Stephany Writes

Categories: Life

7:09:56

It’s been a crazy few days around here. I’ve been running around since coming back to town Monday afternoon, attending classes, working, and getting back into the swing of things. I’m finally able to have a moment to write this post.

My mom is officially a marathoner. She finished the Walt Disney World Marathon and while it took her longer than expected, she still finished. And really, that’s all that matters.

I have a post in the works about my spectator experience because there was a lot of good and a lot of bad that happened during the day. But let’s focus on my mom for today.

It was an early day for my mom, my brother, and I. We left the hotel by 3am in order to arrive at the race site on time. With 17,500+ racers, we knew travel to the race would get pretty heavy closer to 5am, when racers had to be in their corrals. We arrived before 3:30am and basically shivered our butts off while waiting. My mom left us around 4:15am to head over to the corral start and my brother and I got to wait in the freezing cold for the next 2 hours. It was awful. I was dressed in yoga pants, a long-sleeved tech tee, a short-sleeved cotton tee, and a sweatshirt but it was not warm enough at all. My toes were icicles by 5am. I tried sitting down on the ground and reading, but I was just too cold to ever get comfortable.

The race started at 5:30am with the wheelchair racers and then the rest of the runners. While I was supposed to get updates via my phone on my mom, I never got an update of when she started so luckily, Cecelia was able to hop on her computer and help me out! I didn’t get to see my mom at the start because she was on the other side of the street (plus, it was packed with all the runners!) but they circled around at Mile 4 and I got to see her then. She was in pretty good spirits, so it calmed me down somewhat. (I was an emotional wreck the entire day.)

I was able to see my mom at Mile 9 and Mile 12.5, but that was it until the end. I wish I could’ve seen her further in the race because I think it would’ve helped both of us. And since she gave me her cell phone, I didn’t have any way to know where she was or how she was doing. That part sucked so much. I was so worried about her and didn’t know if she had been pulled out or what. She had never run or walked farther than 13 miles before, so this was a totally new experience for her. I just wanted to see her, make sure she was OK, and give her a pep talk if she needed it.

Around Mile 20, the race organizers started harping on the runners to keep with a 16:00-minute mile pace. My mom had to stay ahead of a girl because if she got behind her, she would get pulled out. So, on a foot with a huge blister on the bottom, my mom had to run. She would run ahead of the girl until she was pretty far ahead then walk until she got close again. It couldn’t have been easy and she said she wanted to give up so badly. But she kept pressing on. When she got to Mile 24, she was able to stay at her own pace because the race organizers said she was good until the end and would get her medal. I couldn’t imagine what those 4 miles were like, though. Nervous about getting pulled out, part of you wanting to be pulled out, but knowing you are so close to the end.

When I saw her turn the corner to the finish line, I was overly emotional. No matter if it takes you 3 hours or 7 hours, finishing a marathon is a huge accomplishment. And she did it! Even with all that was working against her, she kept pressing on, kept training, and finished a marathon.

She was hit by a car on August 13. From September – January 9, she ran a total of 94.9 miles in just races alone. She ran three 5K’s, one 10K, two half-marathons, and a full marathon. That’s crazy. Her legs feel fine and she wasn’t even too sore from the marathon. Her biggest problem is the blister at the bottom of her foot.

But there you have it. My mom ran a marathon. The one who used to say her best exercise was the short .25 mile walk to Wendy’s, who was morbidly obese four years ago, and whose journey to this point all started in 1999 when she left my father…she did it. She ran a marathon. 26.2 miles. Amazing.

(Oh, and while she said on Sunday that she would never, ever run a marathon again. By Monday, she was leaning the other way. I truly believe she will run another one where she can train better.)

Categories: Life

Twenty-Six Point Two

Well, the weekend is finally here. On Sunday, my mom is running her first marathon. She may not be prepared in the traditional sense of getting in the mileage she needs. (Her longest run has only been 13.1 miles.) But she’s prepared mentally. While she had to take a good 7 weeks off her marathon training to recover from her accident, the minute she got the OK to run, run she did. She’s kept up steady mileage since October. She’s ready.

We’re leaving today at lunchtime for Orlando where we’ll check into our hotel and then head over to the race expo. It’s going to be crazy over there this weekend. There are over 20,000 people signed up for the marathon. That’s nuts! Every hotel is booked and I know it’s going to be annoying to find somewhere to eat on Saturday night. (Especially Italian restaurants!) I’ve never been to a race expo so it’ll be neat to experience it all!

Saturday will be a fun day of sleeping in and hanging out around the hotel. We’ll keep it low-key since Sunday’s going to be insane. My brother, sister-in-law, and nephew are coming up on Saturday night to support my mom during her race. I am so, so, so excited they’re coming and I know it’ll give her the extra something-something she needs to finish her race.

