the BFB! (big, friendly BRIDGE)

So while it took a while to happen, I decided that in honor/celebration of a YEAR of running/blogging, I wanted to do something special...and that something special finally happened when Lindsay and I ran Big Ben (I realize that none of these nicknames actually apply...but give it time...they'll stick), from Pennsylvania...all the way to NEW JERSEY (running OUT of NJ makes a little more sense than running towards it..but all logistics). While the day was more grey than I would have liked, it was pretty cool to do...especially since this big anniversary came during quite the dry spell...! It got me thinking about my running goals, hopes, and dreams (okay...just my goals) for the upcoming year, and how, as they should be, they're growing and changing, and therefore...require training...like now. So my current goal is to get back at it this week, to ease myself back into the routine, because I know the hardest thing for me is getting back to it once I've slowed down (...to a halt). Once I can do that, it'll be easier for me to share all the other goals :O)! Here's to another year of running!

Crossing into New Jersey, the view of the Camden Riversharks' Stadium (which I love...)

View of Philadelphia heading back!

Scared?

Gripping the railing...

Bucket List

Not without trying, I have yet to be able to create a list of "must-run races." I've thought about it, but when it comes down to it, I thought that any destination race I choose would be just that..selected for the location, rather than the race, and really, I'm not quite ready to plan my few vacations a year around careful rest and eating, as well as excessive exercise..let's be honest. So all that being said, it was just as surprising to me as it will be to you that when I received the email announcing the registration details for the 2011 Nike Women's Marathon (which is coupled with a half, of course), I felt my heart skip a beat. (For those who don't know, it should be clearly stated that rather than being given a medal when you finish, a specially designed Tiffany's necklace is your take away!). It's shocking to me that maybe I DO, after all, have a race to go onto my list and receiving this email solidified that! It should go to say that I think the idea of a women's running event is really super awesome and while we're at it, let's add a few more of them to my must-run list!

running = more room for birthday cake.

This quote has been sitting in my inbox and I had to laugh when I reopened it to post it and realized it's from my new celeb crush...sigh...

"That's the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful life is." - Kara Goucher

Birthdays (well....just mine really...), especially those which coincide with the anniversary of this blog and my relationship with running, make me particularly nostalgic, and as always, I do appreciate the chance to step back and reflect. I think about all the highs (even the lows, which I can still appreciate) I've felt this past year connected to running. I think about the top-of-the-world-and-how-the-heck-did-I-get-here?! feeling of completing TWO half-marathons, the incredible sense of gratitude running the middle of the night as part of Hope Express (and let's be honest...that entire experience, being surrounded by so many incredible people and amazing runners!), runs in the dark at night with Lani, running in the early morning with Lindsay, running (because yes...again..it DID happen) a sliver of the NYC Marathon with Sindy....runs in the early morning to avoid the heat and runs in the peak of the day to avoid the coldest cold. Runs through PA, NY, at the boardwalk along the beach, in New Orleans, through Montreal, in DC, in Vegas (okay okay...a treadmill in Vegas. I'm not THAT hardcore), literally ACROSS Central Pennsylvania, through the paths at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, around Villanova (big shoutout of love to the "first race!"), weaving through State College and Penn State....

May this next year be filled with so many more wonderful memories made running with friends, FAMILY (that's right...it's going to happen!!!), and I'm proud to even say, sometimes all by myself!