Scared? Do it!

It's amazing how quickly 2 people can bond over a shared experience.  Last October, I rode down to the Outerbanks with 2 people I didn't know, to meet up with 25 other people I had never met.  On that 3.5 hour car ride, I discovered one of the people in my car, Sarah Nash and I were pretty much twins.  We bonded over having lost 100+ pounds because lets be real, say what you want but to lose that much weight drastically changes your life, your outlook and your life experiences.  From that weekend, I gained a lot of friends but I gained a twin, confidant, someone to push me and be completely random but have so much doing it, a person willing to listen to my nervousness over running a half marathon and completely understanding where I was coming from and most importantly a life long friend. 

This past weekend, Sarah became the newest Mrs. O'Dell and I lost a 4 1/2 month roommate.  It was a fun few months having her live here but I was SO excited for Sarah & Larry to finally tie the knot!  You never know when life is going to throw you an amazing friend.  Was I terrified to go to the beach with 25 strangers?  Heck yes!  Did it turn out to be one of the most fun weekends of that year?  Heck yes!  While Sarah and I initially bonded over weight loss, we also bonded over our desire to be healthy and do things that challenge us (i.e. running a half marathon).  I encourage you to do things that scare you because you never know how amazing it will be on the other side - new friends, new experiences, new memories, new challenges, whatever it may be - it will be worth it.  Now go out there and do something that scares you...just don't forget to have fun!

NYC or bust

I have had quite a few people ask me about my race in NYC this past weekend.  I thought about just side-stepping the issue, but that's not fair to you and it's not fair to me either.  I was really looking forward to running the 10k in Central Park Sunday morning.  However, each day my friend and I were there, the temperature kept dropping and the wind kept picking up.  Finally Sunday morning came along and we had decided we would wait to see what the temperature was and make the final decision to run or not once we knew that crucial piece of information.  Sunday morning brought 31 degree temperatures with wind (not gusts, just straight-up wind) of 20 mph....dropping the temperature down to a frigid 21 degrees.  I could see myself standing around waiting 30 minutes for the race to start and I saw myself becoming a popsicle.  Unfortunately, I chose not to do the race which just means I will have to go back to the city to check "run Central Park" off my list.  Darn, what a shame...another trip to a fabulous, wonderful and fun city.  For your enjoyment, I've added 3 of my fav pics from the weekend.

I may not have run the race, but I was able to see some great people who are almost like a family away from home for dinner on Thursday, see the Rockefeller Christmas tree all lit up (beautiful!), check out amazing sites and have fun memories with a friend.  All in all, a good weekend, and that is how I will remember it.  Thank you to everyone for your encouragement and keeping me honest and on track - I truly appreciate it.  Remember, everything is a learning experience, a stepping stone and a celebration.  I let the cold defeat me this weekend, but it won't defeat my dream.