat and stay healthy and not injured! I started seeing a chiropractor today because the hip pain I always have with running is back. I am hoping to get it under control before LA!

Well, I have used up all my homework time for tonight. Let me tell you, this term just started last week and it is a killer! I am feeling the stress! I better get to it!