I Am Thankful

I can't lie. It's been a hard year - heck, it's been a hard last half of the year, at that. The first half was actually pretty amazing, between running, trips to Florida for fun and San Diego for work, weddings, and all kinds of other randomness! And then the second half happened. But despite the difficulties the year has shoved my way, I have a lot to look at today and realize that I have it pretty okay - and I do, in fact, have a lot to be thankful for this year.

Beyond having the basic needs met - I have a place to live, I'm fed and cared for, and despite being job-less, I still have a lot more than a lot of people have, and for that, I am so very lucky.

My family is always first and foremost. With the year we've had, I think we've pulled together better than ever. Our family cruise in April was beyond wonderful and despite saying goodbye to Papa and all the difficulty that has brought since, we're still together. Small and mighty (there are only 6 of us!), but we've got it good.

Family pre-cruise shenanigans.

Beyond just my family, my parents get an extra bit of love this year on their own. They've given me the opportunity to move home before, when I left  my job in Texas and before I got the job in Georgia. But here, having been laid off on that Friday, had my last day on Monday, and I was moved home to open and welcoming arms by Tuesday afternoon. Sure, parents can do this for their kids, but they certainly don't have to, and I am so beyond grateful my parents allowed me (and Molly!) to come back home while life sorted itself out for us. Thank you, mom and dad, for being so loving and willing to let your 29-year-old come back home and figure this mess out. If I knew any way to thank you for all you've done for me, I'd do it in a heartbeat... but this is all I've got for now! <3

Doug - my love. We had a pretty exciting year - not just as I've been back in California for over a year now, but finally got ourselves some trips and adventures to Florida, San Francisco and San Diego for a long weekend away. Between all the fun though, there were some messes, and as much as I know losing my job has impacted us and how we work (not always for the best), he's been the most supportive person out there. He gives me pep talks when I need them,  gets me to stop self-bashing on the rough days, and is my biggest cheerleader. I'm so thankful for this past year, am excited for more, and know there's better stuff coming our way. Thanks, babe, for all you've done for me, especially as we get through this... it'll end soon!

Epcot, March. 

Running, especially as it relates to unemployment, has been my sanity, my escape, my focus for the last five months. I'm thankful, grateful, happy that I'm healthy enough to maintain 100-mile months since August, that I've been able to keep up with my goals and plans, and follow through with my fitness commitments. I'm healthy, taking care of myself physically... and mentally, as much as possible.

Ready to rock! Rock 'n Roll LA, 2014.

I'm blessed with some of the best friends anywhere. My bestest friends are a little bit of everywhere - my sister in New York, San Francisco, Phoenix. Though we're usually hours apart, I know I've got them all at a phone call away, whether I need to cry (again) about job searching (again) or need a good laugh. But beyond them, I'm super thankful I've started establishing my own community here in LA, mostly via the NYR crew and/or the IERC and/or other running people in other circles. I'm thankful that I have some folks to rely on around here and that they're my growing running family too!

Rock 'n Roll Las Vegas, 2013.

This year, there are only 5 of us in my family that would have come together (originally at Mimi's Cafe), but Doug's family invited us over to join their feast! I am so excited, and nervous, as it's the first time our families have done any sort of holiday thing together! Excitement! Have a great, great, day friends - eat up and be thankful!

What are you thankful for? How are you spending your Thanksgiving? I hope it is amazing!

Race Report: MDJ Gobble Jog 10K

MDJ 10th Annual Gobble Jog 10K

Marietta, GA | 11.22.12

Heather and I found this race well over a month ago, hoping to find some sort of race that wasn't the Atlanta Half to do on Thanksgiving morning before we gorged filled ourselves with holiday deliciousness. We managed to find this one and signed up... and then kind of forgot about it (I mean, with her first half before then, who wouldn't forget it?)

Sunset into Atlanta on Wednesday.

I got to leave work about an hour early on Wednesday afternoon, perfect so I could race home, grab the dog and our bags for the weekend, and haul butt down to  Atlanta. Heather's place is on the northeast side of town, Marietta's on the northwest side of town, so it made the traffic adventure fun. Traffic wasn't terrible until I got into Atlanta proper, and then sat. Still. For a long time. Finally made my way to Marietta to packet pickup, which was held at a church just off the square. Packet pick-up itself was super easy: walk in, find your corresponding last name letter, get your shirt, and your bib, and walk out. Easy peasy. The way out of the church, however, was unbelievably horrendous - not a fun situation. But whatever. 

