Phat Girl in a Little Coat

Happy 2012!

2012-01-23T21:33:00.000-06:00

Well wouldn't you know? It's 2012 and I have been sort of absent. I may have gone MIA on the blog front, but I guess that's because I have been living life and staying busy and trying to lose the Christmas weight I found between all Belgian Beer and stroopwaffles I consumed while in Europe. And I know personally it has been a little hard for me to deal with the creeping number on the scale when I want so desperately to be back in marathon shape, but I don't want to put in a marathon effort. And I want cake. And I want to eat it too.

I rang in 2012 in The Hague, Netherlands with my brother, my friends Esther and Lauren, and a few new friends. It was a great way to start the year. Considering I almost threw up after an attempt at eating herring and onions in typical Dutch fashion, the year can only get better!

Half marathon training is in full swing and I am leading a 1:59:59 pace group for East Nasty. I am also trying to find another half to run before Country Music. Probably Tom King an/or Run the Bluegrass.

2012 is the year I turn 30. Um, holy shit. Where have the years gone? I thought about making one of those 30 for 30 lists, but I am horrible at stuff like that. If I want something I usually go do it or go buy it. However, the things that would be on my list would be things like go to Hawaii, go to New Zealand, climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, etc.. And those are things I can't all do in a year...unless I win the lottery or marry rich. And considering I haven't bought a lotto ticket in years and am not currently dating anyone, the odds are not in my favor.

So instead, I have been focusing on a few goals.
1. Read more (this always seems to be a goal).
2. Get together some sort of budget (again, this is usually always a goal). But I am actually doing ok with this one and I am using January as a baseline for the rest of the year.
3. Bring my lunch to work more.
4. Limit my Diet Coke intake. Friends this is huge. I have had about one Diet Coke a week since getting back from Europe. I was on a couple of bottles a day habit before I left.

For the most part things are going well and I really hope the first three week of 2012 have been good to you too!

December 24

2011-12-23T10:52:00.003-06:00

I cheated and opened these before I left...

City Advent Calendar: Santa and a chimney

Star Wars Advent Calander: Santa Yoda with gifts. This is by far one of my favorites from both calendars.

Merry Christmas!
My brother and are off to an untraditional Christmas Dinner tomorrow. And by dinner I mean Champagne Tea at the Ritz.

Converstaion with my mom on Friday:
Mom: Does Jacob need to wear a tie to tea?
Me: Yes
Mom: I don't think he knows how to tie a tie.
Me: Well I don't either. We'll just get the doorman to do it.
Mom: Ok

My mom called my brother and he does indeed know how to tie a tie. All is right in the world. This is going to be a fun trip!

December 23

2011-12-23T10:46:00.000-06:00

City Advent Calendar: A cute little dog and 2 bones

Star Wars Advent Calendar: A Christmas Tree

A different tree from the one that was on the City Advent Calendar. Interesting that there are two different trees.

I am literally off to Europe for the holidays in a few minutes. Have a great holiday season and a happy new year!

December 22

2011-12-22T23:50:00.003-06:00

City Advent Calendar: Snowmobile

Star Wars Advent Calendar: Jedi Fighter

December 21

2011-12-21T23:29:00.003-06:00

City Advent Calendar: A cart

Boring on it's own, but when paired with the snow mobile from yesterday. It's just a tad bit more exciting.

Star Wars Advent Calendar: Millennium Falcon

Since today was my last day at work until JANUARY 4th, I had to bring the City Advent Calendar home so I could open the last few days. I have the next 13 days off and I am only using two vacation days. You can't see it on my face, but I am very happy. Very.

December 20

2011-12-20T20:04:00.000-06:00

City Advent Calendar: Snow Mobile

Star Wars Advent Calendar: TIE Fighter

December 19

2011-12-19T21:03:00.002-06:00

City Advent Calendar: A safe and gold bars!
Open

Closed

Star Wars Advent Calendar: TIE Pilot

And here is a little something special for you all.

A Very Chewbacca Silent Night!

December 18

2011-12-18T20:37:00.003-06:00

City Advent Calendar: A criminal!

Star Wars Advent Calendar: Y Wing

December 17

2011-12-18T20:36:00.001-06:00

City Advent Calendar: More of the police truck this is like the jail.

Star Wars Advent Calendar: Weapons Rack

December 16

2011-12-18T20:33:00.002-06:00

City Advent Calendar: More parts of the truck

Star Wars Advent Calendar: Clone Pilot

December 15

2011-12-18T20:30:00.000-06:00

City Advent Calendar: A truck

Star Wars Advent Calendar: Republic Attack Gunship

Show Review: City and Colour Cannery Ballroom 11/17/11

2011-12-15T21:38:00.001-06:00

When the City and Colour show was announced months ago I was pretty excited because he was playing Mercy Lounge. Mercy Lounge is a couple hundred seat venue. Well he sold out pretty quickly and a venue change to Cannery Ballroom was made. City and Colour is Canadian Dallas Green (hence the CIty and Colour name) and I am not really sure when I first heard him, but I do know it was on one of my Pandora station. I can honestly say he is only music discovery I have had from Pandora.

But he is great. I don't know the names of most of his songs, but I do know I like them. They are pretty catchy. Here is part of Comin' Home which is one of my favorites.

Anyone else like City and Colour? Anyone have any Pandora finds?

December 14

2011-12-14T23:38:00.003-06:00

City Advent Calendar: Detective work station? I am sure there is a more proper name like criminal investigation table or something like that. At first I thought it was a sink and then realized the theme of cops and robbers and realized it was probably something a cop would use and not a robber. Confirmed with the magnifying glass.

Star Wars Advent Calendar: Mouse Droid. Fitting. This is by far the smallest thing to come out of the advent calendar.

I came home from work today to an unexpected surprise from my parents. A Christmas box! You see, I am not going home for Christmas this year. Instead my parents have gotten my brother and I a trip to Europe. So I was quite surprised to find gifts when I opened up the box. I think I know what ones is already. Not sure if I will open them before or after the trip though. My mom didn't want the bottom of my tree to be so empty...it's still kind of empty, but I am 100% a-ok with that. Seriously I was pretty shocked.

And even though I make Sox the cat take pictures like this:

She still sends me a Christmas present! How sweet!

December 13

2011-12-13T23:52:00.000-06:00

City Advent Calendar: At first I thought this was a police office with a baton. And then I realized it was more likely a walkie talkie.

Star Wars Advent Calendar: R2 Q5

Preview: Santa Rampage 12/11/11

2011-12-13T23:42:00.002-06:00

Santa Rampage is one of my favorite days of the year. My friends and I talk about it year round. The outfit is a pretty integral part of the evening. Each year I have had a different costume. Last year I had dreams of making my own outfit. I got as far as cutting out all of the fabric and sewing the darts on the bodice part of the dress. Then I gave up. I had a great outfit last year, but I also had an unfinished dress.

I took home all the fabric and the pattern and even the sewing machine my mom gave me with plans of finishing it over Thanksgiving. My mom is awesome. She finished the dress for me. I helped but there is no way I could have finished the dress on my own. No way. I don't know what I was thinking when I thought I could sew a zipper in something. According to my mom, the dress isn't state fair award winning, but I just needed it to not fall apart on me. I consider it a success.

My favorite line from Saturday, besides being called Tall Santa, was when a girl asked me about my dress.

"Where did you get that dress? I didn't see that one at the store when I was looking."
"It's an original."

That's right I had a one of a kind Santa dress.

My motley Santa crew.

December 12

2011-12-12T17:38:00.000-06:00

City Advent Calendar: another piece of the the police building. Seriously the police building days are kind of boring.

Star Wars Advent Calendar: Snowspeeder

Race Recap: Yazoo Barely a 4k Nashville, TN 12/10/11

2011-12-11T22:29:00.001-06:00

On Saturday I ran in my second Yazoo Barely a 4k. I love everything about this race. I love that my non-running friends b*tch and complain about getting up early on a Saturday to exercise. I love that it isn't actually timed. I love that the distance is so random. I love that the race registration also includes beer. I just love this race.

It's getting cold in TN and Saturday morning was pretty cold. We had to get up extra early since the race was in the Bells Bend part of Nashville, about 20 minutes from where I live. I had convinced more of my friends to run this race as a kick off to our favorite day of the year, Santa Rampage. We got to the farm (a real working farm!) and picked up out raffle tickets and t-shirts. No race bids or timing chips at this race!

The race started around 8 AM as we walked to the road. No starting guns either. Just someone who yelled "Go!"

The race was about 2.5 miles and actually had some pretty major hills. Once we finished we were nice and warm and ready for beer. We picked up our new pint glasses and enjoyed a few beverages around the fire. Before long it was time for the raffle. We were each given two raffle tickets. The sales manager raffles off completely random things from his desk. Everyone in my car had won something except for me, when I think Steve one again. He definitley was the big winner of the group. He got carrots fresh from the farm. I won a T-Shirt. A XXL t-shirt. I laughed. I lose weight and this was my prize. It's super soft, but I can bring it back to the brewery for a different size. We all had a great time and this is becoming one of my favorite Nashville "races".

It's Fall in Tennessee!

East Nastys around the fire

Kim and I.

Steve's Awesome prize!

My super soft and too big t-shirt

The car of winners!

Race T-shirt

December 11

2011-12-11T22:25:00.001-06:00

City Advent Calendar: Another side of the jail

Star Wars Advent Calendar: Pilot Battle Droid with a gun

December 10

2011-12-11T22:18:00.001-06:00

Saturday was a pretty jam packed day and time just got away from me.

City Advent Calendar: A fire, fishing pole, and fish

Star Wars Advent Calendar: Imperial Shuttle

December 9

2011-12-09T21:54:00.001-06:00

City Advent Calendar: An eskimo. I think this might be one of my favorites.

Star Wars Advent Calendar: X Wing Fighter!

December 8

2011-12-08T19:34:00.001-06:00

It took me a while to figure this one out. At first I thought it could be a sink/counter.

Then I realized this was a cops and robbers themed advent calendar and it was most likely a jail bed and a cup.

Star Wards Advent Calendar: Rebel Pilot

December 7

2011-12-08T19:26:00.001-06:00

I forgot to take a picture yesterday at work, so here are yesterdays pieces.

City Advent Calendar: A skateboard and helmet and two little presents

Star Wars Advent Calendar: tool rack

December 6

2011-12-06T22:49:00.001-06:00

City Advent Calendar: A cute little Christmas Tree (I got this exact same one last year)

Star Wars Advent Calendar: CHEWBACCA!
And then I decided I wanted to hear the CHEWBACCA sound so went to the trusty ol' You Tube.
I found the sound.
And then I found out HOW TO MAKE THE CHEWBACCA SOUND!
And then because this is how the internet works, I had to click on the "American Idol Chewbaca" because it had over 7 million views. 7 million.

My evening is now complete.

December 5

2011-12-05T22:32:00.001-06:00

The City Advent Calendar: another side of the jail.

Star Wars: Slave 1

Proud Sister Hen

2011-12-05T17:57:00.001-06:00

I don't talk about my brother too much here, but I am beyond proud of him.

He has been losing weight over the past year and I think he is down something like 100 lbs. This is awesome for anyone, but especially for college boy living in a fraternity. We all remember what college was like right?!?!

Here we are in 2010 on Thanksgiving day right before the Springfield, MO Turkey Trot.

Here we are this year before the same race AND he is actually smiling!

I don't know about you, but I can see a big difference!

And just for fun we made Sox poise for another family photo.

Race Recap: Rudolph's Red Nose 5k Run Nashville, TN 12/2/11

2011-12-04T13:33:00.001-06:00

On Friday I rushed home from work to change clothes to run in a night 5k. There aren't very many evening 5k's so it is kind of a fun change. I ran this race in 2009 and it was my 4th or so 5k. I just remember it being really cold. It's been pretty warm in Nashville and Friday was no exception. Pretty warm to me is at least in the 50's. With weather in the 50's that is short/capri and t-shirt running weather. However, when I got home I had a different idea.

My friend Steve had told me he was going to wear his old Santa Suit (Yes, old as in he got a new one. My friends and I take Santa outfits pretty seriously...) for the race. He was also trying to get a new PR from a few weeks ago. I decided to wear my old Santa robe from Santa Rampage last year and also convinced my roommate. I knew the outfit wouldn't be ideal for running, but it wasn't like I was trying to run this race for a PR. I know better. I am seriously out of my top running shape.

