How To Fake It

I always giggle a little when people comment on Mon and my banter.

Because sure, we’re entertaining. Or at least I like to think so. But it’s not like that all the time. Example? As I was cooking dinner in my kitchen on Monday, she was reading the newspaper. No talking. No laughing. Just silence.

Even the coolest kids can be boring. Just don’t let that get around…

And the dress I spoke of? You can actually see it here. I wore it on my birthday last year. You just can’t go wrong with a simple mini dress. It’s not possible. Don’t try to tell me otherwise. And because it IS a mini dress, you can see why I’ve been stepping it up in the gym the last week or two.

To be clear- I’m a firm believer that a little extra working out here and there the two weeks before a vacation WILL NOT make a difference in how I look. Seriously. Do you think anyone (even me) is going to notice that .2 of an inch I lost at the waist for doing so? No. In college, I used to shake my head at the “spring breakers” who would want to lose 5 pounds in two workout sessions the week before spring break.

“Like, oh my gaaaawwwwwwd. I work out for like 15 minutes and nothing happened. I really need to lose 15  pounds before the weekend. Oh my gaaawwwwwd,” as they sip on their 600-calorie post-workout smoothie.

Not happening unless you run a marathon or two on the treadmill while you’re here. And then not eat anything afterwards.

Which I do not encourage (let’s get that straight). One shot of tequila and you’ll pass out for the rest of your spring break. And surely you don’t want to do that. The wet t-shirt contest would lose one of their strongest contenders. Devastating.

However, I am a firm believer in fake it until you make it. And if that extra 15 minutes on the elliptical or session of The Shred makes me feel better about myself running around half-naked for an entire weekend? Well hell- I’ll rock it out.

(Source)

And I have been. The Shred happened last night after work and Mon met me for another early morning workout this morning. 22 on the elliptical and 15 minutes on the stairs. Before I left the gym, some ab work even happened- a move that often gets nixed from the agenda when short on time.

As rough as those first 5 minutes are every morning, I’ve yet to regret a workout after I’m done. Starting the rest of my day is easier. And I feel good about myself. Win-win.

Tonight is going to be restful. Partially because I want to do another longer run tomorrow (oh my gaaaaaaawwwwdddd- my race is coming up!). And partially because there has to be at least some time reserved for, I dunno, packing?

Oh… and Modern Family.

Priorities.

Vegas Vacation

Oh hi there.

Finally well rested (comparatively speaking) and ready to go.  Who wants to hear a little about the trip to Vegas my girlfriends and I had?Clearly it’s Vegas and I can’t give you ALL the details, but here are a few highlights…

The biggest night out was Saturday night (our first day there).  Was it a mistake to make our wild night out right after traveling all day?  Yes. Did we care?  Not really. Although a bouncer did… (ahem… Monica… ahem…) But it was totally cool.  I talked our way into a second club for free.  Take THAT.

One of the best outdoor activities was a hike Annie and I made in Red Rock Canyon.  Simply beautiful.  And after spending so much time in recycled air (plane, hotel, bars), it was really nice to get out in the gorgeous weather and breath in some freshness.However, it was not nice to get stuck on a 13-mile “scenic route” of the canyon that could not have been made more curvy if they tried.  I mentioned this was after our wild night out, right?

My personal favorite meal was Diablo’s in the Monte Carlo.  It was a Mexican restaurant Annie had visited the year before and she claims she still dreams of their guacamole a year later.  Obviously I was signed up for this one. And did not hesitate to eat my weight in guac and the recommended fajitas.Mexican food has been our Sunday tradition as of late, so it’s totally ok. Gotta keep some routine in my life, right?

