Well y’all, 2015 is quickly coming to a close. We have less than 36 hours until that big sparkly ball will drop in one of my most favorite cities. Have you accomplished your New Years’ resolutions for this year?? If not, there‘s always the next 365-day time period!
Last year, on December 31st 2013, I made the following resolutions:
*Cut back (out!) on sweets – eh, not completely successful!
*Have more patience with the boys – an everyday work in progress!
*Run 1,040 miles – kind of killed this goal!
So, from a resolution perspective, I think it has been a mostly successful year! From a running perspective, I would say even better! As the year comes to an end, it’s time for a fun {mostly!} trip down memory lane!
January began with my Shamrock Training plan nearly 6 weeks underway. We were having unseasonably cold temps & would eventually have the most snowfall this area has seen in years. As I look back at my plan, there was a 13 degree day (01.07.14), which I enjoyed 800m repeats. I vividly recall that day & feeling like such a superwoman for trudging through in such frigid temps! I completed just a single race in January—the Distance Series 10-miler, hosted each year by the Tidewater Striders.
In February, the big deal was hands-down the official launch of my business. On the 20th of February, my website (www.therunningblonde.com) came to fruition & about that same time, my Facebook page. Many more miles were trudged, as well as one more race—the GameDay 10K. This race was extra special to me, as it was the first time I every placed in my age group!
In Hampton Roads, the big road race in the spring is the J&A Racing Shamrock Weekend. On March 16th, I ran my 3rd Shamrock ½ Marathon. The training & hard work paid off—in the form of a 7+ minute PR! Again, this was a single race month. The highlight of that weekend though was watching 4 beautiful ladies cross the finish line of races; races which I happily helped train them to their goals!
April brought my first ever traveling race—the Cherry Blossom 10-miler in DC! Although my January 10-miler wasn’t “raced”, I did manage to take nearly 5 minutes off my time, in about 3 months. I’ll definitely take the PR! The out-of-town race concept, while tough logistically sometimes, is something I definitely look forward to experiencing more in the coming years. Six days after the Cherry Blossom, I ran my 1st 5K of the year, the ODU Big Blue in my hometown of Norfolk, VA.
As May began, I nursed my sore IT-band under the care of an ART specialist. I also looked forward to my husband & I’s 5-year wedding anniversary trip to Antigua—which happened from May 15th – May 20th. Can I go back now?! Aaahhh, dreamy beaches & lazy days. As far as running goes, I did some miles here & there, including the Great Neck 5K on the second day of the month. This is for sure a race that I’ll never forget! Although it was small, for an amazing cause though, I managed to finish as the FIRST female—something I thought for sure at one point would never happen, let alone this early in my running journey. BUT, I’ll take it!!
And then there was June, the lovely summertime had arrived. Beach days. Long nights. Fun with friends. All-in-all, good times! I also turned another year older this month & began to embrace my 30s even more. My single race for the month was the CHKD Run/Walk for the Kids 8K—another race where I trained super hard & earned yet another PR. A year in the making, but I finally broke the 40:00 goal I had set in 2013! I also happily watched 6 lovely women, from my Fit4Mom running club, cross the finish line of that race—all with impressive times & personal stories! The latter half of the month was spent relaxing & recovering, as I prepared for marathon training. The final day of the month brought the initial day of marathon prep!
July, & all of its humidity in the southeast of the U.S.A is fun…. most of the time! Probably most memorable run of this month was my 1st trail race—a half marathon. This race {Seashore Summer Trail Half}, while it logged the most minutes on the race clock for my 13.1 mile distance, it encompassed some GORGEOUS scenery! My other 3 “races” for the month were the Tidewater Striders Summer Series, including: a 4-mile countdown run, a 1-mile relay, & a 5K scholarship race.
The final day of August brought my solo race of the month—the Rock ‘n Roll ½ Marathon. Early in the month, I had rolled my foot during a workout class, so even being able to run the race was nice! That brief “injury” quickly healed & I was able to continue on with my marathon training. The ½ marathon was in my eyes, simply a long run—and I ran it as such. Despite that, it was a course PR, although not a 13.1 distance PR.
