She Runs By Faith

Disclaimer: I received Turtle Flip Watch Out Mittens in exchange for my review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador) and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews! Let's be honest. This winter has really been dragging on! I am currently training for the Fargo Marathon coming up in May and have had a more solid mileage base and logged more miles than I ever have before in marathon training. With a nice balance of strength + pilates work mixed in, I have actually really enjoyed the higher mileage!  With all of the winter miles, there have been plenty of stinking cold, blizzard-y runs taking place. Plus, this winter has had WAY more winter storms than our usual! But you have to make the best of the weather you're given - and that means dressing appropriately and getting outside whenever I have the chance.  I received some pretty sweet mail from Turtle Gloves on Valentine's Day: the TURTLe-FLIP Watch Out ...

Training for the Fargo Marathon, on May 21st, started last week! That has looked mostly like treadmill runs during the week with a couple outdoor runs over the weekend.  Eventually, I hope to be outside for everything but the crazy cold, icy-packed streets and dark just aren't working for me right now. Soon, though! If you are unfamiliar with the Fargo Marathon, definitely check out some of my past race reviews ( 2014 , 2016 , 2019 , 2021 ) and more on BibRave.com . The course is flat, fast and has plenty of spectators (and music) to distract you from the personal pain cave that you may be running through as you push to a new PR.  Use the code " BIBRAVECOOL6 " to get a free Backpack Cooler when you register for Fargo - I hope to see you there!  Besides the mostly treadmill-based training lately, the build up to this training cycle has been the most consistent mileage that I have ever had! My mileage isn't huge but the base miles have been 30+ for the past 8 weeks ...

Let me start off this review with an Instagram post I shared at the beginning of Term 2. This is a peek at what our neat little homeschool family "should" look like, with the perfect social media lenses on (actually, it's even a bit messy per those standards here!): And here's what it usually looks like, in real life! Learning is messy and there are too many busy young men in this house to pull off the neat "farmhouse chic" vibes. So to keep it real, most days, this is us:   Homeschooling itself went very well and we are all thriving in A Gentle Feast's Cycle 3: Reforms, Revolutions, and Reconstruction . Here is a quick rundown of what is working for us: Cycle 3 Curriculum Cycle 3 Morning Time Songschool Spanish E/3rd Grade: AGF Lower Elementary Language Arts (Print Font), Singapore Math 2B W/Kindergarten: Phonics Museum (that I found on eBay), Singapore Math 1A C/Pre-K: Preschool Workbook that I bought online (on Christian Books, I think)...

I haven't been as consistent in the She Runs By Faith blogosphere as I would like to be but I will be back to regular writing in 2022! I'm jumping back on to team BibRave where I will be writing race and running gear reviews. I worked with them in 2017, 2018 and part of 2019 and can't wait to join up with the team again. First on the list? Fargo Marathon! I have some big goals in mind for the coming year and look forward to sharing the journey with you here :) Want to checkout all the latest BibRave Race Reviews? View my BibRave profile and search your favorite races from there. My BibRave race singlet and hat showed up in the mail this week and I'm ready to get back into training & racing - more to come soon!

 After a marathon, you never have to tell me twice to "take time off" from running. I'm more than happy to take a break - two weeks is the goal. My current post-marathon cross training is catching up in my insane tornado of a house! The kids and I were gone for nearly a week, came back Sunday, dumped everything here after church and now it's like a pit. No running. Just right back into the school week and then power cleaning on the side. And writing a race report, of course!  ... On Saturday, I had the privilege of running the Blue Ox Marathon for a fourth year - not consecutive - but my fourth year on the full marathon course. It's actually pretty comical. I am at this race every 2-3 years or so and have had a baby boy in between each Blue Ox race...  2013: 7 month old E 2016: 3 year old E + 1 year old W 2019: 6 year old E + 4 year old W + almost 2 year old C 2021: 8 year old E + 6 year old W + almost 4 year old C + 1 year old S Thank you, Jesus, that our family ...

Fargo was my last 13.1 for 2021! I'm making it my goal to write up a race report BEFORE moving on to the next race. Considering the 26.2 is coming up (tomorrow), I better get these race-report-writing fingers in gear. The kids and I took off without Leo to make it to the race expo before the 5k started. The expo seemed so normal! It felt great to be back in the hustle and bustle of the race environment. Even with a "smaller" event this year, Fargo is still a big race for our area. I didn't lose track of the kids and I did pick up my race number - that was a successful trip for me. Afterwards, we found the campground, checked in and Leo drove in with the camper just in time. He set up, we hit the playground and ended the night with a campfire. No s'mores this trip but Oreos did suffice. The Lindenwood Campground was only 5 miles from the race start/finish, which was great, though the interstate was pretty loud all night long. Camping was still a fun adventure for u...

Running has been an adventure this year. That's for sure! And, really, a lot of fun. We're celebrating Baby S' FIRST Birthday this Saturday! It's insane... where did the past year go?! Getting to know this little man and now seeing his toddler antics come out is really a lot of fun. He only stops moving when he's sleeping and enjoys ninja kicking/punching people and random things around the house. Any chance that having three older brothers influenced his behavior? As far as running goes, my body usually takes that first year postpartum to get back to where I left off in the last season - before the pregnancy. If that makes sense. The goal over this past year and running season has been to gradually build mileage, to continue strength training and to not get injured (like after baby #3!). Praise Jesus, I have been more physically "sound" this running season than ever before! Definitely more sleep deprived, definitely more stressed (aren't we all?...