QC's 2025 Recap: The Year of Making My Own Luck

January 

January started off with a Hike Inn loop on New Year's Day with a few of my running buddies. The following weekend, we did a 27 mile loop on the BMT/AT as my last long trail run before Rocky Raccoon. The weather was perfect, but I was still battling some toe pain.

It snowed the following weekend so I was trapped inside for my 20 miler on the treadmill. Ugh. 

The snow cleared enough on the roads the following weekend, but it was still on the trails and we got to slipslide through the woods.

I finally turned the corner on my fitness and toe pain at the end of the month and flew out to Texas with Casey as my crew chief, whose sole job was to tell me, “you look pretty and you're running fast” every loop (which she did without even rolling her eyes because she's amazing like that).

February 

Rocky Raccoon wasn't as fast as 2023's version, but it was way more fun because I ended up running 70 miles with Johana. We finished hand in hand in 22 hours and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect return to this event. 

I spent the following weeks hiking and walking and getting lots of rest. 

Adam finally got his prescribed power chair delivered which became life-changing to maneuver around the bottom floor of our house. We're currently working on getting a vehicle that will accommodate it and that will be even better as it will allow him to return to doing more social things in the world.

March

I decided at the very last minute to sign up for the Atlanta Marathon for fun. Partially to keep my streak of a marathon or ultra distances run each month alive, but also because it had been a few years since I'd run it. It was a cold day and I forgot how hilly it was, but still had a blast doing the thing I love. 

Adam and I celebrated our 17th year in our house with our traditional Mellow Mushroom dinner on our wedding china.

Cassy and I did a monster run on the AT at the end of the month and talked nonstop for our entire drive and run.

Gael, Sarah, and I hung out for our annual Aries brunch while fervently avoiding talks of the age of our friendship.

April

Sara came to town and Adam and I joined her for a late dinner one evening. It's always fun to talk baseball with her. 

I celebrated my 43rd birthday with Adam's cousin and her family who were in town doing college visits from Los Angeles (though failed to take a photo). I tried to put in a good word for my own experience at Emory in hopes we'd get to see the family a bit more. 

Then I was off to Boston to run my 11th marathon there. I went solo this year which was super weird, but also nice to just worry about myself and hole up in my hotel room, gorging on carbs. I met up with a few friends, made a few new ones, and managed to have another magical race. 

At the end of the month, since Cassy was out of town for work, Jared and I went to go see Rufus together on his birthday. It was an amazing show!

May

At the beginning of the month, I headed to Key West for a reward trip for work. The highlight was a deep sea fishing day in which we caught tons of snapper, grouper, mahi-mahi, tuna, and even a couple of sharks! I tried all the key lime pies, went for a few sunrise runs, and visited a few of the touristy spots like the Hemingway house. 

My sister celebrated her 40th birthday and the whole family went out for fancy steak dinner.

At the end of the month, Roger came to town to run part of SCAR with me in NC/TN while Casey provided the most amazing crewing. It was a bucket list run for me and though it was incredibly hard, it was also really rewarding to see this one through fruition finally. Also, I adore any time I get to spend in the Smokies. 

June

I got right back to it after SCAR with just a few days off, but really just by way of a lot of very long and verty runs. I hit Yonah, a Brasstown triple, a midday AT run from Neel's Gap, and a Bloody Coosa. All of this was also to test carrying my enormous pack that was required for Eiger and moving over mountains for a long period of time. 

Other highlights included beginning a mentor program at work, going to a Zach Top/Dierks Bentley concert, and picking thousands of blueberries from my yard.

July

Alfonso and I pushed for Ainsley's Angels for the local 4th of July 5k. Adam and I hosted our annual event that evening and my sister's family made it there despite having flown from the UK that morning. 

And then in mid-July, it was time for the big event! Megan H. and Adam's brother and dad came to help with Adam and the puppies while I went gallivanting around Europe for 2 weeks. Megan L. and I met up with Roger in Switzerland to run Eiger 250. Unfortunately, Roger had to drop about 50 miles into the course, but Megan and I were able to successfully finish the ~177 miles in 86 hours. It was the hardest physical thing I've ever done and the most beautiful. I'm not sure if it's uncouth to say you're proud of yourself, but I sure was. 

The 3 of us went on a massive road trip after the race, traveling through Luxembourg, Belgium, and France. We wandered cobblestone streets in Luxembourg city, ate mussels in Brussels, found ourselves in a music festival in Ghent, put our feet in the Atlantic in Dunkirk, toasted champagne atop the Eiffel Tower, ate a croissant the size of my head, and thoroughly exhausted our livers. 

