Day 22 of 40 - Awesome Weekend!!

Everything about the weekend was awesome! We had perfect weather, the race was a blast, we did a bunch of family stuff and I had a fantastic Mother's Day with my girls! I love weekends like that! My only complaint is that it went far too fast!

Emmy Lou and Abbycakes didn't have school on Friday, but the other two did. So, The Hubby and the girls spent the day running errands and playing at the park before collecting the other two after school.

I told The Hubby that Friday was my day to make dinner, so I started that as soon as I got home. We tried a couple new recipes and they both will be added to the THM KEEPERS board on Pinterest for sure! I made homemade Baked Coconut Shrimp, cheeseburger sliders (for the kiddos) and Extra Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries.

I did make a couple of tweaks to each recipe to make them THM-friendly. For the shrimp I used our homemade sourdough breadcrumbs. I also added a tablespoon of Xylitol to sweeten them up a bit, A 21-Day fix recipe called for honey which is where I got the idea to add a little sweet to it.

For the sweet potato fries, I actually changed it up quite a bit, but I got the basic idea from that recipe. I ended up using fine ground Almond Flour and seasoned with garlic powder, garlic salt, pepper, and chili powder. I wish I could have left them in the oven after I turned off the heat for longer, but everything else was ready and the masses were hovering due to imminent starvation!

Cheeseburger Sliders are always a big hit with the kids, but we also have a couple who love sweet potato fries, so it was one of those dinners that everyone loved something that was served. Winner winner chicken dinner right there!

Saturday morning started bright and early. We got to the city park where the event was held, registered the kids for the youth race and then grabbed my race packet. From there the day flew by!

We had four successful racers in the Little Moose Run.

The little ones ran in the first wave (one lap around the block). This was Jack Jack and Abbycakes's first bibbed race! (Well, Abbycakes has worn mine in a couple of 5Ks, but this was HER bib.)

Once the little ones returned, the big ones took off for two laps around the block. 

Then it was time for us to line up for the 5K/10K start. Oh the butterflies!! Here's the official pre-race photo. Forgive my goofy looking head. I had a headband and my sunglasses on my head and it looks weird!

So, first race back. Not just that, but it was the longest I've run in years. How did it go? Well... not too bad. Not awesome, but not horrible either. The short story would be that I came in under the time I was hoping to beat, so I'll consider that a major success!

The longer story... The first few miles actually felt really good. I stayed with my running buddy for most of it, but she was struggling with some pain and decided to slow her pace and focus on finishing. I ran back to her before the four mile mark to check in and make sure she didn't need me to stick with her. You just never know what an injury will do while you're running and I was worried about her having issues of it locking up or giving out on her on the secluded trail between water stations. 

She assured me that she was good, but needed to slow her pace and would keep me in her sights and finish. Then she shooed me away telling me to go ahead and see what I could do on my own. It was hard to leave her side. I was torn, but she promised me she was good and I trusted her, so I set off to see how I could do and where I could set my pace on my own.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long after leaving her that my side pain decided to announce itself. I don't know why it suddenly started showing up in my last few runs, but I'm not very pleased about it. I know the first run I battled it I had eaten beforehand. This time I had eaten a banana, but that was two hours before race time. The air quality was poor due to the raging wild fires in Canada and the wind pushing the smoke down into our neck of the woods. I can't say for sure why it's been an issue lately, but I'm hoping I can find a happy spot again without it.

Needless to say that the final couple of miles were a struggle to keep my pace. Even still, my last mile was my best mile because I refused to let the pain slow me down knowing I was nearing the end. My knees were also a little less than satisfied mid-race, but I got over it. I also found and lost my stride a few times during the race, so I just struggled to find consistency. Overall... I'm happy with how I did. I FINISHED!!!

I started one app right at the start line and it had me hitting 6.1 miles at 1:16, but since I added a little extra jaunt in there and I think the race was slightly farther than 6.1 my official chip time was 1:19:54. I got in under that hour and 20 minutes by six seconds, but it's under!

It felt great to be back on the race course and feel the buzz of energy from the other runners. I love out and back runs when you get to pass the other runners as they are coming back at you. The running world is one of the most supportive communities I think I've ever participated in as far as a sport. Everyone cheers everyone on! It's a pretty awesome feeling.

After the race we went to meet up with Andy's family at his grandmas house. They all ran a different race and were having lunch there. We caught the tail end of lunch and then headed out to his aunt and uncle's farm to see the baby cows and horses. 

Those darn cows were hilarious! The kids would all moo together and the cows would moo back. Finally a big black cow told them off. She must have carried on for a good 90 seconds of answering them and then mooing over and over. I think she was telling them to be quiet and go away! It was fun!

The kids all even got a check to ride The Hubby's cousin's wife's horse! Oh happy kiddos! Meanwhile, The Hubby found a friend...

He walked around with that horse for a good half an hour! Wherever he went, the horse followed. He is a rescue horse, so he was easily spooked, but for some reason he really liked The Hubby. Once his sister and I started laughing at him for looking so sad off all by himself, he put the horse away and joined us, but they were a good source of entertainment. It's always fun out at the farm!

By the time we headed home that evening, I was wiped out and so sore from being on my feet with no break after the race. The kids were all thoroughly worn out as well! Two went back to their mom's and the other two were out cold in less than 10 minutes!

I love weekends like that! Good fun, good people, good weather... PERFECT!

Sunday was Mother's Day and it was another great day with my girls! We went to church with Nana and then took her out for brunch. After that the girls and I headed out for some retail therapy. I needed more running pants, they needed summer clothes and both needed some items for the upcoming softball season. We may have even caved and enjoyed an ice cream cone along the way!

It really was a great day! We wound up snuggling together with a movie to end our day. Plus, the girls loaded me up with handmade cards and crafts for my big day too. Emmy Lou says Abbycakes now knows how to spell Happy Mother's Day and I love you Mommy since she told her how to 100 times!

So, that was my weekend. Not awesome food-wise as I indulged a bit. Nothing overly horrible and I'm back on track 100% today. I hope the other wonderful moms in my life had a great day and I hope those who struggled with the day because of their own baby hopes or missing their moms were able to find a way to enjoy the day somehow. Hugs to all who were heartbroken yesterday!

Today I plan to run to karate after work (after working my final week of mandatory overtime), do our adult karate class and chill out tonight! I'm still working on a weekly menu, so I'll post that tomorrow. I think I've rambled enough!

Happy Monday Everyone!!