Getting Shellac'd

Friday I'm trying out a Shellac manicure. I mentioned it to a woman at work today and turns out she had it, hers was done 2 weeks ago and it looked like she had just had her nails done yesterday. I never get my nails done but they look awful. So I decided to splurge and when I called for my appointment they asked if I'd be wanted Shellac. I didn't know what that was but it sounded exciting. So after researching it I was sold! I'm excited to try it out. And just for fun a quote I came across "Running takes balls. Other sports just play with them."

Bye Bye Blackberry

I finally got rid of my ancient Blackberry and bought the Samsung Galaxy. I am loving it! Swype texting may be the coolest thing ever, all I have to do is trace the word instead of hitting each letter, sweet! Since it was taking me awhile to get used to texting by touch discovering Swype was fantastic!

It served me well but I was long overdue for an upgrade!

Hits and Misses

Hit: The Lincoln Lawyer, very good flick

Miss: Not enough shirtless Matthew in the movie. Yeah this is pretty much the face I made when I didn't get to see some pecs.

Hit: Catching up with friends in Bloomington this weekend

Hit: Sugarland concert!

Miss: Casey James opening at the Sugarland concert.

Hit: New make up

I'm in love with the colors

Hit: Not feeling bad about buying new makeup

Miss: Mr. Spider wanting to take a shower with me

Hit: This stuff is the bomb! Hair got slightly wet in the drizzle and didn't immediately start to curl like it always does! Amazing. Love it.

Genius

Today I played with some new styling products. This may be the best straightening product I've found! 3-day straight by John Frieda, $9 at Target. Now maybe it's because I normally don't blow dry my hair and this called for blow drying, or maybe I was expecting amazing results so I just did a better job of flat ironing, but I am giving most of the credit to this stuff. My hair turned out much smoother and softer than it ever does! If you are a hair straightener I'd recommend you go getcha some.

Loreal One Sweep eye shadow. Gen.ius. I got the natural for brown eyes and the playful for brown eyes. Perfect for getting ready in a hurry. The playful one was more dramatic but they both were great and even basically covers the eyeliner!

Good thing nobody came over today because I had one natural brown eye and one playful brown eye I was sporting.

This was pre-hair straightening. I had already had my hair doing the natural curl thing but I was playing with the Style Wand. The curls it made were really good!

Here is a picture of the Remington Style Wand. Somehow this picture seems wrong but I couldn't find a better one online. The glove is heat resistant since there is no clamp on the iron. You have to wrap the hair around the barrel and hold it there. Disney post to come soon. Looking forward to this coming weekend in Bloomington!

What is a real runner?

Warning: This post is all about running and turned out pretty long. I really should be studying and instead I'm getting lost in these thoughts about running having this great conversation with myself and my computer.

So at one point during the half marathon around mile 9, maybe 10, I had lost track but far enough where I was getting tired, and a lot of people were walking, a woman asked me a question. (Side note, it definitely slows you down trying to weave in and out of hundreds of people walking) We had passed the only "food" aid station in the race where they hand out Clif shot gels. (they had multiple flavors to choose from which was nice, I went with strawberry) As I passed her she said "Hey you look like a real runner, how much of this gel should I take without feeling sick?" My instant response was "Thanks that is very nice but I'm not a real runner" then told her my theory on the gel. (I carried my gel for another 2 miles before deciding I really should ingest it because of how fatigued I was getting, I was also afraid of feeling sick) She said "You look like a real runner, own it." I laughed and said "Well I don't know how to tell you this but you are in this half marathon too so that makes you a runner." She said thanks and I went on my way. It was the boost I needed to keep running and not walk when I had been considering it because she thought I was a "real runner." So the rest of the race I kept thinking no need to walk, I'm a real runner, I can finish this running all the way.

It got me thinking, what is a "real runner?" I've had the conversation before and I guess the answer will be different for everyone. I was three quarters of the way through a half marathon and immediately told this woman I was not a real runner. Then thought, why would I say that, I'm running this, why would I not be a "real" runner? To her I looked like a "real" runner, which I'm not sure what that would look like, again different for everyone I guess. There were certainly people there I never would guess ran.

