I’ve been a bit of a lazy bones so far this week. Of course, I had the Christmas festivities on Monday/Tuesday, but starting on Wednesday, I basically became a sloth – lying in bed, catching up on email/blog stuff, catching up on TV, and reading a bit too. Thank goodness for Mr. Ray at Pedal NYC – he whipped me into shape!
My arms were insanely sore all day yesterday, so I used that as an excuse to continue being lazy and not accomplishing much. Today, though, it was time for me to get my act together. After all, one of the best things about vacation is getting to finally be at home and get things done around the apartment!
The biggest thing on my to do list at the moment is something that’s been on there since mid-July, if you can believe it. My mom gave me a gorgeous silver wall holder for all my medals, but because I didn’t have an electric drill, I haven’t been able to put it up. This was a big bummer for me, particularly after reading so many goal-setting books and articles that emphasize how important it is to celebrate your accomplishments and boost your self-esteem with reminders of what you’ve done.
But today, my best friend came through for me – bringing over a drill and an extra pair of hands to put the medal display up. As for the final result? I AM THRILLED!
The sturdy silver holder, from Allied Medal Displays, has indeed managed to fit all 51 (that’s 50 states + DC) of the medals I collected as I ran around the country from 2008-2010. And it seriously looks stunning! I am so happy to have such a nice way to display my accomplishments, and so grateful to my mom for this wonderful gift.
Random aside: while hanging the medals, I discovered that East Coast states tend to give ribbons that are red/orange/yellow/black, while West Coast states tend to do blue/green/black. More mellow out there? I guess so.
Now, the only question I have left – what should I do with the rest of my medals? This holder is currently only displaying the 51 medals I got when I did each state for the first time. However, there are a few states that I ran multiple times, and I’ve now also been going to some cool non-state destinations for races (Bermuda, Bahamas, Jamaica, Canada) – so I have about thirty more marathon medals (plus some random half marathon/10k/5k/etc medals that I’m not as concerned about displaying). But at the moment, those tokens of marathon pride that I worked so hard for are currently living in a pile in an Athleta shopping bag. Oops.
How do you display your medals? Any tips?
Great display!!
I recently picked up several vintage picture frames that are 36×24″ or bigger. After I paint them funky complementing colors, I’m tacking fabric to the back and using jute rope to make “clotheslines” 3 rows deep. I painted tiny clothespins to clip the medals to the “clotheslines” in colors that compliment the decor of the room. I’ll post pics when I’m done and drop you a line.
You’re looking really great Laura, I’m so proud of how far you’ve come! Let’s catch up soon and figure out some Dallas time!
My medals are all on hangers in a closet. Two years ago, my sisters covertly took photos of one medal from each state and gave me an album for Christmas. I’ve been meaning to take pictures of all of them (plus awards) and create an album on Facebook, but so far I haven’t got around to it.
Dave (MM 2629)
Che – I’ll send you an email and we should definitely make plans!
Dave, that is a really nice idea to photograph them and put them into an album. I would love to have digital pictures of each one, especially when I’m traveling!
You SHOULD be celebrating your incredible accomplishments! That gift from your mom is absolutely amazing. I love it! You definitely need another medal display for all of your other medals. You continue to inspire me my friend! Here’s to many more in 2013!!!
Aww, thanks Beth! Can’t wait to run with you and catch up on Monday 🙂