23 Months

22 months

Omaha Half Marathon

My second half marathon is in the books! 

After having such a great experience in Lincoln for my first half marathon I knew that I would be running more.  Registering for races is the best way for me to stay motivated to run especially when it is hard to find time with 1.5 year old twins.  At some point this summer I decided that the Omaha Half would be a good next race.  I talked to Mike about wanting to run it and he wasn't very interested in the race since it was only a month after his full marathon.  Since he didn't want to push it after the full, he decided that he would be willing to volunteer as a pacer for my goal pace, 2:10, so he could take it easy and I could have some pacing support for the race.  

After he volunteered to be a pacer the pressure was on to cut 12 minutes off my half marathon time.  There were a few times during training that I was afraid that I was setting myself up for failure.  Mike also reminded me that he had to finish at 2:10 so if I had to slow down he would have to keep going.  My response was always "Maybe I will finish ahead of you." Even though I had my doubts.  

To make a long story short, I ran the entire race with the 2:10 pace group and had great conversations with a number of runners.  I felt strong the entire way and pulled ahead of the group with less than a quarter mile to go.  I finished at 2:10.06.  Head of Mike by 30 seconds.  

We also were able to meet one of my college friends from Kansas in Omaha for the race, which was fun.  Even though we didn't run the race together it was still great to hang out with them. 

Now that I have two half marathons under my belt I feel like I have a few pieces of advice for someone thinking about running their first half marathon. I am not an expert at all, but if you are new(er) to run this may be helpful.

- Register for the race in advance.  Don't think you will train and then register later because the race may fill up or you may loose motivation to keep training or not have long enough to adequately train.

- Once you have registered make a plan for training.  You can find a ton of plans on Pinterest or different online sources, but if you don't have a plan you may over or under train.  The plans I followed had two shorter runs during the week with a longer run on the weekend.  I picked it because it fit best in my schedule so Mike could watch the boys during my long runs on the weekend.

-Schedule a short race or two during training as a fun way to get your miles and a way to gauge your pace at a shorter distance.

- Be realistic with what your pace will be.  For my first, I thought it would be cool to run it in 2 hours.  Then I thought 2:10 was probably a better goal.  After my 12 mile run I realized 2:25 was probably more realistic.  Had I tried to run the pace I originally thought about it would have been a horrible experience, I would have had to walk and I would have never wanted to do a half marathon again.

- Run with a pace group! It is fun to get to know other runners.  It is fun to encourage each other along the way (take your ear phones out and enjoy the race experience).  And it is fun to congratulate each other once you finish.

- Don't go out to fast.  This was the best advice I received from an experienced runner.  Starting out to fast can wreck your entire race and it is so hard to run slow when everyone takes off at the beginning.  Another reason to run with a pace group.

- Hydrate for at least 3 days before. Carry water with you where ever you go and drink, drink, drink. Don't drink as much the night before and morning of the race because you don't want to stop during the race to go to the bathroom.

- Properly carb load.  Again check out Pinterest.   This isn't just the pasta meal the night before, but the entire day or two before the race.  Also use your longer runs (10+) as a practice to see what you need to fuel your body and how it will react to the food you are planning to eat before the race.  After a horrible 12 mile run I learned a lot about what happens when you don't carb load and I'm glad I learned it before race day.

- Find people who will support you.  I would not have been able to run either of these races without the help of Mike and my parents to watch the boys.  I can take the boys on shorter runs and enjoy doing that so they get fresh air and I get a different kind of a workout.  Pushing 50 lbs of kids is not easy, but a good workout nonetheless.  I also had a number of people that provided moral support by asking about my training, giving me advice and encouraging me, which provided accountability. I still post pictures on Instagram @kelsey12184 and send them through snapchat (don't hate me for liking snapchat) to keep me accountable and encourage others.

- Have fun.  It is easy to get caught up in the frustration of not running as fast as you were planning to or missing a run because your schedule is to busy, or the kids are a mess, or its raining, but those things will always happen, so don't be so hard on yourself and have fun.  Everyone gets a medal ( or at least a t-shirt and cool race bib) at the end whether you are first or last.

Up next is the Cross Country Classic 8K on October 26 in Ashland Nebraska.  You can run with me by registering at BRIN Running Series - Cross Country Classic.

If you want to go back, here are the links to some previous race I have run.
Lincoln Half Marathon 
Minden Christmas 5K 
Beer and Bagel Run 

21 months

20 Months

This may not be surprising to many of you, especially mothers of twins, that these monthly pictures are not getting easier.  However, I do like to finish things that I start, so I am committed (good pictures or not) to continue with the monthly pictures until the boys are 2.  As you can see in the pictures below we have resorted to bribing, candy, props and pictures of the tops of their heads, but it is at least a true representation of life with 20 month olds.  

19 months

Mothers Day 2014

Lets take a little trip back in time to Mothers Day, 2014.  I had go intentions of having the boys take a picture with all of the women in their family.  Myself, the grandma's and great grandma's.  Two almost 17 month olds had different ideas.

This was the best picture we could get, which is not to bad. 

 This is what the rest of our attempts looked like.  

After that, we gave up and didn't even attempt pictures with the grandmas and me.  Hopefully we will have some better luck next year.  

18 Months

So we are on the verge of being 2 months behind with these monthly post, and if I'm being honest we haven't even taken their 19 month pictures yet, but love looking back at how they have progressed over the year and a half that we can going to try to keep this going until they turn at least two.

Jase's First Haircut

Jase had his first haircut in June.  He probably could have gone a little longer until his hair was completely out of control, but with summer temperatures looming it was a good time for a new do.  

The before picture

 The baby curls 

 Lets pretend for a moment that this is how his haircut happened.  A well behaved boys sitting on the chair by himself.  

  This is actually how it went down.  

 Bribing with food, 

 brother wanting in on the action, 

 and holding him down, 

but what else would you really expect from a 1.5 year old.  

On a side note.  

 This little nose picker also got a haircut.  His second. 

It was pretty significant transformation.  

June 365

I realize that I haven't posted their 18 month pictures along with a few other events, and they will be 19 months in a few days, but until I get around to it here are some pictures from June.