Twilight Zone

I am back from the Twilight Zone- Forks, Washington. I had an AMAZING weekend with my Family.. I am EXCITED to share all the fun Family adventures.. A few tidbits.

1. I am firmly Team Jacob, growing up we visited La Push often so my heart is with the Pack. Note our proof in the CHEESY photo above. I love that my Husband will be a cheeseball with me.


2. All the trail walk/jogs we have done with the kids paid off. We went to the beach with a 1.4 mile dirt trail including some hills.. Both boys were AMAZING!! They did not complain and only asked to be carried at the very end. 2.8 miles of BLISS!! SCORE.


3. Being Unplugged for the weekend was SUPER, but I can already feel my Blood Pressure rising thinking about all the emails I will have to catch up on...I will need to Run or Shop at lunch for sure....

How was your weekend??

Some Days...

• You head to work and realize you left your laptop at home, and your return commute is an hour and you have a mid-day meeting with a VP...
  
  MUSCLE MAN TO THE RESCUE
  



• You are lost in a sea of email without a second to stop and eat lunch, and the salad bar is a little sparse.
  



• A trip that should take you a leisurely 45 minutes, takes you an hour and a half, leaving no wiggle room to get an event set up. You arrive STRESSED with high blood pressure and cant even stop to say HI to a good buddy who stopped to say Hello.. Sorry Chelsea :(
  



• It is hard to ditch the GRUMPY.
  


• You write your daily Blog at 9:51PM and cant remember much about your AWESOME Speedwork with your buddy from the day before. Sorry Kerrie, you are FAST darlin!!
  
  


• You need a little....
  

How SWEET is this logo??? I have some seriously Talented Teammates and am getting EXCITED about Hood To Coast. Will give full credit to the logo creator!! I am putting together a Meet the nuun team post which will go up next week... I am going to take a little Bloggy break and get in some much needed FAMILY/LONG WEEKEND time :)

Have a GREAT Weekend!!

Packing for Hood to Coast

This Tall Mom is getting EXCITED for Hood to Coast Relay... With less than a Month until this Epic Relay With Team Nuun HERE I am already mentally packing.. Below are a few things on my list.

NUUN HERE
Of course our van will be stocked with loads of this Electrolyte replacement goodness. Have you tried the new flavors??? So TASTY!!

ROAD ID HERE
For Safety and Piece of mind, don't set foot on the race rouse without a Road ID. The Road ID Slim is a low cost option with loads of different colors and a range of sizes from Adult to kiddos.
INPERSPIRE TOWEL HERE
These small towels are soft, have fun sayings and will feel great after each SWEATY leg of the relay.
SPARKLE SKIRT HERE
My TOP priority is comfort....but....if I can look adorable and be comfortable?? WIN WIN!!
BONDIBAND GLOW HERE
I have not tried this headband yet, I am saving it for my night leg. I HOPE that it does GLOW and that my team can spot me in the DARK...
RECOVERY SOCKS HERE
The legs are going to take a BEATING on 3 legs over 24 hours... so I plan to work my Pink, Green and Black Recovery Socks into my wardrobe for some much needed support. If you have wanted to try Compression Socks check these out for $35 these socks are TOPS on my list.

