My heart is heavy as I write this, and I can’t keep my emotions from coming through, so I apologize in advance.

As most of you know, this past weekend was supposed to be a weekend of joy and triumph as I participated in the Boston Marathon. Unfortunately, it was the complete opposite. But I will start from the beginning.

The weekend started out perfect. My parents came into town on Friday and took Eric & I to Texas Motor Speedway to watch some race car driving action. Eric had never been to the race track before, and he loved every second of it. When I was younger, I went to MANY MANY races to cheer on Dupont’s driver, Jeff Gordon. [My dad is a Dupont paint distributor at his company, so he was automatically my fave.]

Anyways, we had a great time and we got to tour the garages, which Eric had a field day in.

Saturday, I was able to see my sweet Alpha Chi Omega sisters at my friend's hometown wedding reception. Icing on top of the cake before we left for the race.

On Sunday morning at 7 am, my parents and I flew to Boston, leaving Eric here in Dallas since he couldn’t get off from work. The nerves were definitely getting to me around this time, just because I was knew I was capable of a WAY better time than last year, and it was 24 hours before the race began.

Once we arrived in Boston, we picked up our rental car, and drove to the expo. The expo was insanely crazy. I didn’t realize how many people went to expos at the last minute to pick up their bib and packet. I thought it would be empty! But no, it was insane.

After the expo, we went to the hotel to rest take a nap, and ended up eating at some hole-in-the-wall restaurant for my pre-race carb loading. It was actually really good! I had my doubts, but apparently Yelp didn’t disappoint. Usually around this time, my pre-race jitters are in full force, which they were. I pretty much always get like this before a race, and for some reason, this time it was even more extreme.

Dad ate this...

And I ate this!

When we got back to the hotel, I laid out all my running gear, nutrition, accessories, and stuff to check in my race bag. Pre-race ritual of mine. I couldn’t really sleep due to the nerves, but somehow I managed a good 5 hours. Record!

I woke up at 6 am (thank you, late start race!) and was on the shuttle to Athlete’s village by 7:30 am.

Once I got there, I got into my zone. I waited in line at the porta-potty (of course, so was everyone else), and I laid out my trash bag on the ground, put on my sunglasses, put in my headphones, and sat down. This was it. My training had gone well, my fitness level was at an all time high, and I was ready.

I was freezing.

Beautiful morning & beautiful race weather.

{Thinking back, to that morning, I should have noticed something was out of place. I’m not sure if many of you are watching the news, but apparently there is a rumor going around that police were tipped off that something was going to happen that day. Not sure if it’s true, but as I looked around race morning, I noticed that there were more cops than last year. As well as police dogs. So who knows.}

When it was time for my wave/corral to get in place at the start, I went to the bathroom one last time, checked my bag at the buses that were headed to the finish line, and got in my corral. I said one last prayer before the start, praying to God that I would finish the race, and stay healthy and uninjured along the way. {Little did I know, that he would have His mighty hand over me the whole time.}

The race started and I was off. If anyone has ever looked at Boston’s course map and elevation changes, it is intense. The first 5-6 miles are pretty much all downhill, with the occasional bump in the road. The middle of the course is all rolling hills, and starting at mile 17 or 18 is where the infamous “Newton Hills” begin. This includes Heartbreak Hill, which is around mile 21. After Heartbreak Hill, it is pretty flat and downhill the rest of the way to the finish. I don’t know if any of you have every tried to run 5 miles of downhills successively, but if you have, I bet you would agree that running downhill is worse than running uphill. I dread downhills. They rip up my quads and when you have straight downhill for more than 3 miles, it is not pleasant. Yes, you may go faster, but I promise you will hate it after the race.

Don't mind my angry face...I was in the process of throwing my gloves to my rents.

I have a habit of starting out too quickly in races [who doesn’t?], and I consciously tried to tell myself to slow down, especially since I knew it was downhill for the first part. I stayed about an 8 minute pace for the first 2 miles, which is good for me (it means I was enforcing my strategy of going slower), but by mile 3, I was back down to a 7:30-7:45. Then the rolling hills came. They slowed me down a bit, but not too much. Once I hit the halfway point, I was staying strong at a 7:45 pace. Newton hills came up, and it was all I could do to even keep an even 8 minute pace. I started hitting 8:30 and then on heartbreak hill, I even hit a 9 minute pace. Ugh. I was not a happy camper. The Boston marathon is all about strategy. And I guess I just hadn’t been strategical enough. By the time the last downhills came, my quads were already shredded and it was all I could do to keep an 8-8:30 pace. Most of you know that this really upsets me. When my training had been about a 7:30 pace, this just pissed me off. Regardless, I finished the race around 3:43, which isn’t a PR, since my last race was a 3:31. But overall, I am pleased with my time, for 2 reasons: I beat last year’s Boston time by a long shot (thank you, extreme heat in 2012), and secondly, I came in before 4 hours and 10 minutes {which is when the chaos began}.

