To Be Thankful

THANKSGIVING MONTH IS HERE! 

I love it. I love November. It's my aunt/BFF/#1s birthday (and the big 3-0 this year!), it's when it gets SUPER crispy outside and it's the month of my favorite holiday (other than my birthday, of course). 

Yep. This little red is turning THIRTY ladies and gents. 3-0.

and.....

Thanksgiving. 

What does it mean to you? To me, I try to take the month and reflect *often* on my blessings, my trials and tribulations, successes, growths, lessons, all of the things I love about this life I have been given so Thank-LESS-ly (at times). 

It's so easy to forget the blessings we are GIVEN, not received through luck or chance. We get into these ruts sometimes and say "wow that's so lucky." or the "right place at the right time" type-talk. No no. That was the Lord. Every time. 

One thing that has really helped me be more mindful more often about my blessings is running. I spend a lot of time sorting through my thoughts on my runs, and many of those thoughts return to the simple words of "thank you" -- Thank you Lord, for the beauty of Michigan fall, thank you ME for committing to a healthier me, thank you family for being so supportive, even with all these pesky miles that get in the way... I mean I do say thank you, A LOT, when running.

Another thing that has helped me appreciate my blessings regularly is the population(s) I encounter as a social worker. Before going back to graduate school I worked with geriatrics and encountered people who were going through things that I hadn't ever had to go through, and that really helped me put my minuscule woes into perspective. I now categorize my complaints like this:
is it a big deal, medium deal, or small deal?
Small Deal.
Medium Deal.
Big Deal.

That's it. Imagine how we could cut down on thanklessness this way. 90% of the things we complain about are Small Deals. For example: no groceries, cold outside, stepped in a puddle, forgot to turn the light off, so-and-so annoyed me, I'm tired, I was late, they were late, small deal.

hahaha clearly. Small deal guys.

Looking forward to cooking my very first Thanksgiving dinner and celebrating all that I am thankful for -- And if I burn the biscuits or screw up the turkey....guess what? Small deal. :) 

Suck it up, Suck it in (Winter Mantra)

Welllllll, it's starting to get cold here in Michigan. Much to my disappointment.

It's also about to start getting dark at 3:00pm (okay, that's a little exaggeration, but not by much!) -- which is REALLY going to put a damper on my evening runs. I need to get a night running jacket, but those babies aren't cheap, and $75 dollars on a yellow construction vest does NOT appeal to me. Crazy, I know they're all the fashion rage. Oh well, I've been scouring the racks at Marshall's almost daily with no luck, but I am hoping the fashion gods...or the running gods, will take pity on me and send one my way. Or my parents, hell, anyone will do :) 

I've decided to do two halfs through the winter to help keep me motivated to run outside and not gain the dreaded winter weight, so I'm doing one in January and March. 

Yes, March is still winter. No joke. Kill me now. Doing the halfs will help keep me conditioned for the Fargo full in May, so I thought why not? Plus they're cheap and who doesn't love big shiny medals? Seriously, who doesn't?!

In addition to this, I've decided to cut out sweets for 30 days, and I started Sunday. So, I will be able to have dessert for Thanksgiving. But, lately my sweet tooth (teeth?) have been a little out of control, so this should help. It's going to be hard with the potluck on Thursday at work, but I will survive :) I'm also cutting out booze -- except this Saturday because it's the UM/MSU game -- GO GREEN. So, other than that though...30 days of no sweets and 29 of no booze. Should be interesting. I just want to start the holiday season off right, and this will be easier than the Whole 30 I was considering. So, I will keep you guys posted :) I'm trying to suck it up now so I don't have to suck it in for my big 2-6 :)

Ok, quick post, but I have to prepare for my case presentation tomorrow :) Fall semester is coming to a close soon (I am finished with the semester early, Dec 2nd!) so I have a lot coming up, which is exciting and a pain in the ass all at the same time. I can *finally* see the light at the end of the tunnel...and by the end of April I will *officially* be finished with grad school. Crazy thought.


I just love this. #socialworkeducation

Until next time!

Post - Marathon: Now what?!

