Wifey’s 2010 Shining Moments

As a former publicist, I’m used to putting other people in the spotlight, not myself. I spent several years promoting other people’s work, talent and accomplishments and being very quiet about my own. As time goes on, I’m learning that it’s OK and quite frankly, necessary to celebrate yourself and to graciously share your triumphs with others.

Sometimes taking a peek back at what you’ve done can help propel you even further into greatness. It’s easy to remember what you didn’t check off the “To Do List,” but looking at what was accomplished just might surprise you.

With that said, here are my 2010 shining moments:

Disney’s Princess Half Marathon
I became a princess thanks to the wonderful folks at Disney and ran my second half marathon since 2005.

11 Year Wedding Anniversary
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Husband. Anyone married knows each happy year is truly worth celebrating.

USTA State Championship
My 3.0 Women’s USTA tennis team won the Georgia State Championship and went on to play in the sectional tournament. Fun times.

Get Moving Race & Relax
My BlogRollin’ partner and I held our first Race & Relax event where we inspired 20 ladies to Get Moving by running in a 5K with us then treated them to brunch and the spa. We’re planning our 2011 schedule now.

Peachtree Road Race
After joining Get Fit Atlanta to train for my first marathon, I ran the Peachtree faster than ever before. It was a blast.

Spoke at Evo
I took my first trip to Utah to speak at EVO ‘10 The Evolution of Women in Social Media; and tackled one of my biggest fears (yes, I’m a punk) and rode the Ziprider at Park City. AWESOME.

Survived my First Ice Bath
Um, I took the plunge in September and woke up the whole damn neighborhood. Yikes!

Spoke at Blogalicious 2010
The Ritz. In South Beach. With 250 dynamic bloggers. Enough said.

Launched Run Wifey Run
I started this blog in October to chronicle my tales of Marriage, Motherhood and all the Mayhem. Oh, yeah and this little race I did called a marathon. Gasp!

More Freelance Writing
I’ve always enjoyed writing for magazines and other online publications. I’m pleased that I was able to add several more stories to my list of clips.

Ran my first Marathon/Tweeted for Washington Post
26.2, baby! Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought I’d be a marathoner … and tweet my race for the Washington Post. AMAZING!

Coca-Cola Live Positively Conference
I was invited to attend the first Live Positively Social Media Conference: Conversations with Coca-Cola in Atlanta. It was intimate and informative; definitely one of the best blogging events I attended in 2010.

Served as a Judge for Disney’s Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey and Essence Magazine
The DDA holds a special place in my heart. To be asked by Disney to serve as one of 10 judges who chose the final 100 participants was truly an honor.

PR’d the Atlanta Half Marathon
This was the first half marathon I ran in 2005. It probably took me 4 hours (I never looked at my time.) This year I shaved 30+ minutes off of my Princess run in the spring. I pushed myself … and it felt GREAT.

Spoke at Lavish
FAB-U-LOUS. That’s how I describe my dear friend The Broke Socialite and her first and highly anticipated conference – Lavish. It was all it was cracked up to be and I had a ball speaking on a panel.

While these things make me smile every time I think back to them, my biggest challenge and accomplishment is striving to be the best wife and mom I can be. I truly believe creating time and goals for myself makes me a better person – a better woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend.

Cheers to a WONDERFUL 2010; and an even BRIGHTER 2011!

Winks & Smiles,

Atlanta Half Marathon Race Recap: A Family Affair

There were several things that made the Atlanta Track Club’s Atlanta Half Marathon super special for me this year – this was the first half marathon I hobbled through, thought I might die and vowed never to run again ran in 2005; I rocked a 30+ minute PR; and my family ran, too.

Me in 2005

Me in 2010

The PR
I managed to shave more than 30 minutes off my last half marathon, I ran Disney’s Princess Half Marathon in 3:01 in March. My chip time for the Atlanta Half was 2:29:10. I’m not a huge numbers person, which could be a form of self-protection because I’m not very fast either, but these numbers are special to me because I set a goal and I stuck with it. I went into the race wanting to do 2:30 and that was a challenge for me. A few weeks earlier I ran my first marathon and quite honestly I hadn’t trained properly for this race. I decided to run with the 2:30 pace group and once I found them in the starting corral I vowed not to leave them. Coincidentally, they did 2:1 intervals, too, so it was a perfect match. There were several times throughout the race that things got tough but as soon as that little voice in my head told me it was OK to slow down a louder voice said, "oh, hell no it isn’t." The time is great but I’m more proud that I didn’t take the easy way out.

