Rabbits Rabbits Everywhere...

Maybe this happens to everyone...but I swear the same rabbit follows me everywhere I go...there is a bunny who always gives me the side eye in my backyard...and there is one when I am in Cape May.  I swear...the bunny found me when I was in San Diego.  Or maybe it is just because I am paying more attention that I seem to notice them.  Either way...rabbit sightings have become a thing.  So I knew a few months back when I saw that a new pub like place was opening called White Rabbit Gastropub I was going to have to make my way there.  Sometimes...you just have a feeling. 

You can learn a lot about a place when you are out and about on your own.  There are lots of things that go into the evaluation of whether or not you will go back again...the beer selection is important...the vibe of the place...the music playing...but above all else...it is about the people.  In the spirit of doing the things I want to do, regardless of whether or not I have someone to do them with, I have become quite comfortable walking into places on my own.  It gets easier and I do find that there are a few things make it less traumatic for my introverted self....so I am not always the strange girl at the bar scribbling into her notebook.  Talking about music, soccer, and/or beer are ways that I do actually initiate conversations...but it does take people around you who aim to be inclusive. 

Such was the case on my solo beer adventure this past Tuesday to White Rabbit Gastropub...after finally finding the rabbit hole...I was instantly at home.  I found my way to the second level bar...picked a stool...and had a fun night of good beer and conversation.  I was instantly pulled into the chatter happening around the bar and never once felt awkward or out of place.  It was all so easy...and clear that you find the places that you are meant to find.  Plus, they let me keep a pen...so you know...since I love to write...this was a thing.  

I'm going to keep following my hunches and enjoy the rabbit holes I decide to wander down...I'm definitely on the road to somewhere...and for once...I'm not going to rush...I'm just going to enjoy the breadcrumbs that are leading me forward to the things that matter.

No Distractions...

New Goals...New Gym Bag...

Did I ever tell you about the time I almost signed up for another marathon…but then stopped myself?  I stopped myself not because of my ankle issue, but because I realized I was about to sabotage my own goals.  When you train for a long distance…you put in time, focus, and you make sacrifices.  I decided that I was not going to do that for a second year in a row.  I want to have fun on a whim.  I want to enjoy Friday nights.  I want to go to camp.  I need to finish what I started back in August 2011.  Doing another marathon would have thrown me off course from my initial set of fitness goals for 2014.

My Fitness Goals for 2014:

*  Complete an Indoor Tri [Done – March 23, 2014]

*  Go to a Cycling Class [Done – May 2, 2014…and will go to more!!]

*  10K Steps a Day

*  Attend (and Complete) an Adult Soccer Clinic

*  Do Unassisted Pull-ups (five...let's say five of them)

*  Get to Goal Weight

I think this is a good list.  There are a few things to take me out of my comfort zone.  For an introvert…that cycling class took more gumption then you would think.  The soccer clinic feels even more challenging then the marathon…considering the fact that I have never played soccer…never played on any kind of team…do not take direction well…but I’m sure I have kicked a soccer ball…maybe? This activity may be my greatest feat yet.  And believe me…I’m not just doing this because I know I have to get special shoes.  I think I will be a better spectator and fan.  I think it will be good to be a part of a team.  I think it will good to do something that frightens me greatly.  You learn great things outside of the comfort zone.  

2013 Rewind (March – October): My Inaugural DC United STH Season

If I were to start from the beginning, this technically should be part of a 2012 rewind as well…at the end of the 2012 DC United Season.  I still have the sticky notes in my DC United file where I “mathed out” how much money I would save by being a Season Ticket Holder (STH).  As it turns out, what I gained was much more than what I saved (and that includes the 15% discount at the Team Store!!). 

I had no expectations other than not paying ticket processing fees and perhaps a few more events throughout the year.  As a sports fan, there is something empowering about solidifying your support for your team…so I did feel that too.  I was pledging to stand up for the Black and Red…no matter what.   It felt good.  I was truly going to be a part of the “12^th Man”…even if it was from the quiet side.  

