Beginners and Beyond

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2012 Year in Review (Read 543 times)

MJ5


Chief Unicorn Officer

    I love reading everyone's achievements, it's very inspiring! Get well, Jenny. Thinking of you.

    Mile 5:49 - 5K 19:58 - 10K 43:06 - HM 1:36:54

    Nevrgivup


      I reached my first 30 plus mile per week this past summer.

      I ended up injured during HM training.Sad

      I returned to running after a 7 week layoff.Smile

      I met some awesome people through the forums that I have become really close with both inside the forums and out.

      I ran a few 5K races and a 10K.

      Running is my mental-Ctrl-Alt-Del. 

        After setting up a digital scale for my dad after his stay in the hospital for heart issues I started a journey in weight loss and fitness that I truly enjoy. The scale announced I that annoying digital voice 242lbs( Down to 190 currently)

         

        I never would've imagined I would be up to running 20 miles a week and 5 miles at once......I'll be 50 next September........still building a base and big goal in 2013 is to run a half before my birthday!

         

        i really enjoy hearing everyone's accomplishments and looking forward to a great 2013 and getting to know you guys better!

        First Race

        Hot Chocolate 5K Chicago November 4, 2012 30:17

        Second Race

        Penguin in the Park 5K Decatur Illinois March 23,2013 27:08

        Scott


        No more marathons

          I must say, you are an amazing group of people.

           

          The part of running for which I am most proud in 2012 is the accomplishments of my DS.  He ran his first marathon, at the age of 18, and won in a time of 2:42.  Five weeks later he ran his second HM, and won in a time of 1:15.  It don’t get much better than that for a father of a runner.  This inspired me to do something I hadn’t done in 28 years; run a marathon.  My goal was to get a BQ time and join DS in Boston.  My first attempt in late August was a humbling experience, but 9 weeks later I accomplished my goal.  I won’t get to join DS in Boston in 2013, but 2014 is looking good.

           

          Hope all have a great holiday season and a wonderful start to the 2013 running year.

          Boston 2014 - a 33 year journey

          Lordy,  I hope there are tapes. 

          He's a leaker!

          runmomto3boys


            I started running in March.

             

            I ran my first race ever - a marathon - in October and qualified for Boston by > 7 minutes.

             

            I ran just about 2300 miles over the course of the last 9 months and had 4 > 300 mile months in there.

             

            I didn't get injured doing what I did.  Crazy!


            Jenny: My heart goes out to you.  To say the least, you had a rough end to the year and I am so hoping that you are able to recover fully and get back out there.  I'm thinking of you and rooting for you!

             

            Still Bluesky: Your son is INSANELY talented!  I can only imagine how proud you are of him!!!

            wcrunner2


            Are we there, yet?

              It's been a bit of a strange year for me. On the good side, except for one minor episode with a sharp, intermittent pain in my left foot, it's been injury free unlike the previous 4-5 years. I actually began the year still in rebuilding phase from a 2011 injury. However I had a couple other breaks in training, one of which gave me quite a scare. I had two short cutback weeks when I had cataract surgery, but when I went for my pre-op physical my ekg showed abnormalities. I lost a solid two weeks of running while I was put through a battery of tests including two different stress tests before all the doctors concluded there wasn't anything wrong.

               

              Meanwhile my racing wasn't anywhere near what I had hoped it would be. With all the setbacks in previous years I'd lost a lot of my speed and really was a mid- and back of the pack runner for the first time since high school. That's not to say I was displeased with my races. I had some races I was very pleased with including a mile race on the track where I dipped under 8:00 and two fine 5K races where I met my goals.

               

              Related to racing but more social, I had two fantastic special FEs, one at the North Coast 24 where I was part of the crew for our RW/RA runners, and a second multi-day FE in Wasington, DC with some of our MCM runners. The upstart of all that was that despite being a middle distance runner at heart and preferring the 800m and mile track races, I decided to commit to running the 12-hour option at the NC 24 Fall race, my first ultra ever - if you discount a 24-hour relay I ran back in 1972. (Running a mile at a time with long rests inbetween just doesn't seem the same as an ultra.)

               2024 Races:

                    03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

                    05/11 - D3 50K
                    05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

                    06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

               

               

                   


              No more marathons

                 

                Still Bluesky: Your son is INSANELY talented!  I can only imagine how proud you are of him!!!

