piecing it all together
This weekend I had the privilege of spending time with my running BFF in search of the perfect wedding dress. When I think back to planning my wedding, the dress was the pivotal piece. I was debating over several different dresses and couldn’t decide. Each one had a completely different feel, and would call for a completely different style of event. I remember when I put on “the dress.” I said, “This is how I want my wedding to feel!” And after that purchase…all the other decisions were easier. Things started falling into place. Hopefully, now that she has her dress it will feel like everything is coming together.
No, that’s not the dress that she choose…we just had to take a picture 
Speaking of everything coming together (like the transition…?) let me tell you about my crazy long run that I did on Monday. True, its not on the same level of crazy as Hungry Runner Girl (who just ran a treadmill marathon on Monday, you know for kicks and giggles) but it was definitely interesting.
Mr. Dawn was out of town. That was the first obstacle. Usually he’s there, watching the pre-game show, to encourage me to go get my run done. Or he helps set the treadmill at the perfect angle so that I can watch the football game while I run. Without him around I usually lolly gag around the house and end up running in the dark. I decided that would NOT be the case this time. I quickly texted my running mates to see who would be up for running a little with me today. I got two takers and that was enough to get me out the door.
So, I pieced together my run: 2 miles from my front door to the Gazelle’s house, 8 windy, snowy, hard core 8:30 paced miles with the Gazelle, 1 mile to the front door of my friend that just ran the Disney Marathon, 2 nice recovery miles with her, 1 mile back to my house, and finally 3 miles on the treadmill.
It was during those 8 dreadful miles that I decided that I would run the last leg inside. It was so windy. We had a hard time breathing. I had a hard time not coughing. But it was actually the one mile back to my house that almost did me in! I was running directly into the wind. By then I’d been running for almost two hours. My hands were frozen, swollen, and throbbing! I almost started crying they hurt so badly. I have never, ever, EVER experienced something like that. I’ve been cold here and there…but nothing like that pain.
Once I got home I turned on the faucet and ran lukewarm water over my hands to try to bring them back to life. It burned! Slowly I got the feeling back and the tingling went away so I could finish my last few miles on the treadmill.
It was an interesting way to get in 17 miles. But its done. Next week…20! I can’t wait! I really do love running long, and 20 always feels so amazing The forecast is for sun and 18* which would be perfect.
WAY to get it done! Brava!
That sounds like my kind of run ( except ive never run anything over 6.5 miles) but switching up the scenery amd who you are running with sounds great! Plus i bet you got a little walking/ rest time in your transitioning and I love that!
Wow 18 degrees! I am cringing thinking about the mid 20s I’ll be running in. Good luck!
Yay! We are so cute and you are a fabulous bridemaid!
I look like a giant though when you don’t have heels on.
I am glad you got your miles in, even though they were rough miles!
Love you!
I so wish I had run that with you! I had the long run today and it was BORING by yourself. You are so clever and wise!
yay weddings!!!!!
I LOVE running long too, I was so happy to be up to 18 last week!
Wow, I’d be so scared if my hands got that numb.
Thanks for the Daily Mile tip. I’m totally from another planet and haven’t joined yet… but I’ll look into it!
YAY weddings
Im ready to get back into training.. hard core!
you are brave! That cold sounds painful! I’ll be thinking of u for inspiration on Saturday when we do 8. It’s supposed to be below 0 that morning here in madison,wi. Brrrrrrr! 18 degrees sounds soooooo nice right now.
What an impressive run! I can’t imagine running with frozen hands. Nice work.
sorry I missed the windy run!!! sigh. keep inspiring me!!!
oh you guys are so cute!
thanks for your wise words. i think you’re right. i put in a prelim rank list today, just to “get th eprograms listed” and then realized that there’s probably a reason that i put them in the way i did. so unless i get a big epiphany, they’re staying that way.
DO see the king’s speech. worth every penny. sooooo good.
i am the same way about runs…..if i have the day off/not much to do/boyfriend out of town, i will dawdle around until i get some motivation to actually do it, at which point i usually struggle through the run because i run best on a (mostly) empty stomach
Woah, you’re hard core. I skipped running today, and it was 70 degrees out. Now I feel like a bum!!
You and your BFF are adorable! Love your hairstyle!
What a crazy long run! I know how cold you felt! It burned after my long run in the freezing rain a few weeks ago too…Brr…I would have a tough time doing any on the TM.
Best wishes on the 20 next week! Does everyone have 20 next week? I am on a cutback week this week.
Cute dresses- My dress was just a bargain. Haha!
Eeek! Oh, man, I do NOT do wind very well at all!! Especially freezing cold wind! Good for you for getting it done
Good luck to your friend. Wedding planning is so much fun! I picked my first wedding dress (how sad..”my FIRST”..oh well…)out of a magazine and had to go to really great lengths to find a store that would get it in. It was truly a princess gown and now it sits in a box downstairs with the warning label “THIS GOWN HAS BEEN CLEANED AND TREATED. DO NOT EXPOSE TO AIR!”
As for running…GREAT GOING GIRL! 17 AWESOME MILES no matter how you did it. The wind is my worst enemy. I’ve met people who enjoy hills and speed training but I’ve never met a runner who enjoys the wind.
Way to go!!! That is some crazy mileage!! And definitely a great way to get it all done. Great job!
I guess the upside is that at least all that cold and wind kept the long run interesting? Yikes!
I have a funny wedding dress story – I found one that I loved from J Crew’s wedding line. I ordered it, tried it on, and showed it to me mom, who thought it was great but wasn’t sure it was “wedding-y” enough. She wanted me to look at other dresses before I decided, so we went and tried a bunch of things on, and I ended up buying one that was more “wedding-y,” though that I didn’t love. Plans continued and we got to the week before the wedding, and the dress still just wasn’t sitting right. I looked online and the J Crew dress was gone, and then on a whim, I decided to look on ebay, where I found the exact dress, brand new, in my size, for $23. I ordered it Sunday, it came in the mail Tuesday, I brought it in for minor alterations Wednesday, picked it up Friday, and got married Sunday. And I still love the dress
AMAZING RUN GIRL!!! Seriously, I guarantee that run in the wind and cold was way harder than my run in the ac gym!!! YOU ARE MY HERO!!! Love the picture…um, you are gorgeous!! Billy totally has to push me out the door because he knows I will be super grumpy without the gym. Great run!!! Boston will be here before we know it and we will get to hang out!!!
Your long run sounds a lot like mine last weekend — very pieced together, and frustrating because of the conditions. But it’s awesome that you got it done!! I think training during the winter has taught me to be incredibly flexible. haha
And I can’t believe you’re up to 20 already!! How many 20s will you do in training? I agree that running the 20 miles really does feel amazing (after the fact). It makes you feel so legit.
Glad you had fun wedding dress shopping! My sister is planning her wedding right now, and she said the same thing — once she found THE dress, everything else just started falling into place.
(like a lot of the other gals before me…) YAY weddings! So exciting for your friend
Also, way to kick ass and get through that long run in those conditions! I completely know what you’re talking about with the whole frozen/throbbing/painful cold hands thing. It’s hard NOT getting those when it’s freezing outside! But you did it!
BRRR!!! I love the cold weather for running, but only until a point. have a GREAT 20!!!
You watch football while on the treadmill!? That would scare me outside.
great run
Nice run! I am hoping for some teens weather this weekend . . . must get outside to run!
You are amazing!!!!! I am envious of all these ‘higher end’ miles. I’m still running the ghetto miles =) Great job!