August

Back home and still exhausted, I clawed my way back to some semblance of running. Because, well, I was headed back to Europe the following month to run the Berlin Marathon! 

We had our builder-grade shower door replaced so it was easier for Adam to get in and out of and replaced a few toilets for taller versions for the same reason. We also had a few trees in our yard professionally trimmed and a couple of evergreens removed. 

Our oldest Boston Terrier, Riley, developed a fast-growing tumor on the side of her face and I spent every other week taking her to the vet, keeping her as comfortable as we could. 

September 

Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to our sweetest girl early in the month. I've owned dogs most of my life and it never gets easier. We hope she's resting easy on a fuzzy pillow on the other side of the rainbow bridge.

I crashed Jared and Cassy's anniversary by going to Nine Inch Nails with them. We were in the first row of seats behind the pit - 15 year old me would be stoked to know this would happen in our lifetime.

At mid-month, I flew back over the pond to Berlin for a very whirlwind marathon major trip. I spent an afternoon in Poland on Friday, ran the 5k on Saturday, and squeaked out a BQ at the (very hot) marathon on Sunday. I soaked in a little history and culture, ate in funky little cafes, and became an expert train rider. 

October

I volunteered at the Bull Mountain Epic and spent a few hours in the woods slinging Coke and PBJs at runners. It's been harder for me to volunteer more recently, but this one's timing worked out! Jared and I ran Woody to Blood Mountain, one of my favorite routes on a spectacular fall day. 

Early in the month, my sister, her husband, Adam, and I went out for Thai food and saw Latrez Anderson, a comedian. 

Adam and I went to Frankie's, a nearby steakhouse for our 17th anniversary and tested out a new portable power chair. Nothing like trying to figure out how to maneuver and lift a power chair in a dress and heels.

At the end of the month, I ran the Spinx Marathon in Greenville for fun. I dressed like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and got lots of cheers along the way. My friend Matt PR'd and came in 1st place masters!

For Halloween, I continued my full-size candy bar tradition. We had 146 trick-or-treaters this year!

November 

With Adam's new chair, we went out and enjoyed some fall colors along the Greenway one really nice afternoon and had beers at Cherry Street.

Alfonso and I ran at Tallulah Gorge and raced the Dashing with the Glow 5k for Ainsley's Angels at Lake Lanier. It was a very fun race where lots of people (including us) wore festive holiday gear and we all got a first look at the lights on the lake. 

Sarah, Gael, and I got together for another Aries brunch. I guess this one was for our half-birthdays. We finally got to see the northern lights which was really incredible to see with the naked eye. 

Alfonso and I ran the worst trail of our lives in Western North Carolina and spent the better part of 27 miles having our legs shredded by overgrowth. 

At the end of the month, Roger came to town for Thanksgiving. I ran the Gobble Wobble 5k on Thanksgiving morning and then hosted a very small dinner for Roger, Adam, my dad, and stepmom. Even though I love to cook, all I had to make was the mashed potatoes and whipped cream. Work was particularly busy the month of November for me so I was grateful for a very easy to-do list that week!

Roger and I ran a few times together over the next week and hung out until it was time to go to Rehoboth.

December 

Roger and I flew up together and landed in a snowy Baltimore. Thankfully, it wasn't sticking because this southerner is not cut out for driving in that. We met up with Angie and made our way to the Rehoboth. There was Dogfish Head, family dinner, running, the beer tent, and the Purple Parrot. But minimal shenanigans since we were “home” by 10pm Saturday.

I dropped Roger and Angie off at BWI and then made my way to New Jersey for a few days there and New York for work. I felt like I was running on fumes when I finally made it home that week. 

But no rest for the weary because that Saturday I ran a 5k with my 10 year old nephew and a 1k with my 7 year old niece. My nephew plays travel soccer and this might be the last year I can run with him!

We hosted a family Christmas dinner at our house that Sunday and would later find out it was a little bittersweet because my brother and his wife are moving to Maryland early next year. I've always said my family keeps me in Atlanta so it'll be weird to not live close. There were a few years in our teens/20s that we were at college and living in different cities, but the siblings have all been in Atlanta since 2007. 

We had our traditional Christmas Eve at Waffle House with dear friends and went to my sister's house for Christmas Day.

I spent the last few days of the year either working or sumitting Georgia mountains, reflecting fondly on another jam-packed adventure around the sun.