A Perfect Mother's Day

Yesterday truly was a perfect Mother's Day.  :)

Mother's Day 5k Race Report:
The Mother's Day 5k wasn't scheduled to start until 9AM, but we wanted to give the boys a chance to play at the park before the race,  so we got there a little before 8.  Like I  mentioned before, the race was held at City Park.  It is a beautiful place with lakes, huge trees, and an awesome playground.   The weather was absolutely beautiful and there wasn't any wind to be felt!

When we got to the venue, I picked up my timing chip and bib, and started walking around the little booths.  I was so excited when I saw the "Run Like a Mother" booth.  I'm sure most of you know about the book already, but if not, you can check it out here.  Dimity's sister was running the booth and she was selling t-shirts.  So, look what I picked up:

I got a sticker for my training book, and a very cute, soft, and comfy shirt! :)

Anyways, back to the 5k.  As we were getting ready to go to the park I asked my husband if he wanted to run the race with the boys.  I like when they cheer me on at races, but I also know that this would have been a fun race for him too.  He was wearing his running stuff and we had the jogger, so at the last minute he decided to run too!  I took the boys to the park while he registered and they had a blast playing on all of the fun equipment.

Around 8:45 we headed to the start area.  No one was lining up yet, and it was a little strange.  Now, this was an inaugural event, so they were kind of scrambling to get things set for the beginning of the race.  But, we decided to line up even though no one else was.  As we lined up the announcer grabbed the microphone and told people to start heading to the starting line.  All at once, hundreds of people started making their way over.  It was kind of chaotic, but it all worked out.  The great thing about this event was that it brought out tons of people and families.  Everywhere I looked there were mothers having their picture taken with their kids.  It was awesome, and it made for a very relaxed and happy racing atmosphere.

Finally, it was time to start.  The gun went off and adrenaline took over and I just ran as hard as I could.  Within the first mile I felt the effects of my hour long run yesterday.  I know it probably wasn't the best idea to run an hour the day before a race I'm trying to PR, but whatever.  Through the entire race this other girl and I were pretty much running together.  Sometimes she would pull ahead, sometimes I would pull ahead, but it was great to have her push me.  By mile 2 my mouth was so dry I couldn't even swallow.  I could have stopped for some water, but I didn't want to take the time.  Plus, it was only 3.1 miles so I knew I'd be fine.  Finally, I had the finish line in my sights.  The girl and I took off in a sprint and she ended up beating me by 2 seconds.  It was an awesome race, but I was so happy to be done!
Here are my stats:
Time:  22:39 (7:18pace)  A NEW PR!  WOOHOO! :)
Sex Place: 9/376  (Top 10...another WOOHOO!)
Overall Place: 37/542

And, my husband did it in 26:56...with the jogger!  Hooray for him!

 Pre-race Mother's Day picture :)

Mother's Day:

After the race we headed out for our annual tradition of getting flowers and veggies for our garden.  The weather had warmed up quite a bit and it was the most beautiful day!  After working hard for the rest of the afternoon, here is what our front porch looks like:

Yes, I know there are a lot of planters, but what can I say, I love flowers!)

Part of our vegetable garden.  Tomatoes on top, herbs in the middle, carrots on the bottom.  The stepping stones are another Mother's Day tradition.  Each year I have the boys make their hand prints in the stones, then I use them in our garden.  I love them and they always make me smile every time I see (step on) them. :)

All in all, it was just a perfect day.  I got to spend Mother's Day with my family and I couldn't have felt more blessed.  I am so lucky to have two wonderful, healthy boys.  As cliche as this might sound, they really do make my life complete and I can't imagine my life without them.

I hope all the mothers out there also had a wonderful  Mother's Day!  :)