Ahhh, home!

Well, yesterday's run was a total breeze! Especially when we compare it to last year's Day 1. Part of the reason was probably the weather-- yesterday was cool and gorgeous, which just makes it about 1,000 times easier to keep running. But we're also in better shape. There was only one little snafu-- the bathroom on the route was locked up. (Sometimes when you're running, you GOTTA go. I'm sure you understand what I'm talking about.) Fortunately, no major issues other than that-- no one had to resort to using the woods, no one tripped and fell, and our biggest obstacle was a really big stretch of sidewalk that the resident geese have clearly been using as a toilet. (Probably because the bathroom is locked.)

So here's how our training program works:
It's eighteen weeks long, and we have one "long" run each week. That's our Saturday run. I like Saturday because then you have the whole weekend to recover if it was particularly brutal. Also, when you do it on Sunday, you just spend all day Saturday dreading it, and it sort of ruins your weekend.
Then we have three shorter runs-- most weeks they are six, eight and six miles, respectively.
We have two rest days, and ours are Thursday and Sunday, making Sunday the one morning I week that I don't set an alarm.
And then the day before the long run, we do a shorter run-- usually about 4 miles, done easily and slowly to get your muscles limbered up. This is also the run that is the most likely to get skipped.

The long runs get progressively longer each week, but about every 3rd week is a "step-down" week, to keep your body in shape but also give it a break. The short runs are also going to be shorter these weeks.

So this is our schedule for this week:
Saturday: 10 miles (done!)
Sunday: rest
Monday: 6 miles
Tuesday: 8 miles
Wednesday: 6 miles
Thursday: rest
Friday: 4 miles

And then next Saturday is a 12 mile run, and other than that the schedule is identical. The following Saturday will be a six mile run, and that week will also be accordingly shorter because that's our first step-down week.

Enough business talk. Yesterday after the run, we packed up our cars and headed down to Virginia. Mike stopped in Quantico for a graduation party-- his roommate at USNA did an exchange program at Air Force last semester, so in return, Mike's room had an Air Force cadet living with them. Jason was a really awesome guy, and something cool about him is that, rather than going into the Air Force, he REALLY wants to cross-commission into the Marine Corps. This is possible to do, but apparently very difficult. So he went to Officer Candidate School in Quantico this summer, graduated yesterday, and Mike stopped in to congratulate him. I continued to head on down to Richmond, where I have placed a deposit an all-too-expensive bridal gown. I got sized for it and chose the color yesterday, and the official order will be placed on Tuesday! But I got to try it on again and I still LOVE it! Even mom liked it this time. (Haha last time she wasn't convinced that it was the dress for me.)

I think that since our wedding is still 11 months away, and since we made all of the biggest decisions regarding it when it was still between 18 and 16 months away, she keeps thinking that we're going to change our minds about all of this stuff that we've already put down hefty deposits for, but that's not how I roll... once a decision has been made, it's pretty rare that I waver. UNTIL that decision is made, I am a horrible, flaky, wavery person. So far I haven't come to regret a single decision, and ESPECIALLY not the dress. Although I do wish I could have gotten a better price on it. But as my friend Heather says, "It's a wedding dress. It's SUPPOSED to be too expensive." And I guess there is some truth to that-- you're in this thing for about seven hours. Even if you get lucky and buy, say, an $600 dollar dress... plus another few hundred dollars worth of alterations... you're spending more than $100 an hour for your dress. That's ridiculous, because I won't even buy a $100 dress that I know I would wear all the time. But I've spent WAY more than $100 an hour to wear a wedding gown. The wedding industry is a pretty stupid money-sucking machine. But so far, this is my one indulgence because everything else I'm paying for isn't really for me-- it's for bridesmaids, or the guests, or whatever. (Not to mention that all of those purchases have come in within my budget!) And since the wedding dress is the thing that I looked forward to most, even when I was a little girl (okay, maybe also the cake! When I was five my birthday cake was a shocking-pink 3 layer wedding cake... no joke!) I figured, whatever... buy the one you love even if it's more than you originally planned on spending.

But still! Ridiculous, and I got suckered, just like all those stupid women shopping at Kleinfeld's on Say Yes to the Dress. I hate that show just because of brides like me who bother to even try dresses on when they're outside the budget, and then fall in love with them.

After the dress fitting, Mom and I went to Crate and Barrel, Macy's, and Bed, Bath & Beyond to register for gifts. Mom has been BEGGING me to let her come with me to do this, ever since I got engaged. Since I have no idea how many plates married people need, or how many forks are suitable, I was more than happy to indulge her. I would have had no idea what I was doing if she hadn't been there to help, and I probably would have registered for hammock, which I don't need, and forgotten to get pots and pans, which I DO need... But the BB&B people were AWESOME! They sent a person around the store with me-- which meant that I didn't get to use the stun-gun myself there, but she also made a lot of good recommendations and was very very helpful and wonderful and awesome. So thanks to Lisa from the BB&B in Richmond! You were a huge help, even though I know you'll never in a million years see this blog!

Anyways, after registering, I drove the rest of the way home to Williamsburg, where a delicious dinner was waiting for me. I love it here, with the badly behaved cats and fully stocked fridge. :)

Okay, I'm going to go and enjoy the fourth today, and I hope you all do the same!