Hug your loved ones a little tighter

Just a quick post tonight as I am exhausted both mentally and physically.  I received some heartbreaking news today and it was a jarring reminder that life is short, so hug your loved ones a little tighter, don't put off tomorrow what you can do today, and savor every minute of the craziness that is life.

I wish I could say that I didn't succumb to stress eating today, but the cupcake I had for a late afternoon snack and the Oreo shake and curly fries that I ate for dinner tell a different story.  I fluctuated between feelings of overwhelming nausea and an insatiable hunger, so I'm not sure what to make of it.  In any case, I will get back on track tomorrow.

It doesn't help that I haven't really been able to get in a good distance run in over a week (my race on Saturday was great, but not quite a "clear your head" kind of run).  It was bitterly cold today, but I checked the forecast and it looks like our temperatures will be in the 40's - 50's by the weekend and into early next week.  I'm looking forward to logging some miles when the weather improves!

"Enjoy the little things in life...for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things." 

Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge Run

Fair warning, this post is very picture heavy!  Wow, yesterday's 6K was an awesome race and I was so glad to be a part of a little slice of St. Louis history.  As I've mentioned, participating in the race on Saturday afforded us the opportunity to cross the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge before it opened to vehicular traffic on Sunday.  How many times in your life can you say that you walked on an interstate?  Not many.

My mom and I headed down to the race site early, since my mom was volunteering and needed to get there to help set-up the water station.  Luckily, I stayed in the car for a little while to stay warm, because it was about 17 degrees when we got to the race site with a windchill of 9.  For some reason, it felt so much colder than that.  I'm fairly certain it was colder the day that I ran the Hot Chocolate Race in December, but yesterday's race felt much colder.  We also had a dusting of snow on Friday night, so the roads were a little slushy (does anyone else feel like telling old man winter to bite it?).

After hanging out for a little while in the car, I headed down to the starting line.  Despite the cold weather, there was a large crowd gathering at the starting line.  Everyone was in good spirits and anxious to start the race and get warm.  After the playing of the national anthem and a few words from a special guest, Stan's daughter, Jean Musial-Edmonds, we were off!

The starting line

For some reason, the roads were much slushier near the starting line/finish line area, but that actually worked to my advantage. I almost always start off too fast during a race and I have a hard time pacing myself, but having such slushy conditions yesterday helped me slow down.  I settled into a good groove and made my way towards the bridge. I was able to see my mom on the way up to the bridge and she reminded those of us running that we would be running downhill on the way back.  It took me a minute to realize what she meant, but then I saw all of my fellow runners heading up a bit of an incline.  It wasn't too bad, though, because I think the excitement of seeing the bridge helped us get up the hill.

Laura, meet bridge.  Bridge, meet Laura.

Approaching the bridge

There were a lot of photo opportunities during this race and also a lot of reciprocal photo taking.  I took a few selfies, but otherwise, I was able to lend a hand to someone taking a photo and they always returned the favor, which was really nice.  I knew that I wasn't trying to PR in this race and I really just wanted to enjoy the unique opportunity that it presented, so I walked nearly the entire time I was on the bridge just soaking in the sights.  The bridge was a little slushy, too, so I didn't mind slowing down at all.

The bridge design is really neat, with two triangular towers with cables stretching from the top to the deck

View from underneath one of the towers.  Not a view you would typically see!

Another neat shot from the underside of one of the towers.

Another neat part of this race was that it involved crossing state lines.  I've mentioned before that I have a hankering to do a race in each of the 50 states and after yesterday's race, I can add Illinois to the list of states that I have raced in.  Technically, I was only in the state of Illinois for a few minutes, but I did cross the state line!  In all honesty, though, if I actively pursue my dream of running a race in each state, I will run another race in Illinois.

There it is peeking behind the stage for the ribbon cutting; the IL state line!

This is probably one of my favorite race pictures, so thank you to the nice lady who took this for me!

While the official name of the bridge is the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge, I am curious to see what name will stick in our lexicon.  As one of our traffic announcers pointed out recently, rarely do we call a bridge by its formal name.  For example, if you listen to a local traffic report, you will frequently hear about delays on the Poplar Street Bridge.  Everyone can tell you where the Poplar Street Bridge is, but I doubt very many people know its real name.  The Poplar Street Bridge is actually the Congressman William L. Clay Sr. Bridge and before that, it was known as the Bernard F. Dickmann Bridge.  I've heard a lot of references to the new bridge as the Stan Span, which I think is pretty clever, so we will see if that name sticks.

