Day 26 - 2 miles

TGIF. Lots to complete this weekend....

1. Bridesmaid invite project

2. Start Half Marathon training

3. Read a book before the end of the month

4. Watch Jane By Design

5. Final stops to wedding dress boutiques (narrowing down the choices)

6. Research Pilates, Barre, Yoga studios....I need to incorporate one of these workouts a couple times a week

7. Scratch #6. I need to find a gym because I need to incorporate weight training too.

8. Research Save the Dates.

9. Learn how to use Pinterest

10. Weekend dinner dates with our friends Molly & Jason on Sat, Grace and Keith on Sun

11. Haircut/mani/pedi (I dread this the most. I'm horrible at sitting still. I get so antsy and would rather be running around doing other things. I can't get around it though. Fingers and toes look like werewolf's hands and feet. Hair looks like dog fur. Flat dog fur.)

Things I'm grateful for...

1. Sushi Thursday w/Steve. New place called Hooked. It was okay. The company was much better than the food.

2. Went to 2 dress shops. Ended up liking a dress that I wouldn't have imagined on me. Not sure if it's the one though. I love it and I hate it. I love the fit (because it makes me look smaller than I really am) but I think it's too mermaid-y. I'll take the MOHs with me this weekend. Full dress review next week.

3. New case of energy gels arrived and new training program arrived. Time to get cranking. No excuses.

Day 25 - 3 mile walk

As much as my rep drives me nuts, we have actually been successful at selling together so hopefully we can keep it up.

I'm trying not to be overly critical about him. Here's the thing: He can sell. He is just rude and beyond obnoxious. Just a few things this week...

1. We were having lunch after our first appt. He wanted to take his leftovers home so the server said they would box it up for him. This is the dialogue between us:

Rep: I like it when they box it for you. I hate when they bring the box to me and have me do it. I'm paying for the service.
Me: I'm fine with whatever. I don't mind boxing it myself.
Rep: You're not used to high end restaurants. All high end restaurants box things for you.

We were at casual Greek restaurant.

2. After every appt we go on together, he gets into the car and says:

Rep: I seriously amaze myself. Did you hear me in there? I'm blown away by how great I sound in meetings. I sound like I've been doing this forever.
Me: You did a good job but there are a few things you can work on (I give him the 3 things). I also don't want you to get too excited. I've been doing this a long time and it's not that easy. You may think you have seen buying signals but we need to do a better job tightening things up so that you don't leave money behind, etc. I forecast that prospect to be a 25% chance of closing.
Rep: With your selling abilities it's about 25%, for me it would be 90%.

We'll see how this deal ends up.

I seriously hear at least 10 things like this come out of his mouth everyday. I bite my tongue on the personal lame jabs but when it comes to work related comments, I will give him my 2 cents.

Overall, these are signs of insecurity. He talks about himself and how great he is constantly. I'm trying to be more compassionate and understanding because he is insecure.

I know when I'm insecure, I may not resort to what he's doing but I do act differently and act irrationally. For example, I got home last night from being out of town since Monday. Steve had a Sales Kick Off Meeting from Mon-Wed. He said he would try to be home around 7-8 last night. I got home at 8. He didn't get home until 10. Shouldn't he be so excited to see me? After all, I've been gone for 3 days??!?!?! Wouldn't he want to be home by the time I got home? Nope. He had drinks with his work friends.

When he got home, I was in bed watching tv and on the IPAD looking at wedding stuff. I was grumpy and moody. He comes home all normal and cheery. Gives me a kiss and says, "HI! You're home!" I'm still really quiet, focused on the IPAD, and I say, "I've been researching stuff for our weeding for the past 2 hours." (It was more like 15 min. I had really been catching up on the Kardashians). So I start giving him the silent treatment. (YES, I know I'm being irrational and petty.)

Then I said, "I use my free time wisely to plan our wedding." So basically I'm implying that he's not using his time wisely. He gets into bed and says, "I want to help you. What can I do?" I respond with, "I can do it myself." Again, silence. Then he just lays there with his head on my shoulder and just watches what I'm doing. It's hard for me to stay mad at Steve because I know he doesn't mean to hurt my feelings. It's not like he said, "I'm not going home! I don't care if she gets in tonight." Usually he is home when I get back from a trip. I just get worked up about things. So I guess I should think about myself and my actions and the things that I say when I'm feeling upset or insecure about something. It doesn't come off really pretty. Anyways, I got over my grumpy mood 10 mins after he got into bed.

Day 24 - 4 Miles

Yesterday I wrapped up Day 2 with my rep. Only 1 more day to go this week and 5 more weeks remaining with him. Working with him has made me realize how lucky and fortunate I was at YB when I worked with great people who became wonderful friends.

When I get frustrated and annoyed by the obnoxious things that my FL guy says, I try to give myself a reality check...."I would be annoyed by any rep after spending 3 days with him/her every week, right?" Actually no. I would have been thrilled to spend 3 days with Caroline, Amy, and Stacey when they were on my team. Instead of complaining about this guy, I should be happy that this is really the only time in my 12 year career where I've had to work with a rep like him.

Things I'm grateful for....

1. I received great news this week...my friends Amy and Rishi are having another baby! They are due in Aug! So excited for them!!!

2. My friends who volunteer. My BFF Jill is a board member for the Chris4Life Foundation which was created to fight colon cancer. She is a mother who has a full time job while managing her responsibilities at Chris4Life. She spends tireless hours each week getting donations, planning events, and raising awareness.

In March, Chris4Life will hold their annual 5K in DC....

http://www.scopeitout5k.com/

It will be great event! Hope to see our local friends there!

3. My friend Talin's friend is also hosting a race the same weekend of the Chris4Life 5K. You can do both races because they are on separate days.

The proceeds go to the National Brain Tumor Society and Life with Cancer. The link is below if you want to check it out...

www.runrogue5k.com

So grateful to have friends that raise awareness to important causes. Since I don't volunteer, participating in these events is my small way of giving back. Thanks for all the hard work you guys do!

Day 23 - 5K

I arrived in FL yesterday. You know the drill - 3 days in FL with my favorite rep. Joy!

Yesterday during my run, I thought a lot about kids and having a family. Before I get into my thoughts, I must provide details about me and the idea of kids. I have never been a baby person. If I'm out in public, I don't ooh and ahh over strangers' babies that I see. I ooh and ahh over my friends' kids because they are an extension of my friends.

This is who I have always been. Growing up, I had Cabbage Patch dolls but I never played house or nurtured my dolls. They just sat on my shelf looking pretty and clean. I never dreamed of being a mom. I dreamed of working in Corporate America.

Enter Steve. Being with Steve made me realize, "I want a mini Steve." It could be a boy or girl but I want another version of him. I also know Steve would be a great dad. As for me, I'm not sure what kind of mother I would be. The reason I say this is because I don't have the fun-loving, kid-like gene inside of me. Here is what I mean....

As I was running on the beach today, I saw a family with 2 young kids. Probably around ages 5-7. Each of them were out with their metal detectors looking for coins or treasure buried in the sand. The kids were getting into it . They were running all over the place looking for things. The parents were really into it too. I ran by thinking, "That would be so boring. They're not going to find anything. I wouldn't want to do that with my kids."

