listomania: top 10 fitness events of 2010

My Daily Mile goal at the beginning of 2010 was to participate in at least one community fitness event (organized race, run, or ride) each month of the year. I ended up doing far more than I'd imagined, but here's a countdown of my most memorable ones.

10. Fight For Air Stair Climb - This was a unique event and the first "non-run" I did in 2010. I was super nervous, but ended up being just fine. Plus it was the first medal I received!

9. Miller Park Sausage Run 5k (9:48 pace) - Not my best run, despite the great pace, but I'll never forget the awesomeness of running around the outside track inside the stadium. Super cool!

8. Flood Run (9:42 pace) - Such a great cause and so many wonderful people on this one.

7. Lakefront Discovery Run 15k (10:47 pace) - The race that gave me the confidence to know that I'd be fine at my half marathon.

Photo by Michael Litscher

6. Brown Deer Run 5k (9:09 pace) - Still my most awesome pace for a 5k, but this run is memorable because so many #FitMKE folks there and saw several individuals complete their first 5ks. It was a truly inspiring day.

5. Shamrock Shuffle 5k (10:16 pace) - My first "road trip" race. And awful, killer hills.

4. Harvest Hustle 10k (10:06 pace) - Another road trip race and my first 10k. Ended up building a wonderful northwoods weekend out of the experience and bonding with some good friends. Huge thanks still to the amazing Catherine Emmanuelle for her hospitality in Eau Claire!

3. Miller Lite Ride for the Arts (75 miles) - I managed to raise over $1500 for the United Performing Arts Fund and bike 75 miles without keeling over. Special thanks to all that supported me in this journey and especially to Joe @AJBombers who was gracious enough to allow me a guest bartending gig to fundraise.

2. Samson Stomp (aka My First 5k) (12:18 pace) - The race that started it all. Hard to believe, but I was more nervous for this than I was to run 13.1!

1. Tyranena Half Marathon (aka My First Half Marathon) (10:59 pace) - I tear up a little every time I think about it. Truly one of my greatest accomplishments in life.

Looking forward...

• Can't wait to return to the Samson Stomp on January 16
• Team Mara-Tron is going to tear up the InStep Icebreaker Marathon Relay on January 22
• I'll be running my second half marathon -- The Oakland Running Festival -- on March 27 in Oakland, CA -- at the encouragement of a high school friend. I'm raising money for CALICO, for which she sits on the board. You can donate to my efforts here.

Tyranena Half Marathon Recap

First, all I really have to say is "HOLY CRAP."

Second, "HOLY CRAP I am so glad that I know a billion and ten awesome, incredible people, that would stand outside on a chilly day and cheer all of us across the finish line."

Third, I thought I'd started Couch to 5k around this weekend last year. Turns out it was 11/20/09. So less than a year and I'm running a freaking half marathon. HELLS YEAH. And the really really weird thing -- I think I was more freaked out about my first 5k in January.

I don't have too many words to sum this one up. I cried. I laughed. I smiled, a lot. I cursed. I talked to myself, channeling the Little Blue Engine That Could during the evil mile 12. I have a newfound respect for those who do TWO OF THESE IN A ROW.

My best at a breakdown:

RACE EVE: Thanks to Becky and Tony for “carbing” with me at Via Downer. Delicious. I also stayed up until 10:30 PM creating the “perfect” soundtrack for my big run.

RACE DAY: The day started off great with running into two very wonderful people on my way over to meet the caravan at Tony’s. Especially wonderful to see one of my fellow original Weight Watchers at Work participants driving my bus. What day isn’t awesome when it starts out with a hug from your bus driver?

I’m not going to lie and say there weren’t nerves. I had a very cathartic scream in my apartment before I left. I started freaking out that we were “behind schedule.” I was ancy. I also had to pee. A lot. Properly hydrating is a nuisance.

The car ride (thanks Craig for driving!) up was really fun. Craig, Brooke, Tony, Becky and I saw some craziness (including a lady driving in a leopard print snuggie who also had a leopard print seat cover, as well as a car with the license plate: TOPLES5).

Lake Mills was pretty nutzo when we pulled in at 11 for my 11:30 race. The crew dropped Brooke (who was 4.37ing) and I off to get our packets. I of course had to pee (again) and the line was really really long. Brooke prepped everything while I was in the loo queue and I was in the “corral” with just minutes to spare.