The Race – A Family Affair
A few months ago my cousin Ron Facebooked me and asked if I was game to run the Atlanta Half on Thanksgiving. Of course I was in, and since it was Thanksgiving both Ron and I wanted to get as much of our family in on it, too. My Dad, my Aunt Kristi, my cousins Melina and Cory, and Ron’s mother and his Aunt ran the 5K and rocked it. And, of course my two little ones, Miles and Milan, did the Mashed Potato Mile. It was wonderful to have some family out there running, too.

We all met before the race, around 7:10 a.m. for some quick before pics. Husband and my kids were still in the car – my little princess was still sleeping.

Me and my Dad

Before the race I spotted a solo porta-potty with a short line. Right next to it were tubs filled with the medals!

While I waited the guard-lady showed me one for inspiration.

I went on to find my new best friends, the 2:30 pace group.

I followed that flag through the start and for the next 13.1 miles.

I only tweeted a little this race, I was on a mission, but had to share some important sights like this …

I was tempted to stop and shop.

These brave servicemen ran most of the race near us. It was great to see their camaraderie when one of them was struggling

It was a foggy morning so I don’t have gorgeous pics like I did from the MCM, but we did run through Piedmont Park and Sweet Auburn Avenue …

And eventually right by the State Capitol.

Once I saw the Olympic Rings I knew we were down the stretch. The pace leaders told me if I went ahead I’d get a sub 2:30 so I thanked them and took off.

My dad took this shot. It was awesome to have my family there cheering me on as I approached the finish line. Yes, that's a smile on my face and my phone in my hand - gasp!

Since I was the last to finish, I missed my family running but they all took some great pics. I’m so proud of everyone - especially my kids.

Miles in full stride.

Milan, my little track star.

Cory and Melina hung with my dad while my Aunt Kristi took off and got her run on.

Auntie Kristi, my Dad and me showing off our bling!

Ron got a PR, too! 1:45:46. Yay for him – smiles!

Our after group shot.

Can’t forget Husband, my biggest supporter and kid wrangler coach for the day.

Husband, the kids and I finished our Thanksgiving Day at my Mom’s house with both of our mothers, my Grandmother and Cousin Kathy. A wonderful end to a lovely day. And yes, I was rockin’ my medal.

Winks & Smiles,

Atlanta Half Marathon: Can You Say PR?

2:29:10

While that might be crawling to some it’s fast for me. FAST. I finished Disney’s Princess Half Marathon in 3:01. Right. More important than the time (I’m not a huge numbers person but think getting out there and getting it done is super important) I set a goal for myself and stuck with it. There were many times yesterday when I wanted to slow it down and give up but I pushed myself … and it paid off.

A full race recap is coming, but I just couldn’t wait to share.

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving – I have so much to be thankful for – and I hope you did, too.

Winks & Smiles,

Half Marathon Checklist: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

No, I’m not getting married again; I’m running a half marathon. You mean this saying only applies to weddings?

I’m officially counting down to The Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving morning and making sure I’ve got my necessities crossed off my list.

Something Old
I will be running in the same kicks running shoes I wore a few weeks ago when I ran the Marine Corps Marathon.

They’re old, but they not that old; they still have plenty of mileage left to carry me 13.1.

Something New
I’m going for a PR. Running a marathon right before you run a half gives you lots of confidence, a strong belief in yourself that you might not have had before. Since my last half marathon time was 3:01 I’m pretty sure I’m going to knock that out of the park beat that, but will I pull out a 2:30 like I hope? We’ll know on Thursday …

Something Borrowed
My playlist. You lovely people gave me an awesome playlist that I didn’t use, gasp, during my marathon. I’m sorry, I was busy tweeting, picture taking, chatting, oh, and running. This time I’m running by myself so I will be rockin’ the tunes. If you have any other must hear songs please do let me know in the comments.

Something Blue

Ok, so it’s black with blue trim but I’ll still be one Badass Mother Runner wearing this motivational technical long sleeve tee. Those fabulous Run Like A Mother ladies did it again with their line of shirts. It’s a toss up - this one and “Are My Kids Still Chasing Me?” are my faves.

So, I think I’m ready … for everything but the rain. There’s a 50 percent chance on Thursday. Anyone got some good moves for my rain dance?

Winks & Smiles,