13.1 = Done

Nike Women's Half Marathon - Crushed!

Anyone who is FB friends with me already knows this, but I think it's post worthy, on Sunday, me and 5 friends completed the Nike Women's Half Marathon in DC. And, it was an amazing experience.  In other news, we were not actually posting updates while we were running.  Nike did that for us.  :-)

I'll start by saying that I was somewhat strong armed into participating.  Everyone knows I enjoy a good workout. This is not news. Also running and I have become better friends over the years. We certainly aren't besties, but we aren't enemies like we used to be.  13.1 miles is a lot of running though.  More than I've ever done.

But this race was the first of its kind on the east coast and a portion of our race fees went to LLS, my charity partner for 2013.  The race was through DC and the course took you around the monuments.  I love DC and I've always wanted to run around Linc.  So, from the get, this one had appeal.

Really though, my FOMO (don't joke people, it's REAL) strong armed me into signing up for this race. See also: the finishers prize was a Tiffany necklace given to you by a soldier in a tux.  Ummm where do I sign?

Once we signed up, we weren't automatically in.  The selection was by lottery and we didn't know if we'd get in.  Well, we did. Last December, we were lucky, and I got an email saying that our team was in.  If you are thinking wow, that's not good luck, that's exactly what I was thinking. Yikes, It. Just. Got. Real.

I'm not one to back down from a challenge and once committed to something I do it.  So, I really had no choice.  With my eye on the little blue box and a guilt-free pasta dinner in DC the night before the race, training started in January.

And, readers, here's what I'll tell you...

1. The training wasn't horrible.  I did a mix of cross-training and running.  It wasn't so time consuming that I felt my life was dedicated to training. See also: we won the Super Bowl during this training time, so I was kinda busy.  You like how I work that in every chance I get? #stillnotold
2. Committing to this run in public (http://lifethoughtsquestionsanddreams.blogspot.com/2013/01/13.html) didn't afford me the opportunity to back out. So, knowing I had to do it helped motivate me.
3. I allowed myself to buy a few new pieces of workout apparel.  My 30% UA discount for the Nike Women's Half was well used.  And shopping always make me happy...even if it is for workout clothes and a new sports bra.
4. The team of girls I ran with, simply put, ROCKED.  We had a blast! So much so, that I'd do it again. That's right...I'd do it again.

As far as the race went, it was truly great. An amazing and super fun experience.  I will say that when we woke up at 5:00 am, I wasn't exactly thrilled to be awake and even less thrilled to be freezing my parts off waiting for the start.  But that quickly passed.

Once we got into our race corals, the magic happened.  We were standing in the early morning sun on Pennsylvania Avenue looking directly at the Capitol Building. Fun pump-up music was playing. We were surrounded by 14,999 other women and a few good men with the same goal in mind...finish this 13.1 together.  We raised over $6,000,000 for LLS.  That's right $6 million!!!  Runners had their inspiration for running plastered all over their bodies...we were running for different things and we were running for the same things.  So many of us were running for Boston. We were running for those affected by blood cancers. We were running for our mothers, sisters, brothers, friends, cousins or people we've never met.  We stood united listening to our National Anthem prepared to tackle a goal each of us had set months and months ago.  We were ready.

The start was slow because there were so many of us, but we plugged along dodging and weaving the crowds.  The signs along the entire race route, mostly made by men, (My faves- the first at about mile 4- read, "Do you believe in love at first sight or should I move to mile 12?" Another, "This is way better than match.com 15,000 hot girls to choose from.") were hysterical and totally entertaining. Our team had decided to split up if necessary as not to hold any of us back. About 4 miles in, me and my teammate were still side by side.  We didn't speak it, but mentally I think we both committed to finishing together. She, a seasoned marathoner, offered me words of encouragement, a couple of key check-ins and tips on going the distance. We celebrated each passing mile with smiles and a very spirited high-five.  We felt great and at about mile 8 we decided that we were going to air it out a bit about 1/2 a mile from the finish. We were finishing strong. We knew it.

