2013 Charleston Half Marathon Recap

We did it. We really did it. On Saturday morning, I woke up at the crack of dawn to run 13.1 miles with my best friend.

I woke up at 6:15 before my alarm clock went off. I'm not even kidding, I might have slept 4 hours total. My body never lets me sleep the night before a flight or a run. It stinks, but it is what it is. I showered, then went right to the kitchen and ate a chunk of cookie dough. Seriously. Then I decided to behave like an adult and make a proper breakfast of toast, peanut butter, and jelly. 

I also grabbed an orange to eat once we got to the race and some M&Ms if I needed a boost along the run. Who needs GU?
Amanda picked me up around 7 am and we headed to Burke High School where the race began. There were a lot of people; the race's Facebook page said 3,500 people signed up! We waited around for a bit until it was time to go. I was so happy as we crossed over the start line. Amanda said, "I love you!" and I blew her a kiss and we were off! Sister wives on the go!

The first couple miles of the race flew by, mostly because we spent the entire time weaving around people to get ahead. Because of that, we ran our first few miles slower than our typical pace. I think that ended up being a good thing because we weren't too worn out. We ran all around the Battery and up King Street -- two places we often run with traffic and pedestrians. It was pretty awesome having everything blocked off!

During the second half,  I started to get bored, but around mile 8 I just stopped thinking about anything other than "Oh, my God, we're doing this. We're really doing this." At each mile marker, Amanda and I both screamed out a "WOOHOOOOO" but by mile 10, 11, and 12, our screaming turned into a pathetic "woo."

I was so thankful that I had my phone, not only for music, but for inspiration from my friends. You guys are THE BEST!

At mile 11, the people running the full marathon split off, and I got really excited. With only 2 miles left, I knew we were so close to the finish line. This is when I popped 3 green M&Ms in my mouth and let me tell you, they were the BEST I've ever had. Maybe because they were green. Maybe because they were Christmas M&Ms. Or maybe because I had just run 11 miles and anything would have tasted amazing. 

Right after mile 13, we passed Amanda's parents who caught us on video while running and holding hands. We had promised to cross the finish line together. We had trained for nearly 10 weeks and nothing was going to stop us! 

As runners crossed the finish line, the announcer called out their names. But when he saw the two of us coming, he yelled out "Holding hands to the finish line, yeaahhhh!! Those two are holding hands!" It was hilarious.

Immediately after, I felt so weird. Carter said I was high as a kite and I think he was right. I could barely talk, let alone form complete sentences. I chugged a can of coconut water and threw back a few more M&Ms. You know me, always pre fueling and refueling with CHOCOLATE! 

According to my Nike + app, here are our results:

And here are the official results:

When we got back to Mt. Pleasant, Amanda declared that she needed Puree. Of course I was happy to refuel at one of my favorite healthy spots. I had the Tofu Banh Mi with pickled radishes and a creamy sriracha sauce.

Overall, I loved my first half marathon. Though it was physically demanding, my body was definitely prepared. That said, I'm sure I will be much more mentally prepared for the second one. Second one? Yes, I'm definitely doing another! 

Let The Countdown Begin

In 9 days, Amanda and I are running our first half marathon.

13.1 miles.

We’re ready. We’re ecstatic. We’re nervous. We’re doing this.

What I’m Loving Wednesday 1.9.12

1. I need really want this necklace from Tiffany & Co.

I also want this bracelet. It’s only $8,250.

I supposed I could settle for this much more affordable Etsy option.

2. After a long run a couple weeks ago, Amanda and I refueled with two of the best sandwiches at Purée: The Deep South Sandwich, which is very similar to a Chick-fil-A sandwich, but made with seitan,

and a Blackened Jalapeno Burger, made with tempeh.

If you’re thinking about bringing a man friend to Purée, convince him to try one of these and he’ll forget he’s not eating meat.

3. Yesterday I was using too many abbrevs (abbreviations) and my coworker said I sounded like Tom Haverford. I took that as a compliment.

4. Years ago, I loved these Grapples.

Now they have Crazy Apples . Have you tried either?

