Fun in the sun.

Today I ran for the first time in over a month.

How long until I stop making excuses and just get at it?
The great weather helped me along a bit today, as did the lack of work and willing hands to watch our baby.
Here's to more miles.
xoxo, natty ♥

Identity and reclamation and endorphins.

While Federer and the Joker were duking it out on the court this morning I embarked on an adventure - my first run after having the baby. This would also be my first run since early September of last year. I felt so emotional the first few minutes of this run, and surprisingly chipper, that I abandoned my prudent plan of alternating a minute of walking with a minute of running - for about five minutes, then I did a bit of the walk/run. I did 20 minutes total and felt energized, tired, hot, and amazing. I used to be a runner. I used to run fast. I could crank out track workouts and long runs and then go home and make dinner. Now it's a good day if we leave the apartment. I'm ready to get back to me. I recognize it's going to be a different version of old me, what with a child and all, but I'm motivated to get back to my running ways. So much so that I cautiously registered for a marathon that will take place in March...here's for internet accountability and the amazing way 20 minutes of music and running can make me feel.
xoxo, natty ♥

Hey-o hey-o hey-o.

We just put my stepmom on the curb at the airport and we're really sad about it so let's think of something good...

1. It's a gorgeous day out and we'll hopefully make it for a walk.

2. Our hot-water heater got replaced last week and there's a really nice handyman currently making some small much-needed repairs here and there...yippee for a new and functioning shower handle vs. just using pliers like we had been doing for way too long.

3. It's Marathon Monday! And a gorgeous day for the many runners out there slogging through 26.2 miles. One day maybe I'll be amongst them?

4. There's a long and somewhat shaggy dog on the couch next to me.

5. And a beautiful baby asleep {& probably ready to wake-up} in the other room..and she's mine!!

Hope your Monday is treating you well dear Reader.
xoxo, natty ♥

Big weekend.

We did quite a lot this weekend...for our new normal.

The baby experienced her first soccer game yesterday; we walked two laps around the track while dad played before we went home ahead of him. Our second half absence must've distressed him quite a bit because the poor guy did something unfortunate to his hamstring and thus couldn't run the Cherry Blossom ten-miler this morning. Not could I, for other less-athletic reasons.

Last night we had a few friends over for pizza and then some more friends over for bagels this morning.

It was definitely the most I'd done {& most normal experiences I'd had} in a long time. And suffice it to say, our child had the busiest weekend of her life.

Now we're all pooped and ready for a good solid two to four hours of sleep.

May you enjoy your own glorious six to eight and have a great week ahead!

xoxo, natty

Miles ahead!

We had a great overnight in Philadelphia.

Mike and I decided that we like the feel of Philadelphia. We stayed downtown {which has amazing murals everywhere!} but we also got to explore a few little residential pockets on our dinner excursion last night - we ended up in what was very obviously an Italian neighborhood  and had a great dinner {thanks Santucci's!}.

We went with friends; there were three of us not running and we has a great time cheering on everyone.There were tons {TONS} of happy spectators and lots of dogs too!

And we saw Robert Griffen III in our spectator route. 

We found all of our friends at miles 1, 5, and 13/26. The Philadelphia Marathon is a massive race {30,000 runners} so it was wonderful to be able to see our people. I also felt like it's one I would be willing to do; the course is relatively flat, the cheering was great, and Philadelphia seems like a great city.

I also started to feel really motivated for when I'm able to get back into running {next April/May hopefully}...there's nothing like being at a race to get me feeling that way.

After a delicious brunch we waited in the hotel for a bit while our bags were unearthed from the valet and found ourselves sitting across from the men's marathon winner {celebrity sighting #2!}; he looked as though he was in no pain {unlike the multitude of finishers around us} and very happy to be posing with people and his trophy; it was so cool!

The Dandelion Pub.

A tired but fun car ride home later we are back in our place gearing up for this last week before a little Thanksgiving respite.
xoxo, natty ♥

Love.