Well, this is odd.
My perspective is so different because I didn't get to complete all my training..but I'm still kind of left with this weird feeling post-marathon. What the heck to do now? I know I am planning to do the Fargo Full in May (woohoo!), but that's a ways out. With winter coming, I am already dreading the lack of sunlight and warmth that I love about Michigan summer and fall. So, I know this is something a lot of runners feel post-race, and I think it's worth talking about.

So, first -- I eat. An emphasis on high nutrient foods will aid recovery and help you not gain weight, but I've had a combo of super healthy and super UN-healthy foods :) That's okay by me.  I also have been SLEEPING soooo much. The week post-marathon I felt like I slept like the dead, and I got a lot more sleep. I think my body needed it to avoid getting sick (as my allergies decided to attack). 

I got a book on running, reading about people's favorite marathons. It's fun to read while I'm enjoying some down time. I also got a "fun" book -- not related to school or anything, and by one of my favorite authors, Jonathon Tropper. Look out, THIS GIRL IS EXCITING.

Yoga. Spin. I love you. Do other exercises that you love, because you can :)

It's hard not to look straight forward to the next thing, but I think it's important to allow myself to settle into this, and really appreciate and revel in my accomplishment. Simply looking to the next thing isn't going to allow me to do that fully. 

I just stumbled upon this cool "Reverse Taper" guide that looks really helpful, and I'll start this next week on "week two" -- it could work for half marathons, too, just cut it in half. I'll do a follow up post on how I liked this plan.

I also just ordered Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald (the same guy who wrote the runners nutrition guide I bought). It talks about getting to your optimal race weight for optimum performance.

Tidbits I learned for next race: 

1. Put my phone in a Ziploc in case it rains (because for me, it usually does on race day). 

2. Prepare for rain just in case. Trash bags for your body (ghetto-poncho style) and trash sacks for your shoes. 

3. Pack and unpack and pack if you're traveling for your race. It will ease your mind and ensure you don't forget anything. Luckily my next race will probably be in my new home city.

4. Prepare meals and snacks in advance. Don't try anything new. 

5. After your race, you're going to want to eat and drink *whatever* you want -- but seriously, give it time. Or, if you don't -- stay at that restaurant a while so you avoid almost pooping your pants in your boyfriends car. Trust me on this one.  If you have a sensitive stomach, don't get crazy. Your stomach will get you. Also, walk. I think Michael parking far away forced me to walk and move that lactic acid out.

6. Body glide extra. And then some more. Chafing is NO joke. 

7. Pack extra running nutrition (Gu or chews or whatever you like). I almost ran out and luckily Kelly's mom had some more for her, which I used :) 

8. If it's going to be cold when you start, take throw away layers. This last race was the first time I've done it and it helped A LOT.

9. If you're sticking with a pace group, chat with those around you when you're getting tired. It will help pass the time and you'll learn about fellow racers. 

10. Don't rely solely on your music. Take in the course, the runners, the spectators. 

11. Say thankyou to the spectators when they encourage you or have cute signs. That's why we pay to run these courses, it's simply not the same without the crowd support. So what they're strangers. They help you get to the next mile.

I learn something new after each race, and this time I learned quite a bit, with it being my first marathon. I cannot get over it, still.
This time three years ago, had someone asked me if I'd be one of those early-rising runners, cold-weather runners, long distance runners, I'd have laughed and said, "Nope. Never"

But, after getting into running, running a marathon was a "maybe someday" ... then a "hopefully someday" and now...it's a reality. I really didn't think that running the race would be so special to me. But, it was. And will continue to be, my greatest accomplishment to date. Such a testament to listening to my body, my heart, my God. 

A hilariously accurate video on running a marathon for your viewing pleasure:

Twin Cities Marathon

WELLLLLLLLL...this post will be a long one. Consider yourself warned. 

For those of you that read my last post, you know I decided a week before the race to give it a go, after being fully healed from my stress fracture a while and giving myself a few test runs (of 10 miles or less - mind you). I figured I was already going to Minneapolis, I couldn't get my money back, and I wanted to try. My parents were going to be there specifically for this race, I was running with Kelly, Michael was coming...I just wanted to try for myself, and kind of for everyone who had planned to be there to support me, too.

SO glad I did. 
We rocked it. Slowly but surely.