View from the IL side heading back into MO.  There was a lot of ice moving down the river. 

Re-entering MO; welcome to St. Louis!

As the conversations about naming the bridge took place, another man's name and story were mentioned.  A construction worker named Andy Gammon died in March 2012 while the bridge was under construction.  It was a tragic accident and his family has been very passionate about having his name memorialized in connection with the bridge and rightly so.  I admit that I was a bit torn about my thoughts on naming the bridge.  Stan the Man was, and is, a huge part of St. Louis Cardinals history and the city itself, while Andy gave his life building the bridge.  I knew that eventually the bridge was named the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge, but I didn't realize until yesterday that Andy was also memorialized.  As I came back into the city on the return leg of the race, I noticed a sign that said Andy Gammon Memorial Highway and I was glad to see that he was honored, too.

Andy Gammon Memorial Highway sign

Home Sweet Home 

I resumed running after I made my way back across the bridge and it was around this time that I realized my MapMyRun app hadn't been giving me the 1 mile, 2 mile, etc. updates.  It had stopped working at some point and while I'm sure it was user error on my part, it was still frustrating.  It wasn't really that big of a deal, though, since I was definitely not running this race for time.  As I came down the ramp from the bridge, I ran into the world's best race volunteer, my mom!  The volunteers for this race were awesome and I appreciated them so much!  I made sure to thank everyone I saw for coming out on such a cold, yucky day!  The volunteers were joking with us as they passed out the water cups by advertising "ice cold water" and they weren't kidding.  I grabbed a water cup (and a hug!) from my mom and I ran with it for a little while and it froze in just a few minutes.

Best.race.volunteer.ever.

Not too long after the water station, I crossed the finish line and grabbed some post-race snacks.  My official finish time was 57:53 (3K split 29:19), so not a PR by any stretch of the imagination, but an amazing race nonetheless.

Hello, finish line. 

On the way back to my mom's car, I met a really neat man.  There was a gentleman in bright orange coveralls walking a bit ahead of me, but I ended up catching up to him.  As I began to pass him, he asked me if I was doing the bike ride.  As part of the festivities yesterday, recreational bike rides across the bridge and six-mile timed trials were available for cyclists to participate in.  I mentioned to the man that I had just completed the run and he told me he was scheduled to participate in the 10 a.m. bike ride.  He said he thought he was overdressed for the occasion and I assured him that he wasn't and that, in fact, I was under-dressed for the weather (more on that soon).  He told me that he was turning 75 tomorrow (Sunday) and he thought it would be an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity to bike across the bridge.  He said his grandkids thought he was crazy and I told him that he really showed them!  He was really excited to participate and I just thought to myself if I have half as much zeal for life as he does at his age, then I will be lucky.     

After the race, my mom and I went to Starbucks to get some liquid warmth and by then, it was pretty clear that I had not dressed properly at all for the weather.  It was clear before then, I suppose, but there wasn't much I could do about it by the time I got to the race.  I plan to write an entire post about this later in the week, but after doing some research, I've come to the conclusion that I had frostnip (it's a thing), which is the mildest level of frostbite.  I am ok, but I definitely learned a lesson!  

"A single run can take you many places." 

Race Re-cap Forthcoming

I promised a race re-cap tonight, but I am so sleepy that I can barely keep my eyes open and that doesn't bode well for a coherent re-cap.  I will definitely post about the race tomorrow, but in three short words:  It. was. awesome!

Sorry to be a buzz kill, but I'm exhausted and my bed is calling my name.

Until tomorrow...

My first race of 2014 is tomorrow

Tomorrow, I am participating in my first race of the new year, the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge Run, and I am really looking forward to it for a number of reasons!