We're in Philadelphia for the night.

I had signed up to run the Philadelphia marathon with Mike and some friends but then I got pregnant and running started to be really hard {dead legs} so now I'm here to cheer in everyone else. Most of our crew is doing the half marathon, actually, so I get to do some cheerleading and then we'll all enjoy a well-deserved {for some, at least} brunch before heading back to DC.

I 'mcertainly feeling some running nostalgia but I known I'll be back behind a finish line soon enough and with my own little cheerleader somewhere along the course.

Good luck runners!

xoxo, natty ♥

Around a lake.

Today on my run I saw the following:

• turtles
• deer
• a crane
• some other water bird
• and two golden retrievers

Did you see any fun creatures today?
xoxo, natty ♥

Done did me in.

Mike and I headed out for five miles this morning; we signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 17th and some serious miles should be starting for us soon.

But the heat and humidity. I wax poetic all the time about how much I enjoy warm weather and it's true but I don't think I'm cut out for enjoying my hot runs.

I'd mentioned a while ago how running through this mucky weather feels like heavy, hot, and wet towels being repeatedly slapped at me. It still feels that way.

We got in our run though and enjoyed some cool drinks on our way home. Where I was taken down for the rest of the day; I can do the run but I am just pooped afterwards!! 

Nevertheless, a nap and some tuna melts later {plus a reviving shower} and I'm ready to face the Monday ahead of me.

I hope that your weekend was restorative and enjoyable Dear Reader!

xoxo, natty ❤

Seven.

It's been a good weekend for us after yesterday's arboretum jaunt and some hours spent lazing around.

And then, today, Mike and I got in a seven mile run together.

In the mid-afternoon heat and humidity {we had planned to go this morning but it was pouring} we toiled but then rewarded ourselves at the end with strawberry/lemonade spritzers {just add club soda and it becomes a spritzer}.

Nothing had ever tasted so good.

In other news, yesterday morning we put our dear heart Fence into her car and bid her adieu. She spent a wonderful and rejuvenating two days with us and I'm so thrilled she did; thanks for making it down here!!!

Here comes another week, this one replete with a projected heat wave, hopefully a trip to our CSA's farm, some running, and preparation for the following week's trip to Iceland.

I hope that you've had an enjoyable and summery {and Super Moon-ful} weekend and that you're feeling ready to tackle the next five days.

xoxo, natty ♥

Oohrah!

Oohrah!
This morning I ran the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

I had signed up a little while ago but failed to properly train so I was pretty crabby leading up to the race day this week, what with being unprepared.

But I was able to finish with an OK time {not a PR by any means but pretty good for where I'm at fitness-wise} and hopefully won't be injured or too sore this week.

A race recap:

- I felt pretty good and strong, despite a gently rolling course, up until mile 11 when we hit "Hearthbreak Hill". It was only maybe a mile or so up hill and included several little plateaus and since I wasn't pushing myself by any means, I was fine, just a bit pooped when the hill was over but by then it was mile 12 and almost all down hill until the end.

The weather was a bit muggy and it rained/drizzled almost the whole time but it was in the high 60s and that was perfect for me.

 

- I overheard these two running ladies in the first mile:

Friend A: I'm only doing this for the beer.

Friend B: Oh my gosh I love beer.

The best part is that they were probably in their fifties and just keeping it real.

- There was a mini-horse wearing a Marine-Corps "jacket thing". I saw it four times along the course and it made me happy each time.

- There were various music groups/performers along the course. What I love about races like this one, though, is that they're kind of smaller acts: three older women singing a capella, three guys playing the rolling stones, a bagpipe playing group (including a wee lad banging on a drum for the beat), a group of men doing bluegrass, and a sole punk guitarist who was set up at the top of Heartbreak Hill.

