50 Cities You Should See In Your Lifetime

Huffington Post has an article going around about the 50 cities you should see in your lifetime. The article can be found here.

So, let's see what my total is:

1. Venice, Italy (check)
2. Seville, Spain (check)
3. New York City, New York, USA (check)
4. Lhasa, China
5. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
6. London, England (check) also planning our second trip there for the Miami Dolphins game
7. Marrakech, Morocco
8. Petra, Jordan
9. Rome, Italy (check)
10. Varanasi, India
11. Florence, Italy (check) loved it, highly recommend a visit
12. Havana, Cuba
13. Kyoto, Japan
14. Jerusalem, Israel
15. Paris, France (check, multiple times)
16. Beijing, China
17. Lalibela, Ethiopia
18. Granada, Spain (check)
19. Athens, Greece (check)
20. Bagan, Myanmar
21. Kathmandu, Nepal
22. Vatican City (check) would love to go back, same goes for Rome too!
23. Lisbon, Portugal - will be our last trip before we move back to America
24. Tokyo, Japan
25. Istanbul, Turkey (check) amazing!!!!
26. Hoi An, Vietnam
27. Amsterdam, Netherlands (check)
28. Luxor, Egypt
29. Berlin, Germany (check)
30. Jaipur, India
31. Lyon, France
32. Oia, Greece
33. Siem Reap, Cambodia
34. Vienna, Austria (check)
35. Cusco, Peru
36. Cartagena, Colombia
37. Zanzibar, Tanzania
38. Mexico City, Mexico
39. Singapore
40. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (check)
41. Samarkand, Uzbekistan
42. Sydney, Australia
43. San Francisco, California, USA
44. Mont Saint Michel, France (check) stunning
45. Dubrovnik, Croatia (check)
46. Bangkok, Thailand
47. Buenos Aires, Argentina
48. Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
49. Prague, Czech Republic (check)
50. Budapest, Hungary - hoping to visit before we leave

So, I'm at 18 for now. We'll see how many more we can add before moving.

Traveling

Hey All! It's been a while and boy have we been on some whirlwind trips! I'm not sure B has worked a full week of work since late April! This is partly because of how holidays fell with already planned travel. Our month has been like this:

May 2 - My birthday and also a huge fest in our town. So my birthday party coincided with a huge outdoor party and a great 90s cover band!

May 9-12 - Prague Marathon Weekend! I survived my part, even with all the injuries. It felt great to get out a run again. Already looking up our next race!

May 23-26 - Barcelona for Memorial Day. We decided to take a beach trip and see a new city. It was a great trip, more on that later.

May 31-June 7 - Normandy. Yes a full week to coincide with the 70th anniversary of D-Day. It was an amazing, once in a lifetime experience. Again, more on that later.

June 13-16 - Copenhagen. Another four day weekend trip.

At this point, we have less than 6 months left in Germany so we're trying to make the most of our time left and the travel opportunities we can take. I'll put up full recaps of our trips later.

Griffey Strikes Again

In college, my boyfriend at the time (husband now), called me Griffey (after Ken Griffey Jr) because I was constantly injured while on the rowing team. At one point, I had a strained groin, callouses/blisters on my hands, a blister on my ear drum and an ear infection, so injured and sick. I would also walk in to class (late) with ice on various parts of my body, the aforementioned groin, shoulder....the list goes on.

Well, as it happens, shortly after I posted last time about my sprained ankle and my gracefulness on ice. I stubbed my toe, like I do hundreds of times each year. Yes, I really am that clumsy. But this stubbing was different. This one hurt, it hurt bad. After taking a few deep breathes and fighting back tears (yes I still cry, get over it) I continued on with my business and then hobbled my way back to the couch. I sat for a while and watched it bruise and swell. I sent my husband a text saying "I think I broke my toe" his response was "What did you do this time?" "I walked into a wall about 30 minutes ago and it still hurts." I had an event that night and had to tough it out. By the time I got home, I was in a ton of pain. My husband looked at it, he's normally one to down play my injuries, so if he says it looks bad, that really means it looks horrible. I didn't go to the doctor because what's the point in this case? They're going to x-ray it and wrap it up. I can wrap it myself.

So, here we are two weeks later. And it still hurts. I have a few more weeks before I really have to start training for Prague but I'm starting to get a bit nervous. Within two months, I sprain my ankle and break a toe. Not a good track record. I'll keep you updated on my progress and I'm waiting for the day when Brian decides I need to live in a plastic bubble.