MILEAGE BREAKDOWN (my time above is the official chip time, but I’m using my runmeter splits below)

Mile 01 - Average 9:43 /mile

Started off way too fast. For my next one (ACK!) I need to really work on the consistent pace in training and not get swept up in the excitement and start like it’s a 5k. I do however highly recommend starting a soundtrack with Patti Smith’s “Horses.” Man that really got me into the mindset quickly. Patti Smith is one badass lady and I know am too!

Most of this mile was through the stately Victorian area in Lake Mills. I honestly didn’t pay too much attention though, as I was just focused on the fact that I was here! I do remember thinking when I hit the .5 mile mark: “Okay, 1/26 there!” I also got a ton of encouraging tweets during this first mile, motivating me to keep pushing ahead, people were counting on me!

Moon Duo’s “Motorcycle, I Love You” came on and I sped into Mile 2...

Mile 02 - Average 9:50 /mile

Still keeping that above average pace, I started noticing my surroundings. The lake came into view and I began to appreciate that it truly was a gorgeous autumn day. I began to “pace” with other runners, especially as we moved into the shoulder of the road. As I recall, the first water stop was during this mile, so I allowed myself to “reset” by walking there. The super extended (Patrick Cowley) remix of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” started during this one as well, so I began matching the beat in that to slow down a bit.

Mile 03 - Average 10:21 /mile

Donna carried me into mile three and I was glad to have a steady beat as some hills were added into the mix while we rounded one corner of the lake. I started to get nervous here as I hadn’t looked at the route map (novice mistake) and feared that we’d have to come back this way and we were running down hills nastier than we were heading up. This mile also included the worst hill on the route, just before mile 4. I hate that pit of your stomach feeling as you round a corner and there’s the behemoth staring at you. The good news was, this was the worst one! Yay! AND my song changed just at the base of it to “Rippin Kittin” (not exactly this mix) by Miss Kittin. Hooray for Berlin dance grooves pushing me up the hill.

Mile 04 - Average 10:42 /mile

A couple more inclines as Miss Kittin and the Scissor Sisters “Invisible Light” carried me through this hilly residential area. I believe it was along this stretch where I ran into my friend Rob too. It was cool to spot someone you haven’t seen in years and give them a shoutout and congrats while you’re both huffing and puffing along. I began to appreciate the beauty of the route and the lake along this stretch, getting a little philosophical as Underworld’s “Always Loved a Film” popped on and then laughing as I saw a resident placing our beer for the runners. I opted to pass since it was my first half, but some of my fellow athletes made the stop.

Mile 05 - Average 10:27 /mile

Appropriately Caribou’s “Sun” carried me onto the first “path” part of the route through an open field, bathed in autumn sunshine. I became really grateful that the temps were in the 40s and not the 60s at this point. As I approached the second water stop, I allowed myself to slow down and drink all my water and gatorade.

Mile 06 - Average 11:24 /mile

I started to drag on the country roads here, even with LCD Soundsystem’s “Beat Connection” giving me some push. I had a little heart attack thinking we were going to head up a massive hill, but luckily the route turned and we ended up on a tunnel underneath said hill and on a lovely stretch of bike path. I officially crossed the 10k marker with a 1:05:29. Unfortunately that pace wouldn’t keep up!

Mile 07 - Average 10:52 /mile

Picked up speed a bit here on the path. Shook things up with another psychedelic Moon Duo number, “In the Trees,” the funky jazz of “Unbroken, Unshaven” by The Budos Band and then getting back into the shoegazey dance “Pigeons” by Hundred in the Hands and "Fixed" by Stars. I had started to feel a little leaden before this mile, but was glad to push back on pace. The really cool part of mile 7 was that we ran across a little wooden bridge in the MIDDLE OF THE LAKE! It was breathtaking and cool, although really windy. Definitely a unique highlight of the race.

