Meet Your Friendly Fairytales and Fitness Runners

Shortly after we started blogging last year we were nominated for a Leibster Award by Lauren from Lauren's Glass Slipper. We thanked Lauren, but didn't participate in the fun because one of the rules was that we needed to nominate 11 other bloggers. At that point, we didn't even know 11 other bloggers. We didn't even know if 11 people were even reading our own blog!  Since then, we have been nominated multiple times.  I had kept a list so I would remember to mention each and every blogger that had nominated us but  if we missed someone, please let us know:  Girl Goes Running, Loving on the Run, Life Between the Miles, The Final Forty, Run Like a G, Confessions of a Domestic Goddess,  Run Heather Run 26.2 or Bust (formerly Central Fl Runner), and Press On & Run.

Since so many bloggers have thrown so many questions our way, we didn't think it would be right to only answer one persons questions, so we are taking a combination of the questions you guys have asked  but we're gonna do it a little differently.  Since there is the two of us, we won't answer that many questions because we need to keep this post a reasonable length. We don't want to bore  you!

So this is our Friday 5........

1. On Other Sport:
Lacey: I played tennis in High School. When I was younger I played Softball but never wanted to make the All-Star Team because I didn't want to get up on Summer mornings and go to practice.  I played soccer when I was really young but determined that I enjoyed eating the oranges on the sideline better than playing. I wanted to quite after I was told I couldn't be the goalie!

Meranda: I was a gymnast from middle school through college. In all those years I never suffered one injury! I've really been serious about running for only 2 years and already I've been injured for 5 months! What's up with that?  I was also a cheerleader ( I know, I even thought it was dumb while I was doing it, but I was short and it was the only way I had a good view of the field...I kid), I was pretty shy in  school and I didn't even try out for the team ( squad).  The coach called me  and asked me to be a part of it. I agreed.


2. Childhood:
Lacey: I had ALWAYS wanted a Barbie Power wheels car (remember them?).  I never got one, but one year my Dad bought me a Go-kart. I guess I was better off with the Go-Kart because my neighbor who had a power wheels didn't get to ride hers often because it never held a charge. I on the other hand got to ride the Go-Kart around the neighborhood in the snow!

Meranda: I had ALWAYS wanted an Easy Bake oven but never got one. Ironically enough during our last trip to Disney in February my sister and I were casually chatting and I found out that she HAD an Easy bake oven when we were kids!!! How did I not know this??? I have a pretty good memory so I assured her it was probably another toy she was thinking about. Afterall, we did have a lot of that Fischer Price Play Kitchen stuff. But nope, she was sure it was the Easy Bake oven. She assured me that I wasn't missing out on anything because her brownies never turned out right anyway!


3. Getting Personal:
Lacey: I was recently told that I am a teeth grinder and the dentist wants me to spend $400 on a mouth guard. This supposed "teeth grinding"  doesn't bother me, so I don't see the point in the guard.  I have never had my wisdom teeth out, and I still have my tonsils. I've had Lasik eye surgery.

Meranda: I've had my wisdom teeth out. I've had my tonsils and adenoids both removed and getting Lasik scares me. I'm afraid I'd go blind.

4. Entertainment

We both love reading books. Our favorites are Danielle Steel, Emily Giffin, Beth Harbison, Sophie Kinsella, Jennifer Weiner, Sarah Stromeyer.

Lacey, I read a lot of running books as well. I could care less whether or not I had cable. I always have episodes of Sex and the City downloaded on my ipad and they are great for when I have long over nights or for watching while I'm on the treadmill. My favorite movie of all times is Tommy Boy.

Meranda: Yes, I cried as I read Marley and Me and stupid me, I even went to the theater to see it (on Christmas) and I cried some more. Did I think the ending was going to be different then the book?  I don't watch much TV either, but I will watch repeats of Sex and the City and Dallas any day. Yes, that's the OLD version of Dallas. My husband and I visit the set of Dallas back in 2006 and since then I've collected every season of that old TV series. It is seriously 100 times better then the new series of Dallas. Check out our tour of SOUTH FORK ranch ( the set of Dallas).