GU CHOMPS HERE
The Watermelon are my FAVORITE right now!! I like to have a little something while I run and I have found that these bad boys give me that little KICK when energy is low.MISSION LONG-LASTING ANTI-CHAFE HERE
Like Bodyglide but seems to last LONGER.. I don't leave home for a running event without this!! Slather on Feet, thighs, underarms, and other delicate places.SCAPE SUNSCREEN HERE
This is the BEST Sunblock I have ever tried for running. With no odor, it goes on smooth and you won't notice you have it on. I love love this stuff. Who knows how sunny it will be in Oregon, but I plan to be PREPARED!!ACTIVE WRAP HERE
I love love my knee wrap.. I am not sure how I will keep it cold, but I am hoping I can find a way because icing my knee will prove to be IMPORTANT for my success.THE STICK HERE
First off the Stick can lead to some pretty funny conversations about length and firmness ;) Rolling out the tight spots in the van may be KEY to keeping my Tall Legs fresh and rolling..
STUFFITS SHOE SAVERS HERE
Tall Mom has STINKY FEET!!! I mean gross, so to keep my teammates from having to suffer I will pack my Stuffits. They may look a little silly but I swear by these things. Dual-wick fabric combined with natural cedar inserts quickly and effectively protect shoes from moisture and odor. These lovely pink buddies will keep my shoes dry and smell free.
ZIPLOC BAGS HERE
I will need to change my gear after each leg for comfort and odor control. My Buddy Jill gave me the tip to bring Ziploc bags, put sticky gear in, zip up, label with a sharpie and do not open until you are in front of your Washing Machine. Think I will buy these for the team :)
The List goes on and on...

Chapstick
Visor
Extra Socks
Brooks Shoes
Headlamp
Small blanket and pillow
Bug spray?
Body Wipes
Makeup-you DO NOT want to see me without it!!
Camera
Phone
Computer?? NAH!!
Clothes x 3
Food X 100
Water X 1,000
Good Attitude X 1,000,000

How are we going to fit it all in the Van??? Hmmmmmm....

• Have you ever run a Team Relay? If so, please link in your race report or share some tips.
• 
  
• What should I make sure I pack??

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!

When Muscle Man is Away

This weekend Muscle Man was away on a Fishing trip... Which meant I was a SINGLE MOM!! In my world this is RARE and to be honest I am not wonderful at it... But we made the most of it and I even got some runs in...

FRIDAY July 22nd
5.25 Miles
9:28 Pace
Muggy day, lots of bugs, tired legs.
Set out pushing 100lbs of kiddo on the trail. It is a gradual decline on the way out...so I cruised pretty easily. The bugs were so bad I swallowed 1 and one flew in my eye, I had to take off my visor because they kept getting stuck. Next time I need to wear sunglasses as a bug shield. The slugs were also gross.

Our boys were HILARIOUS...

Some funny quotes:

-EWWWW Mommy this is the Stinky part
-I remember when Daddy was here
-This is the part where coconuts are going to fall on us... (hmmm)
-I like this trail it is a little spooky
-We are in a tank, you take the front I will take the back.

It was about 82 so I almost left their sweatshirts in the car, but grabbed them at the last second... MOMMY SCORE! They both were COLD COLD COLD at mile 1.7, quick stop to get them comfortable and off we went. I asked if they wanted to do 4 or 5 miles and they said 5!!

They kept me entertained until Mile 3.5 when the Little one fell asleep and my Big Guy pretended to be asleep. My legs were dying, they felt like mush as I pushed myself and the boys up the endless incline. I imagined my last leg of Hood to Coast.

I was happy to be done and get in a few miles. The plan was to take the boys to the River and little park as a Reward for being good on the run. Since the Little guy was sleeping Big Brother was solo in the fun..
SATURDAY July 23rd
I took the boys on a Road trip to Tenino, WA to Visit Tall Grandma. I brought loads of snacks and tons of water. We played at the park, tossed the Frisbee, went to a street fair, hopped around on huge rocks, fished out of a big tank and relaxed in the sun. MOMMY FAIL I did not put on their sunscreen.. OOPS!! We were all a bit tosty when we got home. I let them pick out their Dinner of choice from Target freezer section (don't judge I am NOT the cook in the family) LS #1 picked Bagel Bites and LS#2 picked Dino Chicken Nuggets, I had a salad.

SUNDAY July 24th
Zoe HERE and I had a tentative plan to meet up for a few miles once my Boys woke up.. I texted her and no reply, I messaged her on facebook no reply.. I was not sure what to do so I hopped on the treadmill to get in a few miles, that way I would have less miles to push the boys.

Run #1
3.25 miles

8:47 pace
Watching Say Yes to the Dress
Little Stud #2 wanted breakfast so I stopped and started to get the boys ready.