- The run wound its way through Fredericksburg including a newer suburban area as well as the historical/downtown districts. I'd say that a good part of the run was past homes and through neighborhoods so many people were out in front of their homes cheering on the runners and the best part of this was the meek little kids furtively holding out a hand for high-fives.

- Marines were stationed all along the course and I thanked as many as I could. The best reply was "It's a privilege".

- Fredericksburg seems to be overgrown with honeysuckle and almost the whole run was beautifully perfumed. 

- There was a group of colonial dancers at one point on the course.

- There were some beautiful older homes along the route and we got to go past the gorgeous campus of the University of Mary Washington.

- I got to take a picture with a Union soldier at the finish line.

- The people watching was spectacular, as it usually is  at any running event.

- I got to run with some great friends.

It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning and hopefully I can use it as a jump-start for some quality miles.

xoxo, natty ♥ 

Busy week.

You know it's been a busy five days when the calendar still says "Monday".

So let's make it a good weekend!

xoxo, natty ♥

As a runner.

As a runner, American, and a global citizen, today is not a marvelous day. It started out as a wonderful and happy day but most certainly has taken a horrible turn.
Tonight my heart is with Boston.
xoxo, natty ♥

Gross words.

I run through the Georgetown neighborhood every other day or so; it's one of my little routes.

On my way I love to look at the pretty houses, interesting people, and, for now, the gorgeous leaves.

But.

There's something that catches my eye every time I see it and I smirk and laugh inwardly.

I understand that this establishment is making use of their neighborhood and their proximity and trying to make a connection to the renowned Georgetown University and neighborhood.

But, G-Land spells out "gland", does it not?

And that's not a word that any business, even a thyroid clinic, should think appropriate to place {in neon, no less} in their front window.
xoxo, natty ♥

We all fall down!

Warning: this is kind of a gross post so skip it if you're not into that sort of thing =).

Once a year or so, as a runner, I hit the ground. Literally.

Yesterday morning was The Fall 2012.
Good thing I got it over with and can move on with life! Though there is some residual bruising and scraping that hurts like heck, I'm just glad that there's not any other, ahem, damage.
Some friends are coming to visit us later today and even though it's kind of frigid outside it 's a great Saturday!
xoxo, natty ♥

Oktoberfest.

Though this post isn't very wordy like I mentioned it might be in my last one, I will inform you that Mike and I are volunteering at the church's young adults Oktoberfest dinner. Sadly, no lederhosen are involved but I'm excited nonetheless!
And, a shout out to Rebecca who's gearing up to run her latest marathon tomorrow morning; go Becs! That girl is a running machine, very inspirational in her dedication, and we wish her temperate weather and good splits tomorrow morning!!!

Still muggy.

Maybe it's my mile-plus walking commute but things, though a bit cooler than summer months, are still humid; I need two showers a day. Blech. In other and happier news...

Cute sidewalk kitty.

1} We're signing up for a winter CSA. I am a bit over the moon about this; it's something that I've been wanting to do for quite a while and it's super cool to be part of this little agricultural community.

2} Beautiful skies abound!

The clouds brought about a bit of rain later tonight.

But they were so pretty!

3} Three different squash are on our counter, just waiting to be turned into something delicious.

4} Mike and I had a wonderful dinner on Saturday night. We ate at a lovely restaurant thanks to a very generous anniversary gift from my brother-in-law; thank you SO much for giving us a great night out!!!

5} A friend at work this week just ran her second marathon this past weekend.

"What hills don't kill you make you stronger."

I'm really happy for her to have run a second 13.1 AND glad that she was able to snag herself such a dang cute medal...it's a crabby crab!

What's good about your Monday? Are you partaking in autumnal activities?
xoxo, natty ♥

An offering and a treat.

