Three Years!

This week marks the third anniversary of my running/blogging - wow! This chance to reflect on the impact running has had on my life has been important. As always, life gets so busy, and it's easy to make excuses. I don't just mean excuses to not work out, but excuses to cut out things that are important to us, just because they're not linked to work or "being productive." When there's an endless list of things to do, it's easy to drop off the "me" time, which for me, is really what running is.

Yesterday, I ran in my first 10k and it was great! In a nearly game day decision, Ryan decided to run with me and it made what could have been a cold and nerve-wrecking race fun and fast. At one point along the route, we were running behind two older women who had just connected while running. One of them may have had headphones in (or was just really loud), so it was easy to follow their conversation. It went something like this:


Lady 1: There you are! I was looking for you all morning.
Lady 2: Hi! Good to see you. Keep going. I don't want to hold you back.
Lady 1: No, don't be silly. I'm staying with you. I want to run together.
Lady 2: No, No. Go ahead. 
Lady 1: I don't want to go ahead. I want to run this with YOU!! 

This doesn't even do the scenario justice - it was perfect. People run for so many different reasons and whether or not one of those reasons involves other people, the camaraderie and relationships built and strengthened out on the road are truly priceless. I've gotten so much out of running, but when I think about the runs I've shared with friends, I am so thankful for this extra time together. I have no doubt that I wouldn't feel the way I do about running if it weren't for them - thank you!

After the 10k yesterday, we went to see David Sedaris speak/read and it was awesome. He was hilarious, and aside from being unable to walk after from my knees being so tight, it was a lot of fun. After his reading, he took questions from the audience and someone asked how touring had impacted his self-confidence and ego. He talked about how while at first he loved the applause and positive reinforcement from his audiences, he quickly realized how easy it was to dismiss this praise - "Oh what do they know?!" He talked about how being a writer from The New Yorker was what really solidified his feelings about and confidence in his work. Regardless of what people said, no one, not even he, could deny the fact that his work was good enough for The New Yorker. 

I immediately related to this. It's so easy to dismiss praise and compliments from others if we don't believe in ourselves. While I pride myself on being self-reflective, it's a challenge to avoid being my harshest critic, overlooking what is undeniably there. Thinking about this, I decided to see how much I had run over these past three years. Aside from a few indoor runs on the track, most of my runs have been logged through a few different apps/devices, so I set out to collect and crunch the numbers. The purpose isn't to boast or brag, but to give myself solid evidence that even I couldn't dispute. 

And now I have it. In three years, I've run 1179 miles over 270 runs - WHAT! That's nearly the equivalent of running from my current apartment in Michigan to my old one in Philadelphia....and then back to Michigan. My relationship with running is still far from perfect - I still dread, avoid, and skip runs. I still struggle to find the motivation to get out the front door. I still have days where something I've done dozens of times feels like it's the first time. Nevertheless, the time I've put into running over the past three years has had an incredible impact on my life and who I am. For me, running is more than one foot in front of the other. It's all the things that come along with it - the memories, friendships, accomplishments. It's the new places I've seen and the old places I've seen in a new light. Here's to another wonderful year of all these great things....and some running too :O).

Journey//Don't Stop Believin'

Last week, I received the answer to 10 questions I had responded to a year ago, during the 10 days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (really cool – check out 10Q). Especially since I was just beginning a new chapter in my life one year ago – moving to a new place, not even having a job – it’s really cool to read about where I was then and to reflect on the journey from there to here.

Having this blog has really allowed me to quite literally track my progress, or really, my journey through the past few years. While I was stretching the other morning, I flipped the print-copy of my blog (thank you friends!) and read back over some of my firsts – first struggles with finding a balance to get it all done, first 6-10 mile long runs, first half marathon. While life is always flooding us with new musts, goals, and things to reach for, it's important to remember where we're coming from...and sometimes, just how far we've come.

  

Lani after her first half!

