Reflection

I remember...

the circulatory itching in my legs that burned worse than muscle soreness

the labored breathing and necessity of keeping my inhaler with me during all attempted runs

saying that running 1/2 mile was harder than delivering a baby without an epidural

3 friends who agreed to join me at my first 5k

Running my first 10k on a Thanksgiving morning

Wondering if my family would meet me at a finish line of a race

My first 10 mile run during my vacation on an Island off the Atlantic Coast

3 friends, one of whom I had only met online, meeting me the morning of my first half marathon... 2 ran the 5k, one completed her 12 half marathons in a year challenge

Seeing my family at mile 9 during my first half marathon in June

Crossing that finish line in under 3 hours... MY pace, injury free

The elation of meeting that goal, pushing myself to follow through and achieving it.

Wondering if I really did it, getting out of the groove as the months passed

Starting over yesterday
********
Here's to Run the Year 2017... no matter what the challenge looks like for you...

whether you are doing the whole 2,017 miles, running, walking, a combo, or splitting up the miles with a team.

This is your journey. Nobody else can take the steps for you.

(originally written in the Run the Year 2017 Facebook group)

Looking back to my first Half Marathon

Apparently I never posted after my half marathon.

I did it.  6 months have passed.
It's surreal to think of now, as I dwindled and became rather sedentary.
Regardless, NOTHING can take away the fact that I trained and accomplished my goal of running and walking 13.1 miles.

Fellow Flowers swag from the pre-race expo... a splurge for me. 

The symbolism behind this color summed up my race.

Fellow Flowers made sure that even the last women across the line had a cheering section.

Ready to run 13.1!

Pre-raise pampering compliments of Her Madison and their sponsors.

Gorgeous route along the lake.

I'm not sure which lake, Madison has a few of them.

Just when I was getting exhausted, my family met me at mile 9!!!!

The only race they had ever gone to before was my first very 5k, the one in which I ran in front of our yard, the then-baby still asleep, and hubs and the older two cheered from the yard.  It was so convenient to have that one go through our neighborhood. Needless to say, having them with me was 

HUGE.  We live over an hour away, so we stayed in a hotel the night before.

Pre-finish celebration... the end was in sight.

These friends met me.  2 of them, who grew up with my husband and his family and are like family themselves, picked me up at the hotel so my family could come later. 

J and L did the 5k and met me at the finish line with my family and also B, who finished ahead of me.

B, the tie-dyed gal is one of those infamous internet friends... we met through a mutual friend, my former running buddy from down South. She ran a half marathon every month in 2016... 

I am jealous of all the cool destinations she went to.

6 months have passed already.  

With the New Year, I'm looking back at what I did and forward to what to do this year.