What's the haps?

Saying "it's been a while since I've updated" is an understatement. But I'll try to catch you all up on my life now that I have my computer back. (The fan died and it took me two months to gather up the courage to do something about it.) But it's fix and I no longer have to peck everything out on an iPad keyboard!

Physical therapy has been going well. That is until about a week before Christmas when on one of our few cold days (what's up with that?) I was heading out to the car to scrap the windows and slipped and fell. The hubs rushed me to the German ER and after about 5 hours they told me it's not broken. They wrapped it up, gave me Tiny Tim crutches and sent me on my way. After two months of dealing with that, I was finally cleared to start running again!!! I'm only allowed to do 10-15 minutes on a treadmill at zero incline but it's a start. And just in time to start training for the Prague Marathon Relay!!!! Yes, that will be my return to running race in May!

Also, we have some news on our next steps. As of right now, we will be heading to Fort. Campbell in the Fall. It'll be sad to leave Germany but nice to get back to a normal life in the states. Until then, we will be doing a ton of traveling! In the upcoming months, we have my aunt and uncle coming for about 3 weeks. We'll be taking a trip to Madrid with them among other things. We'll be going to Krakow, Poland for a long weekend, Prague for the marathon, Normandy for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, and then my brother and sister-in-law are planning a visit and one of my cousins will be coming. And that's just what we have planned! We have other things in the works but not finalized yet.

That's all for now. Stay warm and dry!

Getting Back in the Game

After about 5 months of pain, I'm finally on the mend. I'm in physical therapy now for a patellar tracking issue and my doctor has cleared me to do whatever activity I want to do (as long as I'm smart about it)!!!!

Now I'm looking at what race will be my comeback race. Any suggestions?

Next Steps

Thanks for all the love on the previous post! My x-rays came back normal so it's not a fracture, it's a soft tissue problem.

I schedule my first physical therapy appointment today with a German doctor for next week. So, I'll keep you guys posted. But for now, I'm just trying to find some exercises that don't bother me.

:(

It kills me to write this post. For a while, I have been experiencing knee pain while running. I saw a doctor about a month ago and he said it was just a tracking issue with my patellar tendon. So I did what he said, did some exercises, taped it, even wore a knee brace that was supposed to help it. Nothing worked. I took two weeks off of marathon training to hopefully heal it. I went for a run on Sunday and still massive pain. I can't even make it through 5 minutes without limping. So, I had another doctor's appointment Monday. New doctor. I explained everything to him, he preformed some tests on me and thinks it may be a torn meniscus. I had an X-Ray Tuesday (and I'm waiting for the results). If it comes back normal, then I'll have an MRI and start physical therapy. But the doctor flat out said no marathon in November. I am crushed by this as my husband and I have already registered for the Athens Classic Marathon (the Original!). I may be able to run the 10k but that will depend on how I progress.

Spain in Pictures

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Spain back in June and July

Hola

I realize it's been a while since I last updated so here's what's been going on. My parents planned their annual visit to see us and we all met up in Spain for two weeks. The weather was fabulous and sunny. I don't think it rained at all while we were there. I even came back with a tan!! I'll post more on Spain and our adventures later but since then, it's been back to the real world meaning Marathon Training has started. But that also means new skirts!!! Once they come in, I'll post pictures.

Disneyland Paris Day 2

The second day of DLP, we drove because we were going to be leaving to head home after our time at the park. We again arrived early so we could grab breakfast and then get in line for Crush's Coaster at Walt Disney Studios (the DHS of Paris). This coaster is so popular that everyone starts lining up before rope drop and it was totally worth the wait. You are basically riding a turtle shell through the EAC so you need to "Rip it, roll it and punch it" (not really, I just love that quote). The downside to this ride is, there are no Fast Passes. If you go, this needs to be one of the first rides you hit.

After hanging down under, we grabbed Fast Passes for Tower of Terror and then rode Rock n Roller Coaster. Unlike Disney World, Rock n Roller Coaster did not have a story behind it. It was a coaster that was in the dark with lights flashing like a concert and again Aerosmith music. Orlando's is better. Tower of Terror hasn't been updated yet so it's just the three drops. Again, Orlando's is better. So, after all this, we decided it was lunchtime. We tried out Cafe des Stars. This was pretty fun because there is a life size Remy that comes out under a waiter's tray and he can bust a move! <3

We meandered around, met some characters including Gaston, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumm, Remy and Emile. We then caught Lights, Motors, Action. I was a little disappointed because the videos I've seen made it seem more action packed. But it was interesting and good to get off our feet for a bit. We then caught the Stars and Cars parade.