As I glance down at my training sheets, next to my September 2nd training run are 3 words: “Hot, Hot, Hot”. Haha! Although I don’t recall the summer being overly awful, there were definitely some sticky, icky days! Two races came in this month—the Larchmont RAT race on the evening of the 19th & the Heart of Ghent 10K the morning of the 20th. That’s right, a 5K & a 10K just over 12 hours apart. Neither was a PR, but both were definitely memorable! I thoroughly enjoyed my 1st Heart of Ghent 10K, as we plowed through the streets of my beloved hometown; a very nostalgic run. And the Larchmont RAT race never disappoints; it’s always a fun, family-friendly event!
As Halloween approached, that only meant one thing for local runners—the Wicked 10K. Exactly 3 weeks prior to my first full marathon, this race occurred on October 25th. If I said I was okay with not PRing at this race, I’d be lying. I had really hoped to beat my February 10K time, but that simply didn’t happen. You “win” some, you “lose” some. But, there is always NEXT time!
Sweet November. And my very first full marathon. A race I certainly will NEVER forget! The Richmond Marathon will always hold a special place in my running heart. After my first 26.2 mile distance, I blissfully took a few days completely off. Eight days after the “big day”, I ran one of the most fun races I’ve ever experienced—the Harbor Lights ½ Marathon. The joy I experienced that day was 100% contributed to pacing a handful of runners to their 2:15:00 finishing goal time. While I ran that race, I smiled the entire time. The elation I felt that day is the same excitement I feel when my clients cross the finish line of their races!
And then there was December. After PRing in every distance I ran throughout the year, I had only ONE goal after my marathon was complete. PR my 5K on the 13th at the Santa Claus Shuffle. Unfortunately, my body had other plans that day & I came up only a couple of seconds short. Bummed was an understatement—but it gives me a goal to shoot for in 2015. I also ran the Christmas Town Dash 8K earlier in the month & had a surprisingly great race! The highlight of that day though was not my fastest 8K time, but instead, it was watching my twin boys run their first race. Proud runner mother moment!!
If you’ve enjoyed my babbling this far, I’m impressed. Twenty Fourteen has been a great year personally, as well as from a running perspective! I made it through another year with my health & happiness. I survived TWO boys, during their TWO year old year. I set PRs in the 1-mile, 8K, 10K, 10-mile, ½ marathon, & marathon. I had the honor to see clients complete their training & be rewarded with smiles at the finish line. It’s been a great one & I can’t wait to see what next year will hold!!
Fun Stats for 2014:
Total Volume: ~1,225 miles (~23.5 miles/week average)
# of Races: 19 {definitely met my goal of 1 race/month!}
Shortest Run: 1-miler during the Summer Series
Longest Run: Richmond Marathon
# of Running Clubs: Two, with a third one currently underway
Most Memorable Race: Richmond Marathon
Most Sought After PR: Successfully breaking through 1:50 in the ½ marathon distance (Shamrock)
As far as resolutions for 2015, I will continue to work on that sweet tooth thing—definitely my eating pitfall! Those cute twin boys of mine are also a work in progress, as is my patience with all their preschool-age antics {I am sure my fellow parents can relate!}. I also resolve to continue being a good wife to my fantastically amazing husband! From a running perspective, my goal mileage will be 1,560 miles (which equates to 30 miles/week, on average). My hope is improve my pace in the shorter distances—specifically the 5K & 10K. I would also love a few new PRs in the longer races, but I realize this is a tall order for the running Gods.
As for races, I hope to tackle a few new ones! My calendar is already starting to fill up with the usual, fun local ones, as well as the Cherry Blossom from last year & new to my running resume will be the Colonial Relay {a 200-miler, completed by a team of awesome mothers!}. Of course, I will enter the NYC Marathon lottery & hope to hit the streets of that colorful city in November!
So how might I go about all this you ask, well, I am going to start by having a coach for myself for the Shamrock ½ Marathon. It has been something I have been considering for quite some time. But with my inability to PR the 5K this month, it was the last straw I needed to get my butt into gear. Although some days I feel like I have hit a plateau, I know that is not truly the case—especially as I type this trip down memory lane & reminisce on all the PRs I have earned this year! I will be keeping my coach & training private for now, as I embark upon a new kind of running journey for myself.
What resolutions have you made for yourself, both personally & in the running realm of things? Are any of your resolutions carried over from the prior year?!
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