Laura Here

I'm so excited for everyone! Sounds like week one was a great finish for all of us! I ran my 4 miles at the park today. It was cold, but felt good to get that accomplished. Thanks for the tip about the incline on the treadmill, Nora. I went to Champs and got some gel insoles for my shoes that feel really good. They are $20 and worth every penny, I thought.

Just wanted to mention a few things that I you may know, but thought I'd share anyway. When you start running the longer distances, clothing choice becomes important because even lose comfortable shorts and shirts will rub your skin off after running many miles. I have a pair of running shorts with underwear built in them that I got a long time ago for long distances - just something to think about!

Also, I hope everyone knows how important it is to stay hydrated and breath in through your nose and out your mouth. Deep, relaxed breathing is key for those long distances! Just remember, if we do the training our bodies WILL be able to do the 13 miles - it's our minds that can ause the problems! So, I'm thinking of how I can dedicate this race to someone/something important to keep my mind off ME and on something else. Here's my thought. I'm going to dedicate this half-marathon to my four grandparents. Between the four of them, they've raised 14 kids and have how many grandchildren/great grandchildren? They've had hard, yet rewarding lives and are such wonderful role models. Who knows how much longer they'll be on this side of heaven and I want them to know how much they mean to me. So...I'm going to dedicate 3 miles to each one of them, with the first mile being dedicated to God, who gives us all our blessings. I thought I'd write a letter to each one and explain why I'm doing this and what it means. Then, when I'm running the miles, I can reflect on each of them and pray for them and my hope is that it will be a special thing for them and for me. I know it might sound corny, but I want to make this special.

Anyway, that's my idea. Are any of you dedicating this race to anyone/anything special? It's fun to think about!

Sarah - I can pay you our share of the furniture after February 8th when Justin gets his bonus. I'm not going to London. I sat down and figured out where we are financially and it's just not worth it to me to go more into debt for 3 days when Justin isn't even sure how much time he'd have available to spend with me. So, I'll just hang out here with the girls. I'm hoping for warmer weather, soon. I think we're all getting a little stir crazy.

I'm glad you are feeling better, Mom. Anna is doing better, but still very sick. Audrey started coughing and sneezing, so hopefully she doesn't come down with the same thing...I know it's miserable.

I'll have to talk to Justin about the movie this Thursday. That's the night before he leaves (I didn't realize that before), so I'm not sure what he'll want to do. We might just watch it at a theater over this way. We'll figure it out and let you know.

I just finished the final LOTR book - I've been addicted since getting them a week ago! WOW! I can't believe I never read them before. Now I'm going to watch the movies! Thanks for lending them to me, Sarah! Justin might take The Hobbit on his trip. He's never read them either.

Lots of love!
L.