Then another example would be when Steve and I were driving by Dulles Airport (our International Airport). There was a huge banner that said: Annual Airplane Pull on Saturday at 3 pm. Tickets are $20. I looked over at Steve and said, "What are they going to do? Pull an airplane? Who would pay $20 to watch an airplane being pulled?" Steve responded with, "Kids love it! We would bring our kid to watch it and the kids get to participate too." OH BOY, that sounds really exciting to me. I can't wait.

Then I get worried about prioritizing my time and how my personal schedule is going to take a back seat. For example, my GFs are always running around taking their kids to practice during the weekdays and then to games and multiple birthday parties on the weekends. I listen to their schedules and I think, "OMG, how am I going to do this? That would suck." Although I think it is very important for kids to be in activities and have friends parties to go to. I would want that for my child too. It's just a lifestyle change that is daunting.

I don't play games or watch animated movies. My friends all love kids movies and I don't get into it. I don't have a goofy bone in me. When I see my friends' kids, I have adult conversations with them like, "So what are you learning at school? Let's talk about it." I don't go out and play with them. Steve, loves going out and playing with the kids. My friends kids now ask me when Steve is coming over. They don't ask about me.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. I have plenty of other worries like getting pregnant (when we want to), going through changes in your body, delivering a baby, changes in our marriage.....so many of these things terrify me.

Day 20-22 0 Miles

No running this weekend. I have an excuse though ---- all the trails were icy because we had freezing rain. Even though that is true, I still didn’t want to run. I’m just burned out and need a break. Also, I think my mini Florida trips during the week have made me into a wuss with the cold weather. I’m now used to running in the 60s and70s 3 days a week so I’m dreading the 40 degree temps. I would typically consider 40s to be comfortable (for winter). I suck.

I had a great weekend though! I met with my friend Asad and his future wife Hudeida. Asad and I work together at Thomas. He is one of our Application Engineers so he’s my go-to-guy with all my idiotic technical questions. Asad is a valuable asset to our sales team. As long as we can qualify a lead and determine there is a need with a prospect, Asad takes over and manages the technical discussions and leads us to a close.

Asad and Hudeida just started dating 2 months ago! He lives in NYC and Hudeida lives in VA. They were set up on a blind date. They are both Pakistani so it is very important to their families that they marry a Pakistani. Well, this is the first Pakistani that Asad has ever dated. He didn’t have high expectations going into the blind date but it turned out great. Now they’re scheduled to get married in June! Yes, this June!

Their relationship is definitely unique. There is a formal process involved with the meeting of the parents. This meeting takes place over several steps so it’s not just the typical let’s all go out to dinner and meet. They also don’t have sex until they’re married. Okay, I must admit that is stunning to me. I know people out there practice this but I don’t know anyone that has. I’m not judging people if they practice this belief. Anyways, I started thinking about how this is such a “foreign” concept to me. I’m so not used to it that I have resorted to saying and thinking rude things…. For example, On Sat morning, Steve was on his way out the door to officiate a high school wrestling match and he asked me what I was doing during the day. I respond, “I’m meeting with the couple that isn’t having sex until they get married.” He looks at me and says, “The engineer at your work, right?” Well, Steve put it much nicer. After all, that’s what Asad should be known for. Not whether he is having sex or not.

Then when I was at lunch with Asad and Hudeida, I asked Hudeida why she wasn’t going to Puerto Rico with us (we have our National Sales Meeting there next week). She said her parents won’t let her. I respond with, “Can’t you just tell your parents you are going to a law conference (she’s an attorney)?” I’m now asking her to lie. I’m used to lying to my parents so it doesn’t phase me that lying is not good. My parents are just like their parents. Really strict. Really conservative. They never let me date until I got out of college. They would die if they knew I wasn’t a virgin – they think I’m still a virgin. So obviously I had to lie about a lot of things to my parents. I don’t believe I lied about anything that was detrimental to myself or to others but it’s still a lie.

So after I asked her to lie to her parents, she looked at me and politely said, “No, I can’t do that.” It dawned on me at that moment that she has so many easy outs here. She could have sex, she could go on the trip. She doesn’t need to tell her parents any of this. However, she puts her family above her wants and needs. I admire her for respecting their culture and their religion. I also admire Asad for respecting her wishes too.

Things I’m grateful for….

1. I always enjoy seeing my friends meeting “the one” . I see positive changes and differences in their lives. I see a spark that I haven’t seen before and it’s neat to see how my friends make certain choices to be with someone because that person makes them so happy.

After Steve’s match and my lunch, we got home and cleaned out all our closets. Right now our closets are only filled w/clothes that we wear. Yippee!

Day 19 - 5K

Yesterday I ran on a treadmill because it was raining in FL. I hate running on treadmills. A 5K feels like 10 miles.

Day 18 - 70 min

Yesterday I ran for 70 min. Not sure of the distance because I didn't track my miles or pace. Short post today because I slept in.

Day 17 - 1 mile

I arrived in FL this morning to work with my new rep. I started working in FL with this rep in the beginning of the year. I'll be working 3 days a week in FL for the next 8 weeks. I can't complain about the weather --- 80 degrees today!

I ran a mile after work. I needed a quick stress relief before dinner. My rep here is driving me nuts. He is talented but so full of himself. Like unbelievably cocky and obnoxious. He talks about how great he is any chance he gets. An example would be this....

He said, "I'm so out of shape. I haven't worked out in 4 months. It's so bad. I only have a 6 pack now."

It gets better. After he said this to me during lunch, we went back to work and he showed me a picture of him SHIRTLESS from his "fit days". Who the heck does that? Who the heck wants to see this?

BARF. Basically these type of comments fly out of his mouth throughout the day. He also bopps around like he is some high roller. Loves to talk about money and how much he pays for things. He said he will drop money left and right because he has a lot of it. For example, he loves watches. So he just dropped $500 on a Guess watch - hence he is a high roller. He seriously has no clue what else is out there in this world.

He is from Detroit and he is living it up in Ft. Lauderdale so he is super cool (in his opinion). The way he talks to me is so condescending. We parked our car at a meter and before I was about to pay he goes, "Everything around here is so expensive. You're probably not used to this but they charge for parking everywhere." The meter was 50 cents for an hour. I have never seen such a cheap meter before. I had to take my jab and say, "Yeah, I'm not used to this. I'm used to paying $30/hour to park in the city."

Anyways, the good thing is that we closed a sale today. YIPPEE! This is the only way I can deal with him. I do believe he can be successful here but his personality drives me nuts.

Things that I'm grateful for....

1. As much as I complain about my rep to Steve and my friends, I'm glad I have a job. I have to remind myself this all the time. I appreciate it even more each time I think about planning our next vacation. Our jobs are the means to these vacations so thank god for being employed.

2. I'm watching the Bachelor on-line. These people are ridiculous and so entertaining. I love their faces during the Final Rose ceremonies. They look awful! However, I must give them credit for showing their true colors. I would have way too much pride to break down in front of the Bachelor and on national tv. I would be devastated inside but I would put together a brave front. I've done this in the past w/former relationships or in situations when I've been disappointed. I rarely show my true colors unless it is really upsetting. Why am I so fake? Maybe I can learn a few things from the Bachelor contestants.

