Well 2010 has come and gone. And what a year to celebrate as far as running goals go. In June, I set my new half marathon PR at the Gary Bjorkland Half Marathon in Duluth, with a 1:41:23. In September, I set a new 25K(15.5 miles) PR at the City of the Lakes 25K with a 2:00:22. (The year prior, I ran that same race is 2:07:50). That's something to celebrate! In October, I hit my goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon by running the Chicago Marathon. Chicago was my 5th marathon, and 3rd time finishing Chicago. With an 80-ish degree race day, I was happy to squeak in with a 3:39:06 finish time! Prior years I ran 3:49:47 (2008) and 3:43:42 (2009). A reminder that with every run I complete, I am getting stronger, I am getting faster, I am getting mentally tougher!
In November, my NCU Runnin Rams placed first in the NCCAA Division II Championship races! Sixth national banner for the ladies, and fourth banner for the guys! Our most talented team of XC runners in the history of NCU. It has been been such a privilege to be a part of this program. This was my third season as a coach. Every year there are challenges and obstacles, and every year we overcome. Looking forward to great seasons ahead!
I know 2011 is going to be a great year, for many reasons. But since this blog is dedicated to racing, I will speak of those reasons. As I sit here typing, it is January 1st, 2011. I will be running the Boston Marathon on April 18th. I am way ahead on my training. I've already run two 18 mile runs, that I feel good about. The first 18 miler I already wrote about. My last 18 miler was this past Thursday 12/30/10. Heather and I decided to do our long run on Thursday because we heard rain, sleet, and ice were coming. I am so glad we went for it. I have been battling a cold (so has Jeremy--he's got it worse). So Thursday morning, prior to the run I guzzled a glass of Theraflu mixed with Accelerade. Got a mix of cold medicine with some sugar and electrolytes. Call me crazy, but it got me through the run. We met at Lifetime at 4:30AM--Let me be clear, we started the run at 4:30AM! We had to get it in before going to work. But at 4:30, it was 36 degrees. It was gorgeous out! I fear we won't see those temps again until March! For most of the run we dodged puddles, sometimes we didn't dodge them, and ended up with soggy feet. The pavement was nice up until the last 4 or 5 miles along Minnehaha Parkway. We spent a lot of time dodging puddles, ice patches, and slick areas. We kept a decent pace for most of the run--until we hit those slippery areas, then we were done for. But regardless, we finished our 18 mile run in 2:29:01. I am pleased to be this far into my training.
This year I have set some training goals. I want to be more intentional with hills and speedwork. I think running with this crew in St. Paul will help with that. I also want to get back to lifting legs. I stayed away from legs last year due to my knee injury the year prior, but I think I'm ready to jump back in, slowly of course!
As it is a new year, I challenge you to think of something you want to accomplish, but never thought possible. Go after it. Your body can do far more than your mind tells you so!
Happy New Year!
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