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?

Frozen Foot 5K #3

This was race #3 in the 5K series. The weather was the best of the 3 races. 40 degrees, with some sun and no wind! I felt like I had a chance to PR in this race, but alas, I was a little short of my goal (again). I think maybe the fact that this race takes place at 2pm is a factor in me not going as fast as I think I am capable of.  I had gotten up early for church, attended Mass at 9 am, then taught CCD class to 7 preschooler/kindergarten kids. At 12, I went home, grabbed a bagel, some Nuun, changed my clothes, and headed out the door for the 45 minute drive to Elizabethtown.  Not necessarily ideal race preparation, but it is only a 5K, right?
 I did my normal 1 mile warm up on the track adjacent to the race start, then lined up at 1:55. I chose to wear myLong-sleeved 50/50 green t-shirt from Oiselle (in honor of St. Patricks Day), my singlet, my new Bum Wrap,   plus a new pair of orange compression socks.  Quite the color combination! I was thrilled to wear the Bum Wrap. I have had it for a few weeks, and the weather has been so cold, I haven't had the opportunity to wear it.  Verdict: LOVE! I think it's going to be one of my favorites for spring/summer running.  Super comfortable and super cute!
  I felt pretty good for the first mile, doing well with the first long and substantial hill. First split was 7:49.  At 1.5 miles, my legs starting dragging. I was telling them to go faster and they were not responding.  I knew at that point it was going to be a struggle to continue at a good pace.  Mentally gave up for a while there, not counting on a PR for this race. Couple more hills, 2nd mile split 7:59. Somehow in the final mile I rallied a bit.  Just knowing it was almost over helped me to get through it. And a couple of little downhills! 3rd mile split: 7:30.  Pushed it out at the end (not the easiest since there is another incline right before the finish!). Time on my Garmin: 24:25. 5 seconds slower than last month's race, 16 seconds off PR.  UPDATE: 3/21: Found out I placed 4th in my Age Group for the Series. Pretty good. I'm going to aim to place higher next year!
 I was a little disappointed at the end, but pleased with myself that I was able to run the last mile the fastest.  Negative splitting is my goal in future races, so maybe someday I will actually figure out how to do that!
 Ran a mile on the track to cool down and then headed home.  Skipped the post-race food (chicken soup again), and opted instead to eat a Picky Bar on the way home.  Post race fuel of champions!
 I have decided that the next 5K I run will be a FLAT course.  Then I will actually have a chance of a PR.  Next race coming up is the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in DC on April 7.  Looking forward to an Oiselle Team meet up, and a fun race. Definitely feel like a have a PR in me, since I rarely race 10 miles.  Looking for a sub 1:30, which according to my recent training times, should be fairly easy. Bring on the Cherry Blossoms!