And now you have my may-not-amuse-anyone-but-myself-and-Nathan Asheville pics of the day.

Much more comforting when the “D” hasn’t fallen off the sigh, eh Miranda?

Coolest truffle-ish thing EVER: Firecracker from Chocolate Gems. Chocolate, cayenne, and pop rocks. It was fun!

I felt like Alton Brown hanging out in the Spice and Tea Exchange. Look at all the different salts!

Oh, mojito from Chorizo! The good thing is that dessert was not had tonight. One meal at a time, Krissie.

And since you all like crazy pictures of my husband, here’s Nathan through a kaleidoscope.

And tomorrow we HIKE! and head home (wah-wah). But first we HIKE!

Sometimes, I don’t know what to do.

Over the course of the last year or so, I’ve gotten pretty good at reading my appetite. I know when I’m hungry. I know when I’m full. I am able to make the best choice in whatever situation I’m in and not feel bad about it. I’m good at treating myself on special occasions (vacations, weddings, etc.) and not feeling guilty or letting it throw off my routine when I get home.

Yesterday at brunch, I skimmed the menu and got very excited. (And, on a side note, I am amused after the fact. Wasn’t my issue with our meatless time how sick I was of eggs and beans? And I keep choosing eggs! What? Who knows.)

Anyway, I decide on an omelet. Roasted red peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, brie and sweet potato fries on the side. (Another side note: Why haven’t I ever thought of putting brie in eggs? Well played, Tupelo Honey. Well played.) I was excited.

Before my breakfast, this arrives:

I do what any good girl would do. I split it in half horizontally. Slather the top with local honey and give the bottom half to my husband. I knew I didn’t want it all, but I wanted some of it. I was very content.

And then this beauty arrives.

Again. Brie was a brilliant addition to my make-my-own omelet.

My breakfast was fantastic. Asparagus was perfectly steamed. Tomatoes were impressive for this time of the year. Sweet potato fries were perfectly salted and crispy and just the right temperature. The ketchup was Heinz. All was right with the world.

Until I realized I was full. And my plate still looked like this.

So now what? Here’s what I knew.

• We were eating brunch. That meant that we probably wouldn’t eat again until dinner. Which meant I needed to be full enough to last me until then.
• The food was gooooooood.
• I had paid for the whole thing. The old “I’m letting food go to waste” argument came to mind.
• I was satisfied. Not uncomfortably full, but I had reached the point where I have trained myself to stop eating.
• I knew that any snack I would get throughout the day would be something like truffles or an iced coffee or something else that wasn’t as nutritionally sound as my eggs and veggies sitting in front of me.

So what did I do? I convinced myself to keep eating.

I think I had two more decent bites of the omelet – only eating my favorite parts, egg, cheese, tomato – and three or four more sweet potato fries.

And then I quit. I was full.

But the old Krissie? She would have ate the whole darn thing.

That’s not who I am today. I am the new Krissie. The half-marathon running Krissie.

But I did get hungry before dinner. And it wasn’t the end of the world. I still had truffles later on in the day. I ate an apetizer, an entree, and a dessert at dinner. I was adequately hungry that I didn’t feel stuffed at dinner either. And I don’t feel guilty. I still know how to vacation! I know the difference between daily life and occasional treats.

But I don’t throw all my smarts out the window just because we’re in Asheville. And I’m proud of that.

Alright, folks. I have a real blog post coming really soon. A blog post about an omelet (the spelling of which resulted in banter where Nathan threatened to delete this post “with a hammer”).

It’s obviously time for bed.

Humor me. We had a great day.

The turkeys didn’t want us to leave our hotel this morning.

Think I could sneak these headphones into races that don’t allow iPods? They’re not too obvious, are they?

I think Nate needs this shirt. He hasn’t bought it yet. I mean, he is a book lover. Tell me that you remember Book It. As the tag says, Sponsored by Pizza Hut since 1985.

