i am, in fact, still alive

i told myself that i wouldn't let an entire month go by without blogging anything, so being the procrastinator that i am...i'm cutting it close and finally blogging before the month ends.

i'd apologize for being a bad blogger, but the truth is, i'm not sorry. i've been busy and blogging wasn't ranking too high on my 'must-do' list.

and since i don't have much time today, i'm just here to give a quick rundown of my last month.

runningwise, i've been doing mostly 6 or 8 milers two or three times a week, sprinkle in a 3 or 4 miler and maybe a 10 if i feel like it. i've either been out of town, or working on saturday mornings, so i really miss seeing my Saturday morning running buddies :(

and just as i was thinking about training for the SeaFair marathon in Seattle (instead of the half marathon), my running took a sidenote when i got really sick for a couple of days. the sick where every single muscle fiber in your entire body hurts, and you can't eat, can't sleep, can't do anything except lay on the floor and cry. it was absolutely awful. i've had back problems since a high school car accident, and the vertebrae i injured is linked to the stomach, which is linked to my head, which is linked to my muscles. and basically, all of those shut down.

but i'm better now (i think).

i took a trip to Seattle for some fun with the Todd, and it makes me really excited to move out there.


packing up my stuff and getting ready to move is exhausting. and i went home to my parents farm for Memorial Day and was able to see some of my cousins i hadn't seen since my grandma's funeral last year. and lately i've been working so much that i feel like i live at Starbucks. and i've been getting ready for my friend's wedding this weekend, finishing up designing the wedding programs, etc. (and making sure i fit into my bridesmaid's dress).

other than all that...not much is going on :)

one last thing: Happy Running to everyone running Rock n Roll San Diego this weekend!!!!! can't believe that was a year ago when i suffered through that :) i do wish i were doing it again this year, though.

Oklahoma, you're OK!

Actually, better than just OK. The weekend in Oklahoma City far exceeded my expectations. It was GREAT.

Going in to the half marathon, my only goal was to finish under 2:00. I wore my GPS, but didn't even look at it once during the race. The primary concern was to just have fun and enjoy all that Oklahoma City had to offer us. We ran at a comfortable pace, singing songs, dancing (as much as you can while running) along with the music and just having a grand old time.

Finish time-- 1:57:24

I was certainly glad i did the half, because shortly after we finished, the temperature skyrocketed, leaving us concerned for our friends out on the marathon course dealing with the heat. But they all did great, and there's nothing quite like being rewarded for running a marathon than with a fresh-from-the-grill Carl's Jr Cheeseburger. mmmmmm.



And the main reason I enjoyed the weekend....running in remembrance of the 168 victims of the Oklahoma City bombing.

Before the race, the running crowd of 15,000 reflected during 168 seconds of silence. And we started off running past the Memorial. It was extra motivating during the run to see the 168 banners that lined the course, displaying the names of the innocent lives lost and seeing all the 'In Honor Of' signs on runners during the race.

Afterwards, we took some time to visit the Memorial and pay respect to the 168 victims. I'm really glad that I was able to finally visit the Memorial and get a better sense of Oklahoma's spirit of survival.



I admit, i've never been a fan of anyone who calls themself a Sooner (bad past experience at a KSU/OU football game).

My opinion has been completely changed.

The city was welcoming and had a clean, vibrant downtown area. There was also a Festival of the Arts going on Saturday evening that we went to. The supporters all along the race course were amazing and i've already deemed this as my favorite half marathon. I'd love to return in the future, maybe even run the full marathon.

Thanks OKC, you were great.