5:30 am

I always wonder how it all happens so fast?  Every season, every year, every week.  Time passes without me noticing.  All the sudden the summer is ending and it's time for school to start, for Mitch to be home (thank goodness), for leaves to change, for it to be cool enough to eat butternut squash soup.    Yesterday I woke up at 5:30 am to run with Beth.  I stepped outside and even though it was still a billion degrees, oh the humidity, it was dark and the sun was rising.  The city is perfectly quiet in the mornings.  There are no tourists, just other runners, bikers, and walkers starting their day.  I don't know their thoughts, but I know for me running is my solace.  It's the time when I clear my head, wake up my body, and find the time to contemplate all the little details of my life.  Running is completely selfish for me.  Yesterday morning, the first sign of fall showed itself to me.  The sky was splattered with pink, the sun was just rising, bikers had their lights on along the Mount Vernon trail, and I was so thankful to be running.

Last night as I was riding my bike home past Iwo Jima, along Arlington Cemetery, towards the Memorial Bridge with a perfect picture of the backside of the Lincoln Memorial, and along the edge of the Pentagon Memorial I was again granted the privilege of another sky painted beautifully with splashes of pink and I was overcome with gratitude.  I have finally fallen back in love with DC.  I had to stop, get off my bike, and take it all in.  The weather, the river, the sky, and the lay of the land.  I had to make a memory, that will last, of my summer.

 

Amish Country

Bree, Anna and Me. So happy they came along.

I ran a half marathon in Adamstown, Pennsylvania on Saturday, Amish country. It might have been my best one yet. Mitch had a golf tournament, so I took Anna and Bree along with me. We journeyed up to Amish country and enjoyed ourselves.

Running is very therapeutic for me. I usually shy away from wearing a watch when running. I have learned to really listen to my body and how I am feeling. It takes my body about 25 minutes to get completely warm. The first 25 minutes are always the hardest part of the race for me. There are many days when I have no idea how long I am actually going to run. Sometimes I go out and come back 30 minutes later or two hours. It all just depends on how I am feeling.

Saturday was just a good running day. It was one of those days when everything just all came together. I felt great when I woke up, I had no stomach pains, and the weather was perfect. The race was much harder than I had imagined. I don't why I thought it was just going to be flat. I felt like I was climbing mountain after mountain.

At mile six I looked up to the sky and saw a sky full of clouds, but no rain. I looked over to my left and saw an Amish man on his horse plowing his field. There were no crowds to cheer me on, just Amish people riding their bikes. I felt so much joy. There was almost tears. So much happiness, peace, and joy all found in running. Stride after stride, step after step, I was so comfortable.

I decided to wear a watch for the race. I thought, why not? I was running a very small race and wasn't exactly sure of the mile markers. At mile 1, I ran 7:30. Which is faster than my normal pace. I try to keep about an 8-9 minute mile. Miles 3-8 I battled with this older man to keep my pace with his. He finally went ahead of me until mile 12. The watch kept me going strong and hard. I kept 8 minutes miles, mile after mile (except mile 9).

Running is all mental for me. I have to think about a race in stages. The first three are the hardest, but once I get done with them I only have 10 left. And once I get half way done, I think to myself, "it's only 6.5. You do that all the time. To the the Lincoln memorial and back." Once I started keeping 8 minutes miles, I know it's not fast, but I just wanted to finish strong. As I got nearer to the finish line, people kept on telling me what place I was in compared to other woman. So, of course my ego got the best of me and I wanted to finish strong. My upper thighs were on fire. I am a lazy runner, probably why I enjoy it so much. My upper thighs usually don't get that tired, again I am a lazy runner.

All in all I finished 6th overall for women, again it was a small race. But it was really exciting. This woman who had been tailing me for five miles finished literally 2 seconds before me.

First race of the season was amazing. I write this to remember. I can't wait for Brooklyn next month, especially since I get to run with Abby following Jason's trail (he's so fast).

Happy running.

Amish Country.

Tonight I read this:

"Getting to know someone on a long run is more intimate and fulfilling than conversations anywhere else." (Mile Markers by Kristin Armstrong)

Need I say more?

I dedicate this line to: SJKVille, Erin, Molly, Cait, Caitlin Jayne, Rachel, Ashley, Laura, Danielle H., Jenn Swapp, and Megan. So many great running memories over the years.

White Bear Lake Half

Can you see the lake? It's still frozen over.

Mitch and I ran the White Bear Lake Half Marathon yesterday. Mitch didn't even train and I barely kept up with him. But he can hardly walk today, it's quite hilarious. We had a great little trip to White Bear Lake. We got to stay in a hotel, which means we had cable for a day. We went to Potbelly's, Punch and Costco. All in all, it was perfect.

Mitch + Sarah + Chicago = Chicago Marathon

(Jonny, Matt, Mitch, me, Braden & Kimball)

10.10.10

Mitch and I ran the Chicago Marathon yesterday with Jonny, Matt, Braden and Kimball. Everyone finished and did an amazing job. Mitch was awesome, he kept me going until the end. 38,000 people ran the marathon and there were 1.7 million spectators, the spectators were on every single block. It was awesome. I am so HAPPY it's over.

Here's a little break down of the marathon, my thought process:

Mile 1-6: "Marathons are awesome. I love running. I want to complete my goal to run 50 marathons in my life."

Mile 8: "I hate running, I never want to run again. I am soooo thirsty."

Mile 13.1: "Half way, we are making great time. I am loving every second of this. There are billions of people everywhere."

Mile 14: "I feel like a million bucks. I am still thirsty."

Mile 15: "There are 11 miles left!! What!"

Mile 19: *I was trying to pass someone and I feel flat on my knees and hands. My left knee started to bleed and I was trying so hard to hold back tears, a few came. Pathetic, I know. Then I started hyperventilating. I had to calm myself down. It was awesome.*

Mile 20: "Six more miles. I can run six miles any day. No problem."

Mile 20.1: "My legs and knees hurt. Still thirsty and it's hot."

Mile 20.5: "Only half a mile since 20, geez."

Mile 21: "I can totally do this."

Mile 22: "Four miles left, this will all be over in 40 minutes."

Mile 23: "Almost there."

Mile 24: "Two more, this is easy. I feel like my right knee might actually fall right off."

Mile 25: "Yes, yes, yes!"

Mile 25.2: "I only have run .2 miles?"

Mile 25.4: "Where the heck is the finish line?"

Mile 25.8: "Are we not to the finish line yet?"

Mile 26.2: "Done, done and done!"

Mitch and I finished the race holding hands. Cheesy, I know. It was awesome. A day later, Mitch can hardly walk and I still feel like my knees might fall off. But I swore that I wasn't going to run a marathon again and I am already thinking to myself, "Which one is next?"

Happy running.

Loves,

Sj

P.S. My brother Chase is here! We are so excited to have him here.