Run the Race

I have not blogged in a long time, but that doesn't mean that life has stopped. We are in full throttle mode here in the Kyle household.
Dave has become a lieutenant in the fire department (so proud of him!)
Ashley is in her second year of cheer (go DE)
Ryan has started VPK and today is his first tee ball game
Lexi is almost 2 (WHAT?!?! How did that happen?)
and I am almost done training for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon in 2 weeks :)

Busy times and I don't want to forget any of it- so I will be blogging again.

I will leave you with this inspirational thought from the Lord:

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."
1 Corinthians 9:24

Happy Running,

Jama

Another Half Marathon is on the Horizon

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	rest	5 m pace	6
2	cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	rest	3 m run	7
3	cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	rest	5 m pace	6
4	cross	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	rest	6 m pace	8
5	cross	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	rest	6 m run	9
6	cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	rest	6 m pace	9
7	cross	4 m run	7 m run	4 m run	rest	7 m pace	7
8	cross	4 m run	7 m run	4 m run	rest	7 m run	8
9	cross	4 m run	5 m run	4 m run	rest	7 m pace	10
10	cross	4 m run	8 m run	4 m run	rest	8 m pace	11
11	cross	5 m run	8 m run	5 m run	rest	8 m run	12
12	cross	5 m run	5 m run	5 m run	rest	8 m pace	13

I AM a Princess

Well- I finished the Princess Half Marathon and I know that should be enough BUT I finished it in the time that I wanted to 2'16"10!!!

It was an amazing experience and I am just chomping to find another race soon :)

My recap is a little haphazard but I just want to remember as much as I can.

I honestly do not understand why Disney required runners to arrive at the starting line so stinking early! It may have had something to do with the 13,000 runners but other marathons don't require you to be there 2 hours ahead of time. It was a very chilly 38 when we arrived at Epcot at 4 a.m. (why oh why) where we sat in my van with the seat warmers going full out until about 4:30. We sadly had to leave the warmth and walked toward to potties ( which for a Disney race -there was hardly a line and they had 3 different locations GREAT JOB ON THIS DISNEY) and then headed through the bag check tents to walk to the starting line. I did read the packet instructions where it said it is a 1/4 mile walk to the start- which I really didn't listen to but I wish I had. We walked in a HUGE circle (over the 1/4 mile) all bundled together and all of this before running a single step. I am guessing once again, that this is because of the number of runners because at 4:30 a.m. it didn't make much sense to me.

We finally arrived at the location of the start and made our way into the corrals. We lined up with the others that were in corral B and then the waiting began. Now, I knew we would be waiting for awhile- nearly an hour and a half before we started running but it was sooooo cold. So, first suggestion to Disney...if the temperature is under 40 please get some of those big heaters and have then set up if you have to have us wait to start for 2 hours. I think all the runners would really appreciate it. So T and I hung out, tried to stay as warm as possible, and chit chatted with the other people around us. We complained a lot about being cold but in the afterglow of a great finish, I don't remember that all too much. Then all of a sudden it was 6 a.m. and time to get started.

We took off at 6:07 and I was so cold from standing outside in 30 degree weather that my toes were a tad frozen. So we started running and I had a plan for this race. I really just looked at is another long run with a lot of people I didn't know. I started running and the pace was a little slower than my usual because i honestly couldn't feel my toes for the first 3 miles. The first 2 miles went by so quickly but i knew they would because you try to get into "your" zone while you have all of these other people trying to get into theirs too. There were the typical people who are so excited to start, that they begin sprinting right from the beginning and there was also those that were walking from the start as well. I figured as long as I just did what I normally did that we would be ok. We hit mile 3 and when I could feel my toes again I began to just look around and enjoy the other runners. My 5k stats were 00:34:08. T and I kept plugging along and at mile 5 were approaching the Magic Kingdom. I have done many Disney races in the past but I do believe that this was my favorite (except for the waiting around). I also knew, that people would be stopping left and right to take pictures during this race, especially in front of the castle. We raced through and saw a ton of characters, they also had the floats from the parade out with the characters around them as well for pictures (which many runners took advantage of). 10K stats were 1:06:30. Miles 7-10, I knew beforehand were going to be long and BORING!!!! and they did not disappoint. 15K stats were 1:38:14. By mile 10 I was still having a ton of fun and I knew I only had to run a 5k. The lat 3 miles where a lot of hills (aka expressway ramps) but then we ran back into Epcot and I knew that we were almost done. I did get a little sad when approaching the finish line. Then it was over in a short 02:16:10. I am so happy that I did it and am proud that I was able to accomplish this race in the time that I was shooting for. Now I have to go and look for another race:)

Training with kids

I have no idea how all the mom's out there find the time to balance all of their home duties with training for any type of enduarance event. My husband is a firefighter, and he works shifts so training can be a tad tricky but I feel it is important enough to my sanity that I find time (pretty much).
I would love to be able to run whenever I want to but sadly, once you have children your priorities must change. This last weekend was a prime example of that.
I knew the Gasparilla Half and full marathons were this weekend. I was very tempted to sign up- knowing that I would be done running well before Ashely had to perform. What I did not know was that I would have runners all over the same convention center taunting ( not really) me every second. My mantra was "my daughter comes first" which is always a dilema for my training.
How do you justify all the hours you spend training away from your family?At this point with the Princess Half only 5 days away, I can still only justify 2 hours once a week and I still feel like I am taking away something from my family. Whether it be just the time spent training or researching products, how much is too much?
Don't get me wrong, I love running! Balancing though isn't a strong suit of mine- so how do you balance??