The thing about not having expectations, is that everything is a surprise, and the result is a genuine feeling of being happy.  That is what being a soccer fan does for me.  I have written before about always being the one with the clipboard.  When it comes to soccer, I don’t have to be.  Being an STH, I found this to be even more so.  There were so many events and happenings that I would not have enjoyed otherwise.  I took great pleasure in arriving to games and events and not having to worry about anything.  All I had to do was have fun.  The results may not have been a winning MLS season, but I have so many pictures and memories of amazing times with my family and friends.

My first unexpected surprise came early in the season when I was bestowed the honor of being the April Season Ticket Holder of the Month.  It was one of those once in a lifetime experiences that I could have never dared to imagine.  My family and I got to watch the team warm-up on the pitch, we had our 15 seconds of fame up on the Jumbotron (my name in lights…and spelled correctly), we sat field level for the game, and had access to the VIP tent filled with food and beverages (best Limerita I ever had).  For the first time in my life, I wasn’t the one responsible for organizing people and happenings.  I was the one being organized.     

All of this came to be when I received a cold call from DC United in September 2012.  I usually never answer my cell phone when it rings (in fact, I don’t even have it set to ring).  I think I just happened to look over and see it blinking with an incoming call.  I answered it.  I’m glad I did.  I didn’t just math things out and decide on the spot to become a STH for the 2013 season (who does that?).  I had a fantastic conversation about the sport of soccer.  I also became fast friends with a fellow soccer enthusiast who would soon learn who the Smashing Pumpkins are.

Before moving forward to the 2014 DC United Season...here is my look back at some of my favorite moments from 2013:

Home Sweet Home in RFK...

Home Opener Tifo...

We met Nick DeLeon!!! 

On the Jumbotron...

Tailgating Happy!!! 

The plus of being on the quiet side is seeing all the Tifo...

Meet the Team Day - Lucky 13!!!

Talon!!!!

This has also doubled as my wallpaper on my work computer....

At the tunnel at half time...

First DC United Away Game - US Open Cup vs. Chicago Fire

On the bus to Jersey!!!

Flag Wavin' at Red Bulls Arena...

We won the cup!!!

Tailgating with Friends...one of several gatherings at RFK...
I should have taken a picture from when I nearly filled two rows in my section!!

Me...with the Cup...and Chris Korb!!!

I finished a Marathon and made it to RFK in time!!!

Everywhere we follow....

I have written many times before about how following the game of soccer has transformed my life...in many different ways.  I'm healthier.  I'm more outgoing.  I'm more interesting to talk to.  I'm more balanced.  It all started with one soccer game at the Soccerplex when I saw the season opening game for the University of Maryland in 2011.  In those first moments, the minute the game started, I knew.  This was going to be something good.  I know this is why they will always be my first favorite soccer team.

When you commit to following a team, you follow them wherever they go.  You literally travel to places you that were never on your radar.  I was in Hoover, Alabama last December to watch Maryland play in the Semi-Finals for the NCAA Championship.  I think that game was the hardest I had ever worked as a fan.  We were down in the second half, but we fought back to tie things up.  The Maryland fans...the crew, parents, and a few others were on our feet.  Chanting.  Giving good vibes.  Transfering energy.  You could feel it.  It was amazing.  We fought through two overtimes only to lose in PKs.  My family and I actually stood with the Crew (Maryland's amazing Student Fans) behind the goal.  It was brilliant...all of chanting...hugging...and then then consoling.  We even stood by the bus to cheer on the team as they left.  It was heartbreaking.

Despite our loss, I stayed in town and really enjoyed Birmingham, Alabama - you can feed giraffes at their zoo!!  I also enjoyed watching the University of Indiana beat Georgetown two days later.  It was an amazing atmosphere to sit among the Hoosiers.  We were chanting with them.  The sheer number that were there was overwhelming.  It was my first time seeing a Big 10 team play.  They had a group of alumni who assembled a marching band to play during their tailgate.  It was inspiring.  It was top-notch fandom.  I wished that for Maryland...to be able to have that many people there to show support. It helps, I know that it helps.

2013 is the last ACC Season for Maryland, next year we will be in the Big 10.  I don't know if it will initially help to bring a bigger draw of alumni and fans out to soccer games.  I do know that my soccer fandom will take me to new places, places that would have never otherwise been on my radar.  I love what following the sport has done for me...I get on planes and buses.  I have crazy sport fan rituals.  When we are losing, my hair goes up in a ponytail.  I always wear my lucky shamrock earrings to games.  I have a pre-game ritual for every home game too.  It works, so I keep all these things going.  It helps, I know that it helps.

