Trip to Florida!

One of my absolute favorite parts of this summer was my trip to Florida to visit my friend Kristin. My ten day trip had been planned for a few months, and we were both excited for our little vacation together. Just a little background information on our friendship: Prior to my trip, Kristin and I had only met in person one other time. We had talked for numerous hours on Facebook, texted frequently, and spoke on the phone a few times. We met online on Facebook via a Company support page for the Army. Kristin and I found that we had a lot in common and have become very close friends since then. Some people might find it weird that we met online and have gotten so close, and that's okay...but the things we find we have in common make us laugh sometimes. For example, our parents have the same rugs in their houses and we used to have the same shower curtains as well. Yes, weird and extremely random.

Anyway, when I went to visit Kristin, her husband was away at training for the Army and it was truly a girls vacation together. The weather was not extremely kind to us the first few days I was there, but we went to the beach anyway, despite the cloudy skies.

Kristin taught me many things while I was in Florida. The first of these was how to skim-board. I guess I should say she attempted to teach me to do many things. I made a fool out of myself every time I fell or completely missed the board, but it provided for a good laugh at least!

Pretending I know what I'm doing

Kristin, looking like a pro

Another thing Kristin taught me was how to find sand dollars in the ocean. I didn't even know these things were live creatures until my trip! I found a few and of course got some pictures holding them.

Sand dolla dolla bills!

A few other things that Kristin taught me that I sadly didn't document with pictures were how to cook spaghetti squash (one of my new favorite meals!) and that I need to be in much better shape to attempt a boot camp class again. I'd say I was sore for a few days after that one!

I sometimes struggle when I run and discovered that it mostly happens when I have not hydrated enough. Kristin got me in the habit of carrying around a gallon of water wherever I go. It has made a HUGE difference in my running. And people think I'm even stranger than they did before. Hey, you win some you lose some!

The weekend I was in Florida, we traveled from Fort Myers (where Kristin lived) and drove to Daytona Beach to visit my friend Becky from college. Saturday we drove to Orlando and I got to experience Disney World for the first time! I wish I could say it was everything I hoped it would be and more, but it stormed a lot while we were there and a lot of the rides were closed. Thankfully we still got to see one of the shows at the castle, ride a few of the really good rides, and I got to hang out with Dumbo. Even though it stormed and we got soaked, I really did have an awesome time with these ladies. I am hoping to go back sometime when it is not storming and experience all that "The Happiest Place on Earth" has to offer!

Trying on fun hats with Kristin

Me, Becky, and Kristin in front of the castle

Kristin, Becky, and I spent the rest of the weekend just relaxing and hanging out. We witnessed yet another storm on Sunday evening as we were cooking a delicious meal. Becky demonstrated her cooking skills which may lead to a cooking show of her very own, and Kristin showed us that she may have a future as a stunt double (I will have to figure out how to upload these videos!). Monday morning we sadly said goodbye to Becky and headed back to Fort Myers...but not before a stop at some AWESOME outlets!

Trying on clothes at the outlets

Back in Fort Myers it was fun getting dressed up and having some girls nights out and just hanging out with a good friend. I can honestly say that this wasn't one of those vacations where I had a good time but was ready to go home when the time came. Had I not already booked a round-trip flight, I probably would have stayed in Florida longer. This was truly one of the best vacations I've ever taken, because I was able to relax and have fun. I never really thought about what it would be like to live near the beach, but now that I've experienced ten days of it, I think I could get used to it ;) Kristin has since moved to North Carolina and I am hoping to visit her there sometime very soon! Oh, and Kristin and I recorded a cover together. You can watch it here!

Beach bar!

Before we went out one night

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I'm a Runner Now?!

In order to catch you all up on everything that's happened this summer, I have to back up to May which seems like forever ago! Back on New Year's Eve I made the decision to run the Cleveland Half-Marathon. It was two days before my 25th birthday, I was in search of a goal to motivate me, and for some reason it seemed like a good idea at the time (the chocolate pudding shots I had been partaking in may have been one of those reasons!). Once I registered for the race, I was definitely more motivated to run. Keep in mind that up until I registered for the race I never would have considered myself a runner and could barely make it two miles on the treadmill at a 10-minute pace.

