Sedentary Success

I'm sitting while I write this post. I've pretty much been sitting since I ran White Rock last Sunday. It was so sweet to wake up this morning, relaxed and ready to take on a day of sedentary simplicity. You see, normally I would be hyperventilating over the mileage I would have to run on a 'long run day,' but not today because I reached the pinnacle of my running career last sunday.

Shall I tell you a little about my not-so-little run?

I don't think I really need to elaborate on the above picture.

Note the moon still high in the sky.

Before the run:

We left for the race around 6:30.

It was freezing.

We took a trolly from the parking lot to the race area. After being dropped off, we found the porta-pottys and waited in line. Kris went into a porta-potty before me and, seconds later, stumbled back out. She told me I could use it, if I wanted to. If I wanted to? Well, isn't that why I'm standing in line?? I strolled toward the porta-potty and was met with the most horrific sight. I'll save the gory details- just imagine eating Chipolte, Qudoba, Freebirds, and a case of Diet Cokes and then using the tiniest bathroom ever and then not flushing and then locking someone inside. I was the person locked inside. Kristen's always got my back (note sarcasm).

After the porta-potty disaster, we headed to the start line, where everyone else seemed way too peppy. It's cold, people. It's cold and 7:30 in the morning, people. It's cold and 7:30 in the morning and we are about to run distances you should never force your body to run, people.

Suddenly though, out of the speakers blasted a sign from God, sort of. Kesha's "Tik Tok" started pumping and suddenly, cold turned to nippy, 7:30 in the morning turned to morning, and distances you should never force your body to run turned to 13.1 miles- piece of cake.

I was on top of the world...

Until "Tik Tok" ended...

...and I reevaluated my irrational optimism.

And then, we ran.

and ran. and ran.

For 13.1 miles.

Kris and I stayed together the entire time and high-fived at each mile marker. That seems trivial, but believe me, those high-fives kept me going. We ran through downtown, uptown, Highland Park- pretty much everywhere I've ever been in Dallas.

The worst part of the run for me was through Highland Park (miles 7,8&9), but after reaching mile 10, I didn't feel as hopeless and distraught. Right before the finish line, we ran past my mom and dad :] and then finished woot woot. I got a shiny medal and another RACE TEE-SHIRT, ate two bananas, and went to find my family.

After the race: [note the medals]

Thank you so much for reading my blog, guys! You all have been such a support during my training, and your donations for Heart House are going towards an amazing place. I'm so grateful for all the encouragement I've gotten and appreciate all you lovely people in my life!

Here are some comics that I never posted.

I couldn't decide which speech bubble I liked below. So I tried both. Thoughts? >>

I'm really sad to say adios

sooo, I will say

LATER SKATERZZZ

-$terling

I FINISHED!!

I ran all 13.1 miles!!

and I'm feelin good.

More pictures and drawings to come!

Anxiety Update: 13.1

• Projectile vomiting
• Regression in maturity

Anxiety Update: 10

• Discoloration
• Extreme nausea
• Crazy eyes

Anxiety Update: 9.5

• Extreme spike in body temperature
• Loss of homeostasis
• Eye convulsions

Anxiety Update: 9

• Redness of the corneas
• Excessive lacrimation
• Hopelessness

Anxiety Update: 8

• Catatonic
• Racing thoughts
• Ghost-like complexion

Anxiety Update: 7

• Excessive Diet Coke cravings
• Profuse sweating
• Uncontrollable drooling
• Shaking

Anxiety update: 6

• Stomach pains
• Shortness of breath

Half Marathon EVE!

Notice how I didn't preface it with 'Happy'...

My anxiety is around a 3 right now, but it will grow exponentially with each passing hour.

This morning, Kristen, Kristen's dad, and I went to the expo at Fair Park to pick up our purple 1/2 marathon bibs and look at all the vendors. We purchased 1/2 marathon tee shirts and Kristen's dad, we shall refer to him as 'The Genius,' bought Kris and I these awesome tee-shirts from the company One More Mile. The One More Mile booth had a ton of wick-lite shirts with sayings like-

'Running is cheaper than therapy'

'Kick Assphalt'

'Find your happy pace.'

'Seemed like a good idea 3 months ago.' Amen, sister.

'In my dreams, I am a Kenyan.' This one is funny, but the thing is, in my dreams, I have the running capacity of a small child and my legs are moving, but I am going nowhere and my chest is tightening and I can't take in enough air and then I wake up in a sweaty panic.

'13.1 miles: Been there, run that.' - It's still up in the air whether I can claim all 13.1 miles, so I decided to nix that one in case it became a mocking reminder of my impending doom.

I finally decided on a pinkish/red shirt that read...

'Race Day Strategy: Start off slow then back off."

Here are some pictures from the expo...

It was huge. And, I don't know that woman.

Now, I must go update my running playlist and download any last minute tuneage. Come on, Justin, don't let me down.

Update:

Oh no! I have a fever!!

...

Bieber Fever! hehe

okay, bye.

The Gobble Wobble

Wouldn't that be such a better name than the Turkey Trot!? Just hearing the name makes me want to run the race all over. And really- who isn't just trying to stay upright when your dehydrated and cramping up on mile 2? Personally, there was a lot more wobbling and gobbling (ahem, whining) than trotting over the 8 mile course.