3. No desserts today. I resisted.

Day 16 - 5K

Today was a quick run - 5K. I had a lot of work to get done before meeting with my friend Savalle. I met Savalle through Steve 2.5 years ago. She is married to one of Steve's best friends, Turnell. Steve, Savalle, and Turnell met at Syracuse so they have known each other for 20 years.

Savalle and Turnell have 3 kids under the age of 7 - FULL HOUSE! I admire both of them for juggling successful careers and managing a growing family. Savalle scheduled spa appts for the us yesterday. It was much needed! I haven't had a facial in ages. I was ashamed to even admit the last time I went in for a facial. It has been over a year :( The aesthetician asked me, "Hmmm, what face products are you using?" Now this part is even worse. I used to be all about buying products and taking care of my skin. Then one time I ran out of products when I was away on a work trip. I meant to buy my typical stash when I got home but I didn't get a chance to. That was 6 months ago. My new beauty routine is to wash my face with the "face soap" in hotels and the moisturizer that hotels give you. I also use the shampoo/conditioner in hotels. I just hate packing stuff every week and I hate checking bags so this eliminates large bottles that I can't take through security. Yes, all at the expense of taking good care of my skin. So I was honest with the aesthetician. She just responded with, "hmmmmm. okay. when we're done here, I will give you a list of suggested items to purchase." She gave me a list and I didn't buy any of it. I like to try/test products out before I make my purchases. So ladies, feel free to chime in with your best beauty tips.

After my facial and Savalle's massage, we went across the street to Coastal Flats. Coastal Flats is part of a restaurant group known as Great American Restaurants. My favorite group of restaurants in Virginia. Great food! I have tried pretty much everything on their menus and it's all fabulous. They also have the best rolls known as ozzie rolls. Each time I dine at these restaurants, I order 2 baskets of them and tell them to eliminate the other breads they put in there. I learned that from Shawna and Jim Dillon. I used to ask for more bread and they would bring me the variety basket. Now I know I can just ask for OZZIES ONLY. I love a good insider food tip.

Anyways, our meal was great and it was topped off by a great conversation. Again, my favorite things: EAT. TALK. LAUGH. She was talking to me about a work situation and I was sharing my experiences about a similar situation. It was neat to hear her perspective coming from an executive point of view. The funny thing is that no matter what position you hold in a company, the issues you face are the same..... communicating effectively with people, getting results, trusting people on your team, recruiting good people, and the comical colleagues that have no common decency....ALL THE SAME NO MATTER WHERE YOU WORK OR WHAT POSITION YOU HOLD. Anyways, a great time with Savalle! Afterwards, I left to meet up with Steve.

Steve and I had a lot of errands to run. He needed to get a new phone. Done. We needed a new printer. Done. He also needed new dress shoes. Not Done Yet. He has small elf feet - size 7 so they were out of his size. He was probably happy though. Steve hates spending money. Let me clarify... He will spend money on vacations, he will treat our friends and family out to dinner, and he will invest or save the rest of his money. He doesn't get a high off of material things. He will give nice presents to the rest of us but doesn't spend anything on himself. It drives me crazy. During the 2.5 years that we have been together, he has not bought a single piece of clothing. He has a bunch of new clothes because I buy it for him. If I didn't buy it for him, he would be wearing jorts and silk button down shirts from the late 90s. I have now thrown these away. See how much value I bring to his life? Anyways, we ordered his shoes for him at the store. He still didn't purchase them yet because he's not sure if he "really needs them." I'll be going in there next week to buy them when they come in or else he will be wearing the same old shoes for another year.

Things I'm grateful for....

1. Great hanging out with Savalle 1 on 1. This was our first time doing this. We usually hang out with the kids and the guys but it was good to just have girl time. We definitely have a lot in common. We take pride in our jobs and we strive to accomplish new things in our careers. We also love clothes and purses. We went to the Kanye-Jay Z concert with the guys a few months ago. We sat together checking out dresses and laptop bags on our phones during the entire concert. We also love traveling for fun and not business. She does quite a bit of business travel too but she gets to go on international biz trips - jealous. We also get a high off of our traveling rewards status. We earned our miles so we get the perks of skipping long security lines, priority seating, seating upgrades, etc. She mentioned that she almost lost her premier status for 2012 because she was 2000 miles short for 2011. She found a reason to go on a biz trip in Dec that was a little over 2000 miles to retain her status for 2012. I totally understand where she is coming from. I will fly out of Baltimore sometimes for the same reasons. It's always fun to meet new people that share similar quirks :)

2. The glow that I get from a facial. I wish I could look like this everyday.

3. I ate the last 2 salted caramel cupcakes last night. Steve didn't eat any of the four I bought. I figured I needed to get them out of the house so I ate them. I did it Sloth style too .... I ate them in bed. Steve looked at me and said, "I thought you were only allowed to eat in bed if you're sick?" I make my own eating rules, Steve.

Day 15 - 10 K

I'm back to running again! 10K today. You would think a 10K is easy after doing a couple of long distance runs but it's not. Steve and I always talk about how the shorter distances are more difficult because:

We don't mentally prepare for it. Meaning, we're not sweating a 10K or a 5K so we just run out the door and then we realize that it sucks. We tend to go out too fast and we're hurting by Mile 2. Also, we think "10K, that's no problem. That's less than an hour." BUT, it can feel like a long time when you're not mentally ready for a 10K run. In a run that is over 10 miles, we start thinking about it before we run out the door. We pace ourselves to run a tad slower in the beginning and then we pick it up after a couple of miles, followed by an even faster pace at the last few miles to have a strong finish. So basically we have stored the proper amount of energy from the beginning so that we can finish strong and feel great.

However, in these short distance runs, we do stupid things. The NYE 4 mile race we did a few weeks ago would be a good example. We were running so fast to keep up with the front runners for the first 2 miles. STUPID. We are not fit for that. Our mile paces dropped significantly for Miles 3 and 4. Our overall pace was still fine but we were exhausted after 4 miles. We were sore that night. We woke up sore the next morning. This is after 4 miles. Not a marathon. The half marathon that I did the following week was a treat compared to the NYE 4 mile. It was more than 3x the distance but the proper pacing made it so much more enjoyable. Anyways, this is all common sense but what do you think we'll do for the next 5K? STUPID THINGS of course.

After I ran this morning, Steve and I went into the city to meet Jason and Debbie Cohen's newborn son Avi. AWWW, what a gem :) Beautiful boy. It's great to see Jason and Debbie as parents. They are our "cool friends" that live in the city and they want to raise their family in the city. I aspire to be like them.