I heard from Zoe that she was on her way, so I quickly readied the boys and all their stuff and loaded us all in the car with the MONSTER STROLLER

Run #2

5 miles

10:39 Pace

Pushing Boys, trying to avoid people with 2 strollers, a few water stops..
Always a pleasure to see Zoe and the ADORABLE Goober. This time I put sunscreen on the boys, MOMMY SCORE! I also had a few snack and drink options for each of them, DOUBLE MOMMY SCORE!

It was funny to have their single jogger with my boys and our double.. We got loads of attention people either commented on us being 'Inspiring" or on the kids "having it easy". It is not easy pushing the stroller and talking. We took a couple water/kid care stops which were much needed. The Little Studs were HYPER, chattering non-stop, and Goober was a total chill baby. Toward the end we saw a hippie looking dude with long grey hair and a long grey beard on the side of the path riding a unicycle....my oldest looked at him and said "Is that a clown?" It was too funny.. Thanks to Zoe for the great run and the photos below..

After the run we had a BIRTHDAY party to go to at my friend Amy's house for her kiddos. It was a Wipeout theme, so I put the kids in their swim gear. Amy lives 1.5 miles away, so I was not too worried about time and offered to get Starbucks for the lovely hostess on my way... Well I forgot that I was SOLO and getting myself and 2 kids ready is no easy task.

We could not find Little Stud #2's sandal, looked FOREVER, MOMMY FAIL! Eventually I settled for aquasocks, we loaded all our stuff and the gifts in the car and went to Starbucks, I was going to be a little late but I would be caffeinated :)

The party was GREAT, as Little Stud #1 said "Best Birthday party ever!!" There were messy obstacles, a makeshirt water/slippin slide, trampoline, spinkler, cake, hotdogs, and loads of kiddos to play with. I kept a close eye on Little Stud #2, he can get into mischief :) I got to meet Renee one of Amy's friends and my friend on Dailymile, she had also run See Jane Run Half Marathon, it was nice to chat with her and hear stories of small town races and her upcoming adventures.

Eventually I was tired from all the fun in the sun, so I loaded the boys in the car. Little Stud #1 was having a blast using my phone to take pictures, they were FUNNY.. Below pretty much sums up my Weekend being a Single Mom...
So BLESSED to have my Husband back!!!

A few people have asked what I do to keep our boys occupied and in the Stroller... Below are a few tips.. many may seem like "no duh" but I will share anyhow!!

1. Train them early. We have had the boys in the Stroller for runs since our little guy was about 6 months old, so for them it is a routine.

2. Have multiple snack and drink options. I do a couple bags of fishy crackers, granola bars, apples, grapes, etc. I like to have water bottles and juice boxes. This way they have something to do and are not cranky because they are hungry.

3. The DVD player is great for really long runs or when the rain cover needs to go on. Often it end up being background noise because the boys are too busy looking around. I have heard other folks having music players for their kiddos.

4. Create games, counting, ABC's, singing, or simply point out things along the path. Make it fun!! Talk to your kids and point out fun things along the way.

5. Have planned breaks or chances for them to get out and RUN.. Letting our boys know that they will have a chance to get out and run helps them not feel stuck in the stroller.

6. 1 toy per person. Pick a toy like a car, transformer, book, etc... but only 1 because there is a chance that the toy will end up on the ground and you will have to stop to pick it up.

7. What do we do after the Run? A reward for after the Run is a good thing. Maybe there is a park or river they can play in when you are done?? We are blessed to have a GREAT kid and stroller friendly trail with a park. Maybe when you get home they can have a Popsicle or a smoothie.. Whatever the reward, remind them that they can earn the reward by being good during the run.

8. Chose the time of day wisely. You know your kids and when they are the most hyper, this is NOT the time to strap them in a stroller. We like to run around nap time, then tell them to sit back and relax.. Often our little guy falls asleep, SCORE!!

