2013 Recap (It's still January, right?)

One month already into 2014, and I am finally getting to recapping 2013. Better late than never, right? 2013 was a great year for me. I was looking back at my goals I set for 2013 and I am happy to report that I was successful in meeting most of them.
 Goal #1: Have an injury free year. Well, can I say I was successful for 10 out of 12 months? I ran more than I ever ran before (1,145.3 miles to be exact!).  I ran consistently most weeks 5 times a week. I had my gait analyzed in January with a Physical Therapist, and was fitted with new orthotics. I had no issues with shin splints for the entire year because of this! Unfortunately, in October I developed Piriformis Syndrome while coming to the end of my marathon training. Up to that point I had run in 12 races, and felt like I was going to finish my year strong. It was not meant to be, even with backing off training and starting Physical Therapy right away .After that,  I was able to run a Half Marathon, participate in a Marathon Relay with my family and even walk/run a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day with a run coaching client. Not the way I wanted to finish my running year, with only 1 measly mile ran in December, but onward and upward we go!
Goal #2: 13 races in 2013. I would say I "raced" 14 races in 2013, so goal met and exceeded!!
Goal #3: PR. With five 5K's, one 10K, three Half Marathons, two 10 milers and 2 Ragnar Relay races (with 6 mini "races") , I would think that I had plenty of opportunities to PR.  I was able to PR twice in the 10 mile distance (6 min off previous times!) . Try as I might, I could not PR in the 5K distance. My best result was to tie it (24:10).  I guess the 10 mile distance was my sweet spot in 2013. I should probably find one or two to race in 2014.
  So, 2 out of 3 running goals met for the year. I think the biggest thing I take from the year was that I had so much FUN!!
  Some of my favorite moments from the year:
- My first Oiselle Team meetup at the Cherry Blossom 10 miles in Washington, D.C. in April.

- Meeting up with my best friend Michele at the Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon in Washington D.C. at the end of April. It was a great girls weekend that I will never forget.

- celebrating my son's age group win at his first 10K race

- My first Ragnar Relay with Nuun. I loved this whole experience. Check out my blog post here .

- Because I travelled to Seattle, I was also able to go to Oiselle HQ and even meet Mama Bird extraordinaire herself, Sally Bergeson!! So cool.

- Running on Team Sarah at the Ultimate Mother Runner Showdown at Ragnar Relay DC. I met some great women there that I can now call my friends.

- the Harrisburg Marathon Relay with my sons and husband. Check out Team Hart here.

I also had set some personal goals, including becoming a Personal Trainer and a Running Coach. I was able to become certified as a Personal Trainer in August after many hours of studying. I was a bit behind in the second goal, finally becoming certified as a RRCA Running Coach after attending their weekend course Jan. 11-12.
 This was totally not a goal, or a forethought, but I did cut most of my hair off in 2013. Not sure why exactly, but still pretty happy with my decision.  Here I am pre-haircut: (really bad selfie)

 

My first cut was in right before my birthday in March: (with my fellow birthday boy)

 

By July, I had cut off a few more inches:

  It is still quite short, and I have no plans to grow it out. Although I am kinda liking it mid length. Hmmmm. Maybe I'll keep it as an yearly update in the blog. How exciting, right?
Overall, 2013 was a great year. I am truly blessed to have a healthy and happy family. We continue to live in Central PA, as the Army has not decided to move us yet. I have yet to sit down and formulate my goals for 2014. Let's hope I am able to do that before another month goes by!

Questions for you: 
                               How did you do in 2013 with setting/meeting goals?
                               Any big plans for 2014?
                               Any thoughts about my haircuts? Which do you prefer?

J'aime beaucoup: Oiselle HQ

 While I was in Seattle post-Ragnar NWP, I had the privilege and honor to visit Oiselle headquarters.  Some of the Oiselle ladies in the area were meeting at Green Lake across the street to enjoy some post-Ragnar Jasyoga with Erin, yogi extraordinaire.  As it was a bit misty and chilly outdoors, we decided to move indoors.  Which led us to the headquarters of Oiselle. So exciting for me, since I have been a fan of this company for more than a year, and was selected to be part of their ambassador program (now called Oiselle Volée ) last October.  Before I headed to the West Coast, I had received an email from Kristin, the team manager, to let me know that I once again had been selected to continue on for another year. Yay me! And Yay Oiselle!
  It almost seemed surreal to me to enter the place that I had seen online so often since stalking following this company. Meeting some of the ladies was also a bit unreal to me.  You follow people through twitter and read their blogs, and start to feel like you know them is some strange, (maybe creepy?) way.  Meeting them in real life seems easier and seamless.  Sharing the bond of the Oiselle team definitely connects us. 
 As does doing yoga with a bunch of (virtual, now real) friends.  We chatted for a few minutes, then got set up for a great yoga session with Erin.  We worked on stretching glutes, hamstrings, hips and calves.  All the tight areas from sitting in a van for 30 plus hours and running many miles in between.  We ended the session with one of my personal favorites, legs up the wall.  The time just flew by, and by the end I was feeling very relaxed and felt like I had really worked out the kinks.  Just what I needed!
 But one of the greatest surprises to me was the appearance of Mama Bird herself, Sally Bergesen .  She is the Founder and CEO of Oiselle.  I was not expecting to see her appear on a Sunday morning, but there she was.  I was honored to meet her in person, and she agreed to take a photo with me.

