Big Run and Company

Like I said earlier, my sweet Mom is in town. Besides having one my best shopping partners around to hang with me, it also means we have unlimited (almost) babysitting! WOO! This also means I can run basically anytime of day - though I still prefer the morning - and Jay can join me for runs without being slowed down my the jogging stroller.

Here is my cute Mom. This was at Gator's 1st birthday party in October.

I love having my Mom around to chat and shop with :)

So last weekend, I knew I had my 10.2 mile run coming up. I got butterflies in my tummy whenever I thought about it. It would be the furthest I had run since October! **In October I learned a good lesson which was don't go that far when you have not properly trained. I had to rehab my knee for a good month before it felt even remotely normal....grr! I learned at great lesson though!

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We set out on Friday - early evening - for a super romantic sweaty sunset run. Right after we left the house I realized I had forgotten my iPod. AH! I about had a nervous breakdown... My iPod is like my security blanket. I tried to keep my cool cause I didn't want Jay to think I didn't want to talk to him. It was no offense to Jay, I did want to talk with him on the run, but sometimes I just need a song or two to get me back in my groove. I took a deep breath and continued 9 more miles with NO music! I was SO proud of myself :) It is the little things in life...

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We ran on some beautiful trails, and happened to be running over a bridge as the sun began to set. Once I wiped the sweat from my eyes, I was able to enjoy it :) We ran 10.23 miles and got home when it was DARK. It was fabulous. Jay is a bit faster than me, so he helped to push me some and I had the vision of pizza in my head to motivate me to hurry and finish! As soon as we got home we cleaned up (READ: changed clothes and put on deodorant so we didn't stink up the restaurant) then headed over to our favorite little pizza joint to celebrate our cute friends new pregnancy! I loved all the baby talk. It just makes me smile. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so I couldn't take a picture of the stuffed pizza we had. Just know it was probably the best pizza I have ever tasted!

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Overall, it was great run. I had no reason to be nervous, but I have come a long way from being nervous for my first 4 mile run... so glad 4 miles is a cinch now..

LAST THING: I am thinking about running an 8 mile race this Saturday. It would be the last race before my half marathon next month. I feel like maybe it would help me to feel a little more prepared for my race. But on the same hand it of course costs $$ and I am supposed to run 10 miles this weekend for my training plan...Would you run it? I can't decide and could use some good imput. THANKS!