4 on the coast

buenos dias.
this morning i got to run 4 miles on the coast and although i felt sluggish, it felt good to get it done. it's funny how just a few months ago running seemed to consume my life. i thought about it all the time (mostly dreaded it), ate what would be best for running, planned my life around it, etc. and although i still have been very diligent about my training, it has taken on a different feel. it's just not as big of a deal as it used to be. it's just something i do. and i like that.
saturday i got to run for the first time with my sis. like, ever. did we ever go running together miq? i don't think so. they were down for the weekend for drew's birthday and joined us for the cf walk. mom, julia, clint and owey all walked along with shar and her family while miq and i ran the 4 miles. it was soooo hot down at mission bay, and we all got sunburned. it was fun to run with miq though, even though we were dodging walkers the whole time and pretty embarrassed by our spandex in front of people we actually knew. oh well. and here's mique sporting the spandex. shucks, i don't have any pictures of me. how did i miss that? :)

doesn't she look hot? love you miq!
i got to run on the coast today since clint's last day was friday and i really want to make these last few runs memorable here in san diego. pretty sure it'll be a little different in idaho. oh, and i wore my run girl run shirt today. breakin it in. it was great. no problems.
and now, only one run separates us from d-day. i thought i would be so much more nervous, but i really am not. i know i have worked hard to be ready. i am physically and mentally prepared. i am confident of what my body is capable of. and overall, i am just excited to reach the culmination of this whole experience. but really, it won't be the end, because i'm addicted now. (especially when people keep telling me that it looks like i never had a baby.)

Note to self...

Do NOT get sunburned any time in the next week. Wearing a sports bra on a very sunburned back is VERY painful! (I made this mistake today) So despite our crazy warm weather (which I am PRAYING will be gone by Memorial Day), I am going to lay on the sunscreen all next week because this sucks!

Also, just wondering if anyone has gotten their shirts. I was totally scared by the whole "sizes run extremely small" thing since I would be a large or xl even if they ran normal. I ordered a 2xl and I had to pay EXTRA so I really hope it fits! Has anyone received theirs yet?

I have been meaning to post a pic but I just can't seem to get one (leaning out the car window with my cel phone is NOT the way to get a picture) but they posted all of the street closure signs along the race route. It is SO scary when I see them because I am like, wait that is because I am going to be running on these roads! For 13.1 miles! AHHHH!

eminem+christina= true love forever,m

5 miles today would have been impossible had it not been for a few clutch moments from my good friends christina and eminem. just like all good friends, they always pull through when you need them the most.
my mom came to watch owey this morning for the last time (boo-wah) and i headed out the door to face the heat and the hills. somehow that combination managed to suck out all the energy and motivation i had in me within the first mile or so, and i was just not excited to be running. at one point, the little whiner voice in my head almost talked me into cutting the route short and it was then that eminem saved my little runner life. ok, not really, but once i heard that first line i knew there was no way i was doing anything but 5 miles today - like it or not.
"Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity To seize everything you ever wanted-One moment Would you capture it or just let it slip?"
i know. so cheezy, but it get's me every time.
renewed energy, i overcame the whiner in me and pushed forward through the streets so aptly named:

yes, longrun drive and high bluff. pretty much sums it up.
yet still i had the steepest hill of the course in the last mile, and i was fully prepared to skip back to eminem to get me through it. and that's when my girl christina showed up.
"'Cause it makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
It makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
Makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter"
and that's how i made it through 5 miles today folks. true story.
oh, by the way - i ran 3 on tuesday. woopdee.

push through

last night i ran 5 miles on the treadmill. had to push through my laziness and lack of discipline these days.
watching dancing with the stars to distract me definitely helped.
so, 5 miles, 50 minutes. yippee.
i have no idea when i am going to run today- i just can't find it in me to push the stroller.
ordered shirts for amy and i - hopefully they'll be here in time!
13 more days!

Eleven

All the gory details here.

only 7 more.

so, you may think i am talking about 7 more miles to do after the 6 i ran this morning to equal a half-marathon. while that is true (sick) that is not the 7 i am referring to. i'm talking about the 7 more runs to do... # 7 being the half-marathon itself. i must say, the thought of only 6 more training runs evokes all kinds of emotion: excitement, fear, thrill, anxiety, nausea (is that an emotion?), anticipation, terror... you know... all the good ones. i have been looking forward to this for what seems like forever and the last few weeks have definitely dragged on. but, now that race day is a little more than 2 weeks away, it kinda freaks me out.
anyhow- this morning was fine. nothing too eventful. unless you count my running to victory at the end of the 6 miles going up hill and finally getting to the stopping point to hear horns honking and a car full of young women and leaders from our ward flailing out the windows at me. on their way to a service project, i'm sure the last thing they wanted to see to inspire "good works" was me in all my sweaty spandex glory. and the humiliation begins. i guess i'd better get used to it and get over it. or i could just move away to a place where no one knows me and won't care if i am sweaty and spandexy. like maybe rexburg?

p.s. should i be worried that i have posted 6 of the last 7 posts? peeps? are you out there?

beware of the groove...

i finally found my groove again after several "not good" running days lately. this morning my mom came to watch owey while i ran and i was able to get a good 5 mile run in. i felt great- no foot problems, no sore muscles, a good course, and good music. all in all, it felt awesome to be back.
side note: one of these days i want to do a humanitarian service project that involves carrying several dozen extra sports bras with me as i run and handing them out to perfect running strangers who have yet to understand the power of a good sports bra. or two. don't you think their lives would be changed forever? i do.