Picture Time!

Alright, folks. My personal photographer got a couple of minutes to get all of my pics up, so here they are. First, the new pony tail. I'm sure you all have been anxiously awaiting to see how short it really is.

OK, so it's not THAT short, but it used to fall halfway down my back, and now some of it barely fits up!

Marathon Pics:

Steve and I just before the start. Yes that is my lucky sweatshirt. Yes, I do wear it before all of my races. Yes, I do wash it.

Me in the middle of one of the hardest races ever.

I'm on the right. You can see the masses of people down at the finish line. I can't believe how many people were still down there by the time I got there!

My sister Steph and me, just after finishing the slowest marathon of my life (see post below to find out why). We got asked on Sat if we were twins or "just sisters." Just sisters? Has this lady ever had a sister? They're amazing, especially mine!

Well, there you have it. I didn't want to bore you with all of the photos, especially since Steve posted some on his blog a few weeks back, but I figured I'd show you what I've been up to. What else have I been up to? Well, it seems not much. I have decided to take most of the month of October off. Ironman + marathon + being sick left my body feeling like it REALLY needed a break, and with more IM goals coming up, I want to start out fresh. So, I'm working my 60 hours a week and playing Suzie Homemaker for a while. I cleaned my house and now have been working on a couple of quilts to keep me company while I catch some of the new fall shows on the tube. Boy to I feel lazy, but I know it will probably pay off later. My clothes all thankfully still fit, but I'm sure looking forward to starting up again really soon!

Happy Belated Birthday!

... to me! My 26th birthday was on Saturday, but I had to work this weekend, so this post is a little late. It's funny. Usually around the time of my birthday, I get just a tiny bit sad. It's stupid, I know, but it's happened since I turned 20. I guess sad is the wrong word. It's more like a very real awareness that I'm now officially a year older. This year is different.

I can't quite say what it is. Maybe it's the fact that they had to write "26" on the back of my right calf for my duathlon last spring to signify my age at the end of the year. That was the first time I faced another year older. Maybe it's because I managed to pack a lot into 25: graduating from pharmacy school, starting my residency, celebrating my 3 year wedding anniversary, finishing my seventh marathon, and becoming an Ironman. It's going to be a hard year to top!

I celebrated my birthday by getting up at 3 am for work. After I put in a 9 hour day, I caught the end of my brother Matt's football game. My mom, two sisters, Steve, Matt, and his girlfriend went to church and then grilled at my house. Steph had made an angel food cake - my favorite! Yum!

Pics to come soon from the marathon and my new haircut. My personal photographer has been quite busy. Apparently photographing the cover for The New York Times' magazine is more important than getting my blog photos up:) Check his story on his photo blog.

I went inline skating tonight. I only went 7 or 8 miles, but it felt great. It was my first workout since the marathon. My lungs still aren't up to par. I think I've got a bit of bronchitis yet. It's getting better, though. I know I just need to be patient, but that's not something I'm good at. I love inline skating, but usually it's my respite from running. Tri training is so varied that I don't really need a respite day, so I haven't been out in a while. The weather is that wonderful crisp feeling, and the leaves are gorgeous. It was the kind of evening that makes you just grateful for being out there, part of it.

I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty...

I have taken the whole week off so far. I walk a lot at work but haven't even thought about working out. I've been filling my time with my ginormous "to do" list and have been very successful at checking things off. Bills? Check. Phone calls? Mostly check. House cleaned? It's a never ending battle, but it's getting checked off. Quality time with the family? Working on getting it in. Quality time with the cats? Every day. I've also managed to get sucked in to some of this season's new TV shows, although I'm weaning myself off for fear of getting addicted. That leaves one major thing to check off the list - Sarah improvements. That's right, folks. I have been neglecting myself the last couple of weeks. I finally got around to giving myself a mani and pedi on Tuesday, and last night, I cut my hair for the first time since May! Just to give you an idea how long it's been, I had my bike serviced twice and my car serviced a couple of times as well in that time. By the time they were done at the salon, it looked like a small poodle had been massacred on the floor. I should have cut it before IM. The extra weight off could have meant a faster bike split:) My ponytail has gone from mid-back to barely there. Think how much room I'll have under my swim cap now!

Run Report - The Race That Almost Wasn't

This recap could also be called "Recent Ironman + Recent Pneumonia + Heat Does Not = Marathon PR." I said it wouldn't be pretty, and boy was I right. Let's just say that it was slower than my Ironman marathon split, and it felt much much worse. I think I underestimated how much time it would take for me to fully recover from IM. I got sore much earlier than usual, and although the cough was better, it was still there. My abs are quite sore from coughing while I was running.

When I decided yesterday that I would try the race today, I resolved that I would not go for time. For the first time in 7 years, this was not an A race for me. Even though my time was terrible, I'm actually happy with my performance. I started and finished it, and that was all I was going for.

The crowd was great as usual. I can't believe how many people come out to cheer. The weather was warm, about 80 degrees, and it was sunny the whole day - not my preferred race weather but nice for the race I was looking to have. I've done the course enough times to know it well, and I just tried to have fun and keep a smile on my face. The finisher shirts are sweet! Brooks brand long sleeved performance wear. It'll come in handy very soon as the weather cools. Glad I stuck it out to get it :)

My cheering section was awesome, as usual. My sis Steph, Steve, and my sister-in-law and her husband were there to cheer me on at the start. My brother Matt waited a long time to see me pass his college, and Maddy was there to cheer me on twice at the course. I can't tell you how great they all were. To top it off, Steve biked much of the course and met me at at least 10 checkpoints. He was so supportive all day. I'm not sure whether it was support or concern (probably a little of both), but I was sure glad to have him!

So... what's next? Well, for now, I'm just going to rest. I'll probably try a few easy workouts next week, maybe later this week if I'm feeling great. I've got a couple of sore spots that I'll need to nurse back. There are a lot of improvements I'd like to make on the way I trained for IM last year, and I'll probably be sitting down to figure out a pseudo game plan soon.

Pics from the marathon to come soon!