Happy Birthday to AAAAAAAAMY! With a little swimbikerun in there too

First, I want to wish a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Aunt Amy who is pretty much the coolest person out there. Growing up, I wanted to be like Amy so much that I even cut and styled my hair like her (but trust me, the cut looked waaaayyy better on her than it did on prepubescent me).

Amy doing my makeup for my wedding

Training has been going really, really well. I'm motivated. I'm rationing out my Mini Eggs so I don't OD. I'm getting my workouts done. BOTH times this weekend I got out the door before 8am to get my bike and run on. THAT is progress. My weekend long run has been getting progressively longer and longer. The weekend before last was when it hit 2 hours, that's when it became more than just going for a longer run; it became the long run. There were some harder-paced efforts AND the wind was brutal. I finished and had the immediate feeling of "a nap would be really, really good right now." And I don't nap. It was a feeling I hadn't really felt since last race season. This past weekend, I did a run that was a few miles longer, not as many harder efforts but definitely more hills. I still felt tired at the end, but not the body-shocked tired that I felt the prior weekend. I think I'm getting back into the swing of things. Yesterday was a long bike ride. I did the bike path (boring! but it served its purpose) and took the dog with me on the T-run after I returned. Then I ate a giant Chipotle burrito, fro-yo covered in candy, and didn't feel the least bit full. I am back - the human garbage disposal is BACK! I've gotten confirmation of this fact twice in the past two days. Yesterday when I asked Mark if I eat more than any girl he knows, he simply looked at me and said, "that is a stupid question." And today my best friend Katie said on FB, and I quote, "Caroline, come visit. I will make you all the double-wide meals you can eat!! (and I know you can eat!)" In case you are wondering, a double-wide meal is mac and cheese with chopped up hot dogs mixed in. I may not eat much meat anymore, but that meal will always sound appealing to me. Katie - go stock up on the blue box special RIGHT NOW.

I had a lovely swim this morning, my legs were like lead weights and someone mistakenly put "butterfly" on one of my swimsets, but all-in-all it was a good swim.

I finally finished another book. Holy moly I thought this last book would NEVER end. It was called "Beach Music" by Pat Conroy. Overall it was a good story but I thought it had too many story lines and sometimes I think it focused too much on the more mundane stories. However, the book was beautifully written and you found yourself really caring for the characters at the end. I would recommend it, not my favorite, but not bad. Just a little slow at times.