Jason, Steve and I all met 12 years ago at UUNET (my first job out of college). Since then, we have all been good friends. Jason has a great zest for life. He is one of the main inspirations for my travels abroad. He first went backpacking in 2002 through Southeast Asia and Australia. Then he and Debbie both left their successful careers to travel through Central America and South America in 2010. They rented out their place, traveled for 6 months, and then came back to the States when they found out Debbie was expecting! What a great way to start a family! I need to talk to Steve about this plan :)

Jason and Debbie are great friends to me and Steve. They always give us great traveling tips and ideas. Jason and Steve also have a shared passion for real estate so they are always researching and exploring new opportunities. Jason and Debbie also know us very well so we just go over to their place, make ourselves at home and relax. Yesterday, I walked in the door, Jason had a Mountain Dew and Sour Patch Kids waiting for me..... it doesn't get any better than that.

Things, I'm grateful for....

1. Good times with the Cohen Family. Now they are a Family of Three. So happy and excited for them. Their son has really cool parents :)

2. Bridal Expo - very overwhelming but glad we saw a Photo Booth. I've seen these at several weddings so I wanted to show Steve. He loved it so we definitely want to get it for our wedding.

3. Acadiana - Great dinner. New Orleans comfort food. Nice way to end the weekend.

Day 14 - 0 Miles

Today was a long and fun NANCY DAY. I started out in the morning with a wedding dress appointment at a boutique in Georgetown. I've only tried dresses once and that was in Chicago a few weeks ago. This was my second trip. When I got engaged, I was determined to find a fitted, lace dress. Now I'm trying to keep an open mind. Several of my GFs have told me that they thought they knew what they wanted to wear for their weddings but then when they tried on other styles and cuts, they ended up loving something else. So in Chicago, I tried on the fitted lace styles and loved them. This time I tried on A-line and ball gown styles. They weren't as bad as I thought they would be. I like these style on other people but I feel like when I wear something big and poofy, I'm going to be knock people out of my way as I walk around. Anyways, I have more appointments next weeks so hopefully I'll have something picked out by the my end of the month. I still like fitted and lace!

Right now, I like going dress shopping solo. I like to take my time. I also don't want to offend my mom or my friends if they suggest something and I hate it. I'm pretty honest when it comes to clothes. Steve is a firsthand witness. He'll pick something out for me and I'll say, "That's hideous. What were you thinking?" I feel bad because I know he means well but.... Also, I don't want to have too many opinions about my dress. At the end of the day, I just want to like it and I want Steve to like it. Actually, let me rephrase....I want to like it and I want to look skinny in the dress and I want Steve to like it.

After my appointment, I walked to Baked and Wired - a great cafe and bakery. They have great cupcakes and cookies. I LOVE THEIR OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES. I will have to add this to Places To See when our friends come in town for our wedding. Anyways, I had a lot of work to do. I'm putting together a little photo gift for my bridal party. This will be my way of asking them to be in our wedding. Unfortunately, I only got through 2 gifts during my 3 hours at Baked and Wired but I did eat 4 oatmeal raisin cookies. These are so good and since they're located in the city, I had no choice but to take advantage of my time there.

I got in my car to head to Arlington to visit my BFF Jill. As I was driving through Georgetown, I noticed that there was no line at Georgetown Cupcakes. NO LINE. This is unheard of. All my friends that have visited have seen the line go around the block. It's ridiculous. Our only friends that have made it inside are Amy Magolan and Nate Bonich. Their line wasn't as bad but still, a line for cupcakes?!?!?! Anyways, I had no intention for cupcakes but when I saw that there was no line, I had to make a quick stop. Like the stop that you make when you come to screeching halt. M St is a busy street but I just pulled over, put on my hazards, marched in and bought 8 cupcakes. I gave 4 to Jill and 4 for me and Steve. Their salted caramel cupcake is my favorite. The rest are good but not as good as SMB or Sprinkles. So, wedding guests.....you may wait in the line if you wish but I will direct you to other bakeries that are better and they don't have a line.

Sat evening was spent with Jill. Jill and I hung out with her almost 3 yr old son Jagger. He is a cutie pie. He loves playing with toys and coming out with creative presentations to entertain his guests. After playing with Jagger, Jill and I went out for Mexican at El Paso. Great Mexican place in Arlington. When George W. was in office, this was his go to Mexican place. It's not fancy but just plain ol' good food. After dinner, Jill and I were going to go home but then we ended up getting into a good conversation for a couple of hours. So basically, we were driving around with no destination in mind and talking. Finally she just said to pull over in a parking lot so we don't drive around wasting gas. So we continue our conversation in a random strip mall. We could've walked into a bar and continued our talk but for some reason we didn't. Anyways, I always, always, ALWAYS treasure good conversations with my friends. SERIOUSLY, that's what I love to do most. EAT, TALK, LAUGH.

Jill and I have been friends for 15 years. We met at college and we studied abroad together. I often refer to Jill as BK - BUZZ KILL. She doesn't mean to be a Kill Joy but she is my friend that will always question what I'm doing or "poke holes" in any idea that I may have just to make sure that I'm thinking of the possible consequences or possible fallouts. It's great to bounce ideas off of her because she makes me think things through before taking action.

Aside from her BK side, Jill is an extremely loyal and caring friend. I'm not perfect by any means but I always know she will be by my side and give me all the unconditional love and support. I am grateful to have her in my life! It's been fun "growing up" together....from college, to life after school, now through motherhood, and marriage.....can't imagine growing up without Jill. LOVE YOU, BK!!!

Today I'm grateful for....

1. Great day with my BFF Jill!

2. I only ate 2 cupcakes and 4 cookies....I know that sounds bad but that's the only bad stuff I've eaten in 5 days so that is a mini victory.

Day 13 - 0 Miles

I took his entire week off from running. Again, my legs feel fine but after a big race, I'm just over it. The last thing I want to do is run. I wish I was driven enough to get back out there again but I need a break before I start training again.

We spent a lot of time in the city this weekend. Friday, we went to the hockey game with one of Steve's friends from work and one of his sales reps. His sales rep is a great gal named Dina. She runs in races with us and she is really sweet with a great head on her shoulders. She is also young - 23 years old! Her sales position at Deltek is her first job out of college. Anyways, talking to her makes me chuckle....I'm not laughing at her but just laughing at the thoughts of youth. For starters, Dina has a long distance bf who she met in college (Missouri). She is in love with him. They have been together for 4 years. She is not sure when he's going to move here and not sure what is in store for them in the future. I'm not Dina's best friend so I can't really drill deep into her personal life and say stuff like, "Don't waste your time." or "Find someone else." even though the details she has given me leads me to think this way. Anyways, I just listen and tell her that she is young, she has so much in front of her, she is just starting a new chapter in her life, she is living in the DC area which is a big melting pot of people from all over the world, young professionals galore, etc. Anyways, her response made me chuckle...

"Nancy, I'm going to be 24 next month. I'm getting old. All my friends are getting married. I don't even know how to date people. I don't even want to think about being in the dating scene. Look at you. You're 33 years old and by the time you get married, you'll be 34. How does it feel getting married this age? Did you ever think you were going to get married this late?"

Now, her comments may come off harsh reading it but it's DEFINITELY not meant in an offensive way. Dina is so sweet and she is the furthest thing from being mean and hurtful. She is just clueless and naive. Ahhh, the youth and their concerns!!! I'm looking forward to hearing her thoughts as she works through this relationship. I'm sure it will be a great life experience for her.

