Overall 2011 has been a pretty amazing year for me. I would have to give it an 8.5 and here are a few reasons why .... (this list is not in any particular order...just things that came to mind)
1. I became a marathoner! October 9th I finished the Portland Marathon with a time of 6:09 and it was one of the best days of my life!
2. Joining a running group. I've found my running family in joining the Galloway Training Program in February and soon I also joined Run Portland and attend track sessions every week. I'm also now a Program Co-Director of the group and hope to continue doing so!
3. Attended one of my best friends' wedding and was honored to be a bridesmaid! This was a fantastic trip to Colorado where I met up with a bunch of friends and it was one of the best trips I've ever taken!
4. My grandparents' dementia has gotten worse. Yep, this is one of the main reasons why 2011 wasn't a perfect 10. Both my grandpa and grandma are suffering from this cruel disease and it sucks that they no longer remember. This also leads into ...
5. Mom moved further away. I loved traveling to Bend to visit her, which would only take me about 2 1/2 hours to get to her place. I completed my first race with her there in 2010. It was a 5k over the 4th of July weekend and that was beginning of my love for running races! Now she lives about 5 hours and I have to cross 2 passes to drive there and these can get pretty crazy in the winter.
6. Finding myself. You might be asking, "were you lost?". In a way, yes. I feel that I have more self-confidence and awareness of who I am and don't want to play anymore games with people. I did have to say "goodbye" to some people which entailed removing them from my life for good and sadly, they were family members. Though on the plus side I also said "hello" to some people I hadn't talked to in awhile!
7. Work, work and more work. Now you mind think this is a negative, but for me, it's not. I love my job and even with the long hours I put in, I wouldn't trade it for anything! I'm really thankful to have a job! My boss treats us to a variety of perks including concerts at the zoo (saw Chris Isaak!), monthly dinner and a movie outings, and more!
8. Seeing Celine Dion and Phantom of the Opera live! I've heard from plenty of people about their feelings about Celine Dion, but I adore her! Her voice is simply amazing and she puts on one of the best concerts I've ever seen! Our annual work conference was in Vegas this year and my boss got us tickets to her show along with tickets to see Phantom which was absolutely wonderful!
Races completed in 2011:
February - Princess Half Marathon and 5k in Walt Disney World, FL
May - Friar Trot 10k in Sherwood, OR
June - Run for the Love of Dove 5k in Portland, OR
July - Foot Traffic Flat Half Marathon in Sauve Island, OR
September - Disneyland Half Marathon and 5k in Disneyland, CA
October - Portland Marathon in Portland, OR and Sandy Cenntenial Hybrid Half Marathon in Sandy, OR
November - Turkey Trot 4 miler at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, OR
December - Holiday Half Marathon and First Run 5k in Portland, OR
I've already got some races on the calendar for 2012 and I'm excited to push myself to reduce my finish time! I'm excited to see what 2012 has in store for me and hoping it will take me to new places!
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