And do you see that margarita? This dinner happened the day after our “big night out”. The sound of tequila was SO unappealing. But then who am I to turn down a free drink? A couple sips later, and I knew the tequila would treat me just fine…

My favorite “sight” to see in Las Vegas was hands down the Bellagio fountain.  We watched two shows as we were walking and letting dinner “digest”.But not without dancing to “Vogue” when we heard it blasting down the street. Naturally.It was decided after this trip that every night should end with a water show at a fabulous fountain and each day should be started with a roller coaster ride. That’s right, a roller coaster ride.  While Annie was taking care of her work stuff, Mon and I explored and ended up at New York, New York. Who needs coffee when you can really “wake up” by getting shot around a casino at 60 mph?

I’m really sad we didn’t get the picture. Mon was screaming and slouched behind her shoulder guards and I was crying because I couldn’t stop laughing at the ridiculous sounds coming out of her mouth. Classy stuff.

It was interesting to discover the majority of my budget would have to go towards food. Our most interesting night was a buffet called The Wicked Spoon at The Cosmopolitan.  Endless wine and food for $42.

Most people think buffet and think jello molds, people touching everything, sneezing on the salad, etc.  But this one was cute- they had a majority of the food portioned out for you already.The weirdest thing tried was also that night.  Our friend (and a previous roommate of mine who lives just outside of Vegas) picked up “bone marrow”. And I figured if he was brave enough, I was, too.

Gross. The memory of it had to be drowned in wine.

Even with all the buffets, massive plates of good eats, and tons of consumed gelato, we tried to eat healthy, too.That’s right.  My healthiest meal came from Serendipity- a place known for frozen hot chocolate. Go figure. And yes, that is practically an entire bag of broccoli.  It was a “side”.

I worked out one day- a 1.5-mile run.  I had grand intentions to do 3 miles, but realized it would be the third day in a row of 4-5 hours of walking. Some of that in heels.  The run stopped early.

Found out I have no patience with gambling.  Just not my thing. Unless it’s someone else’s money.  I have no problems watching a group of guys we met play craps.  Maybe if they had let ME roll the dice, they may have won something, too.  Silly boys.

We stayed at Aria (it’s relatively new) after finding a ridiculously good deal on Expedia.  GORGEOUS hotel (and two awesome gelato spots inside- heads up!). I only got a little weirded out that everything in the bathroom was clear glass and mirrors.  It was weird being able to clearly see myself shower at every angle.  I’m way too shy for that.

Mon and I left Las Vegas on Tuesday evening (Annie still had to stay for work). The guy who checked our bags found out we were going back to Chicago and asked how we could ever live there.  He’s been living in Vegas and was originally from Hawaii.  My favorite part of the conversation was when he said “if I lived in Chicago, I’d have 20 kids by now”.

Sounds about right.

We sat and crossed our fingers the flight would be cancelled or seriously delayed. No such luck. We had to return home. The flight was spent semi-sleeping (long legs suck for such a thing) and adoring the two old women beside us. Mon and I figured that may be us in 40 years. But Mon was positive she’d be one of the old gals rockin’ a Rascal.

Seriously. There was an unnatural amount of rascals being driven around. If you go, I would suggest making it a game (or a drinking game?) to count them. It’s unreal.

And here I am, back at home safe and sound. Meh. Of course our return back would happen on a Tuesday. What was I thinking???

At least the weekend is fairly close… even if it is rainy and in the 40′s. Versus sunny and 70.

Needless to say, the countdown has begun for my next trip in May…

Because Everyone Else Was Doing It

Happy Monday everyone! Do you miss me yet? Well, I’m still getting in trouble out in Vegas, so to make sure you get your fill of “Amy” for the day, I figured I’d jump on the bandwagon and give you a little more info about myself. Just in case you didn’t already know…

A.   Age: 25

B.    Bed size: Full. And I  prefer the left side. Except during the winter because the heating vent blows directly on my face.  Poor room planning on my part…

C.   Chore you hate: Cleaning the bathroom. I feel like there’s no explanation necessary.

D.   Dogs: I want one SO bad.  But as long as I’m solo, that will not happen. Still working on keeping living plants alive. Baby steps…

E.  Essential start to your day: Chugging at least half a glass of water.  I just do. Habit I picked up a while ago. Probably not necessary because I drink water all day like a crazy fool.

