Thursday, June 28, 2012

Happy Birthday!

Just wanted to say Happy Birthday one more time to my dear hubby who celebrated number 29 yesterday! Hope you had an amazing one! :)




Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Seattle Rock & Roll Half Marathon

Its been a few days since I crossed the finish line of my first half marathon and I can't stop thinking about it. I must still be on a runner's high. I picked up my number and swag bag on Thursday and started to feel really nervous. Its funny how something as simple as a flimsy piece of paper and a set of safety pins can set off such a roller coaster of emotions...I know that sounds silly but this half marathon was something I needed to finish and as a first born and a perfectionist, I needed to finish it with flying colors!

I started the week with a cold and was stuck on the couch on Monday and Tuesday night but that was exactly what I needed to prepare for the 13.1 miles I would be running on Saturday, both physically and mentally. My body rested but it also gave me a chance to come to peace with just finishing, as long as it was under the 4 hour time limit. I decided to give myself a break and just enjoy race day with no pressure. I went on a couple short runs on Wednesday and Thursday and rested on Friday (well, as much as you can rest when you are super excited!). Speaking of Friday......it rained.......ALL DAY....and we had record rainfall. Thankfully, Saturday morning was perfect!

Race day was crazy...from the 6:00am, mile and a half walk to the city center (think Space Needle!) to the estimated 22,000 runners, the bands playing every mile or so, the groups of cheerleaders and random people encouraging runner's along the way...I was completely out of my element and relished every minute of it. I surprised myself and ran the entire way and I finished with a time of 2:20:40. Even though I went into the race that morning not worrying about time, in the back of my head I knew I would be happy with anything under 2:30. If you would have asked me a couple weeks ago if I wanted to keep up with running after the race, I don't know what I would have said. But after the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment I felt on Saturday after I crossed the finish line...I don't know how I could quit. 

And what is a post without photos! Erik tried to take a photo of me close to the finish line but I sprinted up to him, gave him a big kiss, and then ran to the end! Thankfully, there were professional photographers throughout the entire race.


The starting line...it was a little cold that early in the morning!

Yep, the best action photo of me and my ponytail is sticking straight up! 

Crossing the finish line!!!!!!!!!

After crossing the finish line

 So here's the real question....Who's doing it with me next year?!?!?! :)




Sunday, June 17, 2012

A Wedding Weekend in STL

It took me a whole week to recover from the four day wedding weekend extravaganza in St. Louis but it was absolutely worth it. My friend Tina married a wonderful guy last weekend and I had the honor of being a bridesmaid. It was one of the sweetest, most personalized weddings I have ever attended. From the groom's and groomsmen's ties to the tree stump cake stands, almost everything was handmade by either Tina, her Maid of Honor (Anastasia), or her father. It was fun to see all of their hard work come to life.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a single photo...we were busy from the second my plane touched down in St. Louis so here a few borrowed photos. 

Dan & Tina
One of the many handmade touches...coasters made by the father of the bride
Dan & Tina with cutout Dan & Tina...such a fun couple!

Such a crazy, busy, fun, beautiful weekend...I'm so happy I could be a part of the amazing celebration. Congratulations to such a great couple!



Monday, June 4, 2012

Its a (half) marathon, not a sprint.

So, I've never really been a runner...well, unless you count 7th grade track and field but I had to quit because I couldn't run track AND be on the Science Olympiad team. I know, a little nerdy, but it was fun and if you knew how well I ran at the time, you would have pushed me towards Science Olympiad too. I played a lot of sports growing up, mainly tennis, but none of them required long distance running. Starting around the age of 6 through high school and some college, I spent summers practicing forehands, backhands, and volleys. I spent many summer mornings sprinting to the net and running drill after drill, learning how to react quickly and move fast. I learned how to follow the opponents body language and move towards the ball before it even hit their racket. I was trained that quickness was key and still thought so until recently, when I decided to put on some running shoes.

About a year and a half ago, Erik and I started writing bucket lists or a 'carpe diem' list (a little more positive spin on it!) and one of the first things I wrote down was the I wanted to run a half marathon. My cousin planted the idea of the Rock 'n Roll half marathon in my head around Christmas and I've been slowly training ever since. The training has been much different than the sprints and drills I was used to. When I started running earlier this year, I had to keep telling myself to pace myself and start slow otherwise I would run fast but not very far. When I first started, my mind would even be racing...I would actually try to think of new things to think about so I didn't get bored and quit mid-run. I've learned to slow my pace and my mind and its becoming more of a stress reliever than a chore. I took tonight off and I have to say, I missed it!

The big race is June 23rd and my goal is just to finish the 13.1 miles, cross the finish line and cross the half marathon off my list of goals. I've enjoyed it quite a bit though and I haven't felt this in shape for a long time. Who knows...maybe this will be the first of many. My race results and photos soon to come!