101 Update...

#1 - I'm in the process of finishing up applications...UNC-Greensboro should be sent out by Friday...hopefully...then the rest of the applications will be out in early January. Interviews are in March/April...I'm hoping for at least 3. I'll find out the first Friday in May whether I'm accepted. I'll keep you updated...

#3 - 1 down, 1 to go...and I was able to run it under 4:45:00...yay!

#14 - I made dinner for myself and Brandon...it was one of the Dream Dinners I made at the bridal shower we had there...it was herb-dijon chicken with green beans and saffron rice. mmmm. 2 down, 15 to go.

Next week I'm hoping to complete #20, #45, #51, #64, #75, and part of #77...

:)

Kiawah Island Marathon - 12.08.07

so, i was waiting to write this until i had some pictures from the race...but i haven't received any except the professional ones they take and i'm not sure how they'll turn out. we'll see. i'll post some pre and post-race pictures in the future. anyway, the race couldn't have been better...well, ok, it could have, i could have won, or the entire course could have been lined with spectators the entire time, or my ipod could have not died at mile 23, or at that one water stop there could have been someone there actually paying attention and handing out water...but other than that i think it was fabulous! the weather was absolutely gorgeous...i think it was 45 when the race started...and the high was about 70 for the day! the island was gorgeous...and the houses were beautiful and huge!! i'd love to have a house there! i recommend taking a trip there! ok back to the race...i finished in 4:39:47...just making my goal of running under 4:40! yay!

here are my approximate mile splits...
1 - 10:22 - people still don't understand that if you're a walker, you shouldn't start in the front...we had to do a lot of dodging... 2 - 9:46 - times looking a little better.
3 - 9:39 - even better.
4 - 9:43
5 - 9:46
6 - 9:31
7 - 10:36 - not sure what happened here...
8 - 9:59
9 - 9:59
10 - 10: 04
11 - 10:14 - slowing down :(
12 - 10:13
13 - 10:14 - so that brings my half marathon time to approx. 2:10...not bad.
14 - 10:30
15 - 10:49 - getting even slower...
16 - 10:36
17 - 11:06
18 - 11:25
19 - 10:44 - trying to pick it up!
20 - 11:33 - i just wasn't able to maintain it! ha!
21 - 11:20
22 - 11:46
23 - 12:44 - this is where i stopped to give my fuel belt to ellen...but i had to get my room key out of side pocket and then try to put it in the pocket in the back of my skirt...that's a tough task when you've just run 22 miles...

24 - 12:09 - i wanted to run that mile under 12...i was so close!

25 - 11:49 - i think this is where that guy came up behind me and this other girl and told us to get going...in a supportive, encouraging, 'let's get this over with' kind of way.

26 - 10:59 - i knew i had to pick it up to be under 4:40...

26.2 - 2:26 - the end.

somehwere after mile 23...

again...after mile 23...the girl in front of me (who is out of view) gave a thumbs up...so i copied her...haha. i had no thought process at that point.

woohoo...(i think this is around mile 25)

at the finish line...yay.

stay tuned for more pictures...

my next race will be the coach bubba 20k in durham in february...and then the shamrock half marathon in virginia beach over st. patty's day weekend. i've convinced christian to run it too. :)

Who needs an oven timer?!

Brother and I made cookies...ok, let me rephrase that...Brother made cookies the other day...and didn't want them to burn...

I must say though...they were perfect!

Waiting...

JANUARY
1. Who kissed you on new years? Christian, I think...who knows I think we got in a big fight...
2. Did you have a new year's resolution this year? I don't think I did...or did I?! That was too long ago to remember.
3. Does it snow where you live? Not usually...but I wish it would just for a couple days.
4. Do you like hot chocolate? Love it!
5. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop? No, but maybe I'll put that on the list.
6. Favorite thing about this month? Normally I don't think I have a favorite thing about January...but this coming January I'm looking forward to Chris coming home from 'the beach.'

FEBRUARY
1. Who was your valentine? Christian
2. When you were little did you buy Valentine's for the whole class? I think so...I think we had to.
3. Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not? Nope, should I?

MARCH
1. Are you Irish? As a matter of fact...
2. Do you like corned beef and cabbage? I found out recently that I DO like corned beef (thanks to Chris)...not sure about the cabbage though.
3. What did you do for St. Patty's Day in 2007? I went to Danell's...drank green wine with her and Sara...and helped her paint her living room green.
4.Set a fire? I don't know what that means, but I suppose I have.

APRIL
1. Do you like the rain? Sometimes...depends on what I have to do that day.
2. Did you play an April fool's joke on anyone this year? I don't think so.
3. Do you get tons of candy on Easter? Only if I buy it.
4. Do you celebrate 4/20? No, I celebrate 4/28.
5. Do you love the month of April? Yes!

