Overindulgent food-crazy monster status

Hello!  I'm at the point in busy-ness that blogging is more of a chore than something I want to do, which is not good because it is usually an outlet and relaxation for me.  I also don't like when I get so busy and post so infrequently that all I am doing is writing about what I've done because I feel like that is boring.  So let me recap in a different way as best I can.

First, lets talk about running and about how freaked out I am about this marathon.  I am going through such waves.  Remember when I said how I was making my goal to beat my time in Paris of 4:37?  Yeah, well, I may be switching my goal back to just finishing.

Yesterday I did my long run of 12-miles and afterwards I was BEAT.  I mean, granted, I was pretty beat before I even started.  However, afterwards I felt like I was back to more than a year ago when I ran 10 miles for the first time and then lay on the floor at my mom's house for the rest of the day!

I chose a route to run that was pretty fun because it is a road in my hometown that I must have driven down thousands and thousands times throughout my life, but never would have ever thought to run, so it was a cool accomplishment.  However, I also chose a portion of the route that was so incredibly hilly it was  just hard to keep moving.  And I finished my run, not at my mom's house, but still a mile away that I had to walk straight up hill to finish.  I was starving when I walked in the door and consumed two pita bread halves smeared with peanut butter and a cake batter protein drink as soon as I could.

I also ran three days in a row at that point as the day before I ran in a Ridiculous Obstacle Course 5K with my brother.  It was hysterical and a really fun, silly race, that involved blow up obstacles similar to the TV show Wipeout!  It wasn't super strenuous, but it was still running!

I absolutely love running races with my brother and that this is now something that we do together.  He found this 5K and asked me if I would run with him, and I was so glad that it worked out that I was able to do it while home for the weekend!  After running we went out for breakfast where we each devoured a bacon, egg and cheese bagel breakfast sandwich and split some chocolate chip pancakes.  And I wish that I could say that this type of eating was way out of the norm, but as of late, this is pretty much the norm for food consumption.  I should absolutely not be eating the same amount for breakfast as my brother who is like, a foot taller than me and weighs a ton more and goes to the gym 2x a day and is a boy, so just has a higher metabolism in general.  But, hey, it was delicious.

After breakfast I raced home to squeeze myself into a party dress and head out for the wedding of one of my high school friends, Kelly!  It was so special to be included in her wedding day and I loved getting to spend time with her and our extended group of friends who all came into town for the wedding -- including one friend who lives in Spain and came all the way home for it!  Kelly looked absolutely beaming with happiness throughout the whole day and it was so great to be able to celebrate!

My friends all made fun of Kristen and I because we both wore royal blue dresses to the wedding -- which we both had accidentally done two years ago at another high school friend's wedding.  Nobody would probably notice normally, but the blue in our dresses is the same royal blue of our high school.  So we just joked that we felt it was important to always wear Cumberland Clipper blue to every high school friend's wedding :)

Also, of the group of girlfriends I've mentioned a few times who are like my sisters (that I spent the bachelorette weekend with), a couple of those girls were at this wedding too so it was such a treat to see them too weekends in a row.  We are really getting spoiled with all these weddings and wedding activities!

And although KO was not there, her younger sister DO, who is also like a little sister to me, was IN the wedding and I looooved getting to hang out and dance with her all night.  She is such a little peanut and I am obsessed with her!

I know at some point weddings might get old, but man, do I still love them!

I was surprised that the dress I had gotten still fit me after the crazy amount of eating I have been doing.  I was in NYC all the week prior with work, which is always busy and fun but exhausting.  Since I had been on vacation the week before, my sleep schedule was off because I had been sleeping later than I usually do when I am in Albany.  And then I went right back into getting up early in NYC and also staying up later than I usually do because there were so many wonderful friends and coworkers all at the conference that I don't usually get to see! One of the best parts of the whole week was getting to see so many wonderful people that I don't usually get the chance to connect with in person.  Including, many of the people that I am going to work with in my new role!  Which, was overwhelming and exciting, and meant that there were just not enough hours in the day.  And when I am tired/stressed, what do I do?  Eat of course.  And did I eat apples or nuts or carrot sticks?  Nope.  I ate Dylan's Candy Bar bulk candy, ice cream sandwiches, and a frost-your-own-donut bar.  Are you kiddddding me, people?  The food in NYC was unreal.

Here are a few snapshots from the conference and week in New York City -- including my runs that I had in Central Park, that were just absolutely beautiful.  I ran in Prospect Park in Brooklyn on Monday, but my other runs were in Central Park and I just loved it!  If only it were enough to negate even a quarter of that donut that I ate...

I always loving visiting New York City and I have so many dear friends there that it is impossible to see them all on any single trip.  Which, just means all the more reason to continue to visit!!

However, for now, I am back in Albany and back to basics trying to return to counting points and not be an overindulgent food-crazy monster.  I am pretty sure that the few weeks of being on track where I was starting to see progress, have totally been reversed after Waukewan, bachelorette, New York City, and the wedding.  And everything was so wonderful that I really shouldn't complain at all -- except for that I am going to be IN a wedding in just a few weeks that I want to feel good for!  Last night I had a glass of wine before bed, as a celebration of the past few weeks of craziness and am enjoying a few days of relaxation (while doing laundry, preparing for a move, working, training for a marathon, and seeing local friends...) before it starts up again!

Happy Monday everyone!