therunningspeechie

Wow, I can’t believe I started this blog and then basically abandoned it for months! Lately I’ve been reading lots of blogs before bed time and it’s inspired me to devote more attention to my own. I like to think that I have a pretty interesting life and some fun facts to share here and there. So, with that being said, this is therunningspeechie starting anew.

So, here is a little summary of what’s been going on since DECEMBER (so shameful that it’s been that long since my last post). I’ve decided to categorize them basically just because I like to categorize (speechie trait I suppose!):

Running:

• I ran the Hyannis Marathon on Feb. 26th with Derek with a PR of 3:52. I totally wasn’t expecting to do so well! I hadn’t trained nearly as much as I had for my previous marathons and was only running 2-3 times per week before the race. Somehow though, we pulled it off and I was barely even sore afterward. It wasn’t my favorite race though, and I probably won’t do it again – it was a loop course so it was a bit boring, the mile markers were barely visible, and the food afterward was pretty meh. But running it so much faster than I thought I would was AWESOME!
• After Hyannis, I continued to train for banditing the Boston Marathon with Derek, and I was pretty much over marathon training at that point. It’s sad to admit, but my heart just wasn’t in it anymore. I had been training since July with no foreseeable end and it just felt like every run I did was so mundane and more of a chore than anything else. Poor Derek was such a trooper and was so patient with me meltdown after meltdown on our long runs. Yikes. Surprisingly though, I mustered up a moderate level of excitement to run Boston – until I heard the forecast (sunny and 87 degrees?!) – then I got even more determined to run it! I knew the 2012 Boston Marathon was going to be historical and record breaking, so I had to do it. And do it I did. After a grueling 4.5 hours in the hot sun (with maybe 5 minutes of shade throughout the entire 26.2 miles), Derek and I made it across the finish line together in one piece. We were fortunate enough to not be one of the 2000 people who required medical attention during the race, or the ~150 people who had to be hospitalized. And my mama bear got to see me run a marathon for the first time! A final note about this race – THANK YOU to anyone who doused me with water, sprayed me with a hose, or handed me ice. Without all of the fantastic spectators from Hopkinton to Copley, I honestly don’t know if ANY of us could have made it through.
• My next marathon will be the Mount Desert Island in Maine in October. Until then, I’m going to take a break from serious running and enjoy other types of fitness instead. I recently joined the YMCA and have been taking Zumba, doing yoga, and continuing to take ballet.
• Oh yeah, I’m running the Middlebury Maple Run Half Marathon in Middlebury, Vermont on Sunday with my coworker Mary. I’m very ill prepared, so we’ll see how it goes! It’s purely for fun – running with my pal and seeing Vermont.

Speechie Stuff:

• I’m almost finished with my Clinical Fellowship! On May 17th, I’ll be licensed, and hopefully soon after, I’ll have my CCC! I cannot believe that I’ve been at my wonderful job for almost a year now. I feel like I’ve learned so much more than I ever expected and I’m constantly questioning everything I do. It’s slightly exhausting but incredibly rewarding! I have so many thoughts and pieces of knowledge to share that I’ll have to put them into separate posts For now though, I’ll say this – I am so blessed to be able to work with the most endearing, curious, and CAPABLE children on the planet and their incredibly devoted, loving families. I can’t believe that I can get so much enjoyment out of what I do and actually make a living off of it! It seems almost unfair!

Personal Life stuff:

• Derek and I are car shopping. It hasn’t been pleasant. I hope we find something very soon. The end.
• I am obsessed with The Voice. I cry every time I watch it.
• We started a book club at work and we’re currently reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. It’s good so far – more on it when I’m finished.
• I really want a smush-faced dog like a pug or a Frenchie!!
• I’ve been obsessed with DIY stuff lately. I just want to do crafts ALL day every day. It’s been hard to do this though, because there isn’t a craft store any where near me. Finally getting a car might be dangerous in this respect (trunk full of pipe cleaners!).

I’m not caught up on everything that’s happened in the past few months, but I think this is a good start. As I mentioned, Sunday is the Middlebury Half Marathon that I’m running with Mary, my coworker. We’re leaving tomorrow afternoon for our 4 hour road trip – I can’t wait! I’ll be sure to take pictures and let you all know how it goes!

Until next time – what’s your favorite blog? What do you like about it?

XoXo Briana