Happy Halloween deja vue

You know, it's ironic that I've been thinking of bringing my blog back to life, and the day that I decide to do so is exactly 2 years from my last post. Funny how things work out, right? So I will give you a brief update to catch things up.

The last time I posted, Emily was just 3 months old and celebrating her first Halloween. Now, she is a darling 2 year old full of sugar, spice, and plenty of vinegar to jazz things up a bit. Here she is in her first costume as Tinkerbell

No, my name is Emily. But Tinkerbell is cool too.

This is the first time we'll be taking her trick-o-treating, so it should be a fun night!

Both Travis and I have new jobs, which we are so very thankful for. He works from home and is saving a ton of money on gas. My commute to work is about 6 minutes if I hit the stop light, so I can't complain there either. We still live in the same house, so all things considered, life is just going on like normal.

The biggest change in my life so far is running. Running? Why yes, running. Who would have thought? I started running when Emily was about 6 months old to get back in shape and lose the baby weight. I started with the Couch 2 5K program. What an amazing training tool! I promise you that if you attempt it, and really stick with it, it works! I ran my first 5K in July of 2012 with a time of 30 minutes and some seconds. Last winter I stayed indoors on my treadmill for the most part, but came out swinging this Spring.

This year, I decided to run a 10K. That was really my main goal. The same race that I did last July has a 10K race as well, so I figured that was doable. I used the same C25K website to get a training plan to boost up to 10K. It was going swimmingly! Here's a picture of me near the finish line this year:

I don't always smile and wave at the camera, but when I do I like to make dorky faces as well.

So, somewhere along the way, a crazy idea crept into my head. Well, I guess a half crazy idea. I thought to myself, "Self, if you can run a 10K by July, surely you can run a half-marathon by October." Then before common sense took over, I had already signed up for the WhistleStop Half-Marathon. Registration was paid, hotel room booked, shabang! Then it really sunk in - oh crap.

However, after a long and grueling summer of long runs, 5am runs, rainy runs, windy runs, blisters and bloody feet (tmi, I know), the half-marathon weekend had arrived. It was a long, grueling race. Not really, but it sure felt like it. The nice thing about this race is it's all flat, and the weather was very cool. I kept that jacket on the whole time and was completely comfortable. Temperature wise at least. My feet hurt, my legs started to feel like lead around mile 10, and my mental game was starting to slip towards the end there. But guess what!? I did it! My goal time was 2 hours even, and I finished in 2:03. Not to shabby!

Here I am with my finishers medal, exhausted and ready for a long nap.

Of course, while I was running, thoughts of never, ever, running a half marathon are going through my head. But there's this crazy thing that happens: Runners High. My goal time was attainable, and due to some silly things, I missed it. But I don't want to wait until next year to prove that I can hit 2 hours! So, before good sense prevailed again, I'd gone and signed up for the Polar Dash. A 14 mile half-marathon on January 1st. Why yes, it is outside. Why yes again, I do live in Minnesota. Crazy indeed!

So hang in there for some interesting winter weather stories (I've already got some), and general life stories about my little life here in the cold Northern tundra....