Afterward, I headed back to Heather's, waited on her (fell asleep, really), loaded the car and then we headed to our crash pad for Thursday and Friday - back in the direction of Marietta (I should have just stayed there!), at Radha's. Radha is another sorority sister from the Georgia Tech chapter - yay for sisters! We crashed somewhere around midnight (way too late) and very begrudgingly got up at 6:40 to get out the door, grab breakfast (gas station mini donuts, FTW) and get to Marietta Square. Another sister of ours, Brandi (the one I ran ATL with) was already at the Square and ready to roll. Seriously, the entire car ride to Marietta we were almost questioning what on earth we were doing getting up this early on Thanksgiving instead of sleeping... once we parked and found our way to the Square, found Brandi, and settled into the groove of things, I think it sank in.

Heather, me and Brandi before the race.

Gobble Jog features a 10K (which starts first), a 1K, a 5K and a Tot Trot. The route for the 5K is a loop around the north end of the Square, and through some neighborhoods in the area - an absolutely gorgeous run! Two good hills, but nothing uber terrible. Brandi had mentioned that the course was fast, and that on nearly 5K she'd done on the route, she'd PRed or come close to it. I tried not to push that fact too much, but was curious to see what I could do.

Last year, Gobble Jog featured almost 9,400 runners - can you believe that? Insanely large Turkey Trot if you ask me! This year they were hoping to hit 10,000 and had contests for the largest teams that would sign up (a church won with 192 registrants). The Square was busy, but certainly not as chaotic as you'd imagine with limited parking (we had no problem) and that many people. I was impressed with the seemingly controlled and super calm atmosphere all around. As the 10K starts first (two laps of the 5K route), they asked runners who had strollers/dogs to be in the very back, walkers ahead of them, run/walkers ahead of them, and supreme-o runners at the front. While some people decided to place themselves, I appreciated the effort that a) the race organizers did to try and make this happen and b) that most runners complied! Amazing! 

At first, I planned on going all out, just to see what I could do - and quickly learned at hill 1 that was just not going to work. 15 minutes in (okay, not bad) I opted to try this run-walk-run cycle in a race environment, just to see what would happen. When I got through the 5K at  just about the 30-minute mark, I knew I had a good shot of PRing (last time was 1:04:21) even if I slowed up a bit. The best part of this course, hands down, are the number of families and supporters that come out - whether because they knew someone running or because it happened to go by their front yard. There was a man with a sax playing the "Charge!" anthem, families with cowbells and little kids giving out high-fives. Awesome environment, and that can definitely make a race all the better!

You can't get  much better than this!

 Run-walk-run success! I hit the mile 6 marker about the 58-minute mark, and put it all behind me there and sprinted my best the last .2 to get to the finish - a fantastic 1:00:19 finish and a shiny new Thanksgiving PR!

I grabbed a banana and water and headed back to the finish to wait for Brandi and Heather to come in. Brandi came in at a solid 1:20 or so and Heather got herself a nearly 3-minute PR at 1:26:17, an awesome morning for her too! Happy times all around! We hung around for a bit, but were ready to get back, shower, and chill for the day to do absolutely nothing but eat! Brandi's also running her first full marathon this weekend, so we sent her off with all the luck we could muster - rock it Brandi! You got this! 

Happy morning for us all!

Overall, an awesome race - considering we really didn't want to do it when we got up that morning and questioned our sanity, it turned out to be a great run and a great way to start a calorie deficit day for the Thanksgiving feast ahead! If you're looking for a great Turkey Trot in the Atlanta area, this is one of them - check it out! (Also want to say the long sleeve shirts, though not tech material, are amazing. Super soft, super comfy, definitely a win!)

Did you race on Thanksgiving or the weekend? How'd you do? Any new turkey-induced PRs?

Surf City: Week 8

I rocked this week on a total high from that 14-miler last week. Isn't it amazing how one really great run/workout can carry you through a whole 'nother week? Yeah, I went for a ride off of that - looking forward to tackling more!

Monday: Rest
Rest
Monday started the slowest 3-day work week ever - students don't have classes but our offices are open. So we all kind of hang out, get caught up on email and life and other mindless things that we just let fall by the wayside during a regular work week when our students are around. Caught up on life, mmhmmm.

Tuesday: 9 x 400s
3.75 mi / 33:48 / 9:00 pace

Headed to the gym after work - after sitting at my desk all day (see Monday - it's slow this wek!), I needed to get up and move, so I was really excited to make it a good, all-out speed sesh. I was also really happy when I realized how empty the gym was because all the students are gone (!), which meant (mostly) having room to go all out as I pleased all over the track. After my 9x400s two weeks ago, I knew I could push it more than I had then, so I wanted to see just how much I could do and pushed myself pretty hard. Check it!