F.  Favorite color: Pink. I like to pretend I’m girly. Even if it’s a pink sports bra as I sweat my ass off at the gym…

G.  Gold or silver: Gold. I’m pretty traditional and simplistic in the jewelry department. Are you boys out there listening?

H.  Height: Somewhere between 5’7 and 5’8. My answer varies. I’m wearing heels the majority of the time anyway, so it’s pretty hard to call me out on that one.

I.   Instruments you play: I was in band for a few years and played clarinet. Then my friend Erica and I got kicked out of band. True story. Rebels at such an early age.

J.   Job title: Marketing Coordinator.  I market stuff. And also coordinate things. Makes sense.

K.  Kids: None that I’m aware of.

L.  Live: Chicagoland. This is my third year here and I love it.M. Mom’s name: June. Like the month. That’s what she has to tell people over the phone because it definitely isn’t the most common of names…

N.  Nicknames: Ames. Amos. Miss Bax. Baxy.  There’s not much you can do with a short name.  But I do like “Miss Bax”. It makes me sound like a force to be reckoned with.

O.  Overnight hospital stays: None!

P.  Pet peeve: Answer my damn text message. In a timely fashion. I know you got it. So respond. Thank you.

Q.  Quote from a movie: “I didn’t come here to tell you I can live without you. I can live without you. I just don’t want to.” – Rumor Has It.  That movie is just awful. Awful! But I love that quote.

R.  Righty or Lefty: Righty.

S.   Siblings: My lil’ bro Marty. He’s really not that little anymore, but I pretend.T.   Time you wake up: Around 5:10 everyday. To either workout before work or to get ready for work (depending on the week). Weekends?  I aspire to sleep until 9:00, but am usually up by 7:30 or 8:00.

U.   Underwear: What are you asking exactly? Do I wear them? Yes. I’m a lady. Preference?  I’m probably not tellin’… but it does change with what I’m wearing.

V.    Vegetables you dislike: The radish. Or cucumbers. Ick.

W.   What makes you run late: Forgetting to pack my lunch until about 5 minutes before I need to get out the door. You’d think I’d have the routine down by now.

X.    X-rays you’ve had: Teeth (standard procedure) and my femur multiple times (from last year’s injury).

Y.    Yummy food you make: I bake like a mad woman. But some of my favorites include chubby hubby cookies, samoas, and pecan pie cupcakes…Z.     Zoo animal favorite: Bears. The bigger the better.  That’s what she said.  Muah.

Now answer me this. Favorite awesomely bad movie?

9 Miles And Off I Go!

Ok kids… as you read this, I am VEGAS BOUND!  Woot woot!

As I left the office after the longest day of work ever, my boss had one request.

“Please Amy, whatever you do, don’t get married down there. Seriously… don’t get married this weekend.”

I heart my boss.

Do I really seem that impulsive???

Ok fine. I am.

And I’m just gonna let my parents freak out for a minute…

Will she?  Nah… she wouldn’t get married out there. Amy’s not THAT impulsive… Oh wait… would she? Uh oh…

Well, if that’s the case, let’s talk about my last few nights as a single girl, shall we?

After work, I braved the ridiculous rainy weather and commute home. Got home later than usual. Great way to start out an evening that includes a 9-mile run.

Did I do it?  Heck yes I did.

I know. I’m as surprised as you are.

But this girl went into it with a game plan. 3 segments of 3-mile runs.  It was either that or just run until I couldn’t anymore.  And if I wanted to actually hit 9, breaking it up seemed a little more realistic. So that’s what happened. Walk .1 mile, run 3. Slow it to a walk, take a drink, walk a little more and repeat. Spent the entire time on an 8:41 pace. No issues. No severe fatigue (yes, I was surprised, too). Just a slight soreness this morning (as in, my body can tell I ran 9 miles- nothing of concern).

9 miles on the treadmill is no joke.  It is a mind suck. There’s only so much thinking I can do. Or staring at random spots in the room. Sooooo glad it’s over.