And here we are before the race

SO. MUCH. FUN.

This year the weather was great. There appeared to be more costumes and there were definitely more people of all running abilities. I decided I was actually going to attempt to run somewhat fast in this outfit and see what happened. Overall, I am quite please. 25:10 and 5th in my age group. Congrats to my friend and running buddy Erica who got a new PR! I accomplished my goal of doing better than I did in 2009. I shaved off about 3 minutes!

After I finished I grabbed some water and went off to find Steve and Jenny. I found this with about 3/4 of a mile left and ran/walked the rest of the race with them. I am so incredibly proud of Steve who took more than 5 minutes off his 5k time from a few weeks ago and as of Friday has lost almost 40 lbs!

After I crossed the finish line for the second time a lady came up to me and asked me if I had been the East Nasty of the Week. I told her I had been. She told me that she did the East Nasty Couch to 5k in the winter and remembered me talking about weight loss. Since then she has lost 50 lbs and will be running her first half marathon in January at the Disney Princess Half. It was also her 49th birthday on Friday. I am so glad she came up and said hi to me. Talking about weight loss in public can be a little intimidating, but knowing that one person has made a change is awesome!

December 4

2011-12-04T13:09:00.001-06:00

The Lego City Advent Calendar is a cops and robbers theme. Here is today's figure:

Part of a jail cell that helps to create fun scenes with the other figures.

In the Star Wars world we have a Homing Spider Droid

December 3

2011-12-03T22:52:00.001-06:00

I actually had to go into work today, but I decided I would open up Saturday and Sunday so I could post them on the actual day instead of playing catch up. So I actually opened up this guy yesterday,

A police officer with handcuffs

And then he can do stuff like this

From the Star Wars Advent Calander

It's a Crab Droid!

December 2

2011-12-02T21:23:00.001-06:00

Today at work I was treated to this

A snowball launcher.

A weapon for this little criminal with a gold tooth? (couldn't get the iphone to focus right)

And on the Star Wars front at home

Nute Gunray

Advent Calendar: December 1

2011-12-01T22:16:00.001-06:00

So if you were around here this time last year, you might remember the Advent Calendar I posted daily about. Well I am going to do it again this year. Only difference is I have two calendars, one at home and one at work.

I seriously love these.

My work calendar is the Lego City Advent Calendar.

Today was supposed to be this guy

But this is how he turned out

I put the bandana on wrong and the black top to the white piece was not included. I am also trying to figure out exactly what he is. I homeless guy? A ship cargo loader?

My home calendar is the 2011 Star Wars Advent Calendar

I have a feeling I am going to need help identify the proper names of some of the pieces in this one...

Does this little guy have a proper name? Edit: it is Republic Frigate. I never claimed I was a star wars nerd!

Untraditional Holiday Celebrations

2011-11-21T21:28:00.001-06:00

With Thanksgiving a few days away, I feel like I am in full on holiday mode. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. And for the most part my family always had a pretty traditional Thanksgiving. However, Christmas and New Year's are a little different.

After spending a Christmas in a non-Christian country (In 2002 I spent Christmas in Turkey as a junior in college with my study abroad program) Christmas isn't quite the production that it once was. This year, due to logistics it was decided my brother and I would be going to Europe at some point during Christmas break. What turned into a 6ish day trip by myself has now turned into Sarah and Jacob's Christmas European Vacation! (If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now.)

So we leave on December 23rd for London, Bruges, and Amsterdam. We will be in London for Christmas and the Netherlands for New Years. This will be my brother's first trip to Europe. I am super excited to show him Europe and to get to know him a little better. With 9 years difference between us we lead kind of different lives. You know, he's off burning couches at college (not really, but I hear they do these sorts of things where he goes to school..) and I am working 9ish-5ish. This will be the first time in a few years that we have spent an extended amount of time together. The last time was Christmas 2007 when my family went on a week long cruise. He and I shared a shoebox of a room and we are both still alive to tell about it. Which reminds me, does anyone have any earplug recommendations??? We survived that week, so we should be able to survive 10 days in Europe right?

My mom reminded me tonight that this would be my 3rd year in Europe on New Year's . I am incredibly lucky to have done as much traveling as I have. I truly do love it. It's my hope that I can at least share a little bit of what I love with my brother and hopefully he will at least have fun.

Christmas 2002

NYE 2006
This night did not end well, but hey I was in Paris for New Year's and there were no fireworks!

Christmas 2007
I may just have to bring that sweater to wear to Christmas Tea at the Ritz. I wonder if it meets the required dress code?

Here's to 2012!

Does anyone have any must see/do/eat places in London, Bruges, or Amsterdam?

Confessions of a Marathon Runner

2011-11-13T20:15:00.001-06:00

It's been over a month since I ran the Chicago Marathon. A few days after the marathon I went on vacation for a week. While on vacation I hiked 6 or the 7 days I was in Arizona, but no running. I also ate lots or tortilla chips, margaritas, and In-N-Out. (In-N-Out has the best chocolate milkshakes. I may have had a chocolate milkshake 3 days in a row...) Upon my return to Nashville I found it hard to get back into any sort of exercise routine or healthy eating (Hello Five guys, mexican food, lemon poppyseed muffins, and other things I normally don't eat.)

Now that the marathon is over, I have found myself with no set race to train for. It was a little bit of a weird feeling. I had spent 18 weeks checking off workouts on a calendar, getting up way to early to avoid humidity on long run days, and now I had nothing to train for. I was still running once a week and yoga classes pretty much became non-existent. Last weekend I ran in the Ragnar TN Race with virtual no training except what I had done leading up to the marathon.

I gave myself a few weeks to do as I wanted and I realized I really missed activity in my life. I like having a plan. So last week I decided I need to get my act together and pick a race. I picked one, but realized I may have to work on the day of the race, so I picked another, The Seaside Half Marathon. I also signed up for the Viva La Diva 5k and 10 miler next Saturday. So it looks like I will be running a half marathon next weekend. I also signed up for the Country Music Half in April. This race will always hold a special place in my heart even though the course is not my favorite. And one other accomplishment for the week, I went to 4 yoga classes last week.

So, I just need a few weeks to get back into a routine and figure out what it is I want to do next. I am sure glad fall is here even if means running in tights and gloves and a headband.

Show: The Avett Brothers at Bridgestone Arena 10/28/11

2011-11-10T19:29:00.001-06:00

I've loved the Avett Brothers for a few years now, so when a show was announced at the 18,000+ seat Bridgestone Arena I was a little torn. I love them, but I didn't love the idea of seeing them in an arena. I agreed to go to the show, only after spending an afternoon this summer at the Brewer's Fest.

So Social Distortion was the opener and it just didn't work well. I am not super familiar with The D and this show didn't really make me want to check them out any further.

Now, The Avett Brothers are always a fun show. However, this show was really just hard to get into. I definitely think a lot of it had to do with it being an arena show with 7,000 other concert goers. They usually have a good amount of energy and but unless you were up front in the GA floor at this show, the energy just didn't translate to the rest of the arena. A new album release probably would have helped too. I feel almost like I have seen this show each year for the past 3 years. At the show I couldn't help but think about my friend Rod who has essentially seen them in a venue the size of a basement which just happens to be a basement size venue called, you guessed it The Basement. The Avett Brothers are one of his favorite bands and even he skipped out on this arena show. I couldn't be more happy for the Avett's success, but I long for the day now when I can see them at the Ryman or in the backlot of Grimey's Record store. They have worked hard for their success and it seriously could not have happened to what seem like a pretty grounded and humble band. If they come back to Nashville I will definitely have to think about it before committing to go to the show.

And just to show how random my life is. One night I am at the Avett Brothers show, the next day I am at work and a Lauren Alaina is performing. (I had no clue who she was until a few weeks ago...I don't watch American Idol. The sole reason I had this picture taken was because my mom loves American Idol...)

East Nasty

2011-11-06T12:31:00.000-06:00

If you have read my blog for any amount of time, you probably have heard me mention my running club, East Nasty. This group is seriously amazing.

This week I was honored as the East Nasty of the Week. Seriously, I am so honored. I love this group so much and have made so many amazing friends. Never ever did I think I would become one of those people who enjoys running.

Thank you to you all for all of the support over the past 2 years as I have become a runner.

Thankful in November

2011-10-31T17:18:00.000-05:00

Following the lead of my good friend Krissie, I am going to post a picture everyday in November on my Thankful Blog, Sarah Is Thankful.

Will you join us? It's not too late!

Thankfulness just feels right.

It's Costume Time

2011-10-25T07:39:00.000-05:00

I've never been a huge a fan of dressing up for Halloween. However, a few years ago some friends and I went to see the Avett Brothers at the Ryman and it just so happened to be ON Halloween. Despite the fact that I don't usually dress up, I was pretty insistent we dress up. And not just dress up, but a group costume.

It was pretty much the best Halloween ever.

I feel there is no way I can top that. (A big shout out to my mom who made the apple costume for my friend!) People were pointing at us. People were taking our picture. It was awesome. And then we went out for a few hours after the show downtown. Because that's what you do when you dress up as Fruit of the Loom.

I don't have plans to dress up this year. Is anyone dressing up this year???

Show: Wilco at the Ryman 10/1/11 and 10/2/11

2011-10-23T22:05:00.002-05:00

So I never really got on the whole Wilco bandwagon, similarly to My Morning Jacket as well. However, since Wilco is one of my good friends favorite bands I figured I needed to go. And go I did. Twice.

The first night we got to the venue after the opener, Nick Lowe (We celebrated my birthday a few days late at City House which is quickly becoming one of my favorite places in Nashville.) Once the show started it became quite clear to me that every guy there had a man crush on Jeff Tweedy. I have no clue what songs were played, but I do know I enjoyed it. And I enjoyed watching the crowd. Wilco has some dedicated fans. Love the stage set as well. I loved the owl at stage right!

Night 1

Night 2 had much mellower crowd and Jeff Tweedy even acknowledged this. I actually enjoyed the show a little more because I felt more familiar with the band in general. We had the same exact seats and Jeff Tweedy wore the exact same outfit, but it wasn't quite a repeat performance. Since the guy to girl ratio was pretty good at Night one, I was pretty sure I was going to find my future husband at night two. Sadly most of the guys at the show only had eyes for Jeff Tweedy. (I kid, I kid, sort of).

Night 2

I was pretty much sold on Jeff Tweedy when a friend told me he read the Black Eyed Peas "My Humps" at a fundraiser for Rahm Emanuel.

Do you like Wilco? Do you have a favorite Wilco song?

Race Recap: Chicago Marathon 2011

2011-10-12T11:31:00.000-05:00

Well it's official I ran a marathon. I freaking ran a marathon. It is still sinking in that I actually trained and completed something like this.

I am so incredibly thankful to my friends and family who have supported me through all of the training. I was completely overwhelmed with the support and congratulations I received via text, e-mail, phone, twitter, facebook and in person before, during, and after the race. It really means the world to me. I can't believe the response I got from this little facebook post!

There are so many things I can write about, but I think the thing that has stuck with me the most was a tweet I received from Nathan (Krissie's Nathan). He asked me "At any point, did you think I'm never running again?" The honest answer? NO! This surprises even me.

My strategy for this race was pretty different to most races I ran this year. Most races were fueled by the Garmin. I wanted to improve my time. I set goals and I wanted to meet them. I mean I did after all run a sub 7 minute mile this summer, which had been a long time goal. However, I had been reading about the Garmin and how it isn't quite accurate in Chicago due to the skyscrapers and underpasses we would run under. So I read a few things about auto lap and auto pause and turned them off. I instead planned to use the manual lap function and lap it every time I saw the mile marker trying to keep as close to a 9:10 pace as possible. After mile 1 I soon realized this wasn't going to work too well and I didn't have my average pace displayed so that all went out the window and I pretty much said F-it and changed my strategy. My new strategy was to just run at a comfortable pace and enjoy myself.

