It's a.....MARATHON FINISHER!

WOW!  After a feat like that I feel like something with magnitude should be changed to show the world is not the same. Anna. Has run. A Marathon.
I just ran 26.2 miles (actually probably more like 26.4-so an ULTRA marathon!).  It doesn't seem like there is enough weight to those words.  Not enough to show the depth of foot power, will power and gumption that went into running for almost FIVE hours.
**Pictures first, details next....

Hubby and I before the start. It was SO cold.

Friends and I before the start

The crowd in front of us (well) before we crossed the start line

The crowd behind us...

A drum group around mile 1. I really liked these guys!

The trash was atrocious! I've never run a race this big (or long!) so I never knew the 'road mess' a crowd of runners this big can make!

HAHA 'Sweat like a pig to look like a fox'  Or in my case sweat like a pig to look like a sweaty pig.  ;)

This was on a crowded, narrow path so I couldn't stop to get a picture, but this guy was holding a real, live water fowl (duck? goose?) while he was cheering for us!

DONE!  4:43:23....1141 out of 1455 overall, 426 out of 606 females, 86 of 125 females in my age group...It also says I passed 86 runners in the overall category and 0 runners passed me in the overall category, whatever THAT means. My brain is a bit chewed up right now...



Ok, so here's the run down...
Went to bed at 9:30 the night before and just as I knew would happen, I had SUCH trouble falling asleep. When I did finally fall asleep, I kept waking up and it was one of those weird nights where you're never quite sure when you're actually awake and when you're asleep...

Woke up a bit before 4:30 and woke up the hubs so we could get ready. Wanted to get out the door by 5 but it ended up being closer to 5:10. I had SO much stuff I was taking with me:

-A checked bag (Which I didn't even check-sort of wish I had taken the time as I was SO hungry at the finishline!!)
-A bag of clothes to leave in the car incase I wanted to change (I didn't)
-A bag of a bunch of different food choices (crackers, pretzels, M&Ms, choc covered pretzels, tortilla chips, tuna salad in a pouch, PB & J) so I could have a variety to much on on the way home (only nibbled on a few things)
-All the normal race do-dads (Garmin, music, bibs/pins, PB and J and banana to eat on the way down, water, hydration belt, camera  and so on and so on-I felt like I was packing for trip instead of a race!)

We got there in fine time (so glad hubby was with me or I think I may have ended up in Seward or something) and found a parking spot that was relatively close.
Tried to find my group before time and only managed to locate a few of them.
Around 6:50 or so we started to walk to our pace group (we planned to line up around the 4:50 pace group). One the way we passed the port a potties and the lines were ridiculous!  Thankfully I was able to drink water accordingly this morning and thru the race and never needed a potty break. Yay me!
They were sending out the pace groups in waves. Gun time was 7 a.m., but we didn't cross the mat until 7:40!
We kept the pace slow and comfortable for quite sometime. It was nice to just chat and enjoy the sites.  Lots of spectators brought their dogs and I enjoyed trying to name all the different breeds (I think I got most all of them right! Except for the mutts. No tellin' there)
This is a pretty flat race and the hills are very slight, so that was nice.  I got a stitch in my side around mile 6 and then again around mile 17. Thankfully neither one lasted long.
Also, my foot bone started to bug me around mile 7 or so off and on.  By around mile 10 I didn't notice it any more (Hallelujah!)

It felt SO good and finally 'real' when we hit the stadium at the 13 mile mark and the 1/2 marathoners turned in for their finish and us CRAZY full marathoners kept on for an easy 7 out and 7 back.  We got to mile 16 and hubby decided that he should probably turn back. I gave him my jacket to carry with him. (I had gotten it yesterday at Goodwill to 'throw away' but it was still chilly and I thought I might need it at the end-so glad I did) so he jogged/walked back to the stadium where he waited for a SWEET FOREVER for me to finish. It was COLD. Poor guy.
I picked up the pace a bit after he turned around. Saw lots of friends during the next 4 miles and that was a real boost.
At mile 20, I was tired and my legs were tired, but NOTHING like what I was feeling in my only 20 mile training run so I was so thankful for that. 20-22ish wasn't too bad but from 22 to the finish was SO hard. I had to take little 15-20 seconds walk breaks here and there (probably 5 or so of them). My lower back was also really bugging me during this time frame and the wind from this point on was like Mach 9. UNREAL how hard it was blowing. I kept trying to draft off people but then I would pass them, so that wasnt' working so well =)
There were several times during the last 2 miles where I SERIOUSLY considered just walking the rest of the way, but running almost felt better than walking. Such a quandary.