In addition to it being the start of the Jewish new year, this week has also been the mark of many journey ends and new beginnings around me. Even though Lani only just signed up to run her first half back in February, it has certainly been an ongoing journey of a few years even, especially as she battled through an injury that delayed her initial race earlier this summer. Beyond that, I think back to all our runs together in Philly and think how awesome it’s been to watch her come so far. Yesterday morning, she crushed her first half in Denver, the place she now calls home - so proud of her!

Dr. RJW

While she was doing that, I was back in the Mid-West, checking out South Bend and touring Notre Dame. I love seeing new campuses, especially when the tour guide is a friend who feels the way I do about my alma mater. Tour guide/favorite friend, Joe, just moved back to ND after 5 years away, taking with him his new, shiny doctorate degree. Oh and by the way, he put us in our place this afternoon when he informed us that while wrapping up his dissertation, he was banging out first-time mileage at a pace that leaves me gasping for breath just thinking about it (warning: you will be pressured into running a half soon). Anyway, talk about JOURNEY!

Life is ever changing and all we can hope is that when the changes come, we can appreciate them. If they’re not easy changes, I try to find a reason for it or push myself to make the most of it. I think it’s these things that help us to become problem solvers, as we strive to be content and satisfied, to be fulfilled, regardless of the things that come our way.

Running has taught me a lot about "the journey." They say it’s not about the destination and any runner who runs loops around the block or does a long run, just to end up back where they started, will confirm that. While we hope our destination – where you live, where you end up professionally, the finish line of your first race, the beginning of a new chapter after working hard in the last one – is one we love, it’s true that it’s all about the journey we took to get there. It’s about the unexpected things we found along the way, about the lessons we learned, and the people we met. Each journey gives us something different and it’s up to us to take that gift…and run.

Running for a Cause

As the Detroit Half inches closer and closer, I'm working hard to attempt to balance work/personal time that includes adequately preparing myself for this race. Mentally, I'm committed and want to put in the time and work (usually...), but it's hard to find the hours to do it all on some days and that extra hour of sleep vs. an extra workout is a tough sell for me at this point. After skipping a mid-week run, I was a little nervous about yesterday's long run. In addition to it being 9 miles, it was the first long run I was going to be doing alone this time around, since Ryan is back home this weekend. On repeat, I reminded myself that every time before now, I had done these long runs on my own. Nevertheless, I've gotten used to running with someone for them and it can be daunting to think of covering the same milage solo.

Despite my worries though, the run went great! The weather was perfect and I even squeezed out an extra quarter-of-a-mile at the end to get myself all the way home. I definitely still see a big need to cross train, and so yet again, I will see if/where I can squeeze it in when I'm not eat/sleep/breathing school work. It's hard that naturally I have the most time on the weekends, but I like to give myself the day after the long run off. I don't want to make impulsive decisions and pushing myself in the wrong way and regretting it. 

Even running alone though, I had A LOT to think about and keep me going. In the next two months, FIVE of my close friends are running for 3 different worthwhile causes - the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. I know the commitment it takes to train and fundraise for a half (forget even thinking about the FULL!), and it overwhelms me with good feelings to think of how many of friends are willing to put others before themselves to make this commitment. Of course, I also thought a lot about my first half in Philly (which Beckerman is running today!!!) and how it felt to run for a cause I cared so much about. I remember so many of the little details of the day and I'm THRILLED Beckerman is experiencing it all RIGHT NOW! I'm eager to hear how her morning went and while I wish I were there cheering her on, I'm sending all kinds of love and good thoughts back to the place where it all started for me!

Lansing Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the Lansing Half, and while I have been mildly dreading it due to my recent lack of motivation, I feel like I am finally in the right mindset and as ready as I'm going to be! The weather should be perfect - low 40's and sunny - and although I know nearly nothing about the course, I do know it will be relatively flat - score! If nothing else, the medal looks awesome.

