Since we have been running all over town lately (literally, running, all over town) training for the Seattle Rock n’ Roll Marathon (Matt) and Half Marathon (me), I thought I’d share the random thoughts that cross my mind while pounding the pavement and trying not to think about the many miles ahead:

1) Sometimes on long stretches of path with no one ahead or behind, I always have a giant urge to run like Pheobe. I really, really bet that it is a LOT more fun. But then again, I probably already run like that without realizing.

2) What I definitely do on those long stretches? Whisper-sing every song in my iPhone “Run” mix, including but not limited to: Justin Timberlake’s “Summer Love,” Lady Gaga’s “Born this Way,” Rihanna’s “Shut Up and Drive” and – wait for it – a remix of Goyte’s “Somebody That I Use to Know.” That one requires more than a whisper, so I try to wait to listen to that on really long, longggg stretches of path.

3) But my shining moment is when “Hey Ya!” comes on. From a distance, it just looks like I’m fanning my face. But up close, I’m just shake, shake, shake, shaken’ it like a Polaroid picture.

4) While long-distance running is great for your mental, physical and emotional health, I’m pretty sure the best part of it is really Chocolate Outrage GU. IT IS PURE CHOCOLATE FROSTING. DISGUISED AS A MUCH-NEEDED NOURISHMENT. Withhhhhhh CAFFEINE. I want to bear hug my friend Kirsten for introducing me to this little pack of wonder as well as the person who created this flavor, because I may owe my half-marathon career to him/her.

5) I might also owe him/her our marriage survival through all of this training, as I recently discovered that true love is giving someone your Chocolate Outrage GU right when you are about to jam your face in it. That’s right – someoneeeee’s gross Mandarin Orange GU fell out of their pocket while we were running last weekend. And although it was this certain someoneeeee’s fault for buying such skimpy running shorts, I felt really bad because he had ten more miles to run than me. So, just as I was about to tear open my GU like a five-year old who was just given a candy bar for dinner, I sighed, shrugged, cried smiled and passed it over. Just like a really corny TV commercial.

6) BUT I WAS REWARDED FOR MY ACT OF LOVE! On the way home from the same GU-less run (I like to leave myself a good mile to walk/cool down) I stopped at Whole Foods to get more cereal, since giving up my GU clearly meant I needed some sort of heroic reward. Only when I turned into my favorite aisle of any grocery store, I came face-to-face with an empty spot on the shelf. In panic, I moved around all of the other boxes of cereal to see if my Pumpkin Raisin Flax was hidden…no such luck. At the same time of my cereal meltdown, a worker was re-stocking the shelves, so I obviously ran up to him, shook his shoulders and asked if he had any more of the greatest cereal in the world somewhere in the 15 boxes he was opening. He sadly told me that there is somewhat of a shortage on this kind of cereal at Whole Foods, (what the what!?!) but that I couldn’t walk away empty handed. He grabbed the box of the Pumpkin Flax GRANOLA, put his initials over the skew number and told me to try this one instead for now. I almost bear hugged him, too.

7)  Another pledge of true love? Running in the rain for six miles because someoneee (let’s just keep that title going) conveniently didn’t tell me the weather report. Neither did Siri.

8)  They both tricked me again on Wednesday, this time during an eight mile run. But it was okay, as I find that running in the pouring rain distracts my mind from thinking about how many miles we’re running in the pouring rain. That and the nods, waves, and in one case, the surfer “shaka” sign (yes I looked up what it is actually named) we received from other soaking wet, muddy runners. It’s a just a running bond, bro.

9) You know what hasn’t tricked me? My bright pink Brooks sneakers. They really do make me a better runner. Or just distract other runners from noticing my Pheobe-like form.

10) Last week when I was on my ninth mile out of 10, the cutest little old man, probably in his 80s, trotted very slowly past me, gave me a thumbs up an said “loooookin’ good!”  It made me so happy I ended up running 11 miles. And to pay it forward, I overly smiled and waved at other runners who passed me. Next time I’ll try the shaka sign.

11) Hunger Games Nerd Alert! Sometimes on our really long runs through the forest-like Mount Vernon trail, I think it is hilarious to joke that I am going to ask the next runner who crosses our path where District 13 is.

12) You know what Matt thinks is hilarious to actually say, really loud when runners cross our paths (And basically any time we’re in a crowded public place)? “Can you believe we’re cheating on our spouses together?!”

13) No, I can’t. Haha but what I also can’t believe is that our Seattle trip is less than two weeks away! I’m so excited to a) see my brother, b) run the half-marathon and c) revisit my ultimate crush, Pike’s Place Market. While running yesterday, I totally planned post-run day out. After we hang out at the Rock ‘n’ Roll concert/post-race event and grab alllll of the free food we can get, we’re going to Pike’s Place for a couple of hours to take in all of its amazingness, plus eat samples and have lunch, then visit the original Starbucks, THEN go to Piroshky Piroshky then go to the top of the Space Needle and then go to Beth’s Cafe for the 12-egg omelet challenge. Then go straight back to Pike’s Place the next morning.

13.1) Don’t worry Dave and Matt – I’ll have plenty of Chocolate Outrage GUs in my purse to keep you going!