So peaceful.

Once I crossed the finish line, I actually teared up. I never get emotional after races, except the Boston Marathon. Last year, I was sobbing, mostly due to the conditions and how miserable I was feeling, but this year it was because of how joyful I was. I had such a wave of emotion hit me after the finish...joy, triumph, excitement, and happiness. This is what everyone should feel when they cross the Boston marathon finish line. Unfortunately, the day quickly turned from a day of triumph & joy to a day of sadness & loss.

So cold after the finish.

Happy.

After I finished, I grabbed a bottle of gatorade, a bottle of water, a heatsheet blanket, and my medal. Then I had to walk about a half mile to the buses that transported my bag of stuff to the finish, while weaving in and out of people. Once I grabbed that, I had to walk about another half mile to find my parents. I was literally SHAKING when I got to my mom & dad. I was freezing cold. When I started walking after the finish, it was like the wind decided to pick up and start swarming around everyone. This combined with my body temp starting to cool down had my teeth chattering and my body shaking. I changed into my warm up clothes that I put on over my running gear, and then we decided I needed to get somewhere warm. So we picked up our stuff and walked about 2 minutes when all of a sudden, we heard a sound that you would only hear in war.

My dad said that my eyes bulged out of my head and that my face went pale. For some reason, I felt like I knew exactly what it was, but I asked my dad, “what was that?” I didn’t want to register the fact that it was an actual bomb. My dad immediately went into police mode and herded my mom & I towards the train. It was then that we heard the second bomb go off. Looking back, it felt like HOURS between the 2 explosions, but I later found out it was only seconds. It was like everything was in slow motion - my mom lagging behind wanting to find out what it was, me hobbling along trying to move as fast as I could, my dad telling me I was doing good and yelling at my mom to move faster. We finally made it to the train station {me limping down the stairs} and we made it on the train right as it pulled up to the station. We didn’t even buy tickets.

Ya’ll, I can’t even explain how much of a whirlwind this was. But yet, it seemed to go in slow motion too. I was so in shock, that I didn’t register it until I got into the shower at the hotel and I just sobbed. The tears just started to flow. For the people injured, for the families of those injured, for the dead, for the runners, for the spectators, and for myself - that God chose to save me from the direct effects of the bombs.

Bittersweet ending to the day.

I can’t even count how many people called/texted/tweeted/facebooked me, asking if I was ok and telling me how happy they were that my family & I were safe. I feel like I didn’t get off my phone for a solid 2 hours. But I am so happy that I was. I would rather be talking to my friends and family than be sitting in a hospital bed with my legs gone, or worse, dead. I know this is hard to read, and trust me, its even harder to write. But I am filled with so much emotion. I can still hear the bombs going off and I have cried every day since the race for the people involved. I was only indirectly affected, and I can’t imagine what those directly involved must be going through. It pains me to think about it and my heart aches for them.

After I got out of the shower, I called Eric and just told him how ready I was to be home and see him. I told him I loved him and that I missed him. Experiences like this really make you count your blessings and not want to take anything for granted.

Flowers from my sweet hubby waiting for me when I got home.

My parents & I watched the news the rest of the night. I felt like I couldn’t really be happy about the race because of the bombings. And to be honest, I haven’t actually looked up my exact time or the details of my run on the results website. I feel like the race part never happened....its the bombings that I think about when I think about the marathon. Don’t get me wrong, I am proud of my run and I am proud that I finished Boston for the 2nd time, but I am still not truly happy.

I am still so shaken and so freaked out about the whole thing. I think it’s because I have a big heart. I always have. Everything affects me to the extreme, regardless of if I was directly involved or not.

