Sunday, February 15, 2009

14k recap

Hi readers!

And a special hello to the beautiful Hannah (who I know reads this blog even though I've yet to see a comment from you) who got engaged this weekend! If there's anyone who could make a killer blog post about wedding details, it's this girl (a future event planner). CONGRATS Hannah!

This past Thursday was our final 3 mile run before the 14k. We ran the Larchmont Loop in the blustery wind. Extra points for extra wind resistance! It was definitely a good idea to do outdoor runs this week.

Friday we rested from exercise and woke up at 5:00 am on Saturday morning to prepare for the race! We arrived at the race site and got our chip timers to strap around our ankles, lined up, and we were off! We started at the back of the pack, but quickly passed a lot of people who were either running/walking or just power walking. We fell into a groove and stayed around the same group of people pretty much the whole time. It was really fun to people-watch and chat with/encourage those around us. The weather was pretty chilly (about 40 degrees and cloudy), so I was glad I chose pants/long sleeve shirt/gloves. Our easy jogging pace was not fast enough to warm up a whole lot in! We ran the entire time with no walk breaks; at the water stops we grabbed cups and kept running while drinking them (hardcore, I know). Once the finish line was in sight, we sprinted like mad men to the end. We had a blast and enjoyed the after party catered by Moe's! We came home and promptly got in the hot tub. I noticed my feet were filled with blisters, which I never really get, even after last week's 10 miler. Not sure why the difference here. Billy's bloody toenail was a whole other story....

I think we passed through the finish line at an hour and 32 minutes. Since the distance was 8.67 miles, our average speed was 5.7 mph, which was comfortable and easily attainable for us.

Bright & early:

Gettin pumped!

Sportin our medals:





Again with a different backdrop:



Can you tell we were just a little excited?



I hope you all had an amazing Valentine's day with your hunnies! We spent the evening refueling at the delicious Captain George's seafood buffet. I am STILL full. I also made a sweet strawberry cake for my valentine (courtesy of Miss Sandra Lee, courtesy of Mrs. Chelsea Stott who gave me the recipe). We were too full to try a slice but got to split a piece today. Yum! The best part of this cake is the addition of strawberry nectar. I went to 5 different grocery stores and almost pulled my hair out in frustration trying to locate strawberry nectar, but man was it worth it.
I usually rest the day after a long run, but I was still feeling sluggish after that big dinner last night, so I headed to the gym this evening for a quick & sweaty 30 minutes on the Stepmill with a magazine. Stress relief at its finest. I felt so much better after!
If it crosses your mind, please be praying about Billy's and my future living situation. We're looking to sign a lease May 1 to have a month to get our place set up before the wedding. We've had an interesting opportunity to rent out an incredible house for an incredibly low rate that some mutual friends/acquantainces are looking to sell. Since the owners can't seem to sell the house in this market, they've offered us the option to rent until they either a) sell the house or b) take the house off the market and keep it as a rental. Since we don't like the uncertainty of knowing that a house we've made a home in could potentially be swiped out from under our feet at any moment, we've decided to agree to rent under one condition: that the owners commit to a year-long lease not subject to termination due to selling the house. We'll run this ultimatum by the real estate agent and see what the outcome is. The Lord is truly teaching me a lesson in patience and trust in Him for what's best for us (I have a bad habit of thinking that what I think is best is better than what He thinks, of which I am seriously mistaken!).
Thanks for reading if you got through all that!
Love to you all.

3 comments:

chelseajean said...

i am back in the real world- kind of. sounds like you had an amazing weekend. i am so happy for you and so proud of you and billz. i was crying, throwing up, or having a splitting headache all weekend. yay! for really bad immune systems. i miss you- that's basically what i'm trying to say.

Billy Colonna said...

I saw our results online and we actually both finished in 1:30:36. The time cips are more accurate, because the clock had been ticking for 2 minutes before we passed the start.

If anything, I am so motivated to work on speed, because I wasn't running very hard during the race and slowing you down. Let's really push oursleves for the Sharmock!

Hannah Thatcher said...

haha. ok busted. only because you are so sweet, i will officially leave my first comment. :)
a) your running pic is too cute
b) i will definitely be praying for you guys. God will work out something uniquely perfect for the two of you...im sure of it!