I'm 18 Again!

Miles that is.

18 miles in 3 and a half hours. Ahem. Yes, I rock. Well, for me anyway. And compared to my last 18 miler. But we should all be living our lives to our own I Rock standards, not anyone else's.

I felt good, no, great the entire run. Especially mentally. You see, I didn't run 18 miles today. I ran 2 miles on my own, met some friends for 8 miles, continued on for another 4 miles with more friends and then parted ways and took a short 4 mile run on my own. Yeah, these all were back to back with no break, but in my little brain, it wasn't 18. Smart, huh?

Yes, well, it still felt like an 18 mile run! Can't trick the old legs now. Although, let me tell you, I sure tried. I taped up with pink kinesio tape, took an Advil to hopefully ward off swelling and stretched my hip at every opportunity. Yes, I had a few twinges of pain in my knee. Cecilia pretty much kept her mouth shut today. Nothing like last year and nothing I shouldn't expect after over 3 hours on my feet. My hip was tight on the "hills" but all in all I held it together pretty good.

Didn't hurt that today was freakin' gorgeous! 52 (11.11 C) and sunny. Well, sunny eventually. The first couple of hours were pretty dark. I'm once again encouraged and that's a good thing since my race is a mere 5 weeks away. 5 weeks! Only one more long run left! Well, one more 20 miler. I have a 14 next week, but pffffttt, what's 14 miles? Can of corn, that's what it is.

I have the best friends willing to meet me at different times to run different mileage so I'm not lonely for the entire 18. I'm a blessed girl. Don't be shy - if you want to head to Dallas in 2 weeks to get in 20 miles I'll plan a route for us, I'll even put out water!

I so want to have a great race. I'm feeling so much more confident and healthier than last time. I'm not totally run down and beat down with mileage and speedwork. My goal is to finish peeps. Don't believe any other thing I might say. I just want to finish. Okay, I just want to finish faster than my first marathon. But let's be honest, if I stay healthy, that should be an easy goal to achieve. Still, in the back of my mind there is that lingering worry, "what if I get hurt again?" I can't control that so I'm gonna focus on the way I feel right now and continue to look forward to the Flying Pig.

I almost forgot to mention the best part! I got a return "good morning" from 2 cyclists, a "haaaaaaay" when I hollerd "Have a great ride!" and, hold on to your hats, one cyclist acutally told ME good morning FIRST! My campaign is working! Yes, true, I greeted a group as I ran by the local bike shop, they weren't even moving yet and they all just stared at me confused. Maybe none of them speak English? Maybe? Whatevs, I'll take 3 good mornings and on hey!

Easter is upon us and that can only mean one thing. Chocolate rabbits. (okay, yes, so Easter actually means a great deal more than chocolate rabbits) How cute is this fellow I found at Eatzi's? He was milk chocolate so I put him back. They did have some dark chocolate ducks that I had my eye on though...At Northpark Mall they have out the Easter animal display. I live for this each Spring and make Hubs take me to the mall just so I can fight my way through the strollers and toddlers to catch a peek at the bunnies, chicks and ducks. You can't pet them but they are so fun to peer at. I'm actually tall enough that if I reached real hard, maybe, just maybe I could catch a rabbit.

That's why Hubs insists on going with me. To keep me honest. Actually I think rabbits are a TERRIBLE Easter gift. You heard me, TERRIBLE. Please do not buy a bunny for your kiddo. We used to have pet rabbits that lived in our house like cats. Free range rabbits. Loved those furry things to pieces, we did. But they really aren't very good pets for small children. They scratch and bite and usually aren't crazy about being held. I'm not hating on rabbits either. Just telling the truth. They live a long time, they get big and they require love and care just like any other pet. I hate to see all the bunnies in shelters about 3 weeks after Easter, or worse, turned loose to fend for themselves. Buy your baby a stuffed rabbit.

Okay, off my soap box.

My cousin enrolled her daughter in Marathon Kids, because she wanted to be like, aw, me. It's a free running program for elementary aged kids. She ran a total of 26.2 miles over the school year and today participated in the final award ceremony. She even got a medal, how cool is that? Don't we all run for the hardware?

Clearly, I've had a few other influences on her, ahem, wardrobe. She's a good kid and so proud of herself, as she should be. What an awesome program! Bahama Mama's 6 year old son also took part and got him medal today too. Can't wait to see his pics!