The next morning, we were worried that we wouldn’t get out Boston. But we checked our flight (at 3:30 am), and it said it was still on time for 6:50 am. So we dropped off the rental car and got bussed to the airport. When we got inside, the security was INSANE. FBI agents, police officers, drug dogs, and TSA officers were everywhere. But being that we got there at 5:30 am, the line wasn’t long and we got to our gate in plenty of time. Thank goodness. I slept a fitful sleep during the flight and I can’t even tell you how happy I was to be back in my home state on Texas soil. I was finally home, away from the madness and away from the fresh memory of the bombings.

News crews at the airport.

I am so thankful to be safe and sound, with my husband, back in our tiny apartment with our crazy 2 dogs. Thank you again, friends, for your sweet words and for your concern. I am so appreciative of all of it & it means SO SO much to me. I am thanking God every day for watching over me during the race and after it. So incredibly thankful.

As a friend, I ask you this...

Please pray for Boston and please pray for peace for the people and the families involved. I wish there was more I could do, but all I can do from Texas is pray my heart out & pass the word along to others to pray. Also, please pray for our country. My heart is aching for not only the victims of the bombing, but for our country. It saddens me to know that our world has come to this. It makes me sick to my stomach. In all honesty, I think I am also just very angry.If we can’t run a marathon, one of the most innocent sports there is, without the possibility of being bombed, then what can we do anymore? I don't recognize this world anymore.

{Lord, please come quickly.}

Romans 5:2-5

"Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

John 16:33

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Well friends, it's that time again. The time where I pretty much do nothing but eat and chug water and slow down on the running. That's right....it's taper week!
Guess what is in 5 days?! BOSTON. THE BOSTON MARATHON.
Umm, when did this happen? I swear it feels like I just raced in Houston.

This year's Boston will be my fifth full marathon. So crazy.
I'm not going to lie, one of the reasons I am running this year is because I am prideful and need some sort of redemption. Plus, I love to run ;)
 Last year, I ran my worst race yet. I finished Boston in 45 minutes slower than my qualifying time, due to  intensely high heat and a super high heart rate. Not something to mess with when you have a heart condition.

I am planning on running this year's race for my own personal redemption and to beat my Houston PR.
My training so far has been WAY better than my training last year. I'm not 100% sure why that is, but I feel stronger, faster, and fitter. I am ready.

I am what is considered a "squeaker". If you receive Runner's World, then you probably have read the article about "squeakers" and the Boston Marathon. Basically, I barely squeak in. Squeakers qualify by 5 minutes or less. 5 minutes on the dot, yall. I am not ashamed of this. I am fast, but not fast enough to be considered in the first wave. Which I am totally ok with. I am perfectly fine with being in the front of the second wave. (There are 3 waves and MANY MANY corrals within the waves for the race)
I deserve to be there just as much as the next person, regardless of the time I qualified in. I still qualified and I plan on running to the best of my ability.
No shame.

Getting this bad boy in the mail last week made everything real.

I just can't believe it's finally here.
This week consists of lots of rest, carbs, and stretching. My parents & I are flying out Sunday morning EARLY, going to the expo, running the race Monday, and then coming back Tuesday EARLY. This is what happens when you are in school. No more vacations. ;)

While there, I plan to somehow get Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher's autograph. They are my idols and I want to be them when I grow up.

Look for them! They will be in the front, probs in first and second place.

So while I am ingesting high amounts of calories and drinking my weight in water, you can keep up with all the Boston Marathon happenings via the website and my bib #. Or, you can even watch it online here starting at 8:30 am (central time). My wave doesn't start until 10:20 and my bib number is #14149.

On another note, Eric & I have been quite the busy bees the past month or so. But nothing new there. With me in school and having a job, and with Eric having a job, we don't really get much down time. Or sleep for that matter.

I went to my first "big girl" speech path conference in March with my friend, Addie.

Gig 'em & Sic 'em.

It was so informative and such a blast. We learned a ton and got lots of speech path freebies. My kind of place.

We also have visited with some family, went on a couple dates, caught up with friends, and enjoyed the down time that we do sometimes have.

Sweet Sawyer Beth.

Here is what our dogs have been up to:

I think her tongue is too long for her mouth.

Colbie's been hoarding all the toys...

Biggio celebrated his 4th birthday in March....

Such a big boy!

Colbie's been hoarding more toys...

And they have been snuggling in Biggio's tiny kennel.

They are out of control. It's unreal.

