Saturday I ran the Spring Lake 5, which I have run every year for the past few.  It’s a tradition for me, and signifies the beginning of the summer.  It’s always on the Saturday before Memorial Day, and it’s the largest 5 mile race in the country.  This year the entries sold out in 9 hours 9 minutes, and capped at 12,500 runners!  You can imagine it’s a bit crowded, but I really do love the race.  The course is flat and starts and ends next to the beach.  The entire course is lined with people cheering, firetrucks hosing the runners down, local radio stations blasting music, musicians playing drums, one family blasts the Rocky theme from their front lawn, and the race ends with a sub sandwich from Jersey Mike’s, which by itself is worth the run.  I just love the atmosphere and it really has just become a tradition.  Some years I do it alone, some years friends join me.  This year was the first year that Harry’s Heroes was in existence, so my good friends Kristen and Liz ran with me and we all wore our gear.  It was great to be out as a force!

So I completely overdressed and nearly over heated.  This is always my problem running.  I HATE to be cold, so I over dress then over heat.  1 mile in and I contemplated taking all of my clothes off.  Either way, I ran my little heart out and maintained a 9:27 pace and finished at 47:11!  Last year my pace was 11:40 and I finished at 58:16, and the year before that was something like 12:30.  Crazy the progress that has been made!  You can do anything you put your mind to.

So we are well in to house stuff and I’m loving it.  The kitchen is nearly done.  I’m sitting at my amazing new island right now typing this and I couldn’t be happier.  The new dishwasher comes on Thursday, as does my new patio set (my treat to myself).  Josh is busy working on the shed I bought for him for Father’s Day.  All of these things are courtesy of much saving and crazy deals we’ve been looking for.  My husband is some what of a crazy coupon guy, but in internet deals.  Our house, 5 years later, is finally beginning to feel like our home.  Harry is absolutely loving the “new” backyard.  I started a garden and he loves to help me water it and check for new growth.  We planted rose bushes that my mom got me for mother’s day, and he counts the flowers with me.  Today he got to stomp around and dance on the cement pillars for the shed and the pile of dirt unearthed for said pillars.  Our neighbors commented on how strong Harry is getting, and I took a step back and watched him plow around the yard.  Yes, he was holding Dad’s hand, but he wasn’t using it for much support.  He also cruised around our small patio with no help at all.  I joked to Josh that he should start the patio, and he laughed, but I was actually serious!  It would make an easy place for Harry to walk around on!

Memorial day was just what I wanted – a beautiful morning at the beach with the family, then relaxation the rest of the day at home.  The beach wasn’t crowded (the one I go to never really is), and we were able to have lunch then head home and enjoy the rest of the day.  I’m a morning beach person, for sure.  Harry just loves the beach, and it makes me so happy.  I had told him Sunday night that we were going to the beach in the morning and he began to cry because he wanted to go right then!  I told him I felt the same exact way.  Maybe one day we will be lucky enough to own a beach home!  Until then, trips there will have to do.