Women's 5K by the Bay

A view of the Bay from Tydings Park, Havre de Grace, MD

Sorry, I know I'm a little late in posting this, but I just haven't felt much like it. On Sunday April 26th, I had my first official road race since I started training for the half-marathon. I'd never done the Women's 5K by the Bay, but it appealed to me for a few reasons: 1) it's relatively close to home and in familiar territory (Havre de Grace, Maryland, which is a cute town once you get away from Route 40); 2) I figured that with the race being held at the end of April, the temperature would be cool, if not downright chilly, and possibly rainy; 3) it's exclusive to women, which leads me to 4) it's got a really small field. There were only 350 entrants in 2008, and this year, I think about 390 participated. As exciting as it can be to run with thousands of other people, you all know that crowds aren't my thing and I avoid them whenever possible. So this was going to be my first test of my new running prowess in what I thought would be ideal conditions.

Um, NOT. Yes, not having to defend your personal space from a million other people was nice, but that Sunday fell right smack in the middle of a freak heat wave that hit the east coast. It was 70 degrees at 7am, not a cloud in the sky, and muggy. In short, not very nice running weather.

The day they come out with completely sweat- and waterproof makeup, I'm so there

The start of the race

I felt great throughout the first mile and was shocked to hear that I'd run it in 8:45. I was stoked! Unfortunately though, at that point, I knew I wouldn't be able to sustain that pace...it was just too damn hot. The one and only water station was lousy because the coolers had been sitting out in the sun and the water was less than refreshing. So I figured I'd just have to suck it up and get through it.

I was pretty aggravated with myself roundabout mile 2 because the heat really started to get to me...there was no shade along that stretch and with not being hydrated well enough, I knew I'd have to take a break or risk passing out and really pissing off the cops who were directing traffic...they had more important things to worry about than catering to some cream-puff, wannabe athlete who fell ass over head in the middle of the road. So I slowed to a walk. Twice. :-( I'm still really mad at myself for not toughing it out, but I learned my lesson and won't let it happen in the next one.

Of course, the last half mile was quick because I wasn't about to let anyone see me struggle. So I turned on the afterburners, got yelled at for trying to pass someone in the finish chute and had no idea what my finish time was because a group of retards were standing in front of the clock. At this point though, I didn't even care - all I wanted to do was walk off the nearest pier straight into that nasty, brackish bay that Josh got to stare out for a half hour while I was killing myself. But when all was said and done and they got around to posting the results, I was pleased to see that I'd made it in 30:03...not as quick as I would've liked (damn those two walking breaks!), but still five minutes better than my previous best. Not too shabby for a girl who couldn't even run a mile two years ago. I can only imagine where I'll be in another two years if I keep this up...Boston, anyone? ;-)

I want to adopt them all!

It doesn't matter how often I see this commerical, I weep like a baby every single time it comes on. The newest version is even worse, but I couldn't find it on YouTube. I wonder how many other people are tempted to send the ASPCA half their annual income after watching it?

Everything happens for a reason...

...and I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am that I married Josh. He was something unexpected that came into my life and ended up pulling me in a direction I didn't anticipate. I'd had my eye on someone else for the longest time, someone who I'd thought would be a perfect match for me, and I'll admit, as Josh and I got more serious about our relationship, that little, nagging "What if" was definitely in the back of my mind. But when I look at how my would-be paramour turned out, how he changed over the years to become an utter stranger, the relief I feel is immense, almost like a weight off my shoulders. I am so grateful that things turned out the way they did...I have a wonderful life and the best husband.

Springtime at the Martin household

Yesterday was the first gorgeous day of spring that Josh and I both had off, so we took full advantage of it. I got to use our new tractor (which, I've determined, is total overkill for the size yard we have, but I love it anyway), prune trees, till the flowerbeds, do some weeding, and take care of other miscellaneous stuff that had been waiting for a sunny day. Here are a few pics of how the garden looks this time of year.

PS...The reason why most of the flora and fauna looks young is because it is. I personally planted every single tree and shrub throughout the five years that we've been living here. I shudder to think of how barren it was when we first moved in!


My cherry tree is starting to bloom!





The new tractor. Awesome.

Rockin' the workouts

6 miles in 57:00?? After taking an entire week off and not training consistently for over a month?? I'm so pleased with myself, you don't even understand. And if you can believe it, I'm having so much fun training for the half-marathon (yes, you read that right. It's been hard, but so fulfilling) that I'm actually seriously thinking about running a full marathon. My thought is, if not now, when? This is my opportunity to finally become the athlete I've always dreamed of being, so why not do this thing?

My apologies...

It just occurred to me that I haven't posted to my blog in over a month (where does the time go??), so I thought I'd write a quick update. And you'll have to excuse the lack of photos...our Internet has been down for two weeks (feel free to fix it any day now, Armstrong Cable), so I'm jotting this down during a slow minute at work.

~ Our kitchen renovation is still coming along, but most of the big work is finally done - the cabinets are painted and we're waiting on Josh's contractor uncle to install the floor and countertops. Then I'll just have to worry about the trim (I'm thinking I'd rather replace the old stuff than paint what's there) and finding a cabinet to stash my cookbooks and TV in. It will be nice to be able to cook a meal without checking three different rooms to figure out where the hell I put the pots and pans!

~ Our overseas adventure is really taking shape and I can't even tell you how psyched I am. We booked our flights a few weeks ago and, despite saying that I refused to fly coach, I let Josh talk me into it. It does make sense though, for a variety of reasons: 1) we're flying Virgin Atlantic, and their planes are known for having nicer, more spacious seating; 2) they group their seats together in twos, so we don't have to worry about sharing our space with a third person; 3) it's going to save a ton of money; and 4) with said extra monies, we're going to go hog wild while we're over there. Josh, when he found out how much more it would be to fly premium economy, was actually pleading with me to take the less expensive route...he even resorted to bribery. "We'll even get room service while we're there" is a direct quote. How could I turn that down? That, and we'll need to rent a car for the time we're in Scotland, and I'm going to let him get the souped-up Audi that he was lusting after. So in my eyes, it'll totally be worth being slightly more cramped on the flights.

~ I'm finally going to get to see my "niece" and "nephew" this coming weekend when I visit Ang and Matt out in Pittsburgh. Last time I was out there, Ang was 8 months pregnant and now the babies are 5 months old, so it's definitely time to catch up! And my biological niece, Shelby, is even more adorable now that she's a few months old. It's a shame her mom won't bring her out to the good ole PA Dutch country for a visit with Auntie Colleen (ahem, Kristen!).

~ Speaking of babies, there's been an explosion of births in the last few weeks, which has me thinking again about the whole getting pregnant and expanding our family thing. More commentary to come on that one.

I've got more to rehash, but seeing as how it's taken me forever to write this much (seriously, who uses the library on a gorgeous spring afternoon?? C'mon people, go out and DO something!), I'll write another update soon, I promise.

A once-every-five-years gift

I need to send Josh away more often...the only time I ever get flowers is when we can't be together on a holiday. To put this in perspective, the last time was Valentine's Day 2003, when I was in London and he had a dozen red roses sent to my flat. And because I receive them so infrequently, I appreciate it that much more when I do get them. I still wish he was home this weekend, but it makes me all warm and fuzzy knowing that he's thinking of me. :-)