And, that we did. We crossed the 12 mile marker knowing we crushed that race. When saw the finish line within eye-sight...it was still a 1/2 mile out (it looked a lot closer), and we turned it up a bit. We crossed the finish line with strength, determination and huge smiles!! It was a blast!!!

Really nice swag for this one!

We felt great! We felt successful, accomplished, empowered, loved and prideful.  We celebrated with our team, shared memories, feelings and funny sign sightings.  We have a common bond that we will always share.  A feeling of accomplishment and pride that we made history that day. It will be forever with us.  We then enjoyed the rest of the day in DC....sharing a few beers and a burger.  Girls Rule! I'm just sayin'!! 

Our ROCKING Team minus my sis and her bestie

I highly recommend this race to anyone who even has an inkling of wanting to do it.  Know you can do it. Know you will have the support of over 15,000 other women and you, too, will crush it.  Know that little blue box can be yours.  A well-deserved and well-earned memento that will remind you and others that you are a dedicated athlete with the perseverance to finish something you put your mind to. It's one of the best feelings ever.

Fun. Determination. Success. Happiness.

Join us next year, won't you?

xo~

Bringing a Happy Spirit to New and Different Things

Happy spirit and fun!

2013 has been amazing so far.  We won the Super Bowl (still not tired of saying it).  I'm not sure I will ever get tired of saying it. And, as time goes on, when reflecting on the experience, it gets better and better.  The feeling of teamwork, togetherness, family and becoming a champion brings a smile to my face daily.

Since that time, work has been insanely busy.  Most companies have all year to run their HR programs.  Boring I know, but bare with me...most companies have HR projects annually, compensation increases, performance reviews, hiring/recruiting, organization alignment, benefits open enrollment, etc.  They have 12 months to spread these projects out.  I have just about 5.  Thanks to the Super Bowl, these projects were on hold.  I'm certainly not complaining.  But they still need to be done by July when football starts again.  So, I'm busy at work. It's great to be needed too.

Personally and probably what more of this post is supposed to be about, I've had a goal for 2013 to try new and different things.  In doing so, some of those new and different things well, didn't exactly go the way we would have wanted new and different things to go.  But in the fantabulous twists and turns of life, they make for excellent stories and have given me a few laughs along the way.

2013 New and Different Things Bloopers and Lessons:

Blooper

One Saturday afternoon, we decided to meet a friend at the Inner Harbor and do some day drinking.  It was a nice day, so we arrived early to have a drink at one of our favorite Irish establishments.  Bestie and I sit at the back bar to enjoy our Guinness, NCAA basketball and the view of the Harbor.  We are there for 10 minutes and in walks...

Per our new zombie friends, some make-up application took over 2 hours.  Talk about high maintenance!!

 



Yep, that's right...a HUGE group of zombies came in and took over our Irish pub.  They were out and about on a Zombie Pub Crawl.  I do love a good pub crawl, but zombies?  Pub crawling?  It's true.  Now you know.  And, certainly we were not out trolling for dudes, but the idea of running into some like-minded fellow bball lovers and sharing a pint wasn't totally out of the realm of possibility, or so we thought. Turns out, not so much.  

Truly and to be perfectly honest, the zombies were very friendly. They even encouraged us to join their zombie pack next year. 

Tempting...but no.

Lesson

Exes are exes for a reason. We all know that. Historically, I've been pretty good at keeping a good relationship with my exes. They are good people and just because it didn't work out for us, doesn't mean we don't care about each other. It also doesn't mean that we can't be there for each other in times of need in friendship.  Being a good friend is important.

My philosophy and practice of being nice and friendly is currently under review. Let's just say that when you remain friends with people (an ex or just a plain ole "friend") who clearly are not making good choices, it's not a good idea. Many times you can't save them and you are only bringing yourself down in trying to do so.  A friend I'll always be...an idiot, no thanks.  We all control our own happiness and control our choices.  If someone chooses to stay in a life of unhappiness, constant arguments and unhealthy craziness, I can't help them. They have to help themselves.  Last but certainly not least, this girl will never be a participant on an episode Jerry Springer. Yes, I'm saying never.

