2024 Recap: Doing Epic Shit!

Best sandwich of 2024

It always seems impossible until it's done. A pretty contrived quote to begin a recap, but it's one I've carried with me for a long time.

There's a part of me that knows that some of these highlights are extraordinary. Things some people can't fathom doing ever in a lifetime and I've squeezed them into a calendar year. But there's a part of me that knows that I'm just a regular human doing regular human stuff too.

I often feel I walk the line of having enough gumption to jump right into something crazy/expensive/hard. One crazy idea often leads to another and somewhere along the line the 6th most interesting (by my own definition) thing I did this year was run a 100k fairly untrained.

January

I started the year off with a quick weekend trip to Bandera, Texas to run a 100k and secure a Western States qualifier. Though I was pretty undertrained for a trail 100k, the weather was fantastic, I saw a few friends, and felt surprisingly good for most of the race. 

Mile 21ish of Bandera 100k

A week later, I was in Brooklyn for work and enjoyed a couple of mornings of running through Prospect Park in the snow. 

Snow is always a novelty when you live in the South

Sara came to Atlanta for a work event and she, Adam, and I had a wonderful dinner talking all things baseball, running, and debate.

Dinner at Sprig with Sara

February

I decided at the last minute to squeeze in another race before Antarctica and headed up to Tennessee one morning for the Gone Loco 55k. The rail trail made for fast running and I ended up coming in 3rd female.

High fives on loop 1

3rd F

The rest of February was kind of shitty. Max was neutered and we had to baby him for a few days while his incision healed.

We joked that he looked like was ready to board a plane 

Riley had a dental and ended up having a tooth extraction. Adam's car had major issues thanks to his hand controls and it took him a tow truck, many days, and many visits to get to the root of the problem. I got new tires and promptly ran over a nail 2 weeks after getting them. 

Sitting the tire shop instead of running at Wednesday Friendsday

But certainly the worst was the passing of my 101 year old grandma. Our family was grateful to have her as long as we did, but it definitely felt like the end of an era with her gone. My brother, sister, and I all traveled to Salina, Kansas for her funeral. 

With Uncle Bob, Aunt Sue, mom, sister Tasha, brother Chris, me

Though it was a bittersweet reason for us to be there, I also was really happy we were able to share this rare time together.

Riding across I-70 in a convertible in February

Middle child relegated to the backseat

March

The big big big one! Antarctica had been on my bucket list for a really, really long time and it finally happened.

Stepping foot on the continent was a special day

Jared and I were travel buddies for this adventure, but I was also lucky enough to be on the same trip as Jen and Rhea. Plus, through our mutual friend Matt, I was able to connect with Layla.

Jared and I in Uruguay in an old bull fighting stadium

Jen, Rhea, and I enjoying post-race beers on the ship

Layla and I in Buenos Aires

We spent a few days in Buenos Aires and took a day trip with a guided tour to Uruguay. 

Obligatory passport stamp

With our guide in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

Then we headed to Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina and sailed to Antarctica. The race was first and I ended up winning the 50k!

Pretty happy about this one!

Then we spent the next 4 days riding zodiacs to watch penguins, seals, whales, and all kinds of flying birds in their natural habitats. 

Leopard seal females are 1.5-2 times the size of males

Whale sighting from the boat

 

Gentoo penguins can swim 22mph underwater

The highlight of the trip was stepping foot on the continent itself and not just one of the islands. I also loved the polar plunge (brrr!) and kayaking in the most beautiful Narnia-esque place on earth. 

Polar plunging in Antarctic waters. I'm in a green bikini in the middle.

Kayaking in Fournier Bay was a top 10 day in life

I've been lucky to have been to some gorgeous places in my travels, but this one is hands down the most incredible. 

Days and days of this incredible view

It's easy to feel very small in this vast and unpopulated continent

On our way back north, Jared and I opted for an extra day in Buenos Aires and spent the day mostly eating and shopping. Most people probably don't have a favorite sandwich of 2024, but I do and it was found in Buenos Aires.

Best sandwich of 2024

April

I had to scurry to get my legs ready for Boston and everything was coming up roses up until the week before the race. Adam was in bed for 6 days in pain and after finally getting him to do a telehealth visit, I got him to the hospital. He had a massive infection due to a kidney stone and was scheduled for emergency surgery the next day.

Care partner things

Surgery was Wednesday. We were supposed to leave for Boston Friday. Through some sort of miracle, he felt so good when he left the hospital Thursday afternoon, he wanted to try to keep our plans as they were. The weekend was less than ideal with him recovering, but I was okay ordering heaps of pasta to our hotel and relaxing.

