Cold Feet

To put into perspective just how wet the OKC Memorial Marathon was...

It started at 7am Sunday. I put on my shoes at 5pm Monday, and they were still soaked.

11th Annual OKC Memorial Marathon

I forgot to tell you guys, I ran the OKC Memorial Half Marathon on Sunday.

I had all good intentions on writing up a nice long, mile by mile account, of how I felt, what was going on, etc.

But it rained. And hailed. And it was barley 45 degrees. And the wind was close to tornado. And there was thunder (and not just the bballers).

So instead, I just set my mind to finishing and getting dry.

I will say this though. The 168 seconds of silence for the lives lost in the OKC Bombing were moving. I've never felt silence so loudly. It was phenomenal.

Even worth the cold, wind, and rain.

The Blogoversary

Here is the post that was supposed to go out last Thursday (our first blogoversary).

Can you believe R. Simple Life is one whole year old today? Yep. One year ago, I announced to the world that not only were we moving to Oklahoma, but we have entered the blogging world. And oh how things have changed.

I do not write a Christmas letter to send out with our Christmas cards. I find that when you don't have kids, people aren't as interested in your letter. Plus, I just don't have the time. Not around Christmas, at least. And to be honest, I really don't have the time today to think back to a year ago (I was a nanny in Fort Collins, Jon's busiest class was Golf) and update you on our lives from that day forward.

And that is why I keep a blog. It's a great way to spread our love, cheer, and news, weekly, instead of yearly. It takes time everyday, and if I add all the time it takes me in one year to keep this blog going, I would realize it is much more time efficient to write a Christmas letter, but I love blogging. It's a little window into our lives that I love to share with you every day.

Sometimes I miss days. Sometimes I get ambitious and post all week long. Either way, it is a great way for you to see what R. Simple Life is all about.

And to celebrate this first blogaversary, I would like to share a few of my favorite posts from the previous year. Just so you can remember some of the milestones, and see just how far we (and my writing) have come. And because no post is okay without pictures, I'll give you a few of my favorite pictures from the year.

Happy Blogoversary!

.. the first post
..colorado lovin'
..welcome, Calvin
..the first DIY post
..work
..the beginning of wedding week
..oklahoma
..decorating
..the most popular post to date
..marathon
..style me pretty
..homemade

 

So there you have it! Most of you have already read all of these posts (thanks Grandma!) but I figured I'd share anyway. These are my favorite posts of the last year; the posts that I feel represent the year the best. It's been a wonderful year for blogging, and I can't wait to start the next year tomorrow! Thank you all for reading my disconnected thoughts, random ramblings, and HSE loaded posts.

Here's to another year!

05:01:56

26.2 is the loneliest number. Or it could be, if I stuck to my usual thinking.

You see, to me, running is a solitary effort. It's time for me to have a nice long chat... with me. I've never been one to socialize and jog, to joke and run. I like running because it is my time to zone out. To daydream. To think things through. It's my time for me.

I have a wonderful husband who understands this. He runs with me for part of a run, and then lets me finish with myself. It's not that I don't want him there. It's not that I don't need him there. It's just that running is solitary. Not lonely, solitary.

I have spent hours upon hours training for the Detroit Free Press Marathon. To be quite honest with myself, I've spent hours upon hours upon hours training for the Colorado Marathon, the Denver Marathon, and the Freep Marathon. Unfortunately, injuries held me back from the other two. The determination was there. It was crazy. I was crazy. Crazy enough to run 26.2 miles in downtown Detroit and Windsor, Canada.

I spent a lot of time with myself, learning about me, during the long training regime. I said goodbye to beautiful Fort Collins, and hello to Enid, and more specifically, Vance AFB during my runs. I discovered myself during this time. I realized what was important, and what was not. I realized what dreams I have, and which ones I don't. I realized running is more fun when you don't "have" to do it.

But I stuck with it. Sheer crazyness determination. And it got me to that finish line.

With a little help.

While running may be a solitary effort, marathoning is a team event. I learned how much a screaming crowd helps. (And I also learned how hard 3 miles can be after losing that screaming crowd...I hate you am not a fan of you Lafayette Street.) I came to love the shout of "Looking good First Timer!" I discovered the thrill of high five-ing a stranger's hand, midrun. I learned to read signs which are jumping up and down.

But most importantly, I learned what it means to have a great running partner. The last 13 miles were slow. I didn't talk much. I didn't think much. But just knowing I had the man who gave me the passion to run running along side me made it that much easier.

My dad ran the second half of the marathon with me. He was there for me, for encouragement when it got rough, for entertainment when it got boring, for photography when it got exciting. It blew me out of the water how important it was for me to have that in the end. To have a running partner. To have built in encouragement. I don't think he knows how much it meant to me to have those 3 hours with him. It's the best thing he has ever given me.

I do want to make sure that I thank my other "Marathon Partners." I want to especially thank my J for being so encouraging and understanding throughout the training. I crossed the finish line with his dog tags on, so he was there with me the whole time. I need to thank my sister for bookend-ing the race with me. I need to thank my cousin and dear friend who ran the half and stayed until the very end to cheer me on. Thank you to my mom, who cheered louder than them all when I crossed that finish line. Thank you to my MIL and SIL who made sure to be there at the end. Thank you to my aunt, for getting me water when I needed it, and cheering her head off when I was close. Thank you to all the friends and family who were thinking about me that day, your support means so much to me. And finally, thank you to my dog, for logging so many miles with your mom.

Oh and thank you to Jill Asiala and Anastasia Smith for all these pictures. And TSC Graphics. Did I just win an Emmy?

Oh so Tired.

Well, we're getting into the long runs for the marathon training. Whoever (me) thought the marathon was going to be the hard part, was wrong. These long runs are taking up quite a bit of time... not just to run, but then to recharge (all day) after the run.

And since I'm still recharging from this mornings run, I'll give you a little sneak peak at what's coming tomorrow:



Can't wait, can you?