30 Days until 30!

WTH! I had a doctor's appointment yesterday morning and she began with "Now, that you're 30..." Hold on, wait a minute. I still have 30 days until 30. I plan to enjoy every last minute of my 20s. Therefore, I'm going to chronicle these final 30 days revisiting past passions, continuing my love for swimming and running, trying new things, and taking a few risks. The culminating point will be a deluxe spa day at Natural Body Spa at SJTC.

The Lemon Bar

I rediscovered the Lemon Bar this summer. It was a favorite spot for Steve and I SIX years ago when we started dating. Did I really just say six years?!?!? It's attached to the Seahorse Motel in Neptune Beach and has a gorgeous patio overlooking the ocean. The breeze is always just right and the view spectacular. We spent many afternoons and evenings riding our beach cruisers around town but somehow always ended up parked at the Lemon Bar. This past summer, we have been trying to spend more time doing those "date-y" things again. It's been a wonderful time and somehow I have found myself parked at a picnic table at the Lemon Bar with my orange dreamsicle. We still have our matching red breach cruisers but they are looking a little rusty. Kind of charming to be honest.

4th of July Weekend

Steve and I decided to provide our living room/dining room with a makeover. We wanted new paint and bamboo flooring. We planned our DIY project for the 4th of July weekend. We started Wednesday night by tearing out the carpeting, taping, and getting the primer on the walls. We continued through the weekend and were able to wrap up the paint job. However, the bamboo floor installation continued on just a "bit" further. We love the finished product and the opportunity to do something together. Oh and yeah.... let's just not mention the fact that the paint color is "almost" the same as what we started with. It doesn't truly show in the picture but it is more of a tan.... rather than a beige.... catch my drift.

I did it! I slayed the "Green Monster!"

It is impossible to tell someone in Jacksonville that you are a runner without the following standard response... "Oh do you run the Gate River Run." I'm not really sure why the GRR is the indicator of how serious a runner you are but in this town its how you are metered. It's kind of silly really because the GRR is a 15k and my usual race distance is a half-marathon. So hey... I'm getting off 4 miles easy. However, I really really did not want to run two consecutive weekends. Somehow I dragged myself to the expo on Friday and registered. I actually credit this to two things... my friends on SparkPeople that told me to just do it and the fact that I had already posted on my announcement page to my students that I would be running the GRR.

My complication this year was my class schedule. Every other Saturday, I have class at UNF for my doctorate cores. I had already missed a Saturday class in January for the Disney Marathon weekend. But I also knew that if I wanted to be considered a "runner" in this town I had to complete the GRR. So, it was a compromise. I would run the GRR and then head directly to class.

To be honest, the GRR is a right of passage and if you live in Jax and run you have to do it. For this reason alone, I will most likely run it every year. However, it is one of the most disorganized runs. Runners are on their own to self-report their expected pace. Right... like anyone is going to self-report they are a 12-minute miler. Somehow, I ended up stuck WAY in the back of the pack and spent the first three miles dodging walkers. The route was absolutely gorgeous! Jax spectators were a ton of fun and the make-shift water, Gatorade, and even orange stands set up by residents were awesome. Everyone talks about the "green monster" aka the Hart Bridge that you hit during the final mile of the run. I was expecting the worst but came out with the best. I ran the entire way up the "green monster" and felt great the whole way. The downhill sprint to the finish line rocked my world. I have never finished a race this strong. I think part of the reason why the finish felt so good was that my endurance was beyond what was necessary for a 15k run. Despite the crowded route, I still made a time that I am happy with. It was my first 15k but it would be pretty unfair to call it a PR.

And... there were 77 kegs waiting at the finish line. Just kidding... I only had a beer but it was quite refreshing. Hey.... you need carbs after running 9.3 miles.

