Whoops!

I was so excited to run outside today in "warm" 40 degree weather. I didn't even think about the mud that would result from the rain/snow we have been having! This is the result after a lot of scrapping!

Where Have I Been??

Are you wondering where I have been?  Why I haven't blogged?  Well...I have been busy with the usual, but all of my free time has been spent catching up on past episodes of these two shows.

I swear they have both taken over my life!  When I get home after a long day of working, get a run in, pack my bag for tomorrow, all I want to do is get on my iPad and watch Netflix.  I finished Downton Abbey and LOOOVED it.  Now, I am on to Parenthood.  I am in the 3rd season and almost caught up.  The 2nd season had 22 episodes.  What in the world?!  Don't worry, I watched them all.

If you haven't been sucked in already, I highly recommend them!

Notre Dame

I need to take a pause from blogging about MCM and turn to Notre Dame.  If you know us, you know how big of a fan David is.  This season has been David's dream come true.  I have found him watching clips on YouTube and looking up articles non-stop.  He is currently at the game and I am terrified for him.  I am not watching (I never know what goes on anyways) but I am keeping up with the score.  Say a prayer for me...it's not looking good!

MCM - The Race.

Continuing from yesterday...

Race day came and we got up early.  We picked a hotel that was close to the finish line, but was about a little further from the start.  We decided to walk to the start because we knew the subway would be crazy.  My Dad and Margaret bought little flashlights and they were perfect for walking in the dark.

By the time we got there, the sun was coming up and the nerves were sinking in.  We ended up having to walk pretty far to get to the bag drop.  When we got there we met up with Ashley and walked back to the start.  We tried to find another friend, Abi, but could not!  We were all unsure about what to wear because of the weather (Did I mention there was a hurricane??) but I think I figured it out correctly.  As people were starting to go over the start line, I wanted to make one last trip to the port-a-potty.  So, Jen stayed with me and Kathy and Ashley started.  We didn't see them for the rest of the race!

I had some other really cute pictures of all of us that are too fuzzy to put on here for some reason...

After we crossed the starting line, there was no turning back.  The first part of the race was pretty hilly and we knew that coming into it.  However, it wore me out!  Our 5k (3.1 miles) time was slow, but there were also a ton of people.  We saw David with Kathy's Dad and Sister around mile 2, but did not see them again.

The first 10 miles went pretty quickly.  Jen and I ended up taking a pit stop in the woods...I am pretty sure that everyone saw me.  I think we got to Georgetown somewhere in the teens and that was fun.  By that time the hills were "supposed" to be over and it was a neat scenery.  We ran by Georgetown Cupcakes which I loved.  At this point, I realized by goal of coming in just under 5 hours would be tough.  I was started to lose the drive for finishing quickly.

After Georgetown, we started running back up by the monuments.  We saw Jen's brother and her boyfriend a couple of times which helped.  Life was not easy at this point, I just wanted it to be over!  I knew we would finish, but I just felt like walking!  Thank goodness I had Jen to keep me going.  I remember hurting pretty badly around this area.  There was man that had bio-freeze (crack for runners...numbs your pain!) and I was soo happy to see him.  It gave me a bit of a boost.  There was also a point where we were running downhill and a band was playing "Lean on Me"  That was a highlight!

Miles 20 - 26 were TOUGH.  I didn't even feel like talking.  Jen signaled to me with her fingers the minutes left for our walk/run.  The last .2 was uphill at the monument Iwo Jima.  Jen wanted to run and I just couldn't!!  We did end up crossing the finish line together, and I couldn't have been happier!!

 I made this picture XL because I am proud of me!

MCM - The Trip.

I think I have finally found the time to write about my marathon!

I am loving my break (even though it is almost over...) and am so looking forward to my January - March.  I do not have another grad class until March 7th.  I plan on enjoying my time off and catching up on life! ; )

Okay, the marathon.  David and I flew into DC on Thursday night after school.  We actually sat on the plane for 2 hours before taking off.  David was not a happy camper!  By the time we arrived, David's knee was hurting badly.  Let's just say I knew that wasn't such a great sign! ; )

Friday we decided to tour around DC.  I had never been there before, so I wanted to see the monuments.  We took the subway (not a fan!) to the National Mall and toured around.  We didn't want to wear ourselves out too much, so we took it easy.  David's knee was hurting him and he was not the best travel companion...that ended our touring pretty quickly!  In the evening, we went back to our hotel in the Arlington Courthouse area and ate a great steak dinner.  At this point, I was feeling pretty excited!

On Saturday we decided to take it easy also.  I went out for a short run and was terrified because of the hills.  I have been known to avoid hills at all costs.  I knew there would be hills, but nothing like I saw! After I ran, we met up with Lauren and went to the expo.  We then ate an early dinner with our large group which was fun.

I went to sleep early to be best prepared.  First, I layed out all my gear to be ready to go.  I was surprised at how "un-nervous" I felt.  I knew that I put in the work and I could finish it!

Stay tuned for another post about the actual race!

ABC's of me!

I saw this on another blog and thought I would be cheesy and write about it on mine...

The ABC’s of Me!

A. Age: 29...very close to 30...

B. Bed size: King

C. Chore you dislike: Toilets and Bath/Shower

D. Dogs: None...but I do have two sweet cats!

E. Essential start to your day: Coke Zero or Coffee and Oatmeal

F. Favorite colors: PINK! of course...  

G. Gold or silver: Silver

H. Height: 5’2’’- on a good day : ) 

I. Instruments you play(ed): RECORDER! Piano, and okay I played the french horn once : / 

J. Job title: First Grade Teacher 

K. Kids: Not there yet...hopefully this year ; )

L. Live: Illinois

M. Mom’s name: Mary

N. Nicknames: Princess Sarah, Pinkalicious, Mrs. Barnett / Mrs. B - I head this a million times during the day at school!

O. Overnight hospital stays: None!

P. Pet peeves: Hmm, not sure if this a considered a pet peeve but I dislike negative and passive agressive people.

Q. Quote from a movie: Cinderella - "A dream is a wish your heart makes when you’re fast asleep. In dreams you will lose your heartaches. Whatever you wish for, you keep. Have faith in your dreams, and someday, your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dreams that you wish will come true."  I walked down the aisle to this!

R. Righty or lefty: Righty

S. Siblings: Elizabeth and John...okay Aaron is a sibling too...

T. Time you wake up: All depends, I could sleep forever!  I usually hit the snooze button several times.

U. Underwear: VS Pink Line

V. Vegetables you don’t like: Beets, Onions, Radishes, Peppers

W. What makes you run late: The fact that I do not like to be early, I wait until the last minute to get ready.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Hmm, arm, finger, stomach, there has to be more...

Y. Yummy food you make: Although I eat pretty simply for main courses...I am a great baker!

Z. Zoo animal you like: Pink Flamingos!