And we’re off! Maybe….

Ellen and I spent this fine Friday traveling up to the Beat the Blerch Half Marathon in New Jersey! It is Ellen’s first half and I am so excited! We planned this trip for months and last night we decided we would leave around 9 and take our sweet time getting up the coast. So at 8:30 I texted her and said I was gonna be a little later than we planned…probably closer to 10. I left my house right at 10 and got to Ellen’s. We packed up her car and weren’t off her street before I exclaimed, “I FORGOT MY SHIRT AND BRA!” I washed them last night so they’d be super fresh for the race tomorrow, but they were still wet when I left this morning, so I didn’t put them in my suitcase. So, we made the detour all the way back to my house. On the way, we’re chatting casually when Ellen screamed out loud. There was a giant bug crawling up the window INSIDE THE CAR! We removed the bug, got gas, put air in the tires, got the shirt, and *finally* made it to I-95.

So, here are 10 steps to taking an awesome, race weekend, getaway, road trip:

1.      Always forget something so important that you required to turn around and get it.

2.      Lots of good music. Preferably something that you can singalong and dance to.

3.      Steal your pilot’s cell phone and snapchat everyone.

4.      Drink lots of coffee.

5.      Hydrate because running.

6.      Eat all the food. #getinmybelly Bonus points if you nearly get run over multiple times in the Chik-fil-a parking lot.

7.      Make sure the co-pilot *actually* is a great navigator.

8.      Lots of bathroom breaks. Bonus points if you can selfie with the Pope at a potty stop!

9.      Check ahead of time that your hotel has late checkout available. Guess we won’t have a shower after the race :/

10.  Have fun! Really, if you’re not enjoying yourself, you are wasting time!

It’s gonna be a good weekend y’all! Time to keep hydrating and snuggle up in bed! See you on the other side :D

Good Morning :)

Dating is hard. For today's young people, dating has been streamlined through the use of apps and online dating and technology. Young couples are in constant communication throughout the day and it's just darn exhausting. What's a cute, reasonable, strong, independent, awesome gal to do? Have I mentioned, I'm kind of a catch?

Sooo......I did it. I joined the 21 century of dating! I am now online.  So long story short.... 

I kind of met this guy online and we started chatting. And by chatting I mean texting. Let's be honest, no one likes to talk on the phone anymore. So right off the bat, he texted "Good morning :)" I thought, "Ok. That's sweet." Then again the next day..."Good morning :)" And would you guess what I woke up to the next day? "Good morning :)" We have been talking for like four days!! FOUR days!! One date!!! I don't know how to deal with this.... I can't even adult right now.  

(Disclaimer: This is not an actual text from the suitor in question. Thanks Tumblr!)

After chatting it through, we have noticed that this is a pattern! An epidemic! It's happening to cute, reasonable, strong, independent, awesome girls all over the east coast! All over the country! All over the planet!!! Gentleman - listen up! We  cute, reasonable, strong, independent, awesome ladies like to be complimented and wooed, but after one date we are *not* virtually waking up together everyday. Stop smothering us! Take a step back and plan a nice date instead! We just want to be fed. Compliment our brains and accomplishments. We've worked hard to become so  cute, reasonable, strong, independent, and awesome. All we need is for you to let us know you see it sometimes. Until next time - be kind to one another!

Thanks ultimate_running_worldwide :)

Awkward Movie Arm

Since Katie was not in town to run with me, I tried to think about all of the crazy things we have talked about on our runs, so that I could add them to the list. Awkward movie arm popped into my head and I could not stop laughing for a good minute or two. The people at the playground I was running by were looking at me funny.

Let me set the stage and then, I will tell you the story as I told Katie....

Katie and I were running around the neighborhood and chatting, as we always do. We were just about to finish up (we were about 100 feet from her house, and dinner) and I remembered this story I had to tell her, which added about 30 minutes onto our run..... 

A friend of mine wanted to set me up with some guy (let's call him Mr. Dance). She knew him from these line dancing classes she goes to. I thought.... Why Not?! If it doesn't work out, at least I get a free dinner out of it. Right!?