Finally the stadium came in sight and I was able to slowly increase my speed knowing that my hubby (and food!) would be there when I finished. When I came to the entrance of the stadium I lit the fire in my feet and booked it to the 50 yard line. It felt INCREDIBLE to finish!!!

I got a medal, a rose, a delicious hug from hubby (I was SOOO glad to see him) and a dry chunk of bagel (I think they need to keep those things covered!)  =)  Oh and some salsa Sun Chips (bleh). Thankfully I had packed a teeny bit of trail mix in my hydration belt so I munched on that.

I was walking SO funny when I got done, TOTALLY could not keep my balance. If I wasn't amidst that group of people, one would TOTALLY have thoughtt I'd had one to many Zima's.
We started to walk back to the car (SLOWLY) and right after we got out of the stadium, my right knee hurt so bad I thought I wasn't going to make it! I had to try to walk without bending it and that seemed to help a bit. Walking backwards helped the most.  We got over to the rec center as it was SO cold out and I knew I needed to stretch but I didn't want to stretch out in the cold.

Thankfully they sold chocolate milk in there so I had hubby buy me some while I stretched. It didn't hit the spot like I thought it would. I was starting to feel unwell. I knew I needed to eat but nothing sounded good. I stretched for a while and that made my knee feel better, and drank more water. Then hubby went to bring the van around to me.

Once I got in the car, I munched on a few crackers and a few pretzels but everything was just turning my stomach. We got on the road and after about 30 minutes my stomach started to calm down so I was able to drink the rest of the chocolate milk.

Once we got back to town, we stopped at Pepperjax to pick up some sandwiches to take home. To watch me walk was to laugh til your belly hurt. I was quite a sight.

It was so good to see my kiddos when we got home. THEY thought my new walkin' style was quite funny too, especially when I tried to walk up the stairs.
Was able to eat most of the Pepperjax but it took awhile before my tummy felt totally normal again.
Luckily my Poppa is coming up tomorrow to help out incase I need a grown up pair of legs around here =)

All in all, I can say I am super pleased that I did it. For ME to complete a marathon is just way out of character for me. RUNNING is out of character for me!  But by God's grace, I do/did both.  I did a lot of praying during this race (didn't listen to music once the whole time) and I really felt that helped me get thru a lot of rough spots.
Will I do it again?
Does a cow touch its nose against an electric fence more than once?
Yeah. We'll see.... ;)

My 'babys' about to be born!!

This will be a short one as I gots to power this machine down and make sure to get a full charge before the morning!
If you're the prayin' sort. Please pray that my feet would hold up (no pain on either my bones, or my arches) and that my legs in general would be kind to me.

I did about 2,200 calories today and around 420-430 g of carbs (!!)
So I'm thoroughly plumped up for tomorrow.

Even painted my toe nails!!  (never happens) so you KNOW I'm excited...




Stay tuned for a FULL report (whenever I'm coherent again).... =)

8 cm dilated....

**This website talks about the importance of carb loading the day before the marathon and how many grams of carbs you should be taking in (AND how it will affect your performance!)

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/how-to-carbo-load-for-a-marathon/

So day 2 of carb loading went well.  I'm pretty pleased at how well I was able to stick to my diet plan though I did cut out a few things at my morning snack as I was still full from brekky.

BREAKFAST: 1/2 c oatmeal, 2T sugar, 2 pieces bacon, 1 piece bread, 1 T jelly, 8oz of OJ (this breakfast was CRAZY filling!) And orange juice just tastes better when you drink it from a 'Hello Kitty' cup

SNACK: 1/2 of a banana (too stuffed from breakfast to eat much more!)
LUNCH: 3/4 of a salmon fillet, 1 c quinoa, 1/2 of a roma tomato, 1/2 c prune juice, 2 carrots  (prune juice has a CRAZY amount of carbs in it!)