All my 400s are at 2:01 and less, when two weeks ago, the fastest was 2:03. I'm happy with the progress, and happier with how good I felt afterward!

Also, be sure you're joining me and Run DMT for Track Tuesdays (or whichever day of the week you prefer)! Check it out here!


Wednesday: 3-4 miles
3.29 mi / 32:09 / 9:46 pace
I really wanted to get up and get to the gym this morning before work - I think that right after a speedwork session on Tuesday night plus the fast that it was the Friday of the work week made for a really lazy morning. I almost regret it because the sunrise (from what I could see through my window) was absolutely stunning. You live, you learn.

[source]

Instead, I headed out on a lunchtime run - something I've never really done before, but have contemplated, especially as winter comes around, it'll make it easier to get a few miles in. I though it'd also be a good idea given that I'd be sitting at my desk all day (still catching up on life), and it would break up the day (and then kick off a 4-day weekend!). Woot! So I headed to the campus track and field complex, 1/2 mile from my office, did 2 miles, and then ran the 1/2 mile back - all in a good lunch break. Glad I got out there, for sure, even though the first half felt super sluggish, the second half was a lot better and felt a little more 'with it'.

Thursday: MDJ 10th Annual Gobble Jog 10K
TBD

I wanted to find some kind of race to do in Atlanta on Thanksgiving, and gosh knows there's plenty of them, from several 5Ks to the Atlanta Half to this guy, apparently a moderately big deal of a race that gets some good crowds. Heather and I signed up for this one last month, and I was excited to see how I could get down to work - I haven't done a 10K race since Peachtree, but have had a number of 10K-distanced PR runs, so I hoped I could make those count here. Well, obviously, if you read above, you can see... I did! Race report coming shortly - still catching up from this weekend!

Brandi, me and Heather at Gobble Jog!

Friday: Rest
Rest
Busy busy week, followed by an awesome 10K and a day of delicious fattyness.The best part was that it (sort of) continued into Friday, with our host making an amaaaazing breakfast (homemade biscuits, eggs, bacon, sausage!)... we eventually headed back to Heather's around 1 and headed out for Black Friday stuff and got to our first stop at 2. Glorious, being that all the crazies were back in bed at this point. Shopped for longer than anticipated, got a few good deals & passed out on the couches at midnight or so. Fabulous Black Friday!

Saturday: 15  miles
Rest
Unplanned rest day - I stayed at Heather's one more night and joined in for a UGA/GT watch party on the couch... Go Dawgs! Game over, went back to Heather's, and finally came home around 6:30, unpacked from the weekend and promptly did nothing else but watch the last games of Rivalry Week. I was okay with the rest day - wasn't feeling super hot, I think from some pretty significant dehydration over the course of the weekend. Probably for the better!

Sunday: Cross-train
9.01 mi / 1:34:18 / 10:27 pace

At least it was a gogeous day!

Being that Saturday turned into the rest day, I hoped to get in my 15 miles today instead of cross training. Last week I was nervous about the distance (14 miles), because it would be my longest run to date. This week I was nervous because I wanted to be sure I did as well as last week, plus that extra mile. Nothing like a little self-competitiveness to get you through a run, huh?

I got out to the course I had planned in my head, which was a huge 5 mile loop I do near my house. I figured I could run it at least twice and make up 4 miles elsewhere around my area. Around mile 4 I decided I didn't want to do the loop twice, and instead made my way towards another loop that I do instead. This was fine, until I remembered that part of my plan in doing the loops was that I could stop at the house for water and chomps at each 5 mile interval. I figured I'd get on without it and just see how it went. Mile 7 is where I really started to feel crappy and was home again at mile 8.3 - I took one loop around my apartment complex just to round out the 9 miles. Whew. Crappy.

Lessons learned on today's long run:

•  Don't change your pre-planned course mid-run unless you have to.
• If you do have to, pray that you have Gus/chomps/carbs in your hands to compensate.
• Appreciate the good runs even more! 
• Learn from the bad runs (I am, trust me)
• Acknowledge that bad runs will happen. I feel like marathon training has been going really well so far, so perhaps it was high time for a crappy one to bring me back down and remember that it's going to be work.

Total Week Miles: 22.25 miles
Total Cross Train: 0

How did you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, or what's your tradition?

I'm Thankful

This year I participated (and actually kept up with!) the #30daysofthanks - mostly via Facebook, because I usually forgot to do it on Twitter, but regardless... I've kept up with it so far. I wanted to share some of my favorites (via  a really awesome Paint-made infographic, ha!), but also talk more about some of the things I really am thankful for.  Some of these will come up via my Facebook over the next week before November is over, but they deserve a blog post all their own, too.

