Archive | November, 2011

I am Happy and Excited!

30 Nov

Great news! I have turned my frown upside down since I wrote about being grumpy and nervous. I am now happy and very excited for this race!!

So what caused the sudden change in mood? Well, to be quite honest I am really not sure exactly what the game changer was. I just kind of snapped out of it (thank goodness)!

Glad I am feeling better...because this race is SO soon!

Tonight I went over to Stacy’s house for dinner. We analyzed the course and reviewed the pace bracelets with our different goal times. We made dinner plans for Saturday and started making a plan for race clothing. I also got to spend time tonight with Stacy’s son Caden, and he always puts a big smile on my face!

Along with dinner, Stacy also gave me a little pre-race treat. I LOVE it! Diana stopped by and brought me a treat too. I seriously have the best running buddies and friends ever! They are making such a big deal about my first marathon and I am soaking it all in. I cannot wait to use all my new goodies in Dallas (and beyond).

Cutest gifts ever! And there is much more in the bags!

Thank you to everyone that has been supporting me with this race. I appreciate all of the well wishes from my family, friends, fellow bloggers and twitter followers so very much. Not to sound greedy, but please keep them coming!

Talk soon!

Ali

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*VERY* Important Update!

29 Nov

Hi there, I have quite the important update to share with you all!

Do remember this post – I’m a Competitive Freak? This was the post I told the story about my  friend Lindsey’s bouquet toss….and also showed the evidence of me stealing the bouquet from my friend Kara (the intended recepient).

Well, it turns out I was right when I said that Kara did NOT need this bouquet to get her man to ‘put a ring on it’.

My very important news is that Kara and Bo are ENGAGED!!!

Bo popping the question, and she said YES!

I am so happy and excited for Kara and Bo. They are both amazing friends and I look forward to watching them start their married lives together. It will also be so much fun seeing the new adventures in store of them.

Cheers to you and the many many happy years to come!!!

Love you!!!

Ali

P.S. I am still banking on that bouquet to bring me some good luck 🙂

 

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I’m Grouchy and Nervous.

28 Nov

I am super grouchy, and super nervous. And I think the marathon is partially (ok, probably more than partially) to blame.

Ever since I started tapering, I have not been feeling well about the race. I feel like my mind is off. And I feel like my body is off. My legs feel weird. So weird that I actually considered placing a ‘Wanted’ add for a new left leg. Maybe while I am at it I should place a ‘Wanted’ add for a new mindset as well.

I keep hearing from people that these feelings, both mental and physical, are “normal”. Even if they are “normal”, I need to shake them ASAP. I cannot go into the race with this mentality.

Whew, so there we go – those are my feelings right now. And writing these feelings down actually did help a bit. If you know of any other things that might help me, please pass them along. I don’t know what my deal is, but I need some encouragement right now.

This grumpasaurus is signing off for the night.

Thinking happy thoughts that tomorrow goes better than today!

Ali

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It’s the Final Countdown

27 Nov

Well, it’s final countdown time before the Dallas White Rock Marathon. In 7 days, I will be able to call myself a marathon runner!

This week will be one of rest, relaxation and preparation. I will be doing everything I can to take care of myself and be properly prepared for the race. I will eat healthy and hydrate till I can’t possibly drink anymore water. I will also try my hardest not to wear heals to work to save my legs as much as I can!

This week will be one that is the complete opposite of last week. I certainly could have hydrated more and been healthier last week..however eating healthy and hydrating was quite difficult considering I was in Chicago and then celebrating the holiday in Louisville with family (my Aunt Holly is a VERY good cook and always has a fully stocked bar…).

I am still struggling with a sore calf muscle, but I am hopeful that rest will help and I will be healed by Sunday.

Any suggestions and encouragement are welcome throughout the week! There is a very good chance that I will have a case of the runners rambles, and you will be hearing a lot from me.

Wishing you all a happy week ahead 🙂

xo,

Ali

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A Thankful Thanksgiving

24 Nov

*Sappy post alert*

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope that you are all having a fabulous morning while preparing for the Holiday. Over the past few weeks I have done a lot of reflecting of all the things in life I am thankful for. And there are quite a few things to be thankful for this year. So let’s get started.

Running
Seeing that this is a running focused blog, I will start with the obvious. I am thankful for being able to run. Running has brought a lot of joy to my life, and has also been a w0nderful stress outlet for me. Running has brought me closer to friends, and given me pride in myself. For those reasons and many more, I am thankful that I have the ability to run.

Fashion
Next stop on my thankful list: fashion. I am thankful to have fashion in my life. I love to shop, and it brings joy to my life. This might seem silly to some, but I am very thankful for this.

