runladylike.com Celebrates Three Years
They say good things come in threes. That is the truth.
Today, runladylike.com celebrates its third birthday. The past 3 years have been more meaningful and fulfilling than I could ever have imagined. The number of miles run, shoes worn, friends made, races conquered, goals achieved and lessons learned are too many to count.
But what has really made the past 3 years incredible has nothing to do with me and everything to do with YOU! Thank you for joining me on my running and fitness adventures, sharing your thoughts, ideas and experiences and being a community I’m incredibly proud to be part of.
To celebrate today, I’m continuing the tradition of answering some fun questions to take a jog down memory lane as I did on my first birthday and second birthday.
What were the top 5 most popular (most viewed) new posts I wrote during year 3?
Tips for Running Hills
First Class Fitness: ClassPass Review
2014 Chicago Marathon Race Recap
Training Your Brain: 6 Tips for Getting Strong in the Mind Gym
Carrot Cake Muffins for Runners
What were my favorite 10 new posts from year 3?
5 Ways Marriage is Like a Marathon
The Ultimate Ice Bath
Kauai Marathon Race Recap
Nutrition for New Runners
Goodbye Bread and Sugar
15 Goals Every Runner Should Have to Run Happier
Every Medal has a Memory
15 Common Running Mistakes to Avoid
Just Keep Digging
Why Pace Isn’t Everything
What was my first post ever? What was my first post from year 3?
My first post ever was And Along Came rUnladylike, and my first post from this past year was My New Year Wishes for You.
What accomplishments am I most proud of?
During the past year, there are 3 things I’m most proud of (how fitting, right?)
- Achieving my marathon goal at the Chicago Marathon, including qualifying for the Boston Marathon for the first time and raising nearly $3,000 for charity
- Running the Kauai Marathon completely unplanned and unexpected … it still goes down as one of the best running experiences/moments of my life
- The coaching I have provided to athletes, including bringing on seven new runners this past year and the results of a very special client who achieved significant personal best races in the half marathon, 10K and 5K distances and continues to grow and improve as a runner
Best rave run?
Hawaii. Hands down. Read more about my race there and other things to do and places to run in Kauai and Maui.
What has been the most challenging aspect of the past year?
The biggest challenge this year has been pulling back from big running goals in order to start a family. I have come to terms with the fact that even though I qualified for the 2016 Boston Marathon last fall, the ship has sailed. I’m not any closer to being pregnant, and the race is now too close if I were to get pregnant to recover from and be able to run. I want to be in Boston this April, and I want to have a structured training plan with big goals and tough workouts, but I’m continuing to go with the flow and run for fun.
The other notable moment from year 3 was moving from Atlanta to Tampa after nearly 10 years in Georgia. Leaving my running community and my best running friends was tough. Although I knew it was going to be hard, I miss them even more than I had anticipated. The past two months of running alone and not having much of a community in Florida yet has been really challenging for me.
What am I most looking forward to in the year ahead?
- Building a running community and close-knit group of runners in Florida that I had in Atlanta
- Moving into our new house that we’re building (scheduled for completion in April 2016)
- Coaching my marathon clients to reach big goals
- Hopefully picking a big goal race to train for by this time next year
- Launching some fun gear for sale on runladylike.com (restocking my Head Sweats visors and maybe even debuting a running tank)
What are my favorite blogs right now?
There are so many running sites and blogs I follow, but these are the ones I always read first each week:
What were my most unladylike moments from year 3?
If you’ve been reading runladylike.com for a while, you know I love sharing the unladylike adventures of running and training. During my third year, my most unladylike moment was definitely pulling down my shorts and peeing in front of hundreds of people before the Chicago Marathon. Not my proudest moment, but I wasn’t the only one doing it, so that makes it ok, right?
And of course, most importantly, what’s my favorite cake flavor?
Banana. Always banana with butter cream frosting.
Now, I’m closing my eyes and making a wish. Let’s all blow out the candles and write our next chapter together. Happy running friends.
More ways to connect with rUnladylike:
- Twitter: @rUnladylike
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/runladylike
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/runladylike
- Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/JesicaD
- Daily Mile: http://www.dailymile.com/people/Jesica
- Follow on Bloglovin: https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4066335
Are there any topics you’d like me to write more about during runladylike.com’s fourth year? Do you have any questions you’d like me to answer?
Comments
Happy Blogiversary!! You’ve had so many awesome posts and adventures. You will for sure get to Boston one day. This year may not be it but I know you will!
What a great milestone! Congratulations 🙂
I love your blog, it’s fantastic! So much inspiration and sound advice, also lots of fun!
Congratulations and best wishes…..
HBD & keep on Blogging! Genuine, from the heart advice; on & off the road & bike, great stuff I have learned & stuff i have passed along to my better half & made me think about her & her running. All the best from all of us up north to you all…keep on crushing it 🙂 Bill, Carrie, Will & Ben 🙂
COngrats on 3 years, I have really enjoyed following along with your life, training, and posts! Always an inspiration and manage to teach me a lot of things along the way! 🙂
Happy Blog Birthday! I love your blog because you tell it like it is and don’t shy away from the truth or embarrassing moments! As I start training for my first marathon this fall (with 2 more tris to complete prior to that) I’mI’ve been looking back at your posts!
Happy blog birthday! I love reading about your training because you’re so honest and inspiring, and I enjoy seeing all of your photos from travel! Plus, I’m a totally unladylike runner, so it’s good to know I’m not alone in that! Best wishes on your 4th year!
Congrats, Jesica. My favorite post was, “Every Medal Has A Memory.” Nice to see it was one of your favorites. Best wishes for year four and establishing that running network in Tampa.
Congratulations! I just started following your blog and I love the way that you write with such honesty. It is so refreshing to hear that no every run will be fun and fast and sometimes running is hard and ugly!
Happy Blogiversary! I think my favorite post of yours in your 3rd year was your Hawaii marathon post. I remember reading the first part to my husband, where you basically decided to run it while on the plane and my husband was horrified (I think because he could imagine me doing something similar). And I loved it because you just did it for fun and did so well. It was awesome. Have fun celebrating (I hope there really is cake). xo
Congratulations on three years of rUnladylike! I love your humor and appreciate your candor when you struggle. It makes me feel better about bonking at my slower pace on a warm day. Perhaps it’s none of my business, but I encourage you to go ahead and try to register for Boston 2016. If you get pregnant and can’t run, although I know the registration fee is expensive, the lost dollars may not sting as much because you’re achieving goal #1. And if goal #1 hasn’t yet happened, which all-too-often takes longer than hoped, then goal #2, running Boston, is still possible. Best wishes as you begin a new blog year!
Happy 3 years!! I love reading your blog, I love how candid and open you are. 🙂
I’m seriously so exited I made your favorites list!!! I love this post and everything it represents. HAPPY BIRTHDAY (to the blog) and I hope you continue to inform, inspire and just be authentically YOU in this space! I’ve got nothin’ but love for you 🙂
Happy THREE Year Anniversary of Blogging!!!!
Happy 3 years! I love following your post, it is so heart-warming, encouraging, and funny! I love most of all your honesty, about how you can blog about bad running days and just bad overall days (and weeks). Makes us realize that we are all human! Looking forward to another great year with your blog!