Its easy for me to put down what I have accomplished this year by saying things like - it was just a half marathon you've run marathon's before. Or it wasn't your fastest 10 mile race ever but I need to stop and look back at where I was January of 2013 to really appreciate that I am now a runner.
So where was I last January. Yes I had run 2 previous marathons, 2 half marathons, a 10-miler and several 10ks but that was all pre-knee injury and prebaby #2. My baby turned 3 this year and my last race prior to 2013 was the Aramco Houston Half Marathon January 2008. Yes 5 years earlier. I occasionally had run a mile or 2 on the treadmill but that was about it. So on January 12, 2013 I went out for a 2.72 mile run in 36:18 minutes. And I was pushing as hard as I could go. 13.21min/mile and I thought I was doing pretty good.
I plodded on with some undocumented treadmill runs for a few months. I have no idea why I wasted beautiful Houston running weather inside on the treadmill which I hate but finally started to hit the streets outside regularly starting April 30th.
Since April 30th minus a few undocumented treadmill runs I have logged 308.6 miles at an average pace of 12:37 min/mile. Including a 5k, 10 miler, two half marathons an a 10k. I had PR's in my 10k and half marathon distance.
Okay so that really is something I should be proud of.
But there is more to it now. Previously I ran to train for a specific race. I trained for the Rock n' Roll marathon in Phoenix in January 2005 and ran the Rock n' Roll half marathon in Va Beach in 2004 under trained as part of my training. I trained specifically for the NYC Marathon in 2007 after having my first baby to have a very disappointing race well off my expected pace and along the way in my training ran my 10 mile PR and previous 10k PR. I added my last half marathon to the season but fighting off the marathon disappointment and an injury at the race I stopped running after that.
Now I am a runner. Now I will get up and run 13 miles on a cold Saturday morning to run with friends and keep my base fitness up even though I am not registered for a race in the immediate future. Now I will get up and run 10+ miles in the cold windy rain because that is what is scheduled. Now I will take a cold shower at the office shower because I need to get a midweek training run in and the hot water isn't working. Now I find joy in running for running sake.
I don't run because I want to lose weight - if anything I have gained weight as I increased my mileage. I don't run so I can say I ran a marathon. I run for me. I run because I find joy in running. I run because my joints hurt less when I run consistently. I run because I feel more energetic when I run consistently. Somewhere in the last 12 months in the last 308+ miles I have become a runner and I love it.
So about those races. My first race was the Run or Dye 5k in Houston on September 14, 2013. It was hot. It was sticky. It was crowded and I was covered in dye. But I ran it with friends and it was fun. Its untimed but I clocked 32:21 for the race. I doubt the distance was truly 5k though because I really don't think I ran that fast. I got dye under my contact at the first color station. But it was fun. My 7 year old daughter enjoyed watching it and she wants to run it next year. That in itself makes it worth it to me.
My next race was the Katy 10 mile race on September 29th. This was my race for Coral Placement at Disney. It was hot. It was very hot. It was muggy and the few minutes of drizzle were a welcome reprieve from the heat. Given the conditions (did I mention it was hot) I started out way too fast and struggled at the end but finished with 2:00:58 or a 12:06 min/mile. Not a PR in the 10 mile distance but not too shabby either. I learned a few things moving forward and my oldest ran her first 1-mile race.
October brought wet weather to Houston. On a whim I signed up for the Houston Half Marathon on October 27th. It was supposed to be a training run but I ended up running a new half marathon PR in a rain soaked/storm delayed half marathon. I finished at 2:37:47 (12:03 min/mil) and honestly thought I could have gone faster but I pulled up a little in the last 5 miles because I had my big race coming up in 2 weeks.
2 weeks later I ran the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon on November 9th at the Walt Disney World Resort. It was definitely not a PR race at 2:51:27 (13:05 min/mile) but it was a lot of fun. How can running with Mickey Mouse there to cheer you on not be fun.
I finished up November with the Katy YMCA Thanksgiving Turkey Dash 10k and another PR on November 27th. I finished my 10k at 1:06:49. Both my girls ran the 1 mile kids fun race at Thanksgiving. Running is becoming a family affair.
So where does that lead me in 2014. Well I have a great need to run another marathon. I need a redemption race for NYC in 2007. So I am registered for the San Antonio Rock n' Roll Marathon on 12/7/2014. I have a few months before serious training for that race will kick off. Until then I might throw in a half marathon like the Rhythm and Blues 1/2 Marathon in Houston on February 9th, 2014. My oldest wants to run the Run or Dye 5k this year so I will run that with her on May 31st. We'll see how the year shakes out.
But until then I do have my newest toy to train with along with some fun new running clothes. Santa was good to me this year.
Good luck with your fitness goals in 2014!