Today I'm grateful for....

1. Caps Victory - Great Caps game, great seats, great win!

2. My boss - Someone who I can always confide in and someone who always has my back. ALWAYS. My boss deserves a blog entry dedicated to him...coming soon.

Day 12 - 0 Miles

I should be logging the number of hours that I have slept instead of the miles that I have run or the lack of miles I should say. I have slept 8 hours each night this week since Monday. I can't even remember the last time I slept this much! I'm usually thrilled to get 5-6 hours but this week I'm glad that I've been able to get a full night's rest. I guess I needed it!

I feel much better and more energized with all this sleep. Also, after 2 days of my "diet" - aka, less sugar and smaller portions diet, I don't feel as sluggish after my meals. I have also realized that I'm actually full eating smaller portions. I should clarify what a smaller portion is for me: I ate 3 rolls of sushi last night for dinner with my friend Talin. So that is still 18 pieces. I also ate just plain rolls without any unique twists to the rolls. This was a major cut back to my normal sushi routine which is eating 5 rolls.

It was great to have dinner with my friend Talin. Talin and I have been friends for 15 years. She is so thoughtful and kind. Always goes above and beyond for her friends and family. I was venting to her about the stress of my job last night and she always has a way of calming me down and letting me know that everything will be okay. She also gave me a suggestion of flowers to use for the wedding after I posted the bridesmaid dress yesterday.... She suggested orange tiger lilies if I decide to go with the orange and blue theme.

I am so grateful to my friends that have been helping me plan this wedding. I can be very picky about my clothes, where to eat, where to vacation, etc. but for our wedding, I just want people to tell me what to do. As long as it's not hideous and it's reasonably priced, I'm totally down for it. I have no desire to shop around and compare/contrast. It's probably bad that I'm this way because I missing out on other good things but oh well, I'd rather do so many other things with our weekends.

Things I'm grateful for yesterday....

1. Warm weather - It was in the 60s in the DC area yesterday!

2. My friend Natalie - Natalie dragged me out to look at bridesmaid dresses so that I have options. Again, the "un-bride" gene thought this was a chore but Natalie made it fun and she only took me to 1 place.

3. My friend Talin - Always the "calming force in the storm".

4. End of the Day Vent Fests - Poor Steve. When he comes home at the end of the day, I'm ready to just vent to him about my day. He listens as I go off for 30 mins without taking a break. He gives me advice. Then I continue for another 15 mins. I am grateful for his patience and compassion towards my frustrations and feelings.

Day 11 - 0 Miles

No physical activity yesterday. No excuses. My legs feel good as new now but I didn't feel like doing anything. I'm realizing that I need to readjust my running goal. Instead of running everyday, I should shoot for a certain distance each month. For example, run 200 miles a month. I need to think about the exact distance that I want to commit to each month before making it a goal.

I did eat a tad bit healthier yesterday. One cup of cereal for breakfast. Small portion of meatloaf and veggies (leftovers from a dinner that our friend made for us) for lunch. Swedish fish for snacks (a small package - this was my only splurge). Sushi for dinner (I ate a lot of this but none of the fried or cream cheese type of rolls. Just a boat load of sushi though). I didn't really snack as much today (aside from the swedish fish) and my portions for breakfast and lunch were significantly smaller.

Yesterday I was grateful for...

1. Sushi Thu on Sushi Wed - Steve and I always have a sushi night every Thu. Sushi Thu isn't happening this week because Steve has to work so we moved it to Wed. We always go to new sushi places each week. It is definitely one of the highlights of the work week!

2. My BFF Jill sent me a dress idea for the bridesmaids. I'm psyched! It's the dress posted on the blog.

3. Blue/Orange or Blue/Yellow - I didn't have a color scheme in mind for the wedding until Jill sent me this dress in the Mediterranean Blue. I love the color and now I'm thinking of doing a blue/orange or blue/yellow wedding. I figured it would be nice for August.

Day 10 - 1 mile walk

My legs felt better today but I was not able to jog. I went for a short walk on the beach before I met with my rep before I started my day. During my walk, I thought about my diet. I'm known as the girl who loves food and eats everything. This used to be a title that I was proud of. Lately I haven't been so proud.

A lot of my friends are taking action about their diets and they have been telling me about the type of foods they are eating: Whole grain, less meat, more fish, less carbs, less sugar, etc. The biggest difference is that they are eating smaller portions. I pretty much do the exact opposite of this list. I LOVE WHITE BREAD. I LOVE RED MEAT. I'M SCARED TO KNOW HOW MUCH SUGAR I CONSUME. PORTION CONTROL? I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. I used to think that I can eat anything because I work out. However in the past year, my diet is suitable for someone that runs a marathon. A MARATHON EVERY DAY. It's really not funny anymore.

I have no self control. I give into all my cravings without thinking twice. I can easily be inspired by food by the mere mention of something.....for example, our friend Nate Bonich mentioned Burger King on Facebook yesterday. 3 hours later I had a Junior Whopper for a snack. Then before I left FL, I made a quick stop to pick up candy (Swedish Fish and Sour Patch Kids) before I jumped on the plane to head home. So basically I ate over 1000 calories for a SNACK today. Not good.

I always rave about people that look extremely fit. I admire toned arms and abs. I always ask, "What do I need to do to look like that?" Well, I know the answer: exercise and diet. I still don't take action about my diet. I have become the person that knows what they need to be doing yet still doesn't do anything about it. These people typically drive me crazy --- how do you expect change then? I need someone to hold me accountable. Maybe I should start documenting what I eat everyday....

Today I'm grateful for....

1. Safe flight home. Now I'm watching Grey's Anatomy and the Bachelor in bed. PARADISE!

2. Race pics from this weekend. What an eye opener. Time to tone up!

3. An ally at the airport. When I went to return my rental car, there was only one person that was checking people out. There was a pile-up of 10 cars trying to return their cars and head to the terminal. I was car #2. We were all getting antsy and edgy because we had to catch a flight but it's impossible to get moving when the one person that is working is taking forever. I'm ready to flip out because I had already been waiting 10 minutes. I'm about to go off and then suddenly the woman behind screams, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?? WHO IS RUNNING THIS PLACE? DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT WE ALL HAVE TO CATCH A FLIGHT?" She went on for another minute. Finally 2 other attendants came out to help us. She was my hero. I thanked her and asked where she was heading. LGA - New Yorkers don't mess around.

Day 9 - 3 Blocks

So I woke up this morning feeling empowered and ready to run again. I walked out of my hotel and started to run. The run turned into a trot. The trot barely lasted 3 blocks. My legs were feeling the fatigue and stiffness. I ended up walking a mile and then went back to my hotel.

I'm still in FL. After the race on Sun, I flew to Ft. Lauderdale for work. Now I'm here for a couple of days. I wish I had taken these days off --- not sure what I was thinking! I'm extremely sore and I basically feel like someone beat me up with a stick. Walking off the curb or any type of steps feels like someone is ripping the tendons out of my legs. I'm looking forward to the end of the week when most of this soreness will be gone - I hope!

