Fun & Fit: March

March was a bittersweet month for fitness. I participated in two events (set personal records!) and then was sidelined with IT Band issues. Apparently, my body was not happy with running 25+ miles a week and I underestimated the need for rest. I think what really got me was running races in back-to-back weekends, with two weeks between half marathons and not resting and stretching enough. Oops! You live and you learn, right?

The first event of the month was for a local running store, iRun. This was a 5K and I was able to accomplish a goal I had set for myself: 5K in under 30 minutes. I ran in in 29:25 and wanted to do a happy dance when I crossed the finish line.

The second event of the month was the Allstate 13.1 Miami Beach Half Marathon. This was a beautiful course that took you along the water, that was made even more beautiful because I ran it with my friend. It is so much easier to run long distances when you have a great running buddy. My time for this event was 2:23:21. It was during this run that my IT Band started acting up.

I know exactly when I injured myself; it was when I ran on some highway ridges to get around someone. Right after running on the ridges, I felt pain in my knee. This happened around Mile 5 so I had a lot of running left. Thankfully, it wasn't so painful that I couldn't finish. It was, however, very painful when I tried to run a week later. For six weeks, Alex hated me because I had him checking my knee almost every night. Becoming best friends with my foam roller and doing this workout routine helped A LOT and I am finally all better.

What amazed me the most was how much of a runner I have become. I started running in August with my first official race in September and my training for a half marathon beginning in October, and in the time since, running has become something I need and even crave. I feel like something is missing on the days that I don't run so having to take a break from running was really hard. That pocket of time I had to myself was gone and that feeling of it being just me and the pounding of my feet on the ground was gone. At least I can say this experience taught my the importance of taking better care of myself and of resting. Good lesson to learn before a busy 2013-2014 season.

A Little Life Update

Nearly a month ago I posted this recipe for Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies. My intention behind the post was to get back into the groove of blogging. You know what happened after that? Cati got really sick and was hospitalized with pneumonia. To make matters worse, Elina got sick and developed bronchiolitis. Then, I got sick and then everyone got sick again. At one point, the three of us were on antibiotics. The past month has been so stressful because all the colds coincided with the end of the spring semester for me so I had a lot of fun working on my finals while cuddling in a hospital bed with Cati. 2013 is kicking our butts in the health department and I feel like I need a perspective change/adjustment. In the grand scheme of things my girls are healthy. There isn't anything chronic or debilitating, but I still have my moments of "why me?" and "can't we catch a break?" Cati's hospitalization has made me so paranoid of every sniffly nose and cough. My hope is that once school is over (next week!) we'll get a break from all the colds. I want healthy, happy, sleep-through-the-night kids again.

The big news around here is that we'll be moving to Chicago in July 2014!! Alex matched there for fellowship and we are all very excited. Half my family is up there so I am looking forward to reconnecting with them. It's going to be interesting moving up there with the girls and dogs, but we'll make the best of it, especially the cold! So if you are from Chicago, please let me know about things to do and child-friendly places to live in Chicago.

Other than that, things have been moving along steadily. Trying to make the best of everything and trying to enjoy the girls. Hopefully we are done with colds and hospitalizations and surprise expenses for the year. I haven't baked in a long time so please share recipes too!