SNACK: pudding, 1 graham cracker 'rectangle' (mixed 1/2 a chocolate cup and 1/2 a vanilla cup and layered it between my graham cracker 'squares' and had  my own little pudding pie)

DINNER: 1/4 c of white rice and a bit of pepper steak, 3/4 of a potato, pineapple casserole, 1/2 c of corn (I cut the potatoes into chunks and baked them but they were DRY so I could only choke down 3/4 of it)

BEDTIME SNACK: 1 piece of Ezekiel bread with 1T of honey (this will be eaten here in about 20 minutes after the kiddos go to bed. Honey has a good amt of carbs in it.  We also have BBQ chips in the house right now so I make no guarantees as to if the amount we have now, will be there in the morning....)
TOTAL: 1, 895 calories, 304 g of carbs. (not including any BBQ chips that may or may not be eaten)
Also drank six 16oz glasses of water.

I've been meticulous about my meal planning to be sure I'm getting the right amount of carbs, while not letting the calories get terribly out of hand.

My mind is swimming with numbers....


I finished all my pre-planning for this weekend.
Everything is purchased (gels for me, Shot Bloks for the hubs), bars incase we get hungry (Luna bars for me, Power Bars for the hubs) and I will be sure to charge my Garmin and music player tomorrow. (If I had to run without my Garmin I just might cry or hit something. We's tight, ya'll.)  And the 247 other things that I had to plan for.  The anticipation is mounting.

It reminds me of how I feel right before I'm going to have a baby.

I guess there are similarities. 
But this gestation was 4 months instead of 9. And this 'nesting phase' only lasted a few days versus a few WEEKS.  But what I carry home from this 'labor' will smaller, quieter, and shinier. And I never got to wear a baby around my neck.

It's almost 'pushing time'!

Don't poke me or I may burst

Oh this carb-loading is oh so bad.....
and oh so good...

It's looking like I'll be ending the day around 1,000 higher than what an average day should be for me (I try to stay around 1,500 cal/day but usually end up closer to 1,700-1,800).  I'll top out around 2,500 for today (is this too high during carb loading? I don't even know. Maybe I don't want to know...)

Here's what has gone in the belly today:

BREAKFAST: taco on flatout (taco meat, salsa, cottage cheese) and a nice bowl of mexi rice on the side (also had a granola bar afterwards)
SNACK: 1/2 of a banana, 1/2 of a small can of mandarin oranges, 7 pretzels (I was still full from breakfast)
LUNCH: homemade veggie soup, sandwich and pineapple casserole
SNACK: small serving of baked sweet potatoes and 1/2 an apple (and a serving of chocolate covered pretzels cuz they were screaming at me from the cupboard)
DINNER: 1 c of cheese tortellini with 1/2 c spaghetti sauce, bread, and 1/2 c of corn
SNACK: a serving of chocolate covered pretzels (again with the screaming)
BEDTIME SNACK: Havent eaten it yet, but it will be a healthy sized bowl of ice cream


If I can get my brain to wake up from the food coma it will surely be in, I'm going to try to work out how many carbs all that was. I'm trying to do between 350-400 a day. Not sure if I even got up in the 300s...

Found this picture on my computer. Some amazing friends and myself at a really HARD 5K (hills EVERYWHERE!) back in 2011.  I love that I have friends that love this sport like I do. 


Looking at pictures like this makes me even MORE excited for Sunday. If that's even possible.



If I get any more excited I may turn into a Unicorn.

On and unrelated note, here's what I woke to this morning:

When was the last time it snowed where YOU live?

What is your favorite time of day to run?

Before marathon time, it's CARB-a-thon time!

Amazing hot fudge sundae crockpot cake and ice cream

I don't know if you know this about me (and all 3 of you probably do) but this girl LOVES her some food. Sweets are a favorite along with most things carb-y (pizza, tacos, potatoes, cookies, pies, cakes and so on and so forth). I'm gonna take on this 3 day carb fest like Cookie Monster in a Keebler factory.
Now I know I shouldn't go too crazy and I'm going to try to be wise about my choices for the small part, er, I mean for the MOST part, but I am going to allow myself to loosen the reigns a bit on my  food horse who is ever chomping at the bit.
I had hubby go out and buy an embarrassing amount of food so I am sure to have lots of choices.

Here are some of the things I'll be shoveling in my pie hole the next 3 days...

