Favorite Race Memories from 2018

Happy happy 2019! I hope you all enjoyed your New Year's Eve/Day celebrations and kicked off the new year on a good note!

Last week I shared a little about the medals earned during my 2018 races, but I didn't share about my favorite race moments and memories! There were several high points to races for me this year, so I thought it would be fun to share them with you today!

Hands down, the highlight of my year was the Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World in January of 2018. Running all four races throughout the parks for a total of 48.6 miles was nothing short of magical. Sure, the early mornings x 4 were gruesome, but crossing the finish line of the marathon made up for it all!

Stopping for character photos and seeing familiar faces throughout the race course added to the fun! Being around so many runners who were attempting to accomplish the same "crazy" goal made it all the more exciting. I'm not going to lie, I'm feeling a little FOMO for this upcoming Marathon Weekend in just a few short days.

Another highlight of the year for me was when I placed at the Warrior 5K held by the high school where I graduated. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I managed to keep the lead in all of the women and I crossed the finish line in first place! Yes, it was a smaller-ish 5K but I still won a pair of shoes from our local running store for placing! The fact that the race was put on by my old high school made it fun for me, too!

In May, I ran the Contraband Days 5 Miler after having planned and helped execute our local Relay for Life event the evening before. I didn't get to sleep until after 1 a.m. the morning of race day and after having been on my feet ALL day the day before, I was running this one on dead legs. Needless to say, this wasn't my greatest race but it's definitely one I can laugh at because I'm still wondering what in the world I was thinking by registering for it!

The 4 Miler on the 4th of July was another fun one this year. I'd just started Orangetheory about 6 weeks prior to the race and the consisted cross-training proved itself as a plus. Although I had to stop for a minute to get my heart under control mid-race (because it did that crazy PSVT thing), I still landed a 30 second PR! I couldn't believe how great I felt during this race (minus the heart part)!

In the fall, I ran my very first trail run at the Spooky Trail 10 Miler. To be honest this wasn't a fun one for me but it was definitely memorable. I was sick and running this race probably had a hand in turning said sickness into full blown bronchitis. Also, running trails alone in the woods is not a fun thing for me as I'm seriously the biggest chicken in the world. Needless to say, I stuck like glue to the runner in front of me. I probably won't be running this one again anytime soon, at least not alone.

Last but not least, I ran two Rock 'n' Roll events this year with Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans and Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio. Both were great runs and great ways to see both New Orleans and San Antonio. The bands at every mile were fun and I loved how each race included a unique glimpse of the culture of the area - New Orleans included a second line/jazz band and San Antonio had several mariachi bands along the way!

2018 was a great year, running wise and I'm excited to see what 2019 has in store!

What was your favorite running/race memory from 2018?