Hmm.... this story will start like any good story does- in the aisles of Target

^ Note the Walmart logo burning in the flames beneath

Kristen's mom was perusing the dollar aisle when she came across a turkey hat. Let me be more specific, a cooked turkey hat. She bought it for Kristen as a joke, but this hat was no laughing matter. Upon seeing the hat, Kristen and I immediately decided that this was a necessary part of our race day uniform.

We were scared the hats may fall off during the race due to our extremely fast running pace, so Kristen decided we should stitch the turkey hats onto baseball caps. She really is a genius.

I've never been good at sewing...

So Kristen happily stitched both of them...

We love turkey hats... and Target.

And, thank goodness I liked the hat so much because at 6:30 on Thanksgiving morning, I awoke to embark on my race day journey.

It was windy and frigid and the moon was still high in the sky. I didn't complain (much) though.

We got to the race thirty minutes early and, because of the cold temperatures, decided to sit in the car.

Many things happened during our pre-race warm up (warm up= our car seat warmers turned on). First, the parking attendant came to my window and explained that it was a $10 parking fee. I looked through my wallet and realized I only had 6 dollars. So, I got out my coin purse (a plastic Ziplock with pink Disney princesses on the outside) and started counting quarters. I first thought he had said it would cost $8, so I extracted 8 quarters, but realizing my mistake, I started counting out dimes and nickels. The guy, seeing what I was doing, already looked perturbed. So, I decided I would put the $4 worth of coins in the princess Ziplock bag so it would be easier for him to keep track of the 15 dimes, 8 quarters, and 10 nickels. He didn't seem very amused by my thoughtful gesture.

Finally the parking attendant went to collect money from other race-goers and Kristen and I observed our fellow trotters- specifically a man in bright green booty shorts. It's the Turkey Trot, dude, not the Olympics. A little extra fabric is not going to slow you down and if it does, so what? At least you still have your dignity...

It was horrific. We spent a good ten minutes watching him, and I tried multiple times to take a picture that adequately displayed the tragedy, but never quite captured the puke-in-your-mouth moment we witnessed.

We decided to use the porta-potties prior to the race and that's when Kristen encountered a flirtatious fellow. He commented that she looked cold. Wow. It's 35 degrees outside. Good observation, buddy. We commented that we couldn't believe he was wearing shorts and he responded that he had a lot of leg hair and more body fat. "Well, I have a lot of leg hair," I responded. Flirtatious, eh? A porta-potty opened up at this point, and I decided to make my exit, leaving behind the man and his disgusted expression.

Eventually the race started and we were OFF... at a walk. It didn't really start picking up until the 5K group split from the 8 milers. My music shuffle was a 7 out of 10, not bad, not bad. But what really kept me going was more horrific sightings. Observe-

I didn't actually get a front view of the guy- the tee-shirt is what you call artistic license. But, I would not be surprised if it referenced Twilight, specifically Jacob- who is a dweeb. Short shorts sightings kept me going, and I eventually crossed the finish line with a time of 1 hour, 19 minutes, and 4 seconds.

Let me rewind for a second. When Kristen and I were toasting in the car prior to the race, I said, "Let's meet at the car when we finish." To which Kristen responded, "No, let's meet at the finish line!" So that was the plan. And, it would've been great. But, 35,000 other runners decided to meet at the finish line too. I stood up on a boulder for literally 30 minutes and saw every person wearing a turkey hat besides Kristen. I'd get really excited when I'd spot a turkey hat and then realize it was a man with a long brown ponytail.

20 minutes into my search, I get a call from an unknown number. It was Kristen. She borrowed someone's phone and called to tell me she was waiting by the car. OH, THE CAR. The location you nixed this morning? Awesome amigo. So, I headed to the car. I normally would've been furious, but the endorphins were kicking in and the realization that I was mere hours from my fam's Thanksgiving feast calmed the rage within.

The race was epic. The feast was epic. The stomach ache was epic. I'm especially thankful for the flakiness of the pumpkin pie crust... and family. and friends. and zzzzzZZZZZ.

Peace out girl scouts. and brownies. I never made it to girl scouts, I was just a brownie.

What I am thankful for...

I am thankful for

1. My family

2. My friends

3. Being all together during the holidays

4. My health

5. All my blessings

These are great things to be grateful for. Really. I'm grateful for all of these things. But, so is everyone else. These are standard answers at dinner parties ("I'm just so thankful to be with all my wonderful friends") and in prayers ("Dear God, thank you for my family and our health during this holiday season"). But wouldn't it be awesome if someone busted out with- "Dear God, thank you for Tivo's ability to record two shows at once and the Angry Birds iphone app." I mean, who wouldn't agree with you!? I know I would say "amen" with a little more gumption if a prayer like that was said at my family's Thanksgiving dinner. You can give thanks for family and friends silently as you dig into the mean green bean casserole. So, for this post, I decided to write about what I am thankful for besides the stock answers (while, although true, add nothing to the conversation).

