The Results

My 30 K trail run was this past weekend in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Tim, Kennedy and I left on Thursday afternoon and drove to West Virginia to stay overnight with his parents. Friday morning we got up and had breakfast and coffee and socialized and then hit the road to North Carolina. The girls were soooooooooooooo excited to see each other. It was too precious for words to be honest. They just love each other and they play so incredibly well.



On Thursday morning I had woken up with a sore throat so I was a bit concerned about my run but it was nothin cough drops and Advil couldn't fix. We got up bright and early to head to the race and it was heavily misting outside. We both knew it most likely wasn't going to be fun, but lets be honest - when you train that hard - you run the event Rain or Shine! It went from misting to raining and early into the run we were both pretty much soaked. Luckily the majority of the race was under tree covering. The green way portion was awful though - just steadily raining with no cover.


I started out planning to attempt to keep up with my sister for as long as possible and I am not sure at this point whether that was a mistake or not. Around mile 9 my legs were heavy and I am not sure why. I had just run 16 the weekend prior so why would my legs be heavy that early into the run? My only guess is because I was trying to keep up with "speedy" as I will affectionately refer to my beloved sister as. I was determined that if I ignored said heaviness than I would "mind over matter" the pain and finish strong with her by my side.


Well....that's what I get for thinking because at mile 13 I thought to myself - there is no way I can keep this pace and finish and I decided it best to tell her so. It was my way of saying to myself: "it's ok to go my own pace as well as telling her it was okay for her to go hers". End result = speedy left me in the dust.


For some reason in trail runs there are vast separations between runners - I really can't explain why. It isn't like your typical 5K, 10 K or any major race really when you can see others behind, in front of and beside you. I couldn't see ANYONE - in front of, behind, etc. Because you are on a trail in the woods there aren't even any spectators or scenery for that matter - just dirt (or in this case - mud), rocks, and trees. I guess my point for telling you all that is to share the fact that it was extremely mentally challenging. I had lots of time to think about things like:

• "man, I have got some speed work to do if I am going to keep up with her next month during the marathon"

• "why is she so fast anyways?"

• "is this really happening - I would be at the half-way point if this were the marathon. Translation - I would be running half of the marathon all by my lonesome. BOOOOO!"

• "Is that a rock in my shoe.....why yes, I believe it is....that hurts"

• "I feel a blister"

• "Man my quads are tight"

• "where is that next water stop anyhow"

• "Is my IPOD on repeat because I swear I just heard "All the single ladies" two seconds ago"

• "is it almost over"

You can see how positive being alone was for me right? Oh my goodness! Anyhow, I finished without walking (amazingly enough) and was super excited to see the finish line and Speedy believe it or not.

Our times:
Finisher # 207 out of 391
Vaughan, Catina aka "Speedy"
Race Time: 02:46:25
Pace/Mile: 08:56

Finisher # 242 out of 391
Taylor, Lindsy
Race Time: 02:52:47
Pace/Mile: 09:17

Not too shabby, huh? I was really hard on myself (as usual) afterwards, but ultimately I know it was an amazing accomplishment and in hind sight I am thrilled that I finished even if I couldn't keep up with Speedy. I have committed to stronger training - not only running but eating well and getting in my needed sleep/rest. I can't believe the marathon is in four weeks - CRAZY!

I wish I had pictures of the marathon but our hubbys stayed at home with the kiddos because of the rain and although super sister Melissa came to cheer us on she came sans camera. =(

I do have a cutie picture of Kennedy with her cousins:

Oh...and just for laughs I would like to take this opportunity to share a parenting experience with you. Kennedy behaved so well during the car ride that I told her when we stopped to pee pee, she could have a sucker. The problem with this promise is that apparently the WV welcome center/travel plaza only sells suckers made by the Amish??? Who knew. Please observe said suckers:

Can you say, holy sucker? HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perspective

My 16 mile training run was on Saturday. It was a gorgeous morning and I was feeling excited (though a little nervous) about reaching yet another long run milestone in my training. Courtney (being the ever-stellar running partner that she is) met me at 6:30 and we ran with the group we have been joining on weekend long runs the past few times. You can't go wrong with a group that meets rain or shine, has lots of dynamic running personalities/speeds/styles, sets out water at various mileages, AND (saved the best for last) has chocolate chip whole grain muffins and chocolate milk waiting at the finish. Yummy!

