(Half) Marathons & Moving

November started off as a very rewarding month! On Friday, November 3, Kendall, Tonya, and I ventured down to Savannah for a fun girls’ weekend with a half-marathon sandwiched in between all the other activities. On the way down there, we stopped for gas and were having so much fun in the car chatting it up that I completely forgot to take the pump out of my car, peeled off and jerked it out of the station! It was so hilarious. I swear I nearly peed my pants (doesn’t take much when I laugh)! The attendant came out and just shook her head at me and said hardly anything while I offered to pay for any damage I had caused. Needless to say, I hope to never make that mistake again, but it was quite comical! We finally arrived to Savannah, had lunch outdoors at the Westin on the water (so beautiful), went to the expo to pick up our race packets, and then checked into our VRBO. Tonya did an awesome job of finding it…the location was amazing and it was very comfortable and spacious! Mel met us at our condo and we all hung out for a bit before going out to dinner at Local 11 Ten. It was an early night, since we had an early morning. We arose around 5:00am and got ready for the race, which kicked off at 7:00am. This was Kendall’s first half marathon, and up to this point, the longest race she had ever done was a 10k. I was so proud of her! Mel was our “race Sherpa” who met all of us along the course to give out free hugs, water, and support. It was invaluable, so thanks, Mel! The last half marathon I did was a year ago in Kiawah (with Trent) where I had shaved off eight minutes from my second half in New Orleans, so I wasn’t expecting to beat my Kiawah time…but, I did! I ran the race in 1:47:52 (average pace 8:14, overall 460 out of 7,559 participants, 14 out of 784 in my age group, and 136 out of 5,116 out of all females!). I was extremely proud of myself and in true form, shed some tears on my own at the finish line! Tonya and Kendall did extremely well, too! The course was beautiful, mostly flat, and had so many cheerleaders along the way to give us all an extra boost of energy and a pep in our steps! There was one station toward the end that had sponges dipped in cold water, which was very welcomed since it was around 65 degrees (which is very warm for a half!). As usual, there were some very funny signs along the course: 1) Pain is temporary, internet results last forever. 2) This parade sucks. 3) May the course be with you. 4) Run faster, my arms are sore. 5) It’s so rude to count the number of people you pass. 6) Don’t trust a fart after mile four. I am pretty sure I was going to lost a toenail at some point after the race (update: I did lose one seven weeks later). After enjoying a celebratory post-race beer, we walked to this delicious restaurant for lunch and enjoyed tasty adult beverages and delectable food while sitting in our stinky running clothes and letting the soreness sink in! Our intentions after lunch were to go home, ice our legs down, do some stretches, get cleaned up, and then go shopping. We did all of those things except leave the condo! While Tonya and Mel slept, Kendall and I watched the State/Clemson game and hung out. It was an awesome afternoon. We rallied for dinner at Rocks on the River, then ventured out to some bars for drinks and dancing. It was an awesome day! The next morning, we had a delicious brunch and then headed home.

The girls continued taking gymnastics and tumbling, and we went to Bingo night at school…it was really fun! Trent participated in the Balrog event with his F3 friends, which consisted of working out at 4-5 different locations with running interspersed between them. He totaled about 19 miles that day! Incredible! That evening, we went to dinner with a group of friends at 204 North and then got on the Funny Bus. This is a bus (where you can drink wine/beer) that takes you around downtown Charlotte with a comedian educating you about the history of the city while telling adult jokes. It was fun hanging out with everyone and laughing!

Some very exciting news…Trent’s parents bought a house about 20 minutes away from us. They will be living in a 55+ retirement community and there’s no doubt that they will meet some fabulous people there. The activities available to them are infinite and the house they purchased is beautiful. They will be selling their house in Arlington in the coming months and we are excited to help them settle into life in the South! Hanleigh continued her Y Guides and both girls had their annual checkups. Hanleigh weighed 48lbs., 6.4oz (33%) and was 4’ ½” (50%). Brayden weighed 69 lbs., 9.6 oz (17%) and was 4’ 10.25” (67%). The doctor said we should put them on whole milk (which, we did) to get some weight on their bones. I told her that their stats are just like mine…they have small frames, so I wasn’t surprised to see them in the lower percentile for weight. The girls got their progress reports and, as usual, are really enjoying school and doing so well! We had a date night out at the Pump House with the Vander Voorts and Farrells, went to Landon’s birthday party (where Darth Vader and a Storm Trooper made an appearance), and Brayden attended Cora’s birthday party at Flour Power.

Tonya wrangled me into running the Turkey Dash on Thanksgiving morning. The weather was perfect for a run (in the low 50s) and our time was great: 33:50 (8:20 pace). I was 186 out of 1,118 participants, 50^th out of 607 females, and 11 out of 92 in my age group! Tonya and I even held hands as we approached (and crossed) the finish line! After a quick celebratory beverage, we got cleaned up and the family headed over to Aunt Patty’s house for our Thanksgiving lunch. There were 20 of us enjoying a bunch of laughs and delicious home cookin’! The next day, we drove to Raleigh to hang out before the last football game of the season: NCSU vs. UNC. We took the girls around campus and showed them the former space of Harrelson Hall (where we met in 1996), the brickyard, the free expression tunnel, the library, Reynolds stadium, some of the dorms, and the CHASS and engineering buildings where we spent most of our time. It was nostalgic to go back and take them around our old stomping grounds! On Friday night, we hung out with the Mantaks at the campground in their newly renovated Airstream. It is so beautiful and they did an amazing job of refurbishing it. After roasting marshmallows around the campfire, we headed back to the hotel in preparation for a long day of tailgating and football. The tailgating was awesome and as usual, we had a great turnout for the game. Greg cooked and brought wigs…enough said! The weather was beautiful as well. GO PACK! This was one of the best seasons we’ve had in a long time. I hope it’s a sign of things to come! I wrapped up the month with a tasty dinner with Nina and Tonya at 131 Main and began preparing for the Christmas season!

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