2011 Races in Review

Well, I guess it's that time to look back at how things went this year.  After studious calculations (thanks DailyMile!), I can say I ran at least 307 miles this year.  :-)  Not bad.  Not great, but not bad.  My best month was January 2011 when training for Disney's Princess Half Marathon really kicked into gear (57 miles).  My worst months were March and April (5 miles each).  LOL!  At least I did something those months!

The big accomplishment was running my first and second half marathons!  I never thought I could do it!  I didn't think I could run a 5k, let alone a half marathon.  Who knew I was capable of it?  Besides my friends?  ;-)

I finished in 3:21:11.  Honestly, my goal was to finish.  I had no aspirations of a fast time or anything.  I just wanted to finish.  And I did!  Though I will tell you, anything after mile 10 was torture!  All I could think of was "isn't this OVER yet???"  But, I ran the whole thing and I crossed the finish line!  There isn't much better than that!

March found us in Baltimore for the Kelly St. Patrick's Day 5k.  I love this race!  Maybe because I start at the back and the two coolest things happen at the very beginning of the race: the race actually kicks off the St. Patrick's Day parade so there are TONS of people there cheering you on as you start.  It's a fabulous feeling! The second is the race starts on the top of a hill and as you descend the hill you see all the people in front of you...all wearing green.  It is truly an amazing sight!  I did well on this one this year.  A sub-40 minute 5k!!!  I was very pleased with a 39:36 time.  Woohoo!

Afterwards, we went to the James Joyce Tavern with our friend Ada who also ran and her friends from the Baltimore Dragon Boat Club.  They are such great people!  We all had a fabulous afternoon and tons of people from the race were there, so it was almost like a post-race party!

May saw us try a new race, the Preakness 5k in Maryland.  It looked like such a great idea - run around the track the horses run.  It was a great idea until you actually ran on the sand.  Then it was one of the dumbest things I've ever done.  LOL!  But, I will say, they did a fabulous job of keeping the theme.  Each runner received a bib with a racing horse name:

We started the race running through the gates the horses like up in and start.  I thought that was cool.  It was a bit congested, but it was cool.

We ran the course, which they said they made easier to run on.  Bah!  It was like running at the beach in the sand before the wet sand.  Not fun at all!

But, overall, one of those races that you say that was a neat experience.  I'm not sure I would do it again.  The sand really messed with me.  It was a flat course, I will give it that.  And the shirts were spiffy, plus you had the option of a shirt or a fleece blanket.  We went shirts each, but decided to buy a blanket because they were pretty cool.  :-)

June found me trying a duathlon and failing miserably.  I tried, but I just wasn't prepared for it.  I am slightly disappointed and may try another to redeem myself, but I'm not sure.  It was an interesting experience, but one that has left some scars.

The second half of June found me back in Baltimore for my third Baltimore Women's Classic.  This was my very first 5k ever and I like coming back to this race.  They have a nice shirt, a great goody bag, and is the 2nd largest women's only race in the country.  If you are in the area, I highly recommend this race to any women of any athletic ability.  It's just an all-around great race.

July found us up in Harrisburg for the Harrisburg Mile.  It's a one mile run down Front Street that we've done several times and enjoyed.  This year I was not happy.  I hadn't run since the Women's Classic and didn't have the best run, but they had switched the clock over before I finished for the next heat and I had no idea how long it took me.  This is the first time in all the year's I've run it that that's happened.  I was not happy at all.  Actually, I was pretty ticked.  I'm not sure if I will do it again unless I can come in under 10 minutes and the chances of that happening....

Hubby, myself, and our friend Jim

And then there is a race drought until November.  LOL!  I was so concerned with getting my long runs in that I didn't want to run any short runs and mess that up.  So, from July to November was a barren waste land of races.

Then we come to November!  Time for my second half marathon - the Philadelphia Half Marathon.  I was rocking this race from miles 1 through 9.  The time was flying by and each mile marker was a shock at how fast they were coming.  Then I hit mile 9 and the awful, awful hill that existed between mile 9 and 10.  I got myself back at it for miles 10 and 11, but I hit the wall HARD at mile 12.  I just wanted it to be over.  And of course it wasn't.  Bah!  But, I got through it and finished the entire race!  And I PRed, which isn't half bad - 3:16:43.  :-) 

And my last run of 2011 happened last weekend at the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler in Baltimore.  It was a rough course, a good portion of it uphill, but it made for a feeling of accomplishment at the end.  Hubby told me it was part of the Dreaded Druid Hills course and when he said that I decided I didn't need to do that race.  LOL!  I PRed on this race, which made me very happy - 1:05:45.  They had a great post-race party with mulled wassail wine and amazing cookies!  What a way to wrap up a race.  :-)  

So, not a bad 2011 on the racing front - ran my first two half marathons and set a 5 mile PR.  I enjoyed the new races we threw in there this year and going back to some races because they are just darn good!  I'm working on what to focus on in 2012.  There's so much I could throw out there as goals, but I want to make sure they are reasonable and attainable.  Nothing like setting yourself up for failure.  ;-)

I won't be able to do any New Year's races this year (though I would love to!), so if you are doing one, let me know how it goes!