100 Mile Month: Recap

Well, I made it to my goal of running 100 miles in one month. (I did not, however, manage to succeed at posting my progress or an interesting photo during my run each week.) Running 100 miles took quite a bit more planning than I anticipated. In the beginning of the month I estimated that needed to run about 5 miles, 5 times a week in order to stay on track. I figured with this mentality I could go on a few runs longer than 5 miles and a then have the opportunity to run a some that were shorter. What actually ended up happening was that most days I ran an average of 4 miles, and then as the month drew nearer to a close, I started realizing that I needed to up my game.

After Sebastian and I came back from our Grand Canyon trip, I sat down with a calendar and planned out the rest of the month for running. There were a few days in mid-month when I wasn't so sure I'd make my goal. The last week and half of the month, I was pretty much running every day, sometimes twice a day, trying to get as many miles in I could.  I also wanted to be able to run a nice, easy short distance on the last day to get to 100, so that it could be a fun run, rather than a daunting one. 

Some of my setbacks: Not running longer miles in the beginning, hiking an 8 mile, steep, Grand Canyon trail that left me sore for days (Days! My entire leg from my ankles to my quads were sore), and generally trying my hardest to not be bored (a lot of my runs were pretty slow as I was just trying to log in miles and not necessarily keep a fast pace.) 

Some achievements: Running 100 miles (a given, right?), really pushing myself with this goal and taking it seriously. Even when the future looked like a lot of work and even when there was the possibility of not making the goal, I still tried for it and gave it my all. I don't think I've worked so hard at an athletic goal since high school basketball. And overall feeling good after each run. 

Final thoughts: I'm not sure I'd do this again. I might, just because it was a good motivator for getting me out there, but it ate up a lot of my free time. If I'm looking to keep up a good monthly mileage without the pressure, I think I'd scale it back to 75 miles. Also, on most runs, I completely forgot to take a photo of something interesting, and when I did, I had to stop, take the photo and then start back up again. I tried taking a few while actually running, but those photos are pretty laughable. 

Overall, just glad I did it! Now on to the next goal....hmmmm?

And finally, some snapshots while out there. 

100 Mile Month: The Start

The Goal: 
Run 100 miles in a month

The Reason: 
I need something different and new to keep me motivated to run.

I've decided to try and run 100 miles during March, something I have never attempted to do before. Sebastian and I ran a half marathon in the middle January where we competed for time. My choice to run the same race, his choice to compete with one another. It ended up being a great way to push myself.

Fast forward to after the race up until the end of February and I had no motivation to get out there and be active. See the mileage for the month of February? Not even 8 miles. Yes, I needed a goal. 100 miles in 31 days. Daunting? Yes. Achievable. Possibly. (Yes...that answer should be yes.) Each week I am forcing myself to post a screenshot of my weekly mileage, along with a photo of something notable I've seen during one of my runs. If anything, it will get me out there and keep me active. One, two, three...go.

It's That Time Again...

The weather is bliss right now in Arizona. Cooler nights, which create a cozy feeling. Perfect 75 degree temps during the day, which allow us to be outdoors. With the beautiful weather, we're able to engage in one of our favorite family activities...hiking! Aliyah has been asking to go hiking for quite some time now, so we decided to take the whole family to Papago Park.























Sebastian gathered all the materials needed for a picnic lunch. I packed up our running stroller and we took the drive down to South Scottsdale and spent a few hours enjoying nature right in the middle of the city. I love Papago Park. The views are incredible and it always amazes me how such incredible hiking is right in the middle of the city. One of my favorite things about the Phoenix/Scottsdale area is that you don't need to travel far to hike up a mountain and get some great views.

This was Isaac's first hike, and he was pretty much the same, calm, relaxed baby that he always is. This kid has such a happy, content personality. Aliyah was an incredibly easy baby, but Isaac is even more so. Sebastian and I often kid that his two's and three's will be abnormally terrible, because it seems too good to be true right now. Let's hope we're wrong on that prediction.

All in all, it was a great family hike. We're looking forward to spending lots more weekends out exploring nature until the heat comes back in May.

Health Kick & Green Goodness

I'm on another one of my health kicks. The ones where I work out feverishly and try to eat extremely well for about two weeks and then I just sort of fizzle out. Some days I'm all for excersising and then other days I think about having to make an effort every week of my life to maintain a certain physique and I wonder if it's really worth it. Also, I love dessert. And sweets. Especially cake. Oh, and my Mom's baking. I'm pretty sure her baking is the reason for the sweet tooth of her children and grandchildren.