30 Days of Thanks 

the abridged version!

Mom, dad, Coke Bear and I. June 2012.

Family - My family's all over the place - parents and paternal grandparents are all in southern California, little sister is in New York. This year has been hard with losing my grandmother very unexpectedly and though not as severe, we lost both family dogs to boot. Seeing my family at the beginning of this month for my cousin's wedding was so great, as it was a happy reunion (as was the cruise in June, but this felt more real). I'm so thankful for my parents' constant support in all that I do, ridiculous or not, but that I know they always have my back and will encourage me every step of the way. My little sister means the world to me and I know she's kickin' tail all over NYC and I'm so proud of her in all she does. I can't wait to go visit again (I should make that happen), but love even the few days I get with her at home at Christmas. Family's everything, point made.


My Health - Throughout undergrad and continuing into grad school and into Texas, I fought with some pretty nasty sicknesses (colds turn into bronchial infections overnight thanks to sickness-induced asthma) and allergies in Texas would always kick it up a notch. I haven't been crazy sick since moving here and I'm super grateful! I think my new level of activeness helps that too. I'm thankful that my body has been working with me over the last several months as I've transitioned into training and running a crazy amount and that my knee(s) don't hate me.

Running - Running has done a few things for me, and I wish I could do a post all for its own, as it deserves that much. Running is stress relief. It's an escape from a bad day. It's a reminder that I can do whatever I set my mind to. It's a reminder that I'm healthy and alive. It's the way to allow my competitive self to keep competitive when I'm not in a team sport. It's introduced me and re-connected me to so many amazing people, both in real life and online in a variety of communities. I'm thankful it's given me something to aim for each and every day, to keep bettering myself in all I attempt to do.

Omega Phi Alpha - My sorority has given me so much, and more than I realized even when I was an active sister. Moving around as much as I have, OPA has always connected me with sisters in a new area, given me ways to get involved, but also to ensure that I feel like I belong somewhere. Attending our convention this summer rejuvenated that love, passion and commitment that I made nearly 9 years ago to my sorority and I feel so happy and honored to be serving in a national position to be able to do that. I owe a lot to this organization, and aim to give back whenever and however I am able for as long as possible!

Friendships - After moving around enough, I've had enough friendships come and go that I've held on to a handful that have mattered. I'm lucky to have a couple from undergrad, a number from graduate school and a few scattered ones in-between there. I'm thankful for technology that has allowed us to stay better in touch, as admittedly, we all can get lazy in keeping in touch. Guilty as charged, I'm not one to point fingers. But regardless, I'm thankful to those that have stayed so close in my life, who are constant reminders of how much we've grown, grown up and grown together in friendships, love and life. Thankful to those that have stuck around, supported me in my efforts and have encouraged me all along the way.

This Guy - Definitely not last and far from least, this is Doug, the amazing, wonderful, far away (sad face) boyfriend. He's currently in California (yepppp) while I'm 3 time zones ahead out here in Georgia. I'm thankful for this guy - for having the patience and heart to let me wander around, get jobs where I've been able, and though it's been far from easy, for putting up with me for so long! Secret, y'all: we've been together since high school. True story! I'm thankful for the weekends we get together, for the times he's come to visit, for the random adventures we've found ourselves on, our trips to baseball games and Disneyland at Christmas (my favorite), and for all he brings to my life. Not easy, not always fun, but long distance has taught us a lot and we've made it amazingly far, all things considered. I love him immensely and can't imagine having come this far without him. Grateful for you, love.

What are you thankful for? Anything out of the typical friends, health, and love?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Weekend 2011

One of the hardest parts of moving far, far away is always the fear of not having anywhere to go for the holidays. Though I've been lucky enough to have been "adopted" or find friends to make arrangements with (family friends in Texas, other holiday-homeless coworkers), it's always a little fear in the back of my mind. This year, having just moved to Georgia, I'm lucky enough to say that one of my sorority sisters from my pledge class lives in southern Georgia - a good 4 hours away, but so worth that trip and having a home to go! 

Monica had baby Jace in May and I hadn't gotten to meet him yet, so this was also the best opportunity to get to meet the little one, Jace. I left work a little early on Wednesday to get the drive over with. MapQuest said it was a 4.5 hour drive, I did it in almost 4 hours on the dot to Valdosta. I haven't seen Monica since before she was even pregnant (June 2010), so it's kinda weird she already has a 6-month old! Wednesday I got in so late, we just had dinner, ran to see a friend of hers, last-minute food shopped at Walmart, and called it a day.