Ryan's parents are in for the weekend, as his dad will be running the full in Lansing tomorrow, and my parents have sent their love and support via delicious fruit basket - THANKS J&D! xo

Hope Express 2012 - Mail Call/Leg 2

After enjoying a nice chocolate milk, I had from midnight to about 6am before I had to even think about running again. In this time, I stretched and roll out my muscles, and while I wanted to try to sneak in a few minutes of sleep, there was a part of me that just didn't want to miss anything (and I just couldn't fall asleep!). The weather got crummy after my leg, with an intense fog in which we could barely see just in front of the RV. We drove our first mountains, which is always tricky...you feel for the runner who is about to climb said mountain on foot. This would be the time when having telepathic powers would be most useful to me, to tell my teammates how awesome they were and how much I knew they could do it. Lauren killed her first mountain and then Mark destroyed his. I have no words for the respect I have for these two as runners and, more importantly, as people. They have so much heart - it's amazing.

At around 6am, our amazing moralers brought us over an enormous mailbox containing all of our mail! It was perfect timing, as I knew I had

my hardest run coming up. I laughed and cried my way through several packages and dozens of letters. I cannot even begin to say how grateful I felt for all of the love and support, all of the encouraging words and messages of love. Many cards and letters reminded me why I was

running and talked about the kids who fight every single day and never give up. Others had me laughing so hard I was in tears - funny pictures, goofy cards - and those reminded me to not take myself so seriously....and helped me from completely freaking out before starting that second leg.

I knew going into it that that second leg was going to be my greatest challenge. From what I thought I knew, Bobby was climbing a mountain and I was responsible for getting us over the last mile of it, and then alllll the way down. I know very well how mental running is, so I had prepped myself for this.....relying heavily on the fact that my calculations and assumptions were true. I was VERY focused on getting through one brutal mile....which turned out to be 3+ miles. While it started out as a slow incline, it turned vertical fast. It's hard to describe what went

down in those miles, both in actuality and in my mind, but I'll tell you this - it was the hardest run I have ever and most likely will ever run in my life. The hummer had taken a pit stop to use the bathroom, so a car of AMAZING moralers were trailing me and it honestly brings me to tears just thinking about how much they kept me going, getting out of the car to encourage me on. Having them and Ryan's determined dad, Rege, who popped up continuously throughout the entire journey, helped to keep me from dropping to the pavement. I kept telling myself that the only way I could, and would, be able to enjoy the down would be if I fought my way to the top...and that's life. We get through the tough times and they help us to appreciate the blessings we have (or in my case, a few miles of down hill :O).

When I finally saw the signs warning trucks to slow down and prepare for a decline, I was able to take some deep breaths, dry my eyes, and realize I was actually going to make it the rest of the way. I nearly lost my breath again when U2's "Beautiful Day" came on and I had an incredible view of the world below me. I remember the exact moment during last year's run (running at 2am in the calm of the dark night) when I realized how beyond lucky I was for the chance to run like a crazy person for something I care so much about.

Again, there is so much more I could attempt to say, but I will

share it for my HE teammates in my recap to them. When I finally saw the RV and heard everyone cheering, marking the end of my second leg, I lost it again and broke down. A few hours later, I told Ryan about a Henry Ford quote that was hanging up in the RV and he shared this one with me - "Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right." Can I get an AMEN!?

FOUR DAYS!

In four days, we will run for the kids. For all the nerves I was feeling last week, I'm not feeling twice as much excitement and just plain 'ol excitement - I can't wait!!

Today's final long run was through a bunch of new places, since I went running while waiting for my oil to get changed. It was a pretty excuse to check out some new places, all of which looked AWESOME with a beautiful covering of snow. That being said, a few of the parks (and a nature center!) that I ran through gave me an extra kick in the butt as I had to work extra hard to not slip and fall on the snowy paths.

HUGE thank you to the lovely Amanda Emmerling for such a thoughtful note/pre-HE package, which included directional socks (!) and wild shorts, in honor of the running tights Hope Express has graced me with (pictures of them next week!). The socks rocked and I loved them when I tested them out the other night. I'm sad that the shorts will not be able to bring them along this weekend...I guess two years of spring weather in February would be getting a little greedy :O). THANK YOU HANSELL!

