26.2 in 4:19:58!!

I did it! I ran my second marathon, the Gainesville Five Points of Life Marathon. The race was yesterday morning, at 7:00am. The conditions were perfect: 40 degrees at the start and sunny, breezy, and 65 at the finish. The course was awesome - mostly flat with some rolling hills and all over Gainesville. What a morning!!

The best part? How great the race felt! Honestly, I cannot believe how much fun I had running the entire 26.2 miles (no stopping or walking this time around!). I was even smiling all the way up to the 23 mile marker. The last three miles were grueling, but I ran so much better than I hoped I would. I finished with a time of 4:19:58, which translates into 9:56 miles and fourth place in my age group! I was pumped!!

A HUGE thanks to Shawn and Riley! They were fans extraordinare!! Seriously, the two of them showed up almost every two miles to cheer me on. Plus, they got me flowers and all sorts of goodies for afterwards. Thanks, sweethearts. Your support meant so much to me - yesterday and throughout my training. I could not have done it without you!!

And, a big thanks to Alli. Even though she was in New York City while I was running, all of the miles we ran together while training (including a 20 miler a month ago) and all of the support and encouragement over the phone made a huge difference in the race. Alli, you push me to be better in everything I do. Thank you for motivating and inspiring me!

Caroline and Irene, thanks for cheering me on before the race and believing in me even when I doubted myself! You rock!

And now for some post-race pics...

If I look really pale, it's because of the sweat stains on my face! I was covered with them!

Me with my medal and a bottle of water and feeling so, so good! Well, okay, a bit tired...

Enjoy the video complements of Shawn!

Riley is Walking!!

I do not have any pictures to post quite yet, but I could not wait to post about Riley's latest feat. She is officially walking now! Last night, she suddenly seemed to decide that crawling was not good enough, so anywhere she went, she was on two feet. She would appear in the doorway all smiles and just plod around. Yes, she did fall back on her bum a bit and hold onto the walls for some support, but for the most part, she was on her own, walking from room to room. I cannot believe in ten and a half short months, she has gone from being a wee little thing that sleeps and eats to a walking, smiling little girl. Where has the time gone?

I will try to post some pictures and maybe a video tonight. :)

Sweetheart Tag

Okay, so I just read Irene's Sweetheart Tag post, and with Valentine's Day almost here (not that Shawn and I celebrate), I thought it would be fun to answer some questions about me and Shawn and how we became us.

1. Where did you first meet your hubby?

I first bet Shawn at Camp Kon-O-Kwee the summer I was sixteen. Shawn was my boss when I was a CIT on the program staff. I remember thinking he was the coolest guy I had ever seen. He had this adorable smile and these awesome blue eyes. He rode around on a bike and wore these sunglasses that made him look so intimidating and so hot. Anyways, I was totally crushing on him that summer. My favorite experience was getting to fill in cracks in the tennis courts with tar and working with Shawn on a hot Saturday listening to Matchbox Twenty. It is amazing how that day feels so close even though it was a decade ago!

2. What do you remember most about him?

The sunglasses. Definitely the sunglasses. I don't know why he seemed so intimidating in them, but he did, and we still joke about it today. They gave him this sort of too-cool look that made him seem completely unattainable but so irresistible. Though, at the time I had to resist because he was my boss, and I didn't think a relationship would ever be an option. He was just the ridiculously cool guy I could never have. He was my crush throughout the rest of high school. I even remember telling a friend while running in gym class all about him and how I wanted the man I married to be just like him.

3. Who asked out who first?

Well, we started dating in a rather unconventional way. Shawn called me in November my first semester at college because he had just gotten a cell phone. Then in January, my boss from summer camp told me that he thought we would be a great couple. I couldn't have agreed more. So when I got back to school the following week, I started calling Shawn. We talked on the phone for hours at a time. We started making plans for him to come to New York to visit me, but we both thought it would just be a friendly visit. Boy, were we wrong! So Shawn came to New York Valentine's weekend, and we went out to dinner with Alli near Columbia campus. Afterwards, Shawn and I went back to my dorm room to hang out. We ended up watching Serendipity. At the end of the movie, we started listening to some songs from the soundtrack, and Shawn pulled me into his arms for a dance. It was as natural as breathing. And just like that, we had our first kiss and started dating. Complete serendipity.

4. What did you do on your first date?

Our first date was the next day in New York. First, we went ice-skating with Alli and her roommate Lauren. Then, Shawn took me to Serendipity the restaurant for lunch. We also went to Dillan's Candy Bar, and Shawn bought some purple M&M's. The day was so much fun and going to Serendipity was perfect since we had just watched the movie. The whole day felt so surreal. I still couldn't believe we were starting a relationship. He was so unattainable for so long it just didn't seem real! Reality tinged with dream is a good place to be!