The ACC Championship (almost poetic in a way) was held at the Soccerplex in Maryland both in 2012 and 2013.  As a fan, watching them win the ACC Championship two years in a row on the first pitch I ever saw them play, motivates me even more.  They work so hard for every win.  It makes me want to work harder too. I trained for my marathon winding around the trails surrounding the Soccerplex, it was not an accident.  As 2013 starts to wind down, I can only imagine what my soccer fandom will inspire me to do in 2014.  I know that getting miles will be still be a theme...

Week 15 - The Road to 26.2

8 miles short...

Almost one month away…one month!!  I’m excited.  I’m terrified. I’m feeling more ready.  It was another good training week…I always feel better when I get in good strength training workouts.  I just feel more powerful.  I was able to get in two…plus a good elliptical machine session too.  All week long I was honing in on the 18 miles that I needed to get…trying to eat well, hydrate, and rest.  These three elements are the key to everything.  They did not exactly happen as I headed into the weekend, but it was worth it.  My love of soccer has jostled my plans a few times over the past few weeks and I don't ever regret it.  My Terps had their home opener against Duke...and I got to cheer them on to victory as part of a record setting crowd!!  If I had not seen them play just over two years ago...I'm sure I would not be training for a marathon.  Seeing the hard work that happens on the pitch motivates me...back then and now.  So as I woke up early on Sunday to get those 18 miles...I was feeling ready.  I was moving along at a great pace...feeling good...right up until mile 8.  I was starting to struggle...I just didn't feel right and my heart started to sink.  It was hitting me that I probably was not going to get those 18 miles.  I had started another loop around the Soccerplex near where I was parked...and instead of just turning around and heading back to my car...I kept moving forward.  Actually, it didn't even occur to me to turn around.  Maybe that means more then getting the 18 miles.  I could have stopped at 8, but I didn't.  I walked, hydrated, and pushed my way through 2 more miles.  I got 10 miles.  I was devastated but one of my friends reminded me of something... "You can't get to mile 20 when you need to if you hurt yourself getting 18. Chin up!" 

Focus Points - time/mile markers

The point of training is getting yourself ready.  It is about adapting to situations that you can’t predict.  I know that when I focus...I get where I need to be.  I trust my intuition.  I listen to what my body is telling me.  I made up my mind that I was going to finish that last loop...and I did.  And when I got back to my car...my sister was waiting for me...just to make sure I was okay.  She was nearby and decided to check on me after getting my "I'm not going to finish - sadface" text.  I'm lucky.  There is a tremendous amount of energy behind me getting these 26 miles.  I feel it everyday.  I am grateful.  My trainer Stacy K will be right along with me for the journey.  There is work that I need to do.  Getting these miles is not supposed to be easy.  I have two sticky notes on one of my monitors at work.  Two reminders about miles and time as I get ready for the Baltimore Marathon.  I need to get 13 miles within 3.5 hours.  I need to get 26 miles within 7 hours.  I focus on these two notes.  I stare at them.  I think about them. I visualize myself getting those 26 miles.  I have decided to do this...and I will get it done.

Back to the Basics...

Is it a slump?  Am I lazy?  Is it just another "off" week?  It is Friday.  I saw Gym last on Tuesday.  That is all the training I have done this week.  What is going on?  Am I that exhausted from getting a PR on my 12 mile Sunday?  I need to get my act together...October is just two months away!!  I know panic is normal...my biggest fear (like anyone) is getting picked-up off of the course because I am too slow.  So much of this is a mental game...and I have to push through all the noise.  I need to ignore it.  I need to visualize getting to the start.  I need to focus on two things ...on October 12, 2013 I will do two things...get my 26 miles and get to RFK before DC United kick-off at 7pm.  I can do this.  I will do this!!