So we had an initial meet up. Mr. Dance loves dancing and I love dancing, so I thought why not meet him at line dancing. I gathered up the crew and we headed out for a fun night of a few drinks and some dancing. I had to bring the crew in case he was a total jerk, I needed back up. But we all had a good time getting our grooves on. There were a few partner dances, and he asked me to dance with him, which I thought as nice. He did try to spin me a little too much, but I was getting a little dizzier than normal (if you catch my drift), so we had to stop that. Mr. Dance was very nice guy, but he was really into dancing. I mean really, really into dancing. I didn't know how I felt about that, because dancing was/is always my thing. So we parted our way for the night.

He finally texted me a few days latter to ask me to dinner and movie. We met up at Outback before the movie. We shared some delicious Cheese Fries and I had a drink and chicken tacos. We engaged in conversation. Nothing too crazy. I am good at talking about random things, so that helped. But I was not seeing any fireworks or even sparklers. So I kind of had a feeling I knew it wasn't going to go anywhere, but I wasn't going to leave without going to the movie. We were going to see Avengers: Age of Ultron! I was beyond excited, for the movie!! He drove us from dinner to the movies.

We got there and got our seats. We ended up sitting right be hind the handicap seats, so there was a bar for me to put my feet up on. The movie started and I had my feet up, my knees bent and I had my elbows resting on my knees. I felt like a little kid at Christmas! I was soo excited! I was even bouncing in my seat. Mr. Dance insisted on buying popcorn and a drink. I was so full from dinner, I don't know how he ate any of it. I told him he could go it and I would save seats.

Through out the movie, I would change sitting positions from sitting on my knees, to feet on the floor, to back to the way I started. I have "old" knees, and hips, so I can't always get comfortable or stay comfortable for very long. Anyway.... About half way into the movie I am back to my feet up, and I am leaning forward kind of hugging my bent knees. Then, all of the sudden I feel his arm around me. But It was in a weird place, around the middle of my back, not my shoulders, the middle of my back (probably because I wasn't sitting like a normal person). Then, of course, I wanted to move because I was not longer comfortable sitting like that. So I tried to sit up, but his arm was still in the middle of my back, not on my shoulders (where a typical guy would put his arm). So I was still uncomfortable. So finally I was able to deal with it. "Whatever. Just watch and enjoy the movie." Throughout the rest of the movie I can feel his arm twitch randomly (aka, it is falling asleep), or it would shake because he was trying to hold it in an awkward spot.  All I could think was,"YOU CAN MOVE YOUR ARM! IT'S TOTALLY OK." But, Nope, there it remained. Finally, the movie came to an end. I LOVED IT! The movie that is.

Found on cheezburger.com

After the movie he leans over and this was our conversation:
Mr. Dance - "I wanted to do that the entire movie, but I was nervous."     
Me - "I could tell. But you didn't have to keep your arm there the entire time."
Mr. Dance. - "You were nervous, weren't you?"
Me - "Nope {I was uncomfortable, that's what I was!!!}. I was fine, I could tell your arm was falling asleep though."  "Let's head out."

So we walked out and to his car. We kind of talked a little about the movie. Get in his car for the 5 minute drive to mine and all I could think was, "Please don't try to kiss me. PLEASE don't try to kiss me. PLEASE DON'T TRY TO KISS ME!" We got to my car I told him I had a nice time, and I would talk to him later.

I got in my car, and the entire drive home, I was trying to figure out how I felt about all of it. I had a nice time, but I didn't see any sparks. I thought about the awkward movie arm lots too! Why didn't he just move his arm? Why was he telling me that he was nervous and why was he trying to tell me I was nervous? I was most nervous that he was going to try to kiss me! Soooo didn't not want that to happen.

Basically, what I learned was: to be nice to everyone and every guy you meet is not going to be the one. But, dating is actually petty fun!        

Found on youtube.com

Whooooooops!