5. I took more than advantage of Old Navy’s sale on active wear. I bought a couple pairs of these compression pants that suck all your fat in:

a Go Dry tee:

this obnoxious tank that I will either love or hate in person:

and three compression jackets. Whoops?

Amanda and I both have the pink jacket and will be crossing the half marathon finish line wearing them. Nerd alert.

6. And why do I work out so much?

HOW I FEEL WATCHING THE VICTORIA’S SECRET FASHION SHOW

True or false? The Goonies was your favorite movie from the 80s.

The Weekend of Baking and Running

Surprise, surprise! My weekend was full of two of my favorite hobbies. Hanging out in my kitchen and pounding the pavement are definitely high up on the list of things I love to do. You all know this. Judging by the amount of food I made this weekend, you’d think I was feeding an army. Judging by the amount of miles I ran this weekend, you’d think I was training for something.

Oh, wait. I am.

In the past 72 hours, I’ve made Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper Crisps:

Carrot Cake Energy Balls:

Crispy Tofu in a Honey Basil Dressing:

And, drum roll, please…two Sriracha Cheddar Loaves:

Here’s the mini one:

It pairs extremely well with a bottle of Malbec and my best friend:

As much as I didn’t want to leave my oven’s side, I received some motivation to put my sneakers on. Sunday morning, my grandpa sent me this:

And Danielle (who completed her first half marathon on Saturday!!), sent me this:

So back to training it was, with a 5 miler on Friday:

And an 11-mile run on Sunday.

That was the farthest Amanda and I have ever run and it felt pretty darn good. Especially the inappropriate stretching outside of her apartment, haha.

We are so ready for our race in 2 weeks!

Now if this post doesn’t epitomize hungry meets healthy, then I don’t know what does!

Questions for you:

• Which of the aforementioned recipes would you like to see most? I’ll post it tomorrow!
• Half marathoners: While training, what was the farthest you ran the week before your race? Some people stop at 10, some people continue…talk to me.

This I Know Is True

…There is nothing better than a glass of chocolate milk after a long run. Amanda and I completed a 7-miler on Sunday then immediately chugged a glass of chocolately protein. We then proceeded to lie on the floor and die a little.

…Random acts of kindness feel really good, even if you don’t see the recipient’s reaction. I noticed someone had printed out a parking pass for the Kiawah Marathon, so I left them some love.

…Boys are weirded out by girls with books on self-help, dating, or anything too feminine.  A while back I loaned a friend my copy of Why Men Love Bitches and picked it up from her on Sunday, so it was sitting in my car. I drove this boy to work yesterday morning and when he got in my car and saw it, he was like “Oh, god. No.”

I was definitely mortified and swore that it was not a self-help book. I might have been stretching the truth, but that book is fantastic! In case you’ve never heard of it, it’s about why men love a b.i.t.c.h. – babe in total control of herself. The book really teaches you how to keep your shit together while you’re single, dating, or in a relationship.

I told my friend Ashley, another huge fan of the book, about what happened and to make me feel better, she sent me her collection of womanly books.

…The Seasonal Salad from Crave is really, really good. It’s a bowl of Baby tatsoi, bright lights Swiss chard, and purple kale served with honey champagne vinaigrette, toasted pumpkin seeds, roasted beets, sweet potato croutons and St. Andre cheese. I had it for dinner so I added sea bass to it. Delicious.

…You cannot judge a bottle of wine by its label. Every time I saw this Project Happiness Syrah at Trader Joe’s, I snubbed it, thinking it looked so stupid. I randomly told one of the employees I wanted a good Syrah, and what do you know, he walks me over to this bottle. The verdict: it’s really good. It’s smooth and zesty with notes of blueberry and cassis and a blackberry jam finish.

…I am determined to win The NYE Challenge. After this weekend, things aren’t looking good for Boding and Kaye. My strikes have been from accidentally eating 2 foods I didn’t realize were fried (coconut shrimp and fried chickpeas) and a night of 4 drinks.

Oh, and apparently some of us are playing dirty. I asked Carter for a glass of water the other night and while he was in the kitchen, I heard him giggling like a 5 year old. He brings me a glass of water and is like “Here you go…drink up!” Totally skeptical, I looked in my glass and noticed that he has added a dab of butter to my water. GROSS!

What do you know to be true today?!