The weekend started off great. We got there to cold and wet weather, but my parents picked us up and took us to the expo. Our sweet parents waited rather patiently while we oooh'd and awww'd over all the running goods, and finally after about two hours my Dad threw in the towel and shoo'd us out the door :) We took a rest and then ate dinner all together at The News Room, and Michael and Alissa joined us. I wish I would have taken more pictures before Sunday. But, we had a low-key night and called it an early night.


Saturday Kelly and I did our last training run and ran to the Metrodome and back, which is where the race started. The weather was great. Still overcast, but no rain, and in the high 40's. Saturday was SUPER low key, we walked around the city and stumbled upon a walk/protest for immigration reform, which was neat to see. Then, we watched a movie at the hotel (aka napped a bit), and Michael and I called it quits early. We drove around Lake Minnetonka and pretend-house hunted and then drove through this cutesy little lake town. I loved it. Fall there is to die for. So, I had a lovely dinner of pasta and water water water. I think I was in bed by 9:00 :)

Flash forward to Sunday morning

TC 10 mile (on the way to Kelly's hotel)

I SLEPT LIKE A DREAM. I felt SO well rested, and actually naturally woke before my 6:15 alarm went off. Stretched, had my banana and Honey Stinger waffles, and a little coffee. Perfect. We met Kelly at her hotel, and of course, took some pics :)

Pre-race excitement. And maybe some nievity :) You don't have to tell me how sexy we look, we know.

So, we booked it to the Metrodome and I went to put our check bags up. Welp, of course it can't go perfectly and I had to put my stuff in a different coral -- so Kelly and I lost each other. We had both realized this at the start and said a prayer for ourselves/each other, and *wham* found each other :) Thank the Lord -- because looking back it would have been trouble without her.

At the start line, after we got separated. Taking pictures to ease the anxiety  

So, we knew Kelly's mom, Mrs. B, was going to be with Alissa and her sister at miles 8 and 18. And my parents were going to stagger along the way, too. Michael was at mile 5 and 13, so we had mini-mile markers to get us through the first half. We eventually decided to just stop and stretch when we saw our friends/family, because -- hey, why not? :) Social stretch, anyone?

We even saw some famous people, like Chubacca. 

Kelly and I getting excited to see some familiar faces! 

So, about 10 miles in was about when I started to be more aware of how long this race was going to be. 26.2 miles, to be exact. While I knew this in theory....it really hit home in between 10-13 miles. So, we just kept running, with intermittent conversations and anecdotal comments about the scenery, runners, spectators, etc. We chatted with a few runners, listen to tunes intermittently, and just took in the scenery and the fact that we were seriously running a marathon.

After seeing our family at mile 18, I asked my parents to come somewhere between 22-24, because going from 18-26 without seeing anyone seemed too long for us...we were tired and I think fading a little bit. So, Mom and Dad said they would do whatever we needed, even if they missed the finish.

Around mile 20 we saw Michael with his sister Michelle and her fiance, Dan - they live in Ramsey and came up to spectate which was super sweet. So, we stretched and hugged and left, with the "6 miles left" mantra. We chatted this man who was on his 349th race (marathons and ultras) -- and his advice was that the race was actually two separate races -- the first 20 miles and the last 6. Man, was he right.

My parents creeped up around mile 22 or 24 (I can't remember) and offered some final moral support.

There I am...jogging along.

We took two pictures, and this was our "How we really feel" picture. Again, we rock the same hat and the same fuel belt. Don't be jealous. 

Mile 26 -- praise the Lord! 

Andddd mile 26. This was where I was walking faster than I was running, but I think Kelly and I were both determined to finish it running. So, we did. After a quick little side hug emotional "i cant believe we are doing this and doing it together" moment, we ran through the finish. Wow. 26.2 miles. Done. We got our medals, grabbed some food, and changed clothes ASAP. Then we met our families and hugged and chatted :) Took a ton of pictures. I think Kelly and I were "run-drunk" and still in shock. Heck, I may STILL be in shock.

ONE AND DONE! First Marathon in the books! #TWINSIES

My AWESOME parents :) 

My sweet giant. 

Dan, Michael, Me, Michelle. 

Awesome medal. 

Let's just talk about the weather. It went from a 60% chance of rain all morning to a 30% chance, with minimal rain the whole race. We couldn't have been more blessed. Even so, it got colder in the later morning, and I found myself feeling so thankful for the spectator support when it was rainy and gross. There is no way it would have been as enjoyable without all the spectators and the signs and the volunteers. And of course, our family.