We sat at Malaprop’s Bookstore for a while today. I sat in this chair. It is made for kids. I didn’t worry about it falling in. That’s a big deal. (I left a book there to show you scale.)

Seriously, people. Go to Asheville. Eat at Fig. Because we said so.

And when your husband orders duck and it takes forever, they might bring you sweet bread. Don’t ask what it is. Just eat it. You can thank us for it later.

And after discussing our entire philosophy of life and social media and improved food choices and running over a few beers, we retired to our favorite bed and breakfast.

It’s now time to close my beady-little eyes but first, another glimpse into my marriage.

K: Are you sleeping in that thermal shirt?

N: Apparently.

Good night, all.

I cannot thank you enough for the encouragement over the past several months and the cheers yesterday. The half-marathon was an amazing experience. I cannot wait for my next race.

And what made this race so exciting? Today we left for vacation! To my favorite place in the world: Asheville, North Carolina.

We drove down in the rain. So much rain. All the way. It took longer than usual because part of the interstate is still closed due to a landslide last fall. We ended up having to drive about an hour out of our way, but we had a good time because we were together. (Wow, that was cheesy. But I’m not deleting it.)

Our home away from home tonight is the Grove Park Inn. I won a free night on twitter last year (follow them at @ewgrove).

photo courtesy of gpifoodie.wordpress.com

The hotel lobby is beautiful.

As are the views from our room.

We chose a historic room and it is fantastic. All craftsman like.

We got there right in time for dinner right downstairs. I had a beer created just for the inn. Very very tasty.

And then scallops and thinly sliced potatoes in an asparagus puree. Yumm.

Nathan had a huge pork chop. If we hadn’t been in a nice restaurant, he would have gnawed on the bone. Before…and after.

Did someone say dessert? His and hers.

I think I ate all the calories I burned during the half yesterday. And that’s okay.

Then we explored the hotel and the gift shops. Found some more awesome views.

And a Christmas store that was closed for the seaon. Poor Nathan.

Now it’s time to settle in for a few episodes of King of the Hill. Goodnight from Asheville!

Today was our half marathon. And it. was. awesome. Well, most of it was.

I got nervous again this morning. Worried about food and pee and the usual. I should have worried about traffic. The race was like 6 miles from our house. We gave ourselves 45 minutes to get there before the roads would close. We got a little concerned. But we made it!

We took a few pictures before the start of the race. It was so cool to have Fat Bridesmaid there with us!

The weather could have been better. Before the race, everyone was crammed under the pavillion, wearing their garbage bags raincoats. It was like all the men had little dresses on. It cracked me up. I felt like we were actually well prepared since we trained in all weather all winter.

And we were off! Thanks FB for being our photographer for the day!

We were finding our groove when Nathan asked if I was planning on stopping at the porta-potties at 4.5. Of course! He said he’d run with me until then and then we’d separate. I was cool with that.

About a mile out, the rain started to pour. POUR. We were soaked by mile 2. Soaked. The rain prevented me from doing all the tweeting-on-the-run I wanted to do.

Mile 2 was where my music started to entertain me. Obediah Parker’s cover of Hey Ya. I shook it like a polariod picture for my blog ladies. And I told Nathan what I was doing so he wouldn’t think I was having a seizure.

I took a picture right after I shook like a polaroid picture.

My music continued to be awesome. I made a long playlist of my favorites, set it on shuffle, and just rocked it out. I had so many songs that you all had suggested last summer (Save Your Scissors was from you, right Mousearoo?). This was my final list that I had time for. Music was awesome.

So the potties at 4.5? Not there. Ended up seeing some at 6.5. (In fact, they were the ONLY ones I saw.) We stopped. It is very hard to get wet tech gear back where it needs to be. It was then that Nathan let me know that he was going to stay with me. Because he loves me. And it’s what he wanted to do. So he did.

The middle portion of our race was really exciting for me because it was the same course as the first 5K I ever ran last November. It was a beautiful course through the Horse Park.

