At the end of every big race – no matter if we felt like we were flying or felt like we were dying – we get to experience that euphoric moment of having a finisher’s medal draped around our neck. It’s not the reason we run of course, but it holds inside it every single emotion from that individual race. Every medal is a reminder, a lesson, a memory from running.

Unlike many people, I don’t display my medals on a hanging rack. In fact, I don’t look at them at all each year … until December. They stay tucked away in the attic, carefully wrapped in tissue paper and housed in my special running spaceship (remember this awesome contraption Brooks sent me when they unveiled their Transcends last Christmas? I found a way to use it!). They come down with the Christmas decorations once a year to adorn their very own medal tree.

We take ornaments very seriously in the rUnladylike household. Every ornament has meaning and memories. Our real, 9-foot Christmas tree in the living room holds a memory from our travels. We buy an ornament every place we go and on all of our many adventures. As we unwrap each ornament from its carefully wrapped box each year, we get to remember and relive all the trips, vacations, weddings, birthdays and special moments from throughout the years that are captured in each unique decoration.

Every race medal holds similar memories and reflections.

I have a little 4-foot Christmas tree (pictured above) that was my first Christmas decoration in the first apartment I ever rented after college. My own place, my own furniture, my own Christmas tree. I’ve never gotten rid of that little fake tree, which has since become much more special. It is now the official race medal Christmas tree.

As I unwrapped each medal from the spaceship on Sunday, a flood of emotions came rushing back at me.

The memory of my first half marathon and marathon. These medals go on the very top of the tree to remind me of when and where it all started.

The memory of the 5 big races I ran this year (new additions to the tree) and all the lessons I learned about myself and running through each race and training cycle during 2014.

The memory of the marathon I ran in honor of my father-in-law, just 4 months after he passed away from lung cancer.

The memory of my mom’s first half marathon and coming back to cross the finish line with her.

The memory of my one and only trail race (yes, the one where I went diarreah in the woods around  mile 4 #unladylike).

The memory of my 2 half iron distance triathlon races (Augusta and Beach2Battleship), and the joy in realizing after those 70.3 miles that the sacrifices were worth it.

The memory of my worst and slowest half marathon, where I felt like death and stopped and walked more times than I’d like to admit. (Those are the races we learn lessons and get stronger for the future).

The memory of my 2 big race PRs from this year in both the half marathon and marathon (they were hung front and center).

With every medal that is unwrapped and hung, sparkly little memories bubble to the surface – family members that came with me, spectators who cheered for me on the course, racecations that included amazing meals and activities and how I felt after each race – triumph, joy, pain, disappointment, victory – all of it.

For 25 days, I’ll remember all the races. I’ll remember the accomplishments from the past year as I think of the year ahead. And then I’ll pack them up – away they go back up into the attic as I chart my own course for 2015.

To read more about using race medals to decorate your tree, check out this post.

Do you use race medals as Christmas tree ornaments? What is your favorite medal you have received so far?