Okay With It

Janae over at Hungry Runner Girl recently posted about perfectionism.

It's something I've been thinking a lot about lately. On February 26th, I'll be running the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon.

And you know what? Nearly everything has strayed from my plans.

-I barely trained for my 10k (but I finished with flying colors).

-I was really sick from mid-December to mid-January and I jumped into my half-marathon training plan with some two-mile runs and a six-mile long run the first week.

Oops.

-I got sick AGAIN and it looks like my longest run before the race will be 8 miles.

Only 8 miles.

(Did I ever think I would say "only" 8 miles? 8 miles was an impossible distance once upon a time.)

I realized, training or not, I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Life gets in the way of plans sometimes. I've learned to accept this lately, but sometimes it's hard to take a scary plunge when I've been looking forward to this for so long.

So, I'm leaving for the trip just about a week from now.

I'm okay with whatever happens.

I will finish, even if I'm walking across that finish line.

And I'm okay with it.

I know this race will be tons of fun and a great photo opportunity. After, I'm looking forward to cross-training (conquering my fear of spinning once and for all?!) and running shorter, speedier distances. It'll be nice to run for the sake of running again.

Would you rather train with a purpose (a race, or for charity, or an event) or just for your own benefit?

I love planning, so I like training with a purpose. I think I'll appreciate cross-training a lot more now, though, especially because in college I can really take advantage of a great gym.

What makes you decide to venture out when you have other responsibilities? Friends? Family? A midnight run...or a midnight run to get ice cream?

Tonight I decided, heck, it's open mic night and my boyfriend is playing a set. I'm going to go. I'm glad I did-I had a great time and it was nice to hang out with friends. I've worked hard lately and I deserved it.

Diligence, Dancing, and Dorkiness

Friday night, I went out for sushi and to a cozy venue for a singer-songwriter performance with Max. It was a lovely evening, but I was exhausted and turned in early. Is this what tons of running and homework does to me? I guess so!

On Saturday, I took a break from homework to go see The Vow with some girlfriends. Cheesy, as I expected, but with a satisfying ending. I liked it.

I hurried home to get ready for the Yule Ball...after a week of being fairly responsible and diligent, I was ready to dance!

(Me and Max before heading out...did I mention it was flurrying?! Freezing out!)

(Mel and me at the dance...we had a dancing pre-party and we were SO READY, including to our latest obsession, "We Found Love in a Hopeless Place")

We all crashed in our room with some...unexpected guests...until the wee hours of the morning, telling stories and being goofy. The master storyteller had an omnipotence not pictured here, hehe.

(How many people can you fit in a room meant for two people? One, two...)

(Three, four...)

And two more on my bed!

I confess to skipping my 9-mile long run in favor of homework and laziness. I didn't get much sleep. I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I need sleep and to keep my grades up, and I'l stick to my long run this weekend.

The next day, Mel and I were being goofy with packages from home. Our parents had shipped us dresses for the dance, and WHAT ELSE are you supposed to do with these except make a robot?

(The expert robot-designer, hard at work.)

(The finished product! I barely look human, right? ;) )

Happy Monday!

On Mondays I look forward to pancakes from the dining hall. =D It's also my favorite day of classes, so I really don't mind Mondays. What's your favorite day of the week?

I was soooo hungry the other night that I stuck pb on a spoon and dipped it into cereal. Do you have a go-to late night snack? (I try not to snack much at night, but sometimes you must.)

I really REALLY like chocolate milk. I mean, really. I think I consume enough chocolate milk for twenty people a day, late night or not.

Late Night Laundry

Wednesday I went to yoga with Mel...I could finally do the chair pose without completely dying! It was intense, but it felt good.

Then...late-night laundry!

A friend surprised me by making extra chicken nuggets in the kitchen...wooo for an unexpected snack!

I decided to treat myself to some waffles-a-la-mode this morning...for no other reason than the fact that it has been a crazy week. Very stressful. It was almost *too* sweet, though. I think I prefer my usual combo of peaches and whipped cream, instead.

After classes and some homework, I ran with L for a speedy three miles (splits were 10:23, 9:50, and my watch died, so...I'm guessing 10-10:20ish).

We went to the Relay for Life rally!

I had a giant salad and baked penne:

And then I piled peppers on my pizza, yuuum.

