Girls Weekend....

This weekend I went with seven of my girlfriends to Isle of Palms, SC for a weekend of fun in the sun.  We all went through the same training program right out of college and then got placed in various places so we do not see each other very often.  I was very excited to see everyone, but knew that my running schedule would probably suffer given the increased humidity and temperature and of course the amount of drinking and eating that would be involved.  We all got in around 10:30 Friday night and planned on staying in and catching up a bit before hitting the hay – pretty good set up for my Saturday morning run.  Flash forward to 4:45 in the morning and, after “catching up” aka drinking all night, I was just getting into bed.  Great choice…  My alarm went off at 8:30 and the last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed and into my running gear.  Before I would have taken the excuse that I had a long week and I deserved some R&R, but I mustered together what little motivation I had and was out the door by 9.  Already hot and muggy as hell and I could feel every hour of sleep I missed and every beer I drank. 

I’m into making bargains with myself and the one that I made that morning was that I would not even take my watch I would just go until I couldn’t make it another step.  Granted I crawled along most of the way, but I ran for about 40ish minutes according to my iPod and mental time.  Not too shabby really given the circumstances.  In the beginning I felt awful, but then I got in my usual groove and enjoyed my surroundings.  I could smell the ocean air the whole time.  As I normally do running anywhere I looked at all the houses and picked out a couple that I would settle on for a future pad – given winning the lottery etc.  Then I ran across the bridge to Sullivan’s Island which was breathtaking – I even saw a group of dolphins.  Then I ended my run and took off my shoes to walk along the beach back to our condo.  Although it is hard to do sometimes incorporating running as I travel really has its benefits.  I was able to see the neighborhoods and scenery in a different perspective than I would have in a car.  

Introduction

I’m running my first marathon here in Charlotte in December!  Whoa Nelly!  I’ve run a fair amount of races in the past including a half marathon last fall and I ran cross country in high school. However do not let these facts give you the impression that am I a hard-core runner.  I’m not fast nor do I have the body of your typical runner.  I am a pretty average girl that just likes to run.  If you are looking for great professional level tips and ideas this is probably not the blog for you to follow.  If you want to get a couple of good laughs and maybe a little motivation than I am your girl.

So I feel like I should give a little background to why I decided to run a marathon and also why I decided to blog about my last months of training.  I have had a pretty tough and crazy year.  In the last 5 months alone I lost both of my grandparents and moved to a new city (unrelated occurrences just happened all at once).  Other than loss this year I really am happy with my life –I have a job I love, a wonderful boyfriend, and amazing friends and family.  Even though looking at where I am at 24 I feel pretty pleased sometimes I still get the feeling I’m just watching my life happening and I’m not sure I know the girl living it anymore.  Call it a quarter life crisis or whatever you want, but I decided that no matter what happened this year I am going to end 2010 on a good note!  So that gives you an idea to why I’m running a marathon, but why blog about it?  Anyone that runs, bikes, swims, or walks, knows you think about everything while you’re alone and in the zone.  I have my deepest musings about life while on a run.  After my grandfather died this spring after the funeral in Maryland, where I grew up, I came home to North Carolina and moved from Winston-Salem to Charlotte the next week.  I was so caught up in my new role at work, my new apartment, and getting to know a new city and the people in it I left my feelings of grief and sadness home in Maryland.  I wouldn’t call myself happy, but I just was not feeling much of anything.  Anyways on a long run one weekend morning something triggered a memory and I just lost it.  Months later I can’t remember what it was it that set it off – it could have been an old man I passed or some other association I had with my Granddad.  I cried almost the whole way home.  Good thing I sweat so much because no one I passed probably even noticed.  The important part was when I got home I felt better than I had when I left for my run.   I've also had countless other less sad thoughts and ideas while running - and I want to have record of the good and the bad.

Okay so down to the nitty gritty.  If you are thinking that I am right on track with my training schedule you are pretty wrong.  I have breezed in and out of my training schedule for many silly excuses – travelling, long hours at the office, and probably the biggest culprit this oppressive Southern heat and my inability to get up in the morning and run before work.  Anyways I’ve been back on the wagon – I am making running a priority in my life!  Oh and the temperature has started to go down…