Ice cream (let's be real, I'm MOST excited about the sweet stuff I get to eat)
pudding cups
cookies/chocolate covered pretzels/candy bar (a hopeful limited portion of these)
sweet potatoes
brown rice
couscous
quinoa
dried apricots/raisins
canned fruit (mandarin oranges, pineapple, pears)
Orange Juice (Tropicana with pulp is the best. Don't even try to argue.)
whole wheat pasta/cheese tortellini (with sauce)
bagel
waffles
potatoes
carrots
Ezekiel bread
bananas
oatmeal
PB and J sandwiches
hoagie sandwiches
Greek yogurt with kasha mixed in

Looking at that list excites my inner fatty. I'll need to make sure to keep her in check.
She's wild and unpredictable. 


I've planned to drink more water this week and so far so good. I've done 5-7 16oz glasses every day the last 3 days.
I had ALSO planned to go to bed early every night this week but so far that has been a big fat FAIL. So hopefully I can turn in early tonight and start a 4 night trend.

My plan the next 3 days is to up the carbs on Thursday but try to keep them a bit more complex. Then on Friday I'll up them even more and go lighter on the fiber. Then on Saturday I'll do more simple carbs and go light on fiber and fat (though my traditional night-before-the-race pizza will most likely still be consumed.) I also plan to make my sister-in-laws AWESOME 'Pineapple Casserole'. Good golly its good.

RACE MORNING I'll eat a nice sized PB and J about 2 hours before start time and then probably a 1/2-whole banana (maybe with a little PB) 30 min-1 hour before start time (the banana part is new for me, but I don't think the sammich will be enough).  I plan to use a 1/2 packet of  Chocolate Gu at mile 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 23.  I'm also taking a little trail mix along incase the Gu starts to make my stomach turn. (That's a lot of chocolate snot within a 5 hour time frame!)

POST RACE I'm going to embarrass myself with how much food I eat. BUT, I also plan to pack a few things in my checked bag incase they run out of stuff, or if my stomach is being a picky little baby. I'm thinking I'll take 1/2 of a PB and J, a Luna Bar (just tried one for the first time this week and LOVE them), my normal post run snack of peanut M&Ms and pretzels and I might bring some chocolate milk (or Muscle Milk or something like 'Evolve' in a small little cooler bag. I know Muscle Milk doesn't need to be kept cold, but the idea of room temp 'chocolate-like milk' makes my flesh crawl.  Some things you just don't mess around with).

This week's workouts have gone good so far:

SUNDAY: REST DAY (first TRUE rest day I've had in a coon's age)
MONDAY: 4 mi run 40:37 (10:09 avg pace)
TUESDAY: 30 min elliptical 6.8 miles, upper body and light lower body weights, 1:30 x 3 sets planks
WEDNESDAY: 4 mi run on the 'mill 39:35, 1% incline, 20 x 4 sets push ups

All I have left now is a 2-3 mile easy run tomorrow and then on Friday- an easy walk and some planks.


On an unrelated note.
ITS SNOWING HERE TODAY.
In Nebraska. IN MAY.
Apparently this has only happened 4 times since 1884. 
Lucky us. >insert sarcasm<

On a lighter note! I get to run 26.2 miles in about 82 hours!!!

7 more sleeps!!

7 more sleeps.
7 more sleeps!!! This time next week, I will *Lord willing* be able to say that I am officially a FULL MARATHONER!  (is marathoner a word? Well, it is now.)
So far I am feeling physically good (my mental state is all over the map though).  Joints feel fine. Feet feel fine. Cheeky foot bones are stepping off the cheekiness....all is well!

Yesterday was my last 'long run' on the charts...tomorrow begins my LAST WEEK of this training plan!!

Wow. I cant believe I've done all that!!

It was 44* at 6:30 a.m. yesterday so I decided to be brave and go with shorts (though my sissy legs were crying at me the first mile. After that they decided that my shorts decision was a good one).

The Lake was quite foggy when I first got there but it cleared off after 15 minutes or so.

Fishermen fishin'.

Grazers grazin'... (yep, 6 deer!!!)

Shortly before that picture I got to spend some time with 3 other deer who were pretty friendly and let me get quite close. I hope this video comes thru. I didn't get any pictures as I wanted to be sure to get video of them for my girls...

We went out to the Lake later in the day yesterday as a family and my 2nd daughter got this picture.  She's got a rockin' camera.

At mile 5 it warmed up enough for me to take my LS off. Still had on my ear warmers though. Nerd. At least I'm a nerd with warm ears!

I was pretty pleased with the time! This pace felt comfortably hard. Isn't that a weird pairing of adjectives?