Miles 1-3 were probably my least favorite miles of the race. I saw a lady trip while running across the bridge less than a mile into the race. I am just glad she didn't get trampled. I also realized it was going to be damn near impossible to find anyone in the crowd because I had no idea where anyone would be except for one person. The crowds and runners were more plentiful than I could have imagined. It was crowded and people were trying to find their pace. There were lots of turns and lots of other runners close by. We ran through the Zoo and Lincoln park up towards Wrigleyville. Right around mile 8.5 was where my friend was supposed to be. He had sent me an e-mail and text the night before with pretty detailed description of where he and his girlfriend would be. I remember thinking the directions were pretty detailed, but once I was running I soon realized it was necessary. So at the point I thought I was supposed to see him, the crowds were still pretty thick. And I had resigned myself to the fact that I missed them. And then I saw them. I stopped running for a split second and gave him a hug I was so excited to see someone I knew and then waived at his girlfriend, who I had just technically just met at that very moment.

As I headed back towards downtown I caught up with the 4:15 pace group. In the corrals they were ahead of me, so I knew they would be running about 9:45 miles. At this point my goal was to stick near them and maybe run ahead since they don't slow down for water. I ended up throwing that plan out of the window and just running. My goal was to now finish under 4:15 and to not have the 4:15 pace group pass me at any remaining point of the race. Somewhere back into downtown they had the best thing ever, blue sponges that they handed out. I could get some of the salt of my face and cool down my head a little bit. It was also around this time that the runners started to thin out a bit and at points it felt like I had plenty of room around me. I felt like I was running with a big smile on my face. As we headed back into downtown, I started to realize I still had a large part of the race left, but never did I think I was not running again.

At exactly the half way point I heard Brittany yell "East Nasty". I honestly couldn't believe with all the crowds I saw another person I knew. It was also at the point that I had my eyes set on this tall guy who looked like he was running my pace. I was totally going to let him pace me in, but I ended up passing him and losing him in the crowd.

At some point between miles 13 and 17 were kind of a blur and kind of boring. Mile 17 I took some Jolly Ranchers from a kind gentleman passing them out to runners. It was a complete crap shoot as to what flavors I was going to getting. I ended up with cherry and apple. My two favorite flavors! At mile 17.5 we ran past the place we had eaten dinner at the night before.

18-21 were another blue. Around mile 21 I hear someone yell my full name. I turn it is my friend and his girlfriend, who at this point I felt like we were old friends since she was cheering for me again and I had literally just met her 2 hours ago. Super surprised to see them again. And then less than a half a mile later I saw another friend in the crowd. And then I was in Chinatown. The crowds were huge here. Sometime after Chinatown we started running next to a freeway. This had to have been the most boring part of the race.ho

Miles 23-26 were all a mental game. I had to tell myself that this was just an easy 4 mile run at Shelby Bottoms- one of the flattest places to run in Nashville. I just kept telling myself that. Before I knew, the finish line was near. We ran up a slight hill, which I was actually sort of grateful for. A man on the sides cheered me on by name (I had my name on my bib) and before I knew it I was done! I didn't cry at the finish, but I did get a little emotional that I had just finished a marathon.

4 hours 12 minutes and 9 seconds later I was a marathoner!

Random thoughts on the race:

I wish they had seeded the entire marathon and just not those who they thought would finish under 4 hours.
I seriously wanted some hills about halfway through.
A good nutrition plan is necessary. I had salt pills and gu/cliff shot blocks every hour or so.
It is possible to run a marathon and have fun!
My two favorite songs from my marathon playlist: My Oh My by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. If you ever went to a Mariners game at the Kingdome, this song is for you. I love this song so much that I had to listen to it twice in a row. My other favorite: Show Me by Mint Royale.
The support crowds were amazing. If you ever run a big race, put your name on your bib/shirt.

I had such an amazing time and I can't believe it's over. Thank you for all of your support. I can't wait to hear about which one of my friends is going to get the marathon bug next! I am off to Arizona for a trip to the Grand Canyon, Tucson, and Phoenix!

Race Recap: Shelby Bottoms Boogie 15k 10/1/11

2011-10-07T20:28:00.001-05:00

After my super late night at the DJ Earworm show I got quick 4 hours of sleep and was up again for the Shelby Bottoms Boogie. I ran this race last year and really enjoyed it. It fit perfectly into my training schedule and it is a nice flat course. I woke up not super well rested and to a dead Garmin. So much for trying to keep a 9:10 minute pace.

I run most runs with my Garmin. I like to know my pace and very rarely do I alter my pace when running or training. I mainly use it for races. So I was a little bummed not to have it since it was my last longish run before the marathon. My game plan changed from 9:10/mile to focus on how I felt.

I went out a little too fast, but back off a little bit. The course is an out and back with a loop at the end. I didn't take any liquids during this run and during the last 1.5 miles I wish I would have. I had a gu around mile 6 with no liquid. I do not recommend this!

Since I didn't have my watch I had no clue what my paces was. When I crossed the finish I new I was in the 1:23:00 range.

My final time for 9.3 miles: 1:22:42 which is a 8:54/mile pace. Last year 1:23:43. I remember last year being so hard and this year the run was much more effortless.

My Chicago Marathon training buddy Bernadette and I just after we boogied

The Oak Bar at the Hermitage Hotel

2011-10-06T22:22:00.001-05:00

It's been a busy week. I didn't intend for it to be so busy. It just sort of happened. On Monday a friend sent me a text asking to come get dinner with some colleagues who were in town for a conference. A conference I normally attend. It just wasn't in the cards this year, but that was ok because there were so many other things occupying my mind and time. But I did head out to dinner. And dinner turned into a showcase, which turned into drinks, which turned into another showcase, which turned into me not going to bed until 2 AM.

The first showcase was ok. I don't really remember who played except for Josh Gracin. We decided to leave the showcase and get a drink at the Oak Bar. I was pretty excited to try the Oak Bar because I have heard nothing but great things about the place. It's sort of in a basement with wood walls, I am guessing oak? The had a Pimms Cup and I love the Pimms Cup at Patterson House so I had try it. It was good, but not as good as my favorite drink at the Patterson House.

Lauren and I at the Oak Bar

But the real gem in this bar, is the men's restroom which is located just outside the actual Oak Bar. Apparently it has even been voted Best Bathrom in America? While the art deco decor is definitely better than the majority of restrooms I've been in, I don't know that I would consider it the best. It is definitely better than the women's restroom just down the hall which is your standard hotel bathroom.

Of course we had to go look. And our friend took pictures of us.

Hopefully you all have a sense of humor. While we were posing some other people came into check out the restroom. I wonder how many men actually use that restroom? I don't often see pictures of my backside and I have hard time even believing it is me. I think I actually look somewhat normal.

And to show we can take a decent photo

Has anyone else been to the Restroom outside the Oak Bar. Are there any other famous restrooms out there? If I remember correctly, wasn't there some show on TLC about the best restrooms?

The Marathon

2011-10-05T20:37:00.002-05:00

The Chicago Marathon is almost here. This is what I have been training for for the past 18 weeks. I really can't believe it is here. The hard part is done. Now I just have a few short runs left. I am working on resting and getting all of my stuff together for the trip. This includes making a new playlist. I have heard that the crowds are really loud in Chicago, but there is also a part where the crowds thin out.

So I'm preparing a new playlist. And I need your help.

What's on your workout running/playlist???

Show: DJ Earworm Nashville, TN 9/30/11

2011-10-03T00:32:00.001-05:00

I hesitate to even call this a show, but I am not really sure what else to call it. Maybe a house party?

So I am pretty sure this is the last time I will ever do anything like this again. I really am too old to be doing things like this. But on Friday night I went to see DJ Earworm. At a house. A fraternity house. The whole thing is quite comical when I look back on it. Due to my friend Jess, we were on the guest list. We were the only people on the guest list. The door boys asked us if we followed DJ Earworm around and were his groupies. Ha. No.

DJ Earworm makes these yearly mixes/mashups of the top 25ish songs of the year. They are awesome and if you listen to music when you run, I highly suggest getting them. And even if you don't run, you should still get them. I am looking forward to this year's which will have Adele and Foster the People and we heard parts of it on Friday.

You can download past years for free too!
United States of Pop 2007
Unites States of Pop 2008
United States of Pop 2009
United States of Pop 2010

My friend and I danced for a solid two hours right next to the DJ and his manager. There was more room up there, plus it was fun to watch Earworm do his thing.

I am thankful Jess wouldn't let me wear TOMS to the party, but I am thankful I switched into my Tory Birch flats instead. No foot pain for this girl! We both worried about what we were going to wear to the party. And where we tell someone we went to school if we were asked. In case you wondering a boy did ask me where I went to school and apparently I go to WVU. I think we blended in as best as we could given the situation. My beloved skinny jeans fit!!! And I wore those along with my new Anthro top with a cute pink belt that you can't see in the picture.

Earworm's manager gave us hats (and also took this picture for us!).

Earworm and his manager. Please note the plastic tarps hanging from the wall. I guess that was to protect from damages?

It was so much fun to watch him DJ. He just had one big smile on his face for most of the time.

When was the last time you went to a fraternity party???

Twentysomething

2011-09-29T20:33:00.002-05:00

My birthday was yesterday and it was pretty perfect.

I started the day with a McDonald's Diet Coke. $1.09 well spent. McDonald's has the best Diet Coke.

Lunch was spent with a few of my co-workers at the Pancake Pantry where I ordered my favorite, raspberry delight pancakes.

The day flew by and before I knew it, it was time to go run with East Nasty.

My friend Lanie picked me up (so I didn't have to drive!).

The run was the shortest route we run which was perfect timing. I only needed to run 3 miles.

After the run, I headed to 3 Crow Bar with friends for a few pre-dinner beers where we laughed and talked about Chicago Marathon stuff.

For dinner, we went to the new 5 Points Pizza. I loved it. My only complaint was that it is not the best for groups. Granted we were a huge group that would be hard to accommodate at most restaurants, but I would say no more than 8 in a group tops. So we were split between 4 tables.

My marathon training buddy Bernadette. PBR Tallboys go great with pizza.

What do 3 people in training for a marathon and 1 person training for a 50K (that's not a typo) trail run order? Garlic knots, 2 large pizzas and 2 slices. (Garlic knots and 2 slices not shown)

After pizza it was back to 3 Crow to meet up with a few other friends where even more laughs were had.

Birthday lemon drops.

A birthday bushwacker or 2...

I don't even know. But I love the purple on both my shirts.

The 4 Musketeers

Here's to a great year!

Race Recap: Nashville Women's Half Marathon 9.24.11

2011-09-26T21:48:00.001-05:00

Since signing up this half marathon I have been thinking of it as a supported training run and not an actual race. So I didn't have any pre-race jitters when I went to pick up my packet or Friday night. It was kind of a nice feeling. I met a few friends for happy hour Friday after work and didn't drink at all. By the time I left I realized I still needed to get dinner. My options were either take out or a quick trip to the grocery store. I went with the grocery store and opted for a frozen BBQ chicken pizza. I came home heated it up and proceeded to eat the whole thing. And since I still wasn't satisfied I topped it off with a pint of Greater's Chocolate Chocolate Chip. You know, a nice healthy pre-race meal. Riiiiiiiight.

I ended staying up later than I would have liked and wasn't in bed until after 11. 5 AM came pretty early and I was out the door pretty quickly to pick up my friend Christy who I have been training with for Chicago. She originally wasn't going to run this race, but she found a discounted bib and she was in! We met up with more friends downtown and before we knew it, the race was about to start. The weather was pretty close to perfect. It was chilly, but not too chilly.

Christy and I decided we were going to use this race to help us prepare for Chicago. We both got new running belts at the expo and we wanted to test them out. Also, during our long runs we usually stop a few times depending on the length of the run and I don't plan on doing this in Chicago, well at least not to the degree that we do on the long training runs. Christy and I have a very similar pace so we decided to attempt to start our slow and get faster. For the most part it worked, we will probably need to start slower in Chicago though.

The course was hilly. But there were a fair amount of spectators out there so despite the hills it was nice to see people out, including a bunch of friends.

On Belmont Blvd, which is uphill both ways, or at least it feels like that, my friends Chelsea and her fiance Isaac were cheering and taking pictures. (photo by Chelsea)

So excited to see Chelsea and Isaac!

The course wasn't my favorite but the weather was great! Christy even PR'd and I am so proud of her!

A few of my East Nasties after the race

My official finishing time

My splits

My Garmin, as well as lots of other people's, measured the course longer than 13.1. I understand that courses are measured from the shortest possible route on the course, but I didn't do a whole lot of weaving, so .15 longer seems a bit off to me. Overall it was still a great race and I love my new Lululemon East Nasty shirt.

