"Running is a mental sport.....and we are ALL insane" :-)

Haha! I saw that quote on a T-shirt at the race expo on Saturday. I should've bought it when I was there. Next time......

Anyway - a race re-cap - with pictures!!!

Firstly, it was - by far - the TOUGHEST race for me to get through. Not because it was a difficult course or because I wasn't prepared for it, I just kind of hit a wall around mile 8 - at which point I walked a few times. I did, however, still PR - 1:53.17 - which surprised me - made me think how fast I would've gone had I not walked - but oh well, that's what the next one is for! :-) May 22! But anywho - on to this race....

At the start, it was about 40 degrees at start time - so we came prepared in sweats that we could leave there to donate to shelters and organizations that help people. But before the start we took some pics :-) Of course...none during the race....I never bring a camera but thankfully Bethany brings hers otherwise I wouldn't have anything to show y'all!

I started out really well - felt good but honestly after mile 5 I needed to get into a rhythm and I just never did. I think that's why I sort of bonked at mile 8. At mile 7, the PW XCer's were handing out water and gatorade. I saw one of my lifeguards, Kyra, which gave me a boost of energy but I realized I took gatorade at this station instead of water which ended up giving me cramps in my side. Yuck. That was the first obstacle. Of course - me being the stubborn person I am - I just sucked it up and ran through them. Eventually they went away and at the next station I made the mental note to GRAB WATER instead of Gatorade.

Shortly after mile 7 - the hills started. At this point in the run we were in University City and I don't know why I didn't remember this hill - probably becauce I blocked it out - and for good reason. It's one of those gradual hills that laugh at you with every step you take up it. I didn't walk yet because I knew there was a downhill portion coming and the Zoo was up next so I was determined to keep going...but it was just after the Zoo and entering Fairmount Park where I walked. Around mile 9 I was like - ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! HOW RUDE! Now, I definitely remembered THIS hill. In fact, I told Bethany about it when we signed up for it. This hill is killer because it's about a half a mile and it's all UP. UGH. I started going up it - aaaaaaaaaaaaand then I walked.....and then I tried to run again....but I knew it wasn't worth it - I walked for about 2 minutes (what felt like 10) and then picked it back up for the last water/gatorade station on the course. The rest of the run was relatively flat and/or downhill (with the exception of the last little bit infront of the art museum.....but it was at this point where I was literally saying out loud "I don't even care if I go over 2 hours, just finish this." I was seriously ready to collapse at this point and the whole last two miles I thought I was going to throw up. My legs felt like lead. No lie.

Eventually I finished - thank the lord - and even PRed - who knew? Bethany finished up a few minutes behind me. It was a tough one but glad I pushed through.

And now - the Pièce de résistance :-) The pictures:

Family Night and Such

As I mentioned in my previous post, I would update y'all on Family Night. I don't really feel like updating too much with words so enjoy some pictures! :-)

























So as you can see, lots of fun...def too much to talk about. But it was a good night overall.

Some things have gotten better since my last post. Turns out I found out that finding a job with my record won't be as big a deal as I thought. Which is GOOD good news.

I chatted with Parker last night - it was nice to talk to him - we talked for 4 hours! He wants me to try and visit him in NC this year. Of course, all this traveling I'd like to do: Orlando, Spain, NC - doesn't fare well for me to move out. So which do I want more? hrm. Decisions Decisions.

Elsewhere, I'm FINALLY gonna get to see David this Sunday. Haven't seen him since April when I took him the the airport and he missed his flight to Rome. Trying to figure out things for me to do the rest of the week.

Also - I LOVE RIDING MY BIKE! Rode 30 miles today in 1hr15mins. Love it.

Who cares if you disagree?

You are not me
Who made you king of anything?
So, you dare tell me who to be?
Who died and made you king of anything?

All my life I’ve tried to make everybody happy
While I just hurt and hide
Waiting for someone to tell me it’s my turn to decide
~Sara Bareilles
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That is the latest and greatest song stuck in my head on a daily basis. I love it. So perfect. Well. It's great for those people who are trying to tell you how to run your life (in which case, I wish my mother would listen to it! ha)

Le Sigh.