What a nice way to cap off my visit to the PNW! Thanks Sally!
  And Sally also took this great picture of all the ladies at Yoga:

 

back row, left to right: Me, Morena, Sarah, Julie, Nolana

front row: Robyn, Erin and Jackie

 

And, to add to all the excitement, I also won the drawing for a free t-shirt from Jasyoga! How cool is that? 





So, now that I had a great yoga class, met a group of fantastic woman, and won a free t-shirt, what was next?  Sarah was nice enough to offer to drive me back downtown to where I was staying, and we decided to stop off for a coffee first.  We had a great conversation, getting to know each other better.  She then suggested we take a walk around Green Lake, since the weather had improved considerably. It was now warmer, and sunnier. So nice! (Sarah, and the weather)

 We took a nice stroll around Green Lake, talking about Oiselle, marathon training, our families, etc. She also gave me some great suggestions on how to spend my last afternoon in Seattle. After taking a couple of photos, she drove me back to my hotel. 

 How cute is Sarah? Such a sweet spirit, inside and out! So glad I got to meet her.
  Once arriving back at my hotel, and after arranging for my shuttle to the train which would take me to the airport later in the day, I headed to the waterfront and the market area of Seattle. It was a gorgeous, sunny day. I loved walking around, taking photos, riding the Ferris Wheel and eating lunch at Beecher's  and buying souvenirs to take home for my family.  I also stumbled upon Post Alley by accident and saw the The Gum Wall. Yeah, could have done without that, being the germaphobe that I am! Yuck!
  After a fun filled afternoon, it was time to head back to the hotel, and then to the airport. 
 This trip was better than even my best expectations.  I enjoyed the Ragnar Relay, meeting all the great Nuun people, other bloggers, the Oiselle team members, Erin from Jasyoga, and of course, Sally. Special thanks to Nuun Hydration and Oiselle for making my trip to the PNW so wonderful!

 

Join the Flock!

     I was thrilled and honored to be selected last November to be an Ambassador for the Oiselle Team.  I still pinch myself on a regular basis knowing that I am part of such a great group of women.  Not only do I have great running clothes now, I have the support of a great online community of women runners.  I even had the privilege of meeting a few of them at The Cherry Blossom Ten-Miler in DC in April of this year. 
     I became familiar with this great company last year after reading about them on Twitter.  All I can say is "they had me at Roga." If you haven't tried any of the clothes from Oiselle, I urge you to choose this as your first purchase.  They are like no other shorts I've run in.  Super comfortable, extremely flattering, with no bagginess, bunching, wedgies or chafing.  Once I tried their clothes, I was hooked.  Then I started seeing on twitter that there was a great community of women runners, including the leader of the company, Sally Bergesen.  I loved how she seemed so approachable, real and supportive of all her company's  runners. I began to dream of being part of the team.  I emailed the team manager, Kristin, and she quickly responded to me with a team application.  I jumped at the chance to apply, but was really unsure if I was what they were looking for. I typically am a middle of the packer, with a few placings in my age group category at smaller races.  But I knew that I was passionate about running, fitness and health.  I also knew that I was passionate about women in running and in companies that promote a strong, powerful image of women runners.  So, I applied. And to my delight and surprise, I was accepted!!  Since I joined the team, I have felt such support from all the team members online.  It is very motivating to know that you will have the team members checking your race result on Monday afternoon! And the well-wishes, advice and running tips are great.  I especially appreciate the team manager, Kristin for her prompt reply to my questions and concerns during the last 6 months, and to her quick response when I request that she correct one of my race times.  I felt silly asking when it was only a few seconds off, but she assured me that "every second counts"! She makes everyone on the team feel special, and I truly appreciate that. Thanks Kristin!
    The Oiselle Team is now looking for new applications and I immediately contacted all my running buddies to encourage them to apply for the team. I know that there are many ladies out there that are passionate about running, love to compete, love to motivate and encourage others.  I urge you to apply for this team.  Join a team where women from all over the country are supported in not only their running endeavors, but also in more personal ways as well.  I love to see how team members will step up in any way possible to help their fellow team members, even though they only know them "virtually". 
 You will also be joining a team that includes several Elite runners, soon to be called "Haute Volee" (high flyers).  I am honored to be on  a team that includes such fantastic women such as Lauren Fleshman, Kate Grace, and many others.  You will have access to the advice and experience of these super women and know that they support you as well.
 So, to summarize; Rogas, motivation, friendship, advice and support.  What else could you possibly want? Apply today! www.http://www.oiselle.com/athletes