The Best Weekend Ever - The Conclusion

There were very kind people waiting at the end of the race to tear the chip off my shoe. I appreciated that, because the thought of mustering the strength and energy to bend down and rip that dumb thing off of its plastic ties seemed like a gargantuan task at the moment, and I was pretty sure I'd topple over if I bent down that low (again, physically fit people, just pretend that I just finished a marathon or something. Remember, I'm not a runner. This was a big deal for me). But that's where the kindness ended. Immediately after finishing the race we had to walk all the way up the bleachers to get out of the stadium! My legs were pretty upset with me, and they voiced their disapproval with each step I took.

We got to the top and I realized how badly I wanted water. I hadn't gotten any for 45 minutes, really (the drops up my nose, while refreshing, did nothing for my dry mouth and my gum had lost its effectiveness long ago). Yay, there's a man at the top of the stairs with a giant cooler handing out waters! Just make it to the man, Corrie. Just make it to the man. I made it to the man, only to be told that he was out of water. I was assured, however, that there was more water, Gatorade and fruit "by the statue." Apparently that was supposed to mean something to me, so I nodded like I understood. Even though I had no idea what he was talking about, my superior intellect deduced that somewhere, in the direction he was pointing, there was a statue of some sort. And somewhere near that statue was water. I didn't know what the statue looked like, but I know what a statue looks like, so I figured it couldn't be too hard to find. Joy went to the restroom and I took off in search of refreshments for the two of us. So I walked. And I walked. And I walked. I started to doubt my understanding of the word statue. Maybe it's a comically small statue, like of a baseball or something? Maybe I missed it? Maybe it's hiding behind a door or in a concession stand? Don't make fun of me for these ridiculous questions. Remember - not much oxygen going anywhere right now. Not thinking entirely clearly yet. But I kept walking. And walking. Come to find out, this stupid statue was halfway across the stadium! I don't think I'm exaggerating, folks, I probably walked for a good 5 minutes just to find water and Gatorade. What kind of event-planning geniuses put refreshments for runners so far away from the finish line? Not your best move, guys. Just saying.

Well I finally found the refreshments, brought them back, and Joy and I returned to our families. We parted ways and I hung out with my family for awhile, just enjoying their company. They left so they could get home at a decent hour, and I drove home. Ironically, on my drive home, the thought went through my head, "Man, I haven't been to the gym today. I should probably stop by and get on the treadmill for awhile." I quickly returned to my senses, but still fought the urge to go to the gym. I guess that's a good sign that my body bounced back so quickly. I think it also shows that I could do much more if I keep practicing and training.

I was planning to go to church Sunday morning, but I don't remember my alarm going off. I'm not sure what happened, because I checked all the settings and they were right. I guess that either my phone malfunctioned and the alarm didn't go off or I turned off my alarm four times in my sleep. Both are equally possible. So i spent Sunday relaxing and hanging out with friends. We were going to go to our friends' pool and let the kids play while we hung out and talked, but the pool was the color of the grass (no kidding - bright green and opaque), so we sat on the porch and set up a sprinkler that we ran in every few minutes to keep ourselves cool. It was a great summer day. Then my sweet sweet friends had me over for a delicious, healthy dinner! I really am blessed, folks, by great friends and family.

So technically, that's the conclusion of the weekend. But some of you may have noticed that with all of this 5k talk I haven't commented yet this week (as I usually do) about my weight-loss progress. I weigh in on Mondays, and I was convinced that this week was going to be better than last week for millions of reasons, the 5k being one. Well, what do you know, I MET MY GOAL! I was so excited when I saw that number on the scale that I did a dance. Not a little dance, folks, a giant celebratory dance in Joy's bedroom (she lets me borrow her scale every week). Woohoo! I freakin did it! It's an amazing feeling to put your mind to something that's not necessarily easy and then achieve it. And that's just what I did...twice. First the 5k, then the weight thing. So as of this week, I've lost over 40 pounds! I'm really happy about it and really proud of myself. I feel healthy, empowered, in control, totally energized, and I couldn't think of a better conclusion to my sweet weekend than achieving one more goal.

This post is getting long enough, but rest assured that I will be doing something big to celebrate the achievement of this goal. And I'll fill you all in as soon as plans are more definite. Until then, I hope you all have super great days! And, for your viewing pleasure, before and after pictures: