2 weddings, 4 different beds, and 42 miles

I apologize for not writing in a while....life sometimes gets in the way! Last week I was on vacation so I've been busy preparing for that and then was away from my computer while we were gone.

Vacation was nice.....busy, but nice. We were all over PA, DE, and NJ for various events.

Bed # 1: We got to my parents house at 1:30am on Saturday after driving down after work on Friday.

Bed # 2: That night we had a college friend's wedding in DE (wedding #1). We got to see many of our friends that we hadn't seen in a while which is always fun. It was like we were back at Bucknell but just 10 years older....can't party like we used to though :)

Back to bed # 1 for one night where we visited with my Grandma and then had dinner at my other grandparent's house. Note that I haven't mentioned any running up until this point!

Bed # 3: On Monday, Bryan and I headed down to Cape May in NJ for a relaxing couple days at a bed and breakfast. The weather was nice so we just relaxed on the beach and enjoyed having time off together. We ate at some good restaurants (ok.....so cheese fries at the Wildwood board walk aren't exactly health food, but we had to experience true "Jersey" while we were there!) Here is where I finally got some runs in:

• Monday: 5 recovery miles with Bryan after sitting at the beach all afternoon.
• Tuesday: I got up early to get this run in so I wouldn't have to worry about it later in the day. I did 10 miles with a 3 mile warm up, 5 mile at LT pace, and a 2 mile cool down. The great thing about the beach is that its very flat which is great for tempo runs. It was still pretty humid even at 7:30am but I was pleased with my LT paces (8:15, 8:17, 8:09, 8:06, 8:03). That afternoon we also went on an easy bike ride to check out the Cape May lighthouse and Sunset Beach.
• Wednesday: 10 mile medium-long run after a day at the beach. My legs were definitely feeling the tempo run from the day before!
• Thursday: We drove to Avalon, NJ where my family used to rent a house every summer and biked around there for a while. It was fun to see our old house and remember the fun times we had with all my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. I even found a little army parachute guy on the beach......my family will understand the significance!

Back to bed #1: Thursday we drove back to my parent's house to get ready for wedding #2....my brother!!! I got up early Friday morning to get my long run over with. My parents live in a nice area, but there aren't really any local places to run and I didn't have time to drive to a park so I ran loops around my parent's house. They also live in a very hilly area so that added to the challenge. I'm surprised I didn't die of boredom running 17 miles within a 1 mile radius! I swung past my house a few times to refill water and Bryan joined me for 4 miles which was a nice break in the monotony of the run. Overall, I got it done and was so glad it was over!

No time to relax though.....I was off to the nail salon for a mani/pedi with my mom and then home to change before the rehearsal and dinner.

Bed #4: Saturday was the big day......I couldn't believe my little brother was getting married. Bryan dropped me off with the bride and other bridesmaids so we could get beautiful. After some minor issues with the limo, we all arrived and were ready to go. It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony and I was proud of myself for only tearing up a little (my lower lip was quivering as I walked down the aisle seeing my brother standing there). We all had a great time at the reception and my brother and his new wife never looked so happy before. I hope they are having a fantastic time on their honeymoon right now!

So there you have it: 2 weddings, 4 beds, and 42 miles of running.....not bad for a vacation!