I feel so sunny today!
The weekend was wonderful. I feel so rested and refreshed and de-stressed and proud of our accomplishments (and just a little sore
). The world around me seems full of possibilities and promise. The last time I felt like this was after the Disney half marathon. I can see why people make distance events a part of their lives. We met a man who has done 28 marathons and was planning to do 2 more this past weekend. If he's feeling like this, I can understand the drive to keep that feeling in his life on a regular basis.
Erin suggested that I keep one of my medals in a desk drawer at work. That way, when work seems overwhelming and I'm feeling less than confident, I can hold that medal and remember this feeling, remember that I am stronger than I know, remember that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I have my Ocean City medal out on my desk, where I can see it and remember these feelings when work starts to press in around me. I just can't bear to put it in a drawer quite yet.
Physically, I feel better than I did after the Disney half. I guess all those things they say about "muscle memory" must be true. My body seems to be adapting to these longer distances - hooray! The scale shows that I gained 3 pounds over the weekend. Now, I did eat whatever I wanted but I didn't eat that much, and I remember bringing quite a few pounds of water weight home from the Disney half. My rings are tight but my skin is really dry so I know I'm retaining water. I'm making it a priority to drink like a
today.
So today it's back to reality. I have 2 meetings and a boatload of work but I'm feeling so darn positive about life that work isn't feeling like a burden at the moment. I sure hope I can hang onto this feeling for a while!
1. Devotions - Just as we sand and refinish furniture that is scarred, God is refinishing us, and I bet, just as we admire our handiwork, God admires the work He has done to restore us.
2. Pills - will take them with breakfast.
3. Water - finished 1 mug and will be drinking 4 more.
4. Healthy eating - B = oatmeal, L will be a burger, snacks will be an apple w/ PB and a banana, D will be something healthy that I pick up from the store on the way home from work. I'm hungry for healthy food again - YAY!!
5. Exercise - I'll walk just a mile or so at a leisurely pace to loosen up the muscles. My Marathoning for Mortals book says no heavy exercise for 2-3 weeks, to give my body a chance to repair the damage from the half.
I'm looking forward to a good day.
I am so happy for you! 
Have a wonderful, peaceful and somewhat relaxing weekend. You will come back a new woman, ready to refocus on the workload ahead! 
I'll be carrying each one of you in my heart tomorrow! 
Go Erin! 
but at least the sun was shining and the skies were blue. Erin was the strong one, making this half marathon stuff look easy. She was my inspiration to keep going. She was usually a few paces in front of me, encouraging me to keep going. We THOUGHT the worst of the wind was over and the course was flat, until mile 12. We turned a corner and saw a long uphill grade with a bridge at the top, and the bridge looked like it rose straight up into the sky!!! We walked up the hill and made it to the bridge. The winds on the bridge had to be gale force - there is just no way to describe the force. It literally was impossible for me to walk in a straight line, blowing me sideways. Knowing that the finish line was supposed to be just over the bridge, Erin and I plodded on. We crossed the finish line together - I think Erin said the time was 3:13:47, though I could be off by a few seconds. We did it!!
aside for a couple of days. 
