WELCOME TO MEDALS & TIARAS
I am so excited to welcome you all to the new Medals & Tiaras website! Here you will find fresh content related to some of my favorite topics: fitness, lifestyle, and bounding.
In 2019, I started a blog and Instagram page, @MedalsandTiaras, to connect with fellow runners and runDisney enthusiasts, and
to stay accountable to my training schedule. All of this was tied to my journey to the 2020 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, where I completed the Dopey Challenge! Little did I know at the time, but through my blog and insta I was able to connect with thousands of incredible runners (and nonrunners) who have each left an indelible imprint on my life. While I’m certainly not a certified coach/trainer/dietian, I hope Medals & Tiaras can inspire someone to take the first step in their fitness journey or to push through during tough times.
Let’s use this as a platform to encourage others, share what gets us through, and collect some sparkly things along the way!
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME
My name is Jerica and I was born and raised in Orlando, FL. I grew up with the sounds of Disney World fireworks in my backyard and the screams from Universal Studios’ rollercoasters echoed through my high school hallways. The university I attended, the University of Central Florida, was designed to mimic Epcot. Needless to say, Disney and other theme parks run deep through my veins.
While Disney comes natural to me, running most certainly did not. Until the age of 23, I was a ‘no distance’ runner with ‘Run a Marathon!’ on my bucket list. I always figured I would get there someday, but it wasn’t until my mother started running that I felt like this was something I could do too. After signing up for my first race in 2013, The Color Run 5K, I was hooked. I loved the feeling of accomplishment, the medal, the sweat/sparkle. After The Color Run, I signed up for many more 5k’s and 10k’s including the Run 10 Feed 10 race in NYC, a Harry Potter 5k (which my husband won!), Ugly Christmas Sweater races and the list goes on. Fast forward 7 years and I am so proud to have added hundreds of race miles and to have finally checked that “Run a Marathon” bucket list item!
So while its fun to look back, I try to stay focused on what’s currently in front of me. As a runner, you have good days and bad days, and I’ve found that it can be self-defeating to compare your current state to times long ago (even if you’re progressing). I look back only to take the hand of another runner (or someone who thinks they’re NOT a runner) to help bring them forward. Through Medals & Tiaras I share the strategies I used to go from 0-48.6miles and still live to tell the tale. I cringe at salesy posts, but I also love sharing my favorite products and what I ACTUALLY USE in real life. My passion for sharing products has led to some brands sending me free stuff (woo hoo!) but you can trust that my reviews are honest and real. I’d also never post about something that I wouldn’t buy, try, or use in real life.
LETS DO THIS!
Putting together this website has reminded me of how lucky I am to have found my passion and to have found such an incredibly supportive community along with it. Please feel free to reach out at any time – if you have questions, have a blog post suggestion, or want to learn more about something I post – just shoot me a message below or DM me on Insta!