The highlight of my day was meeting up with my friend John Hunsche for dinner! John is a good friend of mine from Chicago. He and his wife Paula have a beautiful family - 2 daughters and 1 son. The Hunsches always make you feel at home and they make you feel like you are part of their family. You can't help but walk out of their house feeling happy and giddy :)

John is in FL for management training. He was recently promoted to be a Sales Manager - way to go, John! I'm very proud and excited for him. John is a great leader and coach. He has a genuine interest in seeing people succeed. When I met John 7 years ago at YB, he was always eager and happy to take people under his wing and help them become better sales reps. He is still the same person at OD which made him the obvious choice to be their next sales manager! As much as I am excited for John and his new position, I'm also really excited for his reps ....they have a great manager that will be extremely devoted and committed to seeing them succeed. I can't wait to hear about your new career path, John!

Today I'm grateful for....

1. My friend John - One of the few guys (maybe the only guy) that wants to talk about our wedding plans. He asked me, "what are you looking forward to the most about your wedding?" Aside from the obvious which is marrying Steve, I'm really excited to have all our friends and family in one room. John told me that he felt the same way at his wedding :)

2. Warm weather in FL - We had dinner under the moonlight on the beach tonight. We missed you Paula and Steve!

3. Soda - I had my first soda in 3 weeks. I typically cut out soda during training. Now that the race is over, I'm on a soda spree. I started with Fanta Orange today ---- O M G, so delicious. Tomorrow I plan to go for some Mountain Dew.

Day 8 - Marathon

So today was the 2nd part of the Goofy Challenge - Disney Marathon! So just a little background on this Goofy Challenge....

I didn't tell anyone I was doing this except for Steve and my girlfriends Carolina and Claire. I also told my friends Keith and Grace because I needed racing advice (they are professionals!). Back in October, Carolina, Claire and I were going to make this a Girls' Weekend in Orlando and do the Disney Half Marathon. Unfortunately, Carolina and Claire both got injured so they were unable to do the race. The trip was still on so I was planning on doing the Half Marathon solo. Then a few weeks ago, I decided to sign up for the Goofy Challenge which is the Half Marathon on Sat, Full Marathon on Sun. I didn't tell anyone because I wasn't 100% sure if I could pull it off. I've never done a back to back long distance race so I kept it on the DL. As of Sun at 10:16 am EST, I pulled off both races!! Yesterday's Half Marathon 2:03, Today's Full Marathon 4:26.

So for a marathon, I am a firm believer in doing everything you can to talk yourself through the race. I say the craziest things to myself to get fired up. So, here's basically the play by play of today's race:

4:00 am EST - Pre-race pep talk from Steve. He calmed my nerves and told me to "Run smart, not fast." This basically means start out slow and then pick up the pace as your body starts to warm up. Listen to your body and just get through the race.

First 6.2 miles - My corral crosses the start line at 5:50 am EST. I'm running with the 4:45 pace group (meaning this group will finish the marathon in 4:45). Going into this race, I knew I wasn't going to set a PR because I figured I would be weak from the half marathon. So, I just wanted to beat my Chicago marathon time (4:49). My strategy for the first 6 miles is to get myself out of the 20+ mile distance so that I only have 19 miles to run. Running 20+ miles is always overwhelming so I have to break up the race in my mind. I tell myself, "Get through the first 10K and you'll only have a 19 mile race to - that's easy, right?" So I play games like, "Nancy, you're playing against Tiger at the Masters and you are 6 strokes away from the lead. You need to birdie every hole and you will win the green jacket." Each mile finished is a birdie. After 6 miles, I made a 6 stroke comeback and beat Tiger! This dilusional thought process actually works for me.

Miles 6.2 - Mile 10 - I'm feeling really good. I listened to my body and it was telling me that I could pick up the pace. Usually after a long run, my legs feel like lead so it's hard to move. Fortunately, I was lucky that I didn't feel this way this morning - SO LUCKY! So I picked up the pace and started telling myself, "Seriously you are the best runner on the planet. No one can do this like you! If you get through this race, you may be invited to the Olympic Trials."

Mile 10 - Mile 14 - I see the 4:30 pace group about 100 ft ahead of me. I have already left the 4:45 pace group behind. I didn't think a sub 4:30 marathon finish was possible for me at this event but I said to myself, "You know, Oprah ran a 4:29 marathon. You can't let Oprah beat you. Pick it up!" I ended up catching the 4:30 group at Mile 13.

Mile 14- Mile 16 - Running with a pace group is awesome. You don't have to look at your watch to see how you are doing because the lead pacer is required to run the same pace for each mile for the entire race. All you have to do is follow them. Well, after running with them for 2 miles, I had to ditch the group. The pacer was sucking the life out of me. Instead of being uplifting, she was painting the most uninspiring picture....she talked the whole time (which could be great if the message is positive) but her message was draining me. She would say, "Guys, we're half way through the race. You still have another13.1 to go. Think about all the steps you will take today... it will probably be around 50,000 steps. Don't you wish you had a pedometer to count up all the steps? For you first time marathoners, we're about to approach Mile 16...a lot of times people start to hit a wall or they may start experiencing back pains or their legs get stiff....it's all part of being a marathoner." So needless to say, I had to get the heck out there. She was dragging out the race for me. I left them behind and never turned back. The funny part was a few others left that pace group and they started saying, "Gosh, she really knows how to get you moving!"

Mile 16- Mile 21 - I'm feeling great (surprisingly) and I'm ready to push it even harder. I tell myself, "If you can finish this race under 4:25, you'll be on Sports Center tonight and Matt Lauer is going to interview you on the Today Show tomorrow morning." I start "flooring it". Who wouldn't want to meet Matt Lauer?

Mile 21 - Damn! I hit a wall. My legs start feeling like concrete. My mile pace is about 25 seconds slower than the pace from Mile 16-21. I just want to walk like so many people in front of me but I keep pushing myself to run because I want to be on Sports Center and meet Matt Lauer in the morning. It works, I'm trucking along. (I don't mind the walkers after Mile 16 because I've been in their shoes before. The only tough part about seeing walkers is that you want to join them because you are so tired and they look so comfy walking.)

Mile 22 - I'm still on pace to hit 4:25 but it's getting harder. The sun is so bright right now. It is beaming on my back and I'm burning up. Now I tell myself, "You just gained 10 lbs since the middle of Oct. You better run as hard as you can to lose this weight or else you're going to look disgusting on your wedding day." I start to hustle.

Mile 23 - Only 3.2 miles away yet SOOOO FAR AWAY. I'm now tracking 4:28 finish time. No Sports Center or Matt Lauer for me unless I start picking up the pace significantly. Oh well, who cares about Matt Lauer, I have Steve. Also, I don't care about Sports Center anymore. I just want to walk so badly. I can still be sub 4:30 if I walk a little, right? Nope, I can't do it because I'm afraid I won't be able to run again if I start walking.