MAY
1. What is your favorite flower? I have several...irises, orchids, tulips, and daisies.
2. Finish the phrase "April showers...": may last many many hours...
3. Do you celebrate May 16th: National Piercing Day? I haven't in the past but maybe now I will.
4. Is May anything special to you? Not any more special than June.

JUNE
1. Did you do anything fun during this month? Went to Bonnaroo...and my parents came to visit :)
2. Have a favorite baseball team? Detroit Tigers

JULY
1. What did you do on the 4th of July? We grilled out, I think. I don't remember it being that exciting.
2. Did you go to the fireworks? Nope. :(
3. Do you blast the A/C all day? No, because I'm usually cold...and well, I don't want to pay for it.

AUGUST
1. Did you do anything special at the end of your summer? Nothing I care to share...really, I can't think of anything.
2. What was your favorite summer memory of '07? My parents visiting.
3. Did you have a sunburn? Maybe a slight burn...

SEPTEMBER
1. Did you cry on 9/11? Probably, it's not unusual for me to cry.
2. Do you like fall better than summer? Sometimes...

OCTOBER
1. What was your last Halloween costume? Partly cloudy with a chance of rain.
2. What is your favorite candy? Those big chewy sweet tarts.
3. What was your favorite thing about this month? I got extra days off because of the Thanksgiving holiday...this month wasn't that exciting.

NOVEMBER
1. Who's house do you go to for Thanksgiving? It varies, this year I stayed home.
2. What are you thankful for? Well, A LOT of things...my fabulous parents...my wonderful brothers (even if they did beat me up when I was little)...my health...my family's great health...my Grandma S...my Grandma & Grandpa M...all my aunts, uncles, & cousins (I love having a big family!)...my sis-in-law & soon to be sis-in-law (and the fact that my brothers have good taste!)...my adorable & extremely energetic nephew...eharmony.com & therefore Christian (who knew you could find love on the internet?!)...all my amazing girlfriends (we need to get together soon!)...my legs (because they let me run for miles & miles & miles...)...the people I work with...music (for so many reasons)...food (all kinds, I'm not prejudice)...my blender to make great margaritas...the roof over my head...beer...mindless tv shows (and mind-full ones too, I suppose)...chapstick...body glide...the ipod shuffle...I could go on and on and on...
3. Do you love stuffing? Yes, I love it!!

DECEMBER
1. Do you celebrate Christmas? Yes
2. Have you ever been kissed under the mistletoe? Not sure that I have.
3. Did you get anything special last year? I think I got some new underwear...and flip-flop wine coasters!
4. What do you want this year? For my whole family to be together...
5. Do you like cold weather? For short periods of time...I've been spoiled by living in NC.
6. Favorite memory of last December? Hanging out with my family over Christmas...December wasn't the greatest month last year...

triplets and quints...

ok, so that title means nothing more than that's the show that i'm watching at the moment. i love the discovery health channel. mystery diagnosis is on next...one of my favorites!

training...
i ran 20 miles on saturday. and it was fabulous! i finished in 3 hours, 20-25 minutes (i actually think i ran a little more than 20 miles so i'm not sure of the exact time...but it was only slightly slower than 10 minute miles...woohoo!!!) i think i could have actually kept running...it was great. i'm crossing my fingers that i feel the same way the day of the marathon. i have several degrees of goals for the race. my first goal is of course just to finish on my own. second, is to finish faster than 4:56 (even if it's just 4:55)...which was my time at the country music marathon this past april. my third goal is to finish under 4:45...making it under 11 min. miles. we're now starting taper...since the race is less than 3 weeks away.

lls fundraising...
fundraising is still pretty slow...and this weekend is my last for raising money. i have about $200 until i hit my minimum goal. i'll be gift wrapping books at barnes & noble on friday and sunday in hopes of reaching that goal. although if you're reading this and you haven't donated...check out my tnt site link at on right...and send your donations!

101 things...
i've completed another "task." #91 - join the bone marrow donor registry. i had wanted to sign up for the registry several months ago but missed the one chance that i knew of where i could sign up. oddly enough, as i was walking over to another building on campus to get a free baked potato (k and i from the lab like to pretend we're in a variety of different organizations in order to take advantage of free food events...but that's a whole different story...ha.)...anyway, there happened to be some people recruiting for donors in the lobby. so, of course after eating my potato, i filled out the paper work and took several cheek swabs to finally become a donor. (and it was free!! it usually costs about $25 or something) you should become a donor too...check it out...http://www.marrow.org/index.html

