ahhhhh-ctober

oh glorious fall....how blessed i am to live in st. louis now where i actually get to live and breathe four full-fledged seasons. i must say that i consider october to be the best of the fall months. or maybe i'm just saying that because this particular october has been fantastic....

the first weekend
you knew it was coming.........a blog about the half marathon. i "half" considered not writing about it because i almost cannot put into words the sheer awesomeness of this day. let me just paint you a picture...
4:45 am--awake to 43 degree weather
4:50 am--breakfasting on a yogurt/orange juice/ice cream smoothie plus a pint of gatorade water. dressed in tank top, two shirts, jacket, cropped running pants, leg warmers, earmuff headband, sunglasses, gloves, stopwatch, glide, socks, shoes.
5:25 am--on the road and headed to the starting point (a 30 minute drive)
6:30 am--finally reach a parking spot after sitting in stop and go race traffic
6:40 am--lose the legwarmers and jacket, bag check, and final porta-potty break
6:50 am--pre-run jogs up and down the side of the parking lot, some shivering (nerves or cold...can't tell at this point)
7:00 am--bunch up with the 9 minute mile group
7:05 am--kiss marcus and wish him good luck as he leaves for the 8 minute mile group
7:10 am--listen to the national anthem in a silent sea of 8000+ runners
7:15 am--gun goes off and we begin to slowly herd toward the starting line
7:17 am--off and running to the chariots of fire theme....classic, race people :)
7:19 am--remember to start my watch a minute and a half late (argh)
7:22 am--lose the gloves and shirt number one, which i have designed to "tear away" but cannot tear through the final hem....so over the head it goes, tattered and in mid-stride
7:25 am--mile one, done
7:26 am--mental check....remind myself that this is a once in a lifetime "moment" and settle in for the long haul
8:06 am--approaching the halfway point, turn the corner to see a magnificent current of people flowing for over a mile across the missouri river bridge.....sheer wonder.....will never forget it
8:23 am--nearing mile 8 after an incredibly long incline up the bridge, desperate for some of the infamous energy "gu"
8:25 am--gu in hand, gu in mouth, gu in throat, gu nearly back up and out of my mouth along with 8 miles worth of water shots......wow.....like eating berry flavored mud
8:29 am--feeling like my feet are made of iron and wondering when in the world this miraculous burst of "energy" is supposed to kick in!!!
8:31 am--suddenly passed by a wave of other runners. gu burst?
8:32 am--get my gu burst
8:50 am--about ten and a half miles in and realizing that i am now passing the farthest distance i have ever run in my entire life.
8:56 am--finishing mile 11, have to walk for the first time, 30 seconds to swish my water and hike up my knees.....must....keep....going.....
9:03 am--plodding past mile 12 marker, in a total mental battle with myself not to stop. legs are complaining, but stride still going...
9:07 am--people start passing me in their last adrenaline burst. i have nothing left to give except my autopilot gait.
9:10 am--final corner. finish line in clear view. feel like there is no way i can "push" past the last tenth of a mile any faster.
9:11 am--hear the finish line announcer yelling "one minute.....that's sixty seconds left to get in under two hours!" that was my goal. panic.
9:11:01 am--somehow find my adrenaline reserve stored way down the basement of my soul and blast the last hundred yards across the line
9:12 am--nearly vomit on the sidelines trying to catch my breath
9:13 am--get knighted with a medal
9:14 am--meet up with marcus and a pure emotional burst of accomplishment
9:16 am--take a MANDATORY stretch break in the grass lawn as my legs begin to scream at me...obviously need to put some hills into my next training program!
9:20 am--filter through the tent for bananas, cookies, gatorade, cinnamon buns, and beer
9:21 am--wait in line for our bags, meander around the after-race area, listen to the band, look for our times as they're posted...official time, 1:55:50
9:50 am--head to the finish line to watch others cross and wrap my head around what has actually just occurred
9:51 am-11:00 am--cheer and cry like a baby when every other person finishing the half and the full marathon comes down the last stretch. emotional basket case, but in a good way.....sigh....this hour is one of the most proud of my life thus far
11:00 am--agree to head for the shuttles that will take us back to the starting line
11:05 am--require another stretch break before cramps set in
11:25 am--reach the parking lot and challenge marcus to a jog all the way to the car.....because it feels better to run than to walk....no kidding
11:40 am--arrive at local place for food and a glass of beer.....sit in a daze and pick over our plates in silence
12:50 pm--home
12:55 pm--on my way to walgreen's to buy epsom salt
1:35 pm--soaking in a tub
1:58 pm--best nap of my life
3:41 pm--planning my next race ;)

