I have officially crossed my final finish line of 2018!  I wanted to take time to reflect back on all of the races I’ve participated in to really appreciate how far I’ve come!  *ba dum dum* My friends over at Joyful Miles decided to put some questions together, to sum up, my #yearofthebling!

• What is your favorite 2018 medal based solely on design rather than an emotional connection?

Signing up for the Wine and Dine Challenge was a complete whim during the middle of the summer.  I honestly don’t know what made me want to sign up all of the sudden, but I am so glad I did especially when the medals were released.  I am obsessed with this medal.  The rose gold plating of the medal, and Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney movies, so this one definitely took the cake for my favorite medal design.

• What is your favorite non-runDisney medal?

Once you participate in a runDisney event, your expectations for your next racing event are slightly skewed especially when it comes to medals.  For example, my first 5k after runDisney was a local Lafayette 5k.  This is going to sound bad, but I was so upset when I crossed the finish line and they handed me a bottle of water.  I was so confused.  My thoughts were “I just ran 3.1 miles, where’s my dang medal?!”  I learned what realistic expectations to expect when participating in local races, but I was completely blown away after the Tiger 10k in Baton Rouge!  It was equivalent in quality, size, and design as runDisney medals are.  Even though I’m not an LSU fan this medal will go down as my favorite local medal I have received to date!

• What is your favorite runDisney medal?

My favorite runDisney medal goes to Princess 5k for several reasons.  First, it was my first runDisney event, and it was my first race event.  Second, I did it with my mom, who as you all know is my best friend so being able to run together and create those memories meant the world to me.  And finally, it led me here.  Had I never participated in that first 5k I would have never pursued running as a hobby and I would have never accomplished of all the goals I have this year.  Also, let’s just take a look at cute little Pascal hanging on for dear life!

• Which medal was your most hard-earned?

So I couldn’t pick just one medal.  To be honest, all of my medals are hard earned.  Tons of mile and hours of dedication went towards finishing these races.  It was a rollercoaster of ups and downs sometimes, but it was all worth it when it came to crossing the finish line.  The one major hurdle I had to overcome this year was my double foot surgery at the beginning of August.  I didn’t really talk about it much, but I underwent surgery on both of my feet to have Morton’s neuromas removed from each foot.  Morton’s are tumors that grow on the nerves of the ball of your feet.  They weren’t life-threatening, but they were continuing to grow larger and cause more pain.  It was only supposed to take me two weeks to recover, but it ended up being closer to a month.  This all happened when I was supposed to be training for Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend.  This was also going to be my first half marathon.  Que the insane amount of nerves.  I went into that weekend with my longest training run being 8 miles.  I went in with a lot of doubt that I would finish, but thankfully I was able to push through and get through my first half marathon with a decent time.  I honestly did not think I would finish this race.  I had every odd against me to not, but race day came, and the energy of my fellow runners encouraged me as well as my mom texting me every mile telling me how proud she was of me.  So my most hard-earned medals are the Two Course Challenge medals I earned from Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend.

• What’s your favorite overall medal?

I’m sure it won’t be shocking to anyone that my favorite overall medal is a runDisney medal, and *drum roll please* it goes to the Wine and Dine Half Marathon medal!  It’s my favorite for many reasons.  First things first, it was my very first half marathon, and I honestly never thought I would accomplish running 13.1 miles.  Second, it’s such a classic design with Mickey running across the front especially because Disney means so much to me and is such a large part of my life.  Finally, I love all of the colors throughout the medal.  The ribbon is a gorgeous wine based color and the gold is simple but classic.  I love the overall design because it is so simple, but it is still so detailed.

 

2018 Race Line-Up:

February – Princess Half Marathon 5k

March – Hope Fest 5k and Best Damn Race: New Orleans 5k

April – Star Wars Dark Side 10k

November – Wine and Dine 10k and Half Marathon and Cajun Cup 10k

December – Tiger 10k, Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon 5k, and Reindeer Run 5k

 

Totaling up at 53.4 miles for the 2018 race year.  Considering, when I began this journey in February I didn’t run a single mile, I’m pretty proud to see how far I’ve come. This year will always be a memorable one for me.  It has been a year of firsts.  My first 5k, my first 10k, my first half marathon, and my first runDisney challenge.  I faced some bumps along the way such as double foot surgery in the middle of my summer training, but I fully believe that everything happens for a reason, and it was all apart of the process.  I’ve got some great races lined up for 2019, and I can’t wait to set my goals for the new year!

Thumbs up for a great 2018 and an even better 2019!