my heart is full.

sunday morning, after a fabulous four day weekend. wanting it to slow day, let's enjoy every last second before heading back into a full work week. taking a moment (or two, or three) to reflect on the wonderful memories that were made this thanksgiving. off to enjoy one more adventure before monday is here...

xo,

I Am Thankful

happy thanksgiving! today i am so thankful for so many countless things. but i'll keep it simple:

 

friends

family

love & the best fiance ;)

because, really, what else do you need?

wishing you a relaxing & wonderful thanksgiving!

xo,

race recap: phila half marathon 2011

i did it!! i completed my first half marathon! it was a tough race but looking back, i loved it because it was the most physically challenging thing i have done. the race started at 7am, so shawn dropped me off around 6am.  i had an hour to kill. it was dark out, and i was cold..what to do for an hour before race time? so i figured i would pee...then i headed over towards to fountains in front of the art museum where there was a group doing some yoga & stretching.  but that was over by 6:20! so...pee again? ok! by now, more people had arrived so i had a short wait in line. afterwards, i headed to find my corral.  i had signed up with an anticipated finish time of 1:45, placing me in the black corral - it was set up to be the wheel chair racers, the elite, maroon corral, then black.  so i started out towards the front of the pack, which was good & bad. i had trained hard in the sense that i had run  A LOT. but not hard in the sense that i had really pushed myself to run those miles at a fast pace. being place in the 1:45 corral was something that i thought would be out of reach, but at the same time it could also be great motivation.

about 15 minutes before the race started i looked at my garmin & realized it was frozen. it was stuck on 6:05 am:(  i don't know how to restart it without plugging it in to charge so i started freaking out.  but, i decided not to focus on that & just concentrate on running. i knew that there would be mile markers along the way, so these was not the end of the world.

(i took these before we started)

and before i knew it, it was time ... & i was off! i was immediately surprised with the racers that i was running with.  they were fast, realllly fast!  this was a completely different class of runners from the broad street run. these were real runners. i was scared, i'm not going to sugar coat it..i thought i was doomed! but in what felt like 10-15 minutes we were already at mile marker 3. because my garmin was not working, i really had no way to track my mileage besides the mile markers along the road. i can usually figure my miles out by the number of songs that play...but i couldn't even focus on my music, i was just trying to keep up with the runners around me! when i saw mile marker 3 i was thinking, "ok, i got this!"

but, i was tired already. and it was only mile 3...then 4 came and went...around mile 5 i felt like i needed my gel.  i only packed one (figuring i would need it around mile 8..wrong!) so i listened to my body & took it.  i knew they were offering one around mile 9-10.

the whole time during miles 4 & 5 i was keeping my eyes PEELED for shawn & chris (shawn's best man)...turning corners, it was hard to search the crowds so i focused on the run banking on the fact that they were looking for me & would scream my name as i went by.  and then i heard it... ALLLLLLLLLLLISONNNNNN!! seeing them gave me a much needed boost!! i felt a smile that lasted a few miles.....that is until we headed towards drexel and the slight incline started.  and this was when i started hating myself.....and just when i thought it couldn't get any worse - it did. and if i thought i hated myself before, well now, i literally wanted to die.

and i'm not exaggerating. i was hating life, questioning why i would ever want to pay money to torture myself, wishing i could fast forward time & be out somewhere sippin' on something yummy & be done with this hell!  at this point i was around mile 9-10 and we were near the phila zoo & please touch museum.  i had to pee.  i was hurting.  i was dead tired, i couldn't catch my breath, i could feel my heart pounding. but i pushed through it. i don't know how. but i just kept going and then it was sweet relief, because there was a light decline and the rest of the race i just kind of coasted through. i took the cliff shot they offered around mile 10, i definitely felt like i needed it after those hills.

the last two miles of the course, i was pretty familiar with.  they were part of the end of the kelly drive loop that i had run many times during my training. and before i knew it i could hear mayor michael nutter cheering on the half marathoners approaching the finish line.  i could see the clock & it said 1:47.  could it be true? could i have really run that fast? and then i sprinted.  i put everything i had left into getting there as fast as i could.  i thought, ok i didn't make 1:45, but I HAVE to make it under 1:50.  there were not many people coming through the finish line at the same time as me, so i was able to have my moment & high five the mayor (which i'm still pretty excited about! i am easily star struck, what can i say?) i tracked down shawn & we high fived & fist pounded...that's how we do;)

and then he took these extrememly dorky & over excited photos of me:

