bright spots

mmm. there are some mornings when my tall latte from starbucks tastes particularly scrumptuous, and today was one of those days.

i am in the process of posting pics from our trip online and will point you all to them once they're up.

i feel like i should blog a little more in detail about my race, but instead of boring you with most of the nitty gritty, i will let you in on a little thing i did. this was inspired by an article i read in 'runner's world' magazine a few months ago.

i decided to break the marathon up by kilometer (in the article this was done in miles, but since i was in canada i wanted to be metric) -- and then i dedicated each kilometer to someone or something that has inspired me during all my traning or in my life in general.

then, as i ran, i would think about that someone or something during their kilometer. the idea is that thoughts of all the people and things that inspire me would keep me running strong!

it worked great up until around kilometer 16. the rest of the race i blurred everything together because i was feeling too crappy to take out my piece of paper and look at what was next. but i still thought of everything/everyone at some point... just not necessarily during THEIR dedicated kilometer!

but that's ok. these k's still belong to you.

i'm posting the list below. but although i did not explain WHY things made the list, i did explain why some of them are on the specific numbers/kilometer that they are. there isn't necessarily any correlation between the number and the reason, though sometimes there is.

also, to be clear -- i did not specifically call out everyone in my life individually because, well, there are way more than 42 people that inspire me! but many people are inherent in a general category. i did it that way for brevity on my note paper pinned to my jersey... that way, when that topic came up, i could think about the specific people related to that inspiration.

for example, when i thought about #1, i thought not only about chocolate in general, but about places where i like to eat it, or people who share a love of it with me. and when i thought #2, i reflected upon the people with whom that joke was particularly funny... friends from MIT, my pal at work who has him on a shirt, the time in my life when it was funny, etc.

that way i could think about lots of people in lots of different capacities that have all inspired me recently or with my athletic training specifically.

enough blather. here are my dedicated k's:

1. chocolate
2. trogdoooorrrr!!!
3. catfoo(d) - 3 because we lived together for 3 years
4. laurel - 4 because she is 4 years older than me. during her kilometer, we were running by an amusement park (closed) and they were testing the roller coasters. this made me smile because laurel loves roller coasters.
5. grandpa doyle
6. breast cancer - 6 because my mom has been healthy for 6 years almost
7. my company & my co-worker friends
8. to infinity & beyond! (& other funny inside jokes with people)
9. cookies - ever heard that joke about 7 ate 9? i associate eating cookies with people at my company -- cookies and coffee breaks. get it? 7 ate 9? :) but cookies also relate to other things like baking (for my bookclub, for instance! hi ladies). and coincidentally, one of my favorite hip hop songs mentions cookies in the lyrics -- and it came on during this kilometer.
10. clearwater, florida & all my high school & childhood friends from there - again, another coincidence with this one, as my ipod started playing CCR's down on the corner, which i not only associated with my childhood but, well, the group has clearwater in their name.
11. achieving my goals
12. my cousins - 12 of them (amber, zac, parker, mikey, lindsay, brooke, brittney, kelsey, sage, kirstin, adrienne, and doug by marraige)
13. not making excuses - 13 is unlucky and i didn't want to blame it for anything
14. boston - my friends there, the seasons, my upcoming trip
15. my soon-to-be-new family - sarah, shahn, robert, ed, dan, elizabeth
16. colin & sarah - 16 because colin and i shared that soccer number for many years
17. grandma mary - i think i was 17 when she passed away
18. megan geer - 18 b/c she helped me finish my first 18 mile training run, encouraging me the last few miles on bike
19. numbers! - i love them. i do math while i run. 19 is my favorite number.
20. parutronic - 20 b/c i met her for a swim and dinner after my first 20 mile run which made things much more pleasant
21. my crew team & all the bitchy b's - 21 because the morning after that birthday, i was told by my coach i wasn't a real athlete... heh. who wouldn't be hung over the morning after their 21st birthday? she should be happy i showed up at all. :) oh well. that still cracks me up to this day!
22. my dad - 22 is the day of his birthday
23. poppi
24. my mom - 24 is the day she gave birth to me
25. christmastime - my favorite holiday & time of year! why its 25 is obvious
26. our upcoming wedding - conor and i have been together for 26 months at the time of this race
27. conor - he turned 27 two days after the race
28. growing up! and how much fun it is - 28 is my next birthday
29. my apartment, bed, plants, etc. - our street address is 29
30. having my first kid - i'll be popping it out when i'm 30. i'm really excited to have kids (and for conor to take care of them)
31. allison - my sisters age more gracefully than anyone i know. you'd never guess they are 31. they'll probably look just as amazing at 91!
32. grandma sally - if i'm a fraction as in shape as she is when i am her age, i will thank my luck stars!
33. aunt bev - her memory helped me climb a mountain (ok a large hill) in colorado nearly a minute faster than i normally did. i knew her memory could help carry me in at the end of this race too!
34. my aunts & uncles & extended family
35. wine, cheese, steak
36. meditation & breathing exercises
37. happy music
38. oceans and mountains
39. vintage mustangs!
40. the impalas - my running team & my coach
41. kicking ass and taking names
42. me!