Show: Brandi Carlile & Ray Lamontagne at the Grand Ole Opy House 9/21/11

2011-09-23T22:27:00.001-05:00

I can't believe I almost didn't go to this show. But a friend had a last minute ticket for me and I already had friends going, so it worked out perfectly. I may have skipped my evening run but, it was worth it.

I don't know what it is, but I am not the biggest fan of female singers. I have seen Brandi Carlile a few few times before and enjoy a few of her songs, but that's about it. I sat with a few friends in the third row on the side for her set. Brandi Carlile got her start in Seattle, so it was fun to here her talk about all the Seattle places she played on her way up.

She closed her set with a cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.

I first saw Ray Lamontagne back in 2006 at the Ryman Auditorium when he was on tour with Guster. He had a bit of a meltdown and ended up saying a few choice words and then walking off stage. I was unlucky enough to be sitting second row for his verbal attack and it definitely left it's mark. When his show comes around, it's always one I want to see but hesitate because of the lasting affect of the first show I saw. First impressions count people! However, I keep going back. I saw him a year or so later at the War Memorial and then I missed a few and went to this show on Wednesday.

Ray back in the day at the Ryman

Despite the previous meltdown (I am going to chalk that one up to stage fright although I am sure there was a lot more going on...), I love him. He has a great voice. Trouble is one of my favorite albums and I love the song as well. His CD's are great, but there is just something about his live performance. I ended up having to leave my friends and go back to my seat. Greeting me were two of my friends who were relocated right next to me because they had a few obnoxious people behind them. What luck!

Every time he says the word saved, I got chills. LOVR!

Has an artist ever left you with a bad taste in your mouth after seeing them live? Please tell me I'm not the only one this has happened to!

Pear Jam Twenty

2011-09-21T18:50:00.003-05:00

Last night I went to the Belcourt Theater to see Pearl Jam Twenty with a couple of friends. It's hard for me to believe that PJ, along with Nirvana and DMB have been around for 20 years. The music of the early 90's and 90's in general are my JAM. I can't believe it is essentially considered oldies music as in many cities it now has it's own dedicated station. My favorite part of my drive from Nashville to Charleston, WV is the part just before Elizabethtown and Lexington along the Bluegrass parkway where I can tune in the Generation X station. There is just something about music from the 90's that is so deeply attached to memories of growing up. I love the memories that a song can bring like driving around in my car listening to One Headlight by the Wallflowers or going to my first concert (Dave Matthews Band).

For a band that has been around so long I really didn't know a whole lot about their entire history. This documentary did a great job of touching on their early career and how they changed because of the fame. I am sure the diehard or just more knowledgeable fans will be more aware of things that were left out. The scenes of Seattle and the Northwest definitely made me miss Seattle. I also know that if your favorite band ever plays in Europe you should go. Seeing scenes of their shows in Veronoa, Italy definitely brought back memories of seeing Dave Matthews Band in Lucca. Also, I have a new desire to listen to the entire Pearl Jam catalog. I wouldn't be surprised if some Pearl Jam ends up on my marathon play list.

I love having the Belcourt Theater in Nashville. Besides showing movies the Belcourt also has concerts. This year I saw the Hood to Coast movie and Conan O'brien's Can't Stop. I really need to see more documentaries. Do you have an independent movie theater in your city?

Show: The Raconteurs at the Ryman 9.15.11

2011-09-18T15:14:00.002-05:00

On Thursday I went to The Raconteurs at the Ryman. I saw them there back in 2008. I wasn't as excited leading up to this show as I have been for other shows this summer. But when I found out Pokey Lafarge, and JEFF the Brotherhood were opening, it made me a little more excited. Both are bands I have wanted to see for a while.

Pokey Lafarge and the South City Three hail from St. Lous and brought their Americana, old-timey selves to the perfect venue. Krissie's Nate had even recommended him to me a while back and I missed him when he was in town last. My friends and I wonder how old he was as he seemed really in the wrong century. Turns out, he's 27, younger than me. I wonder if he talks old-timey all the time?

Pokey Lafarge and the South City Three

Next was JEFF the Brotherhood. A local rock duo has gotten a lot of good press lately. Despite the good press, this was not my cup of tea. I am sure the people who love this band, can't stand some of the music I like, so it all works out. I asked one of my friends what they would be doing if he ever listened to JEFF the Brotherhood and he couldn't decided on anything. I didn't have an answer either.

JEFF the Brotherhood

It was clear that most of the crowd was here to see The Raconteurs. I have never seen a merch line as long as I did at this show. I am sure there was a limited edition poster and of course the hatch show print. The crowd was also pretty diverse. I love people watching at shows at the Ryman. There was even a lady who looked like my mom. She had, what I am pretty sure was the same old model Coach purse, when Coach didn't plaster their logo over everything, and the exact same jacket. The only difference was, I don't think my mom would ever go to a Raconteurs show. Also, the couple next to us was in their late 40's/early 50's and despite a shaky start they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Now here is the part where I could tell you how much I loved x song or y song, but the truth is I don't know most of the song names, but I do know that I loved the show.

They opened with Consoler of the Lonely, which I actually do know the name of.

This isn't the best video, but man what a great way to open the show.

Jack White is one strange and talented man, but man is he intriguing. I've only managed to see him once in this town, well besides a few spottings at his record store, Third Man Records, but I don't really think that counts.

Maybe I will watch Cold Mountain tonight?

Race Recap: Charleston Distance Run- America's 15 Miler

2011-09-11T21:58:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday I ran the Charleston Distance Run for the first time. I remember hearing about the race when we moved to Charleston and I couldn't really fathom why anyone in there right mind would run 15 miles in a row. And now, here I was, 15 years later prepared to run 15 miles.

Prepared I was. This race fit perfectly into my training schedule for the Chicago Marathon. I would have to add on 5 miles once finished to get my long run in for the week.

On Friday evening I picked up my packet, skipped out on the spaghetti dinner, and opted for dinner with my mom instead. The race fee was $35 and included a t-shirt, hat, and a drawstring backpack. Also, in the bag was this nifty business sized pace chart.

When I registered, I listed my anticipated finish time as 2:15. I think I was optimistic when I put that down though. But based on pretty much all of my training runs, it wasn't out of the picture. I even told my mom I wanted to finish in 2:15. I usually don't say these sorts of things out loud because they suddenly become known, and there are all the what if that can result in not obtaining the goal.

Friday was a busy day for me and by the time I got home, I was super tired, but I knew I needed to lay my clothes out and finish my playlist. I got a pretty good night of sleep and got up on time for the race. I was there about 30 minutes prior to the 7:30 AM start. Perfect timing to avoid really long bathroom lines. Before I knew it was 7:30 AM and the race started!

East Nasty for Life!

Miles 1-3.3 were relatively easy and mostly flat. I was actually running too fast and running 8:30/mile. And I totally had some major dreams of finishing under 2:15. Start slow folks, start much slower than you want to run! Around 3.3 we made a left turn to head up to Corridor G. I think I groaned when I saw the sign for "Capitol Punishment Hill." I have probably driven this road over a thousand times, but never run up the 1.4 mile hill. It was rough. There were people walking and my pace slowed to the 10:00/mile range. Finally I reached the top and was greeted by the "End of Capitol Punishment Hill" sign. I was relieved because I was done with that hill, but I was now entering the South Hills neighborhood. This neighborhood was no joke and lived up to it's name. I definitely walked a few hills and though I would never get out of there.

I saw my mom and her friend at the corner of Louden Heights and Bridge Road between mile 6 and 7. I can't believe I was actually able to smile for the camera AND that she was able to get a picture of it.

Mile 8 was mostly downhill and I actually went surprisingly slow on this part. As we were running back into downtown, I remember looking right and having a great view of the Capitol over the Kanawha River.

Mile 9 had us run through downtown and the Historic East End which is also where I went to junior high. Roosevelt Rough Riders!

Mile 10 was through the Capitol grounds and back to where we started on Kanawha Blvd. Miles 11 and 12 were a repeat of miles 1 and 2.

We ran past the mall and The Charleston Civic Center, where I saw my first concert ever. I found myself next to the King Center and the tennis courts where I played tennis on the junior high tennis team. I saw "King Center Courts" written on the wall and thought of my old coach who passed away a few years ago.

At this point I had run 13.1 miles or so and my half time was under 2 hours. A finish of 2:15 seemed within reach. Miles 14 and 15 were kind of boring and in a less scenic part of town. It was really hot and I was just sort of ready for it to be over. Before I knew it, Laidley field was in view and I knew the finish was near. We ran onto the track and the last part of the race was half a lap around the track. At this point finishing at 2:15 was just out of reach but I knew I could possibly finish under 2:16. I sprinted that last half and finished just under 2:16. 2:15:56 to be exact.

Mom with another action shot for the win!

5th in my age group out 22!

226 overall out of 572 runners.

This was by far one of my favorite races to date. I am sure a lot of it has to do with the feelings of knowing I finished a race I never had any desire to run in until a few years ago. There was water and gatorade at almost every mile. Packet pick up was a breeze. Registration cost was beyond reasonable. (I think I have paid $35 for some 5ks.) At the end of the race they had cold wet towels for all participants. There was also plenty of beverages and fruit at the end of the race. And also pizza! I highly suggest this race to anyone looking for a half marathon distance.

I met up with my mom post race and my plan to run 5 miles immediately following the race changed slightly as the temperature increased and I ate a few pieces of pizza. I went home, changed clothes, and finished my run with a slow 5 miles around Kanawha for complete tour of Charleston.

At the finish.

Family Pictures...Revisted

2011-09-08T21:31:00.001-05:00

You might remember my previous family photo post taken around Christmas last year. This past weekend we were ALL together at the WVU/Marshall game and it was the perfect time to grab an updated family photo.

We were all Mounties on Sunday.

And because my brother and I rarely have our picture taken together:

Of course we couldn't leave out the cat Sox. Once we got home, I decided Sox also needed to share the Mountaineer pride. If she didn't hate me for the Christmas pictures, I am pretty sure she would be ok never seeing me again.

Sox with the WVU bandana.

Sox looks so happy to have her picture taken!

Actually, I am not sure who looks to be in more pain in the pictures. My brother or Sox?

12 Weeks

2011-08-30T18:28:00.001-05:00

I am 12 weeks into my marathon training schedule. 12 weeks! 12 weeks of a hot, humid, southern summer. With training conditions like these I feel like I am ready for anything. A full sized version can be viewed here. My training plan has been based on the Hal Higdon Novice 2 Marathon Training Plan with a few modifications.

I just counted and in 12 weeks I went to 31 yoga classes. I still can't do all the arm balances I want to, but I am so much stronger. I definitely think yoga after long runs has helped a lot. On the far right side of my chart is my weekly mileage. My first run over a half marathon distance was almost a month ago. It is still hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that a "short" run is half marathon distance to me now.

Now that my mileage is increasing I am starting to focus on a nutrition plan for this bad boy. Thankfully I know how my body reacts to certain things, now I just need to map it all out.

On Saturday I will be running in the Charleston Distance Run. I can honestly say I never, ever thought I would run this race. Why would anyone want to run 15 hilly miles? This is a perfect training run for me and will help me calculate times and works a few things out like clothing, etc. On Saturday when my training buddies are running the streets of Nashville, I will be running the streets of Charleston!

When Your Best Just Isn't Good Enough

2011-08-19T09:10:00.000-05:00

For the past 11 Tuesdays I have ran at Summer Speed Sessions. I have been up before 5:30 AM each of these Tuesdays except for the one morning where it was, no joke, one of the loudest storms I have ever heard and decided it would be safer to run in 90+ degree heat later in the evening than deal with lightning and thunder. I have been at the track before 6 AM to get my warm up. I haven't done the dynamic drills though...a bootcamp teacher that I didn't quite see eye to eye with loved dynamic workouts a little too much, thus making me hate them. I have completed all of the workouts to the best of my ability. My one goal for Summer Speed Sessions was to finish a mile under 7 minutes. Anything under 6:59 was fine by me. And I did that on my very first mile. Barely. Halfway through we tested our progress. And I improved, improved in the sweltering heat no less.

On Tuesday we ran another timed mile. I gave it my best and my best wasn't good enough. Not only did I do worse than my second time trial, I did worse than my first time trial. It took me 7:02 to run a mile. I was incredibly disappointed with this time, however there are a few things to take into consideration. I almost hate to mention them because I feel like I am making excuses.