We had some friends over last night. When people come over Guinness gets really excited and shows off his toys and scarfs down his food...almost as if to show what is his and not anyone else's.
After the initial excitement wears off he then kind of hovers over everyone or lays down in the middle of the group {under the dining table, for example} and just waits for something exciting to happen to him. 
He must have felt neglected last night because when I got out of bed this morning there was an offering/sign left for me. Our bed frame creates a sort of ridge/edge and on it I found one of what I thought was Guinness' favorite things; his rawhide bone. He nurses one of these for about two weeks, slowly consuming it and getting gnarly little bits of it in his beard but perhaps this morning's show was his way of expressing that even his bone can't make him happy when there's a whole apartment full of people not.paying.attention.to.him.

"You can have it."

Poor guy. He's getting plenty of loving today and with my mother coming to visit for two weeks starting tomorrow night he is going to be living high off the hog.
In other news, we discovered a new tasty treat. I ventured off the beaten gastric path at Trader Joe's yesterday and came home with a new find.
I had a couple last night and wasn't feeling thrilled but...tonight! Tonight, my friends, is a different story; they're delicious! Albeit quite sweet with an almost weird flavor to them. But I'm enjoying.

In my last bit of news for this Sunday, I am cautiously ecstatic; I ran FIVE miles this morning. I hadn't run that long since December of last year. Nine months later I'm kind of building up my IT band strength. Yikes. Is this what getting older has to bring?
If so, I'd like to un-check that box on the agreement form! 

But truly, even though I'm staying steady at three miles most days, getting up to five today was a thrill and a pleasure. I'm a bit slower than I used to be and though I know I could go faster {the kick is definitely still there}, the speed seems to aggravate my little-yet-persistent pain. During my miles I meandered through the tony Georgetown neighborhood and absolutely marveled at the quaint brick sidewalks and the ancient {by "new world" standards...or at least to a California girl} homes all the while enjoying the BEAUTIFUL late summer/almost fall weather. It was warm but cool, I wasn't dripping sweat, people were out and about, and it was SO apparent to me what I love about running and I really hope and pray that this five-miler can turn into a daily occurrence and that I can get back to running half and full marathons.
xoxo, natty ♥

Tuesday randoms.

I don't really know what to write about tonight so you'll get a bit of a brain dump. 

*    I'm thinking about how I've blogged for two years {woot!}. I don't write about Serious Things. I make typos. I don't have much of a "voice". I sound really silly to myself when I go back and read past entries. My posts lack structure as my writing always has {thesis?}. But I'll keep doing this. I like knowing that I was here. That we were here. That trips were taken, work was done, dinners were made {& eaten}, decisions were deliberated...This is as much of a journal as I've ever kept and for that I'm grateful.

*    I rode my bike to meet a friend to run tonight; that's a lot of exercise for me these days {siiiigggggh} and it felt great. No real leg pain {knock repeatedly on wood, please} reared itself and I had a nice appetite worked up by the time I got home which is great because Mikey Mike had {hot} food all ready for me; thanks sweetie! After I click "Publish" on this entry I need to do some extensive foam rolling {oh the pain!} and stretch it all out so that I can keep doing stuff like this.

*    The first game of the NBA finals just wrapped up. I'm no sports fan the way many people {my husband} are but I kind of follow along here and there. I'm liking Oklahoma {Team A} - their fan base seems really dedicated and they make their games so fun and energetic. Plus I'm most definitely not a fan of Miami {Team B} or LeBron James {or Tony Parker but that's off topic}. This was a fun game to watch with both teams leading at different points.

*    I got us a pound of cherries today from a local cherry-selling-family; it's June!

*    I also got us some lovely organic blackberries from the Trader Joe's. I washed them before eating them. Then I ate three. Then I noticed teeny tiny little wormy things crawling on one. On many of the blackberries actually. Mike told me that's what I get for splurging on organic and that pesticides don't let bugs like that happen. Wahhhhh.

*    It's lovely to have a bed in our living/family room but I do miss the normalcy of a couch.

*    Sometimes my computer makes a tired whirring sort of sound and it reaaaaallly annoys me. It's doing it right now.

