Tuesday, April 23, 2013

NC weekend escape | MUCH NEEDED

this past weekend was one for the books.

i flew down to raleigh/durham and spent the weekend with drew, rach and mom. us runners ran the tarheel 10 miler on saturday...AMAZING race/experience!! and by amazing i mean crazy difficult, chilly, hilly, epic, indescribable and overall worth the pain!! drew ran sub a sub 7min/mile and i ran sub 8. rach was pacing a 930 group or else she would have run a sub 7 too.

spending the weekend with a few of my favorite people, in a beautiful area of the country, eating my favorite foods, watching fun movies, getting to hang with emmitt, running like crazies and drinking local coffee...pretty sure it doesnt get better than that, does it? no. it does not.

life isnt perfect, certainly not mine, anyway. so, amidst the magical time, i was suffering inconsolable with sinus pain/pressure. if were talking scale of 1 to 10 my pain/pressure was about 8394309. yes, its that bad. no, im not exaggerating. meds and nasal spray hit a plateau and stopped working pretty much all together. drew and rach introduced me to a neti-pot. OMG! CHANGED MY LIFE!!!!!! while it helped almost immediately i did struggle to breath during the run (thats my story and im sticking to it). now thats its tuesday, and ive been using a neti-pot for 5 days, my life is exponentially better. my sinuses struggle every few months...its cyclical hell, but its definitely felt more manageable than it ever has.

on that note, here are some pics of the best weekend ever. cant wait to get another date on the calendar for more fun!


Photo: officially landed in north carolina! #tarheel10miler #weekendescape @susie2405

Photo: we did it!! drew ran sub 7min/mile, liz and i ran sub 8 (and rach paced her 930 crew). #tarheel10miler #NCrunsforboston #weconqueredlaurelhill

Photo: sarah p. duke gardens. beauty/relaxation/nature on another level. #family #DUKE

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

a day to remember

this past weekend the world lost a true gem. my dads aunt, my (im not sure technically, but i called her my aunt too) passed away.

i was in BK, on the couch, watching the NCAA semi finals ('cuse vs. michigan) when i got the email from aunt cori letting us all know "she has passed away". while i was having the time of my life hanging out with some of my best friends, for a minute i froze. "omg" was my first thought. not very deep/scholarly/mind blowing i realize, but i really lost all thought for a moment. on the one hand, i view death of those that are really sick as a blessing. the other side of that is that they are now gone...forever.

death is something that has the ability to give us amazing perspective. i looked around alis apt at the moment i got that email and was so thankful that i surround myself with the people that i do. im a lucky girl.

rip aunt jean. i know dad and mac are up there showing you the ropes. ill do  my best to keep  your memory alive as i live my life. you were truly special :)