Akron Half Marathon ~ September 26, 2009

Back on May 17th, I ran the Cleveland 10K. I signed up so I had motivation to run every week other than for its overall fitness value. I struggled through the 6.2 miles, but knew that I enjoyed running and wanted to do more of it. I didn’t have speed, but I had endurance…I wanted to run farther. The following week, I signed up for the Akron Half Marathon. I figured I could increase my mileage over the next four months and accomplish this feat that seemed downright ridiculous. My supportive husband thought I had gone a little crazy, but as usual, he jumped on my bandwagon and listened to my boring stories and training methods. As September 26th quickly approached, I became more and more nervous. I’m not sure why. I didn’t doubt that I would finish. I guess I just didn’t want to disappoint myself. I wasn’t doing this for anyone but myself. No one else had put in the hours or the miles. No one else had to push through on days when the last thing I wanted to do was run 8 miles. I wanted to make myself proud.

The Akron course was not “flat and fast” as many other courses advertise. Instead, there was a bit of variety and more hills than I had planned. It wasn’t terrible, but once I hit the first hill I immediately threw my goal of 2:23 out the window! When I came to the 11.5 mile mark and the biggest hill yet…I didn’t have the kindest words to say. I remember reading the course description, “at this point, runners will quickly realize, what just went down, must go back up. There are several climbs over the next mile…” As I looked up that hill, I was happy to finish at 2:30. When I finally did cross the finish line at 2:32:31, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I had to hold back tears as I searched for Steve in the crowd. I didn’t care what time I finished because I had just run 13.1 miles. I achieved a goal that I had busted my ass for over the last several months and I was proud. It was the best run of my life.

I look forward to running more half marathons in the future. I’ve already signed up for the Myrtle Beach Half on February 13th as well as Cleveland’s on May 16th. I’ve already been asked whether I aspire to run the full 26.2 and my honest answer is no...for now. At this point I still look at 13.1 miles as awesome and impressive. I think that if I trained for a full marathon, running would become an addiction rather than a hobby. When I run, it’s time that I have alone and I love it. I never want to dread that time that I take for myself and I never want the people around me to resent running because it takes me away from them…So, for now I am proud of what I have accomplished and look forward to the next time I get on the open road and race again.

Here I am before the race. At about 60 degrees and very little humidity, it was great running weather. As you can see it was still dark out...The race started at 7:00 am, but the sun didn't rise until 7:15 am.

Here I am crossing the finish line!

The finish was Olympic-style on the field of Canal Park Stadium (home of the Indians AA farm team, Akron Aeros) so the stadium seats were filled with spectators. It was pretty neat.

Ah yes...me and my medal :) 13.1 is a long way and I was very happy to be done.

Michelob Ultra was one of the race sponsors so I received free beer afterward. As terrible as it sounded immediately following the race, I was happy to oblige after I tore up a sandwich and bottle of water.

Steve planned a celebratory dinner the night of the race. After I took a much-needed nap, we were picked up by our personal car service (Thanks Sean & Alex!) and headed to Lakewood's own Pier W...a nice restaurant located on Lake Erie with a great view of the city. Steve had won an auction at work that included "Dinner for 2...with a value up to $200!!!" There wasn't any way we could spend $200 on food, but we sure did our best :) After we ordered Crab Cakes, Oysters Rockefeller, Lobster Bisque, Chopped Salad, Surf & Turf (2), Creme Brulee and Tiramisu...the grand total came to $144! Let's just say it was an awesome meal and a great celebration :)

As we waited for our ride, we took some pictures outside. It's really a great location with a nice view of the city. Ahh...what a day.

Mottastic Weekend ~ July 23-26, 2009

This past weekend was a lot of fun. Not only did my brother Todd & his expecting wife Erin drive in from New York for a visit, but two of my four cousins drove from Minnesota to see the rest of the Mott's. Therefore, we found it only appropriate to have a mini-Mott family reunion along with a Mottastic Baby Shower for Todd & Erin.

On Saturday, we had a mini-Mott family reunion at my Dad & Berneda’s house. It’s the first time in three years that all of my brothers and sister and I have been together (since my wedding) and the first time in ?? years that we’ve seen any of my cousins. It was a really nice day with great conversation and lots of Cornhole (as usual!)

My brothers, sister & me ~ Travis, Tracy, Todd, Shannon & Sean...Kristin wanted to be in the picture too :)

Seven of the nine Mott cousins (from oldest to youngest) ~ Newell, Wendy, Travis, Tracy, Todd, Sean & Shannon (Where's Kristin?)

Todd & my Dad during a friendly game of Cornhole

Dad & Sean playing Cornhole

My niece, Kristin Marie...my guess is that either Sean & Steve were chasing her at this point.

Todd & Erin

My sister Tracy, our sister-in-law Erin & Shannon

The following day I hosted a small baby shower for Erin & Todd. It was a nice and relaxing day where a bunch of the Mott women were able to get together and talk. Personally, it was the best baby shower I’ve ever been to :) We had great food, cocktails, Rock Band, American Idol Karaoke and Cornhole!

Shannon, Alex, Wendy, Berneda, Tracy, Coletta & Erin (Leslie was there too, but left before the picture was taken...)

Erin opening her gifts

Tracy & Wendy

Tracy, Wendy & Shannon

Todd & Mom

During the girly part of the shower the guys all headed down to Whiskey Island to waste some time then joined back with the girls to play Rock Band and several games of Cornhole. It was an all-day event that took us late into the evening and left us all exhausted as we headed into work on Monday.

Rock Band ~ Wendy on bass guitar, Joshua on drums, Jacob on guitar, Tracy on vocals.

