Maine, Friends, and a Wedding

Monday, May 18: 0 Miles
Tuesday, May 19: 1:00 PM - Track WO @ Bentley
24 min w/u
6 x 800m w/ 2.5 minR - 2:19, 2:17, 2:18, 2:18, 2:18, 2:17
24 min c/d
Wednesday, May 20: 7:30 PM - 9 Miles, 60 min
Thursday, May 21: 6:00 PM - 13.5 Miles, 93 min @ Lincoln
Friday, May 22: 0 Miles
Saturday, May 23: 0 Miles
Sunday, May 24: 11:00 AM - 15 Miles, 100 min
w/ random pick ups in the middle and last 30 min @ 5:40-6:00 pace

Week Total = 49 Miles, 4 Sessions

Not a great week for numbers. I started the week feeling exhausted from a long weekend leading up to it and still had to cram a bunch of work in before heading up to Maine at the end of the week. I could feel it catching up with me on Monday, and by Tuesday, I was already starting to get sick. I did the workout on on my own because of work that night and just did not feel good out there. I was supposed to hit 2:16s for the 8's, and since I averaged that for a 3K just 3 days earlier, it shouldn't have been a problem. I hit the first 400 in 70 and knew it was gonna be rough. I still tried to get the desired effort in, but didn't hit a single 2:16. I was fluctuating with how I felt over the next few days and kept thinking that I was getting over this illness, but it just kept lingering on. Since I had a big weekend planned, I didn't want to push it too much, so I took Friday off, got some stuff done around the house, and drove up to Maine.

The reason I was heading north was to take part in my best friends' wedding. Liz and DJ have been two of my closest friends since high school and after 11 years together, they finally got married in Boothbay Harbor over the weekend. I had the honor of being a groomsman in the wedding, and along with the rest of the wedding party, we had a pretty full weekend planned up there. The Boothbay Region is really beautiful and we had a nice little spot out on Spruce Point where all the festivities were held. We all stayed in cabin-like rooms and everything was right outside our door, including the wedding ceremony that overlooked the water. It was great to have all three days of the weekend dedicated to this as opposed to just being up there for one day. In addition to the rehearsals and other preparations, we had a lot of great meals with the family and friends, and even took a boat tour around the islands. With everything going on and with still feeling a little under the weather, I ended up taking Saturday off as well. I didn't want to take another zero and I felt pretty guilty about it at first, but this weekend wasn't about me, it was about Liz and DJ.

The wedding itself was Sunday afternoon, which gave me an opportunity to get a long run in that morning while all the girls were getting their hair done and doing their makeup. I was feeling better and ran all along the coastline, which ended up being a rather hilly, but enjoyable run. Since it was an out and back route, I was gambling with how I would feel on the way back. I was feeling decent after the turn around so I threw in some surges here and there to try to get the legs going a little more. And since everything seemed to be functioning properly, I started leaning on the pace more and more on the way back with the last few miles being pretty quick. I don't know how far or how fast I was actually going, but I finished feeling like I got a pretty good workload in. It felt good to get that in after missing two days prior, and I was able to get rid of that guilty feeling and just enjoy myself the rest of the day.

Everything else on this weekend went perfectly. The weather was ideal, the location was gorgeous, and the crew that we had up there was unbeatable. This weekend was a perfect getaway for me and even though there were some long days and late nights thrown in there, I feel like it certainly helped to re-charge the batteries. It seems like whenever I've needed it, I've had something like this to get me going again and get me past the craziness of my everyday grind. It was such a great weekend with such amazing people, and I just didn't want to leave it all. I need to find a way to see these people more often and make sure I don't forget how great it is to be around them.

DJ's father had a great segment in his speech which went something like this:

"Enjoy this moment now, but don't wait for an occasion to show your love for each other. Let it wash the dishes with you every night after dinner ...let it find the keys with you every morning before you rush off to work. Let it kiss you before you go to bed and let it still be there for you when you wake up".

This was directed to two people that have a very deep love for each other, but it's a concept that can be applied to love and friendship across the board. I have a lot of amazing people in my life and I want to be able to share more of these great experiences with them. We shouldn't need an occasion to bring us together, we just need to work a little harder at making it happen. Let your friends know how important they are to you and do it often. With that, no great friendship should ever slip away.