Mile 08 - Average 11:09 /mile

My slowdown here was not due to fatigue, but TRAFFIC. I was beginning to feel good again, and excited that I just had an easy 5 miles left. After a little warm up of Unkle’s “The Answer,” around 8.5 “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House” by LCD Soundsystem came on and I charged past several runners, practically bouncing down the path, only to hit a traffic jam. I am not sure how long we were stopped, but I’d say about 90 seconds. On one hand, it could’ve been beneficial, as it let me recharge. However, I’m definitely wondering what would’ve happened had I kept pushing, especially since I was in “recharge” mode. I totally understand that they had to move traffic along the main street, but I wonder if there is a standard “stop time” for runners. There was probably a pack of 10-15 people held back.


Mile 09 - Average 10:33 /mile

The timing worked out okay for actual Daft Punk’s new song “Derezzed” (clever how I did that one!) to carry me into the start of mile 9 and keep up a fantastic pace and then Maserati’s “We Got the System to Fight the System” and another Budos Band song “The Rite of the Ancients” propelled me toward the last water stop and the last three miles. This worked out well because my shoe came untied right before the stop. I also took my first ever gel here. Raspberry Cream. It tasted like cough medicine.


Mile 10 - Average 10:35 /mile

I cannot tell you how excited I was to hit the Mile 10 marker. I was now at the FARTHEST DISTANCE EVER RUN BY MEGHAN ARNOLD. I wanted to scream and shout to the world. This was kind of a dead end street in an industrial area, but I imagined highfiving like a billion people at this point. Okay, maybe the gel caused hallucinations :). I also was smiling at my soundtrack decision here of Tom Tom Club’s “Wording Rappinghood.” For those unfamiliar with this classic proto-hip-hop jam, the repeat verbal beat is “don’t stop! don’t stop!” and that chorus did wonders for me mentally, especially as I kept up a great pace in this stretch. I felt great to conquer that last 5k. I laughed as “Hot Mess” by Chromeo came on, added after my friend Kara recommended putting that band on the list, and reminded me not to “poo myself.” I also think it was on this mile when I saw a road called “American Way” and laughed again.

Mile 11 - Average 10:56 /mile

Well unfortunately, the euphoria of crossing Mile 10 didn’t magically coast me through. Mile 11 started my descent into madness. The usually uplifting “Dust Devil” by School of Seven Bells failed to motivate, nor did a remix of Florence & The Machine’s “The Dog Days Are Over.” In fact, the last made me tear up a bit and wonder “is this damn race over?” Probably didn’t help that we were running through subdivisions and industrial parks at this point.

Mile 12 - Average 11:44 /mile

Mile 12 was an evil bitch. I hate Mile 12. Mile 12 can suck it and die. Florence gave way to Karen O. and a remix of “Heads Will Roll” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I knew I was almost there, but I was crying and limping. My hip was killing. People around me were all walking. But I was determined to KEEP RUNNING. I started channeling The Little Engine That Could and out loud saying “I Think I Can, I Think I Can.” I kinda didn’t care if my fellow runners thought I was crazy or not. It worked. I kept running. I did it. I didn’t stop at all. And I was rewarded at mile 12.5. Lady Gaga and Beyonce pushed me forward with “Telephone.” And yes, after talking to myself already, I began to sing along. I also knew this was the section of my soundtrack that I’d purposely added cheesy pop music. I smiled, hope returned as Snoop said the magical words “Greetings loved ones, let’s take a journey.”

Mile 13 - Average 11:32 /mile


With Katy Perry’s horribly sugary and obnoxious “California Gurls” I rounded the corner toward the marker for mile 13. ALMOST THERE. And there they were! Becky, Tony, Craig and Brooke. And @sawaboof. All on the corner. They had a sign, AND IT HAD MY NAME ON IT!!!!!!!!! I felt so loved. My smile was HUGE. I was almost there and I had a posse. I was thrilled to see Brooke there too! She’d finished her 4.37 race already. Yay! She and Craig had both tweeted me in those later miles too. Brooke’s came through during evil mile 12 and said “Fuck yeah, Meghan! Can't wait to see you! So close!” I’d needed that push and now I got to see my friends. But still had that .1 to go! And it was a bit chaotic. People were milling about, so it wasn’t quite clear where to go, but I just moved forward. In a world of hurt, happiness, and bubblegum pop. And then I saw another group of people. Right by the finish line. Jumping up and down. “Oh, how nice!” I thought at the kind souls. Then I realized they were screaming MY NAME and yelling for ME. It was the #FitMKE / Daily Mile gang! Anne, Tracey, Amy, Sarah S., Rochelle, and Stacy S. I coasted across the finish line on a wave of love! So incredible.

