This week was so exciting for me – it was race week! I was a bit nervous after being out of town, out of sync with my schedule and starting out a week behind my race training, but it turned out great 🙂

Running-I continued to run my 3.1 miles the past week or so and did great with it. I took a day off of running, per my training routine, to rest up for today’s race. I’m so glad I did! Nora and I ran the Jared Coones Pumpkin Run this morning and ran the WHOLE thing with out stopping….it was a chilly 49 degrees out this morning and Miss Nora was NOT having it. She screamed and cried for about half of the race, which was a tad embarrassing, but I was determined to not stop. After bundling her up from head to toe, we were off and running. It was a bit harder to navigate though the crowds of other runners/walkers with my big stroller. I averaged about 9:30 minute miles for the first two miles, but then my poor child started crying (I mean, uncontrollably at times) so I had to slow down multiple times to console and distract her. Nevertheless, we finished across the line with out stopping, at 35:41. I was secretly hoping to make it at around 30 minutes, but by the time we were done, I was just happy to have crossed in one piece. I will say, that I will definitely NOT be running the 5K next month with Nora in tow. It just isn’t happening. But I am so glad that I am able to say that I ran my first race with my little gal at my side. One of the funniest things about today happened at the end of the race: I had 3 separate people yell out, “Go Lauren Janzen!!” It’s funny how some people will always call you by your maiden name because that’s how they always remember you….OR because no one ever knows how to say our last name, haha!!

Water- I chugged it this week. I felt a cold coming on at the beginning of the week (and now it’s here, boo!) so water was plentiful and flowing.

Eating- I did great again with my portions this week, even when we went back home for all of the Bonfire Weekend festivities (another post on that later!). It’s always hard when we are back home to not eat second and third helpings of my mother in law’s cooking-she’s the BEST cook ever!

Weight- I stayed at 129lbs again this week. Not sure if it was because Mother Nature Dearest visited last week. I felt bloated and gross all last week with her around, but much better and back to myself this week.

Recipes-Sad to say, no new recipes this week. Being out of town for 4 days kind of threw a kink in my cooking, so I stuck with some Eberspacher household favorites: chicken and rice, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and Eric made spaghetti one night. Fail on my part this week. Guaranteeing my cooking will be better this next week!

Thanks again for all of the sweet comments and posts that have been so encouraging along the way as I have started this new journey. I’m hoping to continue these healthy changes in my life and intermittently share about them along the way. Looking forward to my next race on November 2nd, the Cranio Cuite Crawl, to benefit a lifelong friend of mine to help raise awareness and money for her sweet daughter’s medical expenses.