                 

                He is and I am.  He is also extreamly (overly?) dedicated.  He did not miss a day of running for about 2 and one half years;  including about 6 months of 100+ weeks this past spring and summer.  He has finally taken some time off because he BROKE HIS FOOT!  Stress fracture of the second metatarsal. Can you say "overtraining"?  Kids - but you know that with 3 boys.  And might I add that your 10 month entry into the world of running is amazing.  It will be interesting to see your results over the next several years. 

                Boston 2014 - a 33 year journey

                Lordy,  I hope there are tapes. 

                He's a leaker!

                Hey Doc


                Feets don't fail me now

                  I am loving this thread so much.

                   

                  Jenny - I hope that you can put the badness behind you in 2012...your heart and spirit is inspiring.

                   

                  AFM:  I started running in June, was injured Sept and most of Oct, but I still had a terrific time.  Finding this community and learning about running has been a great experience for me.  I feel invested in everybody's journies, not just my own, and it's both inspiring and motivating.   I finished my first HM faster than I ever thought I would and with a huge smile on my face.  I'll never be fast but boy do I have a good time. Smile

                   

                  Winters are hideous for me so this year I'll try to figure out how to survive, not lose too much fitness, and bide my  time until the days get longer.   

                    Accomplished:

                     

                    First marathon

                    Half marathon course PR

                    1400 + miles (previous PR was 930)

                    5k PR

                    NO injuries 

                     

                    *hugs to Jenny* I can't wait to run with you someday. Or, you know, run several miles behind you.

                    So_Im_a_Runner


                    Go figure

                      It's great to read everyone's accomplishments.  It's amazing what people train through and go on to achieve on, whether that be tough work schedules, family troubles, or even personal health issues. 

                       

                      As for my running, I guess I'd grade it at about a B.  I ran a March half marathon (my first half) as an indicator race for my May marathon, and while I ran a 1:25 and got 2nd in my AG, I tore my plantar right fascia.  Instead of spending a month in a walking boot like I did when I tore the left one a year ago, I dropped everything to easy miles and trained through my May marathon.

                       

                      At the marathon, I went out too hard and eventually struggled with heat and foot pain. While I still came in with a PR at 3:12, I failed to break the 3 hour mark, which had been my goal for the year.  After the race, I decided to take some time off to fully recover, which meant that I didn't have time to train for a Spring marathon for the 2nd year in a row.

                       

                      The great surprise of the year was that I started triathlon training while I was recovering.  I bought a tri bike and learned to ride.  Considering I hadn't been on a bike since 3rd grade, that was a big deal.  I also taught myself to lap swim, something I had never done before.  I set my sights on a September sprint tri as my first triathlon, and had quite an experience there.  I ended up 2nd in my AG, largely thanks to a sub-20 5k, but learned that my swimming needs to vastly improve before I can have any real success as a triathlete.  Since my goal is do to a full ironman next year, I'll really have to put a lot of time into my swimming and cycling.

                       

                      The tri training kept my mileage down a little, which was probably good to further my plantar fascia recovery.  In late Sept., we got a new local running store which really given my running a boost.  Just having that small social aspect to running (which I lack since I don't race all that often) has been such a nice change.  I also got to pace a half marathon through the store, pacing my 1:35 group to a 1:34:57.  Apparently, that was 3rd in my AG, which I find funny because the guy who was 2nd paced the 1:30 group ha.  I can't wait to be a pacer again, and it looks like we'll be pacing at least 4 races next year.

                       

                      Finally, with the start of November I began to build my miles again looking towards next April's marathon, and am really hopefully that I can break the 3 hour mark there.  I've been using the Brad Hudson training plan, and have been loving the way my body is reacting to it.  I'm really hopefully that all the additional hills I've been running will finally keep me healthy moving forward.

                      Trying to find some more hay to restock the barn


                      Chairman

                        After being sidelined with a hamstring injury for big chunks of Winter and Spring, I was able to get through enough training to run two races, a September 18 mile in 1:52:18, and an October HM in 1:18:50 before having to take another month off for a quad injury. Both were technically PRs, but merely in line with my marathon time from 2011. I am currently at 1950 miles for the year, and expect to end the year a little over 2000, which will be around 1300 miles less than 2011. 

                        Coalition for a Free and Independent New Jersey

                        Zelanie


                          Last January, I was hiking a lot but had never run.  I had a goal to walk 50 miles during the month and was very proud that I accomplished it.  In February, I started C25K.  Even running for one minute was very challenging at the time!

                           

                          Since then I've completed the program and have run in six 5K races and one 10K.  I've gone from not running at all to a pretty comfortable 30 MPW, and my easy pace has gone from 12-something (which was still not "easy" in the beginning) to 9-something.  Looking forward to what next year has in store!

