What A Weekend!

I'm sure I'm not the only person who is hating daylight savings right now. Not because my child wakes up early but because it just makes the days feel so long haha. 

We did have a pretty busy weekend but it was so much fun! 

Saturday morning we were up bright and early for the Fort Bragg 10 Miler. With Kyle gone right now that means pushing E defaults to me. I had a lot of people ask me why I didn't just get a babysitter. Well, I don't mind pushing her and it's free lol. 

It was an absolutely beautiful morning! It was about 50 degrees at the start which is perfectly running weather if you ask me.

The race went far better than I expected. I've run this route before and it has a mild hill at the start and then is mostly flat. I saw quite a few friends on the course which was awesome. I did have a goal in mind but didn't dwell on it. I wanted to finish in 1:30 minutes which I knew was a lofty goal pushing her. I was thrilled when I crossed the finish line and my time was 1:30:47! E and I had a blast, she was cheering on runners and I was just taking it all in. I was proud to represent the All American Marathon at this event!

Afterwards we headed home to have lunch and relax a bit before heading up to Raleigh to pick up my race packet for the next day. I had originally planned for us to stay there for the night but opted to come back home. We did make a stop at the mall to walk around a bit and we picked up a few ornaments. E was enamored by all of the Christmas decorations which was the cutest.

We both went to bed early as we were getting up at 4am to make the hour drive up to Raleigh. It was a beautiful morning to run the City of Oaks Half Marathon! Yes, I was pushing E for 13.1 miles haha.

All I can say is WOW!!!! I have never been more challenged in my life. This was by far the hilliest course I have ever experienced. It was one hill after another. It wasn't just rolling, it was steep hills that seemed to never end but gosh I was determined to finish. I saw a fellow All American Marathon ambassador and he graciously snapped this photo of me as he was cheering on the sideline.

As with the 10 miler, I did have a goal in mind, 2:30. However, with the course I knew that it would be difficult. I just kept pushing and putting one foot in front of the other. It was really hard at times but at one point a gentleman ran beside me, put his hand on my shoulder, and said, "you inspire me and your daughter has an amazing role model in you." That meant a lot. Then I got a text from Kyle at mile 11, telling me I was doing great. <3 He is the best.

I made it to the finish line and realized I achieved my goal, chip time of 2:28:51!

I felt so accomplished and E was an awesome running partner for both races! She was content with snacks and her iPad. I am so grateful that she is the best stroller kiddo. We did miss Kyle though, doing these races as a family is my favorite thing.

The rest of the day was spent picking up groceries (thank you online ordering and grocery pickup) and lots of playtime. E deserved it after being stuck in the stroller for 23.1 miles.

If I can leave you all with a message it's that you CAN and WILL accomplish the goals you set for yourself. No matter how big or how small, you can do it! Don't ever underestimate yourself. 

I hope y'all had a good weekend!