(I also noted the irony that I’d started to Patti Smith and ended to Katy Perry.)

Post-Race

I got my food, water, solar blanket, and MEDAL. I hugged a lot of people. I cried. I got my photo taken. I cheered for Marty & Augie to finish. I sang “Don’t Stop Believing” with Brooke. I drank BEER. I ate tasty, meaty lasagna.

I tried to embed it all in my mind. I never want to forget it.

How to Survive 75 Miles, Or the Miller Lite Ride 2010

Cross-posted from Daily Mile/Facebook/Twitter:

My body hates me right now. I can't post much as I am possibly going to keel over at any moment. But I have to just give a huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated money to my ride (over $1500 raised) or even just gave me encouragement in person, on Twitter or on Facebook. My friends and family totally rule. Honestly, there were some re...ally hard moments today. This is the longest I've ever cycled in my LIFE. But the thought of all the people that believed in me kept me focused and motivated. I have to thank add a special shout out to the #fitmke crew without whom there's NO WAY I could've done this. Without you guys I would not be MUCH lighter than last year, when 50 miles was the maximum I could push. I would not be in the best physical shape of my life without having connected with all of you. I have to thank my FUEL Milwaukee team this year: Maggie, Randy, Robin, Gary, Jeff & Lynn. And especially the latter two who waited at the finish line to cheer me on as I crossed. I may feel beat physically, but I'm just so grateful for the support and encouragement I want to give the world a hug. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

It took five and half hours.

Also, with running mixed in, my Daily Mile summary for the week is 89 MILES. You don't even know how incredible this is for me. I don't think I've ever done anything that physical in my LIFE.

Mileage Monday

I'm using Mondays to keep you all posted on how my training is going. I'll be reposting some stuff from Daily Mile so if you follow me there, you can probably skip these posts.

As I mentioned last week, I'm trying to really intently train for the ride this year, so no skimping on workouts. Here's two of my biggest accomplishments from last week:

Sunday - 54.1 miles (biking) - Well I didn't really mean to end up in Cedarburg...

Picked up my road bike yesterday and had planned to take it for a 25 mile spin today. I was especially nervous as I got pedal clips for the first time and am terrified of falling. The guy at the shop yesterday said to take 2-3 days to get used to them, but that wasn't going to jive with my schedule. I practiced quite a bit in Juneau Park, going from tree to tree yesterday, and felt fairly confident when I started this morning.

To my surprise, I think I have the move down! And wow, it really does make a difference in your ride.

I was also a little nervous going back out there after so many months of running and just casually biking. But really, this was like going back to an old friend. We picked right back up again where we left off. And this time I had the strength to keep pushing and explore whole new territory.

My goal last year was to find the Interurban Trail, and today I finally did. I couldn't stop then and pushed myself about 11 miles up it until I hit downtown Grafton and thought that I should probably turn around and head back (all I was running on was a strawberry rhubarb muffin). The weather, the sights, the smells, they all were just too nice to NOT be out there all day.

Honestly, one of my favorite parts of biking is watching the scenery change. On nice days, I love watching people in different areas of the region take it all in. I especially love that the people in the poorest neighborhoods always seem to be having the most fun and enjoying life, while in the richest area there's nary a soul to be seen. I love watching the cultural shifts from perfectly coiffed white children playing soccer on their manicured facility in Cedarburg to Latino families playing a pickup game of the same sport in a Milwaukee County Park to African-American kids playing hoops on school court in Riverwest. Just getting to be a silent passerby whizzing through the socioeconomic fabric of Milwaukee, well it's one of the coolest parts of being on two wheels.

That and the very cool part of the ominous clouds holding off for my entire ride. I look forward to my next adventure!

Saturday - Rock N Run - Mile Pace of 8:53

Not my best run mentally, even though I did fine physically. Really confusing set up and apparently the organizers were unaware of the lacrosse game going on at Hart Park, so the whole route had to be changed and we lost .7 of the 3k. It was hot, I have blisters and my allergies were in full effect. At least I had a group of great friends to go with and we had a super fun day afterward. Plus the proceeds all went to United Way & UPAF.

Total mileage for last week: 60.04
Total workouts: 6

You can continue to push me by clicking the link to donate online here.

