when you enter “the real world” and work your life away, one of the greatest pleasures becomes the novely of a 3-day weekend. amiright?!
Memorial Day. July 4th. Labor Day. Columbus Day. i don’t even know what i’m supposed to be celebrating half the time (other than more boat time, bathing suit sales and lots of sleep), but i’m always glad someone did something wonderful that deserves remembrance and i’m more than happy to celebrate it.
since 2011, Columbus Day weekend has always been a memorable, exciting weekend for me, as it’s the Mohawk Hudson Marathon and Half Marathon in upstate NY, where i grew up/went to hs/college/grad school/lived before moving to NYC/still go home to regularly on weekends. it was my very first half marathon in 2011, and again in 2012, and then my first (and only, as of yet) full marathon last year in 2013, which was one of the proudest and most wonderful days of my (still young) life.
this past Sunday, it was supposed to have been my second marathon — but instead, it became the first Columbus Day weekend in 4 years that i didn’t run a race. the past two months of super painful leg injuries have kept me from fulfilling that goal, and although i totally made peace with this fact a month ago and was able to def til next year, it was still a bit of a bummer to not keep the streak going…regardless of how much fun i’ve had the past few months after i knew i wasn’t training for a marathon. 🙂
so, i still went upstate this weekend, fully aware that i wouldn’t be running but rather uncertain as to exactly what i’d do to keep myself occupied with fabulous people/activities that’d keep my mind off running. and you know what? i hardly had a single moment’s trip to Bummerville the whole weekend, because it was full of so many great things and people.
how to be happy when your marathon plans fall through:
*go running. like, for myself: no race pressure, no other people, no expectations. any running is a victory for me these days, so i consider this past weekend a huge success: a 2-miler on a treadmill on Saturday and two hilly 5-6 milers on Sunday and Monday. all were painful, especially in the beginning, and i had a few walking bouts in miles 1-2 and did a little screaming at the sky and bemoaned that i’d never be able to run pain-free again. but i forced myself to work it out and push through the pain until it dulled, and although they were slower than i’d have liked, they were huge steps in the right direction.
*shopping date with mom. this is always a good idea, for every reason in the world. especially when you’re shopping for things like shoes and Halloween costume parts for a DIY costume endeavor. new Converse, a pair of moccasins (aka the world’s comfiest feet protectors) and some white clothes with a lot of canvas potential later, i was a happy girl.
*pumpkin beer date with dad. immediately succeeding a shopping date with mom = great pairing. nothing like back-to-back parent dates to make my Saturday love-full. and the place not only had Magic Hat’s Wilhelm Scream, but she also gave me a cinnamon-sugar rim. right in every way.
*advice on life & love. this book, i’m telling you…it just continues to rock my world, one advice letter at a time. she’s amazing and i wish she had 10 sequels to this book just waiting for me when i finish this one. i had every intention of going salsa dancing with the bro on Saturday night, but i cozied up in sweats and stayed in to read instead. it had to be done. her words haunt me, like the ghosts of things i wish i’d written, of emotions i wish i’d felt. i love this book.
*Halloween costume prep. i love love love love dressing up for Halloween. it makes my inner 5-year old (and creative arts minor) so giddily excited to choose a costume, then shop for parts, and then get to make the costume myself. i’m especially excited for this year’s endeavor — which i will be home working on tonight and tomorrow night, to wear at a party on Saturday night — because i think it’s so stinkin’ cute and i’m having wayyyyy too much fun making it!lil sneak preview:
*sushi & sake date at my fave sushi restaurant ever. as far as i’m concerned, it doesn’t get any better than Hana in Albany, NY. i’ve had a lot of sushi, and this is one of my faves ever. we also tried a sake flight, which was a super fun way to taste a few different kinds of cold sake (after having warm sake to start, of course), and paired so well with the sushi. i’ll be dreaming of this meal for a while now and wish i’d brought my phone in with me to take some pics of our amazing rolls.
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Um, super weekend!!! Man, what fun and I’m so happy you enjoyed every single minute of it!! That’s so awesome!! Pumpkin beer, shopping, sushi, Halloween prep…LOVE IT!! My most fave things!!! xoxoxo
It sounds like you took full advantage of your three day weekend and made the best out of not running a marathon. I’m so excited to see what your Halloween costume is going to be. That is so cool that you are a DIY type person. I’m always too lazy to make my own costumes.
I LOVE that regardless of not running the race, you still utilized the day and distracted yourself and seemed super happy doing it all 🙂 You’ve got a good head on your shoulders!
Good for you for finding other distractions. I know all too well the pure unadulterated suckage of not being able to run when everyonne else (or no even everyone else, but just not you) is running or enjoying. FOMO. But you know what? You had just as full and rich of a weekend as you otherwise would, just in a different way.
Glad you were able to keep yourself occupied with what appeared to be some amazing things Shawna! I love how you are able to keep such positive spin on things 🙂
Ugh so sorry to hear that you ultimately had to skip out on the marathon 😦 But in the end you know that it was all for the best because overdoing one seemingly small injury could put you out for many marathons to come. So enjoy the season, continue running as little/much as you want, and look forward to whatever race you might have planned next! Plus, it looks like you had plenty to keep you busy!
Love this one! Love you!