2010: Year In Review

2010 brought a number of firsts for me; my first marathon, duathlon, tri-bike. Here's the highlights of the best and worst of the year.

Bottom 5 of 2010:

5) Caroler 5K: 12/18, 21:57. I big step back from where I had been and a fitting end to a less than stellar week of running (see #3).

4) Turkey Trot: Never performing well in this race, I thought I was primed for a great finish. I felt as though I was fully recovered from the Philadelphia Marathon 4 days before, but my body let me know about halfway through that I was still recovering and I had to back off. 38:31 8K.

3) A Scary 18 Miles: 12/16. This seemingly routine long run was anything but, as I struggled against the elements, my body and mind. I came as close to breaking during this run as I had anytime previously.

2) Wilson Duathlon: 7/31. I had been on cloud nine, with the purchase of my bike and discovery of duathlons. I mistakenly thought I could hop right into a race, directly off of vacation, where I ate like crap and didn't do much training. I a race I could have won, I finished a dismal 7th, giving up 4 places in the final run.

1) Prolonged Injury: Primarily due to overtraining, I suffered various leg ailments throughout April and May, limiting my running and ultimately causing me to miss my mileage goals and my first ultra.


Top 5 of 2010:

5) New Bike: I had my eyes on this bike for almost a year and in June I finally got it, a bright shiny new Cervelo P2. It's sleek, fast and dead sexy!

4) 1st Marathon: Virginia Beach, March 21st. Two years ago, I would have never imagined running anything close to this. I trained hard throughout the winter and was hobbled and humbled, but did cross the line. Success!

3) Sub-20 Minute 5K: 11/13, Lindsey's Legacy, 19:46. I felt fantastic coming around the final corner and seeing 19:30 on the clock, knowing that I was going to make it. On to sub-19!!

2) 1st Duathlon: Quakerman 6/27. This was an awesome experience and has created somewhat of a multisport monster. It is also a very humbling experience, the second run is brutal.

1) Weight to 180lbs. Running and biking has been my answer to becoming a "normal" weight again. I had been overweight for years, for no good reason, other than laziness.

Up next, 2011 goals.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead...

With every new year we look back at what we've done and look ahead to what we want to accomplish. I made a huge change and commitment in my life in 2009, running. I had always enjoyed it, I ran a bit in grade school and on and off in my adult life, but never anything like this, until April.

I remember how difficult it was at the beginning to put in 3 miles and now I am routinely peeling off 6 mile runs with relative ease. My body craves getting out for it's daily run. I take great pride in what I've done so far and yet have so many more goals in mind. Before I get to those, let recap my top five runs of the year.

5) 14 Mile Run (12/20/09): After struggling with a 12 mile and 14 mile run in consecutive weeks I had a minor breakthrough by running this 14 mile training run in a 9:31 pace.

4) Chestnut Ridge Challenge (10/31/09): Definitely a tough test of my training to this point. It was a pretty miserable day, but I felt as though I had a great run and really tested my endurance.

3) Muddy Trail Run at Chestnut Ridge (10/23/09): This 6 mile run was anything but ordinary. I bought a pair of trail shoes and immediately tested them at Chestnut Ridge. Ankle deep mud, some rain and hills, a truly enjoyable run, and maybe a future inspiration for some trail races?!?

2) Lindsey's Legacy 5K (11/14/09): This was a year of PR's, mostly because I haven't run much prior to 2009. Each race was a new goal and I was most pleased with this one, 23:00. I'm looking ahead to next year to set this even lower!

1) Rochester Half Marathon (9/13/09): A year ago I would have thought you were crazy if you told me that I'd run in a half marathon. This was definitely the highlight of my running year; racing in my hometown and seeing family members at the finish as excited as me.

Onto 2010 goals:

1) Run a marathon. I have my first in my sights on 3/21 in Virginia Beach. Hopefully this will only be the first of many.

2) Run an ultra. If the marathon goes well, I intend on running at the ultra distance. A logical start to this would be the BPAC 6-Hour Ultra in April. 3.5 mile loop may get boring, but I am very familiar with the area and won't get in too much trouble physically.

3) Get a bike! I'm looking to get a bike this spring and add it to my cross training regiment. If all goes well I may be able to.....

4) Compete in a duathlon (maybe even a tri?!?)

5) Run 1500 miles. Shouldn't be a problem if I stay healthy.

6) Get weight down to 180. Diet will probably be the most helpful here.

7) Run a sub 7 minute mile in 5K. That's a 21:42 5K.

Whew...seems like a lot, but I get more committed and motivated everyday.

Today's run.

Mileage: 4.00
Time/Pace: 37:44/9:26
Avg HR: 151
T/W: 26 (13WC)/ Cloudy

Thanks to all of you out there that read my ramblings and I look forward to chatting with you more and following your successes.