The makeshift dining table in the hotel room

I ran the 5k on Saturday and got to see my mom and cousin and their respective menfolk along the course.

B.A.A. 5k

I celebrated my 42nd birthday at a Cambridge brewery Sunday.

A few of my favorite things - IPAs, a sour, & a stout

And on my 10th Marathon Monday, despite a hot day and an infinite load of psychological stress from the week, I managed a 3:25. This one I felt especially proud of for so many reasons.

Nothing much better than Boylston Street on Marathon Monday

May

May started off fun with a margarita mile with the Rippedtents crew on a steamy day.

Me, Cassy, & Katherine finishing the marg mile

My family celebrated moms at Rumi's Kitchen for Mother's Day.

With two of my favorite moms, my sister and my mom

Max started puppy school, an hour each Wednesday evening.

Max after being cardboard dog of the week, aka the one that had to be put behind cardboard so as to not distract the other dogs

And I went with Jared to Arizona over Memorial Day weekend to complete my 3rd R3 with him and Roger. It was another epic type 2 adventure full of belly laughs, amazing scenery, and my body feeling properly destroyed.

Headed down South Kaibab at sunset

Looking towards the North Rim overnight

Crossing the Colorado on our way back in the morning

Sun protection is a must

June

The month began with a Braves game with Adam, my dad, niece, and nephew which was really fun for all of us.

Adam and I

Me, Charlotte, Rhett

Me and dad

Max graduated puppy school. 

The proud student with his certificate

I picked probably 10 pounds of blueberries from my yard.

A day's worth of picking

On a short run with Aaron, I completely ripped open my elbow and knee with a bad fall, a theme that would follow me the rest of the summer.

Do not recommend

Alfonso and I did a point to point on the BMT and AT that totaled 27 miles mid- month and I was getting excited about a summer of training for a trail 100 in September.

June is the prettiest month on the BMT/AT

I went out solo and had planned for a 20-25 mile run from Unicoi, but ended up being spooked by a mama bear and cub and felt like complete garbage even just hiking so I turned around with 6ish miles on the day.

Before I called it a day way earlier than expected

July

I helped push Tyrece for a 5k on 4th of July as part of the Ainsley's Angels team with Alfonso and Mike.

Ainsley's Angel team at the Red, White, & Blue 5k

That evening, Adam and I hosted our annual 4th party in our backyard.

Ready for the 4th festivities

I completed another Brasstown Triple with Hanna, Katherine, and Alfonso which is impressive as I got stung TWICE, as in two separate occasions early on, by yellow jackets. I had packed Benadryl after last year's incident and somehow made it 30 miles after taking some.

On our second summit

Guess which ankle was stung?

At the end of the month, Aaron, Alfonso, and I went to North Carolina to run the Standing Indian loop. We got super lucky that the day was cooler and that we had enough time to hit up Lazy Brewing for burgers and beers that afternoon.

Albert Mountain giggles with Alfonso and Aaron

I picked a bunch of peaches from my peach tree, but I believe the tree has some sort of fungus and they go from unripe to rotten before I can eat any.

Too bad I never get any that ripen

August

To get in another long run and some overnight training, I entered the In The Heat Of The Night 50k in Alabama. The heat part didn't disappoint. It was 90° at the start at 6pm. But I love gravel loops and had a good race, finishing 2nd female.

First loop of the 50k

The following weekend, I was supposed to run a 5k with my nephew, his first one! But it was canceled about 15 minutes before the start because of a storm. It was an evening race and I guess because it was a threat for a couple of hours, they decided to play it safe. I ran the distance in a nearby parking lot while I waited for traffic to clear out and it didn't even rain. Oh well.

We all got medals anyway

Over the next couple of weeks, I had another yellow jacket sting and fell really hard on the Greenway. Oof.

The summer of splats and stings

At the end of the month, I traveled to New York again for work and got in a few more runs in Prospect Park in the mornings. My co-worker and I had to see a client in Manhattan so we also decided to go to the Edge that evening to be tourists.

Running around Prospect Park

Not a bad way to end a work day

September

I had yet another sting and another fall as I headed into my taper. My running friends threatened to wrap me in bubble wrap.

I headed to IMTUF 100 in Idaho feeling reasonably good about my training and ready to put it to work. I felt pretty off the morning before the race, but I thought it was just travel and nerves. I was congested and my shakeout run felt like I was dragging a bag of bricks.

View from my shakeout run > how I felt

Happily eating a maple bar, but my face is as puffy as my jacket

A beautiful spot I saw while driving around playing tourist

Megan came midday and she put me in better spirits. We went to bib pickup, had an early dinner, and I toed the line the next day thinking I'd feel better once I got going. That never really happened. I had some periods where it was ok and the views were gorgeous.