When I arrived there was a larger than normal group and, like I said - the weather was perfecto. We all got ready and took off down the road and it was so dark still that we could barely see in front of us. I mean seriously - I was trying to differentiate spots on the asphalt from road kill. Crazy! I thought to myself: "it is a special group that can share this camaraderie ~ up before everyone else and out doing what we like to do - putting one foot in front of the other" - I dunno, it's just a really cool thing and I love it! I love early morning runs too - not because I like to get up early but because it just seems to make the run feel better and go quicker which in the event of a 16 mile run is not such a bad thing, you know?

Unfortunately Courtney got to feeling sick and some of her co-workers had some GI bug the week prior so she decided to cut the run short (smart girl - there are no potty's on our route). I was a little worried when she left because we run a bit of a slower pace than the other runners out there and I was kind of thinking "oh my word, now I am going to seriously have to pick up my pace and of all runs!" Thankfully I joined up with some other runners and the run went better than I expected. I have no complaints really and actually I gained some pretty sweet perspective.

Your body and mind do some crazy things when you are up in running mileage and when you find yourself alone it can get pretty intense. Around mile 14 I separated from who I had been running with and I ran for a little bit before turning on my IPOD to rock me into the finish. So...I had some thinking time. My feet hurt, my hamstrings were tight and I kept thinking - man, it would feel good to walk right now. I reminded myself in that moment why I was doing this. Am I doing this to reach a personal goal - of course I am. I am a sucker for endurance events. I love a challenge and even more I love the feeling you get when you reach a goal that you worked really hard for. So...obviously that is one of the reasons I am training for this event. The other reason and the more gratifying reason is the fact that I am running for St. Judes patients who happen to be children. For some reason I felt like I was thinking/feeling on a greater level while I was out there running. I just thought to myself - my little girl is so healthy, she is such a blessing and there are parents out there who just simply don't have that luxury. For some reason they were given children who are ill and therefore they go from Dr. to Dr., some of them have spent their life earnings and savings on health care, they feel helpless and sometimes hopeless, they exhaust their resources and sometimes that isn't enough. Then....comes St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. They give families like this one a new start - a new beginning. Helen is the same age as my precious Kennedy and they have basically lived their lives with her in a hospital since she was 8 months old. I just can't imagine. It makes me run harder, faster and makes my steps more determined. If those families can go through that - if those kids can persevere, than so can I! I am so happy that I can fund raise for a place that is doing such amazing and proactive things in medicine. If you have some wiggle room in your charitable giving this month, please consider supporting me and donating to St. Judes.

This coming weekend I get to run with my sister that is running the marathon with me. We are registered for a 30 K trail run in Winston Salem and Tim, Kennedy and I are leaving on Thursday to go and get some family time in as an extra bonus. I hope after this past weekends run I am ready but more than anything I am just looking forward to seeing my sisters and Kennedy seeing my neices. There is nothing better than hearing a bunch of girls scream "COUSINS" at the top of their lungs. Soooooo looking forward to it.

2 Years

My baby's second birthday party was on Saturday. I CANNOT believe she is two. I know I probably said that on her actual birthday post, but I can still remember this moment:

The moment I saw her.....this beautiful little creature Tim and I together had created - Wow!

This picture is still one of my favorites and I think it's because it just seems as though she is saying "hello world, here I am now let me see what is all around me".

Then, we left the hospital and the Taylor house has never been the same since. It just doesn't seem like that was two years ago. Time flies!

We had a turtle themed birthday party because the child loves turtles. We had lots of friends over and just had a good time talking, eating, playing and opening presents. I am proud to say that as nervous as I was about making her birthday cake I am super thrilled with how it turned out.

Behold, the "smash cake" or # 2 as we were affectionately calling him

And the actual party cake aka "Herman" (not sure why).

The reason smash cakes are called smash cakes. Go birthday girl! Go!

