2012 Year in Review and 2013 Goals

On December 2nd I ran what I thought would be an 8K. It turned out to actually be a 9K thanks to being in the woods. The race director even changed the name to accommodate the distance.

It was cold but I got hot chocolate and chili afterwards. Plus my family cheering squad was there and there's nothing I love more than crossing the finish line with Jack watching and telling me to go!

I hadn't run in 4 weeks, since the above 9K, and I knew I needed to get back to it. I ran 3.5 miles in the snow on Saturday. It was great except for when I fell and banged my knee. It felt okay and I was able to keep going, but last night Jack bumped it and it's sore today. I'm not too worried about it though and I'm planning to run tomorrow.

The 9K turned out to be my last race of 2012, bringing my total to 10 for the year. I ran 2 half marathons, 3 10K's, 1 9K, 1 5-Miler, 2 5K's, and a 1-Miler. I know I'll be running a lot more than that in 2013 and I'll even be starting the year off with a New Year's 5K! I calculated my total distance for 2012 and I ran 399.65 miles. I also walked 56.63 miles for a total of 456.28. Not bad! May was my best month with 74.33 miles.

I'm not going to have crazy goals for 2013. My main goal is to run at least 500 miles. I also have a busy racing schedule and I want to successfully finish those races plus whatever other ones I decide to do. I want to do 24 races, which would be 2 every month. So far I'm planning on doing a few club races in January and February and then come March I'm really in for it. Here's what I've gotten myself into:

March 16th- Rock n' Roll Half Marathon
April 7th- Cherry Blossom 10-miler
April 28th- Nike Half Marathon

That's 2 half marathons and a 10-miler all within 6 weeks! And if I'm really crazy, I'm going to run another half on May 5th, just 1 week after Nike. Since that one isn't a lottery or at risk of filling up I decided to wait and see how I feel. I think I'm going to need a medal display for all my bling!

I'm still doing various Jillian Michaels DVD's, mainly Ripped in 30, and I'll continue to do them. I did her Extreme Shed and Shred the other night and it was intense! It's a 2 part workout and you can do 1 or both parts. I opted to do both parts, making it a 60+ minute workout. I'm going to save that one for the weekends when I have more time; it's definitely worth it!

I'm not where I thought I'd be but I'm moving in the right direction. 2012 changed me as a runner. I ran my first and second half marathons, ran farther in 1 month than I ever had before, gained confidence and courage, and changed my attitude. The holidays and cold weather have set me back a little, but I'm not making excuses and I'm not giving up. I'm going to move forward. I hope 2013 is ready for me!!