5. Accomplishments

Lacey: I would say my biggest accomplishment to date is completing the Boston 2 Big Sur Challenge. Running Boston was definitely an accomplishment in its self that I am proud of but I am very grateful that I got to run at Big Sur not only once, but twice.

Meranda: Although I think every race that I finish is an accomplishment, my proudest moments are academic ones. Getting my first teaching job was an accomplishment for me but then I've also felt accomplished when I've seen my written work show up in newspapers and magazines.

Did any of these responses surprise you? Pick any topic from 1-5 and tell us something about yourself. Or, you can tell us something about each topic.  Go ahead, we have time!   Happy Friday Friends!

The Starting Line at the Boston Marathon

Congrats to all the runners in the Boston Marathon today! I can imagine all the excitement for the runners and their families to be a part of one of the greatest races in the country. I was fortunate to be able to run in it last year and experience it for myself. This race by far was always on my bucket list (as I'm sure it is for every runner).

 



In the corral waiting to start the Boston Marathon

People train their whole running career just to be able to run their dream race here. I couldn't believe that I was actually fortunate enough to be here. I was at the starting line of the Boston Marathon and it was a dream come true!  At the start of the race I told myself I wasn't trying to go for time since I knew it was a hard course.  I didn't want to have to stress out about anything but to just enjoy myself and experience the Marathon. And that is just what I did!  I  have never been to a race that had so many cheering spectators along the sidelines during the ENTIRE race! This gave me much motivation when the going got tough during the course. There were even children high fiving you and giving out Swedish fish and gummy bears. Who could pass that up? I finished the race feeling a sense of accomplishment. I was now able to check one more (big thing) off of my bucket list!

Just after receiving my medal for completing the Boston marathon. This is when we heard the first bomb. I noticed from this picture that the smoke had started to form in the background.

 I no sooner got through the finish line chute and that's when I heard the first bomb that went off. My friend and I had no idea what had happened. We took a quick picture and headed back to the hotel  to find out the extent of the tragedy that had just occurred. My sense of pride quickly changed to a sense of sorrow.  My friend said it best when he said "What a tragedy for many when it should have been a triumph for all". I couldn't agree more.  The finish line experience was much different than the starting line experience.

Congrats to everyone running the Boston Marathon today! We hope everyone has a fantastic journey and a safe finish!

 

  Do you know anyone running Boston today?

A Memory No Runner Should Have

We normally don't go back and re-read a post that we've already published ( unless it's to fix a typo, and I'm sure we've missed a few of those over the year), but recently I've been finding that going back through our blog to be very helpful.  It lets me remember details of an event I may have forgotten about and when I went to Physical Therapy for the first time I had to write down when I started feeling my symptoms. I could not recall when my pain started, so I looked on the blog to see when I first started complaining about it, I mean "Mentioned" it! 

There is one particular day/event that I probably will never forget the details of because it was one of the most emotional days I've ever experienced.

If you've read our blog from day one, then you may already know what I am about to say, but considering what time of year it is, I thought it was worth resurfacing.

America was certainly shocked when they heard the news of the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013.  I cried. My sister was there running.

 The day I found out that my sister was going to be running in the Boston Marathon, I promptly got online and starting asking advice about hotels. My sister got her notice that she would be able to run the marathon only a few weeks before, so we didn’t exactly have a lot of time to prepare. Either myself or someone in my family (usually my mom) has been to every one of her races and I wasn’t about to miss what could potentially be the biggest race of her life. So I booked two nights at a hotel in Boston. I spent the rest of the week deciphering how I was going to get to all the weekend events (while using public transportation). What train would I use to get to the expo? How would I meet her at the pasta party? Which train was running on race day? How early would I have to leave the hotel? Would I get lost? How would I meet up with her after the race?  Would I be okay driving the 380 miles to Massachusetts all by myself? I was starting to feel anxiety. This was not like watching a race in Disney, or VA Beach (where she usually runs). I had never been to Boston. This was an unfamiliar city to me and I felt like I didn’t have enough time to do all the research I needed to feel comfortable navigating myself around. After finding out that the train I would need (I think it was part of the green line) would not be operating on race day, I decided I couldn’t do this. I cancelled the hotel at the last minute. I felt confident that my sister would be okay. She would be meeting up with some race friends and she could stay with them. They would make sure she got to where she needed to be, and quite frankly I thought that I may just be a burden to her as I tagged along. I didn’t want her to have to worry about me.