pre-pick jitters

Prior to this evening's "cross training work out" of ice skating (which I was really looking forward to..until I realized ice skating = really cold out = winter is coming quickly), I wanted to attempt to capture my emotions of the day. The 2012 Hope Express teams are being selected tomorrow, and I have been shown so much love and support from friends, family, friends of family and family of friends...wow! It's hard to verbalize it all, other than how blessed I feel to be so well supported and how glad I am that I set out to take on something that, if selected, will be a huge challenge for me, but will be for a cause I feel so strongly about. Beyond that, Hope Express is, just as its name suggests, is about HOPE...bringing hope to the Four Diamonds families during their fight against cancer. As I've been shown in the past weeks, also bringing hope to the loved ones in my life...reminding them of how much we are each capable of and the power we have to make an impact on the lives of others. I would be honored to run at part of this year's HE team, and will be bummed if I'm not selected, but regardless of what happens, I am so glad that I know I'll be involved in making the event a success and with continuing to spread the word, the love, and the hope.

And on that note, a BIG good luck to Deanne this weekend as she sets out to dominate 26.2 miles in NYC this weekend for TNT/LLS. We've come a long, long way from slothing it in the HUB...I'm beaming with pride!

Too good for a title!

Two things I love this week:

1. I am so incredibly grateful for the love and support from my family and friends as I train for Hope Express...wow wow wow!

2. This picture:

Ordinary people doing EXTRAORDINARY things

"My goal has always been to introduce other people to running. They might accomplish something they never thought they could." - Grete Waitz

The arrival of this quote in my inbox was so appropriate (as always, since the person who sends them out stalks me/my life/this blog apparently...always perfectly timing them). In the past two days, I have had two fellow runners (who I look up to and admire for their passion for running and dedication to achieve once unfathomable goals) paid me the biggest compliment by telling me that I inspire them to run, encourage them to push themselves. It is really the best feeling, especially as I begin to start mapping out my next training plan (re: HOPE EXPRESS EXTREME 2012! More to come! Donations being accepted now!). It's what I love so much about running. Everyone can do it...really. It's just having enough courage to believe in yourself.

As part of a surprise trip home to the East this weekend, I spent a few hours at the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton to cheer Ryan's dad, Rege, on in his first marathon (at which he did AWESOME!!) and one of the SICKEST runners I know, Rachel Wise. It was neat to be at a different kind of marathon, since my only other marathon experiences were in (much!) bigger cities. It was really nice to be able to travel with ease throughout the course and really great to be able to get up close and personal to finish line, watching the wide range of ways people handled approaching the end of 26.2 miles. It was pretty awesome.

Congratulations to Rege and Rachel on kicking butt yesterday. It was a lot of fun cheering you on and seeing all of your hard work pay off!

Hello Scranton!

Congrats on your first marathon!

(This is pretty much what Rachel looked like yesterday)

Summer 2011 in Review

ek! I hate that I have been MIA, but I'd like to think it has been with good reason. I haven't been able to write in a little while since I haven't written in a little while, so I want to cut to the chase and break the dry spell! Here it goes (A LOT happened...so I'll try to stick to what's relevant, as dictated by my iPhoto account):

Over 4th of July weekend, I enjoyed some wonderful group runs, including a visit to Central Park.

(I think this was: Gold star to you for running! Sindy is a marathoner, so she was not as excited/didn't feel as impressed with herself as we were...)

Penn State Roommate Weekend = Lots of dancing and running in place to up Amanda's step-counter numbers.

In honor of becoming a Master, Lani and I went to celebrate Christmas in July (as well as in 100 degrees) with the Phillies and I FINALLY met the man of my dreams, the Philly Phanatic. Dreams DO come true!

Trips to Whirled Peace required some walking...and lots of spoon lifting.

I don't have any pictures of my AM runs with LB, but they were the glue to my summer. Oh...and we accomplished our long-time dream of running to Conshohocken!

And I moved to Michigan....

Pictures from one of my first runs in Ann Arbor with Ryan's dad, Rege. Ann Arbor is FILLED with parks (157 to be exact), so it makes for beautiful runs...and hopefully more frequent posts.

love letter to DC

Dear Bo Obama,

While I'm disappointed that I didn't see you this weekend at the half-marathon, I wanted to take a moment to write you a note. I would've thought a lover of running would have been out there on the sidelines barking us on, but that's another issue...