Toy Story Car

Mary Poppins's Car

The Villain Car

After the parade, we had decided that it was time to make our way home. I think for our next trip, we will just ride Crush's Coaster and then spend the rest of the day at Disneyland Park. It was a wonderful birthday trip :)

If anyone has questions about Disneyland Paris, let me know. It was difficult to plan what to do when there is not a lot of information available.

Disneyland Paris Day 1

For my birthday, my husband took me to Disneyland Paris for the weekend!!

Too excited to keep my eyes open

Couple things to note: Fast Passes are only for 30 minute windows, there are no Mickey Ice Cream Bars or Dole Whips and ear hats are not as big of a thing. :(

Disney always makes me happy (who can't be happy at Disney) but visiting a new park just added that much more excitement. We attempted to plan our trip but there wasn't a lot of information available. So we did the best we could. Prior to our trip, Brian had made reservations at Cafe Mickey with a cake for my birthday so we had one meal set. We stayed off property because it was way too expensive to stay on property and then just took the RER, a Paris commuter train, to the park. We didn't sleep well the night before so we were up early and ready to go. We caught an earlier train and wandered Disney Village (DLP's Downtown Disney). They had a Starbucks, McDonald's, Earl of Sandwich, Rain Forest Cafe and several Disney shops and other Disney themed restaurants, including Cafe Mickey.

We grabbed some coffee and continued our exploration. We also saw a lot of people entering the Parks so we tried our luck at it.

We made it in and only got as far as the bridge to Discoveryland (Tomorrowland) before we were stopped. While waiting, we worked on our game plan. The plan was for me to take the tickets and sprint to Space Mountain for Fast Passes. Brian would come along at a normal pace and take pictures. We would then get in line for Star Tours. This was not everyone's idea as I was the first and only person at the Fast Pass distribution. Everyone else was running for the main line. We rode Star Tours (which has not been redesigned) and the took on Space Mountain, which is a real roller coaster. WOW! I loved it and yes, we rode it again.

Phantom Manor

We also took on Phantom Manor (Haunted Mansion), which tried to be more spooky than fun and Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril (I wouldn't recommend it without a Fast Pass). By then it was lunch time. It had been so long since we've had a normal hot dog. We live in Germany, there are no hot dogs here, they'll all brats. With that in mind, we decided to eat at Casey's Corner. Not as good as the Orlando one but still hit the spot.

We then took to Fantasyland and It's a Small World. The teacups broke down just before we were able to ride as did the train. We decided to do Space Mountain again and ran into some interesting characters (literally!) like the White Rabbit, Frollo and Abu.

 

We also caught a ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which is more popular because it the only kid friendly coaster.

We then made our way out of the park to Cafe Mickey for dinner!

Dole Whip shirt and wine

Cafe Mickey is character dining so we had fun being kids again. 

Dinner was good and Mickey presented me with my cake. 

We then went back to the park to watch the fireworks :)

Boston

As a runner, a marathoner, I am in shock over what happened at Boston. The running community is close and tight knit, whether you are an elite runner, a Boston qualifier, a back of the packer, or just starting out. This is why I feel personally affected by this event. I feel like my family has been attacked. However, runners are resilient (really, we run marathons and half marathons for fun). We will still run and we will continue to encourage, inspire and uplift others.

So today, on my run, I will run for more than myself. I will run for Boston.

Made My Day :)

My friend Jenny over at Running Halfway Around the World nominated me as a very inspiring blogger. I'm honored that she thought of me as inspiring. Thanks Jenny!

Here are the rules:


The award has three simple rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person who nominated you.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Nominate 15 other bloggers and comment on their blogs to let them know.

So, seven things about myself.

1. Both my husband and I love our alma mater. Our wedding was themed after it. We named one of our cats after it and our future dog will also carry a name from it. (Our other cat is named after cookies.)
2. I didn't watch a single Star Wars movie until I was 27 (and yes, this was like a month ago).
3. I have a goal of visiting 30 countries by the time I turn 30. I'm currently at 16 with 2 years left.
4. I love Spring. The weather is wonderful, it's my birthday season and there are so many festivals here. Just about every weekend is a festival :)
5. I've recently started cooking...for real and not just pasta and crock pot recipes. I make a mean meatloaf.
6. I used to dance. I spent 14 years of my life dancing and doing dance competitions.
7. I've never visited the west coast. I've done Hawaii and Vegas but nothing else between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean.

