Foto Friday

So, Marlene had a great idea to showcase our running medals: She posted pics of where she keeps her race medals and then pointed out a few favorites and then challenged her readers to do the same. I thought it was a fun idea, so I went ahead and took some pics of the bits of bling I've earned from running. To begin with, here is where I keep them: On a hook on the office wall. Jerry and I have talked about, maybe, creating a special place for them or at least buying a shadow box for the special ones, but so far, no action has been taken to draw more attention to them or make them seem more significant.

They look shinier in a jumbled pile, anyway, don't they? There are 12 of them here.

A few favorites are from Miami and A1A. A1A is probably my favorite HM and this year's medal, which opened, was pretty dang cool. And for Miami? Well, who doesn't love the "spinning palm" design?

But, my absolute favorites are those from Disney's series of events: I have the Marathon, Princess HM, Race to the Taste 10K, and Women Run the World 15K.

I think that, ultimately, it'd be fun to earn all of the medals in Disney's endurance series, but I'm a long way from even considering Goofy (but, that does total 3 medals!).

Lastly, there is a significant medal that is missing from this pile: 2007 Chicago Marathon. Which I trained for and DNF'd. For those who recall, the 2007 Chicago Marathon was cancelled in the middle of the race because of dangerous heat and not enough liquids on the course. Afterward, the RDs offered all of us, who had failed to finish, a medal and they called it a medal for the Chicago "Fun Run." Bah. I did not take it. That race was not fun, and I didn't want a medal for something I had failed at.

Runners' race medals symbolize the hard work and dedication it takes to train for and complete a race; to have Chicago offer runners that "fake" medal was insulting. Anyway, its absence is important to me, and I think it deserves noting here since medals are a tangible representation of what we earned, and I believe it's valuable for me as a runner to think about those instances where I have not enjoyed success. In some ways, the missing medals from my wall are just as significant as these beautiful shiny ones.

If you haven't already followed along with Marlene's Medal Mania (that's my wording, not hers, but don't you think I am clever, now?), go ahead and post some pics of your race bling, give some highlights of your favorites, and tell us a little about your Precious!