I thought it might be fun to look back at all the races I competed in this past year. It's funny looking at these pictures & realizing I basically have a lady gang that I run with over & over again.
February: Preds 5K
You can probably tell by the fact that I'm wearing a tank top that this picture isn't from the Preds 5K, but I did run that race with Claudia & this is the only picture I have of us from a race. I love the Preds 5K & run it every year. I highly recommend it. You run through downtown & you get free Preds tickets!
Random fun fact: the first year I ran this race it was my first 5K & it took me 45 minutes. Forty-five minutes! Ha!
March: Tom King Half Marathon
This was my first half marathon & I ran it with Cara & Jaime. While Cara's currently training for motherhood, Jaime & I are training for the NOLA Half in February & the Oak Barrel Half in April. We're a good team.
April: Richland Creek Run
This is actually a picture from the Germantown 5K, but I ran the Richland Creek Run with Lana (& Jenn), so just imagine us on a greenway instead of a city street.
I'm a big fan of this race. It's 5 miles, the course is good, the crowd is good & the long-sleeved t-shirts are designed by Hatch Show Print.
May: Girls On the Run 5K
Well, this is one of the worst pictures of me ever taken. Good god. Last May was a fat month, clearly. After Tom King, I had a hard time getting back into running, yet I was still eating like I was training for a half marathon. And here's what happens after 2 months of that. Yikes.
May: Yazoo Barely a 4K Beer Run
This was my favorite Yazoo run because it was on MY BIRTHDAY! The run sucked, I think Heidi & I walked the whole thing, but the beer was glorious & I won a bunch of ridiculous raffle prizes (see below).
Here I am after many beers (it was my birthday!) & many prizes.
July: Yazoo Barely a 4K Beer Run
This Yazoo race was hilarious. We all ran in different colored capes & we ran from the taproom in The Gulch down 8th Ave & back up 12th Ave. Not a part of town that sees a lot of runners, especially ones with capes flying behind them. Well done, Neil. Well done.
August: Tomato 5K
Every summer, East Nasty hosts a free Couch to 5K program called Potato To Tomato. I was one of the coaches this year. I really enjoyed doing this & will probably coach again this summer. Here is Lana & I with our 2 favorite Potatoes: Cat & Astrid.
August: Girls Tri It On Triathlon
From left to right: Alicia, me, Allison, Heidi
2012 was a banner year for fitness firsts. I ran my first half marathon in March & competed in my first triathlon in August. Training with these ladies all summer was a blast & I can't wait to do it again soon for our next tri in May.
October: Germantown 5K
This is obviously after running the race, as we are holding our free beers. I love this race & run it every year. I like to get a little 8am free beer buzz, go home, shower & then come back for Oktoberfest. It's a good day.
October: Giles County 10K
From left to right: Allison, Heidi, me, Melanie, Jenn, Mary Katherine
The Giles County Sheriff's Department puts on a race in the fall. When a Sheriff asks you to come run a race on his farm, you do it. This race was so much fun! We all loved the race & Mary Katherine won & got this hilarious commemorative glass plate & Sundrop medal. I assume this will become a yearly event for us, especially since Mary Katherine has to defend her title.
November: Mayor's Challenge 5K
Because Nashville is awesome & has a great Mayor, we have a free 5K once a year. This year I walked it with my parents & had a blast. Even though it was November, you can tell from the picture that it was a gorgeous day.
November: Boulevard Bolt
Another race I've made an annual event is the Boulevard Bolt that takes place on Thanksgiving Day. It's a flat, out & back, 5 mile race that alleviates some of the guilt for everything you're going to eat that day.
December: Yazoo Barely a 4K Beer Run
This is me, Jonell, Lana & Melanie at last month's Christmas Yazoo race. The course was ridiculous. We didn't even run a full 2 miles, but nobody cared because we donated over $5,000 worth of toys to The Last Minute Toy Store.
December: 26.4.26
My last race of the year & it was an impromptu one organized 4 days prior. This is me, Heidi & Jaime after the run. We ran 6.5 miles to raise money & awareness for Newtown, CT.
As far as 2013 goes, I'm already registered for 3 big events: 1) Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon in New Orleans; 2) Oak Barrel Half Marathon in Lynchburg; & 3) Cedars of Lebanon Triathlon. Off to a good start!