Stylish is one thing I can "do"

Thank you to Heather, Momma Running Amok, who has tagged me as a Stylish Blogger.

She wrote the cutest little post about herself and I learned that we have a few things in common - like They Might Be Giants.  What a neat way to learn about other bloggers.  If you're not reading Momma Running Amok, go pick it up now.  Heather is about to take on her first marathon and is in the THICK of taper madness.

Now, I'm supposed to share 7 things about myself.

+ 1

Sometime last year I decided to brush off the negativity in my life and just try to approach everything with a smile.  It was the smartest thing I've ever done.  I became known as the chipper girl in the short skirt, tall socks with the good attitude and big... smile.  That cheerfulness has probably saved me from insanity.  It has also made me really appreciate the people around me in a new way.

Open Invite

I'm a little crazy and will invite anyone to run with me and my posse.  This means that in a week I could invite a newbie runner to join us for 3 miles of our long slow distance, and a BQ/Sprinter to join us for a tempo workout (tempo for us, easy recovery for BQ runner).  Because of this gutsiness I have made some STELLAR friends.  Take Pants Guy for example.  He's a great guy who will drop anything and everything if you tell him you need something, but his marathon finish was about 35 minutes faster than mine.  Or The Illusive Dave, who is just one GBA ultra runner.  Kc has quickly become a very dear friend, and 3L is way above my "running league" but I can't imagine running without her.

I (heart) Bart

A while ago I came to realize I was never going to be elite.  Or a Richmond elite.  Or even in the Neighborhood elite.  No matter how much I trained, no matter how hard I push, I'm a 5'2" mom with an extra XYZ number of pounds who took up running to burn stress & make friends.  While that realization didn't stop me from training hard to beat my own expectations, or exclude me from becoming a Kara Goucher fan, I just sort of looked at her and thought, How could I ever connect to the things she says or does?  And then, I found Bart Yasso.  If you ever have a chance to hear Bart speak, go.  He's wonderful.  He doesn't actually say, "I'm here for the love of the sport".. he doesn't have to, you can feel it in everything else he says.  He's got a hilarious sense of humor, isn't afraid to join the fun, and is my BFF Bart from the Richmond Marathon.

Runner First, Logical Thinker Second

TMB & I have done some stupid silly things in the name of running.  But it's not our fault.  We're just runners first, logical thinkers second.  And that's OK, because runners are cool people.  I have witnessed a runner share 8 oz of precious water on a hot day with total stranger.  I have seen a runner give away their last kleenex.  Being a runner isn't just running a bunch of miles, being a runner is embracing the community of runners around you.

4.0

I take my GPA very seriously.  Very, very seriously.  Don't make a joke about me getting a B on a test, it's not going to go over well.  I thought that getting into nursing school was going to chill me out a little, after all, C's get Degrees.  But you know what?  That is just so not me.  There are about 40 people in my (graduating) class.  I fully expect to be in the top 4 because I am going to work that hard.

Never Say Never

I was once quoted as saying "I have no interest in running a marathon.  That seems a little crazy for someone like me."  My first half marathon was not exactly a fabulous outing, if you will, and the idea of repeating it twice on the same day... well....  I am SO glad that I have TMB in my life who brought me to my senses and introduced me to the marathon.  I had more fun at my last marathon than, well, yea.  The marathon isn't just the event of running the 26.2 miles.  No one REALLY has that much fun running 4.2 miles after running a 22 mile warm up.  No, for me the marathon is the weeks of training leading up to it, the gamble, the risk, the trying new things, the don't try new things when you know what works, the anxiety, the sweat along the way, and the realization at the end of the race - after you've crossed the mat - that Bart Yasso might be the man looking into your eyes....  (wow, that sounds a lot like a nice fantasy of something... like, shoe shopping w/o kids.  What did you think I was going to say?)

GBA** PR

In the days leading up to the Richmond Marathon '10 I became friends with some pretty sweet people.  My coaches, a few "Richmond" elites, & some seriously good runners.  For example, I really did meet Bart Yasso, and by some weird twist of fate, ended up hanging out with him.  (I held the door for him... "I carried the watermelon").  I was feeling pretty bada** that week.  One of these friends said, "...on (race day) you're going to be Galactically Bada**".  I don't know why, but in that moment I totally embraced that idea.  No matter the outcome.  No matter the finish time.  I was going to be Galactic.  And I was.  Which leads me to the acronym "PR".  Very often I use it interchangeably with Personal Record and Proud Runner.  GBA** status is something you award to yourself.  Don't ask me to give it to you.  You earn it with integrity, love for your sport, and overcoming some kind of mental or physical obstacle.  You do not have to be a marathoner to be a GBA, but in order to be a GBA, you must first be a PR.

TAG!  So I am going to tag SpeeDee at BitsNPieces AND Alex at Tales of an Iron Housewife!

SpeeDee is someone I'm privileged to run with on occasion.  She is funny, and fun, and I love her dearly.  She said something about getting back into her blog, so hopefully this is the kick in the booty that she needs.  And she really needs to review those new running pants.

Alex is amazing, I love reading her blog.  Sometimes the stories about speed work in the pool make me feel like an inadequate swimmer, but she's so real that it's hard to hold that against her.