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

A little out of sorts

So, it has been a really long time since I have blogged. I decided to change the focus of my blog back to what my focus should be. I tried to make a blog about just my family and that did not turn out so well. Then I tried to make a blog based solely on my running and after a while even I was tired of hearing about my running, so I decided to just be my myself and make a blog where I can focus on writing on all of the things that are going on in the Kyle household.
My husband left this morning to fly to New Jersey to drive a truck down to Mississippi for his mothers company. He has been doing this since last October and we are on the last one. He flies up, drive the truck to the Salvation Army and then he flies home. Usually this isn't that big of a deal (although I am without him for a couple of days) but it just so happens that this time when he comes home he will be going on a business trip to Las Vegas to do 2 trade shows for the same company and won't be home until March 10th. Yes, my husband is a fireman but he is able to swap shifts when he has to go to trade shows and this definitely helps us tremendously in the financial department.
So, he flew out this morning and I had scheduled for Ashley and Ryan to get their physicals for the upcoming school year. I should have known that my day wouldn't go as I planned it out. I honestly don't know why I think that it should. Once we arrived at the pediatrician they weighed and measured and all looked great. Then, they decided that Ryan needed an eye exam. I wasn't too concerned until he started to read the chart. He was allowed to miss 2 per line and he did not do well. After the eye exam, Dr. Carroll came in and let me know that Ashley and Ryan would need to get shots today.
*** great I thought- there goes my day***
He looked Ryan over and everything else was great. He is in the 95th percentile for height and weight. Ashley is in the 53rd percentile for both too. Then he told me that Ashley would need to go to St. Pete to see an ENT doctor, which we kinda knew already.
But see, both of these appointments will be while Dave is out of town. I have no idea how those single mom's out there do it. Having my kids and driving them all over Florida is a FULL TIME JOB.
Oh, and the half marathon that I have been training for, for the last 5 months is NEXT WEEK as well. I am so ready for it to be here and for me to run it already.

My Lexi just woke up so I will just have to finish up this post a little later- hopefully after a nice long run and a half an hour listening to God telling me to "be still and know him better."

Happy 4th Birthday Ry

You will always be the most special boy in this world to me :0)
love always- Mommy

A slow day

Yesterday was a crazy day...we went to Ashley's Mini Team practice and was asked if she could be moved up and do the Youth team as well- oh yeah and the first competition is tomorrow(HA). So she stayed at Dynasty from 9-2 for the double practice and she also has practice Monday from 12-4 and then the competition that night. I am so proud of her but my day did not go the way I thought it was going to.
This morning I got up and ran a very SLOW 6 miles by myself. I really enjoyed the quiet time and was proud that I mentally could run without talking to anyone for an hour :)
When I got home all my kids were coughing so I utilized a new feature at our church called http://woodlandlive.com. I was able to watch church while keeping my kids home and in bed how cool is that. Here is what Pastor Tim's message was about I hope you enjoy what I learned :

CREST
Connect-Reach-Equip- Service-Trust
Living on top of the mountain
Top, side, in the valley- god wants us to move toward the crest of the mountain
Reaching with good news

God Loves you and wants to be a part of your family
Everybody wants to be loved
God’s purpose has not changed
Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18-19
Luke 19:10
Poor are people without spiritual things- people that need the good news
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost and that should be our purpose
1. It’s a Spirit thing.
Anointed with power from the Holy Spirit- set apart because we have the good news.
He gives us power.- stronger the presence- the stronger our witness
Help the brokenhearted. (Disappointed )
Blinded by living for the wrong things
Speak of freedom from living the roller coaster life
Peak happiness- pleasure when pleasure goes down
Peak joy find in Christ
Life is dependant on being loved and I am loved by god
He motivates us.
Acts 4:31
Pray- fill-speak (boldly)
When holy spirit fills us we automatically speak boldly the words of Christ.
We need to be filled in every aspect of our lives by the holy spirit

Prayer Spirit Speak


The more filled with spirit of god the more I speak for God.
Need to charge our batteries through prayer.
Find the things distracting us from God then let prayer attack that thing to zap it out of our lives.
Need some spiritual shocks!!!
When shocked in life you stand up and are bold with God’s message and you look like Life
He teaches us.

Don’t speak because afraid….more concerned about people’s opinions of you.
Afraid because you don’t know what to say
Matthew 10:19-20

People don’t need to hear YOU they need to hear GOD!! So don’t be afraid to share.
Our problem is putting ourselves out there- do we trust him to help us.
If spirit filled take the steps to speak anyway- through trusting in God.
Takes the excuse of the not sharing of Christ- use your story to help change people’s lives.
When we do that- that is when we reach others.

