I ran a marathon! Well, sort of...

As some of you recall, I participated in a half-marathon in January. Shortly thereafter, I was coerced--er, I mean, invited--to do another one in June with two nieces who live near Seattle. Despite the fact that I wasn't able to train as rigorously for the second one, I did complete it, and I did beat my Phoenix time by one whole minute!

Yay, me!

Considering the Seattle course was hilly, and the Phoenix one was flat as a pancake, I was thrilled to come in with a better time.

If you're a runner who enjoys participating in these events, I have high praise for the Rock 'n' Roll Series of races. Not because the music along the route is outstanding (I honestly didn't feel it was, in either race), but because the races were so well organized. From the registration packet pick-up to the finish line, it was a smooth and enjoyable experience. The Seattle course was absolutely beautiful, too. It began in Tukwila and wound up through the Seward Park neighborhood, along Lake Washington, through the I-90 tunnel and into downtown. Great views!

Now, imagine my surprise when another medal arrived in the mail recently...
See that? It says 26.2 miles! That's a marathon, right?! Never mind the fact that it took me six months to get it done.

Metamorphosis

Remember this?

Well, things are beginning to take shape. The past couple of weeks have been busy on several fronts:

• Gardening (between thunderstorms)
• Working on the consulting project
• Entertaining and enjoying company
• Training for the upcoming half-marathon in Seattle
• Reading a couple of fun, summer-style books: The Girls from Ames, A Salty Piece of Land
  
• Sewing. Lots of it. Between some custom orders and other items, it's been fun to play with fabric and exercise some basic math skills in the design process. Here are a few finished products:
  

File tote for a mobile office

Laptop sleeve

Cord and charger case for a road warrior

What hasn't been happening? Knitting. Must fix that. But right now, I have three more handbags to complete this week.

I wasn't going to whine about the weather.

Honest, I wasn't. But after two straight days of this, I can't stand it. Look at the calendar, will you, please! Then, look at these:


And then tell me (insert deep breath here) how I'm supposed to feel like running (which I'm supposed to be doing in about an hour but it's still snowing out and I have this issue where my fingers and toes go numb when I'm out in the cold for very long and I have this personal requirement about running only when it's above 45 and I could come up with a million other excuses but the truth is I just don't want to deal with it), or planning my garden (let alone planting it), or doing much of anything outside that involves more than opening the door to let the dog out and back in (exhale what's left of breath here).

So, I think I'll go knit instead. Indoors. At Dudley's. Where they have great coffee. And it's warm.

Or, maybe I'll succumb to the guilt of knowing that all my running friends will be there and I should just suck it up and act like a true Bendite and stop wimping out because after all it is only for an hour. And someone told me once that there is no bad weather, only bad clothes. And I can stand anything for an hour. Right?

I'm committed. Or maybe I should be.

Not even a week. That's how long it took me to decide to do another 1/2 marathon. Am I insane? I don't even know the race course yet...how many hills will I have to trek? Will it be raining? It's Seattle, so most likely the answers are "lots" and "count on it". But hey, what the heck. I seem to have built some momentum with this fitness thing, so maybe I'm just afraid of not having a date out there to work toward...? Truth is, it's also a great chance to spend time with two of my nieces that I don't get to see nearly often enough.

What keeps you motivated to stick with your fitness routine?

A Perfect Day

Don't we all envision a perfect girls' day out now and then? Well, I just had one, and it went something like this:

• No alarm clock; slept until 7:00.
• Leisurely coffee, then breakfast.
• Six-mile walk (continuing training for half-marathon in January). The weather cooperated beautifully!
  
• Facial appointments here. Steamed and napped while she had her treatment, and vice versa.
• Sushi here.
• A little shopping downtown, mostly window variety.
• A stop at the brewery for a Hop Trip Ale.
• Home for dinner, wine and conversation.

I'm not sure it could have been any better. Of course, the company was what made the day. Good friends, good food, good conversation.