run this amazing day

This is always one of my favorite recaps to write.   My year started off by running - and just barely PRing - a four miler on New Year's Eve with an awesome group of girls.  This is still one of my favorite races from 2012. After that race, I hunkered down for quite a few months into training, emerging untapered and with a still-healing calf in March to match my half marathon PR and cheer the poet onto a big marathon PR . April brought my first 10 miler - another fake PR run at MAF - my very first swim meet , and the first sprint triathlon I had done since my very first.  I learned that I had completely forgotten how to hurt on the run (and writing this now, I realize that I still haven't remembered). May was less fun as I kicked it off by puking my way through 70.3 miles .  But later the month brought a confidence-building century and easy-paced open water 5K swim to kick off an awesome training weekend with friends.  I still have no idea...

I believe that I stole this idea from Liz two years ago, and I enjoyed the recap last year as well.  Here you have it, friends and snarkers, 2012 in photos. January Sofie joins our family . February I tear my calf by being stupid in beautiful new shoes . March I face some ugly truths about myself and triathlon .   To add to the confusion, I run a half marathon at MAF . April I visit (and fall in love with) Colorado and then get laid off . May I curse my way through my last IM training block. June Graham gets sick while I complete an ironman . July Graham comes home and I return to my usual schtick of complaining about running . August I start a new job and struggle with returning to training . September I cross the finish line with my puppies, all of us happy and healthy. October I quit my job , celebrate a lot of birthdays , and we decide to move to Colorado . November I spen...

I don't have the words to adequately discuss what my life is like right now as I've spent the better part of the last 48 hours trapped in a very small space with four-legged creatures that don't brush their teeth nearly as often as they should.   I can no longer remember what logic it was that mapped out this move in such a way that I ended up driving the better part of the way across the country twice, but I will say that whatever idiot came up with this plan is definitely fired. Especially the part in which we put three extremely hairy dogs in a car with only two doors.   At the point in my off-season detox where I actually have begun to desperately miss fresh vegetables again. So here's a dump on puppy pictures, my standard blogging cop-out. I'll be back either tomorrow or next week.  First we have to drive another 300+ miles, sign a 30-year deal with a bank, empty my storage bin, and unload my residual crap out of my friend's closet.  And tha...

From all of us, Merry Christmas.

1. I hate having bare feet on a cold floor, but I never wear slippers. 2. My back still falls out of alignment quite often, especially when I sit for long periods of time. 3. I love my dogs, a lot, more than most people, but I still hate it when they lick me. 4. I'm a little obsessed with making sure I get enough protein and iron every day, especially when I leave my vitamins in another state. 5. I don't like mushrooms. 6. I am finally getting a new dishwasher. 7. Someone just taught me to cough into my elbow.  Skipping kindergarden never pays off. 8. I have a weird and very serious fear of going to master's swim.  I know it's ridiculous. 9.  I only brought about six changes of clothes back to DC with me.  I miss my clothes. 10. Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve friends as awesome as the ones I have. 11. We brush our dog's teeth. 12. And when I say, "we," I obviously don't mean "me." 13. We still ended up packi...

Today is our last day in our house. I'm sitting on the bed typing this, because it is the only piece of furniture that hasn't been packed into the cube in our driveway.  I've lived in this house for almost four-and-a-half years.  When I moved in, I was a newlywed (first husband) and the house was an abandoned wreck (this is our kitchen).   I thought this house was the final piece to our happily-ever-after.  Instead, a few short weeks after moving the furniture in, we started talking about divorce, a few even shorter months later we were separated, and less than a year after moving in, our divorce was final .  I bought the house from my ex-husband, filled it with roommates so I could pay the bills, and for the very first time, looked around and realized I could change it (sorry, Dad, about putting your butt on the internet). And change it I did.  I had a friend teach me how to spackle, sand and paint.  I recruited a few more friends to help me ...

Might as well go ahead and make this a things post.  We'll call it "as many things as I want Wednesday."  In order... 1. I had quite a bad cold the first 2-2.5 weeks I was living in Colorado.  You'll remember me complaining about it right after I moved.  I didn't go to the doctor because while I'm not sick all that often, when I do go, I inevitably end up spending $15 for someone to tell me to go back to bed.  My mom (a registered nurse) told me a couple of times that I should go because of how sick I was for so many days, and I made a half-hearted attempt to find a doctor through the impenetrable network of insurance and doctors while traveling, but ended up just staying in bed for four solid days.  I came out the other side healthy and raring to get going on my training. As you may know, especially if you follow me on Twitter, I had a holiday party last Saturday night and a farewell party this Saturday night which included what I would con...

1. Sitting with my legs crossed hurts my back, but I still can't seem to train myself out of it. 2. Also haven't been able to train myself out of laying in bed for twenty minutes reading email and twitter every morning. 3. Maybe this should be called the "I'm an idiot" version of RFF. 4. I would love to someday have laser hair removal in a lot of places. 5. I only have one scented candle in my house right now.  I'm rationing it out. 6. I never closed my Daily Mile account, but I don't think I've updated it in over two years. 7. I think I had a bit of a breakthrough in the pool yesterday.  Probably because of this situation. 8. I had never seen this picture of myself until my sister sent it to me a few days ago.   9. I'm running a 5 mile race tomorrow.  I have no idea how fast I can/should/might run and actually have very little interest in racing.  Here's hoping that mojo returns by the spring.   10. I finally ordered an iPh...