Half Marathon and Going Away Party

Well, it was a weekend of craziness, that's for sure. Things were jam packed with my sister being home, but no day more so than Sunday.

Sunday, I woke up at 5:30 AM. Most sane people try to remain asleep at 5:30 AM on a Sunday, but not I. That is because most sane people don't think it would be fun to wake up and run 13.1 miles on a Sunday morning. Yes, that's right, I had my half marathon. I got to the starting line at 6:30 AM and the race started at 7. About 3 miles into it I was really questioning both my sanity and my ability to finish the race. The best part of the race was my family. They drove around so I saw them 3 separate times - once at mile 3.5, once at mile 8, and at the finish line! The conditions for the race were less than favorable. It was ridiculously humid and windy, both conditions that I had not trained much in. Because of that, my time was a bit lower than I had hoped, but I finished with a time of 2:23:17! Woohoo!

Still going strong at mile 8!

Finish line celebration!

Albert is proud of me too! And check out my snazzy finishers medal (yeah, running at my speed, there's no chance for a winners medal!)

After a long race, most people go home, lay around on a couch or in bed and relax. You just ran 13.1 miles - you deserve a break, right? Not I though. I am not a normal sane person. For some unknown reason, I agreed with my parents suggestion to have my going away party Sunday afternoon from 4-7. Tons of family friends came and I had a lot of fun... except it involved me standing for 3 standing hours on already exhausted poor little legs. Needless to say, they weren't too happy about it. I had a great time talking with people I hadn't seen in ages, and I feel so lucky that I have such wonderful people in my life caring about what I am doing and supporting me every step of the way.

Well at 7 PM, after everyone had gone, most normal people would collapse into bed to sleep for hours. Not I. I am an even more insane person and I agree to go out for drinks with a few friends after the party. Since there were so many people, I didn't get to spend a lot of time with any one group, so I agreed to go out for a glass of wine. Luckily, we didn't stay out too late, but by the time I stand up to leave the bar my legs are no longer functioning. seriously, I'm walking around like the tin man because my legs will not bend! So we get outside and it's gotten a bit chilly, and my evil sister and our friend Courtney, who is driving us home, decide to RUN to the car. So imagine me, the runner of the group, hobbling behind these two girls running faster than I could even dream of moving at the moment. Pure evil. Apparently they were going to drive around to pick me up, but no one told ME that, so I hobbled behind them to the car.

Needless to say. Monday, my legs were in rebellion. Monday was the day that I said goodbye to my sister and took her to the airport. I'm trying to go with the attitude that it's not goodbye, it's only so long for now! After that I spent most of the day being lazy, and I think I deserved it!

I'm down to 6 days until I leave for Washington D.C. and 8 until we head to the Dominican Republic. It's crazy how real everything is getting. I am down to odds and ends to purchase and really don't have anything major left. I'm now trying to figure out weight because (surprise, surprise) I am a few pounds over the limit right now for sure. I'm not sure exactly how many pounds over I am, but I'm thinking after loading up my two carry ons, I'll be alright. I'm getting lots of kindle books and saying my goodbyes. It's so surreal that after 1.5 years of applying and 2 invitations that I am actually leaving!