5. What was your favorite thing to do together while you were dating?

Here are a couple of my favs!

• Playing tetris in my dorm room.
• Walking all over New York and eating Kornet's pizza!
• Going to Rachel's Roadhouse.
• Driving and talking in the car. We spent a lot of time together in a car, and I really enjoyed getting to know Shawn as he collected speeding tickets from all sorts of states!
• Spending time at his grandparents' house, playing cards and watching golf on the couch.

6. When was your first kiss with your sweetheart?

After watching Serendipity in my dorm room while we were dancing to When You Know. It was the most perfect, romantic kiss I could have ever imagined. Sparks were definitely flying!

7. Who said "I love you" first?

Shawn did. We were just starting a weekend off from camp the first summer we were dating, and we had driven down to his grandparents' house to do some laundry. I was having a hard time with my weight and body image that past week, and Shawn seemed really upset by the whole situation on the drive down. While we were doing our laundry, he whispered into my ear that he loved me. Even now when I think about that moment, I can still smell fresh laundry. Again, it was such a natural step in our relationship. It felt so right. I never questioned it. It was just like, yes, this is love. I knew it was right and beautiful and safe and comfortable at that moment. And I knew without a doubt that Shawn was the one for me.

8. When did you first realize you loved him?

I have thought about this question before, but for the life of me I don't know if there was ever an exact moment when I realized I loved Shawn. It was more of a natural feeling I had for him all along ever since our relationship began. Along the way, that natural feeling has strengthened and deepened, and now I cannot imagine a time when I did not love Shawn. Our relationship progressed naturally and smoothly, from dating to being engaged to getting married to having our first baby. Love, it seems, is as simple as fresh laundry and dorm room kisses and hours of tetris and the gentle pressure of Shawn's hand in mine when Riley was born.

9. How did he propose?

Shawn took romance to the next level the night he proposed. I thought we were going to a vow renewal ceremony for friends, but Shawn turned back into camp and pulled his Saturn to a stop in the parking lot of Cabin A at Camp, the executive cabin reserved for VIP. It wasn't until Shawn stopped the car and pulled out a set of keys and said, "This is just for us for tonight," that I realized we were not going to a vow renewal ceremony. At that time, I just remember thinking what a cool date the night was turning out to be. After an amazing dinner, I pulled out a poem I had written for Shawn that week at camp. Then, he pulled out a letter he had written for me. The letter ended with an ellipsis, and as I turned over the paper looking for the rest of it, Shawn pulled out a ring box and asked me if I would honor him with my hand. I was speechless. The ring was stunning and the moment was perfect. It was as if time slowed down, and just the two of us existed in the glow of a diamond and our love.

10. What do you remember about your wedding day?

That day was a blur of fun and smiles and love and family and friends. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to celebrate Shawn and I getting married. Here is a list of what I remember the most:

• How much my face hurt from smiling all day!
• How hungry I was driving back to Shawn's house after the reception!
• The slowness of my walk down the aisle with my dad and sharing two dances with him.
• Giving my mom a rose during the ceremony and how beautiful she looked that day!
• Dancing with my siblings to a Phil Vassar song.
• Seeing Shawn at the end of the aisle. He looked so handsome!!
• Feeling so loved and so beautiful and so happy!
• The feeling of becoming a couple, a pair. Though we had been together before, now our bond felt tighter, stronger, more solid, and oh so right.

Orange-Face Baby!!

Riley Goes Orange...

Tonight, Riley dined on lasagne (baby-food style) and some carrots and cheese. Let's just say she refused to eat her food with out making it a hands-on experience. Check out the result! She definitely went straight into the bath after this meal!

And, here's a video of the orangey affair! Enjoy!

T-minus Two Weeks Until the Marathon...

This morning, I dragged myself away from Riley and Shawn to run my second twenty-miler in preparation for the Gainesville Marathon, which is coming up in two short weeks! Let's just say I survived! I powered through two PowerBar Goos, a G2, and a bottle of water (thanks to Caroline who drove it out to me at Fresh Market!). The cool morning soon evaporated into a cloudless seventy-degree day. Now that it is over, I am again looking forward to running my second marathon so soon. Over these next two weeks, I just need to start tapering, keep hydrating, and maintain high spirits. I know it is going to be miserable towards the end, but all the pain will be worth it to cross that finish line and complete 26.2 miles.

If you are in the G-ville area, feel free to come out to support me during the race. Hope to see you there!

Here's a link to the site with all sorts of information about the marathon: http://www.lifesouth.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=90&Itemid=138