Dumbo in Pictures

DisneyLand 10K

DisneyLand Half Marathon

The bling

This Stuff's Getting Real!

Last night I got an email with the "Group Leader Manual" for my Galloway Group - it's all so very official!  And it's a lot of responsibility.  Group leaders are accountable for the health and well-being of their pace groups as well as keeping everyone on the target pace and on track (I've GOT to study those route maps beforehand!).

There's some pretty serious information in that manual, like organization, dealing with emergencies, all kinds of things...Oh no - what if I lose somebody?!?!?!?!  I mean, I don't actually think that's going to happen, but these are the things new group leaders worry about, you know?

We're meeting Saturday morning for our kickoff meeting and first group run of the season.  Group leaders have been asked to wear our new green Galloway Training shirts  so we are identifiable as pace group leaders.  It's like being back at camp as a counselor on arrival day!

On a side note: hmmm...green shirt...haven't seen them yet...wonder if the green will go better with my Neon Luv or Disco skirt? Guess we'll see when it gets here!)

 

NeonLuv

Disco

I'm really looking forward to running with the group again.  I've been fortunate that quite a few of my running friends (both in and out of the group) have been willing to meet up with me most Saturday mornings to get in some miles during the offseason.  With the official group, though, there's that extra accountability - gotta be there every Saturday morning (or at least every one we're in town!)!

So, here we go - This stuff's getting real!

Tell Me About Your 2012

Fellow blogger H Love over at Keep on Keeping On had a great post earlier this week about recapping her year of running with a short survey: Tell Me About 2012.  I liked the idea so much I asked if I could do the same.

So here's my 2012:   

Best race experience? There were SO many good ones this year.  But I think I'll have to go with the obvious, which was my FIRST MARATHON!  The Disneyworld Marathon in January validated me as a runner.  A marathon runner.  It was hard, there were tears, there were friends, there was family, and there was Mickey bling.

Dad, BFF, & me after Mickey 2012

Best run?  Again, so many good ones to choose from. Too many, really.  So, I'm going to go with a really general "run" - training runs with my Galloway Girls.  My pace group helped keep me motivated and on-track, helped keep me moving on the hard runs, and kept my mind occupied on the boring ones.

"Lost in Pace" after our 21 Miler

Best new piece of gear?  Well, this one honestly couldn't be more obvious, lol.  It's gotta be my SparkleSkirts.  LOVE. THEM.  2012 was the year I started running in SparkleSkirts, and I've said it before and I'll say it again - there's nothing better for a long run!  They're fun, functional, and stylish!

Berry Smoothie SparkleSkirt

Best piece of running advice you received? "Start out slow and back off."  This is a joke from my friend Megan (remember her blog?), but still it strikes a chord with me.  She said it prior to what we knew was going to be a tough race, and it takes me back to that moment when running was about the company and not the miles or the pace.

Megan & Me at The Patriot's Challenge

Most inspirational runner? My friend Allison.  She was new to our running group this year and fit right in.  Allison was diagnosed with breast cancer just before her big goal race this fall, which she didn't run, and immediately started treatment.  Her positive outlook and determination during this fight, which she partially attributes to her running journey, are a true inspiration to us all.  And she's already planning her running comeback once she's in remission! 

Celebrating Allison's Bday with the Galloway Girls

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?  Friends & bling.  That's truly what this past year of running has been about for me.  My running friends - both in "real life" and online - have kept me going and have helped me do more than I dreamed this year.  And 2012 was the "Year of Bonus Bling."  LOTS of bling this year - and I love it all!!!

So that was my 2012 in a nutshell.  I'm looking forward to what 2013 brings - stay tuned for more on that!

Want to do a "Tell Me About Your 2012" of your own?  Post a link to your blog post about it in the comments below - I'd love to read about your year!

Marine Corps = Hard Core!

I finished the Marine Corps Marathon!  It was incredibly hard, but incredibly awesome.  My friend Janice and I barely made it through the gauntlet, and only beat the bridge with a couple minutes to spare, but we made it!  A full race recap will be up soon (hopefully), but I wanted to share that I finished!  I have this picture from after the finish to tide you over until I am able to post again.

Janice (left) & me (right) in front of the Marine Corps Memorial after finishing MCM.

Also, yes, thanks to Hurricane Sandy, I did get stuck in D.C. until Wednesday at noon, but finally made it home safe and sound and unscathed!

New Skirt - Disco Style!

Emma totally photobombed the pic.

That's right, Leah over at Sparkle Skirts has done it again!  Here's yet another fun new print - the Disco Skirt. As a fun treat to psych myself up for the Marine Corps Marathon, I used my birthday gift certificate from my parents to purchase this new skirt and it arrived tonight!

This picture doesn't do the Disco justice at all. It looks INCREDIBLE in person. I feel bad even posting this terrible in-the-mirror camera phone pic, especially considering I've got some serious post-mexican food bloat going on. But I was so excited getting it and trying it on that I wanted to share immediately. The small clear sequins (although I hesitate to call them sequins - they're like small clear dots on the fabric) add the perfect amount of shimmer when the light hits them with movement.

I tried it on with the following colored tops:

• aqua
• blue
• pink
• raspberry
• purple
• green

Each top highlighted that color in the skirt and really pulled it out to make it seem like the dominant color in the skirt. It looked great with all of them, but my favorite two were this aqua one and the raspberry color (but these are usually my two faves anyway, so I'm definitely biased on that).

I'm going to wear it on my TM run tomorrow and try to remember to snap another pic then to share.

*****Ok, I know what you're thinking at this point - she talks about these skirts A LOT.  She's got to be getting something in return, right - money, skirts, something?  Wrong.  All my Sparkle Skirts were bought and paid for by me.  So why all the hooplah?  I just really love the skirts.  They fit better than any other running skirt I've ever worn, they're made in the USA, and the owner, Leah, is one special lady whose customer service is phenomenal.  So I like to give them/her a little shout out whenever I can.  If you haven't tried a Sparkle Skirt yet, give them a try.  They are worth every penny! *****