More Spring Break Memories... #18,950 -- Thank you very much...

I have to say, Spring Break doesn't have quite the sparkle it used to as a college kid. Now, loyal Clemson girl readers, fret not. I won't divulge the secrets of Spring Breaks past. No talk of Cancun or "You're not my Mama!" or the spring break I didn't go on.

As an official member of The Grown Up Club and a mommy, Spring Break is a time of rest and not doing laundry or anything else that resembles work for an entire week. This year, I opted to start my Spring Break a day early.

Some of my A-town girlfriends decided it'd be great fun to take a weekend trip to Charleston to run in the Cooper River Bridge Run. We left Friday in the MV -- which comfortably seated all 7 of us, thank you very much. We made it down to pick up our packets at the expo -- and I will say the MV is impressively quick -- we snatched a ROCK STAR! parking space right out from under a waiting car's nose... and who's going to argue with a mini-van full of moms?

That's what I thought.

Anyway, we stayed at a friend's condo, so we loaded up a grocery cart at the local Piggly Wiggly and made dinner together -- yummy spaghetti and bread and strawberry shortcake -- in preparation of Saturday morning's race.

Now, one of my friends is an honest-to-God marathoner... like, qualified and is running Boston this year. Another is a consistent runner. The other three of us who ran are more... recreational runners... as in when other people decide to take a girls trip, we decide to run so we can go. :)

Ok, so everybody has apparently done more preparation for this than me... My training consisted of a few days of conditioning with my team and one lone day of running around the track.

Reasons I Will Never Make a Serious Runner:
1) You have to get up too bleepity-bleep early.
Who made up the rule that all good running happens while you should still be asleep? We had to get up at 5 am for this race. I am, of all things, NOT a morning person. We don't have meaningful conversation in the AM at our house. I certainly don't run during this time. Good grief.

2) I have no pain tolerance.
I asked my epidural before my labor pains even completely registered on the little meter thing. Who likes feeling like her lungs are on fire while simulataneously wanting to vomit and spit? Does that mean you're healthy?

3) I have no will power.
Now, I did finish #18,950 out of 50,000, so I didn't do terrible. I ran less than a 15 minute mile, which was my goal. (Those of you who run for real can kiss my watooskie if you're laughing.) I ran one day for this race, and I finished in the top half. I'm not ashamed.... but I will say that I was beaten by a 6-month pregnant woman (you go, Donelle!) and a woman with a bad knee (a shout out to Jamie!). They finished about 4 seconds ahead of me because I was about to die. Had it not been for them, I would've been walking long before I got to the finish line... and probably have finished somewhere around 49,999th place...

4) It requires dedication.
My friend Arden was telling us about her "long run" (like, 572 miles) the Saturday before where she realized about twenty into it that she had the dreaded stomach virus that turns your insides to mush... and she kept running! What?!?! At sign 1 of any sort of bowel issues, I'd be locked up in the nearest (and cleanest) potty, calling K for a quick ride back to the hiz-ouse. Of course, that's why she's running Boston, and I'm sucking wind two miles into a 5K.

Despite my OCD desire to excell in everything I do, I've come to terms that the only way I'll be a successful runner is if someone creates a race that ends at an all-you-can-eat southern cooking buffet...