Nominations: This is going to be tough because Jenny and I read the same blogs so it won't be 15 but I'll do my best!

1. Through Heather's Looking Glass - Heather is an amazing blogger, running skirt lover and Disney enthusiast.
2. Runner's Tales - Rachel has an great weight loss journey and blogs about her races in Florida.
3. Diary of an Everyday Girl - A fellow Running of the Ears member who posts interesting recipes that I will have to try soon (especially the crab and shrimp dip).
4. Love Every Mile - I had the privilege of running part of the marathon with Kimberly and really getting to know her better.

Check out their blogs and enjoy your day!

Rock N Roll Nice -- 10 Miles of Carnival

For President's Day Weekend, the husband and I packed our bags and headed to the Riviera. It was Carnival! We were also running the Inaugural Rock N Roll Nice race.

The weather for the whole weekend was wonderful. It was still chilly for the locals because they were bundled up but we were enjoying the 50 degree sunny weather.

Our race course was along the beach front promenade out to the airport then back to the marina with a finish in front of the carnival grandstands. The course was one giant out and back loop. It was relatively flat but not completely as advertised. There were two massive hills and only one down hill. (Apparently what goes up doesn't always come down.) But the view of the Med was beautiful the entire course. I was less than two minutes off a PR, which isn't bad for two reasons. 1) The longest distance I had run between the marathon and this race was 3 miles. 2) A blister started appearing around mile 3. It was well organized for the first running however the race expo was tiny.

Heading to the marina around mile 7.5/km 12

Heading up the hill the day before the race

Picture of the medal (photo from Rock n Roll)

Marathon In Pictures

Mile 5ish with the Castle and Julie (photo from Mrs. P)

Mile 22 inside Hollywood Studios

Mile 25 "I just want to be done" (photo from Mrs. P)

Post Marathon Feet. 4 blisters as battle scars (photo from Mrs. P)

Marathon Happy with Mr. Mouse himself!

I'm a Marathoner!!!

One of my goals last year was to start training for a marathon. On Sunday, I used that training and complete my first marathon!!!! So, here's my recap of the 20th Anniversary of the Walt Disney World Marathon!

I flew down and met up with my friend, Emma, and my roommates, Rhonda and Kathy. Rhonda was also doing the full and Emma and Kathy were part of our much needed chEAR group. So, the alarm went off bright and early (well bright and dark, really) at 2 am. It was probably one of the few times I was up before my husband and he was 6 hours in the future. We had plans to meet up with some other ROTEr runners for the 3 am bus. So, the group of us (me, Emma, Rhonda, Kathy, Jenny, Carrie, Susan, Robbie and Gary) were on the first bus on the way to the start! Once we arrived, our cheer squad (Emma, Kathy and Robbie) left to go get a spot just past the castle in Magic Kingdom (around mile 5.5). Jenny, Carrie, Susan and Gary went to the race retreat so Rhonda and I continued to the H tent to meet with the ROTE group. I took a blanket with me off the airplane so we had something to sit on and eat breakfast. Joey joined us and we kept chatting to pass the time. I got some much needed hugs from Gina and Tricia then it was time to head to the corrals.

A large group of us started in E (Julie, Patrick, Nikki, Jenny, Janice, David, Kimberly and myself). We had about 30 minutes to kill before the race even started and then about another 30 until we started. Boy that time sure went by fast and before we knew it, it was time. We started out doing 30:30s with the group and worked our way to the Ticket and Transportation Center. Everyone but Julie and I had to go to the bathroom so we kept chugging away. About this this time, we saw Laura, a much needed cheer boost. Julie and I slowed our past so everyone could catch up but kept on moving. We were past mile 5 before you know it and into the Magic Kingdom. Julie said that she liked to run Main Street so we did. It was awesome! So many people were out cheering. It was only a few turns and then it was time to run through the castle. I knew what Emma and Robbie were wearing so I kept my eyes out for them and was able to stop for a quick picture and some gummy bears and then on our way again.