I was looking for something today to help me get so go again...and I found it.  I was cleaning and filing some old emails and I found a bunch of pictures that had been emailed to me in 2011 from different events in May and August.  I still have much work to do...but I have really changed since then.  As I have written before, I went to a soccer game in late August 2011 and everything changed.  Everything.  I re-read my first blog about it - -  2011 World Changer - Soccer Fandom.  And just like that...the motivation returns.  The progress continues.  I never would have imagined then that in 2013 I would have three fitness related goals (walk 10 miles - DONE, walk/run a half marathon - DONE, and walk/run a marathon).  I'm excited that as I chip away at my last fitness goal...I will get see my most favorite soccer team start their season.   There is something magical about Ludwig Field...this is my favorite picture.  It was from the first game of the season last year.  This is my motivation.

After the Road - The Journey to the Second Finish Line

So then there is the story about getting to the second finish line on Sunday, June 2...it was a labor of love...for two things...the sport of soccer and my family.  I signed up do to the half marathon back in February...long before a soccer match was scheduled at RFK...the US Men's National Team versus Germany.  Following the game of soccer changed my life over two years ago.  After going to a University of Maryland soccer game...a light switch flipped in my being...I remembered that work is not just at the office...the concept of doing work can be applied to anything...like getting to gym and being healthy.  I found it poetic that on a day where I was about to do the most physical work I had ever done...there was a soccer match that I needed to get too.  It was just meant to be.

I had to get to the game...but just like getting those 14.6 miles...the journey to get there was not going to be easy. 

Unexpected Tears

After crossing the finish line and before boarding the bus back to my car...I sent my Mom, Sister, and Bestie N a text saying that I finished with a picture of my medal.  I will never forget all the of great texts, tweets, and FB posts that everyone was sending while I was on the course.  And then there was my trainer/coach/friend Stacy K who was a rock on the course...always positive...always motivating...believing that I could finish.  I felt so special!!  To see all of  the messages afterwards was overwhelming.  The one thing that I had not expected was how my finishing the race was going to make people feel.  Especially my Mom...

With support like this...you can do anything!!!

It was the first time ever my Mom got to be a "Sports Mom"...I made her cry...which then made me cry.  Talk about never ending support...and then later that night she wrote this....

Not going to lie...seeing this picture of my daughter with her medal for not only her first half marathon but an endurance challenge (trails..inclines) brought me to tears...she had a plan and worked that plan...that is the definition of success!

My Boyfriend Gym

You didn't think I could do all those miles and not see him right?  I mean...I was covered in mud and needed to get into my USMNT gear before heading to RFK.  A quick pit stop to get game ready.  I can't imagine what I looked like as they swiped my membership card at the front desk.  I'm pretty sure I had mud smeared on my face.  It felt great.  As I limped along...with my gym bag at my side...I realized...this was what all of the hard work was for.  It was to get to the after and to wear a brand new pair of Nikes that I got especially for the game.  

Tweeting My Way to RFK

I did it!! A half marathon...that was on trails!! Now the race to RFK...for the love of the beautiful game!!

So I drove from Virginia to work so that I could park and then hop on the metro...on the Red Line.  The game was going into half time...so I figured I would get there just before it ended.  I was okay with this.  I was going to get there.  I wanted to hug my Mom.  I wanted to get a picture of us (my Mom, Sister, and I) in our matching jerseys.  It just had to be.

On the escalator...descending into the Metro...  

Did I mention that my right knee was still a problem?  I could not bend it...so I was dragging it along...determined to get to my destination...no matter what.  I should note that I was extremely grateful that my new shoes did not hurt...not that it would have kept me from wearing them.  They are that awesome.

I'm so driven that I don't even notice that there is a "special train" awaiting my arrival....it was only going to Woodley Park...but I didn't have time to hesitate so I just got on.  I found a seat...and started visualizing how amazing it was going to be to be at RFK with the stands full.  I was excited.  It was going to happen!!

As the doors close, the announcement about track work comes across the wire.  Stations are closed.  There is a shuttle from Woodley Park to Metro Center.  Yep.  I was in trouble.

Are these kicks gonna get to RFK?? All for the love of the beautiful game... #USMNT #thisdayisoneforthebooks

On the Metro...

Steadily we roll along...and arrive at the Woodley Park station...I hobble my way out of the Metro...I hobble my way up the metro steps...I ride the escalator up...I knew I had much more walking ahead of me...so I couldn't waste my legs...I had to prioritize every ounce of energy I had.

