OBX Running

Feels AWESOME to be running again… minus the asthma and this cough that WILL.NOT.GO.AWAY! I love the two paths that I have ran in OBX and tonight the sunset was breathtaking. Lilly has been my little running buddy and keeping up with a fast pace under 9:30! 

#hope #fellowflowers #newrunninggear

DC Rock n Roll

                                            I finally convinced Katie to run a half marathon.

 I sent her the pic above to help her along with the decision and she quickly responded with this:

Touche Katie and welcome to the club! 

Decision day is Sunday, November 30th! Look how close I am to registering…! Wanting to get in a few longer runs to make sure my knee holds up and my lungs decide to play. 

Holy Hills

Got in an awesome 3.11 from school but holy hills. My lungs are NOT happy!

Run Happy

Today was my first real run since all of my knee issues! It wasn't pretty and I wanted to Q U I T after .01 miles but it made my soul happy! I didn't really want to quit but it wasn't an easy run and I became frustrated at the endurance I have lost due to injury. 

Adding Pink

I am slowly adding more pink to my Marathon Training schedule which feels awesome - well awesome-ish. As soon as I get through the heartache of not running the marathon next weekend I will replace the calendar with a new running schedule. I don't have a big race on the calendar yet because I am really waiting to see how my knee/hip do over the next few weeks and on some longer runs. I am excited for a new white plan that will slowly become a solid block of pink minus all of the scribbles and sad faces. 

We like Color Runs

Katie and I really like color runs! Run or Dye is where I started my running journey what seems like forever ago. Katie asked me to do that race with her for over a month before I finally showed up on race day in white. I can't help but be a little sentimental :)! The Color Run at Nat's Stadium was our 3rd color run together!

November Race

Hello November! Where did you come from? October came and went and I didn't get to run a race but I kicked off November with one of the #happiest5ks - The Color Run with some of my favorite colleagues! It was a chilly morning and I kept reminding Katie (and everyone) that we've ran in colder and worse weather (rain, snow, sleet). The Color Run course is usually at National Harbor but this time we got to race through National's Stadium which was REALLY cool. We started the race running into the stadium and around the bases and made our way throughout the whole stadium and parking lot from bottom to top (which my knee wasn't a real fan of). My knee/hip held out and it was almost a PR which is awesome for stopping at least twice for #runfies - 27:47. Everyone had a blast and  even "the nonrunners" are already asking to do this race again in the spring :)! 

Marathon but not so fast...

I don't even know where to begin but I am crushed with disappointment which may explain why it has taken me so long to post because that will make it all the more REAL. Following the Diva Dash Half I have not been able to walk, let alone run without severe pain. I took the end of September off and started seeing a chiropractor. He is an amazing doctor and we exhausted pretty much all treatment options. October came and went with little improvement. I had to pass up running the Army 10 Miler and I wasn't able to run at the Marine Corps Marathon with Kimberly. I also had to make the decision to defer the Richmond Marathon until next year which hurt my heart and soul. I know to most people it's just a race, and a silly race at that. Honestly, who would want to run 26.2 miles? Most people don't even like driving that far but 26.2 has become so much more than a number to me. 26.2 has taught me so many things and instilled a unique sense of confidence and strength knowing that I can do anything that I put my mind to. I may have shed tears over this decision but I also realized that the start line will be there next year and it is about so much more than crossing that finish line. My journey has truly been amazing and I have come so far as a runner over the past year. One year ago when Kimberly and Eileen had just finished the marathon I remember thinking that I while I admired them, marathoner was not a title I ever wanted to chase. So my running journey continues just not exactly how I had planned... which seems to be the story of my life.

"Success has been and continues to be defined as getting up one more time than you've been knocked down."