Fast-forward four and a half months. On Saturday, May 19th I headed up to Cleveland with my friend Haley from high school. Haley registered for the race shortly after I did and we ran together a couple times leading up to race day. Our first stop was the race expo at the IX Center. We picked up our racing packets, got LOTS of free tuna (no complaints from me...or Bella, for that matter!), and got some awesome matching sparkly headbands--because every runner needs one of those! After the expo we headed to Progressive Field to watch our beloved Tribe take on the Marlins. We had awesome seats in the outfield, but had to be super careful about staying hydrated in the brutal sun. Our other friend from high school, Heather (who was also running the half), met us at the game. It was Faith Night at the Indians' Game, and post-game we got to enjoy a concert by Christian singer Brandon Heath. It was nice to be around so many other people who love the Lord and who were singing along as he sang.

Haley and Me at the Expo

After the game it was time to head back to the hotel and sleep to prepare for the big day. I can honestly say I didn't sleep nearly as much as I thought I should have that night, and was a little concerned about my performance the next day. When I first registered for the race my goal was just to finish it without walking. In my mind, 13 miles was super far and I would have been proud of myself for just completing it. Well, my competitive side got the best of me and I came up with another goal to complete the race in under two hours. The morning of the race we woke up around 4:30 so we could eat, digest, and get to the starting line on time. I ended up starting the race by myself since I planned on running at a different pace than Haley and Heather. My friend from grad school, Katie, met up with me prior to the race but had her own group to run with, so I was again on my own. I knew that my parents would be somewhere along the course cheering me on, as would my aunt. As a runner, I've found that I can pretty much tell from the very beginning of a run whether it is going to be a "good" run day or a "not so good" run day. This was a "good" run day. I spent the first six miles watching the crowds in search of my parents. They were not exactly sure where they would be watching from so I just kept a lookout. When I finally spotted them around mile 6 I noticed their bright pink "GO JB" sign. I smiled and waved, then kept on running--I had a time to beat! My aunt had told me she would be somewhere around mile 6 or 7, so I kept looking for her. I spotted her less than a mile later and was so encouraged by her. My aunt runs regularly and has done her own share of half and full marathons. She ran with me for a minute, told me how great I looked, and I went on my way.

Heather, Haley, and Me before the race

I'll admit that I struggled a bit after that because the excitement of looking for people in the crowd had gone. Mile 10 provided us with a lovely hill and a lot of people started walking. I'll admit that seeing so many others walking up the hill was a huge temptation, but I knew that the hills of New Concord had trained me well for the challenge. So, with a little help from Kelly Clarkson I made it up that hill. I saw my parents again right around Mile 12 and that kept me going until I hit 13.1! The boys of One Direction serenaded me (through my headphones, sadly) as I crossed the finish line. As I collected my finisher's medal I was so overwhelmed by emotion, and I'll admit that I teared up a bit. I truly felt that all of the training I had put into the race had paid off and I was so proud of myself for achieving my goal. I found out later that I finished the race in two hours and eight minutes--a little above my goal time, but I was still proud. I met up with my parents, my aunt, and Katie for some pictures, then waited to cheer Haley and Heather on as they finished the race. The rest of the day included a very sweaty ride home and some ice on the knees (what retired gymnast decides to take up running as their new sport?!).

After the race, with a sign my parents made

After the race, with my Aunt Nanci

Prior to running the half I told everyone that it would be the furthest I ever run. Why in the world would I want to run a FULL marathon?! Good question...but I'm doing it :) October 21, 2012. Columbus, Ohio. Yet again, goal is to finish without walking. We'll see how long it takes for a goal time to be included! All joking aside though, these past seven months have taught me that I truly can do anything I set my mind to. I know that sounds cliche, but I never thought that within one calendar year I would a. Start running, b. Run a half marathon, and c. Run a FULL marathon. I never thought I'd run a full marathon in my lifetime! But for those of you who have thought about running and just don't think you'd be good at it or don't think you could finish a 5k...you are wrong! There are so many different training plans you can try. I know a lot of people who have tried the Couch to 5k training plan and were surprised with how well they did. So do me a favor and give it a shot...you truly have nothing to lose :)