Even my family and friends that weren't there helped get through those miles. I knew I had support and prayers coming my way the whole race, even though most of my friends and family (obviously) couldn't be there. I appreciated all the pre- and post-race texts :)


We went to the yellow room overlooking the city in the evening, and it was so pretty! Of course Kelly and I wore our finisher shirts and medals!

Yay us

Well earned Marg's at Rosie's. We just love to match everything, drinks included :) 

We were SOOOO sore after. Obviously, I know. But no one really warns you. My body was SO tired and our mental states were less than stellar. I felt really "cloudy" -- mixture of exhaustion, disbelief, and joy.
This followed into Monday, too. We got up at dark:30 to catch our flight, and I went straight to class (even though I was dead tired -- that's grad school life for you).  I went home after stopping at the grocery store for a nap, and overslept. I had to pick up my nanny children at 3:00, and woke up at 2:57. Yikes. Leave it to Michael to provide comedic relief.

PMSD. A real thing. 

I can't believe I ran a marathon. After a major lack of training, I still finished, and although I was slowwww, I still accomplished my goal. Next time, I will hopefully finish before 5:30:06. But, for this race, I am perfectly content and thankful. Quite the experience.

Fargo Marathon 2014, see you in May :) 

Minnesota is ON

So, what do you do when you get when you add a healed stress fracture, renewed love for running, and a non-refundable registration for the Twin Cities Marathon? 

You get a marathon runner. My plane ticket has long been purchased, hotel arranged, family planning to be there, the whole 9. So, when this last weekend I was on my run and feeling awesome, I thought, "why not?" Then I said,"No...seriously. Why NOT?" 

And that, my friends, is how I decided to try to run this race. Although I am extremely undertrained, I don't mind crawling the last few miles. Or walking intermittently. I just want to do it. My very dear friend Kelly and I planned to do it, and although she will now finish before me (as she should!) -- I want us to start this together, as planned. I don't know what I would have done last year without my sweet sweet friend, and for that reason doing something this epic with her just feels right. :) I'm excited for our families to meet and celebrate this crazy event.

There's nothing better than this spontaneity -- this is something I rarely do. Spontaniety is not a word ANYONE would EVER use to describe me (sad, but true). 

I may have to drop out. I'm ok with that. I may not be able to walk right for a week, or do yoga as I do, or sit. Or bend over. I mean..let's not think about that any longer...but the point I was trying to make is...

I may not finish.
And that. is. ok.
I will be surrounded by the love of my parents, partner, and friends. That will be enough. Trying is what I am promising to do.



For those of you that know me, and know me well, this self-kindness is not something that comes easily, but I have really been humbled by this stress-fracture and I know that everything happens for a reason. And maybe the reason for it to happen this way was for me to be able to ENJOY this race. ENJOY the process, finish or not. PRACTICE self kindness. TRUST in myself, my feet, my faith, my determination, maybe even my pure stubbornness -- because lets face it, I've got plenty of that.


Twin Cities Marathon -- 2013. That's what I'll be doing this weekend :) 

Everything Summer (Recap in Fast Forward)

Wow blog world. I've been absent :) Summertime is  almost over, and I haven't wanted to miss a beat!! Hence my absence. :) Lo siento!

All things Texas: Sunshine, dirt roads, family, graduation, friends, beer, grill, pets. I mean, need I elaborate? Our family is growing up and transitioning to something different, which will take some adjusting. My youngest brother graduated, so pretty soon we will all be out of the house
 *woah* It's such a blessing to see my sweet brothers grow up and become men.
How strange is that? My "little" brothers aren't so little, and it's so great to see our relationships grow and deepen. Can't imagine not having those crazies.

All things Florida: One of my favorite family vacations. We truly enjoyed each other and it was such a blessing to have my partner join in on the family fun this year, as well as Devin, my brothers' partner. While it was different to be missing the WHOLE fam, it was great to relax just us 5 and reconnect. We saw some dolphins, watched Shark Week, saw a sea turtle, kayaked, I ran in the rain, and we slept a lottttt. Sound perfect? It was. :)


Running: WELLLLLLLP. I was training for the Twin Cities Marathon, and I suffered a stress fracture. Right after 14 miles. *sob story* I was doing great with my training and had read some really great books on eating for running and Ha's marathon guide. However, since then I've been doing yoga (namasteeeee) and riding my bike some and cutting back on my runs dramatically.
Dramatically = one run a week, 3-4 miles max. Since the first week in August. *ouch* I'm slowly adding in more runs but experiencing soreness in my R leg fibula, so I just listen to my body and adjust as necessary.