I ate more this past weekend than I probably ate the entire month of July. Probably a bit of an exaggeration, but I ate a lot.
I also drank a lot. You know those buckets of margaritas? I pretty much polished one off my myself over the course of 2 nights in addition to beer...
And probably the biggest thing, I fell while playing in the river on Sunday evening. In the picture below in the left hand corner a little lower than center, see that rock formation that is perfectly scooped out with two larger flat parts on each side? I fell right in the middle of that hitting my tailbone hard. It was one of those falls that completely knocked everything out of me. I sat there for a few minutes stunned at what just happened. Then I rolled over and almost wanted to throw up it hurt so bad. So this was still hurting on Tuesday.

Even with all of the variables that came into play for my mile on Tuesday, I wanted to do better. I tried to do better and I just couldn't. I looked down at my watch as I crossed the finish line and was bummed. When people asked how I did, it wasn't too hard to tell them I didn't do as well as I wanted to and that technically I got slower.

Would I change anything? If I could, the only thing I would change would be the fall. Everything else about the weekend was great. Time spent laughing and exploring with great friends. I ate amazing food. I went whitewater rafting. I hike 4 pretty awesome trails and even saw some waterfalls AND a black bear. To improve my mile by X amount wouldn't have been worth it if I had to give up everything I did last weekend. I need to realize that running fast isn't the most important thing, it's that I was simply out there running.

2011 Tomato Arts 5k

2011-08-11T23:19:00.000-05:00

I ran 13.1 miles tonight. As part of a training run. 2 hours 8 minutes. And my last mile was 8:28. I am right where I want to be as far as training goes. 10 minute miles training will hopefully translate to 9:15-9:30 minute marathon miles. I am still trying to wrap my mind around this. It's somewhat baffling to think that this was *just* a training run when 2 years ago I was running my first 5k ever, The Tomato Arts 5k. It's a little bittersweet that I will be out of town this weekend and have to miss East Nasty's race. I can't wait to see the pictures and here how awesome the Potato to Tomatoes are going to do.

It's crazy to think the first time I ran the race I literally knew a handful of people at the race. One of them being Annie P. The same Annie P who suggest I join East Nasty. A big THANK YOU to Annie Parsons! I can't imagine what I would be doing if I hadn't started running last January with East Nasty.

So there will be no race recap from me this year, but in case you missed them the past two years you can still read about them.

2009 Pre Race
2009 Race Results 1
2009 Race Results 2
2010 Pre Race
2010 Results

Have a great weekend!

What's Your Secret?

2011-08-07T20:13:00.002-05:00

So I have a little secret. I haven't really talked much about the past 9 weeks. That doesn't mean it hasn't been busy or productive. Just the opposite. I am a little hesitant to even talk about it, because I almost feel like I will jinx it even though I know all the work I have done the past 50+ days is no mistake. I have worked hard for what I have achieved.

So what exactly have I been up to?

As of today I have completed 9 weeks of marathon training. 9! NINE! The past 3 weeks my long runs have been 14, 15, and 16 miles. My longest runs ever. It's hard to believe that I am actually doing this whole training thing and I am HALF way there. 9 weeks and I will be in CHICAGO!
While training I have managed to lose weight. Somewhere around 15ish lbs. At first it was hard for me to notice and now I can tell a definite change. My legs look lean, my arms are toned, and my favorite clothes, some of which I haven't worn in 3+ years, finally fit again. From what I have read, this isn't the norm while training for a marathon, but not unheard of.
I have been tracking my food daily at MyFitnessPal. I love, love, love this site. I have found this to be one of the best tracking sites for food out there. And it's free! If you use MyFitnessPal add me as a friend!
I have stopped for the most part working out at the gym. I still occasionally do the Arc Trainer. But for the most part I have been taking 3-4 yoga classes a week. This is such a drastic change from workout sessions of year's past. My marathon training has me running 4-5 times a week, with an average milage of about 30ish miles a week.

So there it is. My secret.

I have been working hard and loving life.

What's your secret?

Hot Blonde

2011-08-05T17:42:00.000-05:00

Hot blonde. These are two words I would never really use, let alone together, to describe myself. Blonde, maybe in the summer. I prefer to think of my hair as light brown. And hot? I would only describe myself as hot after nice run.

But yesterday I actually felt great. And it was completely flattering that someone would refer to me as a "hot blonde". I need to be better about receiving compliments, it's all too easy to dismiss them instead of being truly grateful and flattered.

Happy weekend!

Giddiness

2011-07-28T20:35:00.000-05:00

Last night I was giddy. I was more excited for Bon Iver at the Ryman then I have been for my birthday or Christmas of years past.

The show last night was perfect. I have been anticipating this show for a while. Long before it was announced, I have wanted to see him and it just hasn't worked out. I was nervous about how his sound would translate live. When you have such high hopes for something, disappointment can come fast.

But with his 9 piece band. He. Killed It.

I've said this before, and I will say it again. I am incredibly lucky that The Ryman is my hometown venue. My seats were perfect. The show was perfect. Everything was perfect.

I knew the encore would be special. I apologize for the camera angle and the back light.

Enjoy!

The Best Day

2011-07-24T22:20:00.000-05:00

Amazing days just happen. And today was one of them. Things that made my day awesome:

My first ever 14 mile run. And I didn't want to collapse at the end.
The Diet Coke I bought after the run.
A 3.5ish mile hike on the Natchez Trace at Garrison Creek with three of my best friends.
Playing cornhole at the Loveless Cafe while waiting for a table.
Call ahead seating at the Loveless.
Biscuits at the Loveless.
Realizing I didn't need to finish my entire meal.
But it's ok to finish all of my mac and cheese.
A pit stop at the Kroger solely to get a whistle from the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile and realizing they have a game (very similar to cornhole) to win prizes. And we actually did well!
An amazing yoga class.
Pineapple, ham, and jalapeno pizza shared with friends.
And tomorrow? A much needed rest day.

The Mile: Revisited

2011-07-12T21:09:00.001-05:00

This morning marked the 5th Tuesday after the initial one mile time trial for summer speed sessions. I wrote about my first ever sub 7 minute mile here. The South (as well as a lot of the US) has been going through a crazy heat wave right now. I have been dreading the time trial for the past 2 days.

I was fulling anticipating doing worse on this mile time trial than the last. 1.75 mile warm up and before I knew it I was running. I started out a little too fast, but in the end my final time was 6:51. 8 second improvement. In this heat I will more than take it.

In other news, I have completed 5 weeks of my marathon training. I am really doing this.

Bon Iver, Bon Iver

2011-07-05T23:04:00.001-05:00

It's July. Do you know what that means? BON IVER at the Ryman.

In case you have been under a rock, the new Bon Iver album, Bon Iver, Bon Iver came out a few weeks ago. It's amazing. It's different from some of his other stuff. And I am in love. Hinnom, TX is one of my favorites.

There is even a phenomenon named after him. Top album without a top 40 single.

Maybe I will even post a concert review in a month or two?

Edit: My favorite radio station DJ from KEXP, John in the Morning, just started his set with Hinnom, TX. It's going to be a good day!

The Mile

2011-06-13T21:35:00.000-05:00

For as long as I can remember I have hated the mile run. Specifically I hated the mile run in gym class when I was younger, 6th and 7th grades to be exact. In 6th grade I made the jump to middle school where we had multiple teachers instead of one main teacher. Gym was no longer fun and games. We actually had to do stuff. Long gone were the days of scooter boards, may poles, hula hoops, the multi colored parachute where you bounced a ball around, Jump Rope for Life, etc. Enter the days of what most overweight kids would call Hell. Mile Days, obstacle course days, having to actually change into gym clothes (and of course I was never lucky enough to land 6th period gym...2nd period both years.) Mrs. Berkler was my 6th grade gym teacher and our mile day was on Tuesdays. I actually liked her, even though she made us record our weekly mile time in our standard issue Ramona Middle School planner. I think my best mile time was about 10:30 that year.

In 7th grade I continued the tradition with gym class during 2nd period, however mile day was moved to Wednesday. I think I cared even less about PE that year because I really didn't like my new PE teacher Mr. Smith. I don't think I ever ran a mile faster than the 10:30 I ran the year before, but I did manage to jump over the wall on the obstacle course, so I viewed that should count for something right?

Ramona Middle School had a 5 minute mile club and a 6 minute mile club. At the time that wasn't even an aspiration of mine and I thought it was sort of ridiculous. Who would anyone want to run that fast? And then if you did run that fast you got a mile club t-shirt that you could wear instead of the mandatory grey t-shirt with a green box for your name. Not a prize I view as worthy of the effort.

I never made any sort of mile club at Ramona Middle School. And honestly I never thought I would, ever. I hated running and when you are 11 and hate something as much as I hated running, the 5 and 6 minute mile club seemed kind of ridiculous. And honestly, they still kind of do. I think if proper running techniques had been taught instead of "DO THIS" or else you fail mentality, more kids may have enjoyed PE. It took me 17 years to run a timed mile under 7 minutes.

This past Tuesday I ran a timed mile in 6:59. Barely making the 6 minute mile club. I accomplished something I never though I would ever do. Recently it has seemed more attainable, but it has always been just out of reach. Now that I have done it once, I know that the real club isn't the 5 or 6 mile club, but it is the Club of Runners. I have never seen so much support and congratulations as I did last Tuesday from runners and non-runners alike. I was pretty shocked. For all you runners our there, keep doing your thing. Set goals for yourself and as hard as it is not to, compare yourself to no one. We are all running different races.

And in case you have never seen Freaks and Geeks, it is by far one of my favorite TV shows. This gym class scene is a favorite of mine. (My 6th and 7th grade gym uniform looked a lot like the one in the video, except we didn't have ringer tee's.)

Back in the Saddle

2011-05-14T22:14:00.000-05:00

This week wasn't extra special compared to any other weeks, but I finally started to get back into some sort of routine. And I was thankful for the little things.

I made it to yoga class on Tuesday night. I think the last yoga class I went to was on Valentine's day. It's been that long. And while I was almost afraid to go back it had been so long, once I got there I felt completely at ease. My flow yoga class was just what I needed. Fast paced and we rocked out to some 80's tunes. I was just thankful that after realizing my yoga pants were on inside out, there was really no way anyone could tell.
I was at the gym on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday by 5 AM. It felt good to be back. And all the regulars were still there. I missed Thursday morning, but I made it after work on Thursday.
I am thankful for my ipad. I have had it for almost a year and I haven't used it too much. But I downloaded the Kindle ap and it's been love.
Have you read The Hunger Games Trilogy? I just finished the first book and am reading the second right now. They are a quick read. I used to read all the time. I'm glad I'm getting back into it (even if it is teen lit...). Any book suggestions?
Fleet Foxes. I am in love. Not as much as I am in love with Bon Iver though. They played at the Ryman last night. And they brought their Indie rocker A-game. I would rank this show right up there with the Arcade Fire show from last year. And it proves that once again I need to work on my indie rocker spotting abilities. Between the opening band, the Cave Singers, and the Fleet Foxes, the stage was getting ready for FF. A guy was on stage tuning some guitars. People were snapping pictures. I just assumed they were eager fans excited about the show. Nope. It was Robin Pecknold tuning his own guitars. My only complaint about the show was that he constantly tuned his guitars between songs and it was somewhat of a distraction. I loved the four part harmonies. Truly amazing. I did not love the guy behind me who was trying to make it a 5 part harmony. I didn't realize until looking back at the few pictures I snapped how simple their stage set was. Good music doesn't need flashy lights and set designs. See them if they are coming to your city. Seriously, I love the Ryman and Fleet Foxes.
You might get tired of me mentioning it for the next 2.5 months, but I am so excited about the Bon Iver show at the Ryman in July.
I am thankful that this cicada infestation hitting Nashville right now only comes around every 13 years. I am really glad we can all at least laugh about it and that we have a cicada who tweets!

Have a great week!

Famous People

2011-05-10T21:52:00.000-05:00

Famous people. Nashville and the surrounding suburbs are swimming with them. I love this city so much and it makes sense why so many entertainers and really cool people end up living here. Over the past few months I have had a few celeb sightings.