Before I get to the meat and beans of how MY run went, I wanted to tell you how utterly glad I was to run my second half-marathon in DC! It happened by "accident," in that I didn't intentionally set out to run DC specifically, but I'm so glad it happened. The course itself was fun (and I feel fair saying that because it was still a challenge for me....many little slopes up, which is not typically my scene), and the perfect weather/sunshine didn't hurt! But what perhaps made it so enjoyable for me was all the love and support from the sidelines! There were a bunch of crowded cheering sections that had me laughing, dancing, and smiling a tonnn! Fun signs included: Chuck Norris never ran a marathon/Naked cheerleaders one mile ahead! HOW FUNNY! There were two sections when we ran through Howard University that were just going nuts and perhaps, for me, the love from the city was summed up when I saw what I'm pretty sure were workers from Safeway standing outside literally just handing out full bottles of water from the store...like they saw all these people running by and thought, "They need and deserve water! Let's just literally give them water!!" I was just so happy and impressed and glad to be a part of such a well-received group of runners!

Some mid-run shots!

Now Bo, although you weren't there to show your love and support, I know you care...so let me quickly tell you how it went. My ankle had been really bothering me for about two weeks. It was fine when I ran last weekend, but I felt it constantly when I walked and being on my feet all day at work didn't help. Also, to lay it completely out there: I was completely freaked out. Running a half-marathon will always be a huge task for me, and I certainly didn't attack this one like my first. Instead of focusing on what I HAD been doing over the past few months, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I hadn't been doing. Well, once the race started, I blocked all those thoughts out and just ran! The entire race went well and I managed to hop right over that mile 10/11 wall I was terrified of. I kept a good pace the whole time and when those hi...I mean, slopes appeared before me, I imagined AJG behind me cheering me on (my mental images got a little more creative than that, and may have included Kevin Little AND Kevin Bacon on a motorcycle...with bagpipes) and kept me LAUGHING!), a shout out to a MISERABLE run last June! For that, I'm forever thankful! I was SO ELATED to finish in 2 hours, 6 minutes - 6 minutes faster than my time in September!! wow! I actually, literally wanted to cry the moment I crossed the finish line, but I was breathing hard and thought that, along with crying, would escalate things quickly...and I didn't want the people around me to think I was having a panic attack, rather than just being really, really happy!!

As always, I never would've been able to have such a great day without all the love and support of those around me, both here in DC and from afar. All the texts and facebook posts warmed my heart and if nothing else, pressured me into doing my best! It was SO wonderful to be with Dave before the race, so I didn't psych myself completely out (he, by the way, did completely awesome on his FIRST half-marathon and raised a ton of money for LLS!). Beckerman, Terri, and my ever supportive boyfriend, Ryan, the love of my life who is always rooting me on - thank you all for being along the course, for fighting the cold and the blocked roads and supporting me all along the course :O)!

So Bo, I thank you and your city for a great run, for an awesome time, and for an overall plain 'ol fabulous weekend! Write back soon and stay out of the trash can.

With Love,

Darian

Waiting with Dave for the race to begin!

Action shot...!

I made it!

you people never eases to amaze me

yes! YOU!

Just when I think that I've seen and felt it all, that I have officially "gotten" it, something else happens to remind me of the incredible power of the human spirit. Most recently, it seems to "wow" me when it's linked to running/other such activities (of course, this doesn't exclude all the other acts of kindness, good heart, and passion), as I realize how time consuming training is and how simply ONGOING it is. Committing to run a marathon for the good of others isn't just about writing some letters or planning a fundraising night. It's about waking up early on Saturdays, about prioritizing in a way that oftentimes doesn't come natural, in making choices that every part of you, excluding your heart/especially your soles, tells you not to. Some people are naturally inclined to do these things..the rest of us can only do so with a purpose behind us, and even then, it's not a simple task.

