Great Mother's Day Race

I am so excited to say that I spent my Mother's Day doing something good for myself.  I was fortunate enough to participate in the Great Mother's Day Race in Tampa.  Never in a million years did I think I would be spending my special day running 3.1 miles but I'm glad I did!!!

On Saturday, I took Noah with me to Fit2Run in International Mall to pick up my tshirt and race packet.  I have to say, the shirts were pretty awesome!  They are so soft!  They feel like a really worn in cotton tee with an active element to them.  I don't know...I can't say enough about the feel.  (I'm all about a comfy feel).  I may have worn it the rest of the day!!!  Noah loves going to packet pick ups with me so it was nice to spend some quality time with just him.  I got there right when they started so I didn't have any wait at all!  It was nice to breeze right in and get what I need.

Of course I sprung it on the Hubs that I needed a new shirt to run in.  For some reason I have to buy a new shirt or something when I have a race.  It's weird.  I think it's because all my pictures have the same 2 shirts in them.  So off to Old Navy I went and came home with a new tank and an amazing sports bra (this is a huge accomplishment since I am a little too blessed in that department.  Finding a decent bra is hard and I found this one and it was on clearance!!!!).  I was totally ready for the race!

The race was held at Al Lopez Park in Tampa.  I have seen the park before but had never been there before so I had no idea what was in store for me.  I ended up getting there insanely early (the Hubs overestimated how long it would take to get there) but it allowed me to get some stretching in.  After a while I met up with Jen, one of my Tampa Bay Moms Blog contributor friends, and got to meet her adorable family. I love that they run as a family.  One day that will be us.  Hear that Hubs???  Her hubby is a trooper and pushes the jogger the entire race.  We headed towards the starting line and got ready.  I hung back a little ways for a couple reasons:
1. I'm not a good run and talk girl.  I have to concentrate on actually breathing.  Plus I listen to music to drown out the sound of my heavy breathing
2. I'm slow and I knew they would be a heck of a lot faster
3. I was rocking this race solo.  Most of the time my brother's girlfriend does the races with me.  We start off together then she leaves me in her dust.  This time it was just me.

The course was really nice.  It was pretty flat and pretty shady.  The first mile was a great one for me.  I recorded my fastest mile to date as well as my fastest 1K to date.  Granted, this is still really slow but I was proud of myself.  And I did it without trying.  But then, BAM.  Mile 2.  For some reason the second mile is always the hardest for me.  I'm not sure why.  But it got to me.  Then I had an epiphany.  This race was about me.  As much as I wanted it to be about PRing, it was more about doing something for me.  With all the stress of Em's health and surgery and severe lack of sleep, this race allowed me to have a few minutes to just clear my mind, which was the best Mother's Day gift I could have received.  All of the stress I've been under just melted away.  I decided in that moment that I was going to just do what felt right.  If I wanted to walk, then I was going to walk.  If I wanted to run, I was going to run.  And I wasn't going to beat myself up over it.  And you know what?  It was the most liberating feeling.  Sure my time was about 3 minutes slower than any 5K I've ever ran.  But those extra 3 minutes were what I needed to clear my head. It was a wonderful feeling.  Oh and I can't forget how awesome it was that Jen and her crew were cheering me on as I crossed the finish line.  Her boys were cheering for me and it was absolutely adorable!  I can't thank them enough for that!!!

I can't speak enough about this event.  The race directors are awesome.  Claire walked by me before the race and introduced herself and welcomed me.  That's pretty awesome in my book!  I loved how family friendly it was.  So many people were pushing strollers so their little ones could be part of the race.  It was a great location with a great course.  And more importantly, it was a celebration.  There was an amazing sense of love and family every where you turned. I can't wait to spend many Mother's Days to come at this event!

Disclaimer: I received an comp'd entry into the Great Mother's Day Race in exchange for promoting the event.  I am not being paid to participate.  All opinions are my own.  
    

What Am I Doing for Mother's Day?

Mother's Day.

The one day where all of us moms get to do whatever we want and no one can complain about it.  The one day where we're celebrated because of the ridiculously hard work that goes into being a Mother.  Let's be real, it's tough being a mom.  I'm sure I'm not speaking for myself alone when I say that being a mom has been a crash course in multi-tasking. We're pulled in every direction, whether it be getting clothes ready for the day, cooking dinner, spending time with our kids (and their Daddies), driving here and there, and passing out all the love we can.  All of that happens in about 20 minutes.  It's a tough job that doesn't have an owner's manual.  It's a "learn on the fly" type of thing.

But it's the most rewarding title that I have!  I wouldn't trade being a mom for anything.  I was born to be a mom.  And boy do I love Mother's Day!  I think I worked on my first 3 or 4 Mother's Days so I've only had about 2 Mother's Days to spend doing whatever I want.  Some women want to spend the day being pampered.  Some women want to lay around doing nothing.  Some women want to spend the day exploring the world.  I'm planning on spending my Mother's Day making strides to improve my health (and I'm planning on having the Hubs and the kiddos there cheering me on).

I'm excited to be participating in the Great Mother's Day Race this Mother's Day!  I'm on this journey (a very slow one at that) to becoming a runner and becoming a healthier example to my kids.  This race is exactly what I need. It's a race that's centered around celebrating Moms and families and healthy lifestyles.  I thought about signing up the entire family for the race but decided to do this one solo.  I decided to run on my own because that's the way I want to spend part of my special day.  I want to do something that is strictly for me.  And that's what this race will be.  A couple (times about a million) minutes and 3.1 miles of "me" time.  Time with my thoughts. Time with nature. Time on my journey to becoming a runner.