Or make me hustle more and attend this event on Friday, May 7, 2010 • 5:30 PM to 9 PM - Guest Bartending for the Arts @ AJ Bombers

Training for the Arts

As I mentioned in this post, I'm really taking training seriously this year. I want to kick 75 miles in the butt. I appreciate the donations thus far (Tuesdays are going to be my "thank you" days, so stay tuned folks) because they literally got me out of bed this morning.

As I posted on Daily Mile, I did NOT want to get up at 5:30 AM to go to the gym. But spin class is on the calendar as a necessary activity for this endeavor. So I went. It was really difficult, but I went. And it was great. And got me through my day. So thanks everyone for keeping me motivated.

Tomorrow my "training" activity is the e Rock N' Run in Tosa, which actually has proceeds going to UPAF, so two birds, one stone.

Of course, you can always donate online here.

Or attend on  Friday, May 7, 2010 • 5:30 PM to 9 PM - Guest Bartending for the Arts @ AJ Bombers

It's On: $38/day in 38 Days

The recent failed (for now) battle for transit may have distracted me, but never fail, even though I'm disheartened, I can't eschew my fundraising committment to the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts. While transit is a passion, so is biking and the arts, and funding for them is important to this community as well.

Time has flown though, and today I realized that there's just 38 days left until the big ride and I need to ramp up both my fundraising and my physical training.

In case you forgot, you can donate online here.

I'm still a huge believer in quantity over quality for fundraising because I think that everyone should feel good about donating, even if it's just $5. Of course, I'll be creatively adding incentives to entice those larger donations over the next 38 days.

So here's what's on the horizon:

FUN-draising Events & Challenges

Friday, May 7, 2010 • 5:30 PM to 9 PM
Guest Bartending for the Arts @ AJ Bombers
Belly up to the bar during happy hour and get served by yours truly. Make me earn my tips toward the United Performing Arts Fund. The universe has actually conspired to make this a truly awesome night. Here's three reasons why the night will rock:

1.  AJ Bombers will be visited by the film crew of Food Wars on the Travel Channel next week. They probably won't be there while I am, but the aura of basic cable fame will still be lingering.
2. My dear old dad will be flying in from Portland for the occasion (well actually he was just going to be in the neighborhood for work, so he'll be stopping by).
3. The Milwaukee County Transit System kicks off its 150th Anniversary Celebration that day with free rides on the Route 15...which...you guessed it...goes right by AJ Bombers!

Week of May 16
Kisses for the Arts - More info coming soon, but the plan is for every $1 I get this week I will either eat a Hershey's Kiss (will be working them off in training) or kiss the donor. This could get interesting. Mark your calendars kiddos.

Week of May 23
To Be Announced - I'm "cooking" up a pretty cool idea on Twitter. I'll keep you posted as to what develops.

Week of May 30
Rocking for the Arts - Need to flesh this out, but Verge Music Festival is that weekend, so there will be some sort of challenge!

Training Plans:
I'm going to ramp up some intensive cross-training so my body will be ready to take on these 75 miles. I'm also doing both the Rock N' Run (Proceeds going to UPAF) and the Block Melanoma 5k before the ride as well. I am going to start the Bridge to 10k running program and get a lengthy bike training ride in every weekend between now and the ride.

Care to join me on a training ride? Mark your calendars for May 2 (25 miles), May 9 (35 miles), May 15 (45 miles), May 22 (55 miles) or (possibly) May 29 (65 miles).

Sound like fun? Keep watching the blog for more updates. And don't forget, you can donate online here.

weekend plans? stop by the bike expo

Yes, I'm running with the bike theme this month here at the Accidental Wisconsinite.

Today I'm pretty excited to go volunteer at the Wheel & Sprocket Bike Expo from 1-4 p.m. for the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin. I also plan to peruse the accessories and at the very least get some new bike shorts since my XLs aren't going to fit any more!

Stop by the BFW booth (back by the service center) to learn about joining an organization that does incredible work for bike advocacy in the state. And for just $25 it's a steal to join! You can also visit booths for dozens of non-profits and charity rides. Including the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts.

Of course, if you can't make it today and want to get a headstart on supporting me in that ride, you can do so by donating online here.

milwaukee props: milwaukee a top biking city!

