13.1 Miles? Done and Done.

That's right. I am officially a Baltimore Half Marathon Champion! And I reached my goal to not only cross the finish line, but to do it in under 3 hours! Special thanks to Judy for our carb-load dinner the night before and an eggy breakfast sandwich at the crack of dawn.

And, ooh! Look at those awesome shoes! At first I was opposed to hot pink, but when it's combined with neon yellow, how could you possibly go wrong? They're totally 80-riffic!

Look how happy I am before we even started! It sure is a good thing we were hunching down so all our awesome running muscles would fit in the picture. And I'm sure we looked just as lovely after crossing that finish line, just plus a little more sweat.

Okay, fine. Besides emerging for bites of food and a few hours of church, I pretty much spent the rest of my weekend watching movies and sleeping. I think I earned myself a treat...or maybe that mixer!

My Hips Don't Lie

It could possibly be that baking multiple cakes each week and having several taste-testing bites/slices has had a slight effect on my girlish figure. And unfortunately, my hips have decided to be painfully honest as of late and I think it's time to pick up that exercise routine again.

So in my ever-raging Battle of the Bulge, I've decided to set a lofty goal for myself. I will run the Baltimore Half Marathon this fall or die trying. Okay, maybe I'll skip the die part but my arteries will certainly have a pity party if I don't do something soon! And just so you know, running is not something I was ever very good at. I don't like sweating in public or having other people hear me pant like a dog as I scurry up the street. So, you may ask, why a half marathon? It just seems like the right thing to do. Or at least it did when I entered my credit card information on the registration page and hastily clicked "submit." But I see skinny jeans in my future!

And just in case intrinsic motivation is not quite enough, once I hit 8 miles I decided to reward myself with an awesome new pair of running shoes...and maybe a second pair of everyday shoes if the mood hits me (very likely). Two of the top contenders:

And once I actually run that stinkin half marathon, I will get myself a shiny new Kitchenaid to replace my currently moody little stand mixer.

Not so sure I'll go with the hot pink mixer, but color is good and I sure would love a glass bowl! But seriously. New shoes and the mixer of my dreams? Who wouldn't wanna run for that?