This week has sucked. In a really epic sort of way. Work has been crazy, life has been crazy, and I haven't been sleeping well. And I ate a lot of unhealthy stuff, and only got in two workouts this week.  And when I was laying in bed Friday morning, hoping that things wouldn't get too much worse, they did. I started to feel sick.

I hate being sick. And I'm pretty good at fighting off all the crud at the middle school where I work, so when I do get sick, I'm pretty grumpy about it.

But I needed to run this weekend. I wasn't sick enough to bail on my running group, and I knew it would make me feel better mentally and physically. Saturday we ran my favorite 7 mile route along a lake, and I was a little tired, but it felt good after I was done. Today we ran some hilly trails that kicked my butt, but invigorated me.  The rain cleared and the sun shone just for the hour we were running, but moments after we finished it was pouring again. I'm taking it as a sign. :)

I wanted to post a pic, but Flash isn't working on my computer. :( I've tried reinstalling it, and uninstalling/reinstalling, but no luck. :(

Are you sick right now? Do you still work out?

A little bit about the Girlfriends Half Marathon: "When girlfriends get together they can accomplish anything! There’s nothing better, more beautiful than a bunch of strong, powerful, passionate women on a mission! And that’s why collectively, as a group of determined gals, we can make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. Plus when you cross the finish line, you can’t imagine how that positively impacts YOUR entire life."

Girlfriends Half Marathon benefits the Susan G. Komen Foundation in the fight against breast cancer. It's a women-only race, and was capped at 2300 runners and walkers this year. In addition to your race shirt (well, this year it was a vest), you get a reusable bag with goodies inside, a piece of jewelery given to you by a handsome fireman (instead of a medal), fudge, massages, sweaty up-dos, cookies and tea. Sound like a good time? It is!

But mentally, I was in a bad place the night before the race. I was really down on myself. I thought to myself, "Why am I even running tomorrow? I won't PR."

I PR'ed at every race this year. And this would be my second attempt at a sub 2 hour half marathon this year, and it would likely be my second failure. I hadn't trained enough or hard enough to PR.And my body just wasn't feeling great--I was tired, I fighting off all the germs at school, and I hadn't been eating nutritiously.

But I HAD to run Girlfriends. I couldn't just decide I wasn't going to run the race because I wouldn't PR. Not PR-ing wouldn't take away from my successes this year. And this was a great race, full of great women, for a great cause. I decided to "woman up" and "grow some ovaries," and just go and have a good run. My good friend and I would pace off of each other, and just see where things would take us. We decided a reasonable goal would be 2:10.

My friend and I started off at a 9:30 pace, thinking we'd run negative splits and pick it up during the second half. We did pretty well maintaining that through mile 11. Then it got a little rough. Two gradual uphills took a lot out of me.

So, a PR didn't happen. I finished in 2:06, two minutes shy of my PR, and six minutes shy of my sub 2 goal. But it was still a good experience. And it was the first half-marathon for two of my friends--they did great, and had fun!

So maybe in the spring, I'll finish in under two hours... Or maybe I'll sign up for another half before the end of the year...

Did anyone else have a race this weekend? Have any of you gotten discouraged by the prospect of not getting a PR?

Today was my last long run before my half marathon next weekend! It was pouring rain when I woke up at 6:30 and I thought about canceling my run, or doing it on the treadmill again. But I knew my friend Bre wanted to get in a long run today too, and she's an awesome running partner who never bails on me, and helps me pace myself. So I just hoped the rain would lessen a little.

Thankfully it did, so we ran about 10 miles in the light rain. It was hard. Not eating right and not sleeping enough have really taken a toll on my body. Funny how sometimes you don't notice these things until you go for a run.

This is how I looked after 10 miles in the rain. Notice the crazy hair (I did not know my hair could get that big!). And the latte from Starbucks. Yep. That's how I roll.

Sorry for the poor picture quality. Had to use my cell phone. Because my little Nikon Cool Pix is a piece of crap, and my mom stole my dSLR again.

The truly sad news is that I probably won't PR or get under 2 hours next weekend. My body just isn't in shape for it. It's kind of a bummer, but I'm going to focus on just putting out a good solid effort and hopefully just pace myself with Bre.

How are you guys doing this weekend? Anyone have a race? :)

I love to drag my birthday out. It's more like, birth-week than birthday. ;) So far, I'm up to two celebrations! Lunch with the grandparents on Saturday at Cheesecake Factory, and then arcade games and happy hour with my parents and little brothers. And one more celebration is coming up on Sunday--I'm having martinis with friends.

I'd like to celebrate my 25th birthday with 25 things from the past year that have been important. In no particular order, here they are:

1. Running a marathon. It was on my bucket list, but I didn't think I could do it. But I trained, and was ready. And I did it.
2. Getting a tattoo. It hurt like heck. But I'd wanted to get one for awhile, knew exactly what I wanted to get and where, and I love it. It's definitely representative of something very important to me, and I'll never regret getting it.
3. Running Hood to Coast. Another item on my bucket list. It was awesome, and I couldn't have done it with better people.
4. My running buddies. For all of the difficult runs they've carried me through, for all of the inside jokes and beers that we've shared, I love you guys!
5. My friends. I went through some difficult times this year, and they were there for me.
   
6. My students.  Yes, sometimes they drive me crazy, but they crack me up. Today they insisted that I wasn't really 25, and that I was only 20 because I look so young.
7. My job. It's challenging and rewarding, and I'm glad they hired me.
8. Seeing a nutritionist. It helped me reach my marathon time goal and made me an overall healthier person.
9. A rough breakup, cute shoes, and getting over it. It was time to let things go, and find new and better things!
10. Starting a blog, and hoping I'd get readers. It can be a little scary to put yourself out there! But it was worth it.
    
11. Recognizing the importance of stretching and consistency and rest. My IT band problem during marathon training was resolved when I was consistent about running all during the week AND during long runs, when I stretched regularly, and when I took days off when I needed it. I had to learn to read my body's signals.
12. My blog getting its first PR samples! I felt like I'd made it :P
13. Realizing how much I hate going out to clubs. I think this year of my life was the tipping point. I'll sit at a nice, chill restaurant bar and relax. But barhopping and clubbing is not my thing. I guess I'm getting old!
14. Learning to workout or run by myself. When it's just you and the pavement, it can be really hard to stay motivated. It's easy to cut a run short and just turn around. But doing a run by myself reminds me that I can be strong on my own.
    
15. Working out with friends, and going to fitness classes. Increasing my number of workout buddies, and going to fitness classes has really helped me be more consistent about working out. It's also made working out a lot more fun because there's more variety!
16. My mom. For all of the delicious lunches that she's packed for me, and for being supportive.
17. My brother, for letting me tag along to happy hours and taco tuesdays.
18. My three half-brothers. Seeing them grow up into young adults has been really exciting.
19. Starting Yoga again. It's really helped bring some peace to my life.
    
20. Repairing my relationship with my dad.
21. Reading books again! I haven't really read any books in awhile, and started reading again this year. I love it! There's nothing like a good story.
22. Using a foam roller and a runner's stick. Seriously, these two objects have changed my life. I didn't even know what they were before this year.
23. Finding some good skincare products. I've battled with my skin since I was a teen, and it's starting to become manageable with the right products!
24. Being threatened and harassed. It was a really difficult situation, and very frustrating.
    
25. Thoughts and uncertainty about the future.

How do you like to celebrate your birthday? Did anything lifechanging happen this year?