Sunday is going to be crazy. We have to leave the hotel by 3am and head over to the park. (She starts at Epcot.) My brother and I will get to see her four different times during the race: at the beginning, at Mile 4, at Mile 12.5, and at the end. Luckily, the Walt Disney World Marathon has an excellent spectator guide so I was able to print off where I could spot her and how to get there. It’s a little bit different from a regular marathon since she’s running through all the different Disney parks, so it’s very helpful to have this information. My SIL and nephew will join us at the end.

I am so incredibly nervous for my mom. She’s scared of being pulled out of the race because her pace isn’t fast enough, although I think she’ll be OK. She has to maintain a 16-minute mile pace and she’s been averaging 13-minute miles lately. She’s hoping to finish in 6 hours.

Our other big concern was the weather. Last year, it was 26 degrees. For wimpy Florida folk like us, that is cold. We were anxiously awaiting 10 days until the race so we could finally check the weather. It started pretty scary with a low of 43 degrees and a 20% chance of rain. But it’s gradually worked its way up to a low of 53 degrees, although the rain chance remains the same. As a spectator, I am thrilled. I don’t function well with cold weather but I can definitely handle 50-60 degree weather.

It’s an amazing accomplishment and I cannot wait to see her cross that finish line and prove to herself how much she is capable of.

I’ll finish with the quote that was featured in Runner’s World daily e-mails, “You can never be sure. That’s what makes the marathon both fearsome and fascinating. The deeper you go into the unknown, the more uncertain you become. But then you finish. And you wonder later, ‘How did I do that?’ This question compels you to keep making the journey from the usual to the magical.” (Joe Henderson)

Categories: Life

It’s Been A While

I didn’t mean for my break from blogging to last as long as it did, but I must say I’m glad to be back. I needed to get away from my blog and writing for a while, away from a rigid three-day-a-week or five-day-a-week schedule to figure out where I want my blog to go. I feel more secure now.

A lot has happened in the past three weeks.

  • I ran my sixth 5K the Thursday before Halloween. Since I was only on Week 3 of Couch to 5K, I wasn’t expecting a great PR. I just hoped to run and enjoy my time there. I did that. I didn’t set a new personal record. In fact, my time was the exact same time as my previous personal record, which I got from my 5K in April. 44:54. How I managed that, I’ll never know. But since it beats the time of my 5K in September, I’ll take it! I’m signed up for a trail run on November 21st and ready to smash that 44:54.
  • My blog has changed. I was growing sick of my current design and needed a change. I contacted Designer Blogs about one of their premades and it was installed within a week! Check them out if you want a design. They do custom orders! I added a little race section to my sidebar, which includes my PRs (which are not all that impressive, but they are mine), as well as my upcoming races.
  • I received a lovely letter from a blog friend that uplifted my spirits and made me realize why I have a blog. She mentioned some key facts that have helped me to figure out where I want my blog to go. She said all the things I had been thinking in the back of my mind but was too afraid to voice.
  • I registered for my last semester ever this past week. Well, as an undergrad, although I’m 80% sure I’m not going to attempt grad school. The semester should be an easy one, a fun one, with very little stress. I’m taking Spanish II and Senior Seminar, which are both required. I also signed up for Twentieth Century Literature for my exit course (another required course) and Form and Technique of Fiction, which was the filler course I needed to keep my scholarship. I’m super excited about those last two classes. I think they’re going to be fun!
  • I decided to quit my internship. There were a lot of factors leading to this decision but suffice it to say, I’m at peace with it and it was something I had to do. I’ve only been working there for 3 hours on Wednesdays. My last day there will be November 17 and it will definitely be a bittersweet day.
  • I recently became a contributing writer for the website, Blissfully Domestic. It’s a fun little writing gig and allows me to let some creative juices flow. It also gives me a place to have my name in print online, which is always a plus. Check out my first article here, where I talk about writing.
  • I have discovered that it’s OK to spend a day or two without checking my Google Reader. The world won’t end and the bloggers won’t hate me. Sometimes, sanity is more important than popularity. That being said, I love reading blogs and there is so much I derive from your stories, tips, and inspiring notes. And I am never fully away from the blog world. It has captured me.
  • I have oodles and oodles of blog post ideas floating through my head. I can’t wait to share my recent epiphanies, funny stories, and moments. The break was much needed, but I also realized my blog is also much needed.
Categories: Life

The End of an Era

Saturday was a monumental day for my mom.

For the past 9 years, she has been sleeping on a bed more fit for a house guest who visits twice a year than a woman working two jobs, going to school, raising teenagers, and training for a marathon. When she split from my dad, she took my brother and me and moved back with her parents. She didn’t bring her bed, although that wasn’t much to talk about anyway. For the next four years, she either slept on the floor or on a couch. While my brother and I had our own rooms with our comfy beds, her bedroom was our living room.