(hello bean pole in the back)

post race, i showered and we were about to head out the door for celebrations when i remembered to check my official results online:

Allison Libby #21131

Philadelphia, PA

Age: 26 Gender: F

Distance	HALF MAR
Clock Time	01:46:28
Chip Time	01:46:20
Overall Place	967 / 9413
Gender Place	318 / 5898
Division Place	96 / 1459
Age Grade	61.9%
Pace	8:06.6
10K	0:48:36

it was at this time that i started jumping up & down with excitement! i was wayyyyyyyy closer to my goal than i ever thought i could be. this was the fastest i have ever run for that distance.  as i mentioned, i trained hard in that i had logged a lot of miles but i have never really focused on my time. knowing that i can average a mile at that pace really changes my future race goals! i wish my garmin had been working because then i could see my actual splits, the % incline & calories burned..but whaddya gone do!

and then we celebrated!

running the philadelphia half marathon was one of my biggest goals & it feels so good to have accomplished something that i trained so hard for.  now, it's onto bigger & better goals!!

xo,

race brain: part II

last night shawn & i made our way to the philadelphia convention center to pick up my race packet and explore the expo.  not one for large crowded spaces, i am so happy we decided to go last night & have made a mental note to do that for future races as well. it was empty! we were able to walk through all of the booths without being bumped and shoved.

can't quite figure out how to rotate this!?

one of the booths at the expo was yurbuds.  have you heard of them? they are the most comfortable ear buds i have ever tried...& they have really great sound quality.  i have been using the stock iphone buds forever & borrowing shawn's nixon's for race day, but once i tried these i knew i had to have them.  

they have a unique twist and lock feature which secures them without drowning out surrounding sounds..which i like because that way i can be aware of my surroundings when running outdoors. they come by size...and mine have two sizes, so when shawn wants to borrow pink yurbuds, he can;)

shawn bought these for me for a good luck gift for my first half marathon!! i'm super excited to use them. 

i just put the finishing touches on my playlist...tonight we will be {lightly} carb loading & hitting the hay early.... race starts at 7am! my outfit is laid out & i feel ready... update to come tomorrow! happy running!

xo,

weekend wishes

friday is finally here & expectations for the weekend are set. i'm looking forward to picking up my race packet tonight & exploring the expo. tomorrow will be filled with family time & relaxing time..some carb loading & perhaps a manicure. and then sunday is the big day! the half marathon is finally here. after 10 weeks of training, i feel confident & excited to tackle this 13.1 miles!! celebrations to follow:)

images via pinterest

wishing you a fabulous weekend...

xo,

Publish Post

i've got my eye on you

lately, i've been just loving ankle booties.  i have been thinking about, dreaming about, and searching for the perfect pair. so many options: suede, leather, lace up, slip on, heel, wedge, brown, black, nude?? which is your favorite?

all images via Pinterest

xo,

race brain

this sunday, i will be running in my first half marathon! i'm really excited & slightly nervous, but mostly just excited! i'm trying to create my playlist as we speak, but i'm drawing a BLANK.  all day long, or when i'm driving, i'll hear a song & make a mental note to add it to my playlist for sunday.  and without fail, my mental note goes missing..what the haaaay! so, if you have any suggestions for good running tunes, please feel free to share:)

all images via Pinterest

xo,

10 months!

10 months from today til we say I DO! lately, my wedding thoughts have been on bridesmaid dresses, wedding jewelery, wedding shoes, and honeymoonin'! so, instead of rambling on, i'll show you know a sneak peek of what i have been thinking of with the earrings!


without giving too much away regarding THE dress, i am thinking of foregoing a necklace, and wearing bigger earrings.  here are some of my favorites!

via nordstrom

xo,

weekend in photos

 this weekend was filled with friends & relaxing:) just a few shots from a birthday party on 11/11/11..
shawn was away for the weekend visiting a friend in vermont.  he got home last night & brought me maple candies & maple syrup! delish!

 

and a few photos of life lately via instagram...

wishing you a fabulous work week! (let's hope it flies by!)

xo,