The weekend has come and gone. The situation with the pool has cleared up. Thank the lord! Saturday was a BUSY day. My praxis was eh. Haha - I convinced the ladies at the testing center to let me go early (I was finished with 30 minutes to spare) because I had to get to PSC. They aren't supposed to let you go early but I worked my magic charm :-) Yup. I did. And I was released. I don't really know how I did. To be honest - I wasn't nervous. I just did it. And when it was over, I didn't think twice about it. So many other things were going through my head that day.

Rachel. Troy. B-Champs. The Pools. The surprise party. Fitting in time for everything. Needless to say, it was an exhausting week.....and thankfully I was off today to kind of regroup.

The weekend came and went....but today I went into PSC for a little and found a bit of a shock when I walked in and a bit of the repercussions from last week came barrelling back into my face. I think all is smoothed out now - but let's just say you do NOT want Frank to be mad at you. Ever. Hopefully it will be ok by tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Went for a bike ride today with Ryan (one of my guards at PSC). He thought we were going to go for a leisurely bike ride. I was all about my normal routine. It's interesting. I didn't realize how good of shape I was in until I was back on my bike. I was trying to set a pace but then realized Ryan wasn't keeping up. Guess I'll go by myself from now on. We didn't do bad though. Just slow. 23 miles or so. I would've liked to have gotten in 40 today - but it was AMAZING to be back on my bike. I don't know why I haven't ridden in so long. So easy to remember how it felt. I love it. Either tomorrow or Wednesday morning I'll be riding. Since the humidity is slightly lower these days - it'll be easier to breathe.

Elsewhere - I'm currently at Cabrini. Ryan came in tonight. Remember, Ryan? Yeah. He came in for a few minutes to talk to Gary. Funny. I think he was nervous:-) He SHOULD BE! See what he's missing out on! It truly is his loss. He's still so cute though. Ah well. Whatever. :-) It was fun while it lasted......

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So recently I've been thinking about this whole dating thing. I might try to start back up in the Fall. We'll see. I don't really want to force anything. I'm definitely not a fan of the online stuff. It's just not my cup of tea. I guess I just need to get out more.....or move back to Florida? haha.

"1, 2, 3...JAILBREAK!!!"

Haha! We (as in we I mean, most of the staff of PSC) played Manhunt last night. In case some of you aren't familiar with it, it's basically a revved up version of Hide
n' Go Seek....but like a thousand times better. We were split into teams.

Team One - aka Chris' Team:




Team Two - aka Mike's Team (also the team I was on):




I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had last night. A few of us went swimming afterwards....but the actual manhunt part was really fun. Hopefully we play again. I hid with Ally Ramer. Both teams had 30 minutes to look for each team. We were some of the last people caught - we'll know better for next time though :-)

Ah....the health department comes to PSC today. I'm up extra early and about to head out that way...just wanted to update this as I knew I wouldn't be able to later today.

PSC til 3:30 - Cabrini at 4 - Erin's Hockey game (at Cabrini) - and I realized I'm supposed to go out to dinner with Betsy and Kym today (I'll have to cancel) :-( I hope they understand.

Ah well, just don't want to forget......off to do payroll!

When I step into the light....

my arms are open wide....When I step into the light...my eyes searching wildly.

Would you not like to be, sitting on top of the world with your legs hanging free? Would you not like to be, okay, okay, okay?

It's a Dave Matthews Band kind of morning. Mellow and fun - :::sigh::: It's been a long time since I've seen a Dave show - how I wish I could see him again. Technically I am supposed to go see him in July but because I'll be away - I'm missing the concert. Oh well.

So - how was my weekend in Key West? Frakkin' AWEsome! It was a great time all around and I am pretty tired today at work - but - definitely worth it. Some interesting things happened this weekend - some advancements in areas that I had previously given up on (the boy situation) and made some new friends. I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted to - but hopefully I'll get some from others and that will make up for it. I guess I was just having too good of a time to do it - that an I kept forgetting to bring my camera everywhere....but here are a few highlights:

OUR BEACH





OUR BIKER GANG - THE NUMBER 2's!


As for the vacation - very relaxing. More insight about other situations later - that is all for now:-) I miss it already!