31 December 2012

2012: Making a silk purse out of a sow's ear


The year started out on a low. 

First of all, we were burgled in early January. It sucked. 

Then there was my health. Perpetually struggling, hurting, and exhausted...I knew something was wrong. While my erratic hip remains somewhat mysterious, medical testing revealed ridiculously low serotonin levels, which explained a large part of the struggle. This information facilitated my climb out of the abyss. 

Along my journey to clarity and health, I had some 'bomb' races...Kaiser 5KOakland Marathon Relay and Bay to Breakers. The difficult place with regard to my health and these less-than wonderful "race" experiences led me to pull out of two races I had excitedly entered...the Eugene marathon and the San Francisco 1st half-marathon.

I managed to run a lot of hills and frequently on trails, but I wasn't able run very many miles. I did, however, run one mile in less than seven minutes and blew my own mind.

I discovered the Don't Run, Run Faster Training Plan which led to my triple gold medal performance at The Ellimpics and a set of wonderful legs at Hood to Coast as a part of Nuun's Afternuun Delight Team Morning as well as my first female finish on Thanksgiving at the Sonoma 5K Turkey Trot.

The late spring brought some fun recognition. I was chosen again as a BlogHer Voices of the Year honoree (see button in sidebar) and I won a spot on Nuun's Hood to Coast teams...with my "creepy" and "just wrong" video...



The spring also brought my first blog-related paycheck! Building my financial empire one dollar at a time ;-) Other notable firsts this year included: rock climbinghamsterballing, and sparkle skirts...all of which threw me well out of my comfort zone.




2012 also involved loads of family fun. In addition to trips to the beach and the Space and Science Center and numerous walks by the Bay, we went to the zoo about 142 times...and even saw an elephant penis. Big and exciting stuff, people.

The year has really run the gamut on all levels...physical (as outlined above), emotional, relational, spiritual... It has been a year of great change and opened eyes. I've learned how to better care for myself, the true value of rest and meditation, the importance of compassion and an open heart. My sense of perspective has broadened tenfold or more. So much growth...and so many growing pains. What a year. 

I finished my running for the year with donuts and friends.

And I finished my momming for the year at...where else?... the zoo :)

Following these two trajectories, may the coming year be filled with sweetness, love, joy and adventure for us all!

17 comments:

  1. Happy New Year! May 2013 treat you well :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a crazy year! Wishing you all the best in 2013!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Happy New Year! Hope 2013 brings you loads of health and happiness. :) Maybe I'll see you at H2C this year???

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hood to coast was definitely a highlight of my year and getting to be in a van with you made it that much better. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Best wishes for a happy and healthy '13!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sounds like a busy year!! Good wishes for the next one! Starting tomorrow we are working on the fitness goals in high gear, so I am going to enjoy the pizza, hotwings and white wine tonight. I did a year in review from a meme on Mommy Wants Vodka's blog if you want to check it out...LOL

    http://mishkaop.blogspot.com/2012/12/aunt-beckys-annual-meme.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. If only I was a woman and was willing to drink NUUN...the opportunities would be limitless. But alas, it's not to be. Perhaps I'll convert to Hinduism and try for "woman" in another life. And I'll think of something to get around the NUUN thing as well.

    I was kinda/sorta there (at least via FB IM) when the elliptical and climbing stuff started, I think in retrospect that was definitely great for you and started to put your athletic endeavors to the right. Well played.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I tried, and failed, on the 'Don't run, run faster' training plan. It must be because I don't own a sparkle skirt.

    I think a year where you learn so much about yourself is a productive year; I hope it fuels you for the upcoming year and it's filled with lots of healthy days (and hopefully miles, too :).

    Love ya!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sounds like a very educational and somewhat fun year trying new things after a rough start. For some reason you keep popping on then off my blog roll. This has been happening with a few other bloggers as well. Hope 2013 continues to improve in all areas for you and your family. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Happy New Year! Can nearly feel the joy of the journey through these words. Definitely some low times, but funny how when we reflect over the year as a whole - it definitely was a net positive. Many wishes for a wonderful 2013!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm a big believer in the Don't Run, Run Faster plan. Well, in the Don't Run, Run plan anyway. Faster, no so much. But you were a bit more disciplined with staying otherwise active than I was.

    I love how honest you were all year with your ups and downs. You're a real person for sure, and when we've "been there" with you through the downs, we can really celebrate the ups with you too. :)

    Happy happy new year!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Haha! Your recap is way more exciting than mine! I must have missed the post about the elephant. :) Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Happy New Year! Sounds like an interesting year, thanks for having us along for the journey! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. You are a better (more open-minded)woman than I on the sparkle skirt! :^)

    I think you did really well, despite theft, illness and injury. I'm glad I got to know you in 2012 and am looking forward to your 2013.

    ReplyDelete
  15. just realized after seeing the video again that i never responded to your email. (crappy friend). it didn’t work on my phone but works here! oops. so glad we met in 2012!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Happy (very late) New Year! I'm glad that as the year got on, it got better. Hopefully the year to come will be full of new and exciting races and adventures.

    ReplyDelete

we *heart* comments!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...