Almost exactly this time last year, I was fighting off sleep to get my final post of 2011 done. Guess what I’m doing right now? Pull this laptop from me and I’d pass out in about five. As I mentioned last year, social media networks are bogged down with party pictures and status updates of high hopes for the new year. For the past week, we reflexively reflect on 2012 to find the good, bad and the life lessons.
I distinctly remember telling a few friends that this year was going to be ‘all me’. I gave birth to my second daughter in 2011, so my focus for 2012 would be getting my body back in shape. I kept that promise. Early this year, I put my body through some rigorous training for the PA Tough Mudder. The Mudder changed my personal perspective; I proved that it was possible to juggle multiple life obligations while fitting in extreme training. Because the Mudder wasn’t good enough I felt it necessary to run a half marathon the following day (unofficially dubbed Muffin Madness 2012). I wonder how crazy Madness 2013 will be for me?? In mid-July I started training for the Philly Marathon, once again, reinforcing the importance of family support to get the job done. Without the help of my family, I would not have crossed that finish line in November. My ‘racing’ year around these two major events was peppered with other local races. My ‘buddy’ group grew to incorporate more novice runners with a commitment to find wellness and the added bonus of friendships.
I sadly said good-bye to two family members, Uncle Phil and Aunt Rose. News of their deaths instantly brought me back to my childhood, temporarily pushing me into a dark space. I also had the unpleasant experience of attending the funeral of a young girl. The environment was quite suffocating as I tried to make sense of the situation. Unfortunately, I handle the passage of time with deep sadness and fear. It’s a challenge for me to accept this facet of reality. Perhaps it’s something to work on in the future. And, my last bit about death: Adam Yauch passed away in May of parotid-gland cancer, three years post diagnosis. You can read about it’s impact on me here.
I’d be a liar if I said that 2012 sucked. Here’s some of the good:
Training with my Mudder buddies. The girls’ birthdays. Perfecting my guacamole. Las Vegas stories. My new couch (If you met my previous couch you’d be right with me). Cooking new dishes. Reading new books. New & old friends. OBX vacation. Writing. Setting a 10K personal record on my 35th birthday. Runner’s World Hat Trick. Philly Marathon. Watching Ava bake cookies. Seeing my grandmother. Neil Young with my Dad & bros. Opportunities. New traditions for Christmas.
Last year I made a few ‘resolutions’. Let’s see how I did:
Listen to more Foo Fighters – Mission accomplished. The Foo got me through some tough training times when I couldn’t bear the silence.
Watch more movies – I still haven’t seen a movie in the theater since 2007…there’s always next year. I think I’ve seen a few more movies. I’ll keep this on the list.
Make a quilt – I planned to make a race shirt quilt. Although I don’t have a finished product, I do have the shirts and a general pattern. Hey, it’s a start.
Read a book that has nothing to do with running – I actually read at least three books that had nothing to do with running: Bossypants, 11/22/63 and The End of Your Life Book Club. I love how all these books have NOTHING in common with each other.
Write more – Believe it: right now, without publishing this blog post I have 26 posts for 2011 and 26 for 2012. What are the odds? Looks like I’m going to ‘one-up’ myself in about ten minutes. :)
Breathe more. Sleep more. Love more. – I think I’m good here.
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