The Hobbler

13.1 miles. Its a lot. I want to say I ran the whole thing, but that'd be a lie. Its hard, man. I give props to anyone who runs a half marathon and I'll bow down to anyone who does a full marathon. That's determinations.

I wasn't necessarily nervous, more anxious. I just wanted to start and finish the race. As the time approached to begin, I lined up in the middle of the group. I'm not the fastest and I don't want to be last. The middle is a good place for me. The announcer blew the whistle and I ran.

I started off with the 1:45 pacer. Which is much faster than I normally run and better than I was aiming for. My goal was 2 hours, but I wouldn't have been upsest if it took 2:30. I just wanted to finish. I stayed with the 1:45 pacer for about the first 4 miles, which I was really proud of.
I kept my eyes open for the 1:50 pacer who didn't catch up with me til mile 6. We chatted for a minute and then he passed me quickly after that.

I never read any etiquette for running but I assume that others runners don't want to hear your music when you run beside them. Well I don't like running with head phones so I just put my iPhone on speaker so I could still l isten to music. That also meant everyone around me could hear it. I like to think that it made their run more enjoyable, but more likely it just pissed people off. Sorry. I do know that it made me stand out; one guy referred to me as the girl with loud music.

The interactions with other runners is one of the best things about running. I'm a down hill runner, I die when I run up hill. As I was walking up a hill a guy passed and with a thumb's up he said, "You can do it." I ran up every hill after that. I caught up to him in the last mile and I thanked him. Around mile 11 I stopped to walk and a man that passed me said, "me too." We're all in it together and it seems like everyone wants the other runners to succeed. The only exception is the first 5 to 10 runners who are focused on winning and don't care about anyone behind them. That will never be me.

My favorite part was running through the canyon, slight breeze, sun shining on the hills and one of my favorite songs came on: Mayberry by Rascal flatts. I was in heaven. It was so peaceful. I could've ran forever like that...figuratively.

The last mile was killer. I walked at least half of it. I was ready to be done at that point. My feet and legs were aching. However, it was great knowing that I was so close to being done. If I pushed myself harder I could've ran more at the end, but I wanted to save some of my energy to sprint through the finish line. You gotta show off at the end, right? I happy to get to groups of people standing on the side of the road, and little girls with pom poms, yelling "one more turn!" There were about 3 more turns, but the end was close; that was the point.

The last 50 yards was grass, which was great to run on. And the sidelines were packed with people: runners who had finished, family, friends, supporters, and Brandon, the love of my life. As I made that last turn I saw the clock 1:59:20. I could make 2 hours. I sprinted to the end. I finished in 1 hour 59 minutes and 47 seconds. I made it! I made my goal!

Brandon met me on the other side, and I gave him a big sweaty hug. He is such a great support to me. What an incredible feeling to have finished running 13 miles!

I don't know if I'll ever do a full marathon. I want to say that I will. If I do, it would only ever be one, I'm sure of that. But I can definitely see myself running more half marathons.

Live in the Moment

First off, I have missed blogging. I've become too busy for it. I've recently been reading others blogs and I've realized that I can always have time to blog, even the most simple thought can be turned into a post and that would be fulfilling to me. So I am determined to blog much more often.

Live in the moment. That's some of the best advice I could give. Its hard, and I'm definitely a hypocrite. I wold love to say that I always thoroughly enjoy the moment I'm in, but its so easy to start thinking about the next thing I have to do. I have most recently been studying for finals, which are next week. I am also planning my wedding which is in six weeks. If you don't look forward then you fail at life. That's not the point. The trick to living in the moment is enjoying whatever you are doing right then. Take it in, get the most out of it. Stop wishing to move onto the next step.

Now for instance, I'm writing this blog and I'm loving just letting my thoughts flow and not worrying about the next thing I have to do. I'm not dreading studying. And hopefully when I start studying again I can get the most out that. I can put all my energy into it so I can retain the most information I can (which would be very beneficial).

One of the problems that I have is if I get upset about something, I hold it in and take that anger with me everywhere I go. I don't always show it, (well I try not to show it but I probably do) but I can't enjoy what I've doing until I let go of my frustration. I'll be mad and not have a good attitude even if I'm doing something I normally really enjoy. I need to either deal my problem right then or set it to the side until I can deal with it so I can enjoy what I'm doing. The latter normally doesn't work so I should just deal with it in the moment. Eh, what can I do?

I've seen too many times when people get caught up in the next thing they have to do to or look forward to something so far away that they aren't enjoying what they are doing right then. I could continually stress about finals, or planning my wedding or get excited about living with best friend or moving out of state or having babies. The anticipation for those things is very important but I can't forget about what I'm doing now. And right now I'm enjoying giving my mind a break and relaxing.

And I'm loving it!

"Live in the moment and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering."

-Fanny Crosby

Valentines day

I am in love.

I've never had anyone on Valentine's Day. But I'm so happy to say that the one I'm with now will be my Valentine for the rest of eternity. I dedicate this post to him.

I feel that one of the best ways to express my feelings is through music. Songs are so powerful and can say so much. I have found some of my favorite songs that express the way I feel about my lover.

You Got Me by Colbie Calliat

This describes how I felt at the beginning of our relationship and its still true today. We fell for each other fast, and everything felt so right. Our initial attraction turned into an incredible love. But I also like you so much; I enjoy you. You make me so happy.

Lost In The Moment By Big & Rich

When we're together its like the whole world disappears. All I need is you. When I'm with you all my worries go away and I feel like I can accomplish anything. I love when we're slow dancing and we become the only ones in the room. I can't wait to marry you. I feel complete when I'm with you.

You're My Best Friend By Queen

I've always said that I want to marry my best friend. I think thats key to make a relationship work. You truly are my best friend. We can resolve anything because I want you to be happy. I feel completely comfortable with you and I know I can always confide in you. Having you as my friend is one of the best parts of our relationship.

I Melt by Rascal Flats

You are my lover and I'm so grateful for your love. Its crazy that I still get butterflies when we kiss. Every minute with you is magical. You make me feel so safe. My love for you is unconditional and eternal.

Amazed by Lonestar

I love how close we've become and how well we understand each other. Everything you do to show me your love for me blows me away. You're an amazing person. We connect so well. I'm grateful for all the love you give to me.

Love You Out Loud by Rascal Flats

I love this song and I do want to scream and shout my love to the world. You are an incredible person and you make me so happy. I wish everyone could be as happy as we are.

Brandon you are my everything; my world. I couldn't live without you now. Everything about you makes me happy. I want to spend the rest of eternity looking into each other eyes. Getting married to you is the best decision I've ever made. Everything has worked out so well for us and I'm so grateful for that. You are the best person I know. I would do anything to make you happy. You are my one and my only. Being loved by you is the greatest thing in the world. I hope you always know how much I love and care about you. The greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return.