Reasons to Run 13.1

I've been looking for another half marathon to do this fall and my brother came across the Charleston 13.1. It starts and ends at Middleton Plantation, which is about15 minutes from me. We are currently planning on doing it. I'm excited but also a little worried because it's a trail run, which to me, are more difficult than road races. But we'll see. I'm excited anyway.

While I was looking for a fun half to do, I came across this article about reasons to go the distance. I love the last one:

13.1. It's there.

"Runners are explorers at the end of the day. As soon as we conquer one running goal, it's almost inevitable that we'll look toward the next one. Once you've logged a 5K, a 10K, and/or a 12K, it's almost inevitable the half marathon will beckon you to the starting line. Then, it may very well be on to the marathon." --active.com

1. So I started to think about why I plan on running 13.1, or really, why I even run at all. Here are some reasons that came to mind...
2. It's me time. No one else. Just me and the road. I can go as long or as short as I want and I don't have to answer to anyone while I'm out there.
3. It's a destresser. When I don't run for more than a couple days I feel anxious. I'm more irritable when I can't get out and run off my thoughts, frustrations, whatever.
4. It keeps me in shape. Self explanatory.
5. It's always there. I don't need a gym or any fancy equipment. I just put on my shoes and head outside. Simple.
6. I love the running community. Runners just get runners. We speak the same language. When we see another runner on the road, we smile and nod, wave, maybe even high five. If they're struggling we might pat their back because we've had days like that. We've been there. And don't get me started about race days. The positive and exciting energy at the starting line of a race is like nothing else.

There are zillion other reasons why I run and why I love it. But maybe I'm just crazy.

Hello, Summer (July Happenings)

Soooo a few months back, Monty, my some what loved black Mercury Mountaineer let me know that he was about to call it quits. I mean really he was right about to hit the bucket. The transmission threatened to fall out on a regular basis. He had a tendency to run into things, like parking lot poles, trailer hitches, the back of trucks, anything really. He had a cracked front bumper this piece of plastic below the back window fell off years ago, exposing an always dirty, old gluey looking strip of more plastic. And the saying, "beauty is on the inside" or "it's what's inside that counts" really don't apply here. Monty's interior was busted too. His AC broke RIGHT in time for the literal heat wave of the summer, the CD player hadn't worked since senior year of college and is probably still holding an awesome Backstreet Boy CD captive. The leather seats were all ripped up and only three windows rolled down. Basically, Monty was a hot mess. But after two whole months of searching, disappointment, frustration, number crunching, tears, sweaty miserable rides to and from work in Monty, I found Summer. She's a 2012 Ford Escape from Summerville Ford and I absolutely love her. Car payments are now a real thing for me. #adultproblems

Meet my new whip, Summer.

So what else happened this month? My dad turned 60! Crazy, right? To celebrate, my family went on a harbor cruise with Spirit Line Cruises. The weather was great that night and we got to see the cityscape of downtown Charleston and cruise under the Cooper River Bridge. During dinner, dolphins swam right by our window. We all had a really good time. Usually we just do a nice dinner but this was different and I think my dad appreciated that. There are also ghost tour cruises that go out of the same place. Maybe we'll try that soon.

sibs

cuties

cuties redux

mahi mahiiiiii

my bro's shrimp and grits

CRB

why am i not a professional photographer?