Todd on drums, Daniel on bass guitar, Steve on vocals, Joshua on guitar

Jacob & Sean playing Cornhole

It's the girls' turn! Alex & Erin playing Cornhole

Wendy & Shannon

Family is such an important part of life and this weekend gave me the opportunity to spend a lot of time with the people that I love most. It was great fun and regardless of how many years pass until we see each other again, we created memories this weekend that will last a lifetime.

Treasure Island, FL ~ July 13-20, 2009

Very rarely do Steve and I vacation alone in the summer. We really enjoy sharing the vacation experience with the people we love and as a result, so many of our memories revolve around our vacations with friends and family!! We always have so much fun. Anyway, this year we did it...After a week of family fun in Myrtle Beach, we spent a week in Treasure Island, Florida for a much-needed and very relaxing vacation…just the two of us! Our month-long home renovations did some real damage to my nerves and this vacation (which I usually spend with Jenny!!!) was PERFECT in every sense of the word. Steve knows that I’m a sun addict and knew exactly what was in store, so when he found the beach umbrella in the condo closet, he too was on cloud nine :) Time passed by quickly, but it was great. We sat on the beach, we sat in hammocks, we ate, we drank, we laughed, we talked, we watched dolphins, we watched sunsets, and we had a lot of fun doing absolutely NOTHING. I guess you can say that this was a trip to celebrate our three-year wedding anniversary…July 21st marks that day and we couldn’t be happier.

This is a view from the balcony of the condo. I found a really great deal online and we were very happy with everything. We were located at one of the widest parts of the beach in Treasure Island, which made it a longer walk to the water, but a much more secluded beach. It was fantastic!

Steve & I at Middle Grounds Grill. We made this place our staple during our stay. Not only did they have great food & drinks (especially the raspberry mojito!), but their happy hour and drink specials made for a very affordable night out.

We walked to John's Pass located in Madeira Beach, FL. It's a little village with touristy shops, restaurants & a boardwalk. It was a long and HOT walk, but also an adventure :)

We stopped in a few bars to get out of the heat and grab a drink. Here I am at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. with a fancy drink in a fancy flashing glass (that I got to keep!)

Here's Steve at Middle Grounds Grill again. It was half-priced Van Gogh vodka on this particular night so we opted to have a couple :) Although he looks a little fruity with this coconut martini, it was so good that he got another!

On our last day I wanted to soak up as much sun as possible so before our flight we made sure to get lunch on the rooftop patio at Crabby Bill's.

Steve & I at the southern-most part of Pass-a-Grill Beach where the Gulf of Mexico & Intercoastal Waterway meet. It was very nice and quiet :)

The sunset from our balcony.

Steve & I at Player's on Madison for our 3-Year Anniversary Dinner. As always, we had a great time with great food & great drinks.

We had a really great trip and look forward to our next destination....whether it be with friends, family or just the two of us, we know that more memories will be created and a good time will be had by all!

Myrtle Beach, SC ~ July 3-12, 2009

My 30th birthday was one that I will never forget! Steve and I vacation in Myrtle Beach often, but this year we were able to celebrate my “Big 3-0” with our great family and friends…In the end, 11 of us (Shannon, Steve, Paul, Sue, Karen, Andrew, Sean, Alex, Elizabeth, Coletta & Rich) made the trip south. Paul & Sue worked their magic and coordinated with my mom & Rich for them to make the trip and surprise us! Even more special was that we also celebrated Alex’s birthday on this trip, so they were able to be there for her Mexican fiesta. It was quite shocking and I still can’t believe all of them were able to keep it a secret (especially Rich!), but it was a very special treat and a really nice time. Don’t worry…we didn’t all cram into one living space; the “adults” stayed in one condo, while the “kids” stayed in another :) We had a whole lot of fun!

On our drive down to Myrtle Beach, we stopped in Winnsboro, SC and stayed with Cal & Keleigh Caldwell. As always, they were very generous hosts and coordinated with Greg & Karen Airasian and Ryan Stack to meet up with us for some drinks.

Here are the boys...Steve, Ryan, Cal & Greg.

With the help of http://www.myrtlebeachhappyhour.com/ and our own research conducted on previous visits to MB :) we ventured to some great happy hour locations during our trip. Here we are on the patio at Greg Norman's Australian Grill. Great appetizers & cocktails!

Steve & Elizabeth

Elizabeth, Shannon & Alex

We celebrated Alex's 28th birthday at Malibu Cantina Tex Mex.

Feliz Cumpleanos Alejandra!

Just after we entered the restaurant, my mom & Rich walked in and surprised us! They had driven 12 hours so that they could celebrate with us...so very special. We came to find out that they were actually hiding in the bushes when we arrived outside. I would have to loved to see that!

The night before my birthday we went to the Thirsty Turtle. Karaoke was the highlight of the evening!

Shannon & Steve

Rich & Coletta

Shannon, Alex & Elizabeth

The "Big Kids" table. Sue, Paul, Rich & Coletta.

The karaoke gang! Rich, Sean, Coletta, Steve, Elizabeth, Alex & Shannon

On my birthday, we ate a delicious dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in MB (California Dreaming). After dinner we enjoyed some birthday cupcakes. Yum!

Shannon & Steve

Andrew & Karen

Anyone who has traveled to Myrtle Beach with us knows that the trip isn't complete without a car bomb at Finn McCool's. It was only appropriate that we topped off my birthday celebration with one.

On our last night, we went to Greg Norman's again for happy hour. Here is the Horan/Schur crew...Andrew, Karen, Paul, Sue, Stephen & Shannon

Elizabeth, Shannon & Steve on our last night.

Steve & Shannon at the site of our wedding ceremony. Nearly three years later and still so happy :)

We have created so many great memories in Myrtle Beach and this trip only added to the list. Thanks to everyone for making this trip so fun and fantastic!!