Can I join your family?

For the last few years I have been pretty anti-roommates. Not that I ever had any bad experiences with any roommates, but I've enjoyed living alone. If I want to make spaghetti and not clean the pan until tomorrow, I can do that. I don't have to worry about what I wear around my apartment. I can turn the heat way up in the winter and no one will complain that the electric bill will be too high. I can play whatever music without anyone caring. Ray Stevens? Ray Charles? Bluegrass? Hank Williams Jr? Christmas music in March? My song of the week on repeat? It's all okay when you live alone.

I am a changed person. I am convinced that Sophie has the best living situation ever. Jash sings REALLY loud in the shower and Eric yells at Sophie for not wearing a bra (at home and in public), but other than that, it's a pretty ideal situation. Can I please join your family? I can be the cousin or the step-daughter who comes in town from time to time. Or I can just move in permanently. I'll live in the cat room and make myself a nest so that I can sleep in the jacuzzi tub. Samson and Kitty Glitter might not like Addy, but she would be a good addition to the house. I know you guys would choose three cats over three pit bulls any day. Addy would fulfill the "real" cat duties that KG and Samson aren't as good at, like sleeping 23 hours a day, shedding a lot, laying in the windowsill, and cuddling up to whoever will give her any attention. KG and Samson could introduce her to the outdoors and hunting. Maybe she'd even lose some of that weight that she gained after Scott bought her kitten food and I fed it to her for 3 weeks before realizing what a terrible idea that was. 

I also learned a little about twitter. I am considering becoming an active twitter member just so I can follow Samson. I was going to attempt to use a hash sign and say something clever, but I don't think I am proficient enough yet to be throwing those symbols around.

I drank too much this weekend for being a week out from my marathon, so tomorrow I will start some detox. I need to put lots of nutrient filled food in my body. Good news is my foot is feeling better, and tomorrow I plan to go on a little run to make sure all is good.

Seven days!

9 more days...

Well it's been a while. The weekend after the half marathon, I went to Virginia beach to see Emily before she moves to Germany. We had a great time. I ran 20 miles that friday - felt pretty awesome except for the last 2 miles or so. Finished in 3 and a half hours-ish and was very happy with that. I ran 3 more miles two days later in a new pair of shoes I've been trying to break in and.... well something in there wasn't a good idea.

My foot hurts.

Still. Although it is getting better. Last week it was really bad and the muscles in my leg were starting to hurt because I was walking on it so funny. Monday I had an x-ray taken which didn't show anything. Now I'm just resting it. I've been meaning to swim to keep up my cardio but haven't done that yet...

I am thinking of running a little this weekend to see how it goes, but I won't really get any training in to speak of before the marathon. I hope what I have done up to now is enough!

Off to Colorado this weekend to see Sophie. I should get a frequent visitor discount for the Kansas City airport.

Last weekend I was in Reno and took a quick drive down to tahoe. What a beautiful place. Would love to go back in the winter to go snowboarding.

half marathon

My hunger lasted all week long. I ate last week like it was my job. Two dinners and still waking up starving. 

This weekend was the MO' Cowbell Half Marathon in St. Charles, MO (right outside of St. Louis). Went out Saturday with plans on going up into the arch but it was sold out for the day. Still got to look around a little bit and it was a beautiful afternoon! Also I got some new running shoes, yay!

Sunday morning it was 35 degress out. I was not prepared for that cold of weather and had a mini freak-out session. I had brought with me a long sleeved shirt from the Surf City half marathon that I ran last February so I wore that. I even got a compliment during the race on my shirt, and I finally felt like I was "IN" in the running crowd!!! 

The weather warmed up really nicely and it ended up being a great run. St. Charles is a really cute little town and the race took us out to New Town, MO which also was a really neat little new town. All story book with cute houses and sidewalks and green grass, trees lining the street. It looked very new but the houses were built with an old style to them. It was neat.

My right hip and left knee were bothering me a little at the beginning of the run but luckily that went away after a few miles! Then I felt great! It was sunny, in the 60's, couldn't have been a better day. Scott and I ran the whole race together and finished somewhere around 2:10 or 2:11. My GPS watch ended the race about a tenth of a mile before they actually ended it so I'm not sure who was correct. I would say them, but all along my watch was beeping at the mile markers along with others around me, so I don't know what the chances are they we were all off? Either way, I finished somewhere around there. Surf City I finished in 2:14...and thinking back to that, I felt terrible during that race and don't even know how I pulled that time off. I remember finishing that race and thinking, OMG i have to run this twice in 5 weeks!!

So this one, I ran faster and felt AWESOME. Around mile 12.5 there was a volunteer who said to us, you look like you have 13 more miles in you!! And I don't know if he was just saying that to be nice or what, but I felt like I did! What a great boost to my running self-esteem. Also, congrats to Scott for finishing his first half marathon!!

On some sadder news, if you have been following my facebook, the dad of my best friend from college (Sophie) is missing. He went hiking on Thursday near Brainard Lake (west of Boulder, CO) and never returned. He hikes almost daily and is very familiar with the area so they don't expect that he got lost. He is also in great shape. It's a really confusing and sad situation. They had major search efforts going on all weekend, and are continuing to search the area today. Sophie and her dad have been in my thoughts and prayers all weekend and so for that reason, it's been a strange weekend, as I have felt torn inside between feeling great and so excited about my running and then feeling so so sad and scared for Sophie and her dad. So please send prayers/positive energy/thoughts or whatever you believe in out to Sophie's dad, the rescuers, and Sophie. 

Sophie's dad talking to my mom at my CU graduation party.