Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Pretty Good Year.



Year End Recap. We meet again.

The one thing I can for sure say about 2012 is that time moves utterly too fast for my liking. Seriously. Cut that crap out, Time. I feel as if the last sixteen years of my life can be grouped into four bundles. For example, last year was surely 2009. And the year before that was 2005, followed by '01. And four years ago was definitely 1997. By this math, next year Juliana will be about to start her senior year of high school and the year after that Jason and I will be retired and living in the south of France.

Wait, really? Maybe this isn't so bad after all!


So what were this year's highlights? I honestly am having a real problem recalling anything that happened before the Epic Summer of 2012- the summer that included our European Vacation and the 15th Anniversary Night of Shenanigans and Debauchery. (This "problem" I speak of is not really a problem at all. I realize this. But here I go, giving it the old college try.)

Year of the 50K: 

The 50K emerged as my favorite distance to *not* race. I completed THREE of these suckers (as well as a 39.3 miler which I'm lumping in here.) What's great about these events is that I never worry about my pace or trying to beat a previous best. It's all about going the distance and enjoying the time out there- usually with friends, and especially if it's a trail run. Also, training for a 50K is pretty much like training for a marathon, without all the weird hype and pressure marathons tend to come packaged with. It's a nice change.

Dance Like You Mean It

If 2011 was the year that I allowed dance back into my life, then 2012 was the year I stopped being scared of where it might take me. Despite a hiatus over the summer (while I trained for my longest race of the year) I was pretty diligent with my weekly classes through the winter, spring and most recent fall sessions. I also took a couple of advanced level master classes in June- in which I didn't make a fool of myself! And I even managed to screw up the courage to audition for the Danceworks Performance Company. No, I wasn't the person selected, but I'm pretty sure I held my own and would do it again in a heartbeat. I might not even cry on the way home from all the overwhelming feels next time.

Missed Goals Aren't the End of the World

What did I just say about all the marathon having all kinds of weird hype and pressure? Case in point: I trained like mad to PR at the Rockford Marathon in May and then on race day it was approximately eleventy hundred degrees. By mile 18 I decided that a 3:55 marathon time was not worth severe dehydration or heatstroke and I started to walk. I finished 25 minutes after my goal time and I didn't die. The day was a win.  I tried again to at least run a sub-4 in October at the Haunted Hustle Marathon and the course ended up being a half mile long, leaving me to finish in 4:02 with 26.7 miles on my Garmin. This race burned me up a little more since I finished in front of the 4-hour pace group and still missed my time, but in the grand scheme of things- IT'S ONLY RUNNING. We're darn lucky to be able to run marathons in the first place, be it in 3:55, 4:25 or 8:25.

But Goals Achieved are Pretty Awesome Too: Deer Run PR, Half Marathon PR, 50 Mile Finish

Time for a few not-so-humble brags. I *did* run a PR in the 5K this year (21:57) as well as in the Half Marathon (1:44:40).  I also finished a 50-mile race all by myself. So if there was any question about my toughness... Bing bang boom.

OMG EUROPEAN VACATION

If I annoyed anyone with all our Europe trip photos on Facebook this summer, I apologize. Sort of. I mean, it was pretty amazing. Would you rather I be super ungrateful and ho-hum about traveling to London and Paris? I guess I could act like that but- LOOK! PICTURES!

15th Anniversary Party: Night of Shenanigans 

We didn't have a fancy wedding. Not wanting to be engaged for a year just to wait for an open reception hall, so we got hitched on a Sunday night and had our party in a church basement. And because we were a wee nineteen years old, the two of us toasted with some sparkling grape juice instead of champagne. For years  now I've wanted to throw a super fun anniversary party with all of our friends but it always seemed like it would be a) a lot of money and b) a lot of planning. This year, because Jason loves me (or something like that), we were able to throw a fantastic 15th anniversary shindig with family and friends, old and new. The photobooth from this event will live on forever. Also: whiskey cockails.


The Girls and Their Continued Awesomeness

I literally just had to step away from the computer for a minute before writing this one. I feel like I've accomplished some pretty incredible things in my life, but nothing compares to these two. They continuously amaze me with their ever-changing, dynamic personalities and fill me with Mama Bear Pride as I see them developing more CONFIDENCE in themselves with each passing year. At nine and twelve years old I realize the most challenging years are still in front of us but I know in my heart everything will be ok because they are simply amazing little people.


So, 2013. What do you hold?
Obviously the race schedule on the side bar of this blog is quickly filling up already. I'm also looking forward to taking my love of fitness/movement/dance "to the streets" as I get my personal trainer certification and hopefully start teaching classes in the spring. And as always, I plan to eat all the food and travel all the travels that I can get my greedy paws on. 2013: Hit me with your best shot.

Po sez Happy New Yearz.