13.1

SEE JANE RUN HALF-MARATHON

Saturday, May 31st
Alameda, California

The finish line sprint (that caught me by surprise... who sprints after 13 miles?!)

Stretching before the race

Matching tank tops that we put together at midnight in our hotel room

All the cheering volunteers sure knew our names when we'd run by

Posing in front of the city (which we could see the last 5 miles)... too bad we're blocking the view


We had perfect race day weather, upper sixties and overcast, and a great course right along the shore of east bay. Pretty crazy running with that many--I think there were over a thousand--people at once... but it thinned out and everyone seemed to settle in to their part of the pack. We had no time goals, just wanted to finish and finish together. Besides our attempted view-of-the-city photo and a few sips of water, we ran the whole race and finished in 2 hours 30 minutes. It was by far my best "long run" of the training, thanks to the great views, different route, race day adrenaline, and the knowledge that Stephen, Liz, and the boys were waiting for me at the finish line. See Jane Run had chocolates, champagne, and silver pendants for all finishers--can you tell this was a women only race?--although truth be told, I was thinking more about In N Out burgers while I ran. That was all the motivation I needed. :)

Stephen's Other Baby

Twilight Land

What better way to spend a girls' weekend than tracking down beautiful Edward Cullen in Washington's equally beautiful Olympic peninsula? First stop was downtown Seattle for lunch with my parents, then we hit Port Angeles for dinner at Bella Italia and a few other Twilight sites. Next came the tiny logging town of Forks, where the missionaries ascertained that we were visiting Twi-hards before asking, which even with all its small town quirks worked its way into our big town hearts. Then we were off to the rugged yet breathtaking Quiluete coastal town of La Push (aka home to Jacob Black), where we hiked the werewolf-infested forests to the driftwood-covered beach. My camera broke half-way through the trip, so check out Alisa's blog for more photos and commentary:
www.schlegelrock.com

She and Laura (and little Avery, of course) made this trip so dang fun and memorable!

The Final Countdown

Sorry it's a little fuzzy... but you get the idea. I'm running my first half-marathon in a few weeks and can't wait to cross the finish line (assuming I make it that far, that is)!

13.1 miles can be pretty daunting to a novice runner like me, especially one whose training was interrupted for a month, but the physical and mental challenge of it all has proven to be oddly intoxicating. A once-upon-a-time athlete (ha ha! maybe athlete is too strong a word for someone who played high school basketball and tennis), I'd forgotten how it feels to push my body and my will beyond perceived capacity. Super scary, but also super exhilarating.

Running with friends helps take away some of that scary. I mentally wear down much faster when I run by myself... so doing the long runs together keeps me talking and distracted. Somehow I don't think I would have pulled off ten or eleven miles on my own... Saturday night, post-run, group therapy isn't bad either: there's nothing like ice cream and Julie's hot tub to take away all those aches and pains.

I don't call myself a runner--I'm pretty sure you have to do it more than three months at a time to be one of those--but for right now I'm loving it. It's one of the few things in my life that I do for me and me alone. And while every run still scares me a little... I know it'll be worth it.

Beach Numbers

I hit the beach with friends Alisa and Lisa a few weeks ago, and ALL the boys (they each have 3 + my 2 + a friend = 9) were happy for over 5 hours. Guess what kept them entertained? 1 Old Navy football. They'd throw it into the waves, watch it ride out in the water, and then chase it back in with the tide. Over and over and over again. I love boys.

Soccer Class, Suitors for Liz & Super Spa

I know I mentioned Bennett's soccer class, but I wanted to give it a proper post for two important reasons: 1) He loved it more than I ever imagined, thanks to a fabulous head coach who kept ALL those three and four year olds engaged and happy for almost forty minutes. Bennett cracked up at Coach Scott's funny jokes and voices, but also ran and kicked and practiced drills with way more enthusiasm than I could muster up on a Saturday morning.

2) BFF, Aunt Lizzy, is moving out here this summer and happens to be a stellar soccer player herself AND is a complete natural with kids, so wouldn't it be fun if she dated Coach Scott?? I think so... He's the coach in the light blue, by the way, the one flexing his muscles to make the kids laugh. You seriously wouldn't believe how great he is with these munchkins.

**If it doesn't work out with Coach Scott, I have another potential suitor for Liz--Brendon, the best massage therapist in the valley, from Destino Spa in Palo Alto. I usually go (and by go, I mean once or twice a year) to Saratoga or Santana Row for a massage, but I decided to step outside my spa box and try a smaller, yelp-recommended spot. Best thing I ever did. Not only did Brendon give me twenty more minutes than what I'd paid for, but he also went above and beyond the typical deep massage, honestly working out every one of the countless huge knots (thank you, Disneyland) in my upper back. The poor guy had to be exhausted, but all he said was, "Mothers are worthy." What a nice guy (nice-looking too, and yes, Liz, I'm sure he's straight) and what a perfect addition to my little "Liz's future boyfriend finding pool"!!