*    Guinness barked at one AM last night/early this morning. It woke me up and freaked me out because after he barked he sat on our bed just looking around our room; what was he looking at? Why? Then I had to turn on the light and read for an hour to calm down.

*    Aren't the colors of the hydrangea leaves and blooms lovely? The green is mostly what I'm loving, actually, since I've seen more vibrant petals.

I adore these flowers and just recently found out/realized that the French word for hydrangea is "hortensia". It's the same in Spanish too. That explains to me why some women used to be named "Hortense". I would see that name in the random assortment of 1960s-1970s youth literature I grew up reading {it was my aunt's and still laying around the family home in the 90s when I came of age} and just.not.get.it. I chalked it up to a different era but it all makes sense now! It's a flower! Like naming your daughter "Daisy"! or "Rose"!

*    Yesterday was Monday which means I did the whole crossword puzzle all by my little lonesome.

Do you have thoughts as scattered as mine sometimes?
xoxo, natty ♥

Disappointment and a "Eureka!" moment.

Before I officially write anything pertaining to the title of this post : I'm trying to figure out tonight's Mad Men episode. Does anyone have any insight? The main thing I can figure out on my own is that there were tons of doors; opening ones and closing ones...are there endings and new beginnings for some characters? But why end the season like that?! Everything is so up in the air! And there wasn't enough of Betty. There never is.

Also, what I write tonight can be kind of boring if you're not into running. I do also talk about kitchen cleaning which I guess isn't too scintillating either. Don't say I didn't warn you! 

Moving on. I'm disappointed. I'm feeling this way because of my legs. The left one, to be specific. As I've mentioned, I'm nursing an injury which I picked up during my marathon in Tucson that happened on December 11th. That was six months ago. It's an IT band injury and said band is essentially this long muscly thing that runs the side of your thighs. When it's aggravated or your thigh or glute {read : butt} muscles are weak and you still try to do things {running} then things flare up. 

IT band issues can cause a variety of different pains owing to what a large and powerful muscle it is. In my case, the pain has manifested itself in my knee. The little tendon or whatever it is that connects the IT bank to the knee {those of you who are knowledgeable in this subject matter I DO apologize for butchering my explanation} gets yanked on too hard when I run with my tired/annoyed IT band. And since my left leg is weaker than my right when I run my left thigh muscle tends to lean inward instead of not leaning which is what it's supposed to do. And that's what pulls on that little tendon thingy which is connected to the IT band. And it makes it hurt. 
Badly. Sharply. But only after six minutes of solid running on bad days and on good days, I haven't gone beyond three miles {a little under 30 minutes} so I don't know how long it could hold out pain-free but not much longer I'm guessing. At this point I'm wondering - this does get better, right?

Anyway. My course of action has been pretty lame considering that I had an unfortunately busy spring. I did {and continue to do} a ton of leg lifts and core exercises with copious foam rolling and stretching but I seriously can't stand biking-as-exercise so I haven't been doing any of that and cycling could help strengthen my thigh muscles this helping the issue.

The only real aerobic business I'm involved with is trying to run and my routine is much like it would be for a beginner runner {which is hard for someone who's been running for half of her life injury-free [getting hurt was bound to happen I suppose]} : run for a minute, walk for a minute...do so until 20 minutes have elapsed. 
After a few weeks of this then I got fed-up with not really running the way I like to. That's my main problem, I think; I love to just run. I love to feel powerful in the sense that I can run 10 miles if I want. So I started to do the one minute on/one minute off thing for five minutes as a wam-up and then just run flat out for up to twenty minutes. Then it was twenty minutes or until I reached two miles. Then it was three miles. 

Things were going well. I would get a twinge of pain here and there but not the pain that sets in after six to seven minutes and makes it so that I must stop {that's how bad it is}. My main problem was consistency. It was the last few weeks of school and I was frantically trying to finish up everything so I got in my measly three miles only once a week rather than three to four times.

