Chicao, Part Duex

I woke up at 4:45 am on Sunday, about 30 minutes before my alarm. #Fail I got up and starting drinking my #prelongrun six ounces of strong coffee. I finished all the #prerace essential tasks and Boyfriend and I were off to the races... #literally. After security--oh so much security--and another bathroom stop, I was in my corral (#CorralC) with about half an hour until the gun sounded. I remember anxious runners budging their way to the front of the corral before I stumbled upon a nice lady, willing to pass the time through conversation with me. I was so thankful for her company.

(Dear Mystery Runner Woman, 

I hope you ran your #BostonQualifier. I enjoyed meeting and chatting with you. I hope Texas isn't still basking in the summer-like temperatures. If so, send warmth. #Winterishere in Washington, D.C.

Best, S)

At promptly 7:30 am, I was off with 40,000 plus runner friends. And I ran and ran and ran those 26.2 miles (I have yet to recap) until I crossed the finish line in #GrantPark. The walk to the 27th Mile Post-Race Party felt like another couple miles. I remember how hard I had to concentrate on putting one front in front of the other for a l-o-n-g period of s-l-o-w-l-y passing time. Boyfriend eventually found me and we walked to meet my parents, who were tired from running their #spectatormarathon. We grabbed food at Epic Burger for calories. And Dairy Queen for more calories. The burger was eh. I still wasn't totally feeling food. I must have recovered quickly though because the ice cream tasted better than anything I had ever consumed.

That is, until I stepped in the doors of Girl and the Goat. (Before I was ready for dinner, I showered (#gome) and spent a few minutes with my brother and his friend at The Aberdeen Tap to end the dry period. My parents dined at Girl and the Goat on their #30thAnniversaryTrip to Chicago a few years back. They, especially Pops, have hyped up the restaurant ever since. We ate and ate and ate until dessert, when we ate some more. #WasNotLetDown The cocktails. The meal. The wine. The dessert. The coffee. The experience is all more than my meager words can describe. Add #GirlandtheGoat to your #bucketlist and, to make this dream a reality, be sure to make your reservations at least 90 days in advance. #NotJoking

I would like to say I crashed after this meal--both from exhaustion and the food coma, but I found sleeping difficult to come by. My body was writhing in pain. I "woke up" ready to be home. We made a few plans for our remaining day: North Avenue Beach, Magnificent Mile, and Portillo's. I felt as though concluding with a #Chicagohotdog complimented the trip perfectly.While I loved the views from North Avenue Beach and under normal circumstances could have shopped the Magnificent Mile all day, my body was too spent to find real pleasure in moving and viewing. #WishIWouldHaveKnown

All in all an excellent trip, I must say. #Takemeback, OK?

A Frozen Halloween + A Blue Baby Shower + A Fall Foliage Stroll + A Monday Run

While I have a full heart, I dreaded the return to work on this Monday morning. I spent the weekend in the Research Triangle visiting friends. And it was oh so wonderful. I listened and talked, talked and listened for a solid three days.

I partied with a Frozen family on Halloween. And consumed an abundance of candy on the one calorie-less candy day a year.

I celebrated K.N.K.F. at her blue baby shower, and pridefully won the "Who knows K.N.K.F. the best?" competition game. If you're counting, I also, with the help of a teammate, won another game--turns out, I'm competent in baby animals terms. The countdown continues; if Baby R.J.F. agrees with his due date, he'll grace us in just 37 days!

I ate entirely too much Mexican food at Moe's, Bandido's, and Nana Taco.

I leisurely strolled through the gorgeous Duke Forest with my pregnant friend and her dog. The fall foliage was stunning. I thought Washington, D.C. was filled with greenery, however, I'm rethinking that. It's uncertain to me whether or not there are trees here in the city I call home. The trees in North Carolina were painted with color. I could have walked forever had I been dressed more appropriately.

I rejoiced in the end of Daylight Savings Time. This not only provided an extra hour to my weekend, it did so on a weekend when I was visiting a friend I haven't seen in over a year. (Scheduling is hard.)

Before finding my way to the office, I made time for a five miler to decompress after a fun, fun weekend. I again rejoiced in the new sunrise time--6:39 am--because I was able to cruise through a more scenic route provided the light. I had been running laps around the same "illuminated" streets, and I was frankly bored. I'm not entirely prepared for the winter months of treadmill-ing... yet. The fueling of my body with three Mexican meals (in a weekend), more chocolate than I'd care to admit, and entirely too much party food during a baby shower made for a solid run. Not. I needed today's run to brace myself for the week... and, of course, to burn some of the garbage I added to my waistline.