But, like I said, for now, I'm on a health kick. And this time I have more at stake because I'm in on a bet with the CEO of my company, my manager and one of their friends. We each have a certain weight goal to get to before our all-company trip to Cabo San Lucas at the end of August, and whomever doesn't make their goal weight has to be the butler to the other three for the day. If there's one thing I know about myself, it's that I'm competitive. I may not always come in first, but when there's a competition on the line I excel more than if I were to just do it myself.

Lately I've been using the juicer that we received as a wedding gift as a way to get an abundance of fruits and veggies so that I'm filled up on nutritious food rather than bad. What I love is that it is so easy to use. Just wash and throw the items in. The juicer does the rest. For me, the best part about juicing is that I can pretty much use any selection of veggies that I have on hand, add some sweet fruits like grapes or an apple and it will taste absolutely delicious. Sebastian goes a little more hard-core and will sometimes make an all-veggie juice and those are harder for me to drink then the sweeter ones I make.

I've also noticed that when I juice about an hour or half hour before I run during my lunch hour, my runs are much easier. The burst of wholesome produce must be good for my endurance and energy.

Here's what I threw into the juicer today. Incredibly delicious, sweet and simply healthy.

When I first started juicing, the colors of the drinks would throw me off. I thought that something this hue would surely not taste good at all, but I was wrong. I've learned to never judge a juice by its color.

What We're Up To...

I know...it's been awhile hasn't it? So let's play a little catch up.

• Our biggest family milestone is that we finally moved into our new house at the end of April. We are loving it! Sebastian worked extremely hard to get all of the major updates completed, but we still moved in with a lot of little things unfinished. I've been holding off on debuting the house, but I'm learning very quickly that the house will only continue to evolve. I need to just post in-progress photos or I may never post any. So house photos to come soon.

Sebastian putting together and installing our cabinets.

• Aliyah and I went to Minnesota over the Memorial Day weekend. It was a superb trip, like always. Aliyah and her cousins, Grace and Faith, are so cute together. They usually are very shy around one another for a little bit, then suddenly just pick up and start giggling and playing together. Every time we'd go somewhere, Aliyah would exclaim, "Fifi!?" And towards the end of the trip she became completely smitten with her Aunt Emily and was even asking for her on the way to the airport. Aliyah also enjoyed lots of cuddles from Grandma and Grandpa Peters, whom she affectionately called, "Bama" (we got a big kick out of that one), and Papa since those were her versions of Grandma and Grandpa. It was good to see my family again. Every time I visit, I always leave with the wish that we could live closer, but I am also very, very grateful that I'm lucky enough to be able to visit so often, and to have them make trips to visit us as well.

• I also ran a 10k with Ashley Allerson while we were in Minnesota. It was a pretty challenging course at some points, but I did better than I expected. My brother, Nick, decided the night before that he would like some brother/sister bonding time and registered for his first race ever. I was sure I could beat my 31 year old sibling, but being the super athlete that he is, he beat me by a couple of minutes. The race overall was a lot of fun and I'm so glad Ashley got me motivated to sign up and run it. It was Ashley's first longer race and she was outstanding. 

Nick told me that he wanted to run the first mile together and then I could go ahead. So I did. Then at mile 5 he shows up right beside me, barely missing a breath. I finally admitted defeat and told him it was okay if he ran ahead of me. In the end, he beat me. Because he is amazing.

• Arizona is starting to heat up! I'm pretty sure from here on until September, the weather looks something like this: 100+, 100+, 100+.... It's hot, but there's no humidity and we're finding ways to stay cool.
• I experienced my first Arizona thunderstorm. It was awesome! Until I saw that we were in a severe thunderstorm warning and realized I had forgotten all of my Minnesota weather survival skills since thunder was nearly non-existent when we lived in California. Wind was blowing, thunder was cracking, our french doors were flying open and I was overreacting, wondering how Aliyah would be doing since she was at daycare. I picked her up shortly after the storm passed and the entire car ride home she excitedly babbled about "raining" and "windy.

And lastly, let me leave you with a video of Aliyah's current obsession: being a super hero. The blanket she is wearing is her favorite thing. It has to be with us almost all the time, and it used as multiple things. In this instance, it makes a perfect cape for saving the world. Sebastian also makes a good partner in crime. :)