Run, run, run, run...Girl's gonna run

So I know I said I would be writing about our trip way the hell up north to MN for NYE, but I also mentioned a certain goal I was working toward and kind of left it at that.  Am I the only one who gets irritated when people mention stuff and say they'll tell you later, and then never do?  Maybe I just have more nosy bones than your average bear in my body, but it drives me fucking bonkers!  Even if the news isn't all that ground-breaking, you said you'd bring it back up, so BRING IT BACK UP.

With that, my news isn't super amazeballs or anything, but it's a huge deal for me and I know that putting it out on the blog will only motivate me further, so here goes...

I have officially signed up for my first half marathon!

{crickets}

Right.  So I know it's a half, but good Lord, that's about 10 miles further than I had ever run (until last month), and I am pumped/terrified.  I know I can do it.  I have been training since Thanksgiving, although I will admit to using the term "training" pretty loosely up to this week.  I really was just focusing on building my fitness up and figuring out what kind of pace I was really comfortable with.

FYI...

Comfy pace for CK = REALLY FUCKING SLOW

That's not entirely true, but I am rocking out comfortable 11 minute miles right now when I would really like to be closer to the 9 or 10 minute range, which I can do when running shorter distances, but it's all about finishing for me on this first one.  It's about saying I did it.  And it's about getting motivated to do more and eventually do a full marathon (I have my eye on the DisneyWorld Marathon in 2013 for my 30th...).  I was hooked on 5Ks after running my first one in 2010 and I know that this is just the next step in continuing to build my love for running.

Also, I am hoping to repair some of the damage I've done to this body of mine over the last few years.  If you've read a while, you might remember the "Think Thin Thursday" blogs.  Those were used to keep me motivated to lose weight for a trip to Mexico and then in 2011 I straight up jumped off and then blew up that wagon.  I've GOT to get my body back in the shape it's meant to be in...no more laziness for this chick.

I feel like it's important for me to emphasize that I'm not doing the half JUST to lose weight, though.  I really want to knock this accomplishment off my list, and if I lose a few pounds while doing it, that would be awesome.  

...I don't know why I felt that was so important to emphasize, but there ya go.

The race is March 3 (The Woodlands Marathon) and I have a few other friends running the full that day, but I am pretty much running the half on my own, which suits me just fine.  I have been training alone so I am used to it.  Any tips to offer?  I am building my milage and tomorrow is my first 5 mile run.  My training program takes me up to 10 miles, which kind of freaks me out because HELLO - there are still another 3 to finish (!!), but I did a lot of research before choosing this program.  I still know literally nothing about GUs or sport beans or anything like that.  My goal is to finish, and if that means I have to crawl my ragged ass across that finish line then damnit, that's what I'll do!

HELP!!!

2012?? Hope those crazy Mayans were wrong...

It feels a little dumb to do a Christmas recap on January the 5th...clearly one of my resolutions was not to "be a better blogger."  I don't actually ever really make resolutions, anyway.  To me, they are just some lame goal I get inspired to keep up with for like 2 weeks (ok, 1...), and then by the middle of January I feel like an epic failure at life, so why put myself through that torture, right?  I do, however, have a solid GOAL I am working towards - more on that later.

Christmas was fucking crazy this year, and I can hear people going, "crazier than last year?  Because MY Christmas is always just a shit show!" and I have to say, usually our holiday season isn't that nuts.  It's busy, sure, but it's generally the same routine year after year, with the occasional addition of a niece.  This year, though, with Saul's dad being a full-on radiation/chemo cancer patient, things were a bit different.

First, he asked that all his siblings and their kids come into town to celebrate with us.  He asked after Thanksgiving, so it was pretty late notice for some of them.  His rationale for this was, simply stated, "I don't want the next time we all get together to be at my funeral," which, ok morbid, but makes complete sense.

Second, as of December 17, he was still in the hospital, and we weren't 100% sure when he would be getting out.  He ended up actually being released that evening, but trying to make Christmas plans around hospital visiting hours really sucks the Christmas spirit out of everyone, y'know?  He's now home and doing well, so Christmas was very merry.

Third, as we got closer to Christmas, shit on my side of the family starting blowing up like fucking fireworks.  An uncle in the hospital, a cousin in serious trouble, my parents possibly leaving like, Christmas Eve to go to California, and my brother wasn't coming home - boo hoo.

But, as we've done through all the other shit 2011 has thrown at us, we forged ahead.  

Saul's family being in town was something we were all totally looking forward to.  His cousins stayed with us which was basically a 9-day party at our house (die liver, die!) , and seeing the aunts and uncles was awesome.  It did wonderful things for my father-in-law's spirits, too.  He requested we all go to church together on Christmas Eve, which Saul and I haven't done in years, so that was nice.

Christmas Eve church threw a few of my family's plans out of wack, though.  Nothing that couldn't be shuffled around, but that was part of what made the holiday scheduling wonky.  Every year on Christmas Eve, my mom makes a Japanese dinner.  My g-ma has done it ever since I can remember and it's one of my favorite things about the holiday season.  Sesame noodles, fried rice, sushi, tempura shrimp, and Gyoza - basically, Japanese tacos.  YUM.  It's also pretty much a giant drink-fest at my parent's house.  We planned to do the big dinner on Dec 23, and we invited the cousins to come with.

The 22nd, I started to get super sad that little bro wasn't coming home.  More sad at the thought of him spending the holiday ALONE in Oklahoma - seriously, are there worse places?? - than sad for myself, but sad nonetheless.  I sent him some pretty bleak texts the morning of the 23rd and he reassured me that he was fine and was sad too, but that we'd be able to see each other soon and that we could Skype later that night.  My dad got a call from him that evening and I pulled my laptop out to set up a Skype session.  People had been coming over all day - our friends always drop in to say hi and eat - so when the door opened, I didn't think anything of it.  It wasn't until I heard my dad yell, "NO WAY!" that I turned around.

LITTLE BROTHER WAS HOME!!!!

I immediately started bawling and was just a fucking mess for like 10 minutes.  My mom had known he was sneaking in, but kept it a secret from everyone else.  I was so, so, SO happy that he had made it for Christmas and beyond thrilled that he wouldn't be sitting in his apartment, totally alone on Christmas morning.  My Christmas became amazing in that moment.  And then we all got very drunk.

Christmas Eve church was great - there were 20 of us and we took up 4 pews.  Early Christmas morning was spent at Saul's parent's house, watching the nieces open their mounds of gifts.  The giant family gift exchange came next.  At about 2, we took off to meet my parents and brother at our house, which was awesome because we've never done a big holiday at our house before.  We opened gifts and drank A LOT of wine and ate chicken tacos, a new Christmas tradition.  The cousins came back and we watched some Christmas movies (too toasted to remember which, at that point) and then passed out.

It was definitely an untraditional, but very merry Christmas ;)

Next up, NYE in the frozen tundra...