I've been listening to so much Glee music lately ("I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is SO SINGABLE while studying!), but I haven't watched any tv.

What's your latest tv addiction?

I miss watching Glee and White Collar, but there's simply too much going on for tv time too!

My friends have weird nicknames for each other. Mel alternates between calling me anything from puppy to pumpernickel (really). Do you have a nickname?

I've called her jellybean and sour patch kid. Sense a trend in my nicknaming? Hehe.

Pastel de Nata and B19

So, this past Saturday, I ventured into town with my friend A and Mel to look for dresses. There's going to be a Yule Ball this weekend (woohoo!), and it's semi-formal, so we were on the hunt....

(Passing some cool shrubbery-people)

(We needed another goofy roomy photo. Stuffed dinosaur? Check.)

We stopped at a bakery and I treated myself to a pastel de nata, something I'd never heard of. It's a Portuguese egg cream pastry...or so I read on the menu! Delish.

(So flaky and goooooood.)

Although shopping in town (and trying on elegant dresses in thrift stores!) was tons of fun, we turned up empty for something we could *actually* wear.

Home to the rescue! My mom mailed me a package, and I got it in the mail today. I love getting mail, it's one of the coolest feelings in the world.

(Totally worth the long wait in line.)

After some cheese quesadillas and a salad with iceberg and shredded lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cheddar, refried beans, and lots of guacamole, we headed to bingo (sorry for the blurriness...cell phone camera). I had some oreo cheesecake that I devoured too quickly to photograph...oops. Custard-like, but deeelicious.


He's hard at work on B19.

(Out of our entire table, none of us won. =( Bummer.)

And if you were wondering, it's completely normal to wander by a first-floor dorm and peek inside to see what they're watching (Food Network!) Not that we did it....

Good Tuesday. Time for some more homework and SLEEP!

I had so much work today that I'm skipping my run. Do you get workout guilt?

Oreo cheesecake! Yeeeaaah! Do you have a candy/dessert combo, or unusual favorite dessert?

Super Bowl Sunday Shenanigans

Saturday night, I ended up chatting with one of my friends about half-marathons, so I didn't fall asleep till past two am...but long run at 10 am the next day we did! Huge thanks to L for accompanying me on the beautiful trail even when he was exhausted. We took a few stretching breaks and did our best to ignore our rumbling stomachs. We hit six miles at 1:17...at the entrance of the dining hall. Perfect timing!

Sandwiched between L and Mel. Yes, we are THOSE people that ran straight to the dining hall instead of showering...yikes. The BF isn't pictured...but he showed up to enjoy my sweaty company, anyway. What a trooper.

After a relaxaing afternoon, we all piled into the lounge to watch the game on the projector. Go Giants! Wooo!

(Cheering the team on after stuffing ourselves with pizza and chicken wings!)

Yup, just some college students having fun. But I've gotta say...Mel is a big fan of creepy photos.

(Like this one. Girl knows how to capture my beauty, let me tell ya.)

I'm still recovering from my food coma, phew.

Did you watch the game?!

It's Monday. I'm exhausted and swimming in homework. Any concentration tips?

Go Long!

The past two Sundays, I've been going long. 7 and 8 miles, both new distances for me! (1:38 and 1:40 respectively). It was pretty eye-opening to see how much faster I run outside rather than on the treadmill.

I was so proud of my 8-miler that I took a photo:

(Yaaaaay! 8 miles!)

It was a nice, relaxing run. I love Sunday long runs. They give me time to meditate, ruminate, and, I admit, belt out some Flight of the Conchords alongside Taylor Swift. (Yep, I've got quite an eclectic mix of music.)

I've been trying more gym classes--I tried a dance class yesterday and Zumba'd it up today! On top of that, I ran a quick three miles with a friend. Half-marathon training and socializing has never been so exhausting!

My roomie, Mel, smuggled me back a s'mores bar from the cafeteria:

(These are addicting. Oooh, my.)

Anyway, I'm running five miles tomorrow with a bud! YAY for half-marathon training! Time for bed...schoolwork + social life + training is exhausting.

What's your latest food addiction?

I was talking with a friend yesterday, and while I thought about running as a love and an addiction, she thought about it like a love/hate relationship...what do you think?