Our extended Christmas weekend is wrapped up today. [Craig had today (Monday) off as well.] It was a nice weekend, but man it flew by! Here’s a quick recap on what we’ve been up to.
Christmas Eve day I watched a friend’s baby because their daycare was closed. She loved giving Cullen hugs and kisses. (I’m not sure how much Cullen dug it. Ha!)
Christmas Eve we invited Craig’s parents, uncle, and grandma over to our place so I could put Cullen down at his normal bedtime of 7:30 p.m. We had dinner and then opened gifts.
Craig had a Star Wars Christmas. I bought him, Cullen, and myself matching Star Wars shirts that say, “Chewie, we’re home.” (J. Crew is probably the only retailer I’d wear a Star Wars t-shirt from.) Obviously this is Cullen’s shirt.
Craig was also quite excited about his Star Wars pillow from my sister and her fiancé!! He’s been asking for this throw pillow for about 2 years now. (Ever since he discovered Easy.) It says, “I love you I know.”
The other gift he was far too excited about was his long underwear complete with a fictional butt flap. I also got a matching one from his grandma. He has been wearing his nonstop.
Cullen got a new John Deere tractor toy from my parents. He also got a couple new farm books, which he loves.
Christmas morning I made Greek Yogurt Pancakes with green and red sprinkles, along with bacon and eggs for breakfast. Then we went for a family run. I pushed Cullen in the stroller for 2 miles while running with Craig, and then dropped the boys off at home before finishing up my other 2.5 miles.
Christmas afternoon we went over to my in-law’s for dinner and another round of gifts.
Saturday morning I had 10 miles to run with a second go at my 5K time trial. The first time I did my time trial, it was rough. I really struggled running, when I should have easily been able to run around 19:00. I ended up running 19:18 the first time, but this time I ran 18:33!! I cut 45 seconds off, but that’s because my iron levels are finally coming back up. This time around I felt so much better and was surprised at how easily the pace came. (I brought the treadmill to the correct pace and let it run for a couple of minutes before I hopped on. That’s why the distance and time don’t match up.)
Sunday was my day off of running. We slept in until almost 9 a.m., but that’s because Cullen and I were up for about 1.5 hours from 6 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. After church, I met up with Brittany for a pedicure. It is Brittany’s birthday on Thursday, so I wanted to gift her a pedicure before her baby comes. (Only a little over a month away!)
We went to Pure Nail, which used to be Glaze Nail Bar off Dimond Blvd, and I was very happy with our experience. I especially liked that everything was clean, new, and modern, and it didn’t smell at all when we walked in.
Sunday afternoon I took Cullen and Sadie out for a walk. It had been a while since we’ve been out because it has been pretty cold here. (I usually won’t take Cullen out if it is below 20*F–otherwise he gets too cold.) Then we hit up Gap and Baby Gap for some good deals. (An additional 50% off clearance items!)
Today (Monday) has been pretty low-key. I ran 8 mile this morning with drill work afterwards. Then I met Cullen and Craig at the coffee shop. We hung out and Cullen insisted on walking up and down the three stairs over and over again. He’s getting very close to walking. He’s taken a few unassisted steps, but he still prefers to hold our hands.
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Here’s a look at how this past week of workouts went. I can tell I’m still low on iron, but by the end of the week I can feel the supplements kicking in, and I know it will only get better as time goes on.
Monday
6 miles, easy | 8:19 average pace
I took the stroller on this run so I could sleep in. I stopped quite a few times (not ideal) for crossing roads, because Cullen was getting fussy, and to take a couple of pictures.
Tuesday
8 miles with 3 x 600 meters @ 5:50 pace
I really struggled with this again. (I did the same workout a couple weeks ago.) I had to stop and get off the treadmill after each 600 in order to catch my breath. I knew this probably would be tough as my iron supplement wouldn’t have kicked in yet.
Wednesday
9 miles, easy | 8:16 average pace + striders
I felt okay during this run. It was dark and early in the morning, but I feel more hard-core that way. I still find myself getting winded over the smallest exercises.
Thursday
6.5 miles, easy + 5 striders | 8:25 average pace
Went fine–nothing great, nothing terrible.
Friday
4.5 miles + 5 strides
I ran 2 slow miles with Craig and then ran the other 2.5 miles by myself. I felt fine. It wasn’t too cold, which was nice.
Saturday
10 miles | 5K time trial
This 5K time trial went so much better than the first time around. I first ran 7 miles, which wasn’t ideal, but we had a 60 minute run for the training group I coach. I then went to the treadmill and ran my time trial. I started out at a 6:07 pace and was going to hang on as long as possible. I was still feeling good halfway through, so I started bumping up the pace every quarter mile or so. By the end I was running a sub-5:30!!
Sunday
off
Total: 44.5 miles