9. They don't like the stroller?? Then head to a track. If you have a friend or spouse come with you, trade off doing laps while someone keeps an eye on the kid(s). As your kids get older the track is a great way to build their endurance to get them ready for those 1K and 1 Mile races :)

10. Meet their Basic Needs. Keep your child warm, dry, fed, entertained and let them know how long they will be in the Stroller. Planning ahead for any meltdown will make your Run much much better!!

GOOD LUCK!!

• Anything I missed? Leave a comment!!
  

Active Bands Giveaway x4

I own 2 Active Bands and LOVE them.. A Thick Flower headband I wore to race a 10K
I also have a thin Black Sparkle band which I often wear to work and on the run. I love that these bands are classy enough to go from work to workout.

The WONDERFUL folks at Active Bands HERE want to share the LOVE with Tall Mom Readers!! What Will You WIN?

4 LUCKY Winners

1 Headband of your choice from Active Bands

How do you ENTER?
1 comment per entry pretty please :)

REQUIRED- Go to Active Bands HERE and click around, let me know which style you would select when you WIN. Leave a Comment.

BONUS ENTRIES-
1- Like Active Bands on Facebook HERE. Leave a Comment to let me know you hit Like or let me know if you already are a fan.

2- Ask me a question or give me ideas for future Tall Mom posts, Leave a Comment. (The person with the best question or idea will WIN a band)

3- Share this Giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Blogroll, or tell a friends. Leave a Comment every time you share.

4- Tell me something about you, Leave a Comment. (The person who shares something that catches my attention will WIN a band)


Lots of chances to enter and 4 WINNERS!!!

• Giveaway ends and WINNERS will be selected on Monday August 1st.

Racing like Pooh

While watching the previews before Cars 2 with the Family a Winnie the Pooh trailer came on. I love quotes and stories of friendship so Winnie the Pooh is just my style... Don't get me wrong I am not a Pooh freak, Muscle Man and I promptly removed the Pooh and Balloons wallpaper in our first home just days after moving in. I digress..

This preview somehow clicked in my mind as a Racing Analogy.

There are times on Race Day when you may feel like all of the Characters in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Tiger- When you start the race everything is Bouncy Bouncy fun fun fun fun fun... The adrenaline will make you feel on top of the world, like you could bounce so high you could touch the Finish line. This BURST is often short lived and if you are like me you go out WAY Too fast...

Piglet- There are times when fear and self doubt sneak in, when you feel small, quiet and alone. Your burst of energy fades into stutter steps. If you have a friend with you these moments are much easier to get through.

Rabbit- The Brain can be sharp, figuring out your splits and how to get that PR. So focussed on the outcome, SMART to race this way, but it takes away some of the enjoyment.

Roo- Your childlike visions of the perfect race are fun to hold on to. You are mesmerized by all things new and shiny.. BUT when you reach a certain point of exhaustion you just want to crawl in your Mom's pouch and hide from the world.

Kanga- Racing is not a solo sport. We have all encountered people in a race that we want to help, or maybe someone helps us. It is the Mother instinct, you say a few kinds words or take someone along with you to help them through the tough spots.

Owl- Even in a 5K you will reach a point of exhaustion where you feel like a wise old owl but every thing comes out gibberish. Simple sentences, grabbing a water cup and calculating splits become impossible tasks.

Eeyore- I would say we all fight the internal Eeyore. The grumpy, downtrodden pesimist who cannot find hope through the gloom. Dark clouds hover and you may lose your tail if you don't kick those feelings. It is easy to go to that dark place, and the worst when you cant find your way out.

Christopher Robin- The second wind comes, and you can feel you're floating again, there is hope. You pull up your socks and skip along with a red balloon. You are doing what you do best and you enjoy it!! Head held high you make it to the FINISH!
Pooh- When it is all said and done there is a Rumbling in your tummy and you need to fuel up. Once you have eaten you are a silly ole bear, and you remember nothing but the good things.

• Which Winnie the Pooh Character do you most resemble when you run/race?

• Have you ever raced like Pooh? -That is meant to be funny :p

I leave you with some Pooh quotes...