On Sunday I was running in Percy Warner Park. For those of you, in the Nashville area I was on the 5.8 going the backwards direction. About 2.5 miles in I see a small SUV pulled off to the side of the road. I think to myself "why do cars feel the need to pull off on this one way road?". I can only see the suv because it is sort of parked on a corner. As I run closer, I see two people, a personal trainer and a client. They are using TRX bands I have used before at the gym. I am about 5 yards away and I realize who the client is. Nicole Kidman. This Nicole Kidman spotting was almost as cool as that one time I saw her head peaking out over the bathroom stall when I went to the bathroom before I left work one day a few years ago.
Last Monday I guess Patrick Carney of the Black Keys was standing in the pew directly behind me at Interpol. I guess he left shortly after that guy was kicked out. A friend had to point this one out to me. Indie rockers are harder to spot in this town. I am surprised/embarassed that it is easier for me to pick out country artists...
I saw Martina McBride at my local Kroger. The rough Kroger. The Kroger that doesn't have the best variety of products. Stars, grocery shop, just like us!
I went to Pei Wei a few months ago with my co-workers. A co-worker said she recognized someone sitting at a table, but couldn't place him. I looked at him, "oh you mean Scott Hamilton, the figure skater?". She looked to confirm. She still wasn't sure. "Wait till he gets up" I say, "his height will let us know." CONFIRMED.
I saw Robert Plant one night too. You know from LED ZEPLIN. I missed him the night he was at Three Crow, but that's ok because I'd already spotted him. And spot I did, he drives what I would considered a granny mobile and it was about to get towed. Stars, they can't park illegally and get away with it, just like us.

I know I've had more, but these are the most recent and some of my favorite. I love that in Nashville, stars can really be just like us.

I need to work on my indie spotting abilities, because Bon Iver is coming to the Ryman on July 27 and I need to be able to spot my future husband.

Don't Be That Guy

2011-05-03T22:07:00.000-05:00

So I went and saw Interpol at The Ryman last night. Interpol is one of those bands that I feel like I should know more of their music than I actually do (I only knew one song and that's only because of Rock Band...). Before the show even started I stereotyped the male Interpol fan. My broad generalization went something like this: twenty-something to forty-something single guy, with glass, most likely a beard, who plays lots of x-box at odd hours of the night, (may live in their mom's basement), and wears t-shirts that are sort of funny, but you yourself would never wear one. I had just discussed this description and I see a guy wearing this shirt:

We immediately have a good laugh and are on the lookout for other funny shirts (there were many), but the "that guy" t-shirt was by far the best.

As the show went on it became clear to my group of friends that we were sitting behind "that guy" and he didn't need a shirt to tell us. His drunken ways, constant picture taking, and the bromance with his friend during most of the show were more enough signs to clue us in. However, just to make sure we knew he was "that guy" he lit a cigarette. He lit a cigarette in the Ryman. At first I let it slide, but then it started to bug me. The smoke was coming into the row I was sitting in and it's the Ryman. You just don't do that. I could tell a lady across the aisle told him not to do it, so I didn't say anything. However, when he went to light up the second time I tapped him on the shoulder and shake my finger at him. I am pretty sure the only reason I had the guts to do this was because he was drunk. It kept him from lighting up, for the time being.

He then jumped into the empty row in front of him to light up. Wrong move "that guy". I am now "that girl" and I go to inform the usher about the smoking. (For anyone who has been to a show at the Ryman, you are probably well aware that it's probably a requirement that you are 60+ years old to usher a show...) I am not really sure what will happen to "that guy" but I decided I wasn't going to go back to my seat just yet to find out, so I go to the bathroom.

On my way back to my seat I see "that guy" is now in the area between the actual theater and the lobby with 2 security guards. Before I get back to the seat I also see the security guard storm past me with a lit cigarette.

I guess the usher yanked "that guy" out of his seat and had him by both shoulders, it happened so fast both he and his friend didn't know what happened.

I guess if you get kicked out of the Ryman you are banned from purchasing tickets there as well.

I love a good time, especially at a concert, just as much as the next person, but please don't be that guy and light up in a National Historic Landmark, especially my beloved Ryman.

These Things Will Change

2011-05-01T16:41:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I ran my fourth half marathon, the Country Music Half Marathon here in Nashville, TN. As I prepared for the race, my mind moved to thoughts of the Dave Matthews Band. For those of you who don't know, I have seen the band a lot over the past 15 years and I have just been to a lot of concerts in general. (I just logged into my DMB Almanac Account for the Proof because I forgot just how many times...) I started to think about how I have traded going to DMB shows for running and it made me a little sad. These days, I am doing a whole lot more running than I am attending DMB shows. But in my defense, it's a lot easier to go for a run or go to a race than it is to see a DMB show, especially since they are only playing in 4 cities this summer.

I started to compare my two little different communities. They are different and so similar all at the same time. Great people, maybe some drinks, travel, fun, and community all centered around a common interest. Both groups mean the world to me. And while I may be more active in one right now than another, I know it's ok.

Here's to plenty more DMB shows and lots more running!

This Will All Make Perfect Sense Someday

2011-04-20T23:36:00.000-05:00

"This will all make perfect sense someday.
There's got to be a reason for the rain."

Sing it John Mayer.

It's been a few weeks of ups and downs, but things are on an upswing right now.

I received, what is quite possibly one of the best postcards from a friend ever.

I ran in a 5k and 10k on Saturday. The 5k was 5 seconds slower than my PR at 24:01. I need to keep telling myself that every race isn't going to be a PR. The 10k was for added miles. Follow a nice little 15k run up with brunch and it's a good morning.

I love Jack and Diet Cokes or a JDC or a Jack and Diane. I had one on Monday and I had forgotten how much I loved them.

Tuesday I ran my own version of speed sessions. I got there early and was pretty lazy. I only ran 4 of my 6 mile repeats. And I took much longer than the 1 minute rest. 7:52, 8:05, 8:06, 8:11. They should have been all 8:05's...

I went to speed early so I could have enough time to go to Lady GaGa. It wasn't my favorite concert, but I definitely loved her message of acceptance and individuality.

Tonight I ran 5.5 miles. All but the first and last mile sucked. Followed the run with a Blue Moon. Hurried home to make red velvet cake balls for a co-worker whose last day is tomorrow. I just rolled out 48 of these suckers and will have to dip them in chocolate tomorrow before I go to work. AND it's Low Sugar Lent. They may not look like much right now, but tomorrow morning they are going to look pretty awesome.

And the best thing about this week? Thursday is my Friday.

Low Sugar Lent: It's Almost Over

2011-04-18T21:31:00.000-05:00

So there is a reason I didn't call it "No Sugar Lent" and that's because it hasn't been entirely sugar free. All desserts and sugary snack have been cut out of my daily diet, however there are things like Gatorade, Gu, and Luna Bars (before runs) which I have not given up because of the half marathon training. But for the most part, all other sugars have been limited. There are a few items that I know had sugar in them, but I didn't realize it until after I had already eaten.

These items would include:

salsa ( A LOT of store bought salsas have added sugar)
BBQ sauce. I ate a BBQ chicken pizza the day before my half a few weeks ago and didn't realize that the sauce probably had lots of sugar in it.
Bread and lunch meat. most breads and lunch meat have added sugars. Thank you Subway...for the 2 weeks I ate you multiple times a week because I was too lazy to pack my lunch.
BBQ Baked lays. To go along with the Subway of course.
And I am sure there are other foods that snuck in without my knowing.

Surprisingly, the majority of sugar cravings have gone away. I am snacking less in the evening and during the day. I'll see a dessert, but it's not like I have to have it. I almost don't even miss them...but that doesn't stop me from drooling over new desserts to make.

I haven't decided what I am going to do on Easter. If I am going eat sugar and dessert (and Ketchup) or stick with this low sugar thing. Maybe I will just buy myself a snack size bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs?

Daydreamer

2011-04-13T21:56:00.000-05:00

So do you ever have those days, maybe weeks, where all you do is daydream about what-ifs? This week has been one of them.

Some of those daydreams included:

A trip to Amsterdam and/or Key West and possibly Seattle. I may (and by may, I mean, did) look up flights to all of these locations.
Running a mile under 7 minutes.
Eating a sugary dessert. At this point, anything. However, I am not sure I will add most sugars back after Low Sugar Lent.
Losing 10-15 lbs and keeping it off.
Buying a new car. Umm, my car is perfectly fine and has at least 50,000+ miles of life.
Wondering why Jackalopes aren't real.

You see, there is a new brewery in town, Jackalope Brewery. And I have never really given it much thought, but I learned this weekend that Jackalopes are a "mythical" creature. And I was a little crushed. So to verify their mythical-ness, I immediately went to the holy grail of everything, Wikipedia. They are indeed a mythical creature. They did however show pictures of the jackalope in modern culture. And I realized I had my very own picture taken on a jackalope. I immediately found it buried among old pictures.

And I am so thankful I decided to make a change.

Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon Recap

2011-04-05T22:33:00.000-05:00

Friday evening I left Nashville for Lexington, KY to meet my mom for a the weekend. Lexington is the almost halfway point between Nashville and Charleston, WV so it is a pretty easy place to meet. And believe it or not, they have better shopping than Charleston, WV. We hung out, laughed a lot and did some shopping. A pretty relaxing way to spend the day before a half marathon.

Run the Bluegrass was my 3rd half and most successful to date. I wrote about my first half where I almost peed my pants near the finish. I also wrote about my second half where I felt a lot better, but only improved my time by a few seconds, but thankfully I came nowhere near almost peeing my pants!

Run the Bluegrass was an incredibly well organized race. Parking was a breeze the course was well marked. The aid stations were stocked. The weather was also amazing. The only thing I could have done without was the wind.

I did a warm up of not quite a mile. My only goal running this half was to finish in under 2 hours and to apply some of the things I have learned in speed sessions this year. I wanted to start slow and finish fast. This is a pretty new concept to me and it seems much easier said than done. The excitement at the starting line can cause many people, myself included, to start too fast.

The night before the race I met up with a few fellow bloggers/friends Krissie and Nathan, Emily, and new friends Holli, Lisa, and Mary Anne. And my mom came too! I proceeded to eat a pizza that 2 people probably could have shared. My mom later told me she was going to have a piece but by the time she thought about it, it was gone. Whoops! Good laughs were had by all and my nerves were definitely at ease.

I met up with Krissie and Nathan the morning of the race and Krissie made sure to get a pre-race photo. Thanks for sharing the photo!

Before I knew it we were off! I started more towards the front of this race since there was no corral system and about 700 runners. I tend to discount my abilities and start towards the back and end up weaving and getting frustrated. Nathan started a little bit behind me and about 3/4 of a mile in, he caught up to me. The first 3 miles in my opinion had the most hills. Nathan and I exchanged a few words and pretty much ran next to each other for about 4 miles. Around mile 3 we left Ironworks Horse park and turned onto a main road. The wind on this road sucked and I am pretty sure there were people behind me drafting the wind. I knew there was a water stop at mile 5 and I had a Gu ready around 4.5. At mile 5 I took the GU and felt a lot better. I knew that one of the hardest parts was behind me as the road was a gentle incline into the wind. Coming back it would be downhill and hopefully with the wind.

I was passed by a 9 year old around mile 6.

Miles 6.5-8.5 were kind of boring as we weaved through Fasig-Titpton. Somewhere on Newtown Pike I saw Krissie.

At mile 10 I took a second Gu. Just after mile 10 I saw Emmie, running her race. (Emmie has an incredible story and I am so proud of all of her accomplishments!)

During mile 9 I realized I would probably be finishing closer to 1:50 than 2:00 hours. This definitely pushed me a lot. I finally reached the 12 mile race marker and had a sinking feeling as my watch was at 12.25 miles. My time goals could have been in jeopardy. However, the markers were off and my watch was pretty correct. Before I knew it my mom was cheering for me and I was crossing the finish line.

Crossing with a smile!

I am also pretty proud of my splits.

Split	Time
1	0:08:52
2	0:08:47
3	0:08:37
4	0:08:49
5	0:08:55
6	0:08:40
7	0:08:37
8	0:08:35
9	0:08:32
10	0:08:32
11	0:08:17
12	0:08:23
13	0:08:17

And what a neat finishers medal.

This was a fun race and I am already thinking about running it next year!

March Recap

2011-03-31T22:56:00.000-05:00

It's a little hard to believe that March is over. The month was quite busy.

I went to NOLA with one of my best friends from college for Mardi Gras. And it was pretty awesome.

I love this picture (minus the red eyes, which I am too lazy to fix right now....). Beads. Bourbon Street. Hurricane. Cross in the background.

Lifelong friends.