And soooo glad I had this to look forward to:

Thanks to a cleaning of the refrigerator at home and a buy-one-get-one coupon swiped from the newspaper in the break room, I ended up at Quizno’s today for lunch and (inevitably) dinner!On one of my many roadtrips back to my home state of Missouri, Annie and I stopped and enjoyed some Quizno’s. At that time, I said, “oh my goodness… why am I not here every day? This is amazing!”

That was 3 months ago. But I still felt that way as soon as I dug in (each time) yesterday.

After the run, the food, and a glass of wine, I crashed.  Hard.

And now here I am. Showered. Packed. And fed.Sorry Vince, you can’t come.  It’s a girl’s weekend. Maybe next time. Don’t you get started on wanting to go… you never take me anywhere!

Sorry you guys had to witness that. 

Anyway, have a lovely weekend! I’m off to catch my flight!

Bonnie Hunt Used to Babysit Me

Hello kids!  Welcome to Monday.  I’m having a hard time accepting my little vacation is over, but life must go on, right?

In all the excitement about discussing my trip to Washington DC, I didn’t get the time (or want to give you the longest post of all time) to discuss Saturday night’s festivities.  Like I mentioned earlier, I got home Saturday evening.  I hadn’t made any definite plans because I didn’t know what my energy level would be.  It wasn’t high, but I marched on.  And squeezed in a quick workout and then showered and was off to see a new favorite local band at Durty Nellie’s.  I went with my posse of lovely neighbors- Mon and Bailey. 

Yes- we’re considering ourselves groupies. We LOVE Rod Tuffcurls and The Benchpress.  There.  I said it.  But wouldn’t you love a crazy band that plays the most random of covers and parties it up like this:

Yep.  Sexy gym shorts.  And a sweet tan line.  Rarr….  But in all seriousness, they’re soooo good.  And the stage presence just heightens it all.  We rocked out all night to great hits such as The Distance (by Cake- anyone remember them?  They were a staple of my junior high days), 500 Miles, Semi-Charmed Life, and even All I Want For Christmas (The fact that it’s August is a non-issue).

None of us were really there to hunt out boys.  But they happened to find us.  My favorite was what poor Bailey endured- a creeper who wouldn’t leave her alone and used the fact that Bonnie Hunt used to babysit him as a pickup line.  Seriously.  And then, after using his claim to fame, we called him out on it by not knowing of the movie Beethoven.  How can he not remember???  Bailey said, “how can you not know that movie?!?!  You’re dead to me!” and walked away.  Good girl.  Cheers!

Because we were out until the wee morning hours and I had Text Fest 2010 until I fell asleep with the phone in my hand (maybe that means I lost?), I woke up not feeling overly rested.  Which led to a day inside.  Lounging.  I assume my body also wanted to counterbalance my days of walking all over Washington DC.  Seems fair.

I did make it to the gym eventually.  I got in a 2-mile run and 15 minutes on the elliptical.  Considering the long night I had the night before, I call this a success.  Even though I do recognize my need for a workout schedule.  I conformed.  And now that I’m just winging it, I’m feeling myself starting to struggle.  That means one goal for the week will be creating one for me that will get me through until my next official round of “training”.  Do you do better with a schedule or do you just do your own thing when it comes to working out?

After the workout, I finally managed to shower and get out into the real world to get some grocery shopping done.  When out, I knew I’d be picking up something to eat versus making something myself.  It was just that kind of a day.  My options were two extremes- salad bar at Whole Foods and mexican thanks to a Chipotle coupon I was yet to use.  I wanted them both- but figured it best to not be greedy.  The salad bar won me over in the end.  So I headed to Whole Foods with visions of all the wonderfulness that is Whole Foods. 

The salad bar was bare.  Maybe they always close it early on Sunday (not sure?) or they had it down for some other reason, but I was sad.  And pouted.  Because I spent all that time weighing my options.  For what?!?!  Nothing…

Off to Chipotle I went.At least I had a coupon.