The rain continued off and on – mostly on – through the whole race. I hit a wall a little after Mile 10. The course was hilly. It was raining. The wind was blowing in our faces. I may have uttered the phrase “this is stupid” several times. Not the fact that we were running, but the conditions. U.G.L.Y. I was pretty miserable. The good news is that the race didn’t drag. From 10 to the end felt like it was at a similar pace as the middle section of the race. I had to stop and walk twice because I was so miserable – about 30 seconds each time. I also walked through all the water stations to get some energy back.

We hit a level spot and turned back into the farm where the finish line was. I heard the “400 meters” chime from my Nike+ and I was stoked. I was going to finish this thing! We turned a corner and I could see Fat Bridesmiad up ahead. And it hit me. We were going to finish.

Crossed the finish line. Had the chip cut off my shoe. Went in search of food.

Did I mention that we got soaked?

Oh, yes, and got this:

So what do I think? I am SO glad we did it. It feels like such a huge accomplishment for me. In August, I struggled to run for 30 straight seconds. And I just ran 13.1 miles. And that is insane to me.

And I am so incredibly thankful that Nathan stuck with me. That wasn’t ever the plan. I struggled for a while at the end, and it was so nice to have him there with me. I wish I could put a disclaimer on his time. Something like *his time may stink, but he ran with his wife.* I love you, honey!

Will I do another? Without question. I want to be more prepared, though, because right now? My knees are killing me.

But did I mention that I now have a medal?

Alright, ladies and gentlemen.

Tomorrow is the half.

I’ve been strangely calm from Tuesday afternoon until about 2 hours ago. And I’ve started to get nervous again. Not anxious or doubting my ability to finish, just nervous in a way that is normal. I think.

I’m showered. The fanny pack sports belt is ready to go. Clothes are laid out. iPod is updated. Carbs have been ingested, along with lots of water.

All that’s left is to run.

So from 8am to 10:40 or so, pray for me.

And I’ll be back with a medal!

The half-marathon is in 3 days. We’re ready. We’ve tapered. We even ran tonight in the rain. We have 2 rest days before the race. I feel strangely calm about it.

As of today, I am an aunt! We will be driving in tomorrow night to meet her (about 2 hours), then driving back on Saturday morning to get our race packets for Sunday’s race.

I could be honest and tell you how I’ve cried a lot the last day or so because I’m not a mom, but I’m pretty close to okay now that she’s here. I could tell you about how I’m really scared of my reaction after I see her – not when I see her, but when I crawl into bed tomorrow night – but that would mean I’d have to admit it to myself.

So instead I’ll talk about the race.

Things I still need: band-aids, body glide, little pack of kleenex, new chapstick just for the race.

And a medal. I need a medal.

I cannot thank you enough for the kind words, advice, and encouragement you left in yesterday’s comments. You all are just precious!

I was really freaking out yesterday. But I’m close to over it. I like hearing that I’m somewhat normal, though! With all y’all, I’ve moved from nervous to excited. Or that’s where I spend more time, anyway.

I was cracked up that Happy Fun Pants (not Mrs. Happy Pants) threatened to shake me like a polaroid picture. Because that’s what I should have done to myself. I needed called out for my polarized thinking – if the race isn’t perfect, then it’s going to be horrible. That’s not the truth! It’s not going to be perfect. Nothing ever is. And what kind of person am I? I am very patient. I do well under stress. It takes a lot to get me freaked out or angry. And I know I can run the distance. And when I ran the distance weekend before last, it was in the rain. So I’m not afraid of that either.

So what is my action plan? Laying out clothes. Figuring out which shoes to wear. Making a playlist. All of these are things I love to do. Just know I’ll laugh when “Hey Ya” (the Obediah Parker cover) comes on during the race. I’ll probably wiggle my butt a little like a polariod picture. Just so you know, Happy Fun Pants. Yes, I sometimes dance when I run. And I’ll think of you there. I also clap along with OtR’s “Don’t Wait for Tom.” I keep myself entertained.

