Apparently, the Crafty Jogger TAGGED me awhile ago, and I am just now caught up with her lovely blog, and discovered that I am IT! So, I decided to turn this post into a little bit of a year-in-review post (bear with me, my mother will love it!) and answer the game questions. Late is better than never, right?
Now for a little more about me…
What are you most proud of accomplishing in 2010?
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| Duane & Me, Emerald City Half |
In running? I ran 3 half marathons this year! I achieved two PRs, which I am particularly happy about. I ran the Emerald City Half Marathon in September with my MIT Pace Coach, Duane, and I finished in less than 3 hours – which is the one thing I set out to do that day! I finished in 2:54 total time, for a pace of 13:01 per mile. Even better than that, I felt great while I was running and recovered fairly quickly after the race. It was an amazing feeling. My second PR that I am proud of was on Thanksgiving when I ran the Flying Feather 4 Miler (also with Duane – maybe he’s lucky?) in 47 minutes and 35 seconds total – an 11:54 per mile pace! I think that is my fastest time ever in anything.
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| Michael & Me |
While not running? I am pretty proud of the fact that my husband and I made it to our third Anniversary, despite some rough times for both of us – both individually and as a couple. We started going to church together, which has dramatically helped to improve our relationship – especially where we didn’t know it needed improving!
| Mom, Mollie & Me, Flying Feather |
And not all about me? I am very proud of my mom, Darlene, and my sister, Mollie. Both of them started running this year. I had the honor of running with my mom during her first 5K in August and it was pretty inspiring to watch her train and to cross the finish line with her at the Panerathon! My sister ran several races with me late in the year, including the more than difficult Buckeye Classic 10K Trail Race. She finished strong and is training to run her first half marathon in 2011!
What are your running goals for 2011?
My running goal for 2011 is to run and finish my first full marathon on May 15 in Pittsburgh. I attempted training for the Columbus Marathon last year, but after struggling with an overuse injury in my knee, I decided not to complete training and not run the race. I ran the half in October instead, but it was one of the harder decisions I had to make in my running life. After weeks of physical therapy and more than adequate rest-time for me knee to heal, I am back on track for Pittsburgh. You can follow all of my 2011 goal progress – both running related and not – in my weekly Milestones posts!
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| Hannibal Cannibal 10K Course Sign |
My favorite race of 2010 was the Hannibal Cannibal 10K in July. I ran this race in 1 hour 31 minutes total time for a pace of 14:41 minutes per mile, but I am just completely happy that I finished! You can read about it here and here (I’ll spare you a repeat of the two-fold post, but check it out if you are looking for a fun and challenging “off-the-beaten-path” kind of race). I actually did poorly in this race – the hills were incredible and it had to be near 100 degrees outside in Missouri, but this race is my favorite because I was born in Hannibal and it was the first time I had ever been back to the river town made famous by Mark Twain in his Adventures of Tim Sawyer and Huck Finn. This race was my favorite because I feel like I ran it, gave it my all, and left a piece of me in Hannibal and now I can move on to a new chapter in my life. I learned a lot about running and about myself from one little trip down the Mississippi!
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| Hannibal, MO |
| Jingle Bell Run 5K |
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MMMM – now I’m craving fudge.
Great post. I love these “getting to know you” posts…
Nice year recap and good luck with finishing your first marathon!
You’ve had a busy year!! Can’t wait to see what you accomplish in 2011 🙂
These are always fun to read! Thanks for including links to old posts. 🙂 I’m about to read about your overuse injury. I’m worried about getting one. What is your plan for avoiding that this time around?
Thanks for all of your support everyone! I am also looking forward to sharing this journey with you in 2011!
@Christina – I am a little worried about re-injuring me knee, BUT I have been working hard to strengthen my quads so they work harder than my knee and my knee does not get pulled in the direction(s) it is not supposed. The exercises my physical therapist gave me have REALLY helped to strengthen my quads and I can actually feel my quad muscle when I am running/walking, which I could not before. I also have kept running instead of taking a break to keep getting stronger and I have been mixing in different kinds of cardio to cut my knee a break if it even slightly bothers me (spinning, elliptical, cybex, etc). I feel SO MUCH better already compared to when I started training for the full before! Let me know if you have questions or want to know more about my experiences!!
Nice year recap and good luck with finishing your first marathon!
You’ve had a busy year!! Can’t wait to see what you accomplish in 2011 🙂