Mile 24- "Bradley Cooper loves you. He's waiting for you at Mile 25." I pick up the pace. Then I heard a runner behind me yelling, "Does anyone have any salt? I need salt?" I start laughing hysterically. This reminds me of my friend and fellow runner Mario Valentinelli. Mario is a great runner and he finished his first marathon in 2009. His pre-marathon prep was to get salt packets from McDonalds. When you run these long distances, you lose a lot of sodium. I am literally covered in salt when I cross the finish line. Steve always wipes all the salt off my face and arms before we take pics --- he knows me so well :) So, when I heard the salt guy, I pretended Mario was running with me so now I have my running buddy keeping me on my toes.

Mile 25 - Finish This is the final stretch but still another 1.2 miles away. I tap into Keith and Grace's strategy. When I ran the Baltimore Marathon in October, these guys came and found me at Mile 24 and ran with me to the finish line. It was awesome running with them because they are such phenomenal athletes and great race closers. I had each of them on one side and they would tell me, "Nancy, you will not let anyone pass you from this point. Now go and pass that guy in the red shirt who is 50 ft ahead of you." I would sprint to pass the guy that Keith pointed out. Then Grace would chime in and say, "Now pass the girl in the white tank top 100 ft ahead of you." I would do as I was told. So this kept on going on and on until I crossed the Baltimore finish line. That was the best finish I have ever had thanks to Keith and Grace. Now, they weren't here with me in Orlando but I did exactly what they told me to do and it helped me cross the 26.2 finish line at 4:26!!!

After I crossed the finish line, I started crying. I wasn't expecting to be so emotional but the tears were flowing down my race. I was mentally drained. Running 39.3 miles is not only physically exhausting but it plays tricks with your head...During Sat's race, I started getting worried, "Am I going too fast? Am I going to have enough gas in the tank tomorrow?" Then during Sun's race, "I'm picking up the pace. I feel good. How long is this going to last? Am I going to fall apart soon?" These thoughts constantly swirl in my head so to be finished was a huge relief.

Even though I won't be featured on Sports Center tonight, I still had so much to be grateful for....

1. Steve is my biggest cheerleader. He always believes in me and instills strength and confidence in me. Thanks, honey! I LOVE YOU!!

2. Contrary to what I said yesterday about the course....I LOVED THE PARKING LOTS TODAY. The parking lots are flat so that helped me keep a steady pace. Also, today's course was a lot better....still a majority of parking lots but about 5 miles of parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom.

3. My friend Carolina took great care of me after the race. After the race, I could barely move but she packed up the car, got me everything and anything I needed. She was also a great positive support to me this weekend!

4. For me, this was a great kick off to 2012. I am now fired up to start training hard and get moving! A full year of races ahead!

Day 7 - 13.1 Miles

Today I ran the Disney Half Marathon. I entered the Goofy Challenge - Half Marathon today, Marathon tomorrow. My strategy for this race was to pace myself and not blow all my energy on the Half Marathon because I knew the next day would be far more challenging. I did my best to store my energy: Started off slow and kept a steady pace throughout the course. Then I picked it up for the last 3 miles. I finished at 2:03.

This race was very interesting. Normally so many personal thoughts swirl through my head in a long distance run but this time, I was too preoccupied by the race itself and the highs/lows of the course.

High - VERY well organized. There were 25,000 participants in today's Half Marathon and everything went smoothly. Each mile was well marked. Tons of bathrooms so no one had to wait. Great finisher medals. Also great fireworks display at the beginning of the race.

Low - The race starts at 5:30 am. All runners needed to be there by 4 am. We stayed only 10 mins away from the Disney parks but I had to leave the hotel by 3 am because they were expecting a lot of traffic getting into the park. The only perks about starting this early is that you have no sunlight and the temp is in the 40s - my ideal running conditions. Also, Steve called at 3 am to give me a pep talk :)

High - Flat course. A few minor hills but they were very short hills and not steep at all.

Low - The advertise this as the Disney Half Marathon and the Disney Marathon. I was so excited because this is a highly publicized race that draws a lot of runners from around the world. I was also excited to run through the Disney parks. That was hardly the case. Out of the 13.1 miles, only 2 miles was through the parks. The rest was running from one parking lot to another parking lot. We all know how big these parking lots are - Huge. So I only saw Magic Kingdom from Miles 5 -6.5 and then Epcot from Mile 12.6 to the finish. Very disappointing.

High - Great energy through the crowd. Lots of runners in costumes. Celebrity runner: Ryan Sutter from the Bachelorette was running and Trista was there to cheer.

Low - Forgive me if my next few comments offend you. There were so many runners that didn't show an ounce of runner's etiquette. I'm a stickler for running in a proper corral. It drives me nuts when people put themselves in a fast corral and they start walking Mile 2. There were 8 corrals for the race - Corral #1 being the fastest and Corral #8 being the slowest. I was in Corral #4. Each corral had 7 minutes before the next corral started. So basically this means the corral ahead of me should be quite a distance ahead of me in the beginning because they are technically faster than me and they started 7 minutes before me. I should not be passing any walkers in front of me. That was not the case. People were walking by Mile 2. If you are injured, I understand. If you're in a faster corral, you shouldn't be walking at all. There were so many walkers in this race. You had to zig zag around these annoying people.

Another annoying thing about these folks was that they would jam up the course to take pics with the Disney characters. Even though we didn't run through the parks, they had Disney characters at every mile so runners would form a line on the course to take a picture. These lines were anywhere from 20-50 people deep. The Pirates of the Caribbean picture opp was really popular because they got to take pics with a pirate on the ship. Ummm, unless it's Johnny Depp giving out kisses on the mouth, there should be no reason to stop to take pics during a race. You should come back to the park AFTER the race and take pics.

Finally, when we did get to the Magic Kingdom, runners would just stop in the middle of the course and start taking pictures of the castle with their phone. I actually ran into the back of a runner because he just stopped out of nowhere. So needless to say, these things made the course a bit annoying. Now I'm TOTALLY okay if a runner wants to walk and take pics.....JUST STICK WITH A SLOWER CORRAL PLEASE!!!

Would I recommend this race to people? Sure, why not? It's neat to say you ran the Disney "course". However, our Chicago friends and East Coast friends have all experienced amazing courses in cities that have fantastic fan support and high level of energy. The Disney race pales in comparison to the races that all of us have finished. But then again, those courses didn't have a pirate ship with pirates waiting to take your picture. Time to rest for tomorrow's marathon. I can't wait to cruise the parking lots again!!

Day 6 - 0 Miles

Gosh, 6 days into 2012, and I ended my running streak :( All I had to do was run a mile but I didn't have time. Today was a crazy day with wrapping up work and then flying to Orlando for the weekend. I'm excited and nervous about this weekend!!!

Things I'm grateful for....

1. Major Wake Up Call - I jumped on the scale
this morning. I think the 18" of Philly subs earlier this week and all the holiday dining has caught up to me. I need this type of scare to get myself in the zone.

2. Haagan Dazs -I went with a double scoop today: coffee and strawberry. So much for the major wake up call.

3. Challenging Weekend - I'm setting myself up for something I've never done before. It is nerve wracking up but I'm going to put it all out there to see what happens. I feel this is a unique opportunity so why not?!??!

Day 5 - 1 Mile

I ran another mile today. The weather was great - mid 40s.

Things that I'm grateful for on Day 5.....

