Let the Racing Begin - 16 weeks till my Full Marathon!

I have 2 running goals for 2009. One goal is to run at least one race each month. So far, I am right on track with a race to spare as I ran 2 races in April!! My other goal is to run my first full marathon on August 16th. I have begun training for my full and am happy to report that things are going well. Here is a list of the races I have done so far this year:

Jan 1st - This is My Year 4 mile Run - 43:20

Feb. 8th - February Freeze 5K - 31:21

March 21st - Dublin Dash 5K - 32:27

April 5th - Run for the Rangers 3 mile Run - 29:15

April 18th - Kevin Whirlwind Horse 5K - 27:42

And here is a list of races that I plan on doing until August:

May 10th - Run for Their Lives (SIDS Awareness) 5K

May 17th - Wellspring Stampede 10K

June 7th - Deadwood/Mickelson Half Marathon

June 13th - Hayfever Fun Run 4 miler

July 12th - Missoula Half Marathon

July 25th - CASA Half Marathon

August 16th - Leading Ladies FULL Marathon

I can feel spring TRYING to come to South Dakota! And then the real racing can begin! Half Marathons are my favorite and I'm hoping I can do 4 this year, one more than last year!

A Postponed Race, but a Good Run Anyway

On Sunday morning, we woke up to fresh snow and it was coming down good. Kelly and I were supposed to be running a 10K and Caiden a 1 mile race that morning, but thankfully about half an hour before we were planning on leaving, we found out that it had been postponed until May 17th. I am so glad we found out and didn't drive all the way to Rapid only to find out then! The fact that it was cancelled put me in a bad mood and I didn't want to go running at all. But around 3:30, I finally got my butt in gear and headed to the gym. I had decided that since my race was postponed, I was going to run 2 more miles than the race, so 8 miles. Well, after an hour and a half, I decided that I would just run for 2 hours and then I looked down at my counter after 2 hours and realized that I had just 6 more laps for 11 miles. So, after 2 hours and 6 minutes and 126.5 laps later, I had run 11 miles. And I felt great! I hadn't run more than 10 miles since last year so this was exciting. So, even though my race was postponed, I still ended up with a good run and more time to prepare for my race in a few weeks!

Swimming!

We spent Saturday afternoon at the pool after going to the library - we had to find indoor activities as it was snowing at our house again! We ended up with 6 inches here in Belle Fourche. Will Spring ever come??? The kids had a blast at the pool though so I am thankful we have that option!

A Day at the Park

The kids and I also went to one of our favorite parks on one of the few days that it was actually nice outside while Chris was in Boston. When the sun is out and it's 60 degrees outside, you better get outside, because you don't know when that will happen again! It was a little windy out, but no one seemed to mind as there were a ton of people with the same idea as ours! :)

Chuck E Cheese Fun!

While Chris was in the Boston, I had promised the kids that we would go to Chuck E Cheese. You see, they LOVE this place, and Chris, not so much. So, Kelly and I took the kids for an afternoon of pizza, games, and prizes. And of course, Kelly being the cute girl she is, the guy doing the prizes at the table was pretty smitten with her and the kids were able to pretty much get whatever they wanted, no matter how many tickets they had! HA!

Boston Marathon Madness

Most of you probably already know, but Chris did awesome in the Boston Marathon. He ran his 2nd fastest time (3:15:41), he was the fastest runner in the Black Hills and he had an awesome trip meeting lots of his online running friends. You can read all about it on his blog, but I just wanted to post a couple of articles and links to his pictures so you can check it all out! :) Enjoy!

Here is how you look at his pictures from the actual race:
1. go to www.baa.org
2. click on Boston Marathon
3. click on Shop
4. click on marathonfoto.com
5. Select race (Boston Marathon 2009) Last Name: Stores - Bib # 5189

Here are a few articles that our local paper ran before and after the Marathon:

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/04/23/sports/local/doc49effa1bf1417380780539.txt

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/04/20/sports/local/doc49ecd052ca22e078071115.txt

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/04/16/sports/local/doc49e779d996423193193271.txt

We are so proud of Chris for accomplishing a life goal of his - he is a true inspiration and motivator to all of his family and friends! We Love you Chris!!!!!!!!

Preschool Open House

Thursday night was the kids' preschool open house where they were able to show us the things in their classroom, show us the work and projects they have been working on all year and singing us some of the songs that they have learned. Chloe was SO excited to sing for us, but wouldn't tell us what she was going to sing. Of course when she was up there with her class, she barely moved her lips, but her just getting up there is a triumph in itself. A year ago, she would barely talk to anyone except for us, but she has really started to open up, even at school. We are very excited for her. Caiden is SO good at school, but only wants to do math every minute of the day. He does not see the value in practicing his letters at all. He is really excited for Kindergarten to start in the fall. Chloe says she is going to stay in preschool forever with her favorite teacher, Ms. Rebecca.