It was March 2012 when I ran my first half-marathon (13.1 miles) and it was so much fun that I knew I wanted to run another half marathon sometime again!  My goal was to run another one the year I turned 40.

After I had Baby Smith #5 in July 2013 I had a tough time getting back into the running routine juggling a baby with 4 older children, nursing, homeschooling, and just keeping up with life.  I felt blah, but my lack of a regular exercise routine definitely contributed to my blah feelings.  I did gradually get back into cardio and strength training which made me feel much better.


Fast forward a few years and the "baby" is now 2 1/2 years old and I just turned 40 back in August 2015.

So....I felt this was the best time to sign up for another half-marathon. In November 2015, I registered for the same race I ran back in 2012, but I had no idea how I was going to train for another half-marathon or how I would have the time to do so!

One of the many reasons I signed up for the race was because I would be on a team raising money for seminarians. There is a group of us from my parish either running the half marathon or the full marathon and we are asking for donations for the young men discerning the priesthood.  If you would like to find out more or donate check out the link. Thank you!

To make a long story short, I ended up winning a free entry to the half-marathon race I registered for and I also got free coaching for 12 weeks to prepare for the upcoming March 20th Marathon/Half-Marathon race!

I was so excited and couldn't believe that I was one of two "Challengers" to be selected for the contest!

The training has been so much fun and I have a great running coach!  I have learned so much and after each workout I feel more and more prepared for the race.

I've been focusing on training and getting plenty of rest (most mornings I wake up at 4:45 AM to get my team training workouts in and other workouts).  This is the main reason I have not been able to stay up late to try to write blog posts so less blogging these days, and a lot more jogging! :) 

As a "Challenger" my training progress is documented with photos and I have to answer a new question each week about some aspect of my training.  These photos and my answers are then posted on social media to share my journey with others.

Here are a few pictures that I have submitted for this Challenge:

It's a not always easy to get up so early in the morning, but I really love being able to get out the door with no interruptions (and I don't have to find shoes and socks for little people  :) ).  It's also a great stress reliever to be in a regular exercise routine to train for a race.  I have so much accountability and many people cheering me on so that has made a definite difference in continuing to work hard for my goals!

Another perk of early morning workouts is being in awe of some beautiful sunrises after my team practice is done.  These are 2 photos I took after one of them.  Perfect reward for completed hard work!

So that has been my half-marathon journey so far without boring you with too many details.  :)

I'm looking forward to the weeks ahead as I continue my journey and I'll be updating my blog when I can.  But, if I'm not here chances are I'm either homeschooling, running or sleeping! (Since the first day of Lent is just around the corner starting on Wednesday, February 10th, I might pop in to post our Lenten traditions or you can check out my Lent posts from previous years on my A Slice of Liturgical Life page)

To see other #WorthRevisit posts during the rest of the week, visit Allison at Reconciled To You and Elizabeth at Theology Is A Verb. So many great posts! 

This post contains affiliate links.

I have posted 7 Quick Takes hosted by Jennifer at Conversion Diary many times before, but last Friday was not one of those times.  One reason I missed last Friday is because life for me is going faster than I can catch up sometimes!  I'm sure many of you can relate...

So here's 7 Quick Takes a few days late as I blog about last week and events coming up this week...

Me with my two older brothers and younger sister at my sister's wedding in Oct. 2012

Photo credit: Google image

What a day....it began when my alarm went off at 4:00 AM as I got out of bed to get geared up for my First Half Marathon!  I have been training since late December for the big race today.  I've run several 5K races in the past (3.1 miles), but I always wanted to run a half marathon (13.1 miles). 

The race began at 6:40 AM this morning and I achieved many personal goals: I ran the race in 2:13 without stopping, I crossed the finish line strong, and I did not have to use one of the port o potty bathrooms during the race!  :)

I had a lot of fun and what a great sense of accomplishment I felt when I crossed the finish line!  Here are some pictures that were taken by my husband as he and my family waited at the finish line for me:

This past weekend I took my son to his Pinewood Derby District Race since he placed first in his local Pack overall and qualified for the District Race.  My husband could not be with us for the races because he was coaching soccer games all morning for our 3 oldest.  My son missed a part of his game to check in at the derby race in time. 

My son's car in on the far left lane getting ready to race in one of the many heats. 

After 4 heats, his car was in the Top 15 and he ended up winning 2nd place against all other WEBELOS II scouts in the District!  He was very excited and happy that he did better than last year's District race!  It was a fun morning watching alot of fast cars!

Here I am with my youngest daughter and son.  Grandpa and Nana came to cheer him on which made the day special. 

Earlier this year, my son participated in his Pack's Pinewood Derby race in Boy Scouts.  If you aren't familiar with the Pinewood Derby race, it's when each boy gets a block of wood and 4 wheels and then they cut the wood (with the help of parents, of course) to make a car and then the cars are raced against one another.   My son enjoys spending time with my hubby to design and make the car and then paint it.  It is a time consuming process and there are a  bunch of rules and regulations, but it has been a fun experience for my son. 

For the second year in a row, my son's car came in first for his Den and first overall for his entire Pack.  Here is my son's car during one of the races.  His is the red one on the far left of the track. 




In the District race, my son's car came in 3rd overall against all the cars in his Den in the county! He was very excited to place in the competitive derby!


Then during the ceremony each boy changed into his tan Boy Scout shirt and crossed over the bridge to a higher rank in Scouts.  Here is my son with his tan shirt walking across the bridge: