L.A.'s Sneakers in the City: A WILDCAT WEDDING WITH LOTS OF LOVE

You could probably tell from my last perky post that I was very much enjoying my time in VACATIONland. I thought VACATIONland was amazing until I ventured into WEDDINGland this past weekend.

My week off from work was lovely. My cousin and I walked all over NYC making some very delicious stops along the way. We ran errands, slept in, and got a glimpse into our futures thanks to a visit to our new friend Nicole.

Wednesday morning I woke up painfully early in VACATIONland to cross off the most important item on my weekly to do list. 14 miles needed to happen to ease my Marathon training obsession and anxiety.

The first 8 ½ miles went superbly. I ran 5 uptown with M and did the next 3 heading back to my apartment. I decided to head downtown to finish up the morning miles along the east river for some sunshine. Thanks to my running boredom I dodged a minor yet major running disaster.

Around 7am Mother Nature decided to drench everyone in NYC. I checked the weather forecast before heading out the door but with 10% chance of rain I didn’t really prepare for downpour. I am not taking the blame for this; I’m looking at you Mother Nature.

Luckily I was able to take cover in my apartment, change into weather appropriate running gear and then attempt to head out the door. The rain kept getting worse before it got better and I didn’t want to risk the safety of my iPhone. Music was necessary with 5 ½ miles left and the plastic bag just wasn’t cutting it.

I headed to the gym instead of the scenic east river for a treadmill and the Today Show. The last time I ran a few miles on the treadmill was pure torture. However, thanks to some stellar Olympics coverage and a gold medal win of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team, the remainder miles were a piece of cake.

I returned to my apartment feeling relieved and after a Penelope breakfast sandwich we were on our way to Philadelphia.

Once I reached Philly training and errands were pushed aside for time with family and friends. Not only was my family in town for a cousin’s wedding BUT all of my friends were around as well for our very own wedding festivities. One of my very best friends from college was marrying her Wildcat sweetheart. It’s been years in the making and I was honored to be a bridesmaid by her side on the big day.

I love running BUT I definitely love my friends and their weddings so much more.

I planned to finish up the 6 miles remaining for the training week on Saturday morning. I thought that releasing endorphins and finishing up the training week would be the best way to kick off the big day. However, a rehearsal dinner that ended at the hotel bar circa midnight changed those plans. We had hair appointments early in the morning and sleep was slightly more important.

Run on Sunday? Yeah, that’s funny.

Today my legs are STILL in some serious pain. I ran 14 miles on Wednesday and felt like a million bucks on Thursday. I danced to "Love Train" and "Call Me Maybe" on Saturday and two days later still can’t move. Does that show you what a party it was?

I’m focusing on the positive of last week’s training. I accomplished my long run (14 miles) which was actually my longest run to date. Before Wednesday, I had only done up to 13 miles in half marathons. I broke up the 14 miles because of the rain delay BUT the miles were completed in total and that’s pretty stellar!

LAST WEEK

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	TOTAL	TOTAL (w flex)
TFK Plan	6	REST	6	6	REST	14	5	32	38
LA	6	REST	14	REST	6	DANCED MY FEET OFF	REST	26

THIS WEEK

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	TOTAL	TOTAL (w flex)
TFK Plan	6	REST	6	6	REST	15	5	33	38
LA Plan	6	Strength	6	6	15	REST	5	33	38

Next stop is Washington, DC!

I promised myself that this is the last trip for a while. I need some stability to focus on the marathon but first I need to ease my post wedding withdrawal. I am heading with A to visit some very welcoming cousins in the district. We initially planned this trip for July but schedules and sickness forced us to push it back. Looking forward to this trip will get me through the week as I continue to hear "You Can Call Me Al" in my head and stalk the world of social media for dazzling wedding photos.

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