The birthday present from Honey last year has obviously not lost it's popularity with the kiddos. What kid doesn't love a bubble maker? Honestly!

Kennedy got so many wonderful presents but this one probably stole the show thanks to Nana and Pawpaw. She loves her little tricycle. I am not sure if it's because she likes riding it or just loves donning her princess protective paraphernalia. Either way it's too cute for words.

We had a lot of very dear people here to celebrate with us and I wouldn't have it any other way for Kennedy. We are so thankful for our friends and family. I feel certain that if her descriptive vocabulary were more mature she would tell you it was a wonderfully magical 2nd birthday party. Thank you to all who helped us make it that way!

People in attendance (for memory's sake): Aunt Neenie, Chelsea, Courtney, Nana & Pawpaw, McCaws, Mastins, Banks, Stouts, and of course Mommy and Daddy.

14, 2, and baby

This past weekend was our 14 mile training run. Yep - I said 14. I was actually kind of nervous about it which is odd because training runs don't usually evoke any type of nervous reaction from me. Well...this one did. I guess the nerves developed because I realized this past week that I have done multiple half marathons at this point and a ton of long runs to train for those but I haven't ran anything over 13 miles since I trained for my first full marathon - FIVE YEARS AGO. So...bright and early we met the little running group we have started to join on our long training runs. It was pretty uneventful really. We both had a good run and the weather was really beautiful. I had some "gunk" leftover from being sick and at one point Court and I started hyperventilating (literally) because I shared the details of Hamptons passing with her and we had to stop and walk. It wasn't funny then.....but it's kinda funny now just because not everyone loves pets like I do - but she does! When I got back in my car after we had stretched and re-hashed the run details (as is customary for most runners) I realized "oh my gosh we basically just did a half....and some extra". Ha! Love it! Anyhow...Janine is in town this weekend (yipee) and plans to run with us and I think we are shooting for 9 which will be nice. Next weekend is 16 and my 30K in Winston Salem is the following weekend. Moving right along, right? It seems to be flying by.

My baby turned two today at exactly 11:36 AM. I CANNOT believe it. Where did the time go? It seems like I just had her and was walking the streets with her fussy, spitting up, fussy, cranky, crying, did I say fussy? behind in my "magic sling" (as I lovingly referred to it as) and now she is saying things like "my belly - don't touch!" or "don't hit Mommy....and don't pull hair". Oh my goodness. It's crazy. We didn't really do much special birthday stuff today although my friend Erica came by with her little girl Evie and we had a play date which Kennedy is always game for. The big celebration will come this weekend at her turtle themed birthday party.

Things that my little two year old loves: Animals! Shocking, I know.

This is Kennedy with a little cat named Archie that is staying at the clinic right now

Watching her princess movies: Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast...all of them really though currently she is most partial to Sleeping Beauty.

Going to the park.

Playing with friends (thats Erica's little girl Evie).

Feeding the ducks (even big white ones who bite you when they take bread=)

And as of last night....sleeping in her "big girl bed".

Anyhow....can't believe she is growing up so fast. I know you other Mommy's out there hear me. Happy Birthday Kennedy Clare!

Billie's baby shower was on Sunday. Lots of planning and envisioning has now come to a close. Everything at Abby's looked precious. My heavenly days the girl rearranged her furniture for this thing y'all. What a hostess! The food was delicioso compliments of Tinkers Cake Shop and Gourmet Goodies not to mention the faboo hummus from Kroger Marketplace and some fabulous vegetable and fruit chopping by Abby herself. I made some super sweet and yummy punch and all in all we had a really nice spread. Billie got some things off of her registry and some neat things that weren't on her registry but all great things to prepare her for the exciting journey that lies ahead. Eli will be here before we know it. I don't have shower pictures yet but I am sure Abby will post some soon.

Thats all for now....

Prima, Prima

BALLERINA!

Tonight was Kennedy's first dance class at Diana Evans School of Dance in Lexington (my friend Laura takes her daughter Lily there and told me about their classes). Kennedy's class is called Two's in Tututs. Seriously? Yes! So stinkin' cute! She was pretty shy overall but she was super happy to see "friends dancing" and other "yiddle girls" and in the end she was thrilled with the sticker and coloring page she got as a reward for sticking it out during her first lesson. Now.....if we can work on the gawking mothers outside the door causing other children to cry we may have fun with this. Yikes!