                           

                          This year I also got to my weight loss goal of 100+ pounds lost and began maintenance.


                          Anomalous

                            This was my first year of racing and it was awesome!!

                             

                            Breakdown:

                             

                            2 - 5Ks (one 2nd place AG award)

                            1 - 10K (first race and acquired a rare medal)*

                            2 - 12Ks

                            5 - Half Marathons

                             

                            Is official a Half Fanatic #3091 - Love my number because 3+0+9+1 = 13 Cool

                             

                            I registered for my first Full Marathon for 2013

                             

                            Original 2012 goal was to run 800 miles. So far I have run over 950 and the year isn't over yet!

                             

                            I'm truly looking forward to a challenging, happy running, and injury-free 2013!

                            Thank you for all the inspiration and encouragement! Smile

                             

                            *My first medal (Columbia SC Marathon 10K) is rare because when this event debuted this year, there was a 10K event. It has since been eliminated and replaced with a 4-Person Marathon Relay. I look forward to participating in that event for 2013. 

                             

                            Nikki

                            Half Fanatic  #3091  ~   Marathon debut: 11/16/13 Anthem Richmond Marathon

                            "Run from what’s comfortable. Forget safety. Live where you fear to live. Destroy your reputation. Be notorious." - Rumi


                            Hobby Jogger

                              Long and whiny.  Feel free to skip past me.

                               

                              On 12/31/11, I ran 7 miles, including a 5K race (though not at race pace).  The following day I ran a half marathon.  I forgot my watch, but just running by feel, a day after a fairly tough workout, I only missed a PR by 22 seconds.  I had every reason to be looking forward to a bright 2012, but for whatever reason I could not get it together.  I didn't have a serious injury, but a lot of nagging things kept me from increasing my miles, and I had to downgrade my planned marathon in Cleveland to a HM.

                               

                              The Cleveland FE in May was the highlight of my year, and I am really grateful for the experience...only slightly marred by running a personal worst.  I could blame the heat, and no doubt it was a factor, but I was undertrained.  Things looked up as the summer began.  I strung together some good weeks in June and July, but the heat was taking more of a toll than usual, and I was increasingly having trouble breathing on long runs.

                               

                              In August, I qualified for the Half Fanatics by running a HM and a 15.4 mile trail race on back to back weekends.  The HM was another FE, so I have good memories, but I completely crashed and burned after 7 miles, and an even slower overall pace than I had in Cleveland.  The trail was was a ton of fun, and I will be doing more of these in the future.  I didn't have the crash and burn, but the fact is I was moving so slowly it was never a factor.  It took me nearly four and a half hours to cover 15.4 miles.

                               

                              My breathing issues were getting worse.  I visited the urgent care center, and as my lungs were clear, I was blown off.  I made an appointment with a regular doctor, but shut my running down completely for nearly a month.  The doctor suspected exercise induced asthma, and gave me an inhaler.  It helped immensely, and I was able to run a 5K and a trail 10K shortly thereafter.  Progress has been slow, and I will have to learn to deal with asthma.  I feel like I should be optimistic, but I'm not.  I am definitely not where I want to be, and as if 2012 decided to give me one last kick, I've hurt my hip, and I'm on the bench again.  Probably not the best time to write my summary, since there were bright spots, and my FE races were great events, if slow. 

                              Anyway, here's to a better 2013!

                              5/4/19 - Twilight Zone 24 Hour

                              TWHgal


                              Wannabe runner

                                I love reading all the accomplishments!

                                 

                                Nikki- Amazing first year of running pretty lady!

                                Jenny- Hugs to you.  I hope you feel better soon. (I need that hug emoticon from RWOL)

                                 

                                It was funny because I felt like my only accomplishment this year was completing my first marathon and ultra.  I guess the long runs just completely masked everything else.  Today while I was out running I was thinking about my running this past year. After listing everything in my head, I realized I am so thankful for a great year of running.

                                 

                                This year:

                                A new PR in the 5k, 10k and half

                                AG awards in 2 5k's and a 10k

                                Finished my first marathon (trail)

                                Finished my first ultra (trail)

                                No injuries!!!!!

                                 

                                However, what I am proud of the most, is that  I now have a sister that runs.  She started running in the spring and I have really enjoyed being able to run some 5k races with her.  She is working on her first 10k for this spring and has a goal of a November 2013 half.  I am so proud of her and I hope that I was positive encouragement for her along the way.  I am lucky enough to have a DBF, sister and niece that run and that is truly what I am thankful for.

                                Cindy 

                                 

                                 

                                                             

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