There were lines of Metro Buses ready to shuttle everyone to Metro Center.  It was amazing...well organized...but an additional 20 minutes...was an additional 20 minutes...and my time was fading fast.  I hobble to the bus...there is not much room...but the bus driver invites me on...I can stand right up front.  Pretty cool actually...I was at the helm!!

I am just a girl trying to get to a soccer match after doing a half marathon...just your average Sunday Funday!! I am crazy... #usmnt

At the head of the bus...

I was texting my sister...pleading that they wait for me.  I will get there.  I will get to our seats.  Even if the game is over.  Please. (Insert huge guilt here over my sister buying me a ticket...that I was not going to even use.)  

I'm the second person off the bus and I hobble my way across the street to Metro Center.  I'm making progress.  I'm going to get there.  Even if the game is over...I will get there.  This sounds familiar right?  Just like the half marathon...I may be slow...but I will finish!!  But reality sets in...

This is me not bursting into tears on the metro...I will set foot in RFK today!!!

I am heading to the Stadium Armory station...I am texting with my sister.  I am missing an incredible game.  I am missing an incredible atmosphere.  I'm trying not to think about it too much.  But there are no tears...at some point on that leg of the journey...it became all about wanting to hug my Mommy.  I needed to get to RFK...our home away from home...and hug my Mommy.  

I finally arrive at Stadium Armory...and Red, White, and Blue is already filling the station waiting for trains...it was beautiful.  Everyone was cheering.  We had won!!  I am hobbling my way in the opposite direction of everyone else.  If only I had a picture...but I will see it in my mind always.  Through the sea of people...as I made my way out of the metro and down the street towards RFK...was my second finish line of the day.  And at the end...was my family.

I was a ninja salmon walking toward RFK...when 40k were walking away. #visionquest

So there I was...weaving and bobbing my way through a swarm of people.  My legs are working overtime.  I don't feel any pain.  I am just focusing on the fact that RFK is getting closer and closer.  My sister and I had been texting and we agreed that at this point...meeting outside the Team Store made the most sense.  I crossed the last street and headed toward the store.  I could see my Mom and Sister...but they couldn't see me.  I was going to get there...the second finish line.  I had done it twice...in one day.

And so my family waited for me...and this was worth way more than any medal. I am so lucky...

My Family....

Sports Fan (Take 2)

I was looking through some of my old blog posts and stumbled upon this little gem from 2009. This was the level of my sports fandom, which reading it now…well…I was not really a sports fan.  To help evaluate progress, I used to read my old journals and see how things were measuring up given my pontifications about the future.  Now, I look at my blog.   My penchant for categorization helps given my consistent use of labels…this I owe to my days working in IT.  Sometimes I remember what I write but most of the time I don’t.  If you asked me the names of my main characters in the novel I barfed out in November, I couldn’t tell you.  Crazy right?  But I can easily go to the label for my National Novel Writing Month adventure in 2012 and learn all kinds of things I have forgotten.  Like my triumphant finish at Panera surrounded by my writing friends where I wrote 5K words in 2 1/2 hours.

Just like reading old journals, reading my blog helps me to see how things have changed over the years and the new directions that life has taken me.  There is always this path that you think you want to follow.  There is a “place” where you think you want to end up.  The older I get, I realize that the best part is when you veer off of the path and then things change in unexpected ways.  When your sister invites you to a soccer match, you should just go, even after ignoring her Google invitation.  You never know what can happen.   In the those first moments of wondering if you are going to understand what is happening…you are taken over by the ebb and flow.  You know that the ball needs to get into the net but the path to get there is not clear and it changes moment to moment.  It is a constant adaption for 45 minutes straight…it rarely stops.  It appealed to the writer in me.  It is like a novel.  It is like life.  It is beautiful.

This was how I became a real sports fan.  A soccer fan.  One who goes to every game. One who has rituals.  One who has lucky earrings.  One who tailgates.  One who has a team garden gnome in the front yard.  One who could talk for hours about my theories on group dynamics and team performance.   I have become so real that I am actually starting to realize that whether or not I tailgate is not going to change the outcome of a game.  Sometimes there are technical things that the love in your heart can’t mitigate.  Sometimes there are mental blockages that your unrelenting belief can’t will away.  Sometimes…the losses keep happening…and it is then that you discover that you are a true fan.  Whether you win or lose or draw…you pick a side…you stand by your decision…you never give up.