For updates on my Boston trip & race, follow me on Instagram! I will make sure to post pics when we get there. Also, I will blog about the race the week after, so make sure to check back for an update!
Here's to hoping for a fast and speedy, and injury-free race!
WISH ME LUCK :))

I have a lot of people ask me what my fave running items are, so I thought I would take the easy way out and do a blog post on them! So enjoy...

1. A good pair of running shoes.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to get good running shoes before you start training for a race. My favorites, are my Brooks Launch and my NB 1400. Love them! For a longer run shoe, I usually wear the Nike Pegasus. Go get fitted at a running speciality store, AKA Run On! ;), and have them pick out shoes that are great for your specific feet and activity. I promise, you won't regret it.

2. A running watch

I use the Garmin Forerunner 610. It's my favorite! It has a lot of special functions, which a lot of beginner runners don't really care about, so find one that fits your needs and fits for you.
I recommend doing a lot of research on them to find the perfect one. You may want to start with a basic watch, like the Nike sport band, and then work your way up to a Garmin watch or Polar watch. I love the heart rate function/band attachment that many watches come with, especially so I can keep an eye on my murmur.

3. GU
This is my go-to nutrition supplement during my longer runs. I don't run a race without it. It keeps me going during the parts of the race where my body is beginning to break down muscle instead of fat. There are many different varieties of gels, so find one that works for you!
My fave flavor is Island Nectar...it's about as yummy as these things can get ;)

4. Fuelbelt & Spibelt.
For my longer runs, I usually use my fuelbelt. For my shorter runs and races, I usually wear my Spibelt.
My fuelbelt is velcro, so it fits perfectly around my waist and it has 2 water bottles on it. Although, you can get them with 4. It also has a small pouch, perfect for a couple GU's and my keys.

The spibelt has a spandex material pocket that can fit SO much stuff. I can fit my phone, house key, GU's, and headphones in it and it doesn't usually bounce around. Only downside is it doesn't have water bottle attachments. But that's why I carry it for races and short runs.

5. Body Glide
This stuff is a lifesaver. This product prevents chafing! It looks like a deodorant stick and you just put it on your body in areas that are susceptible to chafe. I swear, it is a miracle worker. The only time I have ever had a problem with it coming off was when I did Boston last year and I was sweating so much that I couldn't keep it on. (sick, I know.)

6. KT Tape
When I have had tendonitis in the past, this product has helped me out so much! I use it all the time now during long runs and races when I know that my tendonitis may flare up again.

It is like a wrap that actually moves with you and stays on while you sweat. I can keep mine on for about 2 days, and even shower in it! Love this stuff.

7. Foam roller
Do yourself a favor and go buy a foam roller. It can be a cheap one or an expensive one. The firmer the foam roller, the more painful, but also the deeper it will get into your muscles. Once you get the foam roller, youtube exercises that you can do with it. I promise this will become your best friend after races.

I have a foam roller, but I also have what is called "the stick" and it fits in my suitcase, so I can travel with it to and from races.

8. Compression sleeves (or socks)
I use CEP compression calf sleeves for after I run marathons. I wear them immediately after I am showered from a race to aid in recovery. They increase blood flow in your legs (and arms if you get arm sleeves) which in turn promotes muscle recovery. I am obsessed with mine. They are also festive if you get them in different colors ;)

9. Yurbuds
I don't usually wear headphones, but if I am on the treadmill or just going for a shorter run, I always wear my Yurbuds. They are headphones that are used a lot with Ironman participants because of how well they stay in your ears. They go in your ears and then you turn them so they basically "lock" in your ears. I can literally tug on mine and they won't budge.
I love them!

10. Road ID
I highly recommend this to anyone, but especially if you have a health issue or something important you would want someone to know about if you were unresponsive during a run.

They come in many different sizes and colors and styles. I wear one on almost every run, especially during races, because of my heart murmur and arrhythmia. I know I have talked about them before on my blog, but I just know how important they are in times of danger. And they aren't that expensive either! Contact me if you want a $1.00 off coupon.

11. Running rainjacket
I know this is a random add-on to the list, but I keep my Brooks rainjacket in my car so that I can go for a run even when it starts to rain. It is waterproof and windproof and it has saved me multiple times!
Go find one you like, but I love this one...

12. Thera Pearl
This is basically a glorified ice pack. I use my ALL the time. Especially lately with my tendonitis. They are made of "pearls" that you just put in the freezer and keep for whenever you need it. They have all different sizes for different parts of your body.