Job
I am very thankful for my job. I love the company I work for, and I am constantly reminded why it is a great place to work. Everyday isn’t always the happiest, but the majority for them are and I think that is pretty darn great.

now lets get deep

Friendships
I have the best friends in the entire world, and I am very thankful for this. If ever I am having a crisis (which is often) I can call a number of people for support. My friends are the best, and there is no arguing that or convincing me otherwise. I love them all.

Relationship
I have the best boyfriend, and I love him very much. He supports me, and loves me. He is there for me when I need him and is always willing to offer up advice when I ask. Although he is far away from me right now, I know this will not last forever. Everyday I think about how lucky I am, and realize that most people go their whole lives without ever experiencing what I have.

and saving the best for last..

Family
I have the best family EVER. They are funny, loving and always supportive. I couldn’t be luckier for the people I get to call my family. My parents are always there for me, my brother is a great friend, my grandparents are so very loving, my aunts/uncles/cousins are wonderful, and my dogs make me laugh and provide unconditional love. Without these people in my life, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

Thank you to everyone in my life that has made me so happy, and made my life so beautiful. Although I don’t say it outloud everyday, I do think about it constantly.

Wishing you, your family, and your friends a very happy holiday.

xoxo,

Ali

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A Fabulous Chicago Weekend!

21 Nov

First of all, I apologize for being away so long! Last week was quite busy at work, with running, and with life in general. But hey, I would much rather be busy than bored!

I just had a fabulous weekend in Chicago, and would love to tell you about it.

Saturday morning, my mom and I headed to Chicago from KC. My Aunt Holly was driving up from Louisville to meet us. We all arrived and got settled in around 11am. First stop would be eating (with a drink as well) at Frontera Grill.

Nothin like a little Mexican food! (And margs)

Following an amazing lunch, we hit Michigan Avenue and shopped. We shopped and shopped, and then it was time to get ready for dinner. Saturday night we had dinner at MK (my pick) and stuffed ourselves with some amazing food. If you are ever in Chicago, go to MK for dinner. And do the tasting menu with wine pairing, it made the dinner. Following dinner, it was time for bed!

How many wine glasses can you count?

 

Stuffed and happy

Sunday morning kicked off with a 5 mile run (for me). The weather was perfect and I was feeling great. I am pretty sure the Garmin was being funky though..because it read that I ran a 7:30 first mile. I mean, maybe I did – but after 5 glasses of wine the night before I wasn’t quite sure how the run would go! Halfway through the run I stopped and took some pics. They don’t do the city justice to how beautiful of a day it was.

Not sunny, but still lovely!

Following the run, we got ready and went to the Sunday Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues. It was the best Church service I have ever been to – what an experience!!

Amen! They could sing.

The rest of Sunday was reserved for shopping. And boy did we shop. Most exciting purchases of the day included a Christmas outfit from Ann Taylor, two pairs of Tory flats from Bloomie’s and some great steals at Banana. Let’s just say that by the end of the day, my shopping high was through the roof. Seriously, it was hard to contain my excitement from the purchses!

Shopped till we dropped!

After a LONG day of shopping, we needed some Chicago style pizza at Giordano’s. And it was good.

Who wants to guess the calorie count?

Monday morning, it was time to leave. We had breakfast at Corner Bakery and made a last minute trip Nordstrom. I got quite the amazing Christmas gift there, but I can’t really talk about right now since it isn’t Christmas yet! I will give you hint though – PETA would not be happy with me. 

A 6 hour car ride, and we were back to Louisville. We have a full week ahead, full of Thanksgiving preparations. Running a marathon the weekend after Thanksgiving might not have been the best idea….But I will make it work!

I hope that everyone reading also had a fabulous weekend. I promise to be a much better blogger this week.

Until next time, xo!

Ali

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Ya-ssooo FAST!

15 Nov

(Get it? Ya-ssooo = Yasso = You’re so? Haha)

Good afternoon! How is your day going? Mine is just great, but my legs are killin’ me! Why? Because I ran my little booty off this morning in 800’s.

Stacy informed me last night that we would be doing TEN 800’s this morning. To top off the craziness of doing TEN 800’s, we would be doing them fast (3:25 pace). I had heard of Yasso 800’s from my Dad. He used them for his marathon training a few years ago. I thought they sounded pretty awful, and was thankful that I wouldn’t ever be doing them. Well, I was wrong.

So how did we do?

Well, even though the 800’s were super hard, we did awesome. Stacy and I rocked these things, only one over a 3:30, and the majority were under a 3:25 pace.

So, all you marathon, running guru’s/experts out there: Does this mean we can run a 3:25 marathon time as the Yasso strategy states we should be able to?!

Hope your day is great as well!

Ali

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What did you do this weekend?

13 Nov

Hi there, and happy Sunday to you!