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”

“A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference.”

“When late morning rolls around and you're feeling a bit out of sorts, don't worry; you're probably just a little eleven o'clockish.”

“A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.”

“You can't always sit in your corner of the forest and wait for people to come to you... you have to go to them sometimes.”

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we're apart.. i'll always be with you.”

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

Random Ramblings

This week I had...

• Monday= Hip and legs were a bit sore from the Half Marathon on Sunday so I took a rest day= NO RUN

• Tuesday= All day meeting at work followed by a Reception over an hour from my house= NO RUN

• Wednesday= My Mom's Birthday yesterday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I had to run some last minute errands at lunch followed by Dinner just after work= NO RUN

What happens when I have not run for a few days???

1. I get MOODY/GRUMPY/SNAPPY
2. I feel GUILTY for not fitting in it, I could have gotten up early early but chose to get a few extra Z's.
3. I worry that I am losing my fitness
4. I want to make up the miles ASAP with a triple, or super long run
5. To sum it up, it is NOT GOOD

In my GRUMPY GUS state I opted not to post yesterday for fear I would bring EVERYONE down... There have been a few things to pull me out of my funk.

1. NUUN HERE sent me and my Hood to Coast Teammates HERE a care package with some of the tasty new flavors. I have been meaning to try Strawberry Lemonade for some time so I was soooo excited. I am not a fan of Banana, so look for a Giveaway soon.

2. On my way to work I noticed a Tough looking guy mowing the grass on the side of the road, he had on a black hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, Manly right? As I drove past I read the back of the sweatshirt and it read... WAIT FOR IT.....

CUTIE PIE

AWWWWWWWW ;) This made me chuckle... wonder if he knew??

3. There is a Honey Bucket (Porta Potty) on top of a K-Mart in Kent. Not sure why but it is there. Who is up for a Roof top pit stop??

4. Reading Chelsea's Race Report HERE and all of Zoe's updates HERE.

5. Coming home to Muscle Man playing with Little Stud #1 in the backyard, our yard is small but not too small for a heated game of soccer where the fence and rock wall are the goals.

6. Having Dinner with my Mom, Sister, Nephew, Cousins and Aunt...RELAXING!!

7. Getting texts from Kerrie, Jess, Amanda and Tricia, just to check in... all FRIENDS I have "met" through Blogging.

8. Knowing that TODAY I have time to run!!!

• What things make you a little GRUMPY?

• How do you pull yourself out??

I have a couple fun Giveaways for the ladies coming up, so look for that...

WINNER of the Onlineshoes.com Giveaway

Thank you ALL for entering!!! With 541 comments, drumroll please.... The WINNER is..

KRISTI @

http://halfvirgin.blogspot.com/

Kristi please email me to receive your $100 toward a pair of Brooks Shoes at Onlineshoes.com.

See Jane Run Half Marathon Seattle 2011

Or as I like to call it See Jayne Run Half Marathon since my Big Sister's name is Jayne. We hit up the expo on Saturday night. It was a disappointment :( The space was huge but there were very few vendors and those that were there were very expensive. Also they did not have Chelsea's bib ready, hmmmm... BUMMER!!We set out to Dinner and Met Blogger Lisa and her husband in from New York for Vacation. Also in attendance Chelsea & Mike, Super Kerrie, Zoe, Jayne and me. The meals were $$ for not much food, but I was not there for the food a night with friends is the BEST regardless.

We got home just after 9:00PM, Tall Sister stayed the night to make it easy in the AM. We chatted with Muscle Man, set out our gear and went to bed. Plan was to leave the house around 6:00, with awesome directions from Chelsea.

PRETTY in Pink and ready to go!! The skies were a little dark, but I hoped it would burn off.

I created homemade signs, I will post those soon. Her's said "See Jayne run" and mine said "See my Big Sister Jayne run her 1st half Marathon" we had signs on our front and back.