After exiting the Magic Kingdom, we made a pit stop at the medical tent, hoping the other group would catch up. No luck. So we kept moving. Past the back side of the Grand Floridian (a quick wave to Katie) and then to the speedway lined with classic and unique cars. After the speedway, we hit one of the worst parts of the race. The sewage treatment plant. The smell wasn't as bad as I had anticipated but the heat and the sun were the worst. No shade for several miles. Ick. But we finally made it into Animal Kingdom. We made a pit stop at a real bathroom just before Expedition Everest and finally found David and Kimberly. We passed by Kim waiting outside Everest for Steve and kept on moving. We made it to the half way point and then out of the park and into the parking lot. I started feeling sluggish and Julie asked if I had forgotten a fuel. Yes, I had. So I took it around mile 14 and then another at 15. Steve passed us looking pretty strong (Everest must have given him a second wind).

And then began the long journey to Wide World of Sports. Again, it was a long, hot stretch without much, if any, shade. Miles 16 and 21 were on the in and out legs of WWoS so we kept our eyes open for other ROTErs. Kelly passed by first saying Bob has qualified for Boston (an amazing feat alone, not to mention the heat and that it was on the Goofy race!). We then saw Joey and Matt who told us to just keep going. We turned into WWoS and saw the famous Dave. There were also sponges waiting for us (that was probably the highlight of this section). We passed Steve, ran around the track, found Peter, ran into the stadium, out of the stadium and then Peter found us again. We kept on trucking until we found a medial tent and got ice. I just held it in my hands for a long time. By this point, our intervals were all sorts of crazy. We had dropped to 30:60, just walking and then we decided to pick up 30:30 again.

We ran past the sweeper bus (wanted to look strong). And then made the turn to Hollywood Studios. I had a rock in my shoe, so we stopped a minute to get it out (by then it was too late). We made it to the hat (hey, there was a hat on the run, who knew?) and Julie said she wanted to run Hollywood Blvd. So we did. I'm sure by this point my run was more of a speedy hobble. We then exited and ran to the boardwalk. Julie pointed out the last sweep point and we knew we were safe. Emma, Robbie and Kathy were on the boardwalk just before EPCOT and asked if we needed anything. At that point, I didn't care, I just wanted to be done. Then on to EPCOT. Entering World Showcase in England was the second Laura sighting and a huge hug. After that we just tried to keep going. We took a pause after Mexico and another runner told us to keep going because we were almost there. Around Spaceship Earth, and there was Katie and Laura again with more hugs. The finish was in sight and we decided to run across it. At this point there were tears. A quick hug from Julie. My medal pick up and then a hobble to medical.

I got some ice on my way in because my feet just hurt. I knew I had blisters on the balls and heels of both feet and it made walking hard. I sat down, took my shoes off and just put my feet on ice. I was able to watch Steve, Kim, Nikki, Jenny, Janice, David and Kimberly come through the finish area while waiting for someone. The girl who tended me was so sweet and started to pop the blisters. I was one of the last ones out of the finishing area. Emma and Megan found me after being worried that something happened. We caught one of the last buses back and jumped in the pool with Jenny. It felt good just to get off my feet.

I'll post more about the trip in general and maybe do the marathon in pictures a bit later.

1 Week

Next week at this time I will be a few miles into my first marathon!! I've trained and I think I'm ready for this (I hope). My 20 miles was right before Christmas and I felt good after it. I'll let you all know how it goes!

2012 Recap

Now that 2013 has started, it's time to do a final recap.


1. Survive Amsterdam. 
2. Lose weight (at least 15 lbs). I think just about everyone makes this resolution. I didn't hit the 15 lbs marker but I did lose and keep off about 10. So I'm pretty proud of that
3. Read at least 12 books. 
4. Run at least 4 more half marathons. I only ran 1 half and 1 10 miler last year. So I didn't do so hot.
5. Improve 5k time to under 35 minutes. I took my 5k time to 37 minutes. Not where I wanted to be but I'm close!
6. Improve half marathon time to under 3 hours. I didn't hit this one but I did shave about 5 minutes off so I'm pretty happy about that.
7. Commit to Jillian Michaels DVDs for 90 days (30 Day Shred, Ripped in 30, and Buns and Thighs). Fail.
8. Start training for a marathon.  
9. Cook at least three meals per week (only one of which can be pasta). I'm calling this a win. We did a great job on this and we cooked a full Christmas meal!
10. Only eat out once per week, unless traveling. We did well on this too which could contribute to the weight loss.

