…. And half crazy. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s what Tom thought I was when I sent him an email along these lines about a month ago:
“Hey there, mind if we celebrate our anniversary the day after? Cause I may have just signed up for a half marathon on the 22nd …..”
Five years and two days ago, on the first day of summer, 2008, this happened:
Didn’t want to leave the party!
It was the happiest day of my life. I married my best friend, all of my favorite people were in one place (in Alabama, no less, which was awesome in and of itself – so many people there had never come close to stepping foot in the state, and probably never really thought they would have reason to), and I was embarking on a new phase of life that, though filled with sentimental memories of what we were leaving behind in New York, has proven to be absolutely amazing in ways I could never have expected.
Had you told me that five years and one day later I’d choose to run 13.1 miles on a hot day in June on a hilly course willingly, I probably would have told you you were crazy. Don’t get me wrong, if phrased as a challenge, I would have undoubtedly declared I could do it and figured out how to make it happen, but I never would have imagined that I’d actually choose to do it and enjoy it (well, most of it).
Yet, here I am five years and two days later, having just run a half marathon with this elevation and start line weather conditions, and somehow thinking it was fun.
And though there were some things that were miserable (it was really really hot by the end, and those hills were no joke), running through the gorgeous farmland south of Nashville in an inaugural race,
Surrounded by these views the whole way
enjoying juicy peaches handed out at the finish line by my new favorite food truck to follow in Nashville, @ThePeachTruck
and REALLY enjoying an indulgent anniversary dinner/weekend after such hard work
Love this guy!
overall it was an amazing piece of a special weekend. And a pretty awesome realization that I’m strong enough to just pick up and run a half marathon when I want to. And I’m forever thankful for Tom’s patience with this new obsession as well. (And yes, I will totally be watching hockey, or home by myself while Tom’s away on a hockey trip at some future important date in return for this request – but hey, celebrating at the exact time isn’t what it’s all about, just gotta keep appreciating each other and celebrating at some point, right?)
Oh, and in case anyone is actually curious about time, I finished in 2:04:48 – really happy with that as it means I stuck to my plan of staying between 9:30 – 10:00 in preparation for staying around that pace in marathon training!
Literal B 