1. I get to be one of the first people to cross the newest bridge connecting St. Louis to the east side!  I will be sure to take a lot of pictures tomorrow as I run across the bridge.
2. It will be the second run I've completed this week and I'm going a little stir crazy, so it will be good to get some fresh air and run.  We have had snow and bitterly cold weather again this week, so outdoor running has been out of the question and I haven't been able to make it over to the rec center at work.  Excuses, I realize, but I'm also fighting some sort of chest congestion, so I didn't want to push my luck.  
3. This race is a 6K, which is neat, because it isn't a typical race distance.  Stan Musial's number when he played for the Cards was 6, so this race is a 6K in his honor.  This equates to about 3.75 miles, which is a good distance for me at the moment; not too long and not too short.  
4. The race swag is pretty sweet.  I like the Cardinal red shirt with a rendering of the bridge on the front, as well as the race bib and the commemorative medallion we received.  I love having the medallion as a little piece of St. Louis history.  My great-great Grandfather helped build another prominent bridge in St. Louis (the Eads Bridge) and while I didn't help build this bridge by any means, I think the medallion will be a neat memento to pass along to my boys and their kids and so on.  Someday, maybe my great-great grand kids will say My great-great Grandma ran across the Stan Musial bridge when it first opened!  Pretty cool!

   

   Front of the commemorative medallion

   

   Back of the commemorative medallion

   
   

   

   Race bib, shirt, and medallion

5. My Mama is coming to volunteer at the race, so I will get to see her smiling face at the water station near the finish line!  I love that my mom is getting involved with races, too!  
6. This race is the beginning of my 2014 race season and I have a pretty full calendar this spring/summer!  My upcoming races include the St. Patrick's Day 5 mile race in March, my half in April, the Zoo 5K in May, the Komen St. Louis Race in June, and many more!  

I suppose I should call it a night, since I have an early wake-up call in the morning!  Stay tuned tomorrow for a race re-cap.

"The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running."

Stress, stress, and more stress

Sometimes being a grown-up blows.  I think back to being a kid when my biggest stress involved deciding what cartoon to watch after school (Duck Tales or Tale Spin or Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, so many choices) and I miss that carefree time.  No bills, no job stress, no gnarly commutes, no real sadness, just innocence, optimism, and living in the little bubble that was my world.  I don't mean to wax poetic, I am just feeling a bit nostalgic and truthfully, a little overwhelmed.

I alluded last week to the fact that someone I love dearly is going through a tough time and I didn't mean to be cryptic, but I also wasn't quite ready to share.  My dad is having some health problems and while there are some indications that things are somewhat better (at least superficially), I am not sure what the long-term outcome will be and it is a bit overwhelming and stressful.

I don't think I've ever felt more like an adult in my life; it's quite a culture shock when you are used to your parents caring for you and you have to switch gears and take care of them.  There is a lot of information to process with the added complication of not living in the same town (or state for that matter) as my Dad.  I didn't blog last night, because all I wanted to do when I got home was curl into a ball and go to sleep and I did just that.  My awesome hubby took the boys downstairs, fed them dinner, bathed them, and got them to bed, so I could go to sleep.  It felt good to get some extra sleep and that always seems to give me a better outlook on things.  

The other thing that helps me get a little perspective is running and unfortunately, I haven't been able to run since Monday due to old man Winter making his presence known.  We got probably another 5 or so inches of snow and today, it has also been incredibly cold.  Tomorrow is supposed to be even colder, so I'm hoping to go to the Rec Center on my lunch break to get in some cross-training on the elliptical.  I didn't make it out for a long run (or any run) over the weekend, but I did go for a run on Monday and got 3.5 miles in, which felt good. 

I have been stress eating a little bit, but certainly not to the extent I normally would.  I did have a Pepsi at lunch today and a cookie from Bread Co., but I refrained from a Pepsi at dinner (I ordered it, but before the server could walk away, I changed my order to a water.  I was good!), which I considered a small victory.  I have really been trying to watch my soda intake and have been doing really good.  I try to only have a Pepsi once a week or so and last week, I had one on Friday and one on Saturday.  Sometimes I don't really have much of an appetite and other times, I'm ravenous, so I just need to be mindful of what I'm putting in my stomach when those hungry episodes come around. 

I have the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge Run on Saturday, so I am really looking forward to that!  It will be a neat experience to run across the new bridge to Illinois before it opens to vehicular traffic.  I'm hoping that some of this snow melts and that the temperatures are a little warmer on Saturday.  I'm not picky; I'd settle for the 30's at this point. 

Do you have any races on the calendar this weekend? 

"Worry less, run more." 

