How to Make Me Cry on Christmas

Completely unbeknownst to me, Erin nominated me in Swirlgear's 2013 Holiday SwirlBack, a contest to share stories of inspirational women runners.  I saw Swirlgear post the contest on their Facebook page, but since it was the week before Christmas, when things were crazy busy here, I completely forgot about it. I had no idea she had even entered me until I was announced as one of the winners on Christmas morning!

Note: Especially cool that this picture is from a race that I ran with Erin!

I'll receive all kinds of cool prizes from Swirlgear, which is really exciting and all, but to read what Erin wrote about me, and to think that anything I'm doing is inspiring to anyone is just.... wow.  I had to excuse myself from coffee with Bob's family as I read this, because it got me all choked up.  When I started down this road to a healthier life 2 years ago, I wasn't doing it for any other reason than to buck a lot of scary genetic predispositions and to feel better.  I never could have imagined any of the amazing things that happened as a result of getting healthy.  Through this journey, this blog, and eventually running, I've met a lot of really cool people, many of whom I'm thrilled to count as friends.  I've had all kinds of fun experiences, and have been able to do things like running a half-marathon or raising significant funds for lung cancer, in part, because of this supportive and encouraging community that I've become a part of.

So as this year winds down, I'd like to say a huge thank you to all of you!  To friends, new and old, who are always inspiring and supporting me, and to everyone who reads this blog (I mean, sometimes I seriously wonder why anyone does) and those who take the time to leave words of encouragement, I so appreciate it.