Just when I felt myself hitting a plateau with my feelings towards running (not particularly good timing with a 13 miles approaching this weekend!), I received a pleasantly surprising email from a friend from college who will be running the NYC MARATHON this year for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with Team in Training! WOW WOW WOW! While I DID run appropriately 2% of last year's big event (although the picture link failed me, it's true! I was there!), I am completely FLOORED with the selflessness it takes to commit oneself to not only 26.2 miles for others, but, (and to me, more importantly) all that leads up to it! I am so beyond thrilled that I went to witness the sheer magnitude of the marathon this past November, because an event of that magnitude naturally means that many more incredible acts of love and dedication. The number of runners I saw who were doing it for causes they felt strongly about...it was amazing!

I am so lucky to have such amazing examples all around me of what it means to give, to love, and to live with a purpose. I saw it x 15 during Hope Express with a group of former strangers and I am so proud of how many of the people in my life choose to give so much of themselves on a regular basis. It is only by these examples that I can even dream of making a difference in this world.

With this wonderfully exciting news (along with my being inspired by dear friend (let's be real...we've crossed the border of friend-of-a-friend...right??) Dave Romanelli who is running for TNT this weekend as well...and will be done with his half marathon before I cross the half of a half mark...really...he's that amazing!), I feel REFRESHED and while this weekend's race isn't for anyone other than me (and even that is a push...kidding! think happy thoughts!), it renews my spirit and reminds me of the POWER that comes with running. I feels so wonderful!

Want to know how you can help? Support Deanne and her journey to run 26.2 miles, 26.2 miles closer to a cure!!

My Feelings (Journal)

I regret having not posted in a few weeks. My lack of words shouldn't be read as not having anything to say; it's actually the complete opposite. Although Hope Express was just 24 hours long, returning to Philly and to "regular life" was a huge adjustment back to reality..away from the pure magic. I've told people it's like the summer camp effect: time slows down and what normally takes weeks or months to happen occurs in just days, or in our case, hours. Incredible bonds were formed, trust built, and just so much love. It's been so hard for me to share this experience, but I know it's so important, because it's so important to me now, and it's something so special that MUST be shared! I don't want to keep rattling off cliques or generic statements (i.e. excessive use of the A/I adjectives: awesome, amazing, incredible, etc), but it's so difficult to put into words what happened in those 135 miles. It just felt like magic...it was magic.

I've really struggled with maintaining that FEELING of appreciation for life throughout the daily grind. We get so caught up in the little things, it's so easy to lose sight of the big picture. During my middle leg, 3 miles of rolling hills, somewhere in the middle of PA, between 2 and 3am, I felt it. I remember just looking up at the clear sky over and over again, deeply breathing in the night air, just wanting to cry tears of joy, because I felt so incredibly lucky to have the chance to be there, to just run with me and the small lights of the Hummer behind me...and that's it. So peaceful, making it seem all so easy.

Some of my amazing teammates outside Hershey Medical Center!

Taking a break from our dance party on the side of the road :O)

Hugging Morgan at the end of my last leg!

View of BJC from the top of Tussy Mountain!

The Hope Express 2011 Team....more love than even the Feelings Journal could hold

THON is tomorrow!/HE IS TODAY!!!

I CANNOT believe it's today! I woke up with such a range of emotions - excitement, uncertainty (what is this all going to look like?!), nerves, and plain 'ol fear. I feel like I'm on such a roller coaster just sitting here alone even. There are moments when I think - Can I really do this? And then it's followed with - I don't have a choice. The children at Hershey Medical//all over the world don't have a choice to fight their battle any less or to give up. I originally set out to participate in Hope Express to bring hope to others. I think of all the people in my life who inspire me - ordinary people doing extraordinary things. When it comes down to it, that's what I want my life to be - filled with extraordinary things that make a difference in the lives of others. I think it has to be, or else what am I even doing here?