Special thanks to Team Sparkle HERE for the AWESOME Pink Sparkle Skirts and to Brooks for the shoes. We hopped in the car and set out, found parking and started the WALK to the park. We met 2 girls on the way she asked if we had safety pins, OOPS they forgot to give people pins too. They were running their first half also and one girl had pink undies over her capris which read "Are we There yet?" Too funny!

We came down stairs and a lady in green looked at us, at our shoes and started to laugh.. Hmmm?? I am pretty sure she was laughing at us but not sure WHY? I felt like I was back in Junior High, what the heck??

The Potty Lines were AMAZINGLY LONG!! The worst I have ever seen, we ran into Diana and she told us where the girls were. Chelsea scoped out the perfect spot for a pre-race photo or 10.. Look at this!!

So nice to have my family and friends together. It was cute because Tall Sister and Chelsea were nervous and even joked about going to a bar and meeting us later.

Muscle Man was our photog and race support. I truly love having my husband at my races, he is a constant supporter of my running, so having him at events makes it even more sweet. I asked him to wear a bright color so we could spot him. Fleet Feet Day glow top, success!!

The full Matchy matchy look! I felt cute and loved matching with my Big sister. We set out toward the Start Line and saw Shelby HERE on the way. I love running into my Tall Friend Shelby!

While near the start loads of people came up to say hi, Jen, Danielle, Janna, Laura, Meghan, and more.. It was fun chatting with everyone and posing for the race photographer.

Suddenly over the loud speaker came the pre-race Jazzercise.. it was soooo funny!! People were having a blast, so we did our own version.

Stretch 1...2...3...4

Ninjas or Charlie's Angels?? Hmmm!! Sorry I blocked Chelsea. The start area was STRANGE! No real start chute type area with anything to show pace areas, I knew we planned to do about 11minute pace and Chelsea wanted to move back so we did..

A few more seconds and we were off. I could see Jayne was nervous and excited. We played Basketball together for years growing up, it was nice to be on her team again.. Our Goal? To FINISH and enjoy the journey. We passed Muscle Man, gave a wave and started to run...

Well not really run more like a tight flash mob shuffle. It was the WORST bottle neck I have ever seen, ladies were scrambling to hit their strides. Chelsea and I realized that this was the first time we had run together. It was brief, then I set out with Tall Sister leaving my buddy in great hands with Kerrie.

This does not do the start line FRENZY justice, it was a mess...and further up the road there were out and back sections with the leaders having to run through a tight sea of women.

i love this picture!! We are easy to spot for sure..

The race is a strange blur for me, I spent most of the race looking at the uneven pavement, my Garmin and checking on my sister. I also people watched, which is FUN! We saw 1/4 of a bike chained to a fence with $20 on it, I hope it doesn't sell ;) The race shirts are a rich purple, many women chose to wear the stylish tops and they looked GREAT!..

Once shirt caught my eye early on.. it read something like "Race to end Slavery in Spokane" I read it a few times... I lived in Spokane for years and do not remember having a Slavery problem.. I knew what is meant, but still made me laugh a little....If this is your shirt tell the Race director to fix the shirt, take out "in" ad a few spaces and put Spokane, WA.. Diana passed us early on and we hit the first water stop, which was FAR FOR READY.. Bummer!

I liked the out and backs because I knew so many people on the course, but it was hard with the narrow paths. Our race plan was to run 5 minutes and walk 30 seconds, but with the SLOW first mile Tall Sister was not ready for a walk break. We did not walk until about 35 minutes in and that was because I did not want to waver from plan and have her fade later.

I am not used to walking in races so this was a learning experience for me. Where was the walkers lane?? Answer= there wasn't one in this race. We made the most of it, I kept a close eye on the time and made sure to take care of my Sister.

I knew we would see Mike and Muscle Man along the course, it was nice having them there to support us and snap some photos.