Here are some pictures from last night trying on our "piddy dance outfit". Hilarious!

A girl in a tutu has to twirl, you know?

oh..and check out said "piddy dance outfit"

This is the closest thing to "cheese" I could get out of the little munchkin. Not that she is a narcissist or anything but seriously I barely push the camera button and she is spouting off "see de pitures, see de pitures". Will you get a look at those ballet slippers! Too cute for words I tell ya.

He's Gone

This evening around 8:20 PM I said goodbye to my best friend. We have shared so many things. He was there when I had my first serious breakup and broken heart, he was there when I moved to Kentucky and left all I knew behind in South Carolina (except for him thank God!), he was there through tough college times - there to share my joys, there to catch my tears when I was sad, there to spoon when I felt lonely, there for the multiple 10 hour long car drives from Murray to Charleston and back, there when I got my first job, my first apartment on my own, there when I met the man I would marry, there when I bought my first home and there when I brought my first baby home. Wow - the memories. We have played catch countless times, hung out in various yards for hours on end, we have jumped in and out of waves on the coast, we have run countless miles together in numerous towns, and the list goes on. He has befriended everyone he has ever met and he has alwas been fiercely in love with me and protective of me. Sounds like an incredible best friend, huh? He was. He was also the best dog I am sure I will ever know or have. There will never be another Hampton. I will miss him so dearly but I take comfort in knowing that I finally knew today - it was time.

The exciting news is.....

I will be running my marathon for St. Jude patients nationwide. I am so thrilled to be fundraising for St. Jude words can't even describe. I have always admired what they do and I am just tickled to get to be a part of such an awesome thing. Catina and I will both be trying to reach a goal of $1,000.00 for St. Jude prior to our race on October 25th. So...if you have some extra change and you want to help out an AMAZING cause - click here.

As for other life news - we are still working diligently to finish our house. I have begun and hope to finish the guest bedroom today and next up - the final room - the bonus room! Praise Jesus! I am so ready for home improvement to be over I can hardly stand it. The house is taking shape though - it will be really cute. We have been so busy turning it into what we want it to be I have hardly stopped to enjoy what it already is - one story (so nice with Kennedy), brick (it is super quiet - so much better than our other house where we could hear conversations outside), convenient to ......well....everything really, and last but not least - more affordable which we hope will allow us to use our money more efficiently. We are really praying that the Lord will bless this move and that we will use any excess money how he wants us to use it. There are lots of things we have discussed using any excess for but we'll see where the Lord leads us.

Hampton is hanging in there. The poor thing developed a nose bleed on Friday that hasn't really stopped. Because of all of our fresh paint and trim work we had no choice but to take him to the clinic on Saturday. There is alot I can handle but blood all over what we have been working so hard at is not one of those things. Yesterday it became clear to me that his days are numbered. I plan to bring him home tomorrow with a special collar that will help us keep our home clean but provide a comfortable resting place for him until it's "time". I hope that the nose bleed will somehow miraculously stop and we will have him a little longer but it isn't looking favorable right now. Please keep us in your prayers. I never dreamed making this "when" decision would be so hard. I watch people do it in my line of business every day sadly. It is so clear to me when it's "time" for other pets but when it's your own it is such a weighty decision - one that I cannot describe. It will be unbelievable emotional and gut wrenching for me but I know he has had an incredible life and that he will be free of pain and most importantly the cancer that is ravaging his body when he is gone. I just want to know when and feel at peace about that decision. Again - please just pray for us.

Well...I have some precious pictures of Kennedy with her Aunt Neenie and Uncle Joshie who were here with us this past weekend. I would love to post them now but unfortunately duty calls - it's time for second coats of paint. I will save them for next time. Having them here was wonderful but sad all the same. Saying goodbye was really difficult but I am looking forward to seeing Janine again @ Kennedy's upcoming second birthday party. Oh - did I mention that? I am planning a bday party amidst all this mess! Sheesh!

More soon.....