My inbox has been filling up over the past few days with emails of inspiration and encouragement from past runners of Hope Express. I think about the time we will spend today at Hershey Medical with the kids, the reason this crazy dream was ever even dreamed. Life deals out so many cards that are out of our control. There are so many things we have no say over, good and bad. When I think about THON and about Hope Express and about so many of these amazing families I realize that it's not that black and white. Life must be all about the stuff in the middle - the things we do have control over, the place where we can work to make the bad better, where we can celebrate the good, the place where we can help one another. I chose to do this because of those who don't have a choice, whose cards were unfairly dealt, and whose battles are daily. Penn Staters talk about THON being a celebration, and I think it really is...it's a CELEBRATION of life, striving to make the lives we have the best ones they can be...which of course also means finding a cure so these kids can live all the days of their lives.

I feel like my heart is beating out of my chest with excitement and nerves and I can't believe that after YEARS of imagining what this would be like, it's finally here! Here's something important info:

• We leave Hershey at 6pm!
• Here's the map of the run.
• I will be running the 5th leg/miles 13-15, around 8pm; leg 19/miles 55-57, around 3:30am; and leg 34/miles 100-102, around 11:30am tomorrow morning!

Donations can still be made here (www.thon.org). Click "Organizations," and then select "Hope Express - Darian Leib!"

lots 'o WOW!

Yesterday, I had the pleasure and pure joy of being a cheerleader at the Philadelphia Half-Marathon/Marathon, specifically going to support my dear friend, Ms. Lindsay Brown, who completely ROCKED her first half-marathon - CONGRATS! Lani and I traipsed around the city to catch her a few times throughout the race and it was so great to see her looking so fabulous every single time (and it was pretty funny recognizing the same people again and again.."THERE ARE THE TURKEYS! Zebra pants! CINDDDDY"...and yes, each time I thought it was our Sindy, not a crown-wearing impostor!). We even ran to the finish line and got to see her cross (ANDDD hear her name! We started screaming and the people around us thought we were maniacs), and it honestly made my whole heart smile. Big events such as this make me really emotional, and it's honestly a wonder I didn't cry (tears of joy!) throughout the entire event. Watching so many people, friends and strangers alike, accomplish so much moves me. I think the feeling of pride I had when I finished my half-marathon and I feel that for all the people who run by me and get to feel that too! It's funny, because I don't say things like with the intention of them sounding like "Ohh look at me!;" it's more like "Look at me; I wasn't carried across the finish line via stretcher!" I've said from the get-go that I took on the half-marathon as a way to prove to myself I could set a big goal and hit it. When I think about that fact, and of all the people who have set that same goal, in addition to all the people in my life who have overcome challenges big and small - it's amazing. It's what puts life into perspective for me and (attempts to!) keep/s me grounded.

Once again, big MAZEL TOV to Lindsay - I knew you could do it...and do it so darn well! Congrats!

rumors and allegations

As you may have read in the local paper or seen pop up on your newsfeed, there has been recent discussion about my participation in the world famous New York City Marathon, which took place last weekend. The below pictures were even posted on the cover of the New York Times this past Monday following the race:

I'm here to set the record STRAIGHT:

Yes, I did attend this amazing event and yes, it would be believable to think that I would look this happy after running for multiple (and consecutive!) hours, and yes, some may call me a "marathoner," if you will. I mean, I DID, in fact, run .5/26.2 of the event!!!!!!!

But really - I'm so glad I was able to head up to NY last weekend to witness this MASSIVE event - some almost 45,000 people representing over 100 countries! I was THRILLED to be able to root on one of my biggest supporters during my half-marathon training (speaking of, it was so awesome seeing the over 200 runners who ran for Team Hole in the Wall - WOW!). And all kidding aside...I saw Jared from Subway fly by me as well! What a weekend!

So the pictures? If all that wasn't enough, I had the great fortunate at cheering Sindy on one-on-one during one of the last miles through Central Park. It was really awesome and a lot of fun, and somehow I managed sneak my way into a few of the professional pictures...so it's unofficially official!

Otherwise, a really good lesson learned about the power of cheering, especially towards the end. I am even more excited for the Philadelphia Half/Marathon coming up next weekend!

CONGRATULATIONS again to SINDALA!!! I'm so proud of you!!!!!

Good luck Tina!