OnMilwaukee.com reported today that our very own Milwaukee was ranked in the top 25 bike-friendly cities by Bicycling magazine.

This warms my heart on this dreary day (of course my perma-gray hometown of Portland is #2 on the list), as it shows that there really is a growing biking community out there on the roads of Milwaukee.

It also has inspired me to BYOB (bring your own bike) to the FUEL Milwaukee Healthy & Green Team's meet up tomorrow at the Urban Ecology Center. We're going to learn about this great sustainability-focused non-profit, which is one of the many puzzle pieces to getting people active and biking in the community.

And as always, don't forget I've begun my fundraising quest for the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts. Want to get a headstart on supporting me? You can do so by donating online here.

video: why i ride

I had the opportunity to meet with the folks at the United Performing Arts Fund the other day and they created this little clip to tell the world "Why I Ride" in the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts.




Want to get a headstart on supporting me? You can do so by donating online here.

Want to join my team? Click register at the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts homepage and select "FUEL Milwaukee" from the menu. Password is "fuel2010".

it's that time of year...

You may notice the "new look" of the Accidental Wisconsinite. You may also notice that I have a new blog up. :)

I actually intend to do quite a bit of blogging over the next couple of months, because it's that time of year again...time for me to launch my annual fundraising campaign for the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts.

This year I'm going ALL OUT. Because of my recent fitness success, I'm pushing myself to the max and taking on the 75 mile route. Keeping with my $20/mile tactic, that raises my fundraising goal to $1500.

I am committing to blogging about my ride training and my ride motivation (performing arts) at least three times a week between now and June 6. Attending two fantastic performances at the Milwaukee Rep and the Milwaukee Ballet in the past week reaffirmed my dedication to this important cause.

Also, please mark your calendars for the evening of Friday, May 7. I've arranged with the fine folks over at AJ Bombers to guest bartend that night to support the ride. Come enjoy a delicious burger and let me serve ya up something to wash it down with!

Want to get a headstart on supporting me? You can do so by donating online here.

Want to join my team? Click register at the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts homepage and select "FUEL Milwaukee" from the menu. Password is "fuel2010".

Thanks in advance for your support in my efforts this year!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I still suck at posting, but my St. Patrick's Day plans involve going to Paddy's Pub tomorrow from about 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Weather should be nice so join us out on the patio!

And to remind you of why I'm not sitting home blogging incessantly....here's a picture of my last St. Pat's pre-celebration:

And mine this year:

February Fitness Pays Off!

I totally sucked at blogging this week. And you're not getting make up blogs. I think you will live.

A couple people have asked for fitness updates, so here goes...

Becky and I continued our 5k a month challenge, completing the Frostbite 5k in Nashotah Saturday (don't we look hot post-run?). We met up with several #fitmke folks -- Anne, Tracey, Sarah, Rochelle and Julie. They all did incredible, with Anne and Rochelle both earning bronze medals for their class!

I set a PR for myself, finishing the very hilly course in a speedy 31:20! Considering I did my first race last month just over 38 minutes, I would have been happy with 35. Needless to say, I'm thrilled.

Next up: The Madison Shamrock Shuffle on March 14

In just 20 days I'll be doing the Fight for Air Climb, also with Becky. I owe a huge shout out to my wonderful Twitter friends who generously put me over my $100 fundraising requirement in less than 24 hours. Thanks so much Nick, Derek, Sara S., Karen, Anne, and my awesome #fitmke partner Amy!! If the American Lung Association of Wisconsin is an important cause to you, please feel free to donate as well, but know that I'll be doing another big campaign for the Miller Lite for the Arts in the coming months. I've got some exciting news about that too!

I have had some friends who I don't see often start wondering why all my posts are about fitness/diet/etc. Well, hopefully they are beginning to understand that it's a huge part of my life now...and if I ignore it, HUGE will take over my life again. I can't ever let that happen. I know I can be thin....if I work at it.

I could not have been more excited to jump around Boutique Vieux et Nouveau yesterday in the above dress. It was a size 8!!! An 8!!!!! I started this thing in a high 16. Dude, I'm proud of myself. I am so happy because I don't know the last time I felt I earned something with so much hard work. Plus, I actually like who I am now. I feel like I smile all the time. Why? Because this was me just last August:

And again, me now...