For me, 2013 was kind of a weird year for running. For the past couple of years my focus has been almost entirely on qualifying for the Boston Marathon. In the fall of 2012 I hit my BQ time, which was a major goal accomplished, so I didn't have that looming over me this year. Because of that, I didn't really come into 2013 with any major goal- just to stay healthy & uninjured, and to continue to build a good endurance base.
I didn't actually do a lot of racing this year. I did one snowshoe race (Red Barn in Switzerville ON), one 1/2 Marathon (River Towns in Danville PA-1 second slower than my PB!), an 11.5 Mile trail race in the Adirondacks, the annual Canada Day 5K in Belleville ON, 2 Marathons as a Pace Bunny (3:35 Bunny in Ottawa & 3:45 Bunny in Prince Edward County), the Warkworth 8 Miler Road/ Trail Race (was hoping to defend my title from last year but ended up 2nd), the Batawa Fat Ass 25K Trail Race, and the Erie Marathon (19 second PB!).
I hadn't planned on racing any marathons this year- I wanted to keep my training level high, but racing a marathon takes a lot out of me, so I thought I would get the miles in for training, run a couple as a pace bunny, and reap the benefits of the training without thrashing my body by actually racing. However, with the Boston Marathon bombing, I figured that the 2014 Boston Marathon would be harder to get into, so I decided to find an early fall marathon to try to sharpen up my BQ time a bit to make sure I got in. The Erie Marathon, at Presqu'Isle State Park in Erie PA seemed to fit the bill- mid September (right before the Boston Marathon registration opened) and pancake flat. I didn't pick up quite as much time as I had hoped, and it turned out that my previous BQ from Philly last fall still would have got me in, but it was still a good experience. Any time you get a well run marathon under your belt, that's good experience you can draw on later on.
All things considered I think I had a pretty good year of running. While I did get a couple of PBs (5K and Marathon), I didn't really blow any PBs out of the water. I still consider it a goo year though- some solid results, avoided injuries, set myself up well for training for Boston, and most importantly, enjoyed myself. I had a lot of fun at the races I went to, and I had a lot of really great training runs. That's the main thing- as long as it keeps being fun, I'll consider it successful.
I'm looking forward to what 2014 is going to bring. Going to Boston is going to be a huge- I've been looking forward to that for quite a while, so that will be very exciting. I also am planning on switching my focus away from the road and more toward trails and ultra distances, so that will be a new & exciting challenge.
How was your running in 2013? What are you looking forward to in 2014?
I didn't actually do a lot of racing this year. I did one snowshoe race (Red Barn in Switzerville ON), one 1/2 Marathon (River Towns in Danville PA-1 second slower than my PB!), an 11.5 Mile trail race in the Adirondacks, the annual Canada Day 5K in Belleville ON, 2 Marathons as a Pace Bunny (3:35 Bunny in Ottawa & 3:45 Bunny in Prince Edward County), the Warkworth 8 Miler Road/ Trail Race (was hoping to defend my title from last year but ended up 2nd), the Batawa Fat Ass 25K Trail Race, and the Erie Marathon (19 second PB!).
I hadn't planned on racing any marathons this year- I wanted to keep my training level high, but racing a marathon takes a lot out of me, so I thought I would get the miles in for training, run a couple as a pace bunny, and reap the benefits of the training without thrashing my body by actually racing. However, with the Boston Marathon bombing, I figured that the 2014 Boston Marathon would be harder to get into, so I decided to find an early fall marathon to try to sharpen up my BQ time a bit to make sure I got in. The Erie Marathon, at Presqu'Isle State Park in Erie PA seemed to fit the bill- mid September (right before the Boston Marathon registration opened) and pancake flat. I didn't pick up quite as much time as I had hoped, and it turned out that my previous BQ from Philly last fall still would have got me in, but it was still a good experience. Any time you get a well run marathon under your belt, that's good experience you can draw on later on.
All things considered I think I had a pretty good year of running. While I did get a couple of PBs (5K and Marathon), I didn't really blow any PBs out of the water. I still consider it a goo year though- some solid results, avoided injuries, set myself up well for training for Boston, and most importantly, enjoyed myself. I had a lot of fun at the races I went to, and I had a lot of really great training runs. That's the main thing- as long as it keeps being fun, I'll consider it successful.
I'm looking forward to what 2014 is going to bring. Going to Boston is going to be a huge- I've been looking forward to that for quite a while, so that will be very exciting. I also am planning on switching my focus away from the road and more toward trails and ultra distances, so that will be a new & exciting challenge.
How was your running in 2013? What are you looking forward to in 2014?