Questlove DJ Set.

I gave up sugars (most) for lent.

My 5k PR.

St. Patrick's Day and 2 for 1 Green Beer.

March Madness. My 4 teams made it (Belmont, Gonzaga, UW, and WVU) next year they just need to actually make it somewhere like to the Sweet 16/Elite 8/just win a game.

St. Pardis Gras Celebration. We really need to try for a massive group girl shot at one of these parties. So many girls didn't make it in the picture :(

SO thankful that this years party was not Toga themed like last year.

A 14:59 2 mile time trial.

A fun trip to Charleston, SC to visit friends. My first. And it won't be my last!

And I finished off the month with a Cold War Kids show.

April I am ready for you and your two half marathons and your warmer weather!

Sun! Sun! Sun!

2011-03-28T18:17:00.000-05:00

Clearly based on the smile on my face I had no clue what my arms looked like.

Wear sunscreen folks. Or don't wear a t-shirt on a 13 mile run one weekend and wear the same t-shirt on the first part of 5 1/2 hour kayak adventure.

Despite the red arms, Charleston, SC was amazing and I am already scheming my way back.

Low Sugar Lent: An Update

2011-03-15T21:27:00.000-05:00

So today marks day 7 of Low Sugar Lent. And it honestly hasn't been too hard. The first few days were a little difficult in the evenings, but that passed. I had a mishap on Day 1 with an attempt to use bakers chocolate in my oatmeal as I had seen other bloggers do. It was so horrible I only ate about 1/3 of my breakfast that day. Brunch on Sunday wasn't too bad either. No Krispy Kremes for me though and lot of no sugar options.

Here's to week two which will bring a different challenge: baking.

Tom King 5k Recap

2011-03-14T22:11:00.001-05:00

Saturday was the Tom King Classic 5k and Half Marathon. It marked the culmination of the East Nasty Couch to 5k program which I volunteered with. A few weeks ago the thought entered my mind that I might actually be able to get a PR (personal record) on this course since it was so flat. It wasn't until the end of last week that I actually decided I would "race". I spent 4 amazing days in New Orleans and had a grand time eating rich foods and no exercise. So I wasn't sure how I would be feeling leading up to Saturday.

By Friday I knew I was going to give it my all. My goal: run a 5k under 24 minutes. So 23:59 was my aim. Any time I run a 5k, my main goal is to run my best race. However, I do know that every course is different and there are a lot of different variables that go into optimal race conditions. I also decided that I would not where my ipod during this race. That was a first for me. To prepare, the night before I figured out the pace I would need to maintain. 7:53/mile.

The weather was pretty perfect Saturday. A slight chill, but not too cold. I warmed up with the Couch to 5k group and split off from them and made my way towards the front of the start area. I never start as close as I actually should and end up regretting it as I am passing people.

The first mile was around the Titan's Stadium. It wasn't bad at all and I actually started out a little bit too fast (A pipe dream of mine is to run ONE mile at 6:59, but that dream deserves it's own post). I had about 3/4 of a mile to go to get to the East Nasty water stop which was also the turn around point. I couldn't tell you who cheered for me at the water stop, but I know all of my friends were cheering me on. On my way back to the stadium I felt like my name was called every 20 seconds as I passed the newest East Nasties running the 5k, some for their first time, who knew I was running for a specific time. About 1/2 a mile from the finish I just wanted to quit. That was probably the hardest part. And then I saw Chuck. Chuck is such a great cheerleader and encourager of runners and I just remember him telling me I could do it and to start picking off other runners.

I did pass a few other runners and knew I still had to run up a slight ramp into the stadium. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the large downhill that led to the field. We did 3/4 of a lap on the field and finished at the 50 yard line. According to my watch my time was 23:54. I was excited, but of course it's not official, until I see the results.

23:53.

I think my next goal should be to actually smile at the camera.

I did it. And I have been completed overwhelmed with the congratulations I have received. Thank you all for all of the encouragement. I couldn't have done it without you.

Low Sugar Lent

2011-03-08T21:50:00.000-06:00

I am little embarrassed to admit this, but it has probably been at least two weeks since I have done any sort of major grocery shopping trip. Tonight after a rainy speed session, I high tailed it to Trader Joes. First, the sample was some sort of red beans and rice with spicy sausage. I ate one of the little sample cups and seriously considered going back for 1 or maybe two more. I didn't. But then an employee came around offering me a sample of a bite size chocolate chip cookie. Of course I indulged. He left. I ate the cookie and when I was finished I thought to myself that I should have grabbed two. And then he came back around again and asked if I wanted another one. "Why yes I do! Thanks!" He then told me I was tall.

I am sure you are thinking that I went to the grocery store at the worst possible time-after a workout and before dinner. While not ideal, this trip was a little different. I was shopping with intention. I was intent on finding foods with no added sugars and I actually paid attention to sodium content. I came away with a lot of yummy vegetables, some olives, canned salmon, steel cut oats, and a favorite I seemed to have forgotten-pistachios. I walked around the store reading labels and comparing. I also realized that most of those impulse items have some sort of added sugar in them.

I feel prepared to start my Low Sugar Lent tomorrow. While I am not going completely sugar free (I still plan to eat fruit and veggies with sugar), my hope is to work on reducing my overall sugar intake as it relates to the food I eat. As it relates to Diet Coke, I am not sure I can give that up just yet, but I am going to work on reducing the number that I drink. For Low Sugar Lent, I will not add sugar to any food I prepare at home. Based on available information, I will make the best low sugar eating choice available. I can pretty much kiss dessert goodbye. I also will not purchase food with added sugars. Besides the artificial sweetener in Diet Coke, I don't use them and probably will not start using them.

I also know there will be several times while running that I will need to drink Gatorade and/or eat GU.

So all of the stuff that has sugar in it that is currently in my cupboards or fridge? It will probably still be there when I get done with Low Sugar Lent. Items with sugar in them seem to have a long shelf life.

King (Queen) of New Orleans

2011-03-02T23:02:00.000-06:00

This time tomorrow night I will be in New Orleans with one of my best friends from Seattle. My only plans for the weekend are to enjoy some amazing food and laugh a lot.

In other news, I am going to work on giving up sugar for lent. Details upon my return.

On Sunday, I had a pretty awesome 3 mile time trial if I do say so myself.
3 mile warm up at about 10 minutes miles
Mile 1- 7:50
Mile 2- 7:45
Mile 3- 7:39
Total time- 23:17

I'll take it.

My last 3 minute time trial was 24:15. My main goal was to get in the 23 minute range. I'd say I exceeded that. I am still struggling with the idea that my body can sustain sub 8-minute miles. Obviously not for long lengths, but it puts my half marathon pace more in the region of 8:30/min miles rather than 9/min miles.

So who's been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans? Whose want to go to Mardi Gras?

Mountains Beyond Mountains

2011-02-23T23:13:00.002-06:00

I got back from Washington last night, and given the circumstances the trip went quite well. I got to spend some quality time with my parents, family, and friends. I don't think I have laughed as much as I did this weekend in a long time.

One of the things I love about Washington State, specifically the Puget Sound area is Mount Rainier. It is simply one of my favorite things about the state. And any day you can see the mountain is a good day. My grandparents were so lucky to have an amazing view of the Mt. Rainier from their front porch for 60 years. It's pretty fitting that the Mountain was out on the day of my grandma's funeral. There are lots of overcast days in the PNW and like I said before, any day the mountain is out is a good day.

My dad knew a place where we could grab some good pictures. So I made him take my mom and I.

It really does take your breath away.

My dad and I went back around sunset.

This trip wasn't all roses. I also experienced my first real case of road rage on the mighty I-5 and I honked at someone while on the freeway. My mom told me I was completely justified...who goes under the speed limit in the HOV lane?!?!?

My mom and I flew to Houston together to get our connections. As we exited our plane, I was greeted with Clyde Drexler's Sports Scene store. Clyde Drexler is only my favorite NBA player. I was completely prepared to buy anything remotely related to Clyde the Glyde or with the #22 anything. I looked around and saw nothing. Surely there had to be something? I asked the clerk and she said they used to carry a lot of items, but a few months ago they had a huge sale and sold it all for $5/piece. She said that mostly airport staff bought the items and by the bag full. DUH! They new a good deal when they saw one! Cue the sad trumpets. I was not leaving empty handed. I made my mom take this picture. It's not my favorite picture as I look like I had just been on a 4 hour flight in the middle seat with a small child sitting behind me who kicked my seat for the better part of the flight, but it proves I was at the store!

Adele

2011-02-15T21:31:00.002-06:00

Adele. Chances are you haven't heard of her. If you have, then you know how amazing she is.

I have watched this video a few times and I get chills every time I watch it.

She is touring the States in the spring, if you can GO. And also her new album, 21, is fantastic.

The Heart of Life

2011-02-13T20:34:00.000-06:00

This morning as I was getting up to start the day, my grandma passed from this life into another to join my grandpa. It wasn't unexpected, but at the same time when she had preventative surgery in December we never it expected it would lead to this.

My trip to Seattle this week will be different from others, but I know we will celebrate and honor her life.

Easter 2009

I was lucky to spend the day with her on her birthday last year.

Rolling in the Deep

2011-02-08T21:58:00.003-06:00

Today sucked on multiple levels.

BUT, I remembered my other blog today and decided it's time to start posting there more

I am indeed thankful: Sarah is Thankful

October 9, 2011

2011-02-06T22:02:00.002-06:00

In case you don't follow me on Twitter or Facebook or you're my mom and I haven't talked to you in a few days (where have you been when I've tried to call?!?!), this might be news to you.

Do you know what I will be doing on October 9, 2011?

I will be running a FULL marathon in Chicago.

26.2 miles.

I've signed up for it and the hotel is booked.

I even convinced my running buddy to run it too.

I never once imagined I would be doing a full.

I am not getting any younger!

Weight Loss And Running

2011-02-03T18:43:00.003-06:00

So on Saturday I am going to talk for a few minutes to talk the Couch to 5k group I have been coaching/volunteering with about weight loss. I hesitate to call myself a coach when there are people way more knowledgeable about running than I. I actually prefer the title motivational time keeper because that's what I do.

So on Saturday at 8 AM I will be talking weight loss. While some people in Nashville know I have lost weight, I have always somewhat controlled who I told. And I have never told a group of people. So this will be a tad different.

I am still working on putting some thoughts together about running and weightloss, but I honestly think I am going to talk more about general weight loss and exercise/running as a component of it.

Any one have any tips? Pointers? Anything I should stay away from?

Run the Bluegrass

2011-02-01T20:26:00.002-06:00

So I thought about running the Run the Bluegrass half-marathon when Krissie tweeted about it. and for whatever reason, I didn't register. Some things happened and the race was cancelled and then it was back on with new race management taking it over. Skinny Emmie tweeted about it, and I started to consider it. I called my mom to see if she would want to meet me in Lexington and spend the weekend with me. Of course she said yes, so it will be a fun weekend and my mom gets to see me run (my dad is thinking of coming too!). It looks like a pretty flat course, but I've definitely learned that flat is relative! Yeah! for running!

Draw the Line

2011-01-30T22:11:00.002-06:00

I went to a wedding reception this weekend. The favor? A caricature drawing.

A year ago I would have never asked to have myself drawn as a runner. It probably would have been traveling/music related.

I love it!

Let's Try This Again...Heavenly Day 1

2011-01-24T22:31:00.004-06:00

Here is the video recap in it's entirety. Like the previous video, I say Day 2, but it is really just Day 1 of skiing.

Untitled from Sarah Brown on Vimeo.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

2011-01-23T22:21:00.003-06:00

I still haven't found what I'm looking for, but I am getting pretty darn close.

Today was just delightful. I can't really think of any other way to describe it.

It started with a 2 mile warm up run followed by a 3 mile time trial (24:15 baby!) and a 2 mile cool down. I quickly left East Nasty to go to the circus. I skipped out on brunch for what has been called the greatest show on Earth. I don't know, about greatest, but it was pretty good. I went to the circus in my running clothes folks. I also think my friends and I were the only ones there without kids... Grabbed a so-so lunch at Puckett's Grocery downtown. I want to like this place, I really do, but I have never had a perfect meal there. They always seem to mess up my order or the service is really bad...I think I'm done with Puckett's.

This afternoon consisted of showering/lounging/grocering. And tonight? A birthday dinner for a friend with a great group of people. Good food. Good conversation. Good laughs.