 I can’t believe that one split second decision could have potentially saved my life. Watching my sister race is a big deal to me and I always luck out and get a great spot near the finish line to watch her. I don’t know that I would have been in danger, but I know for a fact that I would have been on Boylston Street and I would have been near the finish line holding my sign for her!

 So with blinds pulled open, the sun shining in, and a yellow Labrador sitting on my lap, I watched the race on TV that April afternoon. I watched what little coverage they provided on the Universal Sports channel ( after the elite runners finish, they don’t show the average runners, so I turned it off and went about my business) I got the automatic text saying that my sister Lacey crossed the finish line (in many races, you can sign up for runner tracking.  Each runner wears a tracking chip on their bib. As they cross the finish line it sends a text to your phone giving you the time they finished).   She didn’t actually text me herself, but I knew she had finished. I did text her phone saying “Congrats! You even beat your Disney World marathon time!” I then got a call from a number I didn’t recognize. It was Lacey. She said she just wanted to tell me she was ok.  I could tell by her voice that something was very wrong. I said “what?” I had no idea what she was talking about at the time. She then told me about the explosion at the finish line; it was bad, people had lost limbs, and people died. I just started crying and then turned on the TV to see what was going on. I continued to cry.  I then had to call my mom at work and tell her what had happened before she saw it on the news and started panicking herself. Even though I told her my sister was okay,  I could tell that my mom was an emotional mess. And my dad, well, it was the first day of trout season so he was off fishing and had no clue what was happening.

 I was scared for my sister. I am extremely grateful that she crossed the finish line when she did. Only by the help of God she was able to exceed her expected finish time. She crossed exactly six minutes before the first explosion. She had just got her medal and was in line getting Gatorade and water when it happened.

 I was SO Glad that my sister was okay, but I could have potentially loss my sister the same day I loss my grandma ( she died April 15 exactly 5 years ago to the day). During all this, our home phone started ringing off the hook with people calling to see if Lacey was running and if she was okay.

 From my brief conversation with my sister, I knew she was going straight to the airport (or at least going to try to get there) I was now concerned about her safety even at the airport. My heart was breaking for her as she had to experience all this and to everyone else that was there and of course to all the victims and their family.

 My sister has a stressful enough job as a flight attendant and has to worry about this kind of situation affecting her safety on a daily basis. But now it is affecting the thing she loves to do for fun, running! What is this world coming to?

 

 She finally did make it home on a very late flight Monday night. As I waited in the airport  with flowers and balloons for my sister, an older lady asked what the occasion was and with a teary eye, I told her that I was just happy that my sister was alive and that she made it home safely from the Boston Marathon. She then told her friends, who then told their husbands. So by the time Lacey entered the terminal even complete strangers were clapping for her and hugging her. It was quite an emotional night!

Thirteen days later, Lacey flew to California to complete the second half of the Boston to Big Sur Challenge.  Two races, Two Coast, thirteen days apart.  I was even more frightened for her safety there. I had visions of something going wrong on that big bridge. Thank goodness everything turned out okay.   Although she has no desire to run the Boston Marathon again anytime soon, Lacey continued to run 6 more marathons. Her 7^th will be  the Big Sur Marathon later this month.

If you'd like to read Lacey's Boston marathon recap from race day, you can read it HERE.

 

Do you ever go back and re-read memories from your blog?   Will you be watching the Boston marathon on TV this year?

Our Race Scrapbook

 

Do you document your races?  We don't really "Scrapbook" per say.  The results of traditional scrapbooking are beautiful, but too time consuming for us!  It didn't take long for our race pictures to start filling up our photo albums, so we came up with a better solution to incorporate many of our pics.  Each race gets its own 4X6 print and it slips right in to our album. Easy Peasy!



In no particular order, here are the races we've documented so far!

 

 

 

 

 

We are continuosly adding races to our album!

What do you do to document your races? Do you make a photo album?