Running

Last half marathon of the year

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I promise.

St Louis Track Club Half Marathon.

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2:35:56.  My second fastest half!!

It was a tough course, always either uphill or downhill.  We started in Clayton and ran into Forest Park and then back. My hip was bugging me so I ended up having to walk more than I had hoped, and then I decided to run faster when I ran since that didn’t hurt any more.  I’m not sure if that was the best plan as far as pacing, but I figured since I was walking due to pain rather than being out of breath it made sense.  I had run into Stephanie from Off the Eaten Path at the start of the race and ended up being right behind her the entire race (I used her as my pacer.) 

And that’s it for the year.  I’m not running any more half marathons until next year.  This has been a crazy month of races, but I’m glad I did them all! 

Two weeks:  St Louis Track Club Marathon Relay.  Team of 4, each of us runs two legs of approximately 3 miles.  Should be a cake walk, ha!

Post race meal:  went with Jen to the Three Monkeys and had an awesome brunch buffet.  It wasn’t that the food was so great, but it was unlimited and included biscuits and gravy.  I would recommend it as a great post-race restaurant! 

Food, Running

Bogart’s

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I asked my friend Vanessa if she wanted to get dinner tonight and she suggested Bogart’s.  I LOVE this place.  In fact, the cashier even recognized me and asked me "you come here pretty often, right?"  I had to admit, I guess I do, at least lately.  I’m obsessed with the sides more than the meat itself, as you might expect.  (For me, a meal is made by the sides, especially a meal such as Thanksgiving.)

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That potato salad and the beans are just simply amazing.  Friends coming into town for my wedding, I recommend you visit Bogart’s!

And yes, I ate ALL of that.  I wanted a big meal before the last half marathon of the year (for me).

I’m thankful today for delicious food and good friends 🙂 

Goal for tomorrow’s race:  Stay calm and finish.  I did my fastest two weeks ago, this is just for fun.  I want to push myself, but I’m not going to be upset if I don’t have a PR (personal record.)  Plus I need to work off all the pork I just ate.  Wish me luck!

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Not sure what happened to the color in the second picture, but I love the shirt!  I almost want to wear it as my top layer for tomorrow’s race, but I probably won’t. 

Random thoughts

TGIF

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Who used to watch Full House?  It was the highlight of the week, right?

The concert last night went well!  I was very crabby because it was freezing in the Chapel, and I don’t like the cold.  I also don’t like the heat.  Call me a first world girl, but I love temperatures between 68 and 75 or so…especially 72.  My feet and hands get cold fast and take forever to warm up, so that makes it particularly challenging to play (hands, not feet.)

We repeat the program tonight at the Tavern of Fine Arts at 8 pm.  If you are looking for a relaxing activity for the evening, come out and hear us play!  (Chamber Project St Louis)

Mike said I was acting like an 82 year old woman in our workout this morning.  I was crabby and kept complaining that the weights were heavy (they totally were heavy, darned weights).  I was also tired.  I told him I needed to act 82 on occasion to average out the days I act like I’m 5 years old.  Besides which, he should know by now that Friday is my whiny workout day.  I’m usually tired, and often annoyed by the whole “Friday” mentality everybody gets except as a musician I usually have two more solid days of work until Monday morning (my weekend!).  (Yes, I’m still crabby.)

So today’s crabbiness certainly makes the 30 days of Thanksgiving a bit tougher.  Perhaps more important though?  What I am thankful for today?

I’m thankful because:  the sun is shining!  It’s cool but sunny.  Perfect running weather (and is supposed to stay all weekend, Sunday forecast is 68 and sunny!).  Some of you may recall I have one more half marathon to run this fall, and it’s on Sunday.  I’m looking forward to stuffing my face afterwards.

Random thoughts

Wedding RSVPs

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I know we probably sent out our invitations too early, but still, people could go ahead and RSVP for the wedding, right?  They do have about a month until the deadline.  I’m simply impatient. 

But still.  Less than a third have replied. 

It’s fine.  You give people a deadline, they will definitely wait until that deadline.  I do it all the time.  Sometimes I even ignore the deadline entirely!

We’ve finished our honeymoon plans!  Hotel, flight, cruise, all booked and paid for.

I’ve also got all my wedding day jewelry planned out and purchased.  I got two things on etsy…of course.

Next week I’m doing my hair trial with my hairdresser.  I hope my idea works out!

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Should the guys wear bow ties for the wedding?

Today: I’m thankful that my wedding will be done in two months, we’ll be married (!), and YOU can be thankful that I won’t be talking about wedding planning anymore!  Two months to go…

Random thoughts

Seen any good movies lately?

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Because I haven’t.

We went to see “In Time” the other night.  The premise looked really interesting and fairly unique.

It wasn’t good.  It started strong, but became predictable and poorly acted.  Oh well!  And I didn’t like JT in the Social Network either, just for the record.

I had an argument with somebody yesterday over whether Titanic deserved all those Oscar nods.

Regular readers of my blog (and friends) know how I feel about this.  (Titanic is the greatest movie of all time.  Or at least up there.)

I hear that “Moneyball” is good, and also “The Ides of March.”  Here’s something awkward:  I haven’t seen “The King’s Speech” yet…it doesn’t seem to be available on Blockbuster on demand, and that’s the easiest way for us to get movies (through the tivo)…anybody want to lend me the DVD?  I also have a netflix movie “The Frisco Kid” sitting on my tv from a friend, that I really really need to watch and return.

On the entertainment note:  Burn Notice and Covert Affairs are new this week.  I also watch Parenthood, Psych, Dexter, and the Office.

What about you?  Seen any good movies lately?  What’s your favorite (current) television show?  Want to send me a copy of the King’s Speech?

Books

Genius Violin Teachers

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I noticed today that somebody found my blog by searching for "genius violin teachers st louis."  I can say they definitely found what they were looking for!

I’ve also noticed that since I announced my 30 days of thanksgiving that lots of other bloggers have copied my idea and claimed it for their own.  I’m pretty sure that firstly, they didn’t copy me.  I’m also pretty sure that they didn’t come up with the idea on their own.  Using the month of November to think of things you are thankful for is a pretty old yet classic idea.  So let’s just stop pretending you thought of it…or at least give me credit for posting about it three days before anybody else?  Seriously though I got the idea the other year from a facebook friend who posted something in her status update every day for the month of November.  I thought it would make me feel more satisfied and happy with my life, and honestly it helps.  Though the formula, something every day, can get a little contrived. 

I finished Sarah’s Key last night.  Wow.  I can’t stop thinking about it.  I ask myself, if something like that were happening in my country, in my city, in my neighborhood, would I be brave enough to help people?  Or if it happened to me, would I be as brave as Sarah?  And then I ask myself, how, how, HOW could something like that ever happen?  People can be so awful. 

I also read The Marriage Plot recently.  I really enjoyed it, until the end.  I loved Middlesex (also by Jeffrey Eugenides) and though of course The Marriage Plot was very different, it had that same sort of really detailed writing that I love. 

I’m thankful for books.  All kinds of books, that entertain, inspire, and make us think about something bigger than ourselves.

thoughts about violin, teaching, running, life.