Or so I've been told. First, there is Amy Adams. I'm not gonna lie, when I first got this one, I was pretty stoked. I think she's gorgeous, so even a sheer resemblance of her makes me happy. I think it's mostly the reddish hair, but I suppose a little in the shape of my nose. (I just hope that people weren't referring to her at this stage!!) Earlier this year, I had 4 different people in 1 week tell me I look like her - even a lady in the elevator turned to me and said, "You look so much like that girl from Enchanted!" Sweet, I'll take it.
Next, Cheryl Hines. She's a character in Curb Your Enthusiasm, I think. I haven't gotten this a lot, but I do hear it from time to time. Tronics' friend, Tyler, couldn't get over it one night - I'd find him looking at me for no reason and then he'd say something like, "It's just so crazy how much you look like her."
Finally, apparently there is some resemblance with Carly Simon. Or so it was pointed out here. For those of you who don't know who she is (I was in the same boat - only recognized the name), she sings "You're So Vain."
Overall, not a bad selection of look-a-likes. I'm just glad that no one has ever told me I look like this.
This is the motto that was on the back of a runner's t-shirt during the Rock n' Roll Half Marathon this weekend. We must have took it to heart because by mile 11, I thought I was running to my death bed. My breathing was fine, but my muscles were shutting down. All I could think about was walking, but wouldn't let myself after all I had worked for so far... Must. Keep. GOING!
BUT, in the end, we were triumphant! Autumn, Maddie, Lizzie, Nick, Kathryn and I (among 25,000 others!) all finished in one piece. Kathryn and I ended up finishing the race together at 2:10:28! My goal was 2 hours, but I am extremely happy with this time (which originally we thought was a little less than this, but again, I'm so happy with my results!).
Some of the highlights:
First and foremost, our adoring fans: Straubs, Steph, James, the Doherty's, Pat and Mary. It takes a diehard to wait on the sidelines for hours just to see someone run past in a matter of seconds. Thank you all!
Also, a big thank you is on order for Pat, Kathryn's husband, who sacrificed his morning to forge through the incredibly bad traffic to get us to the race. I owe him a drink. Or two. Maybe another trip to the Little Red Hen is in order??
The beautiful course, especially along Lake Washington.
At one point everyone was pointing at this bald eagle and I overheard a lady saying, "Oh crap, is everyone pointing out another big hill?!"
The funny water station volunteers who would be holding out water and yelling, "Bud Light, come and get it" or "Gin and tonic! It's your friend."
Where the full marathoners split, there was a man yelling, "Come to the dark side" and all I could think was, "Oh, hell no!"
The MJ tribute in one lady's lawn - complete with a framed picture and blasting Billie Jean.
The makeshift band with a 10-year old boy taking his job oh-so-seriously.
A woman in the blue wig or the lady with the sequined cape and shoe covers. There were just some overall fashion disasters going on.
The mile 12 marker. Damn, it had to have been the longest mile in history.
Somehow managing to gather enough energy to sprint to the finish line. DONE! (Well, until the next one on October 3rd.)
Brunch with the Doherty's after the race - as Maddie puts it, we were playing with house money and could eat whatever we wanted. (I may have taken this too literally over the course of the day.)
Kathryn and me - I must say, it doesn't look like we just ran 13.1 miles.
Lizze, Maddie, Autumn and me dazzling the camera with our bright colors.
I've done everything possible to completely prepare myself for my half marathon this weekend. I've completed the many runs, sacrificed many social outings, continuously hydrated myself (to the point that people might worry based on how often I have to pee!), grudgingly pulled myself out of my nice bed several mornings, bought new gear (I mean, come on, I want to look good when I'm running for hours at a time), found my energy supplement of choice (Gu Chomps = Awesome) and now I have to wait. Wait. Wait. Until tomorrow morning at 7am when the gun goes off.
I wonder how many of the bands will play MJ songs along the way. Or how many people will be wearing one shiny black glove. Or how many people will moonwalk through the water stations. I wonder. I'll let you know. Wish me luck!