Happy to be done and ready to get back in my car and go home for some pizza! (That's my mini-van in between those trees behind me. I thought it was quite awesome of me to have gotten it in my end-of-the-run picture without meaning to. Not everyone is this talented, don't be so hard on yourself.)

This was lunch a few times last week. I am really liking 'Sara Lees' 45 calorie bread!  I got some ham, provolone, tomato and lettuce in there with green pepper and cucumber on the side. I usually do NOT like raw bell peppers but I've been on a kick with them lately.  Taper madness is doing strange things to me, people.



So my plan this week is:
MONDAY: 3-4mi run and push ups
TUESDAY: elliptical, weights, planks
WEDNESDAY: 4 mi run and push ups
THURSDAY: light elliptical, light weights and planks
FRIDAY: light elliptical or walking on the treadmill and maybe a few push ups
SATURDAY: REST REST REST!!

I also plan to try to eat well and go to bed early each night.
So nervous, yet SOOO excited =)

The weather here has been great the last few days. It was 82* today! However the forecast calls for 44* on Thursday and rain!!  I just hope the 'possible' rain that is forecasted for next Sunday moves off or holds off from 7am-noon on that day =)

A little of this, a little of that

Sorry, internets! Meant to get on here last night and post, but a nasty headache won the battle between some screen time and my nice, cozy, Temperpedic bed (they really are the best, people. No arguing).

So here I am! Headache gone, sun shining, kids playing nice.
It's gonna be a great day 



So here's what I've had so far this week:


SUNDAY: elliptical 20 minutes 4.6 miles
MONDAY: 4.1 miles on the 'mill 1% incline 41:15 (also did 20 x 4 sets of push ups)
TUESDAY: elliptical 20 minutes 4.9 miles (10 min of 1/1 intervals was CRAZYsauce), light lower and upper body weights, 1:30 x 3 sets of planks
WEDNESDAY: 6.25 mi run 1:00:45 (9:44 avg pace)   **more on this run below
THURSDAY: 3 mi run on the 'mill 1% incline 30:15

My run on Wednesday ROCKED. As I was starting the run, I decided on a whim to head over to the Lake...

Yep! I'm wearing COLOR, people!  Benefit of being fun-sized is that you get to shop in the little girls' section. Got this Fila hoodie for $11!

You'll have to squint, tilt your head and turn around 3 times to see it, but there was a good sized hawk on the roof of this house (you can click on the picture to enlarge). My 2nd daughter loooooves birds, but that wasn't the best thing I saw....)

I audibly gasped (isn't gasped a weird word?) when I saw this. Thought at first it was just a stump of the tree...

Nope. Its an owl!! A real rootin tootin hootin' OWL!!!!  I was BESIDE  myself with excitement. This is the first time I've ever seen an owl in real life (I know, I need to take a better camera on my runs.)




It was funny to look back over the run and see how much faster the 'post-owl sighting' miles were. I was so stinkin' excited to get home and tell my girls all about it =)

So, this means....
Only 4 more runs until the marathon!!!

I really cant believe its that close. And I can tell you now, I totally know the full meaning of the phrase TAPER MADNESS.  My mind is immersed in it.  Its amazing HOW many emotions one can feel all at the same time.  Fear...elation...anxiety...excitement...confidence...hesitation

Pull me thru this one, Lord!!

What do YOU do to help you get thru the last week of marathon training?

Have you ever seen an owl in real life?

"It's ONLY 12 miles," said the girl with the taper.

HAHA!  Yeah. I am easily amused. Especially by my own humor.

If you'd have asked me 3 years ago (when I was just dabbling in running) if I'd ever run a marathon, I'd have probably laughed in your face and then looked at you like you had 2 heads...No WAY would I have thought I could 26 miles...
HA! Take THAT 3-years-ago-didnt-know-how-awesome-running-is, Anna!!!

I'm almost done with my mountain
When I first looked at my marathon training plan, I saw a mountain. Here I was down in flat, prairie land and looming in front of me was Mt. Marathon-training. I was super excited to tackle it but had no clue what it (or I) would be like once I got to its peak. 

To me, the 20 mile run was the peak and I survived it! (and liked it in some weird, twisted, masochistic way)

Now I feel like I'm coming down the other side of the mountain, which the locals like to call Journey of Taper. Its filled with all sorts of fun places like 'IsThatAnInjury-ville', 'What-if-I-get-sick-town', and 'GO-AWAY-LITTLE-NIGGLE-village'.