I am bouncing along at 40,000 feet, headed West to the "Happiest Place on Earth" to run the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge at Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend! As I am captive on the plane for another 2 hours, I thought, "What better time could there be to share the hilarious story of the time that I accidentally signed up for a marathon!?!"

Step into your time machine and set the dial for early December 2014. I was gearing up to run my very first half marathon! I had been training for months and I was so, so excited! Race day came and I DID IT! It was a *very* cold morning and the last three miles were all up hill, but I made it! So obviously, I was positively unstoppable!

A few weeks before my first half, I had started following a hilarious and inspirational blog written by a young runner in NYC. She had run the NYC Marathon that November, and right around the same time I completed that first half marathon, she posted an entry about her experience with the race because the lottery for the 2015 NYC Marathon was about to open.

So, exactly 5 weeks after I completed my first half-marathon and 2 weeks before I completed my second, my endorphin-addled brain shouted, "Hey Katie! You know what we should do???? Put our name in the lottery for the NYC Marathon! You know, just to say we've done it once! It'll be fun!" So my logical side thought it through like this, "Hmm, I don't particularly want to run a marathon in the near future, but if I were to, NYC would be a good one. 80,000 people put their name in that lottery every year! There's *no way* my name will get picked! I never win anything! Eh, what the heck! Just to say we've done it once!" So, into the lottery went my name!

Photo Credit to KaptiveMarketing.com

The Reaping: March 3rd
I got up early to run before spending the day with my roommate. I was sitting on the floor of our bedroom stretching and chatting with her when I remembered that the lottery drawing was today! I logged in to my bank app to make sure the funds were in my checking account on the slim chance that my name was drawn. I continued to refresh the app before I hopped in the shower,  but I knew drawing was going to be taking place all day long, so it would be a while. After my shower, I got out and I checked my phone for new messages. I had an alert that my bank app was timed out. Did I want to log back in? Suuuuurrre, why not? "Oh sweet Jesus!" And that was it. I got picked. I am gonna have to run a marathon! 

I was totally in shock. I really couldn't believe that of *all* of those names, mine got picked. I later learned that people put their name in that lottery year after year and never get drawn. I feel like it was some cosmic sign from the universe that I am meant to have this incredible, once in a lifetime experience this year! 

So, now we're 9 weeks out and I am still terrified, but also ecstatic!  I have only been to NYC once and I hardly left Times Square. I've never seen the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building...I've never been to Brooklyn or Queens! And now I am going to experience the whole city as I take on this great distance! I can't wait!

Remember that you can do anything you set your heart to.

Thanks for the Inspiration Fuel Running!

And so it begins....

Hi friends!!!
Welcome to our blog: 5 Miles with Katie!

I'm Katie!

I am a 24 year old Occupational Therapy Assistant Student living on the East Coast. I really like reading and puppies and crafts and glitter!

And I'm Ellen! I am a teacher! I live on the East Coast, too! And I like dancing! And music! And eating lots of good food!

(Disclaimer: I am not the shark girl...)

We really like going on awesome adventures, like going to Disney World and line dancing and whatever else sounds like fun! Last September, I posted a link on Facebook for a color run in our area and Katie jumped at the idea. This was the beginning of our joint running adventures. Since Katie was training for a half marathon, we started weekly runs with dinner. On these runs, we always chatted about WHATEVER! 

Fast-forward about a year, to a couple weeks ago - Ellen and I were on a long run leading up to *her* first half marathon and chatting about just all the things. The topic of our conversation turned to how I accidentally signed up for a marathon and how on earth am I going to keep myself entertained on a 22-mile long training run. We decided that the best way would be to have friends sign up to run "5 Miles with Katie." The endorphins were flowing, so we decided it would be a GREAT IDEA to start a blog! So here we are!

Our blog will consist of all the wonderful things we discuss on our runs - from bizarre and crazy to serious and meaningful. We will keep you posted on our fun races, our cheering for friends, and our volunteering to help the world (or just runners at races). 

Welcome friends! We hope you stick around and see what's in store!