With only hours left of 2012, I wanted to go through my old photos and see the highlights of my year. :) In no particular order:
1. In January, I turned the big 3-0. I was dreading that number, and not at all happy about starting a new decade. But 30 has turned out to be quite a great year for me!
2. I registered for my first full marathon. Still not sure what possessed me to do that, but it was lots of fun training with Jessica. We were more "acquaintances" than we were "friends" prior to that, but training together made us much closer, and now I consider her a great friend. I don't think I could have done those long miles without her keeping me company!
3. I knocked about seven minutes off of my half-marathon PR when I ran the Rock CF Rivers Half-Marathon in March, finishing in 2:02:57. I didn't go into it with the mindset to PR, because it was "just" a training run, but I was very happy with my time!
4. Jennifer and Angela, producers of the documentary From Fat to Finish Line, came to Michigan to interview me for the film. They were so much fun, and I feel so lucky to know them and call them friends. The interview was just a minor part of the trip--I loved getting to chat with them most of all!
5. I was selected by Fitness Magazine as "Best Weight Loss Blog of 2012", which named me a Fitterati, featured my blog in their magazine, and allowed me to write blog posts on their website. I was very honored to have been selected among all the great blogs out there!
6. I met Mary on a side trip to Chicago. Mary was originally going to be in the From Fat to Finish Line film as well, but she discovered she's pregnant. We had been getting to know each other for about six months, and when I went to Illinois, I really wanted to meet her in person. Jerry and I took the train to Chicago for a few hours to meet up with her.
7. I went on a fun trip to Minnesota with Renee to run the Women Rock MN Half-Marathon. We were only there for a couple of days, but it was nice to get away!
8. I ran the Detroit Free Press Marathon with my Ragnar Relay team captain, Rik--and we had never met each other in person before he came out here to do the race with me! I trained for the whole thing by myself, which was tough; but Rik came out here to run along with me and keep me company during the race. I had a goal to finish under five hours, and I did :)
Also, I loved that my family and friends celebrated with us afterward. My older brother Brian even flew in from Minnesota and surprised me. It was a perfect day!
9. I joined Weight Watchers Online, and started the program September 9th. My last binge of 2012 was on September 8th, so I have gone over 16 weeks (and counting) without a binge! After about three months on program, I'd lost the summer weight I gained, and I reached my WW goal weight. I joined the meetings for the last 5 pounds, so that I can achieve "Lifetime" status.
10. I met Pete Thomas, at-home winner of Season 2 of The Biggest Loser, and attended his boot camp class (which totally kicked my ass!). After the class, he stayed and chatted with me for over an hour, and I learned SO MUCH from him. His book, and his advice, helped me to get back on track with my weight.
11. I finally hit my long-sought-after goal of a sub-26:00 5K time! I registered for a very small race and ran my butt off to finish in 25:44. I was thrilled :)
12. Lastly, and most exciting of all for me, I reached my ultimate GOAL WEIGHT!! This was the first time in my life I have ever reached goal weight. It was so very exciting to officially be in "maintenance" mode.
Some fun facts about 2012:
1. In January, I turned the big 3-0. I was dreading that number, and not at all happy about starting a new decade. But 30 has turned out to be quite a great year for me!
2. I registered for my first full marathon. Still not sure what possessed me to do that, but it was lots of fun training with Jessica. We were more "acquaintances" than we were "friends" prior to that, but training together made us much closer, and now I consider her a great friend. I don't think I could have done those long miles without her keeping me company!
3. I knocked about seven minutes off of my half-marathon PR when I ran the Rock CF Rivers Half-Marathon in March, finishing in 2:02:57. I didn't go into it with the mindset to PR, because it was "just" a training run, but I was very happy with my time!
4. Jennifer and Angela, producers of the documentary From Fat to Finish Line, came to Michigan to interview me for the film. They were so much fun, and I feel so lucky to know them and call them friends. The interview was just a minor part of the trip--I loved getting to chat with them most of all!
5. I was selected by Fitness Magazine as "Best Weight Loss Blog of 2012", which named me a Fitterati, featured my blog in their magazine, and allowed me to write blog posts on their website. I was very honored to have been selected among all the great blogs out there!
6. I met Mary on a side trip to Chicago. Mary was originally going to be in the From Fat to Finish Line film as well, but she discovered she's pregnant. We had been getting to know each other for about six months, and when I went to Illinois, I really wanted to meet her in person. Jerry and I took the train to Chicago for a few hours to meet up with her.
7. I went on a fun trip to Minnesota with Renee to run the Women Rock MN Half-Marathon. We were only there for a couple of days, but it was nice to get away!
8. I ran the Detroit Free Press Marathon with my Ragnar Relay team captain, Rik--and we had never met each other in person before he came out here to do the race with me! I trained for the whole thing by myself, which was tough; but Rik came out here to run along with me and keep me company during the race. I had a goal to finish under five hours, and I did :)
Also, I loved that my family and friends celebrated with us afterward. My older brother Brian even flew in from Minnesota and surprised me. It was a perfect day!
9. I joined Weight Watchers Online, and started the program September 9th. My last binge of 2012 was on September 8th, so I have gone over 16 weeks (and counting) without a binge! After about three months on program, I'd lost the summer weight I gained, and I reached my WW goal weight. I joined the meetings for the last 5 pounds, so that I can achieve "Lifetime" status.
10. I met Pete Thomas, at-home winner of Season 2 of The Biggest Loser, and attended his boot camp class (which totally kicked my ass!). After the class, he stayed and chatted with me for over an hour, and I learned SO MUCH from him. His book, and his advice, helped me to get back on track with my weight.
11. I finally hit my long-sought-after goal of a sub-26:00 5K time! I registered for a very small race and ran my butt off to finish in 25:44. I was thrilled :)
12. Lastly, and most exciting of all for me, I reached my ultimate GOAL WEIGHT!! This was the first time in my life I have ever reached goal weight. It was so very exciting to officially be in "maintenance" mode.
Some fun facts about 2012:
- I ran 1186.5 miles in 2012--a total of 200 hours, 5 minutes, and 42 seconds.
- My longest run was 26.74 miles (the Cleveland marathon).
- The month that I had the highest mileage was April, with 137.3 miles.
- My average pace in January was 10:08/mi; in December, it's 8:58/mi.
- My average pace for the whole year was 10:08/mi.
- I burned 121,000 calories from running... that's equivalent to nearly 35 pounds of fat!
- The food I consumed the most of was probably peanut butter, once again; followed closely by grapes.
- My most memorable meal was an amazing sandwich called the Turtle Pizza Roll Melt at Melt restaurant in Cleveland.
- My current favorite breakfast is oatmeal with caramel, coconut, chocolate chips, and peanut butter.
- My current favorite lunch is an omelet with bacon and cheese, with a ton of grapes on the side.
- My current favorite evening snack is a glass of red wine and a Dove Promise (dark chocolate).
- The thing I am most looking forward to in 2013? Meeting my Ragnar Relay team in Miami, THIS THURSDAY!