Weekend Review {03/04}

FRIDAY

After work and school, I grabbed lunch, headed home to pack, took a quick nap (since I was driving later), and then Teh PT Wife and I were off to Myrtle Beach.  We arrived around 4ish and hung out with Teh MB Stylist and Huddy-Wuddy.  Eventually, we decided on a dinner location and planned to swing by the race expo to pick up our packets before dinner.

At the expo, we picked up energy gels and some stickers, I got some new sunglasses, a pair of socks, and we both grabbed knee braces to see if it would help with our aches.  We headed to Bimini's, a seafood place, for dinner, which was maybe not my best pre-race dinner idea, but faaaaccckk dem crab legs and skrimpies were derrrrrichious.  I am now a professional crab leg cracker after the waitress cracked almost an entire cluster of crab legs for me and laid the meat out for me to eat, which was simultaneously kinda gross (because I know she (prob) hadn't washed her hands before she started messing with my food) and kinda awesome because picking crab legs is tedious AF.  I say I'm a professional because I watched her while she was giving us directions and I got out no less than 5 HUGE CHUNKS of crab meat!  #WIN

After overeating a millionty lbs of crab legs and shrimpies and hushpuppies it was time to head home.  I hadn't slept well the night before, so I was tired, despite my quick nap.  After a quick Skype session with Teh German, it was sleepy time.

SATURDAY

Saturday morning started at 0535 since it was race day!  Thankfully, traffic was not an issue in any way.  We got parked, got ourselves together, and headed to the start line.  It was Teh PT Wife's first half marathon.  We already knew we wouldn't run together, so we parted ways at the start line.

I'll be completely honest.  We signed up to run the Myrtle Beach half because of the medal.  Specifically, the Bless Your Heart challenge medal participants got for running both a Charleston Marathon weekend race and a MB Marathon weekend race.  We could have ran 5k for both races, but again.. the medal for the half was better than the 5k, soooo we did the half.  Specifically, the half medal was larger and had glitter, which the 5k medal didn't have.  Also, traveling 2 hours for a 5k is probably against something I believe in.

The race was boring, IMO.  We ran down the main tourist roads and through a new housing development/community.  That said, the course was flat, except for a "South Carolina hill" around mile 11.5 that definitely made me cuss.  It was barely an incline, but after no inclines at all.. it was a struggle.

I was kind of trying to come in under 2:20, but I gassed myself too soon at the end.  Part of the reason was that I had to chase down a lady wearing a Space Jam tank top so I could take a photo to send to Teh Sister.  The other part was the hill.  The remaining part was that I started going too fast too far from the finish line.  #YOLO.

Final time: 2:21:48, making MB half my 3rd fastest half marathon to date.  WOOT!
First half marathon (Sep 2014): 2:11:39
Sweet Tea Half (Nov 2015): 2:16:52
MB Half (Mar 2019): 2:21:48
Save the Light Half (Feb 2019): 2:26:22
Kiawah Half (Dec 2018): 2:27:38
(These are my RunKeeper times, which are a little off compared to the actual chip time since I don't always turn off my trackers until well after I've crossed the finish line).

1. Start line selfie!
2. #BookHunter
3. I'm going in the direction I'm pointing.  If you look at the flags, the wind is blowing them the opposite way.
We call that a headwind... and headwinds fucking suck after you've been running for 10+ miles.
4. Finish line KK and water.  Kthx.

Run stats.
Selfie with Teh Running Bestie who was supposed to run with us, but didn't make it due to life.
Post-race celebratory photos!

1. MEDALS!
2. Post-race exhaustion.
3. Coozies are good for keeping medals from clanking together.

I was pleased with myself.  Still under 2:30, which is my loose self-requirement.
Teh PT Wife came in at 2:53, which is awesome!  I still am so excited for her.  I waited for her at the finish chute and took photos to mark the event.  After the race, we grabbed our Bless Your Heart medals, grab a snack, checked out the vendors, then made our way back to Willow.  We went to brunch at a place I can't remember the name of.  I know that we ordered what seemed like an obscene amount of food, but IDGAF.

After foods, we headed back to Teh MB Stylist's house for showers and then we hit the road back to Charleston.  When I got home, I took my post-race nap since I was really struggling at life.  When I woke up, I hung my medals and then I gave Teh German 3 options for dinner: Mex 1, Home Team, or Lewis BBQ.

We got ready and headed out and there was some drama after I announced that my credit card was MIA.  We managed to get through that debacle by the time we made it to... Mex 1.

No food pics because hunger and our food took for fucking ever for some strange reason.  Just suffice to say that I did a substitution version of a "make your own quesadilla" and it was worth it.  After we got home, we watched an episode of The Office and then it was bedtime.

SUNDAY

Sunday funday included: house projects, homework, fish tank maintenance/tasks.  Teh German put hooks on both 9 pane windows we used as wedding decorations and hung the one in the downstairs bathroom.  A 2020 goal is to get photos printed for the panes.  Look at me being realistic.  A 2019 goal is to clean the windows.. again.

I did homework all the day long, until 3:30ish when I finally went upstairs and showered since there was a GLCK Mardi Gras gathering at a neighbor's house at 4.

While I waited on Teh German to get ready, this fuzzball and I snuggled.

We ate and socialized and endured a very summer-esque storm and then we headed home around 6:30 since the beasts still needed to be fed.  I had driven because sore legs and I was glad when I came outside and it was still drizzling. 

After the beasts were taken care of, I did one more German worksheet while Teh German took care of Teh German Time.  After, we watched several episodes of The Office.  Michael has officially departed Dunder-Mifflin and I cried when they sang the Seasons of Love parody.  I've either become a real sap in my old age or this is PMS... or quite possibly a combination of both.

Then it was bedtime.

______________________________________________

Drama aside, it was a great weekend.  I got my 3rd best half marathon time and Teh PT Wife completed her first half marathon!  We're awesome.  Teh MB Stylist will be mailing my credit card back to me.  My sore pieces will eventually not be so sore anymore... one day.  I had a massage appt at 9 this morning that helped SOO much.  Then Teh Chiro got all the pops out.  For real, probably one of the best ways to start the day/week.

This week is the week before spring break at school, and it's pretty miserable, TBH.  Metric shit tons of homework, a midterm on Thursday in the class I failed last summer (Data Algorithms), German essay, blah blah blah.  But then it's a WEEK off of school.  Of course that week is packed with activities already.  I did take time out of my homework time to draft this.. but ya know.. Sacrifices.

Teh German and I are possibly going away this weekend and next week Teh Running Bestie and I will be venturing to Pittsburgh to see Mumford & Sons.  SQUEEEE!!!

MOST IMPORTANTLY....
March 7th (Thursday) is Mer-Mer's Gotcha Day.  She'll be receiving some stashed toys and lots of snuggles and maybe some extra treats.  This year marks 5 years since Meri and I have been together.  By the time her birthday rolls around, she will be the dog who has lived with me the longest of all my adult-owned dogs.  Phil currently holds the record, but he got to 5 years 2 months.  I refuse to allow Meri to be with me less time than that.  PERIOD.  Meri will be 6 in September.  So we've got time.

Send positive thoughts for my mental capacity this weekend, Gentle Readers.
More than you know... I need it for more reasons than just enduring school.  Sorry for the Vaguebooking, but it is what it is.