Since we’re at the end of the year (and I’m not running tonight), I figured this would be a good time to look back at the year!
My first race was the VeteRun half marathon in West Virginia, which I turned into a mini runcation with my friend Cat and ran with my Aunt! I also set a new PR for the distance, even in the windy conditions!
The year continued with my first full marathon, and then onto the extra long 5K that was Stride for Pride! I finally broke an hour in the 10K at The Great Race, and of course, there were a few virtual races in there.
October was my fall A race, the GAP Trail Relay, and then the next morning, the Mario Lemieux 6.6K (where I exactly tied my PR for the distance) and a 10K in Central Park!
All in all, I ran 1,222.8 miles. I don’t run with Strava or any other kind of tracker, I just use a spreadsheet to track the miles (rounding down to the nearest mile, except for races, where I’ll add in the tenths). After my marathon plan, I made a goal to hit 1,200 for the year, averaging 100 a month, and I’m so glad that I did it!
I also had an amazing year in terms of clubs and teams! PRorER had our official meetup at Eagle Up Ultra (videos located down the page here), we had a mini-meetup in Pittsburgh and continued to grow our little running family through new members and two babies! We’re getting ready to tackle Jackpot in February (as well as a host of other events throughout the year), and a Pittsburgh ultra, dumb run in the woods event over the summer!
Our team from the GAP relay learned we loved running at nights so much we’ve kept doing it, leading to the creation of PRANK: Pittsburgh Runs At Night Klub. And my running group, the Front Runners, heads towards our 35th anniversary with a growing membership and some of the best running friends I could ask for.
What does 2019 bring? Well, starting the second week of my next training plan, and have a bunch of races on my calendar, including my fall A race (at least I think it will be my A race), the Philly Half, so I can get the Keystone challenge medal.
I’m looking forward to another year with wonderful people and using running to see new and exciting places. I’ll probably do the same and set a mileage goal after my spring A race, as a way to keep myself motivated throughout the summer and the rest of the year!