13. Gatorade, gummi bears, & Special K protein drinks
I am clumping these all together because they are all food items.
I use gatorade and Special K protein drinks for recovery and I use gummi bears for during the latter part  of races and longer runs. I get a little bored eating GU for 20+ miles, so I throw gummi bears in there for fun because they are YUMMY and because they are sugars/simple carbs that give me a quick burst of energy. I can't believe I just gave away my secret weapon, but I did. Now you all know! ;) I buy the tiny packs of them that are used at bday parties and such, so I can fit them in my belt.

The grape low-cal gatorade is my absolute favorite. I drink it pretty much every weekend, all weekend long. That's when I do the most running (Friday-Sunday) so I usually am running more than an hour each day. I don't recommend it if you are running for less than 60 minutes or burn more calories than you are taking in, just because it's extra cals that you don't need. Stick to water if you are just going out for a quick 30 minute run, but drink some sort of sports drink if your workout is longer than an hour.

The Special K protein drinks are sometimes my breakfast if I am running out the door in a hurry, but they also make good recovery drinks for me! They are full of vitamins and the proteins I need to recover, and they taste amazing.

I hope this answers some questions and helps other people know what products are out there! If you have any questions, please let me know! I am happy to help and I love talking about running.

Have a great week :)

It’s better to have run and gotten injured than to never run at all.

As most of you know, I am currently nursing a small injury right now...tendonitis in my right foot. Not being able to run for 7 days, 18 hours, 36 minutes [totally kidding…kinda], has made me think about why I run and realize why I love running more than the average human being.

I can’t even count on two hands the amount of times people have asked me why I run. I get that question all the time.

“Brittney, why do you run? I just can’t run for that long.”

“I get bored.”

“I have so many other things to do.”

“It’s hard.”

To be honest, I am always blindsided by the question. It stops me in my tracks for a minute. Why do I run?

I run because I can. Because when I do, I get to test my limits, see how far I can push myself, and aim to be an extraordinary runner.

Running is so much more than exercise for me.

Sure, it started out that way, but it has become so much more than that. I ran competitively all through junior high and through high school, and then recreationally all through college. I have the genes for it, I have the experience for it, but I also have the heart for it.

Running is how I find my inner peace. It’s when I talk to God the most. It’s how I let out stress, anger, anxiety, joy, & happiness. It’s how I release my build up of emotions.

I run to get out of my head. It sounds silly, I know, but I get to release everything and think clearly. And I get to escape myself and the stresses of life for a little while. It’s the only time I can wander to my own special work and no one can reach me. When I’m running, it’s the only time my thoughts are quiet. Don’t get me wrong, some runs I am constantly speaking into my phone about things to add to my to do list, but the majority of the time, it’s just me. And my running shoes. And the road.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a competitive and passionate person. And you can see that through my running. Running is how I express myself. My passion shines through most during my runs, especially during a race. I am constantly setting new goals and working my butt off to reach them. I have a constant drive to beat myself. I have a need to constantly get faster. Sometimes I think it’s a game I subconsciously play while I run. During races, I love the feeling of knowing that I couldn’t possibly have given anything more and that I did everything I could to run to the best of my ability. There is beauty in that feeling.

I also run to explore. It is the way I explore new cities or new environments. When I was in college, I think I ran every inch of Waco (except the sketchy parts). And when we moved to the outskirts of Dallas, you better believe I explored our new city on foot. It’s so much fun! And I get to learn my way around by doing a sport I love.

I’m one of those people that get jealous when I see someone running when I am driving in my car. I can’t stand that they are getting to run when I can’t. I know, it sounds stupid, but that is seriously how much I love running! I would run every minute of every day if I could.

Some people always stop me around this point, and say, “Britt, this still just doesn’t make sense to me how someone can love it this much to want to do it as much as you.”

Running is the only thing that I love that I am actually really good at. Running is one of the only things that I have stuck with for more than 10 years that I legitimately enjoy doing. How many other people can say that? Sure, it’s kept me fit and healthy, but it has also made me such a better person. I am disciplined and motivated in everything I do because of running.

Running as made me a better person, inside and out. I do better in other aspects of my life because of running. In school, I am more focused. At work, I’m not as antsy. I sleep & eat better. And I feel like myself when I run. Running as truly helped to make me the best version of myself. (Along with other things of course ;))

Some say I am addicted. And some say I’m crazy. But I am just a runner with a love for pounding my feet on the pavement (sometimes a treadmill) every single day.