I picked up a chicken burrito.  Warning- I’m not the biggest fan of Chipotle.  And this is the first time I’ve gone in probably four or five years.  But who am I to pass up free food?

It wasn’t bad.  The chicken wasn’t the best and it was my fault for not telling him to chill out on the rice, but I do give their guac a two thumbs up!

It was a great weekend all in all.  But I do have to say, I was sad to miss out on the bachelorette festivities of my lovely friend Ashlee.    She had a girls weekend planned in Mid-MO that I missed out on because I had the family vacation going on and wouldn’t have been able to get back to where they are until super late Saturday night (Mid-MO is not very accessible unless you’re cool with jumping out of a plane as it makes it’s way across the state).  But she said it was a great time and I seriously cannot wait for her wedding that is only a month away!!!

Tonight I’ve got a special meet-up with a fellow blogger from Healthy in Chicago that I’m pretty excited about.  Yes, that means it’s one more day of not unpacking.  Pretty convenient if you ask me… 

Have a good day!

We Can Walk There

Helllloooooo!

Here I am at the end of my vacation (insert “booooooo” here).  There’s so much to say and so little time to do it… so I’ll summarize the highlights for you:

-Interesting people are found on planes.  The worst that I spotted was a mother and son team that matched.  Not coordinated for a family photo- but matched as they were walking through an airport.  Mother and daughter coordinating I get… but really- that poor kid.    Loeb’s Deli was where we ate as soon as we got to DC and were on our way out to explore.  It was also the place where I got assaulted by a crazy old woman in the bathroom for “crowding her at the sink”.  I was leaning in the mirror and fixing my makeup.  But apparently that’s reason enough for a good shove and cursing.  Good to know.

- It’s hot in DC.  Like super hot.  Which is unfortunate for when you decide to walk EVERYWHERE.  But we persevered.  And perspired.  And covered some serious mileage during our trip.  Check out a few of the sights we walked to:- I realized that boy will be boys. As my brother and I were taking this picture, there were two men to the side of us making the Washington Monument strategically placed in their picture to look like a penis.  They were probably 60.  Hence the knowing smiles my brother and I possess in this picture.

- I had interesting eats all weekend.  My favorite restaurant?  Madhatter in Dupont Circle.  I had the Alice Burger, which was a veggie burger.  I wasn’t as huge of a fan of how chunky all the veggies in it where, and it fell apart when I bit into it.  But the sweet potato fries were awesome!

- My favorite restaurant is different than my favorite meal.  The fav plate of food was breakfast on the last day when we went to Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe.  It was a book store, cafe, and bar all in one!  They pretty much give you an excuse to sit and never leave… love it.I had a waffle craving and this was killer.  Funny that my favorite meal was so standard- but sometimes that’s just what you’re looking for…

- Because of the days and days of walking and walking and walking, I didn’t officially workout.  I tried once to go to the fitness center to do weights.  But turns out the only weights they had were also part of the first weight machine ever made.  Whatev.  They were the first thing I did when I got to the gym last night once I got back home.  No worries!- This is my favorite picture.  My mom is yet to embrace the new technology we like to call the “digital camera”.  We often take two pics.  One with the digital for fun.  Then one for the “real” camera.  - Needless to say, the fam had a great vacation!  It was the first time my brother and I had ever been there- and we crammed in everything we could.  My favorite part was probably the American History Museum.  Or Ford Theater.  Or Arlington…. I’m overwhelmed with choices!

-Now it’s back to normal.  And unpacking.  Ugh- unpacking is worst than packing.  I’ll probably just live for a week out of my suitcase… before I have to pack it again for the Healthy Living Summit!  Such a hard life… :p

Have a wonderful and lazy Sunday everyone!

Early Flight

Ok.  Who booked this flight?!?!  It surely wasn’t me.  Mom…. I know it was you…

Yes, it’s 4:15.  AM.  Yes, it’s vacation and I’m up way earlier than I would have been if I had been working today. I guess that’s just how it goes. 