Of course I am up at this early hour in the morning for no great reason....and aside from the fact that I went to bed super early last night (working is just so tiring!), I think I just be really excited for my boo TINA, who is running her first half-marathon this morning in Baltimore for the American Cancer Society. wow wow wow is all I can manage to get out right now! I am so excited for her...and may actually head out for a run rather than get back into bed (it's still undecided, because bed is still calling...but if nothing else, a run will be weaved into my day somehow in her honor). GO TINA!

got 13.1 miles?

After nearly SIX MONTHS of preparing, mentally and physically, today was my half-marathon!!! It's still hard for me to wrap my brain around this fact, even after it's come and gone. Let's take a look back:

I woke up this morning around 6AM, before my alarm even went off! I put on my already laid out outfit, my favorite running short and my Team Hole in the Wall jersey, gunk'ed up my toes, gliding up my body, and packed my bag! I threw on a long sleeve, because it was chilly! My parents came to pick me up EARLY, which is a big deal for them...I can see they got up before their alarm too! They dropped Ryan and I close to the start of the race and parked the car. Ryan walked around the start area with me, which I was so thankful for. Talking to him = less time alone with my thoughts and nerves! We ran into another person running for HITW, which was awesome! She was a nurse at camp and I saw her run by me during the race....kudos to her! At about 7:45, we met up with Meaghan, who dropped back to start the race with me...another huge point of thankfulness! Having her at the start line meant, again, I didn't need to be alone with my nerves. The waves went pretty quickly and the crowd moved fast up to the start line...I didn't have much time to think about. Before I knew it, we were running!!

Meaghan's parents were not too far from the start, so we saw them, and then saw my parents and Ryan shortly after (although they almost missed us...video to come!). The loop in the city went pretty well. I was honestly mildly dreading it, because the one time I ran it with Ryan, it bombed....so luckily it went great! I ran with Meaghan the whole time, and aside from knocking some guy's glasses over, it went well! While I had originally predicted a 10 minute mile, I didn't go into today with expectations of that...I wanted to make sure I'd last the whole time, so I hadn't expected to keep up at that, but running together had me doing it, which was fine! We ran past both sets of our parents again, and headed past the Art Museum up Kelly Drive. After some gu, I encouraged Meaghan to go ahead of me. I wanted to slow down a little bit, and while I was sad to see her go, I was SO incredibly thankful for the pleasant surprise of running almost half of it with a friend!

Just after we split up, I saw Lani on the sidelines...SCREAMING her face off at me, since I apparently didn't hear her! I'm not sure I would've even seen her had I not been going to the side to get water. Kelly Drive went well....I started to play the numbers game in my head, which I've been working all training to stop. How many miles have I gone? How many more left? How far until the next milestone in the course? It was hard to fight it, and I honestly couldn't just go quiet otherwise, which was a little stinky. I crossed the East Falls Bridge, which was definitely a great feeling. It was about half way over that I realized- Holy smokes (that's not really what I said to myself...)! This is actually about to happen!

I crossed the bridge and hit mile 10. Everything after that point was the furthest I had ever run, and I tried to keep reminding myself of that. I knew Rachel and her sister were somewhere along the course, and it was nice that they were further along the way than I had originally expected. It gave me something to look forward to and keep my eyes out for...although word to the wise: be cautious of how much energy you exert showing any supporters how thankful you were. I sorta went crazy and had to catch my breath afterward!

The end was a little hazy. There was a really good band I appreciated, but it came and went fast. Again, I couldn't stop myself, but it was a game. How much longer? How much further? I know that doesn't help, but I was starting to feel the miles and was ready to cross the finish line. Leading up to the end, the sidelines got thick with people and I couldn't believe I had made it. I just kept moving, and to my surprise, was even able to pick up a little bit of speed...honestly, anything to get me over that line that point!

My finish line photo isn't up yet, but as many of you know, it's something I had been looking forward to for a long time now....and fingers are crossed it's a little something I can keep me with (proudly) as a reminder of this incredible journey and amazing day!

There is still so much I want to and need to say about today and everything, but it will come later as I continue to digest it all. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from Janny and even two videos!

Video around Mile 1

Video at Mile 4