Good night!

Heavenly Day 1

2011-01-19T20:41:00.002-06:00

So despite the fact that in this video I say Day 2, it's actually Day 1. I've only only watched about 30 seconds or so...I can't stand to watch myself on video...so I am not really sure all that was said.

But I am back in Nashville and I am ready to plan another ski trip. Who's in???

Velvet Snow

2011-01-12T21:31:00.003-06:00

On Friday I will arrive in Lake Tahoe. On Saturday I will be skiing. I am going skiing with the same group that I went with last year. Last year I remember being nervous because I only knew one other person that was going. But I feel just as nervous, if not more so, this year. I am trying to figure out why. I know I am the least skilled skier of all those going, but now I actually know everyone going. Last year it didn't seem so intimidating because I didn't actually know how good everyone was at skiing. I know once I get there and get my skis, go down that first run, and eventually wipe out (it's bound to happen), I will feel a lot better.

I do know that if I ever have kids I will be teaching them how to ski when they are young. Do you ski? If you do ski, where?

Come Saturday I will be wearing this jacket and attempting to hit the slopes in Lake Tahoe.

And just for kicks, this is the video I took in Big Sky last year, when I was pretty much the only person on the "green run":

Like a G10

2011-01-09T21:28:00.005-06:00

In less than a week I leave for a ski trip in Tahoe. I am excited, but also a little nervous. Most of the people going are really good skiers. Really good. And I can manage. So this year I am taking a day long lesson. I looked at the lesson info on the site and there is a scale from 1-9 to find your ski level. I looked at the levels and I would say I am a 5.

"LEVEL 5

Description: You ski or ride comfortably and confidently on all “green circle” and most groomed “blue square” terrain at Heavenly. You can link turns (mostly parallel for skiers) of varying sizes and you can control your speed in most situations by adjusting your line, with little need for braking (“gliding the slow line fast”).

What to expect—depending on your needs and goals:
- Explore higher speeds and more vigorous movements for shorter, complete turns.
- Develop higher edge angles and discover the control and sensations of carved turns.
- Gain confidence on steeper, more challenging groomed blue terrain.
- Venture into easiest ungroomed terrain." (taken from www.heavenly.com)

Of course, with my personality I wasn't just ok with making the reservation on line before actually speaking with a human. I was reassured that taking a lesson was a good thing and because I am an adult in the non beginner class, the class probably won't be crowded. It's also a good way to see a lot of the mountain.

So I have a lesson on day one and lift tickets for days 2 and 3 at Heavenly. Depending on how things go, I may go to Kirkwood or I may go to the spa ;)

Last year I rented a helmet and I was completely fine with that. It was actually my first time wearing a helmet while skiing. When I first learned to ski no one wore helmets. Thinking back on it, I am actually surprised my parents let me go without wearing one. I was the kid who had to wear a helmet when I rode my bike because of the horror cases my parents would see at the hospital. But now that I will probably go skiing at least once a year I decided I should just invest in my own helmet. A helmet that only I will sweat in. Safety first kids.

So I got a G10.

And this model didn't come with a cover. So I made my own. That's right I made a cover. A simple cover bag, but it works. I made a cover and I didn't even have a pattern! The only "pattern" like thing I had was a dust cover from a Coach handbag. It came it quite nicely if I do say so myself. I just need to put the cord stop on and melt the ends of the cord. A big shout out to my mom for giving me her old sewing machine, providing me with a kick-ass sewing kit, and giving me the confidence to take on projects like this!

And because I didn't post a picture of my Christmas tree, here it is. It may still be up, but looking at all the pink ornaments just makes me happy. Next year I will be upgrading to a 7 foot WHITE Christmas tree! My mom has gotten me so many pink ornaments they no longer all fit on the 4 ft tree!

Journals

2011-01-05T22:38:00.002-06:00

I have written in a journal my fair share over the years. From the mandatory one I had to keep in second grade, to Weight Watcher point journals, to work out journals. And this year? I am going to keep a running journal or "Training Log 2011" if you will. I couldn't be more excited. And what makes it even more special? My friends are the ones who designed and created it. I know some pretty talented people.

Be jealous of this folks.

The Cover

I love this intro page.

Monthly view

Weekly view. I love the weekly miles and miles to date part at the bottom. I didn't keep track of this last year and I am pretty excited about doing it this year.

And scattered throughout are pictures and photos, all related to East Nasty and running.

I am a Runner because I Run.

2011-01-02T17:10:00.002-06:00

The thing that I am most proud of doing in 2010 was finishing a half marathon. A year ago today I wrote this post outlining my goals for 2010. Goals, because I hate the word resolution. And I actually did pretty well. The only thing that went completely by the wayside, was the whole budget thing. Not.even.close. But back to the whole running thing. I am not even sure why I decided I was going to run a half. It probably had something to do with the 3 miles I was tricked into running and 4 5ks I had run that fall. And with that post, Annie Parsons made a comment that literally changed my life. And I am not being dramatic here folks.

Annie suggested I join East Nasty to help train for my half marathon. I am sure I could have trained for the half on my own, but would I have had as much fun? Met some amazing people who I am now lucky enough to call friends? Would I have done as well as I did? Probably not. East Nasty is an amazing community of supportive individuals who enjoy life, helping others, and encouraging each other to do their best. It's pretty awesome. This year I completed not one, but two half marathons. And you know what? I actually enjoy running now.

Thank you Annie P and all my East Nasty friends. You made 2010 a great year and I am looking forward to 2011!

Annie and I after the Country Music Half...I look like I had been hit by a truck and Annie on the other hand looks amazing.

Half marathon #2!

The Cat and the Hat

2010-12-29T10:42:00.004-06:00

My mom and I went to the dollar store last week in search of tins for cookies and candy. We found them and my mom also found a pink santa hat that looked like it would fit a baby. She bought it and I didn't even question it which is odd considering there are no babies in our family or no babies even remotely close to being born...

We get home and my mom goes to her sewing machine. She sews on an elastic band to the pink santa hat. She tells me it is for Sox, the cat. And she proceeds to put it on. It lasted about 20 seconds and that was that.

Sunday night while watching the Sound of Music, I decided we should take some family photos with the cat and the hat. (my brother was at a friends house and missed out on all the excitement).

2010 In Concerts

2010-12-28T19:53:00.003-06:00

I went to a lot of concerts/shows this year. Maybe it's because this is the first year I have actually taken the time to write them all out? I am horrible at ranking, but I definitely had my favorites (they are in italics). I averaged about one concert a week. That really puts it in perspective. I think I got most of them. Here is to a great concert year in 2011! Anyone else see some good shows in 2010?

2010 Concerts

January

26- John Mayer and Keith Urban Crossroads Taping, The Factory Franklin, TN

February

9-John Mayer w/ Michael Franti and Spearhead, Birmingham Jeffferson Convention Complex Arena Birmingham, AL

10-John Mayer w/ Michael Franti and Spearhead, Bridgestone, Arena Nashville, TN

21-Howie Day, 3^rd and Lindsley Nashville, TN

March

1-Dave Matthews Band with Alberta Cross, Lotto Arena Antwerp, Belgium

3-Dave Matthews Band with Alberta Cross, Heineken Music Hall Amsterdam, Netherlands

7-Dave Matthews Band with Aleberta Cross, 02 Arena London, England

13-John Mayer, Freedom Hall Louisville, KY

15- Muse w/Silversun Pickups, Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN

31-Tegan and Sara, Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN

April

5-Vampire Weekend, Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN

11-David Gray, Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN

19-Owl City, War Memorial Nashville, TN

May

1-Jimmy Buffett, Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN

10- Barenaked Ladies with Ingrid Michaelson, Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN

19-Music Saves Mountains Benefit with Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris, and a bunch of others… Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN

25-Josh Rouse, The Belcourt Theater Nashville, TN

June

10-Conan O’Brien, Third Man Records Nashville, TN

12&13- Bonnaroo Music Festival, Manchester, TN: Dave Matthews Band, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Weezer, Phoenix, Norah Jones, Regina Spektor, The Avett Brothers (I saw parts of other shows, but these were the shows that I saw 50% or more of…)

15-Patty Griffin, Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN

18-Dave Matthews Band, Deer Creek Amphitheater Nobelsville, IN

19-Dave Matthews Band, Deer Creek Amphitheater Nobelsville, IN

22-Nashville Rising Benefit with Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN

July

12-Band of Horses, War Memorial Nashville, TN

August

9-The Arcade Fire, Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN

27-The Head and the Heart and Mt. St Helens Vietnam Band Concerts on the Mural, Seattle, WA

28-John Mayer, Keith Urban, and the Avett Brothers, Gorge Amphitheater George, WA

September

6-John Mayer w/Owl City, Orange Beach, AL

16-David Bazan and The Mynabirds, Lincoln Hall Chicago, IL

17-Dave Matthews Band, Wrigley Field Chicago, IL

18-Dave Matthews Band, Wrigley Field Chicago, IL

October

3-The National, Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN

5-All for the Hall Benefit Concert Featuring Keith Urbam, Vince Gill, John Mayer, Dolly Parton… Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN

9-Menomena, Mercy Lounge Nashville, TN

11-The Lonely Forrest and Margot and the Nuculear So and Sos, The Exit/In Nashville, TN

14-Local Natives, Cannery Ballroom Nashville, TN

29-The Avett Brothers w/ Chuck Mead, Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN

30-The Avett Brothers w/ Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN

November

1- Mumford and Sons w/ Cadillac Sky, War Memorial Nashville, TN

4-MGMT, Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN

8-Sarah McLaclan, Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN

12-Dave Matthews Band, Madison Square Garden New York, NY

13-Dave Matthews Band, Madison Square Garden New York, NY

December

2-Reggie Watts, Third Man Records Nashville, TN

12-Cold War Kids, Third Man Records Nashville, TN

17-Garth Brooks, Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN

21-Garth Brooks, Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN

December 24

2010-12-27T20:33:00.001-06:00

A clothed Santa! and the train engine.

December 23

2010-12-27T20:32:00.001-06:00

A cute little Christmas tree.

December 22

2010-12-27T20:29:00.001-06:00

I didn't take my calendar with me, so here are the last three installments.

A helicopter.

Merry Christmas...

2010-12-25T10:05:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas! Happy holidays! Happy Festivus! Happy whatever you may or may not celebrate.

Wishing you all the best! May you spend the day with family and friends and enjoying eachother's company.

My family typically does not do a traditional Christmas meal. This year we are making homemade pizza. I made the dough earlier and we have lots of toppings for a great meal.

This picture is from Santa Rampage. It is one of my favorite events and I talk about it year round. I am already looking forward to next year!

And The Thunder Rolls: Part 2

2010-12-21T22:18:00.003-06:00

I had such a good time at the Garth show on Friday, I decided I needed to go again.

I was able to find great tickets for face value on Sunday night for the early show tonight. Friday's show was a lot longer (and he played one of my favorites, More Than a Memory), but I still really enjoyed tonight's show too.

I am off to Charleston, WV to celebrate Christmas with the fam. Safe travels to all those traveling this week!

December 21

2010-12-21T21:40:00.000-06:00

Another train car.

December 20

2010-12-20T20:34:00.002-06:00

Today is some sort of dozer. I am not an expert or anything so I don't know exactly what kind it is...

December 19

2010-12-19T21:33:00.000-06:00

This is rather boring. A railroad car.

And the Thunder Rolls

2010-12-18T11:58:00.003-06:00

So last night I went to a concert. I seem to go to a lot of concerts. But last night was special. I got to see Garth Brooks. And I had never seen Garth before. Shocking I know.

I am self proclaimed ticket snob. I am spoiled. I get good seats to most shows I go to. And I am very lucky. I know this. But every once in a while I don't have good seats.

And last night I had what were quite possibly the worst seats I have ever had. Second to the last row of a 16,000 seat arena.

And who is the only person I would happily pay to see a show knowing I was almost in the last row?

Garth Brooks.

And it was so much fun. So much fun that I am going to try to see another one of his shows on Monday or Tuesday! (He's doing a 9 show benefit for flood relief.)

So we realized that we could go up to the last row and have more room to dance. So I was actually in the last row for the last half or so of the show. That's the silver metal wall behind us at the very, very top of the Sommet.

December 18

2010-12-18T11:51:00.002-06:00

Today totally makes the shower make sense.

A naked Santa for the shower! And a brush to wash his back!

I am caught up!