first full week
so monday, i'm limping around school with my stiff muscles and end up in the teacher's lounge for lunch. in walks my principal to use the microwave. she spots me and they says, "hmmmm. i'm going to ask you a few questions but you're not allowed to ask anything in return." um..ok..........
"are you going to be here tomorrow?"
"yesss"
"what are you doing around 10 o'clock?"
"well my kids go to P.E. at 10:20."
"ok. well i'll just say that around 10 o'clock you can expect something that will make your day better."

that was it. talk about pins and needles for the next 24 hours! what in the world!?

so....i assume that someONE is going to be in my room for whatever billion reasons i can't imagine. therefore, i put on some of my more decent "teacher" clothes that morning and go about my usual routine with the kids. i honestly got kind of caught up in teaching for a while and sort of forgot about the clock. then, lo and behold, in walks the superintendent, two other district administrators, my principal and four office max representatives. in tow is a new rolling office chair, big vase of flowers, an ENORMOUS box stuffed with goodies, and a poster blaring "a day made better!" it turns out that my principal had nominated me this summer based on my performance last year, and i had been selected for the city-wide area. i was totally surprised and honored by it all. kind of a whirlwind moment. i was so taken aback that they actually had to beckon me over to the "prize" area and sit me down on the chair to take pictures. it's rare, but i was genuinely speechless. needless to say, i was floating on cloud nine the rest of the day, afternoon, evening...

i had specifically planned to get an "after-race" massage this night, so it was just like the icing on the cake. seriously, the most perfect massage i have ever experienced. maybe because my muscles needed it, but maybe because it was just a crazily marvelous day altogether. i had marcus take me out for dinner to celebrate. it's not often that a girl gets to feel so lucky in life. what on earth did i do to deserve this beautiful streak?

second weekend
the best thing about october.......oktoberFEST! last year's oktoberfest was not only our first introduction to the true st. louis spirit, but also our inspiration for a trip to germany. this year's was not quite as influential, but it did have pretzels, bratwurst, giant mugs, and festive music. if anything, it just made us miss munich. i think our next oktoberfest had better be in the place where it originated....just to keep it interesting.

second full week
my friend was turning thirty, so friday night she invited a bunch of us to dinner. her choice.....a greek tapas restaurant with belly dancers :) giant gyros, hummus, pita bread, wine, good company, and custom belly dance lessons from a scantily clad woman with hand cymbals = one lovely night.

third weekend
my sister debra had arranged for a group of her in-laws to meet and run in their very first 5k together. since st. louis is a great halfway point for everyone, we gladly played host to a party of 9. it was just a short 24 hour stay, but any chance for us to run is welcomed with open arms. we met up with everyone at the pumpkin brew race at 4 on saturday. i must say, running a sprint-like 3 mile course just two weeks after a steady 13 mile course is not as easy as i had expected. although my time was really great, i completely burned myself out by literally bolting through the first mile, running the second, and jogging the third. lesson learned. thanksgiving 5k, watch out. with some proper pace training, i'm going to blow you out of the water :) tasty pumpkin beer and good company made for a content little weekend mid-way through the month.

upcoming
we leave for our fall mini-vacation wednesday morning. destination: california. agenda includes: pebble beach, redwoods, san francisco, golden gate bridge run (of course), point reyes, napa and/or sonoma, and my cousin's wedding. you'd better believe there will be a blog to follow...