Muscle Man must have looked like an official photographer because the lady in front of us was posing super CUTE!! so we copied her and kept on running. We have trained with gu Chomps so we had a Chomp break at mile 4 to pre-fuel. I also grabbed my Nathan Handheld from Muscle Man, I was a bit worried about the Water stops after the first one. I will post the pace per mile later, don't have it right now. I did not care about pace and only noticed it when the mile chimed, I forgot that Tall Sister had no idea how far we were for most of the race.

She LOVED passing the mile markers, they ticked away quickly. There were so many GREAT people along the way who cheered us on, complimented our outfits and gave Tall Sister an extra boost of encouragement.. If any of you are reading this...THANK YOU!! It means so much to have a kind word and it really made her race special. We were in a section with a few different people..

An older lady and her daughter? the woman was pacing the younger one

Two girls with Sarah and robin written on their backs and crazy spandex

A woman with died Pink hair who kept stopping

A tall very tan lady

A young girl in a large tutu

Woman in a Walk/Run shirt

and a few more I cant remember

It was very strange to do the walk run because we would get passed then pass them and back and forth the whole race. I have never experienced such a thing. but I know that it was what my Sister needed, the walk breaks helped her know that she could push harder while running.

We hit the Lake union area near the Yacht clubs and I looked to my left the woman said "Are you Melanie?" I looked and a familiar face looked back at me, her name is Emily and we had played club volleyball together in Junior high, it was nice to see her, she looked great and ZOOMED past us.

We took a walk break and ate another Watermelon Chomp. A woman introduced herself, but I cant remember her name, she had a cute tank top and infectious smile :) Around mile 7 came the HILLS. It was funny to hear people say "Hey they said it was mostly flat." HEHEHE! The course was mostly flat but these hills were lungs and booty killers. Tall Sister was fading and her breathing was labored.

We slowed and took an early walk break, I was not about to push her this early on. A younger girl in a jazzercise type outfit held on to her boyfriend" whose shirt read "I am With her." There were a lot of men for an all female race?? We crossed a very tight bridge and it started to rain, just a little.. It felt refreshing and we passed a little area with paper cranes. A little boy was nearby and said "some girls run in skirts," he saw us and said "like them." It was very cute. A lot of people said "Cute tutus" and asked us where we got them. The Sparkle Skirts HERE were perfect, We wore them over our capris and did not even notice we had them on. SCORE in the cute and comfort department. They are come in loads of fun colors.

Back to the race. We were chatting with ladies around us about the bikers trying to get past and the dude with no shirt running who was as a lady put it "Eye candy," I did not agree and thought he was wasting a lot of effort with his legs kicking so far up. Just ahead I noticed a woman trip, face plant and fall to the ground... OUCH!! She got right up, and dusted off, there was a metal piece on the path and we all pointed at it as we went around. there should have been a cone of something there.

Around mile 9 we saw Muscle Man for the last time, he was working his way around and logged about 4 miles himself that day..

We decided that a Curtsy was the appropriated pose :) We were just a little loopy at that point. Hmm can you spot the silly sisters in a sea of focused runners?? Speaking of Focused Runners..

Up ahead was our SPEEEEEEEDY buddy Zoe who Zoomed to a PR with a smile. Congrats Zoe!

Around Mile 10 I could tell that Jayne was fading, 9 miles was the furthest we had run in training and her body could feel it. We headed out for another out and back and passed pink haired lady standing near the street fair, seemed odd.. There was a mile marker sign that had duct tape on it which made it seem like it was supposed to be Mile 11, so we thought the out and back would be short.

This messed with Tall Sister's head as we kept going and going. We stuck to our walk break, drank water, shook out our arms and took another chomp. We saw friends and bloggers along the way, Elizabeth said hello which was nice, I was bummed I did not get to meet her. We finally hit the turn around and passed mile 11, just 2 miles to go and I could tell the toughest part of the race was ahead of us.