1. Lunch with my best friend Jill. Jill and I have been friends since our junior year of college. We get together about once a week when I'm in town and it's always fun catching up with her. She gives great advice and always knows how to make me laugh :)

2. I didn't mention this yesterday but I should have. When I was in Philly, I had dinner with an old friend of mine. Through the power of Facebook, my friend Jill (from junior high and high school) met up. Jill and I were two peas in a pod in high school but we lost touch over the years. She and her hubby live in PA with their 3 year old son. Catching up with Jill was just like ol' times. We picked up right where we left off. So much fun seeing her doing well in life and looking forward to staying in touch in the future.

3. Dinner with Steve. I'm leaving for 5 days (Orlando for fun, Ft. Lauderdale for work). As I mentioned before, I miss Steve terribly when I'm gone. I'm an independent person and I'm not some emotional basket case when I'm away but I do think of him a lot and wish we could be together. I love our times together.

Day 4 - 1 Mile

I'll be running only a mile each day for the next 3 days. I have 2 long runs this weekend so I need to rest my legs. Since it was only a mile, not many thoughts went through my head because it went by fast. However, thoughts of gratitude went through my mind during my drive home from Philly....

1. Grateful I didn't get a speeding ticket on my way home. I was going about 10-15 mph over the speed limit for the 150 mile drive.

2. Worked with a great group of telemarketers. I'm excited these guys are supporting my outside sales reps. I know we're going to accomplish a lot this year!

3. Last day working out at Bally's. This morning I ran on Bally's indoor track. I asked one of the trainers how many laps for a mile. He didn't know. I asked another trainer. She didn't know. Usually an indoor track has a sign that tells you how long each lap is or how many laps for a mile. No such sign at Bally's. Grateful to not be working out there tomorrow.

Day 3 - 10K

I arrived in Philly this evening for an overnight work trip. I come to Philly often for work and when I'm up here, I stay at the Marriott at King of Prussia Mall. KOP Mall is huge. The best part: clothing and shoes are tax free. Coming from Chicago where sales tax is 10%, I feel like this is a fire sale. Okay, not really a fire sale but it's nice to know that when you see a price tag, that is it. Nothing more to pay.

Another good thing about the hotel at King of Prussia Mall is that it is connected to Bally's Gym. I know Bally's Gym is nothing to brag about but it's way better than any hotel gym.

During my 10K, I had my thoughts of gratitude today....

1. My trip to Tony Luke's in Philly - I ate three 6" subs. 1- veal and provolone topped w/marinara, 1 chicken and provolone topped w/marinara, 1 cheesesteak. Unbelievably tasty. Bummed this stuff exists but not close enough to my house where I can eat it everyday.

2. Treadmill - I typically hate treadmills but today I'm grateful to have access to one because it was freezing cold outside.

3. Football and Wife Swap - Treadmills are awful BUT they are tolerable if there is a good football game on and a good tv show to watch. I was watching the Tech -Michigan game and then watched Wife Swap in between commercials.

So I just recognized the things that I'm grateful for today but I do have to be honest about the things that annoyed me too. Beware that I can be bratty about things that aren't worth getting mad about but I have to admit, little things can set me off. Then I calm down because I know it's silly to get worked up about something so petty.

So here are things that set me off today...

I went to KOP mall to walk off my 18" of subs. While I was window shopping I saw a candy store. I got excited. Nothing better than having your purse full of candy - especially gummy treats. I walked in eager to fill up my plastic bag with Swedish Fish and Sour Patch Kids. They had Swedish Fish but not the big size, only the minis. Bummer. I settled for the minis. Then I looked for the Sour Patch Kids - none. I asked the store clerk if they had them. They said they don't carry Sour Patch Kids. I was seriously annoyed . What kind of candy story doesn't sell Sour Patch kids? This is a disgrace. They call themselves a candy store in one of the largest malls in the country? UNBELIEVABLE. I paid for my mini fish and left. I wanted Sour Patch Kids even more after knowing that I couldn't have them. I went to the CVS in the mall and bought a bag of Sour Patch Kids. I was satisfied.

After my walk through KOP mall, I went to the gym next door. I ran my 10K on the treadmill. Then I walked to the vending machine to get water. The vending machine is located right at the entrance of the gym. I put my money in and the 1st water button said, SOLD OUT. I then selected the 2nd water button, then the 3rd and 4th... all SOLD OUT. I went to the counter and asked the gym employee, "Do you guys have any bottled water?" The employee doesn't say a word. Instead he points to the vending machine. I replied, "The machine is sold out of water." The guy responds with, "Well, that's it then. No water." Now I'm so thirsty. I feel like I walked through the desert because I'm so thirsty. I had to get my last words into this guy..."You're a gym. How do you not have bottled water? How is this possible?" He didn't say anything but shrug his shoulders. My last response was, "BALLY's. GO FIGURE." Then I walked away. I felt bad afterwards. It's not like I'm paying a membership at this gym. It's not like this kid at the front desk owns the gym or owns the vending machine. He's just a kid working hard to make some money at a part-time job (I'm guessing). Why do I have to be so rude? I guess I should add another thing to my Gratitude List today - Be thankful these are the only things that "troubled" me today. Even though this is only an overnight trip, I miss Steve already.

Day 2 - 5K

I wasn't in the mood to run today but I made myself go out there. Steve and I ran in a race New Year's Eve. Before the race started, the event director announced that there was a runner in the group who ran for 365 days straight in 2011. Hearing about this guy really motivated me to get out the door today.

During my run today, I started thinking about what I could commit to for 365 days. Of course the obvious is eating, drinking, sleeping. Anything else? Here is something I would love to do everyday of my life....

Always be positive and be grateful for the things I have in my life. Sometimes I lose sight of this and go nuts about something so petty. I know someone who battles depression and I'm sure she would love to see life through a positive lens but this is often out of her control. She certainly doesn't want to bring this upon herself and her family. It's a struggle that I don't understand but my heart goes out to her and her family as she battles these difficult times.

Oprah once mentioned that she kept a gratitude journal and everyday she wrote 3 things that she was grateful for that day. This should't be hard to do since everyone I know, including myself is blessed with so many wonderful things everyday. The irony is that I lose sight of this. My eyes and my mind are already looking at the next thing I want or feel that I need in my life. At times I see that as ambitious - which is a good thing. Other times I see it as over indulgent - I mean, do I really need to have another Lululemon outfit?

Anyways, all these thoughts make me think...."Gosh, if I'm willing to pour my heart and soul into running and blogging this year, I should also be able to channel that energy and focus to reflect on the positive things in my life each day." I should be able to commit to this for 365 days if I'm committing to run 365 days this year.

So here's what I'm grateful for today....

• Fun dinner with Steve, Emily (Steve's daughter), Steven (Emily's BF), and Max (Steve's friend)
• Glad I heard about the guy that ran 365 days in 2011 because he inspired me to run out the front door today
• Having Monday off gave me a chance to clean up our house, do all our laundry, and get caught up on my To-Do List so that this week will be more productive at work and more relaxing at home

My last thoughts come from Oprah....

"The single greatest thing you can do to change your life today would be to start being grateful for what you have right now. The more grateful you are, the more you get."