#1 is in the beginning stages. even though my list is in no particular order, my #1 is one of the most important things on the list. so, ideally, i'd like to start school in a genetic counseling program in fall 2008. for those of you that don't know, it's a very competetive program. there are only 27 schools in the country that offer the program...and most programs only accept 4-6 students each year. (yes, that's 4 to 6, not 46). so, of course you have to look exceptional on paper...in order to get an interview...and then of course you have to be exceptional in person in order to be accepted. average is not going to cut it. so, i'm slightly in a panic...a nervous stressed state. i've decided to apply to 6 schools...and crossing my fingers that i'll be accepted into at least one. i believe i'll be applying to University of North Carolina-Greensboro, University of Colorado, University of Michigan, University of South Carolina, University of Wisconsin, and University of Texas (although I might change that to Medical College of Virginia). the first application is due january 1st...and i believe the last one needs to be completed by february 15th or 31st or something....i've decided that i need to have them sent out before i go home for christmas...that way it will be a stress free vacation. then once they're sent out, i wait. i believe interviews start around march...and decisions aren't made until the first week of may. thankfully, two of my 'letter of recommendation' writers have offered to look over my apps...so hopefully they'll be beyond exceptional by the time i send them out. unfortunately, one of the requirements for all the applications is the gre. i hate the gre. i took the gre this past summer for the first time...without studying at all. and well, didn't do all that well...which was expected since i didn't study. so i signed up for it again (for a measely $140!). i took practice tests, made flashcards, learned words that i will most likely never use again, and reviewed basic math & quantitative exercises...and well, i got an even lower score than the first time. like i said, i hate the gre. i'm hoping they don't look at the gre as much as everything else. anyway, i'll be spending the thanksgiving holiday working on all these applications. i'll keep you updated.

boyfriend...
c is at "the beach." he seems to be doing well. he calls when he can ...you know, when he's not out scuba diving or fishing or just lying on the sand drinking mai tais.... ;)

ok, i have to get going...we're dog-sitting baxter...he needs to go out. he's been here about 24 hours...i'm so ready to have a dog! ;)

Where's Waldo?!

Ran the City of Oaks 1/2 Marathon yesterday...and I apparently made it in the News & Observer...haha. Can you find me?! (I'm in both pictures below...although they did show up a little better in the real newspaper.)





So, my goal was 2:10:00...however, I finished in 2:12:50. I had wanted to run 10 min. miles...however, I averaged 10:09 min. miles...I think I could have made it if I could have found "Malo" (see my last post) but my ipod was on shuffle...maybe next time!! I came in 621/1284 females. haha.

101 things update...
I've added another restaurant to my #5...went to Boleros (cuban) last week with the rest of my lab...pretty good...although "it's not my favorite." LOL.

#86...finally got a mouthguard...now if I could just get in the habit of wearing it!!

The boyfriend leaves for "the beach" in 4 days... :(

18 miles...partly cloudy with a chance of rain...and happy happy birthday danell!!

it was a great weekend. ran 18 miles...it wasn't a great start with the trail being flooded but it was a much better run than last weekend. most of the rest of the weekend was spent napping...however, i did attend danell's fabulous halloween/birthday party. and so, i dressed up...it was somewhat of a poor attempt at a costume...but it was a costume! and so, i have finished #61 on my list of 101 things. you probably won't be able to tell from the pictures but i was "partly cloudy with a chance of rain." cheesy, i know. ;) tomorrow brother and josh and i are going to head down to franklin street to check out the craziness...i'll be sure to post some pics..stay tuned.

i'm looking for some new music for the marathon...any suggestions?! i need some new upbeat songs. my favorite at the moment..that one song that gets me through (i sometimes play it over and over...especially if i'm running up a hill...yes, i'm weird) is "malo" by bebe. i'm not even completely sure what she's saying, but i love it. check it out below.


malo - bebe


the nerd & the 80's prom queen (danell & sara)


me & sara

15 miles, no shuffle, new shoes, no weim, and a wii.

that's my weekend in a nutshell.

chris called me friday night on his way to my place (or is it his place?!) and said he had a surprise. now being the girl that i am, i expect something amazing...and well, something for me! however, that was not really the case...as i should have known. ;) anyway, he came over with a wii...and for those of you who haven't played one...i recommend it. who knew you could get a workout from playing video games?! after trying tennis, bowling, golf, baseball, and boxing we were exhausted! brother and chris played again on sunday...it was quite entertaining just to watch!

saturday morning was tnt training as usual. we started our 13 mile run (which ended up being about 15 miles) around 7:30 am...it was all around brutal. i couldn't find my brother's shuffle and therefore had to use my huge ipod...which would be fine...except for the fact that we're not supposed to be wearing headphones and well, my ipod is a little harder to hide than a shuffle. i had to hide it in my fuel belt and run the headphones through my shirt...oh the drama. meg lost her breakfast (and the previous night's dinner) before we even hit 3 miles. our legs felt like lead. it was humid. and not too many others were out on the trail. but it finally ended...hopefully our 18 mile run next week doesn't feel so bad...