Army 10 Miler Recap

I flew to DC for two reasons. 1) To meet my 8 month old nephew! and 2) To run the Army 10 Miler.

I had convinced my brother to sign up for the military lottery too. So, we were both in this. We went to the expo on Friday and picked up packets and race shirts. My brother needed a sweat band so he bought that. There was nothing I needed so after that, we headed out.

Race morning came and we hopped on the metro and headed to the Pentagon. I was meeting up with some ROTErs who were also running. It was a great reunion! After checking bags, we headed to the porta potty line and chatted while waiting. While in line, we watched the Golden Knights jump. After using the bathroom, we said our good byes and headed to our starting areas. I was in the last wave so I had to wait to start. Once it was our time, we were off and running!

I was a bit nervous about meeting the cutoff time so I kept checking time on my watch. I had about an hour and 20 minutes to reach the 5 mile marker. I beat the clock! But about that time my Garmin started to flip out and said the lap data was full so it no longer kept track of my intervals. So, I had to manually keep track of where I was.

Around mile 6, there was an out and back and I ran into my ROTErs there! I kept looking for them but they spotted me first....they said it was the hot pink pants I was wearing. From there, I just kept chugging away. Once I hit the 14th St Bridge, I knew I was almost home and I could hear the DJ from the finish line at the Pentagon. The big problem here is that 14th St Bridge feels like two miles up hill. Once off the bridge, I caught up with one of the ROTErs, with about a half mile left. His Garmin was still working so we followed his intervals to the finish. On the last interval, we had an all out sprint to the end. So, my first 10 Miler was in the books!

I'm happy with my time considering I had a half the week before and an international flight. My pace per mile was dead on with my pace at the half. I'm nothing if not consistent. All in all, I would say it was a good race and if we ever get posted to the DC area, I would do it again.

Munich Half and Expo

Last Saturday, the husband and I drove to Munich for their half marathon. We went immediately to the expo at Olympic Park and it was huge! We were handed our packets by girls in dirndls and guys in leaderhosen. After picking up our race packets, we walked around the expo for a bit, purchased a few things and then decided to go check in to the hotel.

We were really under trained for this race and I was a bit nervous. Our longest run prior to the race was 7 miles. But we were both going to run intervals and just pace ourselves to get through it. Brian had decided to do 2:1 intervals and I decided to do 1:1.

We drove the car to Olympic Stadium and parked. Then we walked to the metro stop to head to our starting point (which was the half way point for the marathoners). Our race didn't start until 1 pm. The marathon started at 10 am and the organizers probably figured that most people would be past the half way point in 3 hours. So, we sat and waited and drank water and ate our peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

Then it was time to line up. We were in the second starting group (there were only two). A loud gun shot later and the first group was off. We're talking loud, this thing had to be a huge gun like an American Howitzer. We waited and then started to move up and then a second gun shot and we were off. I lost Brian within minutes of starting and was just moving along on my own. I started my intervals after 5 minutes just so I could move down the course and not block anyone.

The course ran through some neighborhoods and there were families out on the streets cheering people on. The course was pretty with no major up hills, although we did have some nice down hills to run. The course really got interesting as we were nearing the 10km marker. We ran through Marienplatz, home to the famous  Glockenspiel. There was a fairly large crowd gathered and an announcer who would give the crowd a little information on the runner coming through. After that, we rounded the old palace and then went back to neighborhood streets (albeit some busy ones). Some of the residents didn't seem to care that a race was going on and would ride their bikes on the course, sometimes in the opposite direction of the runners. That was a bit challenging. By this point, my feet were getting tired but I was too far in to stop. So I just kept up with my intervals and took longer rest breaks when I needed to and when running through a water station.

After working our way around the city, I finally started seeing signs for Olympic Stadium. On my way in, there were several runners who had already finished and were cheering people on. After running around the stadium, we ran through the tunnel and out on to the track. Yes, there were goose bumps at this point. I'm a huge fan of the Olympics and I'm kind of disappointed that the London Olympic Marathon didn't finish inside the stadium. But the fact that I was going to finish in the stadium was so freaking cool! I made my way around the track and to the finish area. Brian was there waiting after I got my medal and we just chatted about our races.

We then realized that we would have to climb a ton of stairs. That was slow going. We showered and then hopped in the car for the drive home.

(please notice world's largest race bib in the pictures. oh and there were no holes punched it it either)