Thanksgiving was a great day in and of itself. I woke up early to go to do a 5K (I know, who am I?) in downtown - mind you, I was still getting over being sick, had run once in the last two weeks, and probably should have not chugged along as well as I did. Oh well? I finished 5th in my age group, but did it under 31 minutes, so I'm still pretty okay with that given the last two weeks' worth of coughing and blahness. After that, it was back to the house for food prep fun! I was in charge of dessert - right up my alley, you know! Many thanks to Pinterest, we ended up with a pumpkin layer cake and the awesome, adorable pilgrim hat cookies that were apparently quite the hit! A few friends of Monica's and Todd's came, where thankfully I was not the only one who didn't know anyone else! It was great meeting new folks and having an amazing deep-fried turkey, complete with all the sides you'd ever want. Delicious. The end day ended gloriously with a few glass of wine and good long talks with an old friend. I miss that!

Friday was a little more relaxing, after staying up too late with that bottle of wine! We decided there were a few stores we wanted to venture to, but only when (and if) we woke up. Well, eventually, we did and headed out around noon with Jace in tow to Target, Kohl's, Petsmart, Toys 'R Us, and Children's Place. I got boots for New York (next this week!) with a 15% off coupon AND a $5 off coupon, so success! Also got a few extra things that I didn't really need anyway but got on a good deal (Molly's Christmas presents, for one). After we were shopped out, I packed up and headed to Atlanta for...

CLEAN OLD FASHIONED HATE. Yep, the annual UGA/Georgia Tech game. I was lucky enough to get a ticket thanks to Heather, so made my way to Heather's Friday night; since the game was at noon on Saturday, we were planning to be on campus BY 7 am for tailgating fun. So, believe it or not, I was up at 5:45 am... to go tailgating. Whoulda thought? Good times. I tailgated with them back in September for a GT game, so I knew a few of the folks that were there, and some new faces. It was a great time, once it warmed  up a little! Made our way into the stadium, befriended (if you want to call it that) a few GT fans around me, but was happy that the entire stadium was a happy mix of red and gold, so I wasn't too out of place. Overall, it was actually quite a boring game, with a few stints of excitement, but nothing to write home about (and here I am, blogging about it). In the end, all that matters of course, is that UGA won 31-17. Happy times.

To round out the day, Heather and I raced to Atlantic Station to use our Old Navy GroupOns ($10 for $20 of merchandise) and since we both also had Rewards to use, why not? And, of course, in true Megan style, had to stop for a photo with the tree, always my favorite part of the holidays! Made my way back to Athens, picked up the pup (who was really excited to see me!) and headed home and managed to pass out on the couch at 9 pm. Glorious.

Many thanks to Moni (and Todd!), Heather, and all the other random folks I got to hang out with this weekend for making it a great first Turkey Weekend in Georgia. Much love to you all. Hope all my readers had a great holiday as well!

Thanksgiving Musings

Thanksgiving Day, two days from now, marks three months at my new position at a new school (and today is three months in Athens!). So many Facebook statuses and Twitter posts have been the Daily Thankful For posts and while I haven't participated each day, it's made me think and consider what I am truly thankful for this year.

• My family: without whom I wouldn't be able to accomplish anything. Especially this year, with a very tumultuous job search, my parents welcomed me back (maybe not with open arms, but comforting arms nonetheless), helped me move across the country, and have continued to be my biggest fans. I can only hope that in all I do, I've returned the favor and shown them how much I appreciate them all. And to my little sister, who I hope has embraced her New York adventure, and known that moving far away from home can be all that it's cracked up to be!
• My health: I feel so fortunate to be able to run like I do (when I get motivated!). After two knee surgeries, I probably shouldn't be doing the road damage that I do, but knowing that I can do it, I can handle it, and for the  most part, my body accepts the challenge. There are others who are not as fortunate to physically be able to accomplish the same things, and I feel so grateful that I do... and I try. Additionally, after a very trying year with some other health issues (sleeping-related, semi-apparently thyroid related) I feel pretty good -- definitely not where I used to be, but definitely not where I was in the middle of that year of exams, medication, and endless appointments. I am glad to be able to get up after 6 hours of sleep some nights and be able to function normally again!
• A job!: after a very difficult decision in leaving the last one that I loved, I knew it was time to move on. And after a very up-and-down, stressful and exhausting search, I was blessed enough to find one... all in good time, right? Right. I'm learning and still taking it all in, but so far, so good, and more adventures to come! 

More to come... I have lots to be thankful for. :)