I'm gonna run

Happy Labor Day! This has been a crazy week for me, and at first I had no plans at all! I was all set for a slow weekend getting homework done. But I wasn't about to let my labor day weekend be boring. So Alicia and I got some pool time in after class on Friday, and then Kelly and I decided to go see X-Men First Class on Friday night. It was a really good movie- funny and suspenseful and much better than I expected! Kelly and I are going to catch up on the other X-Men movies now.

Friday evening I was texting back and forth with Emily, Tristan, and Robin. Emily and Tristan were on their way to Virginia Beach and wanted me to come with them. Robin had been in Virginia visiting family and was flying out of Richmond on Saturday. I hadn't seen Robin in about two years, since she moved to Texas. I really wanted to see her before she flew back to Texas. We met for breakfast at a pancake place by the airport on Saturday morning and got to catch up on each other's lives. It was awesome to see her again. I love how we can reconnect even when we haven't been in touch for awhile.

When I drove home after breakfast, it was about noon and I figured I still had plenty of time to drive to Virginia Beach and hang out with Tristan and Emily. Tristan was running the half marathon on Sunday, and I really wanted to be there to support her for her race. It was spontaneous, but I decided to go, packed my travel suitcase in about 10 minutes, and was on the road! That night Tristan had to carb-load for her big race, so we all went to Cheesecake Factory and got huge bowls of pasta. And cheesecake, of course. It was delicious!

On Sunday, we had to get up at 6am to get to the start line by 7am. Race day was exciting. There were thousands of people milling about, tons of port-a-pottys and food stands, and music was blaring from a loudspeaker. You could feel the excitement and nervousness in the air. It was awesome. At 7am, the elite runners took off. Twenty-three minutes later, Tristan started with her heat. It was cool to see so many people run by!

It was around this time that I decided I really want to do this. I have been toying with the idea of doing a half marathon for awhile. Several girls from my class are doing the Richmond marathon/half-marathon and they keep encouraging me to do it. I've been running consistently this summer and I've built up to about 4-5 miles so far. After being there with Tristan, and seeing the excitement and determination of everyone, I want to do it even more. I don't think 13.1 miles will be easy. But that's kind of the point. I want to be able to push through even if I'm hurting. I want to be able to run farther than I think I can. I want to have the determination and the strength to not give up. I want to experience the excitement and exuberance of finishing my own half-marathon.

*I registered for the half today!*