Running Brings Us Together

I've been thinking a lot the past week about the blog swap that I participated in with my fellow Girls Gone Sporty Ambassador, Kristen.  I re-read our posts on our respective blogs and I was amazed at how different, and yet, how similar our stories were.  We come from different backgrounds and we have taken different paths in life, but in our early years we both had great disdain for running only to find that we loved it! I was reminded of how powerful running can be in that it has the power to bring together people from so many diverse backgrounds.

Nearly every running blog that I read or every runner that I meet says the same thing: I never thought I would be a runner or Previously, I couldn't even run a mile and yet, every person has become a runner and has well-surpassed the mile mark.  I fall into both of the above categories and here I am in the midst of training for a half-marathon.  We all come from different backgrounds, different stages in our life, different ages, different genders, different physical abilities, and varied reasons for taking up the challenge of running; and yet, when we lace up our shoes and hit the pavement, we become united in a common goal to challenge our body and our mind to reach beyond our limitations.  We all began as skeptics and yet, we fell in love with running and keep pushing our boundaries.

I guess the real point of my above rambling is to say to anyone out there who is questioning whether they, too, can be a runner, the answer is yes.  If you search the Internet, you will find so many wonderful running blogs that began as doubtful journeys and turned into amazing successes.  Running is certainly hard and I think you will find that is also a common theme in the running blog world, but in my experience, most good things are often hard and more than worth the hard work.  So have faith in yourself and your abilities, put on your shoes, and hit the pavement.  You'll find that you learn so much about yourself and you'll want to keep running to learn even more!

Editors Note:  The above thoughts make complete sense in my head and I know what I'm trying to express, but I am really tired, so I don't think it is translating well on-line, so forgive my random thoughts today! 

I love the quote below; I feel like at 31, I am just learning how to sail my ship!

"I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship." 

It's official...

I've signed up for my first half marathon!  There's no turning back now and that is really, really exciting!  I had planned to sign up by the end of the day today, because I thought in doing so, I would be guaranteed to have my name printed on my bib.  However, I went back to re-read my e-mails from the race organizers and it clearly said you needed to register before February 1st to have your name printed on your bib.  Fail on my part.  This is what happens when you don't read e-mails clearly (or more likely when you are uber-stressed and have 81 million things on your mind, but I digress), but it's ok, because I've decided I will probably buy some scrapbook stickers and put my name on my bib anyway.  For some reason, it just sounds really neat to have my name on my bib.

As I was scrolling through the GO! St. Louis Facebook page tonight, I came across a link they posted to a Daily Burn article featuring the 50 best half-marathons in the U.S.  It was a really great article for many reasons; the half marathon I am participating in this spring is listed as the Missouri race (awesome!) and this was also a great way to flag some races for my lofty goal to run a race in each state.  I recently heard about the Mayor's Midnight Sun Half Marathon which is featured on this list as the Alaska race and I'm sold.  I love Alaska (Matt and I honeymooned there almost 10 years ago) and the race is held on the summer solstice (aka the longest day of the year), which I think is pretty awesome. Check out the article here.

I guess reality is sinking in about the half marathon as it seems much more legit now that I'm registered!  I know I will be ready to tackle it head on, but now more than I ever I need to be mindful of my training plan, eating well, and taking care of myself in all aspects of my life.  I am so excited about this race and I can't wait to cross the finish line!  I had hoped to get a 6 mile run in this weekend and I haven't given up on that yet, but I am waiting to see what the weather is like tomorrow.  The sidewalks and roads were very slick tonight, as the rain we had during the day was starting to freeze as the temperature dropped.  The last thing I need to do is slip on some ice and hurt my tailbone, again.

Tonight I had the pleasure of taking my mom out to one of our favorite, special occasion restaurants.  It was a special occasion, after all.  We were celebrating her one-year anniversary of being smoke-free!  I promised her this time last year that we would go out to celebrate on her one-year anniversary and celebrate we did!  We had a delicious dinner complete with an amazing bottle of moscato, steak, and dessert.  Yum!  Mom, I am so proud of you for taking control of your health and quitting smoking!  We want you to be around for a long, long time and we appreciate it so much that you are now smoke-free!  Congratulations!!

Have you participated in any of the races listed on the list of the 50 best half marathons?  

I love the quote below, because I know I will never be an elite runner nor will I ever win a race, but I will sure give it my all!

"If you can't excel with talent, triumph with effort."