I know. I know.  Enough about me.  Let's talk race details.

When: Sunday, May 12, 2013 at 9:00am. Packet pick up will start at 8am on race day at the Registration table.
Where: Al Lopez Park (4810 N Himes Ave, Tampa FL 33614)
Who: This race isn't limited to just us Moms.  Grab your family and head on down!  Strollers are welcomed so pack up the kiddos!!!!!

This year the race will be chip timed (a new addition from last year's race) with prizes for top finishers in the age divisions.  There's goodie bags and  Dri-Fit tee shirts for participants.  Snacks will be provided before and after the race with lots of water along the way.

Registration is only $35 until May 11, 2013 and $40 on race day.  To make this race a little sweeter, all Life With My Loves readers can receive 10% off registration costs by using the code TBBLOG.  How awesome is that?!?

Sign up on Active.com and don't forget to take advantage of 10% off!!!

And while you're at it, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!!!!

I'm excited about the opportunity to spend my Mother's Day having fun and making myself a better person (and to have my family cheering me on to the finish....hint hint Hubs!!!)  Why don't you join me?!?!?

Disclaimer: I received an comp'd entry into the Great Mother's Day Race in exchange for promoting the event.  I am not being paid to participate.  All opinions are my own. 
  

Mother's Day Recap (this turned into a long one)

I have been fortunate enough to have 5 Mother's Days so far.  Last year was the first time I ever had the opportunity to actually spend Mother's Day with my family.  I've had to work every other year.  Last year it was a laid back day.  All I wanted to do was see the sunset at the beach.  We did that, it was beautiful.  Then I slammed the car door on my foot.  I spent the rest of the evening in the ER.  Not the best way to spend Mother's Day.

This year, with my new schedule (can I say again how awesome it is to not work any weekends?!?!?), I had Mother's Day off again.  I told the Hubs that I wanted no part in planning anything.  I wanted a special day that came from him and the kiddos.  So he's how it went down:

Friday was Noah's Mother's Day Tea Party at school.  It was so cute.  They sang songs, we had donuts, bagels, and fruit, and he made the cutest flower for me that's now on my desk at work.  Emmy thinks she is a PreK kid so she joined in the festivities with singing and dancing, including her new move, the "let's lift up our dress and show off our belly/diaper" move.  Yes....I'm so proud of that one.  All in all, great way to kick off the weekend.

A few pics from our special day

But the best by far was the guessing game.  The kids had to draw a picture of their mom and answer a few questions about them.  I spotted Noah's the minute I walked in and all I could do was laugh. There was no guessing needed.  I just knew which one was his.  The best  was the age question.  His teacher told me how hard it was for him to answer that question because he truly didn't know how old I am.  He really likes to know the correct answers for everything.  And no, I'm not 40.  I'm 28, soon to be 29. 

Red is his favorite color so that's why he colored me red. That's how I knew it was his.
He answered most of the questions right except I'm not a big soup fan and I'm shocked he didn't say I love owls. 

The rest of the weekend was a blast.  We were supposed to do brunch with the Hubs's mom but she was sick so we didn't go.  We opted to do breakfast with just the 4 of us (best spinich, feta, and mushroom omelette ever!!!) and head to the mall for some shopping.  We headed to Countryside because they have a train that goes around the whole lower level of the mall.  We did some shopping then headed to the train.  This train was like no other.  I had to ride with them because they weren't tall enough.  This train wasn't on a track.  A man drove it around the mall.  He probably would have run people over too if they got in the way.  But Noah had a blast so it made it all good for me.  We headed home and then grabbed dinner (oh yeah, we checked out the double stroller we're going to get and finally saw my camera in person).

Waiting for the train to start

Sunday I forgot to set my alarm so we didn't wake up in time for church.  I was woken up by the kiddos with this:

My first ever breakfast in bed!!!  It was awesome.  Em ate most of my bananas and they each took one of the ears but it was sweet all the same.  I got an amazing bag from the kiddos (the Hubs did great).  We packed up and headed down to the water to have lunch at Bubba Gumps.  If you haven't heard of it or been there, you're missing out.  It's straight out of "Forrest Gump" and the Hubs and I just love it!  We went to one in Breckinridge on our honeymoon, frequented the one in Orlando multiple times when we lived there, and now we have one close to us in Madeira Beach.  We're looking forward to our NYC trip because there's one on Broadway (we're not going to eat there, just get a glass to add to our collection).  But anyways....the weather was beautiful, the water looked amazing, and the kids loved it! We stuffed our faces full of wonderful food and had a great time. Then we came home for naps and then headed to my parents house for dinner. 

Look how amazing the water is!!!  Great day to be outside with my family

All in all, best Mother's Day weekend EVER.

I have to thank the Hubs for making it so special.  I didn't have high expectations (he's not very romantic {actually he's not romantic at all}) but he did a great job.  Thanks honey for making my day so special!!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies, mommy to be's, women who dream of being mommies, etc.  I had the best Mother's Day thus far.  It was actually more like a Mother's Day weekend.  The Hubs really did well this time.  I'll update about my weekend festivities this week.  Now it's time to wind down and hit the sheets. The alarm will be going off before I know it in the morning.