Last week {Thursday I think} I was able to get out again. And the sharp pain across my knee set in a few minutes into my run. I was furious. How can my body fail me? I've been trying to do some strength work AND I had been up to three miles just the week before!

The following day I tried again. I actually made it much further than the day before. How confusing! One day I can hardly run three minutes and the next I can make it three miles? It did hurt at the end of my run and I think it's because, out of fear of pain, I wasn't lifting my legs up very high and I was keeping my stride somewhat clipped. For the last half a mile I let loose and ran like I felt my body wanted to and that brought on the major sharp pains.

Today I went back to one minute on/on minute off for twenty total. I did run for twelve solid minutes at the end so that I could make it to an even three miles and my stride even felt normal {not held-back}. But I can't relax; what if my next run is like last Thursday's?

I know that the best course of action for me would be to go up from one minute intervals to two minute intervals but I just want to run and am feeling so impatient. Ugh.

On a lighter note and to explain my "Eureka!", I really got somewhere today, kitchen-wise. Sometime in April I made tofu {for the first time!} in one of our stainless steel pans and somehow managed to preserve every bit of that experience. Along the inner sides of the pan the splatters from the oil I used were sealed on. There were black and brown scorch marks on the inside bottom of the pan. Layer after layer of my white vinegar and baking soda paste did practically nothing so I resigned myself to just having ruined the pan's looks.

I finally poked around online and read about Bar Keeper's Friend which I already had in my closet but had never used. I bought it because it's sold at Target in the natural cleaning section and I'm a sucker for that kind of thing.

I made a paste of it with the white vinegar today and the pan looks brand new!

Magic! Actually it's the Oxalic acid that did the job. Simmering a concoction of white vinegar and water can also help as can doing the same with a tomato based dish {it's the acid again} but I wiped off all of the staining when I wiped off this paste and I was amazed. And really scaly-handed; this stuff isn't super toxic but it does do a number on your skin if you let it.

It's the little things that really get me going.
Good Sunday evening to you!
xoxo, natty ♥

Catching Up.

In October 2010 I ran my first marathon. It was a wonderful experience and as I geared up for my second I started to think about upping my pace. I was feeling strong and doing some actual speed work on my own {previously unheard of}. Mikey and I had initial plans of running in the California International Marathon since it's known for being a fast course and could make the road to running Boston a bit quicker {no pun intended}.
Then, all of a sudden, we were enmeshed in planning a wedding. And getting married. And working. And then it was too late to sign up for the dang thing! We scrambled. Over four months of training was not about to go down the drain! We luckily found a marathon a week after the CA one was scheduled so our training plan would work out. 
Even better, It was in Tucson! My wonderful in-laws live in Phoenix so we made a weekend out of it. Things got somewhat hairy since we kind of unexpectedly moved the weekend prior to the race. The race was on December 11th which also meant that our Big Drive to Arizona for Christmas was lurking. We hunkered down, though, and flew to Phoenix on a Friday afternoon. Saturday we drove the two hours to Tucson and checked into our hotel. 

There were all sorts of neat-o southwest decorations on the grounds. 

Since land is so abundant and cheap in this part of out country most Hiltons and similar hotels are more resort like that not which usually means lots of space, golf courses and several swimming pools. And palm trees, apparently.

I loved the local fauna inspired iron cut-outs!

I also enjoyed the flora.

The gift shop proved to be quite enjoyable as well.

Tiny creatures!

I got my dad one of these rattlesnake coffee mugs; he has a thing for rattlers. 

"Go figure" and "To each his own" would be appropriate reactions in this situation. 

We found a fun Italian style restaurant that night and enjoyed dinner and TV in our room. One thing I adore about hotels is the beauty of having a room with two queen beds. One is for sleeping, as you might surmise, but the other can be reserved for eating and MTV watching; who cares about crumbs when no one sleeps in the bed?!
This marathon actually starts in the middle of the desert. Every runner is required to take the shuttle from the hotel since there is not plentiful parking in rural Sonoran Desert land. It was still quite dark when we arrived {shuttles left at 5:30 ish}.