The time spent with friends and our friendships that transcend time and moves and marriages (and soon a baby!) was, per usual, super short but the time away from adult-ing long.  The early mornings and late nights of disregarding exhaustion can remain fun for so long. After a couple days away, the abrupt jump back into routine was nice. May there be balance in life.

My Bestie

This is a response to the Nobody’s Cuter Than You request by Big Mama. Without further ado, here’s how J.L.W. entered my life for good.

My family had recently uprooted our stable, homogenous Midwestern selves from Kansas City, Kansas to a much smaller Blythewood, South Carolina. In dire need of local friends, I joined the high school cross country team. I spent August, September, and October—the entire season—running mostly alone, hoping someday one of my teammates would materialize into a friend, a “replacement(s) not replacement(s)” for the friend(s) I’d left behind. After the state meet, I had the opportunity to run one more race in Charlotte, North Carolina with a select group of runners from the team. This was going to be fun, I’d hoped. I roomed with two girls, both a year younger than me. This having been the Friday after Thanksgiving, I was wired. Hi, my name is S and I love dessert. Hello, holidays. Bring on the apple pie, cranberries cupcakes, pumpkin spice cookies, etcetera ad nauseam—I will eat you all. J.L.W., my friend-to-be, humored herself with my antics. I’m not sure if she was laughing with or at me. I do remember we didn’t get much sleep that night. So desperate for a friend, it—the laughing and sleep—truthfully didn’t matter.

The trip ended, yet our friendship grew and grew and grew into the big, mighty awesome gift that it is today. There was the brilliant idea to consume a gallon of McAlister's beverages--lemonade for me, sweet tea for her--before a mile run at an invitational track meet. There were countless "locker room parties" on cold (and windy!) South Carolina days. And then there was college. J.L.W. “followed” me to Clemson University—Go Tigers!—during my sophomore year where there were football games galore and a few too many late nights. We also managed plenty of early mornings camping out for football (or basketball) tickets. When ESPN’s College GameDay came to town, we were there at 5:00 am to begin cheering. And we kept on cheering until the conclusion of the 8:00 pm game… at midnight. There was also a camping trip we survived in the sub-freezing temperatures in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We concluded my junior year with a twenty-hour round trip drive to Cleveland, Ohio—for the weekend—where we insisted on listening to J.L.W.’s iPod in A to Z order. In the following year, we implemented a Tuesday night dinner club, where it was understood she would cook and I would consume.

 

Those four years had to come to an end, and when they did, I left for Peace Corps. We remained equally close, though we were limited to expensive, monthly phone calls. I returned to Northern Virginia while she had long settled in Columbia, SC. Having already mastered long distance friendship, we’ve maintained friendship just the same. We sometimes meet for incredible two-week adventures in the Pacific Northwest, other times we take unplanned long weekend trips to a random meeting places, like the most recent Asheville, North Carolina outing.

We have a big milestone ahead: J.L.W. is getting hitched, while I stand right beside her. Her second best friend, D.P.C, of oh so many years, but not as many years, recently proposed! I like him because he respects (and accepts?) my competitive personality. I’ll always be her first place friend; I’ve known her the longest. And I might love her the most.

Thank You So, So Much

By this time, due to the shared efforts of social media, my fan base, and myself--who understandably proud, did some of my own bragging--the world knows that I completed the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. This accomplishment would not have been possible without the support of so, so many.

Thank you to my parents for traveling to Chicago, Illinois to cheer me on at four separate miles--2, 13, 17, and 26--along the course, completing their own marathon of sorts. An additional thanks to them for all the meals they provided to fuel me before and after the race. Thank you to C.D.H. for riding a bus from Atlanta, Georgia to surprise me! I'm not one for surprises, but this one--oh man, it meant a lot. Further thanks to him for breaking down the marathon with me on at least three different occasions. And lest I forget my youngest brother, the fastest H as far as 5Ks are concerned; he sent me a wonderfully encouraging text the night before the longest race of my life. For him, I'm thankful.

