Friday, November 30, 2012

My Birthday.

I love my birthday. I don’t usually make big plans for it, but I like the anticipation of it.
I count down from Oct 1. I declare daily to at least one person that it is almost my birthday! (typically only the bf or the parents get this torture)
My birthday is like new years for most people. A new chapter.
This year, I knew my birthday weekend would be LOW KEY. And by low key I mean running a marathon
My birthday week I had a special dinner with the Romleys on Wed. Thursday I went to the race expo with Lindsay then out for dinner. Friday I drove home, saw Eric for an hour before he had to go to work, and then got my nails done and met mom, dad and Austin at Uncle Julios for dinner.
I got some pretty amazing presents this year.
First, Eric impressed me by remembering me mentioning the first time he ever came to my house (in APRIL) that I wanted a place to hang my medals. I mentioned a runner girl holder. Somehow he remembered that (I don’t even remember telling him this) and got it for me. It was perfect! I can’t wait to hang it up and put all my medals on it!
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Then mom surprised me with the biggest surprise yet.
I had saved most of my tee shirts from college. Free ones from basketball or football, ones from programs I participated it etc. I wanted a tee shirt quilt. But the only person I know who sews was just too busy to work on it. So they sat in the trash bag for years.
My mom had been secretly working with a sweet lady from church to make me my quilt. IMG_1945
She wrapped it up and gave it to me – it isn’t quite finished, but when it is I have big plans to curl up with it and a book. Such a special present!
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Aubrey came to town on the 27th for the marathon. It was great to have her around on my birthday! First time in years that has happened too!
I had a great birthday! Spent it with the people I love most. Can’t beat that!
I am excited for 28. I have big plans. I ran a marathon. I will graduate with my first masters degree. Who knows what else.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

26.2

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I still can’t believe it happened.

Did it go as I thought, nope not at all. But it was the best, most challenging things I have ever done.

So lets recap. First, Aubrey and I needed throw away clothes since the start would be cold. So we went to good will. But all the sweats were going to cost us about $15 bucks. So we decided to try Wal-Mart.

There we found adult cow footie pjs. Since the marathon was 3 days before Halloween, and we are dorks, we decided they would be our outfits!

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We had spaghetti and hit the hay early. We had a 4:15am wake up call!

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Metro at 5am, and a creeper in the background

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He made it!

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He wasn’t exactly excited

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There we go!!

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Waiting nervously

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Walking to the start!

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And we were off!

Aubrey and I ran together the first 3ish miles, until I lost her on a hill and I stopped to potty! She ended up having an amazing race and kicked that marathon’s butt!

I felt great for the first 10 miles! I saw a friend around mile 9 and he ran with me a little way. Then I saw my crew around mile 10. DSC_5863DSC_5859DSC_5846

Isn’t mom cute?!

Then the Sh** hit the fan. My legs started cramping up. Like I’d be cruising along, happy and then all of a sudden almost fall over with cramps. Like massive charlie horses in my calves. So painful. I would limp along and stretch it out and then run again. This started around mile 11, and never stopped. I honestly wasn't sure I would cross the finish line!

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At the half

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This was at about mile 16. This was at a part of the course that is a small out and back, on the out part, I had a bad charlie horse as soon as I saw them. Dad and Eric ran over, dad rubbed my legs and Eric listened to me cry that I wouldn’t finish! They kissed me and sent me on my way!

 

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This is how they spent their time waiting til the next spot to see me. Seriously, they were bored and tired and their feet hurt, but the few times I saw them were what kept me going.

The course was nice, I really enjoyed running along the mall and seeing all the monuments and the capital.

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I caught up to them at mile 21, they went over the wrong bridge, giving them about a 2 mile walk to the finish. (I still had farther to go Open-mouthed smile )

I knew Lindsay and Ray were waiting in Crystal City, but I wasn’t sure if they would still be there since I was over an hour past my projected time I told them I would be there. But they were! Seeing them was the added fuel I needed to finish.

At mile 24.5 this guy came up and handed me his flag and told me to run it past the Marines standing there to get them fired up. So I did, it got me fired up too! Good thing because mile 25 was EMPTY. Everyone was at the finish. It was a hard mile!

Soon I saw 26, and started up that last hill. I was so relieved to cross that finish line.

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( I probably should buy this pic)

As I hobbled my way down the finishers chute, I started tearing up. I couldn’t believe I had done it. When the Marine put that medal around my neck I just started sobbing! It was the best feeling ever. Every single time someone told me congratulations, I would start crying and say thank you. I DID IT!!

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I finished, in 6 hours and 15 mins. about an hour and 15 mins longer than I expected. Bummed about that, but so glad I did it!

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Bestest and I with our medals!

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Signs on the door when we got home!

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Just a few of the signs mom made! She was a rockstar!

Monday, Aubrey and I got massages, and then I headed back to VA to try and beat Hurricane Sandy. Poor Aubrey was stranded at my parents house for 2 days without me because of her!

I am not sure anyone knows just how much it meant to me that they got up at 4(or earlier), took the metro in to the city, stood around for hours, walked miles and miles, just to cheer me on. I have said thank you a hundred times, but it doesn’t feel like enough.

Fall

I am still not sure how it became fall so fast!

And of course I am blogging this about 2 months late so its WINTER already.

I wanted to go to the pumpkin patch and the carve pumpkins with Eric. So we scouted out a couple local ones and with the help of facebook decided on one in Middletown.

We skipped the hay ride and just walked to the pumpkin patch since it was a nice day. This was the best idea, because the hayride dropped everyone off at the opposite side of the field from us. There were so many nice pumpkins waiting for us to find them. It was hard to decide!

We got our pumpkins and then planned to carve them, but that got pushed back two weekends, until Oct 27th. Talk about cutting it close! Open-mouthed smile

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I swear I am not a distraction Smile with tongue out

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We choose you (well Eric did)

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Eric found his!

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<3

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Hail to the Redskins! My pumpkin!

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We miss hockey, something awful. Eric’s

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I live off the George Washington Memorial Parkway, and it is one of my favorite drives in the fall. I remember looking at the leaves driving home on my birthday and thinking how amazing they were.  Thank goodness I drank it all in because Hurricane Sandy came and made it much less pretty.