A nap will be necessary.

But I digress…

Last night was packed.  (Get it??  One of the things I had to do was pack… no?  I’m going to pretend it’s just too early for you yet, because that’s funny!)  Anyways, I raced home and headed straight to my apartment’s workout room.  I didn’t know how long I was going to have the desire to workout, giving the tiny bit of lingering soreness, but wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to go as long as I please.  I ended up just sticking to 25 minutes on the elliptical followed by some free weights and abs.  It felt pretty good- so I’ll be back into full swing again soon!

Dinner was an egg and spinach scramble.Loaded with spinach.  Because my timing really sucked with grocery shopping last weekend and I didn’t want to the spinach to go to waste while I am gone.  Popeye would have been proud.  There was a ton of it.  Of course I had to have toast.  And maaaay have put almond butter on half for dessert. 

Packing is always a chore.  I’m awful at it because I’m the world’s worst overpacker.  The idea of only taking a carry-on for three days worth of stuff makes me want to hyperventilate.  A girl needs her shoes!  And I have this awful habit of overpacking stuff like underwear.  Seriously… what is that about?  Have I ever needed 3 or 4 pair for each night I’m staying somewhere?  No.  But I’ll pack it anyways.  Every time.  guaranteed.  How about you?  What do you always overpack?

On a happy note, the lovely ladies over at She’s a Fit Chick and RunRettaRun passed along the Versatile Blogger award to me!  Thanks girls!

To accept, you’re supposed to list off 7 random things about yourself.  I’ve done this a few times, and I’m really not that interesting, but here are a couple more for you to ponder for fun:

- I am one of over 30 cousins.  On one side of my family.  I really can’t give you the exact number without sitting and thinking about it because inevitably I’ll accidently skip someone.  My mom comes from a HUGE family of 13.  So I guess that many cousins is close to an appropriate average?  I’m somewhere in the upper middle of the group.  Family gatherings are full-blown ordeals.  And can be overwhelming if you’re unprepared.

- Of all the places I haven’t been and want to visit, I think I’d choose New York City.  The city fascinates me (as did Chicago before I visited it).  And if the exciting hustle and bustle isn’t enough to entice me, I want to see and experience the culture, history and landmarks, restaurants, bars, shopping… the list goes on.  Oh New York… one day!

- I enjoy romantic dinners and long walks on the beach…. oh wait… just kidding.  When it comes to dating, I’m not huge in the romance.  My ideal date would allow me to wear jeans, laugh over drinks and a casual dinner, and do something random (think bowling, sight seeing, hiking).  One time, a guy I dated insisted (after I protested) on a candle lit dinner and a carriage ride.  One time, I broke it off with a guy after the second date.  Shoulda listened.

So that’s all I have for now.  I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Under Pressure

Hey party people!

So believe it or not, this is my last day of the work week!  Crazy, right?  I just recently realized that for myself.  It doesn’t seem like I’m heading to DC tomorrow for vacation- I feel that I’ve been so busy thinking about all the crazy going on that I haven’t had time to think about the span of days that I have off to relax and hang with the family.  That’s not to say I’m not looking forward to it.  I totally am.  It just snuck up on me!  Nothing like getting my act together last minute, right?

So maybe this will be a good Tuesday and not the regular crappy one???  Possibly?  A girl can dream…

Anyways, a few random things to mention one last time about the Rock n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon:

Pham put up an awesome video over on his blog.  Can you believe this was his 7th half marathon?  The kid’s just nuts.  (Dude- totally mean that in the nicest way possible… and let me catch up!!!)  Anyhoo, yours truly makes a quick appearance after 5:30ish in the video.  Excuse me and my tendency to be a Sweaty. Hot. Mess.  Either way, check it out- he shows you what goes on when you’re not running a little late for a half marathon (oops) and also reinforces how great of a course it is.  Holla’.