To H.M.M. for being at mile 7, when her out of town family was in town, and screaming for the nine seconds I spent running past. Thanks for providing the burst I needed. To Boyfriend's parents for using the Runner Tracker feature to track me during the race--for caring because I cared. To J.L.W. for always thinking I can, for knowing I could, and for responding to my texts of agony with understanding. To R.D.S. for sending a timely card right before the race. And repeatedly asking about training throughout the course of the year. To A.J.S. and S.D.G. for dealing with an exhausted, moody friend and accepting "Sober S.M.H." into their lives. To K.A.B. for listening with intent as I spewed running jargon over multiple weekend stays. To K.S.D. for pulling me out of the apartment for timely calorie-dense meals when the stress of training turned me hermit-esque. To S.K.H. for the Instagram well wishes and for playing the role of "cousin" so well. To Sweet Neighbor for sending me a bazillion emojis to lighten the intensity of the experience. To K.F.A. for letting me know I was in the "speedster" coral, which was actually more terrifying than helpful. Thanks, K.F.A., thanks a whole bunch.

Before Boyfriend, a final thank you to M.E.K. for encouraging me to enter the Chicago Marathon Lottery and, after winning said lottery, later assuring me I could run 26.2 miles regardless of how impossible that sounded way back (in January) when I was barely running at all--during the marathon winter.

And last but not least, Boyfriend, thanks for doing all of the above on repeat. Since March. It should be noted, Boyfriend has zero interest for running, participating in sports (outside of downhill skiing, ugh), or the thrill of a good sweat. Yet he managed to manage me during several long months of marathon training, which rest assured was no easy feat.

Thank you all--and so, so many more--for caring so, so much about my race. There is no way I would have made it to the finish line without all of you; this much is true.

I'll continue to speak miles and paces and training until Boston because I QUALIFIED. Y'all will be around in April 2016, right?

Another Non-Traditional Wedding

I spent a lot, lot, lot of time in the car this weekend. And every minute, including the many, many, many minutes patiently sitting idle on I-81 N outside of Harrisonburg, Virginia, home to James Madison University, for those unfamiliar with this sector of interstate. Boyfriend and I departed at 4:15 am on Friday morning, southbound for the Five Star Lodge and Stables in Morganton, Georgia. (I highly, highly, highly recommend you click the hyperlink and browse the property, specifically the images, as I did not do a great job of photo-documenting the incredible property. There was not a single detail of the lodge, pavilion, or stable overlooked.) We arrived shortly before 2:00 pm, after a few bathroom and gas stops and our 'road trip ritual' pause at Dunkin' Donuts.

This was a small wedding--less than 60 guests--and each invitee spent the duration of the weekend together. On the first afternoon, as guest trickled in, we toured the lodge and property and played basketball, tennis, and bags. I'm the worst at all the aforementioned sports, hence the reason I run. As I tossed the occasional bean bag, I talked endlessly with M.E.K. It was then time to clean-up for dinner; despite being at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, it was H-O-T in GA.

The rehearsal dinner was a heavenly pile of barbeque. And Joe's BBQ did a fabulous job, especially considering he was catering to a Kansas-based crowd, the true land of all things bbq. I called it a night around 11:00 pm. This is way, way, way past my bedtime, even when I'm not up at 4:00 am.

Almost immediately after arriving, it was clear there was virtually no where to run (and the hotel treadmill was not anything I'd risk running on)... so I opted to give myself the long weekend off, providing ample free time--to sleep(!!!)--without the usual mandatory weekend long run. I got up at the leisurely time of 8:30 am; I cannot remember the last time I slept in that late. I gobbled up the continental breakfast. And eventually made my way to the lodge for wedding day festivities. The day turned out to be busier than anticipated for the bride and groom (and those more involved). Since our help wasn't needed, we passed the time visiting the stables, reading in rocking chairs, and watching some college football on one of the many televisions. This was an easy Saturday.

Boyfriend and I made a quick detour to a local waterfall when I could no longer sit idle, just before it was time to wash up for the evening's celebration.

From the venue to the food to the band to the weather, the evening was perfect. The bride's friend did a fabulous job officiating the wedding. The ceremony was meaningful in absolutely every way. The cocktail hour and dinner flew by, both the Moscow Mules and food were divine. The whole affair--rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception--was SO simple, without compensating a single detail. This wedding "ranks" rather highly in the tally I don't actually keep; I could gush on and on. As a believer in intentional relationships, I will end with the best part of the weekend, for me: time with both the bride and groom. I've mentioned H.M.O., now H.M.P., and A.B.P. recently moved from Washington, D.C. to Nashville, Tennessee; both Boyfriend and I miss them terribly. I'm glad we were able to see and spend this meaningful time with them.

 To the happy couple, cheers!