According to dictionary.com the definition of runner is "a person, animal, or thing that runs, especially as a racer" Seems like a simple enough definition. But ask 5 different people and I bet you will get 5 different answers. For people that don't run at all, I think anyone that runs may be considered a runner. For people that do run, some still don't consider themselves runners and others probably don't consider other runners "real" runners.

I think running is a personal thing. When I was running 5-6 days a week and got injured and couldn't run for awhile, I missed it SO bad. I was in a bad mood because I couldn't run. There are days I can't wait to get out and run and somedays I just dread it. So is a real runner one who looks forward to runs and is doing it for the enjoyment of the run, not because they have to run for some other reason like trying to lose weight?

Then there is the theory that a real runner is one who will run despite reaching a limit and being in pain. A running buddy of mine considers a real runner to be one who won't stop running just because you are tired or feel like you want to stop and walk. A real runner will keep going. If you go with that theory I am not and probably wouldn't ever be a real runner. I very rarely have training runs when I don't take walk breaks. But I somehow manage to make it through races without walking at all. When I am with this running buddy he pushes me to keep going and at the end of long runs I would normally have walked during I feel great that I pushed through.

I have become somewhat of a running shoe snob and won't buy a pair of tennis shoes at Kohl's or Dick's, I'm going to the local sporting goods store where they fit you and can analyze your stride. Yet I refuse to wear the ridiculous running shorts with the built in underwear because that is just weird. I read Runner's World yet can't understand what half of the running workouts they suggest even mean with all the numbers they throw around.

I used to worry about who would see me stop and walk and wonder what they would think. Now I'm pretty much over that. Yet there is a running group here in Columbia and I have thought about participating in it but I'm intimidated by it. I am afraid I won't run good enough or I would do my usual walk and then reveal to everyone I'm not a "real" runner.
The t-shirt from the marathon

And the wonderful medal

I currently have the medal hanging on a mirror in my closet. Not real sure where to put it yet. Maybe if I collect a few more I will get an official medal hanger.

My $5 souvenier purchase. I thought it was appropriate given the purpose of the trip.

So here is my "you know you are a runner when" list:

1. The belt you have is a called a fitness/sports/running belt, anything except a mini fanny pack. A runner will not call the belt a mini fanny pack.

2. You are excited about purchasing a GPS watch.

3. You can tell someone approximately how many miles are on your tennis shoes but not on your car.

4. All your race times are etched into your brain.

5. You have a system to critique the race t-shirts. (The Disney one is a tech tee and is great!)

6. You know not to wear the race t-shirt until anytime after the race, not during.

7. You can name distances between random locations.

8. You have a running playlist.

9. When you can't run due to an injury you are more upset about not being able to run than worried about your actual injury.

10. Your dog gets excited and knows she has the possibility of joining you for a run just by you grabbing your GPS watch and iPod.

11. You find it enjoyable to read blogs about other people's adventures in running.

12. When you see or hear PR you no longer think "Public Relations" even though you majored in it, you think "Personal Record"

13. You measure the temperature outside in terms of how good of running weather temp it is.

14. You can't wait to sign up for the next race as soon as you finish the current one.

15. There are always cold and warm running clothes and a pair of shoes in your car so you can stop at the trail anytime.

16. You know what Gu is.

17. Your philosphy is just like the post office-rain, snow, sleet, or shine you will run. Some of the best runs have been in the rain.

18. Bottom line in my opinion-you know you are a real runner when you feel like running is a part of who you are.

My 13.1 mile journey on the road to becoming a princess

My first half marathon was a success! After months of running on the treadmill along with a lot of worrying about not preparing enough we made it to the finish line. It was worth every mile ran training. I will post a close up of the medal here soon, but it is a tiara with a little green stone in the middle, so cute!
My running skirt was super comfortable! Pretty much everyone there wore costumes, post on those to follow as well. Some of the outfits were unreal! With 17,000 runners it was constantly something new to look at. There was a guy dressed up as a frog with a sign on his back that said "Prince looking for my princess for happily ever after." Aw. Clever guy because all the ladies wanted a picture with him.