Now the true hero of the day was Steve. Why? Because he is my number one fan and greatest supporter in the world. He woke up at 5:30am alongside me and drove downtown in the ridiculous traffic. He made sure I was cozy warm in my sweatshirt until I had to load into the corrals. He was at the finish line screaming "TK GO GO GO" as I sprinted to the mats, and he made sure I was comfortable and hydrated afterwards. Steve took me to one of my all-time favorite breakfast spots "Secret Garden," dropped me off at class, picked me up from class, and then spent the evening hanging out with me and my ILs after the GRR! There is nothing in the world better than having an unbelievable husband that will sacrifice his Saturday so that I can declare I am a true runner in Jax!

Pssst.... I learned that despite running the GRR in Jax I am not a "true runner" until I have had the pleasure of peeing in a bush during a training run. Darn it!

*Pics to come...

Run, Princess Terikay, Run!

It's true! I was a princess for an entire 2hrs and 16mins. The Disney Princess Half-Marathon was a wonderful way to spend time away from Jacksonville with Steve. He truly treated me as a Princess the entire weekend. Friday late afternoon we headed down to Orlando and straight to the expo at Wide World of Sports. I was absolutely elated to learn that I was assigned to Corral A. Can you believe it?!?! Running became a "serious" hobby less than a year ago and I have already worked my way up. Okay, so it's a little skewed because it was nearly 99% females running, the majority of which were first time half-marathoners, but hey I did it! Oh and I was truly a Princess and my race bib says so "Princess Terikay." After the expo, Steve took me to Portobello at Downtown Disney for wine... I mean carb-loading. We split a fantastic bottle of a red blend. Thanks Dad for turning us on to blended wines! The anti pastas were fantastic, my entree was unbelievable (Chicken Meatballs with broth), and the Chocolate Paradiso cake... magnificent. It was a wonderful evening with Steve!

Saturday was a lazy day hanging out at our hotel room. I'm not sure it can be classified as a hotel room as we are truly spoiled at the Hilton with a kitchen and wonderful balcony. I read while Steve completed some programming. We had brought lunch from home and then headed to Downtown Disney to meet my Spark buddies. A little history here... I joined SparkPeople three years ago and it truly brought a lot of joy and peace into my life. About a year ago, I joined a SparkTeam through SparkPeople of ladies training for the Princess Half-Marathon. We have develop virtual friendships and this would be the first time I would meet the members face-to-face. It was amazing! There were several ladies that I felt as though I had known all my life. We even made plans to see each other again at both Disney and non-Disney running events. It's such a cool feeling to show up to a running event and already know people. Steve and I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed back to the hotel to sleep. It was daylight savings so I would already be losing an hour.

Sunday morning, I woke up feeling a little terrified. This would be my first run without Steve. I wasn't really sure how I would feel being alone. I had spent several hours earlier in the week creating a "Princess Half" playlist for my iPod. I put some of my favorite songs with Steve on there including the song he proposed to (You Are So Good to Me by Third Day) and our ceremony departure song (It's Not Unusual by Five Irony Frenzy). Steve stayed by my side until I departed for the corrals. Immediately, I became sad but knew that I had trained for this event. It became a mind game to stay focused and I started repeating phrases I used for swimming "My lane my race my time," "Alone with my thoughts you choose will they be positive or negative," and "You are only against yourself." Once the run was underway, I felt fine. I stuck to my training and ran a smart race. I had a very tough mile four and five when my left shinsplints started acting up. I just kept repeating "Pain is temporary, quitting is forever" over and over again until I realized sometime during mile 5 that the pain was gone. Now, I had mile 6 and jelly beans to look forward to. Yes, I run for my Jelly Belly Energy Beans because they are just that good! Before I knew it I was entering Epcot and heading toward the finish line. One of my pet peeves about organized races is that the beverages at the end are never cold. But there was Steve with an ice cold red Gatorade. Ah... instant joy!

So here's a little confession... at the end of every race I cry. I release every emotion in my body and let it all out for one beautiful minute. Yes, running is my therapy. Unfortunately, this may be the healthiest addiction in my life but could quite possibly be one of the most expensive. It's pure joy!

WDW Marathon 2009

Story of the WDW Marathon Weekend 2009 to come....