Mile 11ish 

I ran about 50 miles of the race with Megan

DNFs suck, but lucky to see places like this

However, I felt pretty awful all day. Plus, I'd been dealing with foot pain off and on all year and it flared up pretty bad during the race. After 70 miles, I decided to call it quits. I would've been going into a 12 mile section basically at the cutoff and decided it was not worth risking myself or others by doing something stupid. I was barely walking the downhill gravel road (re: I was a mess). The DNF stung, but Megan finished and I was able to distract myself by her accomplishment. Within the next day, I'd realize one of the many reasons I felt so terrible was because of how sick I was.

Post-race, feeling like death in our Airbnb

 

October

After basically sitting at death's door for 2 weeks, I slowly started to come back to life. I traveled with my sister and her family to Delaware to attend my aunt's wedding.

With cousin Lucas & brother-in-law Tim

With my niece Charlotte at the wedding

I cobbled together some short runs from the hotel and just took it easy. Back home, I started to add miles and finally saw a podiatrist about my foot. I have a very angry second toe joint caused by a bunion, capsulitis. I took some anti-inflammatories for a month and an oral steroid for a week. This seemed to help. I went to the Pride parade in Atlanta and met up with Sarah and one of her friends for a fun Sunday. 

With high school friend Sarah at Pride

Adam & I celebrated our 16 year anniversary with a dinner out at Bottles & Bones.

Our marriage can drive now

At the end of the month, I went to North Carolina with Alfonso for a run in the Smokies up to Kuwohi. We picked a perfect fall day and caught the prime part of leaf season.

Leaf season in the Smokies is spectacular

Happy place

Atop Kuwohi, the highest mountain on the AT at 6,643'

For Halloween, I gave out full-sized candy bars and achieved my life's goal when I overheard a kid say to another as they walked up my driveway, “I remember this house from last year, this is the cool house.”

"The cool house"

November

November was busy! I was deep in marathon training and decided to continue my (dumb) streak of a marathon-or-more every month by running one solo on the Greenway.

Post-solo marathon on the Greenway

We had Adam's brother and sister-in-law visit and had friends over that weekend for an impromptu Florida Gators party.

Frank is watching the game. Max and I are not. 

Adam had an appointment at the seating clinic at Shepherd and is now in the process of getting a power chair. Roger came for Thanksgiving and we did the Gobble Wobble 10k that morning.

Gobble Wobble 10k with Roger

Then Adam, Roger, and I went to my dad's for Thanksgiving dinner. I took Roger to Helen, Georgia for German food and a laugh.

A run up Tray Mountain with Roger before a visit to Helen, Georgia

He stayed the entire next week and we went out to a lovely dinner at Bottle and Bones and one with Jared and Cassy at the Gasthaus.

Dinner with Adam and Roger 

Cheersing with our boots at Gasthaus Tirol

December

Adam's dad and brother came to help with Adam while I went to Rehoboth Beach so I saw them briefly before I left. Roger and I flew to Baltimore together and met Angie at the airport. All my road training paid off and I secured a BQ for 2026 by running a 3:28.

Mission complete!

The beer tent was kind of lame this year since they ran out of Dogfish Head.

Post-race beer tent with Jen and Angie

But we still had fun and did most of the traditional things, though no one made it back out after dinner. The following weekend, I finally got to run a 5k with my nephew and the kid's race with my niece. I think I had more fun than the kids!

Sleighbells on the Square 5k with Charlotte and Rhett

Adam wasn't feeling great on his birthday this year so we just hung out at home and ordered dinner in. The following weekend, I did Tray Day a day late with the Rippedtents crew and that evening, I went to my dad's for Christmas part 1.

Alfonso, Hanna, Cassy, Taylor, Aaron, and me before our Tray Day run

On Christmas Eve, Adam and I met Megan, Jeff, Courtney, and kids at Waffle House for our traditional dinner.

We forgot to take a picture inside before we left, oops

And then Christmas part 2 was at my sister's on Christmas Day. Hanukkah started that night so we had a busy few days of celebrations.

On the sixth night

Adam and I were both busy with work the last week of the year, but did host Megan and Frank for a very low-key sofa-surfing New Year's Eve.

As with most years, there were some really high highs and some really low lows. In a year that I went to Antarctica and ran my 10th Boston Marathon, it's hard to say anything negative. But those were highlights. There was a lot of tough stuff too. Losing Grandma. All the complications that MS adds to our lives. Dealing with all the adulting things. As I often say, life be life-ing.

Turning the page to 2025, I can only hope to continue to stay healthy, run some fun races, and travel to some new spots.