My Mom - the same mom who would never claim ownership of any of our pets growing up - got another puppy. Lily, the first one, isn't even completely potty trained! When she called to tell me, I completely thought she was joking. It took a few minutes to convince me (and a picture via cell) to fully believe that she was getting another Westie. Her reasoning: "Lily needs a friend! She gets so lonely at home by herself!" My response: "Umm, Mom? Wasn't today your last day of school? Aren't you going to be her companion this summer?"
After the show on Saturday, we took an excursion to the Cheesecake Factory for some dessert. A little chocolate coconut dreamcake never hurt anyone. Then I pulled a complete 180 and changed into my Mariner's garb for the game with my cousin, Amanda!
Way back in March, Amanda asked me to go to the game with her, her boyfriend and a group of friends - which I was super excited about because we don't hang out nearly enough! She got me two tickets so I could bring someone, so I asked Aaron because I don't see him enough and he knows my cousin: Perfect! We met at Pyramid for a beer before the game and chatted for awhile. Aaron got caught in traffic on the way down, so he met up right as the game was starting.
Our seats were great, right behind Ichiro in right field. Even though Griffey didn't play, it was still a great game - we won! I was bummed that I didn't really get to chat with everyone in the group, but I did have some good conversations with Tony (the bf) and Stephanie. Loved them both! Stephanie lives in Seattle and we swapped numbers and are going to grab dinner one of these days - new friends are fun!
After the game, Aaron and I headed to BalMar in Ballard for Kimber's birthday. Not the typical bar that Aaron would frequent, but I think he liked it.
Overall, a super fun and full day! My Sunday festivities to come...
What an amazing weekend! It all started when I went downstairs after work to find three smiling faces waiting for me at the Starbucks - Steph, Kathi and my Mom. Let the mother/daughter fun begin!
First, we went to the Pink Door for a lovely dinner. The food was excellent, the atmosphere was fabulous, but our waiter had his nose so far up in the air, you needed binoculars! Basically, he seemed to be a little snobby, but it may have just appeared that way because he might have actually just been an awkward guy. And it didn't ruin the evening, it actually just gave us something to laugh about. After dinner, we headed to Steph's place for a glass of wine and chit-chat.
Saturday morning, bright and early (7:30am!!), Maddie came over for our last long run. We showed that run what was up because it was a cinch. (Knock on wood for this weekend!) After our run, the mother/daughter bonding ensued. We went downtown shopping and had lunch, then went to the Broadway musical, Rent. We were in the 2nd row! Great performance - I highly recommend it.
This is my favorite song from Rent - it's the movie version, but you get the gist. It reminds me of Stephanie... No, not because it's about lesbians, but because she is the one who got me hooked on the Rent soundtrack, starting with this one:
The rest of the weekend's festivities to follow - can't give it away all at once!
Until I cross the finish line of my first half-marathon - 13.1 miles! As you would expect, it hasn't been easy. I've had to sacrifice hanging out with friends on several occassions. Sometimes I would sacrifice my sleep because I would wake up early just so I could actually do something that didn't involve running after work. I've even had to sacrifice that extra Friday night cocktail - opting for a glass of water instead - just so I could feel fully hydrated and prepared for my long weekend runs.
I've actually been somewhat surprised at how easily the mileage has built up over the course of my training. However, last weekend during my 11 miler, I thought my running abilities had crumbled right in front of my eyes. It was the first week that I was literally not able to squeeze a run in Monday-Friday, so I think that hurt me. I made the full 11 miles, but let me tell you, I was not a happy camper at the end. This week, I've felt much better on my runs, so hopefully my final long run before the main event goes well.
I've been keeping track of all my runs and I totaled them up - 197 miles in 11 weeks! Man, doesn't that just make you want to die? Or at least eat a cheeseburger or something.
This is how excited I will be when I cross the finish line (better go shopping to get this awesome outfit too):
In actuality, it might go a little more like this:
Any volunteers to help me cross the finish line? Tronics? Steph? Anyone?
I blog for fun.
I love Seattle.
My hair gets even more red with each passing year, but still has hints of blonde.
I want to see more of the world.
I like sunny Sunday afternoons.
Spring and early Summer running is my fave (I hibernate in the Winter).
As a new homeowner, I have a project list a mile long.
I love trying new recipes.
My friends and family are the best.
Joe is my knight in shining armor.
Views expressed are my own.