I tried to pull out my tricks and teach them to my Big Sister. "Try to focus on something other than yourself, look at the trees, try to read road signs, try to add up how much you think the racer in front of you spent on her outfit, people watch, sing in your head...anything to get outside of your own head, it is mental." She did great, stayed positive despite being very tired. A guy was handing out free Watemelon gu chomps, SCORE!! We each grabbed a small package. The plan had always been to run the last mile without stopping as we had done in our training runs, we approached mile 12 and I could tell she needed to walk. We took our LAST walk break and saw the Sarah and Robin shirt girls pass us.

Our new goal was to get back in front. We pushed, got more cheers, a lady we saw a few times said "Go Team Sparkle" another lady said "Good job Sisters!" they were all so positive. I said "Every step is taking us closer to the Finish, you are doing so great." Tall Sister was giving it all she had and could no longer talk :) Moving forward Half a Mile to go, I said "Two laps around the track, you have this!!" Jayne ran track in high school so she knew that we were so close, she would not stop she would run the last mile to the FINISH. an ADORABLE little girl was pointing people were to go, I tolde her how cute she was. Up one little hill, hit by a few more branches...UGH Being Tall is no fun on trails that are maintained at 5'4 height :) We could see the park, we could see Zoe and Muscle Man... It was the last stretch...

Tall Sister had taken off her visor because she got hot, I offered to carry it but she wore it on her shoulder instead. She was getting emotional and I was SO EXCITED!!

One last push, we sped up and even passed a few people at the end. Bummer we did not plan out a finish Line pose together, but I think we both waved :)

Thumbs up and WELCOME TO THE CLUB!!

Silly Silly Sisters!! Yes we have our Dad's sense of humor and our Mom's confidence :) I loved this last stretch and seeing the FINISH. We crossed and HUGGED! I was so proud of my Sister.. Our finish time was 2:25:25, just over 11:00 pace.

At the end of the day it was not about the time on the clock it was about the journey in training, in stayhing together every step, it wearing fun matching outfits and stading Tall and confident.. SISTERS STRONG!!

We got adorable little medals and headed over to get some food. I could tell that Jayne needed to eat. The cute thing was the announcers would say "Look at all these Jane's Finishing" she took it for her and wondered how many women named Ja(y)ne were running the race. Post race all I want is SALT, but alas nothing. I would have grabbed a few waters if I knew they were going to run out :( I grabbed a dry bagel and we scoped out the post race booths. This was much better than the expo. Zoe stayed out to CHEER, I visited her for a bit and found out about her PR, then went back to my Family.

Tall Sister proud of her race medal and FINISH!! I am over the moon proud of her. This was Half Marathon #7 for me and my most favorite race yet. I feel so blessed to get to run with my sister and help her achieve an amazing goal.

We wore matching shoes that we both LOVED!! Brooks are the BEST!! As we were taking pictures of our feet I realized I needed to watch.. Chelsea and Kerrie would be coming soon..

And there they were, pride swelled as I have coached Chelsea the last few months and know how much this meant to her. Clearly she had her game face on!!

Kerrie had stayed with her every step, even the REALLY painful steps when her hip flaired up. I nearly cried when I saw them grab hands and FINISH!!

Her Sweet Mike brought her flowers and we all went to talk to Chelsea.. Our eyes met and she teared up, I gave her a big hug, she was so emotional...but all good, she had done it. Two new members of the Half Marathon club.

We wandered around as Zoe's lips turned blue and the rain started to pour. Then we spotted our friends from the walk to the start.. how cute are her underoos??

Funny growing up we say this to our parents ALL THE TIME!! And yes we were there, on the flip side of the months of training, sweat, blisters, fatigue and nerves... Across the finish Line.

EVERY race should have champage and chocolate!! Cheers!!

An AMAZING day with great friends, my amazing sister, and husband. This race had some glitches, but I know that I will be running See Jane again! What a day!!!

CONGRATS TO TALL SISTER, CHELSEA, ARE WE THERE YET GIRL and all of you who ran your first Half Marathon at See Jane Run Seattle!!!

• I will be back with post race thoughts, and some thoughts on Run/Walk racing.




• Are you thinking of running your first Half Marathon? If so, I hope this has inspired you to REGISTER and start training.