2016 Wrap-Up

Goals = Nailed.

• break 30min at Women's 5K
• crushed a sub-30 a month earlier at Hearts and Soles
• 10K PR at Peachtree
• PRed the month before at a different race
• break 25min 5K
• crushed this in 23:37 mid-year
• run 4:30 marathon
• finished Chicago in 4:17:43

By the Numbers

• 1,459.07 miles run (113mi PR)
• 231:53:47 total hours spent running
• 9:32/mi average pace for the year 
• runs were affected by illness or injury 32 days
• 5 new PRs
• one stroller win, one stroller podium
• 3rd Place AG Grand Prix
• 4 AG awards

Looking to Next Year, Goals

• full year of 2 x 30min strength sessions, either group classes, personal training, or DIY programs at home
• mile PR (currently 6:33, Resolution Run 2015)
• break 23:00 in a 5K (current PR is 23:33)
• run a race in just a sports bra and shorts

Looking to Next Year, Race Schedule:
italics = tentative

• 1/1 Resolution Run One Mile: time trial
• 1/21 PTree City 8K
• 2/11 Hearts and Soles 5K
• 3/5 Intown 10 - Stroller 5K?
• 3/18 Water Drop Dash
• 3/25 Pound the Pavement for Peter - Stroller 5K
• 4/15 Warrior Dash with work
• 5/5 Flying Pig One Mile
• 5/6 Flying Pig 5K
• 6/17 Braves 5K
• 7/4 Peachtree Road Race 10K
• 8/19 Atlanta's Finest 5K
• 9/23 XC Classic
• 10/13-10/14 Bourbon Chase Relay
• 10/22 10 Miler Cardiac Hill Challenge
• 11/23 (or thereabouts) Thanksgiving race of somekind
• 12/? VA Highlands Xmas Run?
• RunningNerds one mile race series (June-September)

Monday
Did: 4.16 @ 9:19/mi, 10000 steps
Explored the new boardwalk with B; found ourselves running a bit faster while we rattled off stories from our holidays and had to slow down; saw friends at the end :)

I ended up getting sick (pretty much our entire extended family was sick this weekend, passing it from one person to the next) that afternoon and sleeping/feeling awful from about 11am until 7pm, got up for dinner, and was able to somehow hit 10000 steps before crashing again at 8pm and not waking up until 4:30am. THE STREAK LIVES ON!


Tuesday

Did: 6.33 @ 9:35/mi avg, 10000 steps
Brandi and I have done a 10K EVERY. SINGLE. TUESDAY. this year. So proud of us!!! 

It's sooooo nice to not have a pace goal for these runs anymore. I enjoyed an "out" with the girls and my FIL, and split the "back" between the faster guys and the slower girls. Probably should have done some striders this morning since I have the 1mi race on Sunday, but I was already feeling the lack of sustenance in my stomach (from being sick yesterday) by m4 and just took it easy. 

What a great 2016!

Wednesday
Did: 3mi easy + bootcamp = 3.6mi @ 9:21/mi avg, 10000 steps
Had a hard time running this morning- just felt a little nauseous (like maybe I shouldn't just hop out of the car and start running immediately after finishing my granola bar) and like everything above my ribs didn't want to move. Still had a respectable pace.


Thursday
Did: 3mi + 5 strides, 10000 steps
The universe tried to tell us this workout shouldn't happen. 

• winter break = locked HS track --> had to find somewhere else for speedwork
• 95% chance of thunderstorms had us rethinking doing a workout on a completely dark track surrounded by woods that none of us had ever been to, but whose school admins had granted us written access to it
• thought about swapping Friday workout with Thursday speedwork... but tomorrow's forecast is a "feels like" of 24... 
• opted to meet at bootcamp, just before it started, and determine what to do based on current weather conditions
• weather at 5:25 was fine, but still had wet pavement (bad for speedwork) and conflicting weather apps that warned of anywhere from 35 to 85% chance of thunderstorms in the coming hour
• opted to still do speedwork (because we didn't want to do it tomorrow in 24 degrees), but use B's fitness center and treadmill together
• B's keycard didn't work and no one else was around to let us in >_<

We ended up just doing three easy miles with striders around the streets instead. 

6:45-7:29/mi for strides

It felt hard to run again today, maybe because I'm still working back into a normal eating plan after Monday's illness. Strides felt fun, but I wondered how I had ever kept anywhere near this pace up for real speedworkouts back in marathon training season. I do NOT have high expectations for Sunday's mile... Maybe a low 7? Also, my hamstring felt a little unhappy on the last set of strides, so perhaps I'm not entirely healed. I'll probably avoid pushing on speedwork for another couple weeks, and just be grateful to be able to run happily in the meantime.

Side note: it's a good thing I looked at my watch before bed! I still had 200 steps to hit 10,000 for the day. Eek,

Friday
Did: bootcamp, 10000 steps
Another great day of bootcamp, but we only made it out with 2500 steps. >_< Took a personal day from work and ran errands for another 6000 steps, and finished up on the treadmill. 


Saturday
Did: 3.2mi @ 9:53/mi avg with the stroller, 10000 steps
Thank goodness 2016 is almost over. I'm ready to be done with this 10000 steps a day stuff; it's so much work. :P 

I had a little right calf/hamstring soreness behind my knee this morning, but didn't feel a thing on my run. Probably should have opted for some striders or something because of the race tomorrow, but it didn't happen. I did feel like I could've gone faster with the stroller, but there was no need to push away from the crew. Besides, I'll want all that speed tomorrow for the race. ;) 

Finished the morning with barely 3000 steps, and then got home from a football watching party with 6500 and had to step in place for the last 3500. UGH. Got it done, though. Thanks for a great year, 2016!