I’m so excited that so many of you will be cheering me on in spirit and so thankful that FatBridesmaid will be there in person! I’m taking my little point and shoot camera with me. And I may even tweet. You just don’t know what you’re gonna get!

So right now, I’m going to lay here on the couch, relax after my run in my favorite jammies fresh out of the dryer, eat the orange I’m sharing with Nate, and watch the Biggest Loser.

And I’m going to stop obsessing about the half. Right…..now!

Okay, people. I need you to talk me down.

I’m starting to panic.

I’m running a half marathon.

In 6 days.

Let the praying commence.

I shouldn’t have flipped through the running books yesterday at Barnes and Noble. I freaked myself out. I haven’t thought about what I’m eating for breakfast, more or less had a trial run of my breakfast. I haven’t ran at that time in the morning to make sure everything digests okay.

That’s what no-spend Lent gets me. It keeps me out of bookstores to do the required reading until it’s too late to do anything about it.

I guess that’s what the internet is for anyway, right?

Somehow I talked myself down from that freak-out. Actually, I know what talked me down from that panic attack. It was a simple tweet. From my favorite mouse.

Today I get another tweet that gets me freaking out again, though.

I follow the link and proceed to flip out. Porta-johns? At start/finish and 9.5 miles. It was almost hard for me to enjoy Woodsongs because I was freaking. out. I mean, I’ve gotten used to stopping around 5 miles into my long runs to pee, blow my nose, grab a nice drink, readjust my socks if necessary, change the playlist on my iPod. Whatever.

The thought of not having the opportunity to empty my bladder until almost 2 hours into a run?

My immediate thought: I cannot do this.

It’s really strange. I’m not worried about the distance. Or the hills. Or my socks. Or the water stations. Or even my breakfast. I’m worried about having to pee. I’ve ran 10 miles without a break before. My “gotten used to” stopping around mile 5 has happened twice. TWICE. I am freaking myself out for no reason. No reason at all.

But don’t EVEN get me started about being required to be there 45 minutes before the race or what if we don’t get a parking space or what if it’s pouring rain. Strangely enough, though, those all feel more manageable than the need to pee.

And then I got this tweet that totally cracked me up.

I don’t think it would really be a good fit under my running skirt, Mrs. Happy Pants, but thanks for the idea!

Oh wait….HALLELUJAH!

I went looking for the link to the info page and it has been changed! Porta-johns at start, 4.5 miles, 9.5 miles and finish! I CAN DO THIS!

(and I pretty much wrote a post for nothing.)

I’m sure I’ll find something else to freak out about tomorrow.

For those of you who read through all my psychobabble (and to whom I am forever thankful), what advice do you have for me? First race longer than 5K. Comfy shoes for when I’m done. What else?

I have had an awesome day!

It all started with this:

Do you see what my WiiFit is telling me? I’m OVERWEIGHT! Not OBESE! I threw a little party right there in my living room.

And then I proceeded to play 2 hours of Dr. Mario. But that’s neither here nor there.

We took my Lent-approved gift card and bought running socks, coffee, and a magazine each. It was pretty much awesome. I love how we really debated on how to spend money that we would have not thought about in the past. Lent is very good for us. There’s still a lot that I wish I could have gotten today, and would have gotten if not for our Lent vow, but our little purchases were a really nice snack, to use food talk.

Then? Not only did I cook dinner (goodbye rut!) but I blogged about it!

Seriously, who am I?

Then, to quiet my half-marathon nerves (because they are in full swing!) I followed FatBridemaid‘s twitter advise and went internet window shopping.

I think this dress is so adorable and so me!

And then I spent way too long on modcloth. See?

This dress took my breath away. Just look at the back. If any of you buy it, I will hunt you down.

Oh! And this one!

And, good grief, this one!

I actually said “wimper” when I saw that dress!

So that has been my Sunday. No complaints here!

I’m so ready for my last week at my current job site. Bring on Monday!