Bad Girls

-Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

To be frank, I am simply not one of the women that this quote describes. I'm actually, rather unfortunately, a very well-behaved woman. And I hate it. Ryan brought me home this bumper sticker one day thinking that I would love it-- and he was right. I immediately stuck it up on my fridge.

I don't have it up there as an expression of who I am, or as a "girls rock" motif. But I would like to think that it sits there as a reminder to myself of what people (including me) are capable of. I mean, who really thinks that they--themselves, alone, with their own two hands and single mouth--can actually make history? Be written down into the dusty pages of how they changed the course of what their town, county, state, country, or world has come to know as fact? The concept is such a large and intangible one that it overwhelms me to think that real women in our history have made such deep impacts on how our normal worlds appear to us today. And not to discount them or make this a selfish comparison, but it makes me feel so incredibly inadequate.

I do have the cognition to realize that I'm a real woman who will most likely never be quoted across a bumper sticker, nonetheless in the pages of a history book. However, our actions and impressions on others who are deeply rooted in our own little worlds can be our own way of "making history." Changing the lives of those we love simply by living and sharing our lives with them is history in itself. Our own personal history. And I can be happy with that.

I'll Get You, My Pretty!

So we're going to see Wicked this week... "The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz," which I'm STOKED about. The tickets were a gift in my Christmas stocking from my lovely husband... who had the ingenious plan to make the holidays last for six months. I've heard so many good things about this Broadway production, so I can only hope it lives up to my expectations. I'm a huge Wizard of Oz fan, so I can't wait to see a chummy Glinda and Wicked Witch of the West.

But what about the untold story of the witches of North Carolina? I could probably make a cameo in that one.

Chop Chop!

Hair cut! Woohoo! It's amazing how a lighter head can make you feel a hundred times better. It really took some weight off (literally and figuratively).

I Heart Charlottesville.

I did it! Marathon #2 is officially (and successfully) complete. I got my PR at an official time of 3:53:27, which is an 8:55 pace (full results here). I can't believe that I beat my best time at such a hilly (but BEAUTIFUL) course. I was sooo much better prepared this time, mentally and physically. I didn't peak too early, and I tapered down in my training after about 21 miles, both to prevent injury and so not to psych myself out. I already knew that I could do it and it wasn't a matter of finishing, but instead, feeling as good as possible during the entirety of the race. I knew my limits, I knew when fast was "too fast," and I knew that I should enjoy every moment because finishing would make it all worth it.

As you can see, I couldn't do anything but smile when I crossed that finish line. Even though this was my second race, I finally felt like a trained marathon runner. I had trained all by myself for this race, which was a huge feat mentally. It took me a lot of willpower to get out of bed on my Saturday mornings and run for multiple hours with only myself to hold me accountable. Also, after finishing my first marathon back in 2008, I remember saying that I would never do another one... that it was the hardest thing I'd ever done in my life. This experience was the total opposite. When I returned home, I immediately started looking for the next race to sign up for--I felt so gratified by the run, the organizers, and by the town. Charlottesville is truly a little gem: historic, diverse, rich in character, curvy, and truly loved by its inhabitants. I genuinely feel that it inspired me to never quit this sport and instead, to wholeheartedly embrace it. I'll be back next year.

With my husband Ryan at the finish line.

Two days! Dun Dun Dun....

I got my blue (CAROLINA!) shorts ready to go! Only two days left, and I'm starting to get the shaky-leg syndrome. I've fallen in love with these Saucony Run Lux shorts though-- I now have a black, pink, and blue pair of them (see the ridiculously awesome jumping photo to the right). :) Who says you can't run a marathon and look cute while doing it?

Anyways, I'm leaving at lunchtime tomorrow to get up to Virginia, pick up my race packet, and scope out the course. I regrettably looked at the elevation chart for the course yesterday. Let me emphasize: REGRETTABLY. I knew it was going to be a hilly course, but wasn't prepared to see spikes as ragged as icicles. The race admins really emphasize the "four flat miles!" of the course, but four out of twenty-six just doesn't seem like a substantial slice of pie to me. I guess it's time to prep my calves for a workout of their life. I know it's nieve, but I'm really banking on the scenic course distracting me for the first 20 miles... and then I'll just miraculously wake up during the flat part of the course, realizing I only have 6 miles to go. A good plan, no??