And the soreness kicked my butt more than I thought it would!  I typed and published my blog post yesterday before I left my place.  Which means I did all that before I went down the stairs in my apartment.  Um.  OW.  I made sure to do plenty of stretching last night because I have every desire to go to the gym today for a light workout.  I’m one of those gym rats (have you noticed?) who tends to panic when I take a lot of time off.  Working out is like a nervous tick or something.  It just has to happen.  Sure, I’ll be walking around and still getting plenty of exercise in over the week on vacation, but I have the need and desire to wear my tennis shoes and use weights and all that great stuff.  So yeah.  A light workout still counts.

Is it allowed to use the half marathon from Sunday as an excuse to continuously eat for two days straight?  If not, I have issues that should probably be addressed…

Out of curiosity, is anyone out there running the Chicago Marathon in October???  Hell no, I’m not running it.  But I do plan to volunteer.  And want to know who I should be cheering on… 

But in other running news, I do believe I’ll be running a 15k in November.  I’m taking the race mileage down a notch and instead trying to focus a little more on my speed.  If I decide to do it, training resumes in September… here we go again…

In order to make sure I have enough energy for the day, I made myself one of these:Oats in a Jar!  I’ve really been going for the sunflower seed butter a lot more as of late (compared to others).  I think I like it because it’s not as sweet- like the almond butter that I adore so much.  It’s a sad excuse in saying I’m “mixing it up”, but at this point, I’ll take what I can get.

Anyways, have a good day.  Mine will be spent working, working out and packing.  I may or may not have even started packing yet(don’t freak out, mom) for tomorrow.  Nothing like doing everything last minute- I thrive under pressure. 

And yes… that’s actually a Queen and David Bowie reference.  Did anyone catch that?  I have the urge to go “dun dun dun da da dun dun” for the rest of the day…

Anyhoo… have a good one…

Chicago Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon

I did it!!!  I finished the Rock n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon!  Oh happy day…

Thank you to all that wished me luck!  I really appreciate it!  And just so you know, I had such a GREAT time!I may be somewhat biased, but Chicago is one of the most beautiful cities!  Even when you’re sleep deprived and it’s not even 6:00 in the morning…

My wakeup call was at 4:15. I actually drove in from the ‘burbs that morning for it (Not highly recommended I’m sure, but it really wasn’t too bad).  Because I traveled with my own personal cheering section:I have such great friends.  These girls were ready and willing to go watch.  And were up and at it at 5:00 with a smile on their faces.  Thank you so much, Annie and Mon.  I love you guys!

We traveled down to the start area, and passed by the stage and press tent and got a good look at these kids:Guiliana Rancic and Maria Menounos chatting it up.Jake the Bachelor getting ready to run…  And just so you know, he’s just as, if not shorter, than he appears on tv.  Which is nuts. Even a certain Real Housewife from New York came out for a stroll in the park…

Excuse me while I openly admit that I get starstruck easily.

Back to the race…  so I was a little late getting into my corral, but I made it in time for the start.  No worries!

The start reminded me a lot of the Shamrock Shuffle- crowded and bit hectic.  But unlike the Shuffle, it thinned out much quicker.  And by mile 2 or 3, I was in my “happy pace”- somewhere around 8:40 and 8:45.  I am yet to buy the thing to put my Nike+ chip in since I bought my Sauconys, so I relied completely on the clock at every mile marker.  I got through the Start Line around 9:00, so it wasn’t hard to estimate how I was doing the entire time.

I honestly can’t tell you too much specifically about what was going through my head during the race.  I got to a certain point where I completely zoned out.  I didn’t even see my friends at Mile 6 until they were practically right in front of my face.  But I looked up and there they were- so I shouted a happy shout of some decibel and it made me smile for a bit.

Here are a few things I do remember:

- People start to smell bad at around four or five miles.  This really bugged me.  Then I realized I probably smell just as bad.  So I was ok with it.  Because I’m no hypocrite.

- Watch where you run while going past water stops.  Most people were really considerate about throwing cups to the side.  But when you’re on the side, those cups are coming straight at you.