My official princess certificate. :)

Quite possibly the best running shirt ever "Dear God please let there be someone behind me to read this" I also saw "I thought they said Rum" Awesome!

When I stopped to have my picture taken with the Genie from Aladdin (my favorite Disney movie) I made the wish to him that I would finish the rest of the race feeling great, and he granted my wish!

The hills during this race were seriously like speed bumps compared to the hills in Columbia. Running that Resolution Run 5k in January may have been one of the best things I did for training because of the massive hills involved. When I came up on the hills in this run they were around miles 9 and 11 and I told myself as I approached them I could walk them if I needed to. But once I got to them I just kept running and realized they were nothing. It felt great to run by all the people walking up them.

Boy was I happy to see this sign and know there was only 1.1 miles left to go! I tracked all my miles with my Garmin watch and looking back through my last 1.1 miles was the fastest of all the miles I ran throughout the race!

I was glad I took the time to take advantage of the picture opps.

These fireman on the truck, you can't tell in the pic, but they were CUTE! Stacy was fairly close behind me and told me later she could see the big smile on my face as I ran by them. I would have stopped to take my picture with them had they been on the ground but they were probably safer staying up on the truck with the amount of women running this race! I bet they would've had the longest line for pictures compared to any of the characters!

Had to stop for a pic with Captain Jack, my face is all goofy in this pic. He and his crew were just like in the movie, and slightly creepy. They definitely acted drunk and looked you up and down, so at that point I just wanted to take the picture and get back to running! Wasn't expecting them to be THAT much in character.

Mrs. Incredible was at mile 12. I wanted to stop with her for sure because I was feeling pretty incredible. I was also feeling a little loopy. I probably would have stopped for any character there was at this point just for a little break!

This was taken as we came running out of the castle. You can't see but around the corner there are photographers everywhere! I felt like a celebrity.

Running into the castle, one of the most exciting highlights of the race. There were a lot of whoops echoing throughout the castle as the crowd ran through.

Quick picture approaching the castle. The castle was around mile 5.5 into the race. We had to run about 5 miles before actually getting into the park and were only in the park a couple of miles. The rest is pretty much highways and parking lots. But the characters were all along the way along with bands and of course spectators.

This was in the morning in our corral waiting to start. We had to be up at 3, on our bus by 4, and at the starting line by 5. We actually crossed the starting line at 6:09. So 3 hours and 9 minutes basically of anxiously awaiting the start. However it gave me a lot of warm up time. I normally don't take much time to stretch so I took advantage of the time to stretch. Saw a girl wildly swinging her leg back and forth, figured it looked like it couldn't hurt so I did that too. Why not, I had a few hours to kill!

The expo the day before the race was at ESPN's Wide World of Sports which was cool to check out.

The sign says "Let the Memories Begin"

I was disappointed in the stuff they had to buy in the Expo, I was expecting some cool running souveniers but didn't find anything there I had to have.

Cheesing it up for the photographer

Crossing the finish line!

This turned out to be my favorite picture with all the characters from the day

Stacy and I with our official medals.

Some race highlights and thoughts:

-I was much less nervous than I expected to be and although I was excited I think it helped me not pysch myself out by overthinking about how I could be underprepared

-I was amazed at how many people started walking right from the start! Literally as soon as they crossed the start line they walked.

-I was also amazed at the variety of people of all shapes, sizes, and fitness levels who participated. People who you would think never ran a day in their life were talking about how this wasn't their first half marathon.

-Um, there were plenty of porta-potties and let me just say, many people did not put them to use. I can't count the number of people I witnessed peeing on the side of the road. Again, some right from the start! We just sat around for a couple of hours next to a zillion porta-potties, why wait until crossing the start line to pee in the grass? I don't care if I were about to explode I don't think I could do it!