Happy Running!!

Baby it's cold outside- still

This morning I got up bring and early at 5 to go for a 5 miler of course. I put on my cold weather clothes ( really need to buy another jacket) and headed out by myself with my faithful ipod. I really am enjoying the morning. I was going to try to run with the Lakewood Ranch Running Club but my options were run from 4:30-6 a.m. or 6-7 a.m. and one was too early and the other too late for me to get home and get the kids ready. I planned on going at a slower pace and I did not disappoint myself. I really wanted to roll back over and stay in bed but I am working on the mental aspect of pushing myself when I don't really want to do things so out the door I went. I passed 2 runners on my way back in and we each did the obligatory wave. By the time I got home I had run 5.16 on the trusty Garmin and I was still cold.
I am really excited for the weekend and the reappearance of running in my shorts. Oh how I am missing my shorts!

Happy Running!!

The road to good intentions

Did I mention that I live in Florida? Did I also mention that the temperature has been consistently below 40 degrees for the last 2 weeks? Did I mention that I have been running consistently in weather under 30 because I usually run before the sun comes up to avoid the wind? This has been my crazy running life and I do not know how people up North or anywhere the temps stay cold do any long distance exercise outside. My run times have been quicker than normal because I guess I have been trying to run faster to avoid being outside. Luckily I have had my FIL here to watch my kids so I haven't had to push them in the jogger for some time. I do know however, that those days are coming to an end but I also think that the cold weather is coming to an end too. I am not quite sure exactly how many days until the Princess Half but I do know that as long as I stick to my plan and don't get hurt that I will be just fine.
Bad news is M broke her knee cap so sadly she will not be running it with me (she did break it falling while running). This just means that mentally I need to prepare to running alone. I did an early 5 miles alone this week and it went really good. I think I am also becoming a morning runner since cheerleading is taking up every evening during the week.
My plan is usually to get up around 5 a.m. and depending on the plan- running, then coming home getting my kids up and ready for school, and then being the bus driver I am the rest of the day, until cheer practice hits at 5:30 and we usually don't get home until 8ish, then bed routines with meals interspersed throughout the day. So the morning it seems is the only time that I have to be able to get my miles in and if I don't BEWARE of the cranky mom!

This weekend is mandatory cheer practice because Monday night Ash has her first CHEER competition. If you all remember from earlier, I was not too thrilled to be forced into this new role as cheer mom and I don't really think I make a good one. Well this will all be getting tested this coming Monday at the Manatee County Fair. Yes, I said the fair- you know with livestock and carney rides and weird people. Why wouldn't I want to parade by beautiful daughter decked out in her short cheer uniform in front of these strange people. Did I mention my daughter is 6? Needless to say, I have already told Ashley that I will not be letting her out of my site during the entire time that we are at the fair and that as soon as we are allowed to leave - we will be! I know, not the best attitude going in -but I am working on it.

Ryan's birthday is in about a month and we are throwing him a party at the local bounce house place. I feel that he gets the short end of the stick sometimes so we are going all out for my boy to turn 4. He really has no clue that he is having this party (it's not a surprise) but he really doesn't care about things like birthdays, presents. If you were to ask him what he wants he will probably tell me something like he wants a ball or something silly like that. I love my boy and am so sad that he is growing up.

Alexis- oh my lord the child can get into some trouble. She usually warms up to people pretty quickly BUT not my FIL. It has taken her 2 full weeks to not cry when he is in the same room. That also has contributed to my 5 a.m. running since I couldn't leave her with him crying for an hour straight. She also is now walking everywhere and she has given up on baby food for good. She shakes her head NO when trying to feed her anything with a spoon because she feels that it is baby food (even when it isn't). She gets into EVERY cabinet in the house and the nail polish I have under my vanity is her favorite thing to bang on the floor ( and she did break one when I was with Ashley at cheer and I left her with my FIL!) She is also the smiliest baby I have ever had and her little giggle cracks me up.

That is what we have been up to lately I WILL be better at updating- I WILL!!

Happy Running!!!

2010 - wow

So, I am a blog slacker- sue me (but please don't)! It seems as though as each day passes the busier that i become. Being a stay at home mom is a crazy job. Winter break is almost over (HALL-E-LU-JAH!!!) and my kids will be going back to school in 2 days. I have survived visits from every member of our immediate family and have come out of it almost unscathed. We have had people in our house for the last month and we have at least 2 more weeks of our last visitor so running has been my saving grace these last few weeks.

I have found that if people start to really bother me I can leave my kids with them and run out all of the frustration then come home and be the loving family member that I am.

Lexi started walking this last week and although I am sad about it, I am also happy that I do not have to lug her around everywhere. Ashley has her first cheer competitions this month and I still don't think that I am ready for it. Ryan is COMPLETELY potty trained- no diapers at all which is pretty impressive for me right now.

I am training for the half-marathon at Disney on March 7 and training is going extremely well. My goal for 2010 is to be more consistent in the things that I choose to do and blogging is one of those things, so keep coming back because I can guarantee that there is going to be a lot of fun going on here this next year!!

Happy Running!!!