Motivation

This is a long ass post.

I love fall weekends.  The past couple weeks, I've been enjoying having the AC off, opening the windows, and letting the breeze come through our house.  I pulled out our fall smelling candles and lit them on Sunday - with scents like cranberry cinnamon and pumpkin spice.

This fall weekend was also full of inspiring moments and laughs with family.  Friday night, I made a big carb dinner for Ian and we went to sleep early to prepare for Ian's half marathon on Saturday morning.  He has run 13 miles multiple times during his training, since his ultimate goal is to run the Philly marathon on November 22nd (God willing - so long as he stays healthy).  But this time was different for him - it was his first official race.  He was extremely nervous in the morning before we left and once we got there.  The whole city of Baltimore essentially shuts down for this event, so we parked in Little Italy, knowing we'd be walking quite a bit.

Rain was called for, so I packed a backpack with a rain coat and the day's essentials: a book to read while I camped out waiting for him at the finish line, snacks and water, advil in case he got a headache, and map of the course.  We got there early and immediately felt the energy of the event.  With over 20,000 runners expected and even more spectators, the band playing - Ian became excited and I was inspired.

I took some pictures, then after Ian and Jeremy lined up, I headed off to the finish line area and set up shop for the next couple hours.  It started raining, but I was content with my rain coat as I watched the frontrunners of the full marathon come in to finish the race.  Everyone - almost all of them strangers to the runners - cheered wildly for the strength and motivation each of these people clearly possess. While I waited, I also witnessed a fight between a street vendor and police.  He was determined to make money next to the finish line, but did not have a license to do so at the race.  He pushed and shoved and everyone around him stared.  It was some action that made the wait a little less boring.

Ian's parents finally made it downtown and stood with me.  Finally, it was about time for us to start looking for Ian.  Shortly after Jeremy ran by, I saw Ian in a big group of people coming and I was overwhelmed with excitement for him.  I took a picture and then cheered for him loudly.  I was worried he wouldn't see us since there are so many people, but luckily he heard us.  He looked comfortable still after 13 miles.

He described the experience as inspirational and has motivated him even more for the Philly marathon.  He also said it was quite emotional coming towards the finish line and seeing us cheer for him. 

Afterwards, we went to have a big lunch with Ian's parents and my mom at The Corner Stable.  A-mazing ribs.  Seriously.  We laughed hysterically over poop talk (seriously, we cannot make it through a visit with Ian's family without talking about poop or farts).

After lunch, we went and got a new radio system put into my car since my old one stopped working the past couple weeks.  We also stopped by Ian's parents and picked up his birthday present from them, and discussed our upcoming trip to England to figure out the details.  Of course the conversation once again turned to poop/fart talk.

Sunday, we spent the day watching football, relaxing and cleaning up the house.  It was a weekend filled with

fall fun and laughs about poop.  It was a much needed weekend.