Example:

Kay: I'm so thankful for all my friends.

Lee: Um, thanks.

Kay: Um, you're welcome

Lee: So...

Kay: Soo...

Lee: Sooo how are you and Dan?

Kay: We broke up.

Lee: Oh. So...

Awkward. So awkward I'm literally fidgeting with social anxiety just imagining this uncomfortable conversation.

NOW- take a look at what happens when you leave out the routine response ->

Crimson: I'm so thankful for the braised tofurky recipe Martha Stewart posted on her website!

Sunburst: Oh my goodness that sounds like a slice of heaven. Are you a vegetarian?

Crimson: Yes! I'm completely against slaughterhouses that are rampant in this greedy, profit driven country.

Sunburst: I completely agree, have you seen the documentary Food Inc.?

- I'll stop writing here because the conversation flowed on for another thirty minutes or so and included an invitation to a vegetarian retreat, a facebook friend request, a date to protest outside KFC, and the exchanging of phone numbers.

I think the evidence speaks for itself. Vegetarians are odd birds. Oh, and you should verbally express your gratitude for your delicious yoga instructor or the XXL sweatpants that allow you to devour the entire Thanksgiving buffet because everyone already knows your thankful for mom and pop.

Anyways, this leads me to my gratitude list.

5 things I am grateful for... that involve running.

1. DICKS... Sporting Goods. Get your mind out of the gutter.

2. Lost animal signs on street corners... it's like a neighborhood game of eye spy!! Bringing communities together one lost animal at a time.

3. Sweating. Did you know dogs can't sweat? That is why they pant. I already look pretty freakin rough past 3/4 of a mile- so can you imagine if my tongue was flapping in the wind and saliva spittle was flying onto car windows and unsuspecting pedestrians.

Guinea pigs and rabbits can't sweat either... although I am highly jealous of that wheel guinea pigs run on.

4. Colored running shirts. I love when I finish a run and there are huge sweaty pit stains and that nice moist circle of perspiration on my back. Some people may think this is nasty, but to me, it's a physical representation of the grueling journey and my resilience to overcome. Deep, huh? White shirts just don't do the sweat justice.

5. Sports bras, enough said.

I am now, SILENTLY, thinking in my head- friends, family, health, blessings, and so on and so fourth.

I hope you all had a delightful Thanksgiving. I will post about the Turkey Trot tomorrow (highlights- Turkey hats, men in booty shorts, my sister-in-law shutting a flirtatious fellow down, and paying the parking attendant 4 dollars in change... ohh what a fun day.)

Chump change. Chaaaa-ching.

Translation: I ran 9 miles. and didn't die.

-- Low point: Getting the worst cramp ever (possibly due to the fact that my pre-run fuel was a can of soda and old Halloween candy- note to self: don't do that.) and running like the Hunchback of Notre Dame through the streets of Dallas.

-- High point: ...

just kidding.

kind of.

It's been a while amigos

Only 14 Days... 7 Hours... and 27 Minutes until the race. Oh snap. I can't decide whether this "Oh snap" should be said in a voice of extreme excitement or extreme anxiety. So, read it with both intonations.

I'm running 9 miles tomorrow, and I'm trying to tell myself it's no big deal. Because it's not. Right? Right?! I read somewhere that running is 95% mental. I'm making that statistic up, but I heard 85% of statistics are... I'm making that one up too. See, I'm one of the 85%! Anyways, back to the mental running game. I've decided that if I keep telling myself 9 miles is chump change, my body will react accordingly.

I've also decided to compile a list of things to think about during my short, easy, care-free jog tomorrow... feel free to leave suggestions-

1. What I'm going to get family members for Christmas. Believe me, thinking of something for my father could possibly take up the entire 9 miles.

2. What would happen if I got a letter via owl saying that I was living with an uncle and aunt and my actual parents were wizards who were killed by He Who Must Not Be Named and instead of college I'm invited to go to a Hogwarts collegiate affiliate next fall. I'm sure this could take up an hour and a half of thinking- a similar tale took J.K. Rowling 7 novels and 8 movies to wrap up. (I'm going to see the 7th installment tomorrow afternoon. woot.)

3. What it would be like to swim in a pool of Kool Aid. I always think about this every time I get thirsty while running. I remember the first time I thought about this was in second grade while running around my school's track. I think I had just seen the movie "Patch Adams" where the old lady swims in the baby pool of pasta...

4. Whether I should be on Team Aniston or Jolie? Team Edward or Jacob? Team Pattinson or Lautner? Team Taylor or Kanye? Team John Mayer or every girl he's ever dated? Team Mark Zuckerburg or team twins who think he coped their idea? Team Zuckerburg or team his best friend who said Zuck screwed him over? Team Facebook or Myspace... i joke.

5. I've run out of ideas. So holla because I'll probably just get my dad a gift card and call it good. People think gift cards are impersonal, but I beg to differ- I think they are very personal- they allow you to go out and personally purchase something you like. Thinking about swimming in kool aid takes 2.5 seconds and I'm already pretty set on what team I'd be on (Jolie, Edward, Pattinson, Taylor, John Mayer, Zuck, Zuck, Zuck)

Later skaterz