That poor guy didn't ask to be in the picture.

As you may have learned at Miles and Laurel, that Saguaro is probably older than I am!

Unsuspecting runners. "We love downhill!"

There was some snow on the ground but it wasn't terribly cold and once you start running everything is hunky dory. If you knew me in my Minnesotan college days I'm sure you're thrilled to read how far I've come since those outdoor winter track practices. Let's just say that there were tears involved. Not no more y'all...not no more.

I was pumped up when we got ready to start. I had my sights set on Boston and running a great race that day. The first six miles implied just as much. I was running amazing miles. That should have been a warning sign y'all.
The interesting thing about this particular marathon is that it also is touted as a fast course. Why? Because the first six or so miles are down hill. To a non-runner that might sound delightful. To a delusional runner {myself} that could be great. But. BUT. Those miles were my downfall {pun entirely intended}. I was running so fast. It felt amazing. I was cruising and there were mostly men around me; I always use that as kind of a barometer when I'm racing...if there aren't very many women then I'm kind of tearing it up. That's not to sound sexist or whatever, it's just what-it-is when it comes to running.
Anyway. After those six glorious miles we hit the main highway. As much as I love the desert and cactus and sandy scenery, it can be boring. We had about one or two more miles on the highway and then did a loop around where Biosphere 2 is located. The end of this loop marked the 13.1 mile mark {half way} and that is precisely where I started to hurt. Badly. The impact of the downhill on my little leggies was such that I was having trouble even lifting up my feet since my quads were so exhausted from the pounding and fast pace I had been pushing earlier. Eating my Gu, drinking the Gatorade at various stops and my in-laws cheering me on at various places along the remaining 13.1 miles of said boring highway are what got me to the finish. 
Prior to this day I had never walked during a race. I had never even walked during a run. Ever. I've been running since 14 and I'm 28. That's a lot of running! In that second half, though, on December 11, I walked. I totally walked. And the walking made it worse. That's also something that I had never experienced either. The end of a run always signals relief but those walking respites hurt just as much as picking up my legs to continue shuffling along {it was not running at this point} and only made it harder to start up again. 
People who I had passed up at the start were now passing up yours truly. I was keeping track of my time and slowly watched as Boston slipped out of my grasp. It didn't bother me too much at the time {& still doesn't actually; there will be another race in the future...another try} since I kind of set the bar pretty low {just finish!} for most things I do. 
And finish I did. I still improved on my previous time {woot!} and my Mike ran in under four hours which is AWESOME for a first marathon.
We went back to the hotel and I made use of their "cold" tub which sits next to the hot tub and felt heavenly on my aching {ACHING} muscles. Driving back to Phoenix let me nap a bit. Miraculously we got on a plane early the next morning and with the help of a local taxi company I actually made it to work in time to teach my first class {and four others}.
All in all it was a good experience. My husband was able to run his first 26.2 and do super well and we had a fun visit with family. My knees, though, might tell you otherwise. This race is why I've been out of commission since then and according to my physical therapist it is most definitely that down hill that triggered my knee pain. That and a left leg that is slightly weaker than the right. I've been slogging along with me at-home exercises and even ran for a whopping six minutes with no pain last week before the drama-rama with my grammy happened.
Things have calmed a bit {knock on wood} and I've been doing the rehabilitation for a few days again now...hopefully some miles are in my near future.
Oh man I'm glad I got this out; it's been almost four months but I wanted to be able to actually think about it and some free time on a Friday was just what I needed.

So happy!

Boy were we GLAD to be done; ha! I'll keep y'all {me} updated on my running {or lack thereof} progress if it gets to be interesting {beyond six minutes} anytime soon.
Good weekend {& Palm Sunday} to you!
 xoxo, natty ♥