- I wonder where Guiliana Rancic is right now?  What if she passes me?  Would it be weird to try and strike up a conversation?  Maybe they’re taping it and I could be on E!.

- I studied quite a few tattoos on the backs/arms of people I was behind.  And wondered the story behind them.

- Ahhhh… once we were on the lakefront, the breeze was seriously CLUTCH.

- Ahhhh Gu.  I hope they have Vanilla.  I can’t do the fruity stuff… I can see myself hurling right then and there.  Oh good- they have vanilla. 

- Annie and Mon…  Annie and Mon… I know they’re gonna be here around Mile 12… oh!  There they are!  (Seriously, at Mile 12 I was starting to drag, so seeing them jumping up and down and screaming got me to pick it up a lot for the last mile.  For this I thank them!)

- My favorite sign along the race sidelines ended with “that’s what she said”.  Yessssss.

- I have never been so excited to see a finish line in all my life (or the year and a half I’ve been doing official races- same thing).

My final stats? I couldn’t be happier.  It was a great first time at this distance.  And I beat my goal of finishing under 2 hours.

I think before I was done running, I had already started thinking about ways I could improve for next time.

Yes, I already knew there should be a next time.  As excited as I was going into the race, I wasn’t sure how I was going to like the distance.  I’m very happy with my 5 and 10k’s.  But this was fun and I think the training was an overall helpful thing for me.  And as long as I’m comfortable with a distance, I’ll keep doing it. 

It’s safe to say, I liked this one.  Granted, I will most likely wait until next year sometime for my next half marathon, but I can’t wait to start searching for whatever race that’ll end up being!

After the race, we traveled to The Bongo Room for proper post-race eats.  Granted, I may have enjoyed it a wee bit more had my stomach not been completely revolting against me because of the run.  I still ate, but didn’t finish my plate like I had anticpated…Oh bacon, feta, and mushroom omelette… I’ll beat you next time!

And when I say stomach issues… I wasn’t kidding.  Holy cow… it had me down and out for a bit once I got home.  But no worries, I’m good now!

Happy Monday everyone!  I’m a bit sore today (to be expected), but I’m looking forward to this week.  It’s a short week of work because I’m flying out to DC on Wednesday to have some hang time and a little vacay with the fam- which I’m looking forward to!  Can you believe I’ve never been to Washington DC?!?!  I guess there’s a first time for everything…

Mardi Gras Weekend

Hey kids.  Since I’m not around to post, I thought I’d show you the standards as to what I’m holding this weekend up to.  This was last year’s random weekend of shenanigans…

We brought my friend Chuck’s dog along on the five-hour drive.  He fit quite nicely in the back of my car:

No worries.  Mason kept his drool to a minimum.  I’ll have to report back on if this equate to what sharing a car with three boys was like.  Only problem with Mason was he needed more bathroom breaks than me and my tiny bladder did. 

We made it to the parade by about 11:00 in the morning last year.  As we walked towards it, we saw a lot of people who were already struggling… Obviously amateurs.  But we enjoyed the sights nonetheless.  I think this year we plan to get there a little later.  It became a very very long day, and we were struggling by the end of it.  I believe I was in bed by midnight.

I got to party with the Captain.  He used to be my old drinking buddy in college until I decided to attempt to become Russian and stick with the vodka.  Apparently he also likes Bud Light. Here’s to old friends!

It was a bit chilly.  So my friend Laura and I ducked into a little bar to warm up a little and uh… rehydrate before figuring out the gameplan for the rest of the day.

After that, we met up with all the boys and partied on the streets until we couldn’t feel our hands anymore.  Seriously.  My hands were so cold, that I couldn’t zip up my pants after taking a much needed potty break in a port-a-potty.  My friend Rachel is an awesome friend.  Enough said.  Note for this year- bring two pairs of gloves.

So right now, I should be heading to or already am somewhere in Soulard.  Wish me luck.  The bitter cold is gonna make it rough.  Eek!