My overly-dramatic post about a breakthrough run

[warning: no pictures. good luck]

After my incompletion of the Pittsburgh marathon, I have had my sights set on another marathon. Hopefully with my dad. Hopefully one I'm able to complete. And hopefully one in which I qualify for the Boston Marathon (NY too! did you know it's harder for me to qualify for the NY marathon than Boston? isn't that weird?).

Getting back into the swing of hard, rewarding running was a difficult for me. Why should I be pushing my body to do something that it clearly told me it was not happy with me doing? (of course, the supplement I started taking was going to help with this...) And I've always viewed running as half physical/half mental, so rewarding runs where I pushed myself seemed hard to come by. My first runs were easy, not fast, but I was sustaining 40 minute runs without passing out, or getting a similar feeling. I could feel myself getting stronger and building back to where I was around the this time last year. I was fortunate enough to be doing this running at camp, which I've always thought leads to magically awesome runs (see? mental.).

Enter yesterday's daily 5 mile run. It was faster, I could feel that. But sometimes when I think I'm running fast, i'm not actually...or I end up slowing a lot towards the end...BUT, to my surprise, I calculated my pace to be one that would qualify me for both marathons! And then some! I was ecstatic when I realized this but MAN! it hurt! How does anyone sustain that pace for 26.2 miles!? Hell, it's still inconceivable to me that elite runners can run a marathon at a pace faster than I can even run one mile.

Regardless, I feel like this was the breakthrough I've needed. All the pills I've taken, the extra strengthening exercises I've done, the mental focus I've tried to employ on every run, got me to here. I know my next couple runs will not measure up to the mental and physical success of that run, but it's all about baby steps. I know that I can, and right now that's going to help me more than anything.

My friends, i love them

Fun is:

reuniting and reminiscing

a jukebox

skee ball

plastic horses glued to strings

inside jokes

the fastest 2 minutes in sports (i guess..it's really not that fun

but if it adds to my fun weekend, then sure)

don't stop - fleetwood mac

this song is very near and dear to me. in fact it's my favorite song. i first heard it when i was in a roller-skating rink up in new york when i was much much younger (probably around the time clinton was running for president...). i went to my parents to try and figure out what it was, but i couldn't. for the longest time i thought it was Mary Chapin Carpenter's The Hard Way (which introduced me to mary chapin carpenter, which is not a bad outcome!). BUT i finally found it, i believe, when i saw this on TV:

i love it. can't get enough.

i'm especially fond of the end when the members of the band leave, one by one, leaving the monster percussion section and trumpets of the band. when i'm running to this song, i often find myself air-drumming along. i've listened to it so much, i've forgotten how the not-live version of the song sounds. and the lyrics are happy and uplifting...

so do you like it or do you love it

Sorry for the "paws" in posts..

I realize I haven't posted in a while...I have a lot of draft posts sitting, waiting to be posted, but they're not quite complete. They mostly center around puppies and how I want one. And how I didn't join a gym, and instead, put potential gym-membership money into a puppy fund. And how that puppy fund will eventually allow me to purchase an english bulldog and provide me with eternal happiness (or at least 8-10 years of happiness, with additional years added on for memories of said puppy). Just look how adorable this pile of them is.

There is also this article telling me to get a dog, not a treadmill (rather, a puppy, not a gym membership). It makes a whole lot of sense (even though the dog I want doesn't really require the most exercise..). Basically all signs point to puppy. But it hasn't been puppy-on-the-brain 24/7. I made some room for a nice 20-mile run. It's amazing how close everything actually is to capitol hill. I was able to run to RFK stadium, around Hains Point, over by Arlington Cemetery, by Roosevelt Island, and through Georgetown. Like a "DC's greatest hits" run or something. I got my hair chopped off. I would normally just say "cut" but my hairdresser was very angry with the state of my hair. She would hold up shorter pieces and exclaim "WHAT HAPPEN HEERE!?". Or let out a sigh every time she reminded me that my hair was damaged and it was a good thing I was finally getting it cut. I enjoyed the beautiful weather. There are signs of spring everywhere..daffodils (my favorite!!)..daylight savings time..basketball brackets.. Aaand I hung out with friends that I haven't seen in a while.

let it also be known that there is one week until my first trip to vegas (!!!!)

