The St Jude Review

Friday Night: Spaghetti Warehouse
We maybe had the worst service possible at this restaurant, but luckily the company was good so we didn't mind the long dinner, too much. :) It was the girls + families for a good pre-race pasta dinner.

MEL, this is for you. This is Mira hugging a pretend Mel. :)

Damie, Mira, Joy, Laura, Sammy, and a napkin that says Angie. (Angie had already left before we remembered to take a tri-bloggers girl picture).

Damie and Sam practice Sam's "race face". I am so sad she is moving so far away (Sam is moving way North next week and I will never see her anymore). Boooooo!!!!!

Saturday: St Jude Marathon.

Charlie, Angie, and Joy watching the marathon in the freezing cold. It is really hard to be a spectator sometimes.

Sammy in the half marathon. She did not do a Sam face for me, she did a big Damie wave- although it looks like she is about to cry in this picture, she really looked awesome in the race. I think she was crying because I wasn't running with her:) ha ha! She had a good race, and I think she finished 3rd OA, even in the windy, cold conditions.

Laura is just running and chilling- going to get her medal.

Gina runs by in the half marathon and says something like..."this is easy"! She makes it look easy, too.

Angie's hubby Duane at mile 25. He did so well and kept a great attitude the whole race. It was really fun to watch him run, and he is now a marathoner!

Joy, Angie, Charlie, and I spent the day riding our bikes all over the course. The highlights of the day include:

• Chasing our friend Olaf to a fantastic 2:50 PR. I almost cried I was so proud.
  
• Biking the last mile of the course with Duane in his first marathon.
• Hot coffee from Quetzel.
• Seeing a red head girl running by and yelling out- "GARRISON!!!!" It was Jenny Garrison! I have never met her or talked to her, but I know she is friends with Coach Jen Harrison and I have seen pictures of her. It was so funny to recognize someone from a blog. She looked at me like, who in the heck is saying my name? It was so much fun! I saw her again at mile 20 and she was rolling along at a great pace.
  

Unfortunately, there were lowlights for me today to.

• I did not eat breakfast.
• By 11:30 I was well aware that I did not eat breakfast.
• It was freezing- and I was hungry.
• I decided to bunny hop a curb at an angle (I don't even know how to bunny hop).
  
• I crashed my bike in front of hundreds of runners.
  
• I was pissed for 20 minutes.
  
• I was still hungry.
• I came home exhausted and, well, exhausted. A few tears later like a 5-year-old and everything is okay.

I love marathons. I love running. I love seeing the little victories- the people finishing for the first time, friends setting PRs, and runners that never give up despite the cards that come their way for the day.

And, I had so many deep thoughts while watching the race. I can't wait to work on some of my running goals. My motivation is further deepened. My goals are mine to reach- they are up to me. Watching a marathon gives me that hope. It also reminds me that there is no excuse. If achieving a certain goal is harder for me than for the next person, than so be it. No excuse- I just have to work harder. For the goals that I have not reached yet, and that I have not reached easily...well, I will appreciate them oh so much more. Those are the ones that are worth it.

Also, marathons remind me that running goals are very personal and individual. We all run for many different reasons. Running is fun! I love to run and I love my friends.

St Jude Marathon Weekend

Everything seems really slow in blogland these days. I am excited to say that blog chicks are hanging out this weekend in Memphis, though. We have Laura and Sammy running in the 1/2 marathon. Mira and Angie have husbands that are also running. Joy and I will be using our "we just did IMFL" card and just spectating on our bikes.

We are planning on dinner with the girls (husbands and kids too) on Friday night, and maybe some celebratory drinks post race. If you are in town, come meet up with us!

I promise to post lots of pictures of Samantha's race face this weekend, so everyone stay tuned.

Soccer and Unrelated Injuries

How else to title this post?

I am finally ready to return to soccer. I took the fall season completely off from the sport because I didn't want any injuries before Ironman. Truthfully, though, I hadn't been playing much before that in the past two years. I am generally a perfect attendee in soccer. I will skip just about anything to make the games, and I even get upset when it storms and I can't play. However, I found myself missing more and more games the past 2 years. I was always exhausted...always fighting the knee or foot injury. I may have been on the field, but I wasn't always enjoying it. So, I slowly came to the conclusion that I needed time off to heal, rest, and rethink my role on the field.

But, now I am ready to come back. I wasn't sure if there would even be a spot for me on my team anymore, but I have been assured that I am wanted and needed out there- that they would love it if I would play again. It is good to know my teammates have missed me and want me back. And really, I just love women's soccer. I love my teams- I love my girls.

This is one of my old teams in New Orleans, Calypso. Funny, but I hardly have any soccer pictures because I didn't have a digital camera in college or New Orleans. I will do better this year with getting soccer pics. I am second from the left on bottom. One of my great friends and fellow triathlete, Cindy, is 4th from left bottom. We must've just played a game because we are looking a little rough in this pic.

On and unrelated note, I had to drag my butt out of bed this morning to swim. I am finally ready to get in the pool when I reach up to put my swim cap on and BAM! The worst pain ever- well, at least a 9/10. I was frozen. I couldn't move my head or neck, and I honestly thought I may have a thrown a clot. (I know I am young, but I think all kinds of things). I tried to work it out- got in the pool with tears in my eyes and then got out since I couldn't even bend my neck forward or rotate it. Nothing helped- not the hot tub, not any self applied manual techniques, no slide or glides of my vertebrae, nothing. My morning was a complete wash. So, I am okay now, but I still can hardly move and have maybe 4/10 pain. My best guess is a pinched cervical nerve. I think in all honesty my neck will never be the same after that car wreck. Who hurts themselves by flexing their shoulders 90 degrees to put on a swim cap?