How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun and exciting worth sharing?

My weekend was great, and let me tell you – I am still on a total runners high. Why? Because I ran 22 freaking miles on Saturday!!! Now I will tell you ALL about it!

This run included my running buddies (and amazing friends) Stacy and Dianna. Stacy and I started with 4 miles on our own since Diana only needed to run 18 (did I just say “only” when referencing 18 miles?). After the 4 miles start, we all began our running adventure! We decided to make the run fun (Nicole- remember our HS “fun runs”?) and go from Stacy’s house to my parents house. It was a little over 17 miles round trip, so it worked out perfect.

The run started off slow, and gradually picked up. My legs were a little sore from the insane running throughout the week, but felt much better the second half of the run. And then out of nowhere I really just got a little burst of energy. Our last few miles we were booking it. And the run wrapped up with an 8 minute mile on #22. I was pretty proud of that. I hope I have this same energy at the marathon!

Look, proof that I did it!

I loved how happy I felt all day following the run. As I said earlier, I am still on my runners high. It is crazy to think just how far 22 miles is, and that I ran it. This 22 mile run really helped me to be confident for the marathon. I know I can add on that extra 4.2 with no problem, and I cannot wait to do it. In 21 days, I get to call myself a marathon runner 🙂

One other great thing from the weekend, these new tory burch flats I received. Aren’t they just FAB?

Hello, lovely!

Wishing everyone a great week ahead!

xoxo,

Ali

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I’m a Competitive Freak

9 Nov

and I have the photos to prove it. I have always known that I was a very competitive person, however it was really brought to my attention yesterday just how bad it is.

A little background before I dive into the latest story…

I have an obsession with catching bouquets at weddings. Obviously part of this obsession is because I would love to get married (hear that, Zacky?), but the other huge part is that I really really like winning competitions. I have some mad jumping skills (8th grade record holder in the high jump, thank you very much) and I have developed a strategy at catching these things (no, I won’t tell you what it is). To date, I have caught three bouquets at weddings (it should be 4 but I was totally screwed out of one bc I got knocked down by a girl even crazier than me) and I expect this number to climb.

Now for the latest story…

My wonderful friend Lindsey got married in September (September 24th to be exact!), and I had the honor of being a bridesmaid in the wedding. Everything about her day was perfect, and the day/night couldn’t have been more fun.

The Stunning Bride!

All day I had been anticipating the bouquet toss. I wanted that thing, and I knew there would be some fierce competition vying for it as well. Some of the fierce competition included my very good friend Kara (and fellow bridesmaid), whom I knew Lindsey would be targeting. I warned Kara though that I would not be giving up without a fight. Of course she deserved it, but we already all know that she will be the next…well, I won’t say it out loud 🙂

Then I heard the announcement “All single ladies, please head to the dance floor as Lindsey tosses her bouquet!”

Lindsey, you are so pretty!

I got in position, and then I saw the bouquet flying through the air.

There it goes!

Before I knew it, I was grasping the bouquet in my hands and fighting off my best friend (roommate, and fellow bridesmaid) Eileen.

I swear, we do love each other!

VICTORY!!! That thing was in my hands, and all the other girls at the wedding were looking at us like we were freaks.
 

"Ali you were NOT supposed to catch that!" Sorrrryyyyy

 

And this is how happy my boyfriend felt...

 
A message to the other competitors in the bouquet toss: I apologize if I stepped on, elbowed, or offended you with my behavior.
 
And last but not least, a message to anyone I face at the Dallas White Rock Marathon on December 4th: Bring it on.
 
Love Always!
Ali

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I’m Runnin’ in the Rain!

8 Nov

Tonight was insane. I ran 8.32 miles in the cold, dark rain. To top it off these 8.32 miles included HUGE hills and surges the entire time.

Normally, I would never save an 8 mile run for the end of the day, however this time I had no choice. All of the weather reports stated that there was an 80% chance of rain at 5am, but that it would be clear by the end of the day. Well, it turns out they were wrong. I slept in, and slept through the best running weather of the day.

Originally I had planned to do track work today, but the thought of being on the track in the rain and dark scared me. I decided that today would be hills and tempo, so I could do it my safe neighborhood! I got dressed like a crazy person, and hit the road!

I was shocked at how great I felt throughout the run! This was my hardest run since the Rock ‘n Roll half and I didn’t know what to expect. I ran some huge hills (I would include an elevation chart but I dont know how to get the data off my Garmin…), and had some solid sprints. Overall I finished at an 8:20 pace, and I am pretty dang pleased by that.

Soaked but happy!

As a reward for my hardwork, I made pasta, had a Boulevard beer, and now I am watching Glee.

mmmmmmm

Thank you for continuing to listen to my running rambles.

Ali

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