Join in on the Wild Workout Wednesday fun and check out my year of running!
Welcome to another great Wild Workout Wednesday Link Up where Annmarie from The Fit Foodie Mama, Angelena Marie from Angelena Marie: Happy, Healthy & Balanced, Michelle at Fruition Fitness and I bring you workout ideas, motivation, inspiration and recipes to try. Join us each week by reading along, linking up and grab the button to proudly display on your blog/in your posts!
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It’s #WildWorkoutWednesday! Come link up with @angelenamarie1 @fitfoodiemama @fruitionfitness!
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Mid December. Yowza! While I’m still in the midst of training for Dopey, I’m technically done with races for 2015, so I thought I’d take today to join Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC and sum up my year in running! Before I get into the survey, here’s an overview of the races I ran in 2015:
1 5K
2 4-Milers
1 Spartan Sprint
3 10Ks
1 10-Miler
2 Half Marathons
1 Full Marathon
3 Virtual Races
Ok, let’s get to it!
Best race experience: The Philadelphia Marathon. While the security line was a bit of a mess and the second half of the course is mentally killer, I really loved my experience running with a friend for an entire race. My running buddy, Angela, really kept me motivated and entertained all 26.2 miles. Plus, I have a new marathon PR under my belt!
Best run: I have to give this one to the MORE/FITNESS/SHAPE Half Marathon. This race came at the end of a crazy busy race month. It was the most beautiful day in Central Park. All the flowers were in bloom and I just felt pretty amazing the whole race. Being surrounded by so many women (it’s an all-women’s race, btw) was inspiring, and it inspired me to a new half marathon PR!
Best new piece of running gear: I’m IN LOVE with my TomTom Spark Cardio + Music Watch. It picks up GPS SO much quicker than my Garmin (though I still love you, Garmin!), and it tracks heart rate and steps. I also added music to it, so I don’t have to bring my phone on shorter runs. I highly recommend this watch to anyone in the market for one.
Best running advice you’ve received this year: “Run the mile you’re in.” I’ve been really trying to live by this when things get tough mentally. It’s hard during long runs if you feel a mental block but still have x number of miles to go. I try to just enjoy the mile I’m in rather than count down the miles I have left. It’s much easier said than done, but I’m trying.
Most inspirational runner: When I was running the Philadelphia Marathon, Angela and I saw a guy that was running his 70th marathon for his 70th birthday. That guy is amazing. I hope to still be running in my 70s!
Favorite picture from a run or race this year: Although this photo got botched, I still think it’s a great one. Plus, it makes for a funny story.
Race experience you would repeat in a heartbeat: This is a tough one to answer. I loved my experience running with Angela at the Philadelphia Marathon, but I’m not sure I’d run that race again due to the out-and-back second half of the course. The Syracuse Half was a tough course and freezing cold, but I AM doing that one again in 2016 (mostly because I’ll coincidentally be up there that weekend so why not run 13.1 miles while I’m there, right?! Right. Ok… I’m a crazy runner…). The MORE/FITNESS/SHAPE Half was gorgeous and inspiring, so perhaps I’ll do that one again, too!
If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be: Relaxed and blingtastic! I suppose “relaxed” is an odd word for someone who ran 14 races in 12 months, but I really took a relaxed approach to my training. I switched to a 3-run-a-week plan and wasn’t training for PRs (though I did manage to snag a few!). Since I knew I had a lot on my plate, I just wanted to enjoy running vs. busting my butt and potentially burning out or getting injured. The result was 14 injury-free races and tons of awesome bling – hence “blingtastic!”
Fellow runners, join Courtney’s link up and, of course, join the Wild Workout Wednesday Link Up below! Full link up rules here.
An InLinkz Link-upLet’s Chat:
Did you run any races in 2015? If so, pick one of the questions above and answer it in the comments!