The sport itself is truly wonderful. And I couldn’t be more passionate about it.

The saying goes, “if you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.”

This could not be more true. Props to anyone who is running out there in this world, but I have so much respect for people that run marathons. It is not easy. Not at all.

Marathoners train for countless hours per week, log countless miles per week, and still manage to have a life. Then come race day, we put it all on the course. We endure the pain and fight off the little voice in our head that says “you can’t finish the last 3 miles”; we find the determination and strength with absolutely no energy left to help us cross that finish line. It is an unexplainable feeling that comes over us when the line is crossed. It’s one of wonderment, exhaustion, beauty, pain, and pure joy. We turned one of the hardest events of our lives into something to be proud of, regardless of the time clock.

Once the pain & extreme soreness subsides, we are getting right back out there, ready for the next one. Running marathons has truly changed my life.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me through all my races, my track meets, my training, and my running days. You know who you are. You have made it so easy to go out for runs during holidays and on weekends and you know it’s just something I have to do. You are truly the best!

So there you have it. The long version of why I run. I hope this will help some people understand the crazy side of me now ;)

So many things have happened in the past few weeks! Our lives has been slightly chaotic, but what's new, right?

For starters, I started back at the running store! Part time of course, due to my crazy school schedule.

Also, I started school again yesterday. Blah. I love it, but this semester is going to be super challenging.

This past weekend, Eric & I went to Conroe/Houston for the Chevron Houston Marathon. I ran the full marathon on Sunday, and set a new PR by 1 minute! Not much, but still enough. It was such a cold and wet day. It was 40 degrees and it rained, and even sleeted for a couple miles during the race. I remember starting to feel numb to the extreme weather/temp and then once I crossed the finish line and started walking, I became EXTREMELY cold. I felt like my appendages were going to fall off. I had no idea it was THAT cold during the race, not to mention, my body temperature was going crazy.

This may be TMI, but I also had stomach issues after about mile 10. My pace was about a 7:20 min/mile all the way from the start to the halfway point, but after those stomach issues hit me, it decreased by about 30 seconds per mile. No bueno.
But now that this race is over, I have Boston to look forward to and maybe a couple smaller races in between.

Carbo-loading?!

I am kind of going backwards, but during the expo, when I went to pick up my packet and bib for the race, Ryan Hall was there signing autographs. I had planned to get in line to get it, but by the time I got there, they had cut the line off since he was speaking soon after. I was so disappointed! Ryan Hall is one of my running idols and I couldn't wait to meet him in person. Instead, I was a creeper and my mom took a picture of me while he was autographing for someone else...

Ryan is running the Boston Marathon, so hopefully I will get his autograph and a pic with him then.

Over the weekend, we also did a couple other things. Our cousin, Becky & her husband, Michael, had their second child, a baby girl named Evelyn last week. So, we paid them a visit in College Station to see them and to meet their new baby! She is absolutely adorable and was just so content being passed around from person to person. What a trooper. Her older sister, Cora, was as cute as ever. And such a big help to her baby sister.

Evelyn Clare...so beautiful :)

We also went to my cousin, Jason's, 2nd birthday party. He is obsessed with Elmo, so of course, it was Elmo/sesame street-themed.

When we got home from the race, school started full swing. And I was the gimp wobbling & limping from class to class yesterday and today. And tomorrow too. I'm pretty sore still, but nothing a little R&R won't fix.

I have a tendency to speed up the recovery process after a marathon just because I can't wait to get back out there, but I am really trying to take this one slow. Especially because I found out today that I strained a tendon on the bottom of my foot during the race.

I went to the podiatrist today and found out the news. I have been having some pain on my foot ever since the race and it has really been killing me. I literally can't walk. So, the doc gave me this cool band to wrap around the middle of my foot that has a pad that goes under my arch, and keeps the pressure off the part of my foot that hurts. It's really cool. And it has definitely eased the pain! Now I can actually walk!

Other than all of this, I have been working on finishing up my transfer graduate school applications. And guess what?! They are ALL DONE. Seriously, what a relief! It is like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Now, it's just the waiting period until April. Once I find out where I get in, Eric & I may have some news depending on where we want to be for a couple years.

Please pray for us!

I hope everyone has such a great week!

I am going to have a good time laying on the couch. Wait, who am I kidding? I don't ever lay on the couch. ;)