In 2001, my mom purchased a daybed. It seemed like the best option, being affordable, and being able to sit in the living room and not look too out of place. Since then, it has been her bed. It moved from apartment to apartment, finally getting its place in a real bedroom in September 2005. It’s been a place my mom and I watch TV and have late-night or early-morning conversations.

And for the past few years, my mom has quietly dreamed of having a real bed. Her dream? A sleigh bed. My brother and I have looked into buying one for her for Christmas. My brother works at a furniture store, so he could get a great deal on a bed. But it was the mattress and box spring that held us back. We could buy the frame, but not the whole bed set.

Last weekend, my mom and I went furniture shopping. First, we went into a mattress store advertising amazing sale prices (70% off!!). And it was a total wash after my mom was looking for a specific mattress. And they showed her a great mattress. The only problem was the price – over $2,300! That was a bit out of our price range so we went to a furniture store.

And there, we found my mom’s dream bed – a sleigh bed. A beautiful, cherry oak sleigh bed priced at only $200. Two hundred dollars! For a sleigh bed! Folks, that is a really good deal, especially at the furniture store we were in. We then tested out their mattresses, which has to be the most fun thing to do regarding shopping ever. Ever. We found very reasonably priced mattresses, the highest price being $1,200.

Of course, my mom being who she is, had to think it over. (Sleep on it?) We came back the next day, assured of our purchase. My mom bought the sleigh bed and a queen-sized mattress and box spring (and the price was reduced by $100 since that mattress was being discontinued and they would have to give us their floor model). And to make this deal even sweeter, this furniture store was offering a free frame for purchasing a mattress. My mom still wanted her sleigh bed, so I was given the frame! (Yay, me!) Unfortunately, now I need a queen-size mattress since my full one doesn’t exactly fit. (And looks kinda weird.) The price? Under $1,200. (If you were paying attention, that means it’s half the price we would have paid for just the mattress at the mattress store!)

And now, here you go. My mom’s brand-new queen-sized sleigh bed. Her first bed in 15+ years. Something she undoubtedly deserves.

Tell me: what kind of bed do you sleep on? Do you love it, or are you saving up for something you really want?

Categories: Life

REVIEW: CSN Stores Sauder Orchard Hills Open Computer Desk

A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to review a product for CSN Stores. To say I was excited was putting it mildly and it took me forever to find something I wanted. I searched. And searched. And searched. There is so much to choose from! I looked at dressers and bookshelves and mixers and pet supplies and purses and shoes and patio furniture and knick-knacks. It was incredibly fun!

But I knew what I really wanted to purchase. You see, I’ve been living the past year without a desk. When my mom and I moved last September, my old desk basically fell apart after trying to move it from my room to my brother’s truck. I bought it at Wal-Mart quite a few years ago and it was never good quality. It also didn’t give me a lot of writing space. For the next 6 months or so, I had to do all my schoolwork and blogging either on my bed or on the couch. (Oh yeah, we didn’t have a kitchen table either!) In any event, it wasn’t very comfortable or conducive to schoolwork. Remember, this was the semester I had to design an 18-page magazine! In the Spring, my brother brought over his kitchen table for us to house for a while and I was super happy – it meant I would have some workspace!

But I still wanted a desk. Something for me. Something to have in my room where I could house my ginormous printer, school supplies, and laptop. Plus, it would give me a stable environment to work in my room! I’ve had my printer sitting on the floor of my room since I moved and it gets really annoying to print things since it’s quite a process!

Lo and behold, I found a desk through CSN Stores. In fact, I found a variety of desks at great prices! I slept on the idea for a few nights but couldn’t get the idea out of my head. I needed a desk. So I purchased this one. Simple and clean design. No fussing with shelving and looked pretty easy to put together.

I ordered it on Sunday morning and it arrived at my doorstep Friday afternoon. I commissioned my brother to come and help me put it together – since he basically puts furniture together as his job. I knew it would be relatively easy for him. And it was. It took him a little over an hour, mainly because a few screws weren’t cooperating. I just sat around, looking pretty, and helping whenever he asked for it.

He was able to easily put it in my room and I went to work, organizing my printer, desk organizer, and laptop on it. While there’s not a ton of room to work with after all that, it’s the perfect size for me. I don’t really require a lot of room. Everything fits perfectly on it and I just really love the clean design of it. I plan on adding a few shelves above it to house schoolbooks and other knick-knacks, but I am really, really pleased with this purchase. The wood feels smooth and strong and it’s the perfect height for me.

I would definitely recommend checking out CSN Stores for your next purchase, especially if it involves furniture! They have such a huge array of choices, in almost every style you can think of. My next big purchase for my room is a dresser and you can be sure I’ll be scouring their site in the near future for one!

Disclaimer: CSN Stores gifted me with a certificate to put towards this purchase, although I did have to pay some money out of pocket. They did not ask me for a good review, but rather a fair and honest one.