Summing up 2013

This post is brought to you by the letter Z and the number 2013.

Hubby and I have run an Independence Day 5k
every year since we started dating. We kept the
tradition alive, with a new baby on board, this year.

Best race experience?

Hands down: Keeping the Independence Day 5k tradition alive by running a 5k in my second trimester is my favorite racing accomplishment... ever.

This tradition was particularly important to me because many others (like the holiday run-streak and my 12th annual ice-skating date with my friend MC) had to go by the wayside thanks to a little detour we might refer to as a bouncing baby boy!

No matter how hardcore you are, it's just plain ridiculous to go running a week after they cut open your abdomen and pull a baby out. (I was just proud to be walking couple of miles each day by Thanksgiving.) Running will return to the schedule on January 1, 2014, and in the meantime, let's recap the rest of 2013...


Most popular post?

Victory Laps: Pregnant Lady Returns to the Track (This popular post was also one of my personal favorite running stories of the year.)

Coming in a close second...Am I Still A Runner?

Best run?

Bizarrely, the best run I had all year was the track workout I did the week before I found out I was pregnant. I hit 6:50 pace splits! I was on track to crush my 24 minute 5k goal!

And... then... my pace slowed. Prenatal yoga took the place of weekly speed work. Oh well... it gives me something to work toward in 2014.

(Any bets on whether or not I can hit a 7-something pace in a 5k while pushing a stroller?)


If you could sum up your year in a word, what would it be?

CHANGE.

In 2013 I rang in the New Year in Austin, capping off four months of almost weekly travel. By the end of this trip, I was ready to hand over my frequent flier cards for awhile, which is sort of what happened.

Because then I...
Bought a house
Hopped time zones when I moved to a different state
Changed jobs (no more coast-to-coast commuting!)
Had a baby

...and I wouldn't change a thing.


Best read

I read dozens of pregnancy and parenting books, but I don't think any of those belong on the "best" list. Even the side-splittingly funny ones felt a little like homework.

Instead, I'll nominate The Blind Masseuse (a travel memoir) and Becoming Odyssa (a memoir of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail) as my favorite reads of 2013.


Best "in my kitchen" recipe

While I loved the "creamy" asparagus soup (that uses no cream and can easily be a vegan recipe), it's not new to my kitchen - I've been making that soup for years.

My favorite new recipe this year was fluffy whole wheat pumpkin pancakes. The recipe is more work than a traditional pancake (Whipping eggwhites before I've had my first cup of coffee? Insanity!) but deliciouly worth the effort. I'll make this recipe again... but will definitely pour a cup o' joe first.

But perhaps the best "in my kitchen" surprise of 2013?
Having one of my photos included in a New Orleans cookbook!