3 years.

Ok, we have some quick catching up to do.

First and foremost, someone let Tiger Woods that I'm coming in hot:

Did a little golfing this afternoon. I actually am far below average. That's OK.

Secondly, I'm running again. Slowly, and short distances. But I'm running. It makes me so happy. I ran two miles on Wednesday, and another two this past Friday... and will be participating in the Charm City Run for Boston tomorrow in Baltimore.

Yesterday, 4/20, was my three year running anniversary. It was the mark of my first ever half marathon - the Horsetooth Half - in Fort Collins, CO, that sparked my passion for long distance running.

I ran it in 1 hours and 51 grueling minutes.

It's a beautiful race - I actually have a friend who ran it as his first half ever today too, and killed it - and if you are ever in the area, I recommend doing it simply for the awesome scenery.

Andrew and I have recently talked about how my journey back to running will be very similar to the journey I was on to start. It's been several months since I've ran any miles at all, and it will be a lot like starting back at square zero.

Guys, I got a cramp during my two miles on Friday.

I'm not discouraged. With the recent events at Boston, I'm actually extremely motivated. I really, really want to try to qualify for Boston in '14. That would be extremely hard to do given the short amount of time on my hands... but if I can do it safely, you better bet I'm gonna be in Boston next April.

Last but not least, I would be remiss if I didn't touch on my travels last weekend.

I could write a novel about my time in Colorado, how much fun it was, and all the PG-13 trouble that we got into. But I would wager not too many people care. Plus after my aggressive post on Friday... I'll keep this short.

Friday to Monday was a blur. There was good food, good beverages, and good music to be had by all. And believe me, we hit those three categories hard.

sometimes at the same time.

We met hugged one of my favorite country artists, Florida Georgia Line, and I haven't been able to stop listening to them since. The concert was amazing, and if you're a country lover and they are in your area this summer, go. Just go.

And of course there were plenty of wolf shenanigans.

The last day brought some snow, yet somehow my flight still got out back to Baltimore because DIA is a machine and rarely cancels flights. I landed that night, woke up the next day and realized that over the 10 days that I was gone on my trip, spring had sprung here in the Baltimore area.

That makes me so happy. I wish I could go rip out 10 miles today. But for the sake of smartness, I will sulk off to the pool and get some laps in.

Hope everyone has/had a great, safe weekend. I know personally, I am feeling extra blessed to be living in a country that doesn't put up with B.S.

Cheers to that!

#JAMSOHARD

Disclaimer: this is not a headphones debate. I realize some runners are simply anti-headphones while running, and that’s fine. To each their own.

The Colorado Marathon

 I run with headphones in. I listen to music almost all day at work. I BLARE music in my car to the point of near deafness. I consider my iPod shuffle to be one of my closest friends.

Music brings me joy. It easily bring tears to my eyes. To get mushy gushy with you guys, I would say music is very much an emotional release. 

I had a great texting convo with my close wolfpack friend about this recently. Some people think we are a bit off our rockers when they hear us vehemently screaming about discussing music, artists, concerts, etc. That’s fine, maybe we are. But I LOVE my passion for music.  People find joy in many different things, in many different outlets. And I feel kind of blessed to have been given this particular passion.

Almost all of my favorite memories have music and songs attached to them. The song Springsteen by Eric Church instantly takes me back to Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado, then to dancing on the lawn at Merriweather Amphitheater here in Maryland with Andrew, then to this past New Year’s Eve. Flipping through my iTunes library is pretty much comparable to flipping through a photo album in my mind.

Red Rocks

Merriweather

Why am I rambling on about this? Well, if you notice, I made a little change to those tabs up there at the top of my blog. 

#Jamsohard

From here on out, I will update that page every other week or so (about how often I update my playlists) with some of my favorite jams to workout/run/get motivated with. I am ALWAYS seeking awesome recs – and often use my dear blogger friend Brook’s Tuesday Tunesdays for some – and wanted to offer up the dark secrets of my massive Itunes library that I’m ever so proud of.

I may mention in posts when the page is updated… maybe I won’t, who knows. I love almost all genres of music…though I tend to be bias towards country. Regardless, I do promise to keep it updated, and to keep it classy.

Cheers to great jams!

Fighting with Food

Today I waged an angry battle at the office. A battle against sugar.

I lost.

Hold up, rewind. I heard you guys wanted to watch a video from the concert of me singing in my horrific off-tune twang-like voice?

Ok, fine.

I have no idea who did that weird scream/shriek.

And a pic of me looking super cheesy in my boots? Sure why not.

nice face kait.

Anyways, back to my point. We had two birthdays today at the office. In case you missed it:

tweeeeeet

The donuts and bagels were parked at the cube across the way, and literally stared at me all morning. I gave them the finger back.

Double DDDDD

However, right around lunchtime I could no longer say no to the mini brownies and mini cupcakes, and I caved in. 

I can't say it wasn't worth it.

 Believe me, I'm all for the occasional indulgence. Nothing wrong with that in moderation. However, I can't help but notice how difficult it can be when working in an office setting. There is typically at least one occasion per week that people bring crap goodies in to share.

Personally, I try not to make it a habit because I know the way too much sugar/refined carbs effects me. AKA crappy ass runs, like the horrific one that I had after work. I'll also blame part of it on the high temps/humidity.

So, tonight after returning from my pathetic run, I decided to do two nice things for my body.

veggies

ice

I'm gonna call it a night folks. Expect something super weird tomorrow, as usual.

Oh and PS - If you're the praying type, say one for my close friend Sarah. She lost her mom yesterday. 

Cancer Sucks.

Cheers to finding a cure.

Craigslist

I have two very legit reasons to be a big time believer in Craigslist. The two reasons are pictured below:

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit A: The Kenny Chesney Concert at Red Rocks, July 2011. My friend Karlie and I decided very last minute to go, and therefore had to go through Craigslist to do so. The guy we purchased them from was, for lack of better words, creepsauce, but the concert was EPICALLY AMAZING. I would trade my organs pay a lot of money to be able to do it again this summer. Great memories, all made possible because of Craigslist.

Exhibit B: My amazing roommates from my past year in Fort Collins. We didn't know each other at all, in fact didn't even meet before I signed a lease with them in the summer of 2010. It ended up being one of the best decisions I've ever made, as I got to live with two of the most awesome, solid girls that I've ever had the privilege of living with. Not to mention my furry friend Kai, shown above as well. Two random girls who I found on Craigslist and needed a roommate turned out to be two lifelong friends.

So there you have it, two prime examples as to why I decided to once again use Craigslist in my search for roommates in Columbia. The two girls who I'm moving in with seem great, and have been so so nice thus far. I'm confident this move will provide, yet again, another Craigslist success story.