Blooper & Lesson

Many of you know, I'm somewhat of a fashionista.  I like fashion and clothes and style. I can be this way because I'm only responsible for myself and my fashionista dog. I also realize that not everyone is as fashion forward as I am. It's not a crime...or is it?  Any who, I went out last week with a swell dude.  He took me to dinner at nice restaurant.  In my fashion conscious mind, I wondered what I would wear for the days leading up to the dinner.  I decided on a casual dress and sassy peep toe heels.  I asked him (a question I'm sure every man hates as much as does this make me look fat?) what he was going to wear and he said jeans and a button down. Cool...we were on the same page...

Except that his jeans while neat and clean...were carpenter jeans. This begs the questions...do they still make those? Or are those his original circa 1998 Gap carpenter jeans? If so, how on earth has he kept them this long? Does he never shop? And, is he perhaps, an actual carpenter on the side?

We had a lovely time and enjoyed dinner and the O's game...but the jeans have not left my memory.  He didn't eat his peas one at a time, he's not a close talker and his hands are perfectly appropriate for his body. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV8pNfeAGVc  And, in talking with a friend a lunch on Tuesday, jeans can be changed - easily.  Why am I so jeans snobby???  Get over it...it's what's in the jeans that matters (and don't go there...we have gone no where near there).  Plus I'm a Buckle Black Member, if there is another outing, a stop at the mall is likely in order.

Lesson

O's Opening Day ~ The Monday before the game 100% chance of rain.  The day of the game 0% chance of rain, 65 degrees and sunny. Amazing day!
Lesson- don't trust the weather. Ever.


One of the best days of the year in Charm City.
See also: A day of photo bombs



We bring the fun and grand slams.

 

But that's not the lesson from this day...a friend and I were walking along the concourse.  A random dude stops us and starts chatting.  He wasn't wearing zombie make-up or carpenter jeans, so I gave him a chance.  We chatted a bit and he asks our names (those of you who really know me know what I said) and he asks what we are doing later. We really have no idea and we tell him such.  He asks for my phone number and for whatever random reason, I give it to him.  I don't think about him the rest of the day and never expect to hear from him again.

He texts me a few days later. I respond.  He responds.  I respond again.  He asks me to get drinks.  I say OK. I have nothing to lose. I really don't even remember what he looks like. We meet for drinks...at a place where I know people and he can't dismember me in a basement.  He admits that he really didn't remember what I looked like either.  We shared a few drinks. I told him my real name and my real job.  He did the same.  He likes sports and country music.  I like sports and country music.  He had on good jeans and he mentioned he was wearing them because he knows girls like good jeans on guys.  It's then I realize, we can be friends.  We had a fun time.  Not sure I'll ever see him again, but it was new and different and it wasn't awful.  #it'sabouttime

Lesson: you never know, you never know.

My Meeting Randoms Partner in Crime

Love

One of my dear friends is deploying for the 3rd time to Afghanistan.  He's a stud, a warrior, a ninja, an amazing friend and an all around super cool good person. His sister had a beautiful baby this week too, so now he adds best uncle ever to the list great things he is.  He will be meeting his beautiful niece next weekend and leaving soon after.  I expect to get lots of pictures!!!  I wanted to include a message of love and thank you to him in this post. We all will be anxiously awaiting his return (he's promised to take me to THB when he gets back and I'm holding him to it) and I'm hopeful he can communicate while over there.  Be safe my friend. Love you tons!!  Hurry home!! Thank you for protecting us!

Have a great weekend everyone! Thanks for reading about my soap opera life...I still have hopes of making it  onto GH. P.S. Anyone watching the 50th anniversary episodes, reruns and the Nurses Ball?  LOVE!

xo~