In WAY over my head: but determined to tri.: Two years and twenty more miles...

Again a post written and not published for over a week. So please pardon the date discrepancies. Happy March!

Two years of marital bliss were celebrated last week with the annual trek to Martha's Vineyard to relax, eat, shop, and of course, run the MV 20 miler, the world's greatest race. Yes, I said it. WORLD'S GREATEST, as declared by me, this 22nd day of February 2012. They may now put it on the shirt if they'd like. Maybe it'll replace the very obviously missing no weenies stamp? Even freshly miffed over the boys and girls club royal f up of disregarding the no weenies emblem on finishers shirts (what were they thinking?!) you can't take the shirt out on the race, and that 20 miles is the best. EVER.

I took quite a few pictures on our trip (a milestone as I'm terrible about capturing memories), and so I'll keep my chat brief, and let the pictures do the talking for this post. In short, what I found this weekend was that I not only love, but really really like my husband a lot, that I'm blessed with great friends, that if bright painted fish speak to you then you should bring them home (my kitchen walls are crying that I didn't buy them), and that no number of miles run can counteract the food damage that island's insanely terrific fare inspires. And the race? Mike did us proud, 9th overall. My race was more choppy stride and survivor shuffle than a feat of graceful athleticism, but it was a 20 miler in the bank and I still enjoyed myself enough to pick up a pretty sea souvenir somewhere between miles seven and eight (pictured below).

I feel a little awkwardly smug posting such a gushing "ahh, isn't my life just so perfect! I just love my life!" post, so sorry about that. Life's also heavily reliant on perspective, and though I ran literally 40 whole seconds a mile slower for 20 whole miles (that comes out to 14 minutes for those of you keeping track), and spent minutes of our trip being upset about my run, I had to let it go and realize that at least my bad long run happened in beautiful surroundings. Nothing's ever perfect of course, but our time together on that island every year is pretty close.

We caught the ferry in daylight this year, and so got a sunset run in on the island....

Race morning...Mike and I were bibs #2 and #1, and Julie and I (both in blue if you can pick us out) both made the Martha's Vineyard Times Sunday morning in the race start photo.

A mile 7 souvenir...it was prettier before I broke the bottom trying to cram it into the little pocket in the back of my running shorts around mile 12...but once I'd carried it for 13 miles I became attached. This could be why we have so many cats?...