i have one more month for fundraising...and about $1000 to go. thanks to everyone that has supported this great cause. feel free to pass it on...a link to my website is on your right! :)

spose you like my new shoes?! my next race is city of oaks 1/2 marathon in raleigh...nov. 3rd...come on out and cheer!

so i was told that i can't get my weimaraner. or at least not anytime soon. chris was thinking about it...but then ran into another weim owner and was told they they are extremely needy, high maintanence dogs...which we already knew...but apparently, chris doesn't think he can "deal" with me and the dog... haha. maybe someday...

quote for the day: don't let your dreams be dreams... - jack johnson

donuts?!

Meg...one of my fellow TNT mentors...and I sold donuts on Sunday at W@lmart in order to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. It was a lot harder than we thought...who knew that all the average W@lmart customers were on a diet?! (was that mean?!)


Meg with dozens and dozens of donuts!

Training is going well...we ran 16 miles on Saturday morning out at Umstead...I can't believe we're up to 16 miles!! Less than 2 months til Kiawah!

Breck...

We took a trip to Breckenridge, CO (my future home...it's absolutely gorgeous!!!)...for Jason & Jenna's wedding. It was a fabulous little vacation...even though it was a little chilly compared to NC. We hiked in the mountains, relaxed in the hot tub, went to an oxygen bar, had some beers with Calvin and Beef, danced, had dinner at Blue River Bistro (I definitely recommend!), laughed, and of course, drank a bit too much wine. ;)


Boodles & Courtney...open bar after rehearsal dinner...


Chris & Courtney...later in the night...ha.


Before the wedding...


On the dance floor...

I can't wait to go back...

Virginia Beach...

I finally downloaded my pictures...here are a few from the Virginia Beach Rock-n-Roll 1/2 Marathon over Labor Day weekend. It was a great race...flat course...beautiful...and even some good music. Unfortunately, I wasnt exactly prepared and became pretty dehydrated...lesson learned. Rhonda ran an awesome race though! :)


At mile 1...


Feeling great after 13.1 miles...


Rhonda & Courtney after the race...


Finally relaxing in the hotel room...

I think I finished the race in 2:24:something...not great at all...but I finished...that's all that matters! ;)

#96

Colorado. I think I want to live there. Or at least go back to visit...multiple times...

:)

Monkey Love...

...that's the first book that I finished...monkey love. not the greatest book...but mindless and easy reading. 1 down 9 to go. i've started the book marrying up...and kite runner is on deck. i don't think it's going to be that hard to finish 9 more books in the next 954 days...now if only i could motivate myself to read that gre book. ugh. ok, all books for fun are on hold until december!...time to learn some new words that i will never use in order to get into grad school.

went to a new restaurant...blue river bistro...in breckenridge, co. if you're ever in the area, i recommend it! it was fabulous! i think i want to move there...to breck that is...not blue river bistro...

tnt update...fundraising isn't going all that well...still at $692. i have a little over $1000 to go...tell your friends! please! :) running is going ok...although i'm supposed to run 16 this saturday...and i'm not so sure i'm ready. i tried running in breckenridge last week...and it was brutal!

hmmm...nothing else...i guess it's time to start that presentation due tomorrow...

Quick update...

101 Things update...
I failed...at my try at #6...I'm just not into flossing. haha. I'll try again later. I've completed one out of 17 dinners for #14. I made this tilapia dish and an asparagus and cherry tomato salad. I was impressed! ;) And Chris said he liked it...I suppose he could have lied...hmmm. I've completed #25...I shredded my past! I had 4 garbage bags full of shredded paper! I also finished #98...I tried escargot. It was actually pretty good....much better than I thought it was going to be.

TNT update..
My marathon training is going well...ran 10 miles today...in 1:41:16. I was impressed, especially since it was 10 miles without music! I could have definitely used some tunes for the last 3 miles...but that's the TNT rules...blah blah blah. Fundraising is going well...raised almost $700 this week!! Thanks so much everyone!

That's it for now...I'm off to take a nap! :)

First try at #6...

flossing....everyday for a month. It sounds so simple. I started yesterday...only 30 more days to go.

FYI...My 1001 days are up on Friday, May 2010.

101 things in 1,001 days...

Welcome to my blog! So, I've decided to try to complete a list of 101 things in 1001 days...and I'm going to track it (along with any other craziness in my life) in this blog. And so, since I'm starting this blog, I've also completed #43 on my list!!! Yay! Only 100 more to go! haha. Check back later...

courtney :)