Best of 2015

Thursday, 31 December 2015  |  Bullish Insights, Favorite Posts

BostonFinish

“The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours – it is an amazing journey – and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.”
– Bob Moawad

Oh what a journey it has been, 2015! This year was about independence, achievement, strength, and empowerment for me. Such strong words, you say?! After surviving life’s toughest challenges in the past years, 2015 was about pushing forward, rediscovering myself, and learning that, at the end of the day, I’m pretty darned happy with where I am and who I’ve become.

Here’s my best of 2015: (more…)

Boston Marathon: The Race (Part 5)

Thursday, 7 May 2015  |  Race Reports, Travel + Adventure

5Medal

I was at the starting line of Boston Marathon, the most prestigious marathon in the world! And, here I was looking like trash… literally. I was garbed in a cheap plastic poncho with a silver mylar blanket wrapped around my waist as a skirt. I was freezing to death. My entire body was shivering uncontrollably. I held the hood of my poncho down to my forehead to keep the rain from hitting my face. By this time, the rain, as predicted, had begun to pour. Despite the terrible weather conditions, I was still on top of the world trying to soak in (no pun intended) every single minute of this magical experience. (more…)

Boston Marathon: Pre-Race (Part 4)

Thursday, 30 April 2015  |  Race Reports, Travel + Adventure

3SelfieSelfie before leaving my hotel room for Boston Marathon. Check out that nervous fake smile LOL

The night before the race I sat upright in bed staring at the news on TV in disbelief.  The weather for Boston Marathon day was expected to be rainy and windy with temperatures in the 5 to 8 degree range. A reporter declared it was to be a challenging race for Boston runners due to weather conditions, but, at least, most of them had trained in cooler temperatures during winter.  In my mind I screamed “But what about those who trained through extreme summer heat?!”  Despite this, I kept an optimistic attitude as I prepared for the worst. This was Boston Marathon!  Come hell or high water (no pun intended), I was going to have a grand time! (more…)

Boston Marathon: Touring Boston (Part 3)

Wednesday, 29 April 2015  |  Race Reports, Travel + Adventure

SelfieSelfie at the Boston Marathon Finish Line

For those of you who don’t know, my greatest passions—aside from my kiddos, of course—are the following: running, travel, good food, and art. This means that whenever I travel abroad to run a marathon, I must fill my tummy with the best food the city has to offer (although I didn’t get to do much of that on this trip!) and I absolutely can’t go home without paying a visit to the city’s museum (lest you forget I’m a graphic designer when I’m not running LOL!)

With only six-days for the trip, with one day blocked out for the marathon, I essentially had 5 days to tour the city, while also familiarizing myself with pre- and post-race logistics (i.e., learning how to get to the starting line without being late for the race AND learning how to get back to my hotel after the race with as little walking as possible!)   (more…)

Boston Marathon: The Race Expo (Part 2)

Sunday, 26 April 2015  |  Race Reports

GREATESTRUN

I’ve been to quite a number of race expos already, with New York City Marathon’s expo being my all time favorite, but I wasn’t quite prepared for the immensity of Boston Marathon’s expo at John Hynes Convention Center. I was like a little girl lost in a giant candy store… and boy did I love it! (more…)