Inclement Weather

I love the potential for inclement weather.

I love looking at my weather.com app and seeing the notification above the "severe" tab indicating that there is, in fact, inclement weather headed my way. I love even more when the app follows through and there's a thunderstorm in February (and luckily no tornado).. and sitting in a starbucks during said thunderstorm, doing a new york times crossword..

Of course, all this love goes right out the window when I have to walk home in the pouring rain. And who likes when a bus drives by and splashes you like in the movies?? Not me.

Couldn't Contain Myself

In preparation for a long weekend o' fun, Lauren and I went to one of my favorite stores, ever. The Container Store. I love that place. There is so much stuff that I never knew I needed. And it's all so.. colorful. And happy and shiny.

Look at all of those hangers!

Look at all of those colors!

And of course there's that shelf near the checkout aisle filled with even more things that you never knew you needed but have to have the moment you see them. Which led us to buy these drinking glasses. Did we need them? Probably not. Do I love them with every sip from my nalgene that swirls past my eyes?

YES

What I Love - edition 2.14

***for some reason this did not post last night. so every time i say "today", i mean 2/14. whoops! but I don't need a hallmark holiday to express my true feelings.

In honor of Valentine's Day, this post will be about love. More specifically: things I love.

So, drumroll please, Top 5 Things I Love Today:

1. My new running shoes. I just switched out of my Nike Frees and back into a shoe that provides the stability that my over-pronating, high arched feet need.

2. The Mumford & Sons CD - Sigh No More

3. The sunny, mid 50's (though occasionally overly windy) weather that has afforded me walks around the neighborhood. And given me the opportunity to try and play with other people's dogs.

4. Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter vs. Watson (the world's first computerized Jeopardy contestant). At first it appeared Watson was going to blow the other two out of the water, but the others caught up and Watson ended up tied with Rutter with two more rounds tonight and tomorrow. I loved seeing Trebek talk to Watson like he (she? it?) was human. For example: When Ken wrongly answered a question, and Watson followed up with the same wrong answer, Trebek replied "No, that's what Ken said." After he spent a good deal of time telling us that the robot cannot hear or see. I'm sure Watson wrote that one down and will remember it for the next time..

5. This:

sorry i'm not sorry

no no no

I really wish i had something of substance to write about or post pictures of. I guess I had a pretty eventful weekend what with another long run, being out and about all yesterday and today, and losing bets and baking cookies.. But all I can think about is this:

I can't stop watching it. I love how she's so pleased with herself after each answer.

So watch it. and maybe i'll stop posting youtube videos..if i can tear myself away from this one.

Friday

it's friday

and that makes me happy

this also makes me happy.

that too.

"People call me a feminist whenever I express

sentiments that distinguish me from a doormat."

-Rebecca West (via that's what she said.)

and that. Happy Friday!

funfetti.

Last night, housemate Josh introduced me to the concept of funfetti cookies. Up until that point I was only aware of funfetti cakes and cupcakes. But cookies!??

NB: if you haven't had funfetti, you're proobably from wyoming, hey max, and you should go and get it and bake it right now, in whatever form you so desire, because it is so good and will make you happy.

So Josh and I ran down to the corner market to get the ingredients (only 3!, 4 if you want icing), but the corner market didn't have the cake mix. So we went to the other corner market and they didn't have it either. We walked home feeling let down..dejected..defeated by the corner stores..realizing we would have to wait until the next day to get the ingredients and bake them.

But today was met with great success!

while homemade cookies from scratch are delicious,

funfetti cake mix + oil + eggs = simple and a party in your mouth.

i mean, look how happy the doughboy is

AND THE WAIT WAS WORTH IT