Running – Holiday Halfathon – FINISHED!

So I’ve been bad, as you all know, and not following my training plan.  It definitely made a HUGE difference in my half marathon today – it was the slowest I’ve ever run, I think.  LOL!  It also didn’t help that I’ve been running in my Vibrams for the past month…  right from the start, my feet felt really heavy & odd.  By the end of the race, my toes were on fire!  Hours later, my feet are still hurting more than anything else.

BUT…  I finished it!  3 hours.  Pathetic!  But I finally got the one medal I’ve wanted to get for years!  And yes, I wore funky holiday socks over my regular running socks, as you can see.  ;)

There were several folks along the way that helped me out.  First, my friend Monica volunteered & was at a couple water stations as I went by – she was awesome, cheering me on!  Right around mile 2 or so, I looked up to see Larry – the infamous ‘flip-flop man’ – he was running the race even though he shouldn’t have been running.  Just goes to show, runners sometimes throw common sense out the window in order to feed our addiction.  :D  I just ran with him for a couple of minutes, then dropped my pace back down.

Around mile 5 I ran into a wonderful person, Meredith.  I had some bad stomach cramping right then, so dropped out for a bit, but got going again shortly.  I caught up to Meredith just past mile 7 – right at my normal turn off point to go home!  It was so tempting to just go the one block to home instead of continuing!  Meredith & I ran/walked together for the next 4 miles – it was fantastic!  I had wanted to give up, but chatting with Meredith really helped me to keep going.  A good part of our chat?  Me explaining Doctor Who.  I’m sure that comes as a huge surprise to anyone that knows me.  ROFL!  Hey, she asked if I watch a TV show & was shocked when I said I don’t watch TV.  Well, except for Doctor Who, of course.  So she asked what Doctor Who was…  what could I do?!  ;)

Just as I turned into the park for the final stretch, there was my Dad, waiting for me with his Dane Rocky.  I stopped so Monica could snap a shot of us, then off I went again.  Just about 12.5 miles into it, who finds me but my fellow running blogger, J!  He ran me in the rest of the way & gave me the extra boost I needed (even though I whined & walked a good part) to get it done.  It was awesome to finally meet him – we’ve blog-chatted for years now!  LOL  I had Monica snap a shot of us, but she hasn’t downloaded them yet.  You’re off the hook, J!  LOL

Knitting

I’ve been knitting & crocheting like crazy the past week, of course.  I’ve finished several holiday gifts – I have just a couple more things to finish & I’ll be done with my sister & her family’s gifts.  I’ve still got the manlets to knit for, as well as my Dad.  Still not too many ideas on what I’m going to make him yet, but I haven’t given up just yet!  :)  Again – suggestions are always appreciated!  He’s a man that LOVES to cook, so I’m thinking cooking related gifts will be best.

I’m working on accessories for my nieces and their American Girl dolls.  I just finished a matching set of shawls for one twin and am now working to finish a hat/scarf set for the other twin.  It’s been fun, making little sized things to match bigger sizes for the girls!  :)  I also finished the gifts for the BIL, but won’t mention them here in case some family members actually do read my blog.  I don’t think they do, but ya just never know!  ;)

Today’s Ravelry Search

Some fun for today’s search!  Remember, none of these patterns are mine – click each picture to go directly to the Ravelry pattern page!

* What a cute idea for the Nike + iPod folks! Awesome!

Part of an entire booklet of patterns, these are FANTASTIC!!

Quickie cowl - pretty!

You seriously cannot beat Alan Dart's designs - they are wonderful!

Different sort of run meant, of course, but cute nonetheless!

* A hat from another knitting, running blogger! :)

Running diamonds - lovely!

* Sock-it-to-me gloves - nice!

* A terrific little headband - I love it! I must make some of these.

*Cute sock!

* ROFL - have I mentioned how much I love this one before? ;)

* Long lace vest - very pretty!

* I really, really love these!

* Adorable!! Snow Bear hat! I love it.

* A different take on the iPod armband- I like it!

* GORGEOUS! Just fantastic.

* Pretty eyeglass case, I like it!

* Free pattern

Happy Sunday, all!