Once I get to the bottom then its unknown territory.

THE MARATHON  *cue the dramatic music*

I'm sure there will be many peaks and valleys in that unchartered territory and I'm sure I'll tell you ALLL about them on May 5th =)

Anyway, I never thought I'd be one to say 'I'm only doing 12 miles'. But it is my reality after doing TWENTY last weekend.
12 today felt GREAT!
I got a few twinges in my ankle, knee, left arch and the inside of my left foot but none if it lasted long.  Twinges seem to be a part of my life lately. Along with frozen water bottles and small rubber balls that I roll with the bottom of my foot.
We runners are a strange lot.

I didn't fuel on todays run but I took a Gu with me just incase. I made sure to drink some water during my run even though I wasn't thirsty and chowed my peanut M&M's and pretzels after I was done. It really is the best tasting thing ever while I'm stretching. 



Here are some pictures from today's run:

*Starting out at 7 a.m.  Beautiful sky but COLD. We hit a record low of 23* this morning!

*This little dude (dude-ette?) was a cutie. And brave.

*Here are his shy buddies...

*He went back to make sure they were ok. What a guy.

*I loved the reflection of the sky in the lake

*Mile 8 and feeling great!

*My 2nd daughter who is super into birds and super into photography was GREEN with envy when I showed her this picture. A gorgeous hawk (although it could be a falcon, I don't know how to tell the difference). 

My over all pace was 9:56 which felt great as I don't think I've run a sub 10 pace on a long run since I did that 13.1 mile run with my hubs which you can read about HERE.  But you know what's funny. As I got done today I was thinking to myself How in the WORLD did I average 9:12 on a 13.1 mi run just a month ago?!' That run felt comfortably hard. Today's run just felt HARD.

I was very pleased with how well my arches, foot bones and calves felt during, and after, this run.  Like I said, some twinges during, but they all worked themselves out like good little joints and tendons should.  ::pats legs lovingly::





Do you see cool wild life on your runs?
--the coolest thing lately are the cranes at Lake Z. I would LOVE to see an owl!

What is your favorite kind of bird?
--overall: Bird of Paradise, I think....out of the birds we see around here: either male Cardinals or Black-capped chickadees

Time well spent

Ya'll come here to read up on all my super cool workouts, right?
Let's get to those first before more exciting stuff....

WEDNESDAY: 20 min on the elliptical at almost a tempo paced effort (4.6 miles), upper body and light lower body weights, and 3 sets of planks (100-90-80 seconds each
THURSDAY: 4.5 mi run on the 'mill 1% incline 46 minutes.....also did 4 sets of 20 push ups
......This run was quite nice. Watched some Season 6 of Biggest Loser again. Not sure what I think about Ed getting back on the show.  Heba sorta rubs me the wrong way...My foot bones actually felt GREAT on this run! My right arch spoke to me in the middle of the run for about a tenth of a mile but then went away. Had a few knee tweaks as well that lasted about a minute each and then went away.  Overall it all felt wonderful.

MAIN EVENT OF THIS POST:

Last night I picked up my buddy Marie and we headed over to my buddy Karma's house for some good 'ol crafting time.  I don't get out much with the gals so when I do I'm always giddy with excitement (and I probably talk too much, chew with my mouth open and laugh at the wrong times, but for some reason they still invite me. *shrug*)


Our plan was to make Boston Marathon-colored hair ties to wear at our half/full marathon on May 5th.  My good friend, Jennifer bought all the materials and we just had to supply the hair ties and a sharp pair of scissors (apparently I overlooked the 'sharp' part...oops).  Karma was a wonderful host with a lovely home and a hubby who cooked us some excellent shrimp wraps! I've never had one before and they were restaurant quality for sure.  I love that all these ladies are so lovely and easy to be around. I love me some running buddies =)

*Finished product.  I did it! And it actually looks good!!!

*I'm a lucky lady to be able to call these gals my friends..


It's surreal to think that I'm only 17 days out from my first marathon. Only SEVENTEEN days!! I'm already a mix of anxiety, excitement, and fear.  I'm praying God's will be done with this race. BUT I'm ALSO praying that His will would be for me to cross that finish line on my own two feet and feeling slightly better than death. Not too much to ask, right??
=)

Are you a crafty person?


Do you get out with your friends often?