A Very Merry 16 Miler

Merry Christmas, everyone! We've had a good one. Chasen got to leave work early on the 23rd, so we decided to venture into Memphis and track down some of the supposed well lit, well decorated homes. As it turned out, we were thoroughly disappointed. The most exciting thing we found was a decorated port-o-potty:

This was found in front of a large, undecorated home that was being renovated. Ha!

On Christmas Eve we went to a candlelight service at our church. When we got home and got Isaac to bed we finally got down to business! We opted to not put up a tree - at all - until then because we just knew that Mr. Inquisitive would not be able to stay away from it.

We also wisely kept our cherished Christmas cards up out of his reach.

Here is the finished product: undecorated pre-lit tree. Not too shabby!

On Christmas morning I just couldn't wait for Isaac to wake up! He is likely going through a growth spurt now because he sleeps A LOT. So some waiting was required. But he finally got with the program and woke up for our first Christmas in our new house. Here is Chasen (who says he sounds like a drunk) bringing him downstairs on Christmas morning:

Oh I really, really hope this is "The Cat In The Hat" movie!

YAY! My buddy The Cat! Thank you, Santa!

The "architectural block set" was also a big hit. This architect mommy thanks Santa!

It couldn't have been much better. We are so fortunate to have each other!

I was supposed to do a 16 mile run on Christmas Day, but obviously that wasn't happening. Better fish to fry! So I got to bed early that night to make it happen on Sunday the 26th.

I woke up at 3:30 AM. I needed to be back home by 8 AM to make it to Sunday School on time. I headed out the door just past 4 AM. I walked down my road and hit 'start' at the main drag. I originally wanted to do an out-and-back, but I felt I would not be able to carry enough Perpetuem sports drink with me to make that happen. So I opted for two shorter out-and-backs so I could refuel.

It was 31 degrees out and - get this! - snowing! Yes, in Mississippi. Just flurries, mind you, but enough for me to finally be able to say that I ran in the snow. My goal was to run 13:30 miles. I think I was dressed perfectly, except my legs could have been a tad bit warmer (I should have worn my tights instead of loose pants).

I am extremely happy and proud to report that this was my best longrun of 2010. Seriously. I felt strong and fast. Seriously. I made it to the first 4 mile spot (my old neighborhood) in the blink of an eye. Next thing I knew I was at the intersection of my road and the main drag switching sports bottles. As it turns out, I probably could have done one out-and-back since I forgot how much less I drink when it is super cold. Oh well!

I made it back to the old neighborhood for 12 miles and then started the "final descent" towards home. The first 14 miles were practically effortless. Seriously. Mile 15 required a bit of walking here and there and mile 16 required a lot of walking. Oh well! Check out my splits:

12:38, 13:12, 12:58, 13:20, 13:19, 12:44, 13:15, 12:37, 12:24, 12:43, 12:34, 12:21, 13:01, 12:48, 13:50, 14:36

Total - 3:28:29

Average - 13:02 per mile

That is seriously speedy for me, and it includes walking the first 0.05 of each mile. Whoo hoo! I attribute these results to both cooler weather and my mid-week speed sessions (I guess). The Cowtown Marathon is 9 weeks away and I just can't wait!

Chasen's MBA Graduation

Big news! Even though Chasen finished classes for his MBA close to 18 months ago (long story...) he finally got to go and physically graduate! We've had the actual diploma for a while now, but nothing tops off years of hard work like spending 8 hours in the car with a teething toddler to cross state lines to go to a graduation ceremony!

Isaac finally got to face forward in his seat the day before we left. Chasen finally gave in!

Here Isaac watches the humorous elderly lady that sat behind us during the graduation.

It was a small December ceremony in the school's gym.

Someone is VERY proud of his Daddy!

My two best guys - current graduate and future graduate (sniff, sniff).

I was so proud of Chasen. Nothing says accomplishment like a cap and gown! He started this MBA when we lived in Arkansas and he worked about 60 hours per week (seriously) and could barely get away from work to attend classes. It was NOT easy. Then we moved 4 hours from the school and he both telecommuted and drove there some in the beginning. Again, NOT easy! So I am a super-duper proud wife. Congratulations, Chasen!

Where Have I Been?

I have been all over the place AND my laptop bit the dust. Thus, no blogging. I am composing this post from Chasen's laptop sans pictures, which makes for a boring post. But bear with me!

Last weekend I went to Daytona Beach, Florida for the AMAZING Mojo Loco relay race. It was incredible to meet so many of my fellow runners from across the country! The team consisted of:
Maddy (Florida)
Adam "Zen Runner" (Florida)
Norman (Florida)
Matt "Crazy Runner" (Florida)
Marathon Chris (Florida)
Steve Runner (Massachusetts)
Chris Russell (Massachusetts)
Nik (Massachusetts)
Dan (Massachusetts)
Samantha (Georgia)
Eddie Marathon (Michigan)
Steve Chopper (England - yes, just for the weekend!)
me (Mississippi)

Oh what fun we had! We all met in Daytona and carpooled to St. Augustine. From there we ran in teams of 3-4 for four miles each leg. We made it about 50 miles that way back to Daytona. We each got to run 3+ times. It was wonderful to get to run with so many different people! And every move we made (literally) was recorded either by audio or video, so the upcoming podcasts of the afore mentioned people ought to be interesting! We celebrated with a big, group dinner that evening. Oh what fun! I am soooooo in for next year!

My training for the Cowtown Marathon is going decently. I was derailed a bit by some sore ears and an incredibly painful throat (drainage issues - eeeeew!) but am on the mend. I also saw an orthopedist for my hip pain. He said I had the hip bones of a 25 year old! (I'm 36.) So I chose not to have an MRI and opted to try some yoga to help my muscles. Fingers crossed.

And my laptop. Ah, I feel a bit lost without it, but it got sent off to Sony today (thank heavens I bought an extended warranty). Here's hoping it returns to me soon! I have to blog, after all!