Top 12 Moments of 2012

1. June 23rd - I got married! Hands down, best memory of 2012.

                                                                                                          
                             

  

                                                                                       
                                                        
                            

Yes, we put on our running shoes and took pictures.This surprised no one. 

2. And what's a wedding without a honeymoon?! A week away from "real life" to relax on the beach in Panama City Beach, FL was just what we needed.

P.S. We're celebrating our one year anniversary in JAMAICA! Yah, mon!
                                                                             
          


The rest of these are in no particular order. And I'll go ahead and say, there's a strong chance the majority will be based on running and racing. Also, I'm extremely thankful for pictures, because without them I think the only three things I would have remembered are: wedding, honeymoon, and races. And nothing specific about them.


3. The Color Run - I love 5k's, and I'm really competitive when it comes to running them. However, even though this WAS a 5k, it wasn't timed, so I just had fun with it. And I'll tell you what, they don't call it "The happiest 5k on the planet" for nothing! Seriously, it was the most fun I've had in a long time. My husband had planned on taking a video with his GoPro, but it died right before the start. Sad, I know. My mother-in-law even participated with us! She's such a trooper (even with blue hair!)
                            

             

4. The Zombie Buffet 5k! - Another "fun" race. This one was timed, but I wasn't running for a PR - I was running as a zombie - a zombie bride, that is! Chris (who was a zombie groom) wore a GoPro camera on his head and made an awesome video montage! Check it out below. He's a talented triathlete AND video editor!

            

                                        

Awesome video montage done by my husband!

5. Setting a new 5k and 13.1 PR. 24:32 (way back in May or June) and 2:02 (October). My goal between now and March is to go sub (or a flat) 24 min. and sub 2:00. Once I hit those goals I'll do what any other runner does and shoot for another one. Are runners ever "satisfied" with their time?! I don't think so. 
                               

The Boro Dash. Last year this was my 3rd race, ever , and  I placed 3rd in my AG (first time placing.) This year I  didn't place, but I did get a PR!

              
6. Running my 2nd half marathon - The Middle Half! I've been lucky enough to have Chris run with me for both of them. He's trained me since day one, and I love him for it. It's because of him that I've gotten so much faster. Unfortunately, about 4-5 weeks prior to race day I did something to my arch. To this day, I'm not sure what happened (fallen arch, torn muscle? - I don't know.) All I know was it continued to get worse over time and it got to the point where I couldn't run 1/2 a mile without being in excruciating pain. I became so frustrated, while constantly on the verge of tears, because I wanted so badly to meet my goal. And I knew Chris wanted it for me, too. I took a few weeks off and that seemed to help. A week before the race I told Chris I thought my foot would be okay to run. 

Good news: My foot felt fine the entire race. 
Bad news: Because of the time I had to take off, I lost some of my training (especially my "long" distance runs.) My legs and body started to fall apart at mile 9, which was frustrating. And from then until the end I was mentally over it. I wanted to give up, but of course having Chris by my side - not letting me quit - helped. I still ended up with a 2 minute PR, which is good. And now my training is better than ever and I'm SO excited about my next 1/2 marathon in March! 
                                 

My Saucony Kinvara 3 shoes. Best running shoes I've ever worn!

           

7. Watching, and cheering for, my husband as an extremely talented, stubborn, and competitive triathlete on the Wattie Ink Elite team! Even though getting up at 4:30 in the morning to go to his races can be rough (and I'm sure I'm Mrs. Grumpy Pants), I wouldn't miss it for the world! I love race season! Well, I like going to his races - watching him train isn't all that exciting (sorry.) Plus, I have a responsibility as a tri-wife - take lots of pictures! When I first was given that responsibility I was clueless: "What are transitions? Now, where do I go again? It will take you how long to swim? You're gonna be back from the bike around what time? Okay, so I can expect you at the finish line by [insert random time that I normally end up forgetting.]" But I've always managed to get pictures. They might not all have been of Chris, but he's usually in there somewhere. ;)

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See?! I'm a good wife! :)

 

8. Babysitting this fun little fella! (A break from running and racing memories)

9. Getting to see a taping of one of my favorite bands - Mumford & Son's for CMT Crossroads! I was even moved to the front row for the last few songs. Made my night! 

10. This one is really random, but my memory is starting to fade: Building a race shelf with my husband. Well, he built it. I spray painted and wrote on it. But I think it looks awesome!! 

11. [Insert your favorite memory of me, because I'm running out of memories, and 2012 memories are starting to run into 2011's.]

12. And all of these other random memories/ pictures that can't really be categorized.:

You're welcome.

All in all, 2012 was a year full of love, laughter, and PR's! I'm sure there were more memories (maybe ones that should have been in my top 12?), but my memory is horrible, so this will have to suffice. Now, to see what 2013 has in store!