All Aboard the Crazy Train

Thats my new motto....we used to be a traveling circus, but that doesnt exactly cover it anymore.  Not with 2 mobile toddlers and 9 year old tween and training for a 1/2 marathon.  Did I mention hubby's in preseason mode for hunting....starts in 5 weeks...gotta get the trail cams out and start scouting and sight in the bow, get new stuff for the bow....attempt to get a new bow (shot that one down real fast)...now.  Oh yea and back to school stuff, haying, cows...all that stuff.

ALL ABOARD IF YOU DARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just got Piper's ticket to fly home on August 21!!  I have missed her so much, 3 months is a long time to away from her momma.  Oh, she is having a great summer and I love that she spends that much time with her dad, stepmom and their family because I honestly feel that she can enjoy it so much more then everyother weekend.  Coming and going is hard on kids, and while I miss her TONS, I think she handles the whole thing better knowing she doesnt have to pack up in a few days and go back home.  That little sentimental moment passed, she seems to have picked up a powerful dose of 9 year old 'tude....that should be fun.  Y.I.P.P.E.E.

The freaking cows are all TB negative...YES!!!!!  I wont get into details but lets just say it was a long, frightening, confusing 3 weeks with alot of questions and very little answers.  Well, thats not quite true, there were alot of answers.  The problem is when you deal with state vets and federal vets, the answers are not the same.  Thank you to EVERYONE who helped during the whole thing....the people who knew and didnt ask questions cause it wasnt something that was being broadcasted, the cowboys and their horses who worked their asses off in the heat to gather the very uncooperative cattle, twice.  The people who silently lent their support and openly did the same once we got the all clear.  It could have been bad.  Could have but its not.  Everyonce in awhile even a blind squirrel finds a nut :-)

The boys have been up to their usual shenanigans....well, Fasty McNasty has been up to his usual and Buster McThunder is getting started.  Example:

Shawn heard the boys making noise when they should have been napping so he went to investigate and found them standing in their cribs, looking out the window.  One had a diaper on, one did not.  So he immediately remedied the situation and gave up on nap time (so mommy could deal with it later) and let them play.  I went to retrieve the sippy cups out of their beds and found all of Sage's stuff...pillow pet, sippy up, blanket had been relocated into Bran's crib.  Not unusual, except for the diaper I found UNDER all those items.  Which means that 1) his diaper didnt "fall off" and 2) he threw it at his brother and 3) he threw it first so we were darn lucky there wasnt a "present" in his crib when daddy found them.  Cause it wouldnt have been a present for daddy, Im sure.....

Running excitment is that I ran my first run with tempos and did, well, I think I did great.  Since Im still not 100% on how to determine a tempo pace, I just figured I would shoot for sub 9:00 miles and see what that does.
Mile 1: 9:32
Mile 2 (Tempo): 8:52
Mile 3: 9:38
Mile 4 (Tempo): 8:49
Mile 5: 9:26
I ran hard during those 2 miles and Im glad I did because now I know what I am capable of.  I have been getting sub 9's during my running but to be able to do it when I really want to do it, felt great!  AND making it late in the run was a great feeling also.  So I think for the next few tempo runs, Im going to shoot for 8:50.  Its possible....I just did it, twice, so I see no reason why I cant do it again.

I havent gotten into my long runs for the 1/2 yet, my first is this weekend and its 6 miles.  So not terrible, however the longest I have gone yet.  Im not worried about getting it done, Im worried about the fact that the 1/2 is in less then 2 months and I just now running my longest distance of 6 miles.  I guess this is the point in time when I think "are you out of your ever-loving mind?" and the answer is yes, I usually am. 

I blame my kids.  And the cows...when all else fails, always blame the cows.

I know I will finish the 1/2.  In good time, well that remains to be seen but I will finish.  I kinda wish it was a bigger race.....something cool like the Rock N' Roll 1/2 in Vegas (which happens to be during the NFR finals...just sayin') or Tinkerbell 1/2 in Disney (I bet I could rock a pair of wings.....) but Im also glad its a smaller run, in a small town with a relatively small group of people so if my first 13.1 mile race is an epic FAILURE, it wont be witnessed by thousands of people.  Just a few hundred.