Really stinks. But, I am excited to be getting back to it. Fall is my favorite running season, anyhow <3
I'm still headed to MSP for the race to support my friend Kelly and run the last 5-6 with her, and spend some fun quality time with my parents and P-I-C (partner in crime). Really looking forward to it! I just got a new running belt since my last one was acting crazy, and I got a sweat belt to maybe help shed some extra inches in the belly. If not, oh well, it is supposed to support better breathing and posture, so I'll be trying that out the next few weeks!

In other news -- Michael got a new job -- so no more overseas traveling! Exciting stuff. That's all about that.

This semester is going to be exciting and packed -- and I am so excited to be starting my last year as a graduate student at MSU. #gogreen
I'm interning at the Michigan State University Counseling Center and have been there since the beginning of July. I have been learning so much and really enjoying the experience. I'll be there for the year! I'll also be waiting tables once a week, working as a nanny, and doing a work study at the East Lansing Hot Yoga studio that I LOVELOVELOVE in exchange for free yoga practice. While this is a very busy time for me, I am focused on being present in each day, and allowing myself to love this time, as come May it will be over, and I will then miss it. Such is life.

I realize I am LATEEE to this gem of a show, but The Newsroom, anyone?! Hello, my new favorite show. Just started Season One and officially in love. I wish I wasn't, because I have papers to write, but this show is seriously good.

Traverse City: Bayshore Half Marathon Photo Dump

Hey guys!! Here to recap my fun weekend in Traverse City! For those of you that don't know, Traverse City is in northern Michigan (about 4 hours north from the Lansing area) on Lake Michigan, known for wineries, cherries, and beautiful lake views. And I'm sure the trees are stunning in the fall. Anywayyyy The Bayshore Marathon, half, and 10k is super popular and the spots sell out so fast. I got up at 8AM on registration day in order to be able to race it. It's no joke. So, Friday I drove to Grand Rapids to meet Kelly and we drove up. It was a beautiful drive! 

Pack light? What's that mean?

On our way :) 

So we got there and immediately got our race stuff together for Saturday morning. We had to get up early (4:20A) so we wanted to be ready! 

Kelly had some work friends who were running the race too, but were staying at the campsite next door to our hotel, so Friday night we went there and hung out/ate/laughed. It was really chilly so the fire was perfect.

It was STILL chilly Saturday morning. Like low 30s. Getting up and standing around for an hour and a half before our race started was not fun. We whined a bit (not a shock).

Yay the sun came out and was SUPER bright. I think this is a great look for us, agreed?

This was our view for basically the whole race -- and it was stunning.

We finished the race on the Traverse City Central track which was kinda cool. The post-race treats included: cherry ice cream (Moomers), homemade cookies, chocolate milk, bagels....and the kitchen sink :)

Driving up the peninsula!

Old Mission Lighthouse

Grand Traverse Chateau winery

Obsessed.

What a view :)

Post-race celebratory wine tasting!

We took about a million of these. For your sake I'm only posting one.

Saturday night s'mores!

Sunday we went to breakfast (feeling FAMISHED) and walked around downtown TC before heading home. It was suchhhh a great weekend. I finally got to see a part of Michigan people love.

Someone was happy to have me home :)

Soooo --- as we watched the marathoners finish, Kelly and I said,"You know...I used to want to do a marathon..but now, no. There's no way..." Apparently that lasted about an hour...because now..

this.is.happening. 

SAY WHAT?!
Yep. It's official. We have decided to do the Twin Cities Marathon October 6th. I've got my training schedule all finished, and will start next weekend with an 8 mile run. I'm using Hal Higdon's Novice 2 marathon training plan, and just ordered a book called The New Rules for Marathon and Half Marathon Nutrition: A Cutting-Edge Plan to Fuel Your Body Beyond "the Wall" by Matt Fitzgerald.

Happy training :)