-At one point an uber-serious runner ran by and yelled out "If you are gonna walk you need to move to the side!" First of all she is yelling at half of us who are actually running. Second of all lady, I don't know how to tell you this but if you are that serious about racing you picked the wrong race honey. I think she should know better than to run a race where you can stop to take your picture with a giant dog, giant bug, or drunk pirate if you so choose and expect people to take it THAT seriously.

-Saw some great signs from spectators like "Run like you stole Cinderella's crown" and "Stop reading this sign and run."

-I was able to run the entire race which I was very happy with. I walked through the water stations and then had my occasional picture stops. My pace was very slow and I could have definitely sped up from the get go. Had I went faster to begin with I may have been more tempted to walk but it was great being one of the few people running at the end when everyone else was walking. My final time was 2:54. I'm sure I could've shaved 15 minutes off my time but at least I didn't set the bar too high for next time!

-I had a very motivating conversation during the race I will recap in the next post because I think it is an interesting topic all in it's own. But let's just say when I was getting tired and thinking of when I may let myself walk it came at that time I needed it to really get me through the rest of the race.

-My only other races up until now have been 5ks. I haven't squeezed in a 10k before in an actual race, although I had run the distance in training. So when someone during the race said "We just passed the 10k mark" it was pretty cool to think "Hey I just ran a 10k!"

-It was such a surreal experience. I can't even explain how good I felt. 4 miles into it and I felt like I hadn't even started running. It's like everything just came together. My breathing was perfect, I just took it one mile at a time. I didn't think about how many miles left to go, just concentrated on getting to the next one. My legs never got heavy. My feet and ankles were taking a pounding on the concrete and about 6 miles into it I was feeling the ache. When I did stop and walk through the water stations I felt my legs get tight right away so I was almost afraid to walk because I didn't know if I would be able to run again if I did.

-I was so grateful to all the volunteers at the aid stations. When you are thirsty like I was it was very exciting to see them! I drank Powerade through the whole race except the last station where I downed a Powerade and a water. Water messes with my stomach so I was very leary about drinking any even though it wasn't smart for me not to. But I didn't have any stomach issues. That last mile after drinking water my stomach started giving me the first signs of trouble so I think I made the right call with the drinks.

-Wore my iPod but never listened to it. I am so much more in tune with my breathing when I don't and there was so much going on I didn't need it.

-Never has a banana and an orange tasted so good as it did when ate those after crossing the finish line!

-I'm not a huge Katy Perry fan but they played "Firework" at the start and finish line and now that song will hold a special place in my heart.

-I thought to myself as I was running how it would feel to run a race of that distance with no frills. No characters, no exciting landmarks, less than 17,000 people none of whom are wearing crazy costumes. It would be tougher for sure. But as one of the ladies at the expo said "Once you run one you will want to run another one." She was right, I'm already thinking I would do it again. If nothing else just so I can beat my time.

-On my longer runs in training I felt awful the rest of the day so I was worried about how I'd feel after running the race. I had a slight headache later in the day but overall I felt pretty good. I think it was because of the food I ate the day before. I don't eat like I should when I'm doing the training. I was a bit stiff the rest of the day and the next. But the biggest thing that hurt was my toenails! I'm pretty sure I will lose two of them. There was no way I was putting my tennis shoes back on anytime soon after I got them off. My toes are still sensitive. I was just waiting for someone in the park to step on them accidentally. It would not have been pretty!

-When we boarded the bus from the race to go back to the hotel it was standing room only. This nice man stood up and gave me his seat next to his girlfriend or wife who had also ran. I graciously took it and told him he was an angel. A lady turned around and said "No he is a prince" and we both laughed and said that was an even better description!

So that is a pretty long post for now...I'm sure there are plenty of details I am leaving out. I will post more to follow with the Disney visit itself, the race costumes, and my motivating conversation during the run!