Race Recap: A soggy (but still awesome!) St. Jude 1/2

Saturday I ran my 3rd half marathon.  It was special because it was the first half that Mr. C and I have run together. I think he's so sick of me harping on running that he's decided to join me.  Unfortunately, bad weather was on the horizon.  But what's a girl to do? Needless to say I had no aspirations of a PR but guess what? I  got one! My best time yet, a 1:50:52 at an 8:28 pace. Not fast to some, but fast for me. There are days when I'm tired of training and I think, why am I doing this? But then I get a fast time, and I want to make it even better.

So y'all, when I say rain, I mean, like, cold.soaking.rain. Pouring rain. I couldn't have been more soaked if I had jumped into a pool before the start and I have some (awful!) race pics to prove it. I was actually fine until the finish. Once I stopped, I was freezing and realized how soaked and disgusting I was.

The gun was at 7 and we were in the 2nd corral so we started right on time. Christian had some friends in the race and though we started together, he left me after a quarter of a mile. We didn't plan to run together so that wasn't a complete surprise, but I sort of thought we'd hang for a while. Not! But I'm pretty used to running alone so I settled into my rhythm and figured I'd see him at the finish.

I passed him at mile 6. :)

How funny is that guy behind me?

He passed me at mile 8.  :(

Then I caught him again at mile 11ish. :) We were definitely (silently) competing.

The finish line kind of snuck up on me. I sprinted the last tenth of a mile and was juuuuuust shy of catching him but he beat me by 10 seconds. I let it slip through my fingers. There will definitely be a re-match.

It was a tough race overall. But running it (and doing well) in those conditions made me feel like a rock star. Thank the Lord for those wrap thingies they gave us, I was so cold my lips were blue and I was headed for hypothermia. I am so stubborn that I still wore my cutie pie Lulu peach outfit in spite of the weather.  Overall, it was a good choice temperature wise since I hate to be hot (although white shorts in pouring rain was a questionable decision).

I'll never forget this race. We had a lot of good friends/colleagues in it and it was a great accomplishment for all (one friend finished in 1:37!).  I hate to get mushy, but running continues to enrich my life in ways I wouldn't have imagined.

A very Nashville weekend

We had an action packed weekend, y'all, so fun, and it ended with some serious excitement!

Friday night Mr. C's parents arrived and we headed out for our usual Friday night Italian. I think it's funny that when they come to visit (fresh off the plane from New York) the first place we always take them is to a New York pizzeria. We love our little spot though and we indulged in some yummy desserts too. No calorie counting on weekends:)

Saturday we had a day full of soccer with my favorite boys and then headed off to a great dinner followed by tickets to the Opry. Performing: Diamond Rio, Charlie Pride, Vince Gill, and Billy Ray Cyrus along with a few beginners. We love the Opry, it's always fun and I just looooove live music. This was the second time in one week we've seen Vince (*much* better seats this time).

I've been a fan of Vince for 20 years (really!) and in the spirit of laughing at oneself I have to show the first time I met him (holy sequins and big hair)...HA!

I was 17, had just won a local pageant (I entered it to make my daddy happy, first and last one I ever did), but I got to meet him. He was *so* kind to me and I never forgot it. He holds a special place in my heart! His voice is still like velvet too, he's so talented.

Sunday we headed off to Opryland Hotel to pretend we were tourists. We wandered around, looked in shops, and had a great lunch. Mr. C had a raspberry mocktail that really made an impression on me, it was so good I can't stop thinking about it. Club soda, a fresh raspberry simple syrup, and mint. Pretty and yummy.

I also squeezed in some shopping at Lululemon with a giftcard my mother in law surprised me with...how cute are buffalo checked shorts? Thank you L!!

Monday I dropped the fam off at the airport, only to receive this text...my mother-in-law hanging out with Billy Ray at the terminal! They got bumped from their flight and ended up on his, how about that! Check out his new do, I like it. I know he gets picked on a lot but he was fantastic live and very gracious. I'm a fan!

She even got me an autograph! Ha! I'm so easily starstruck.

It was a veeerrry Nashville weekend!

How the week looked

Training is back on track and I'm loving my Brooks Ravennas so far (hope that doesn't jinx me).  I also picked up the.cutest.skirt from Lululemon. I LOVE running in it.

How funny is it that when I showed up yesterday to get a cut and color, my stylist (and buddy) was wearing the same thing/different color?  Who loves a Gap sale? We do we do!

Some words of wisdom from Forever21..

A friend made these Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas for us recently and they were so delicious.  So I made them this week for another friend who is on pregnancy bedrest - hope she liked them:) Thanks Pinterest!

Six Sisters' Stuff

Went out with the girls for Mexican and sat a few tables away from Winona Judd.  Too chicken to say anything though, boo!

via

I saw this on Tumblr and it made me smile...

via

These boys are getting so big (too fast!). He looks like a teenager in that picture?! So tall!

I'm looking forward to a great weekend with beautiful weather and lots of time outside. Hope y'all have a great one too!

Random Wednesday #4937

It's Wednesday and that means it's time to be random! Good thing because my mind is all over the place this week and in full on mommy mode.

Yesterday's to do's: (the ones I can remember anyway)
Book C's birthday party
Get C's invitations made (Sweet Birdie's Nest:)
Look up Kindergarten registration dates  (oh my word, we're starting kindergarten??)
Register C for Pre-school
Sign both C's up for Soccer
Make plan for summer camps
Sign up for swimming
Grocery shop
Feed my family
Make reservations for Chicago
Run
Relax:)

I didn't get it all done but I'm close!

So I caved and bought a Scuba hoodie from Lululemon and I have no regrets. It is so warm and cozy and I love it like I love cake.  I present to you my new mom uniform, complete with a power bar in hand, so cliche but I'm laughing, who cares!

I ran yesterday in 24 degree weather. My body was warm but I thought my face was going to crack and break off.  BRRRRR!  Not since we lived in Pennsylvania have I experienced air this frigid.  I made it a short and sweet 2 miler and ran a quick first mile -- love that Nike+ encourages me with hysterical one liners.

My mother in law bought me a dutch oven and I LOVE it. I have a wonderful recipe to share, coming soon.... It's one of those things that I wonder how I lived without.

Currently reading....

It is very well written but parts are difficult to read.  It received wonderful reviews and has been on my 'to read' list for a while. Would I recommend it? Overall, I think yes.  But I'll warn you it's not light -- heavy subject matter.

My sister in law gave me the cutest little Eiffel Tower jewelry holder from Anthro.  I rudely forgot to send her a thank you note. It sits on my desk and has become one of my favorite little trinkets. Thanks Sarah!

We have been having so much fun playing Spot It! with the kiddos.  If you haven't played it you should, it's really fun!

I'm loving Keith Urban on American Idol. As you may or may not know, he's like Elvis to me.  I'm his biggest fan.  I think he's funny and sweet on Idol and I love it! Nicki Minaj cracks me up too.

Via

Here's a picture I snapped at the Opry last year of Mr. Urban.

Oh wait, here's another one.

Not that I have a collection of Keith Urban photos or anything.

Happy Wednesday friends! I'm linking with my pal Shanna for her fun link up:)