2018 In Review

I am happy that 2018 is coming to a close, I really am.  It has been such a strange year and I remain hopeful that 2019 will be better, but I am also very grateful for every single day and every breath I take.  Here is what 2018 looked like for me.

What went well in 2018:

• I (slowly) completed five half marathons in three different states and the District of Columbia.

• I completed my 50th half marathon and mom was there just like she was for my first half marathon back in 2009!
• I ran in two more states: Arizona and Tennessee! 
• I ran three Rock 'n' Roll races, which earned me two extra medals.

• I was a MO' Bassador again.  I hope to keep doing this until they tell me to go away (but please keep me forever)!
• I discovered cryotherapy and compression therapy. 
• I increased my flexibility thanks to Pure Barre. 
• I volunteered at a couple races, which is always fun and rewarding. 
• I really mixed up my workouts by trying different fitness studios like Orangetheory, Shred415, CycleBar, Pure Barre, and various yoga studios. 

What I can work on in 2019:

• Listening to my body more often.  In late spring I could feel that my calf muscles were very tight.  I tried to stretch them out after a run when I thought about it, but I just didn't think about it enough.  Then I tripped going up the stairs at work and pulled a muscle in my left calf.  It was very painful and I was limping for days, which meant I had to miss sweeping the Race 13.1 course with my friends.  Moral of the story, STRETCH and LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!
• Train for the races I "run."  This year I became obsessed with Orangetheory, which meant that I chose taking classes there on weekends over completing long runs.  I wanted those splat points!  The problem with that is that I failed to build the endurance to finish a half marathon with a decent time.  Only one of my five 2018 half marathons was completed under three hours and I pretty much walked all five of them.  Yikes!  So to remedy that, I have joined the Big River Running half marathon training group for Spring 2019 and I can't wait to start!
• Stretch some more.  My fitness wing-woman and I plan to do an unlimited month at Pure Barre in January, I signed up for Pure Barre On Demand and I will make myself use it, and I have purchased several yoga DVD's to use at home.  No excuses in 2019!
• Consistently track my meals.  When I was consistently running more than 15 miles per week, I justified high-calorie meals by saying "I ran today, I earned it."  The problem is that I still told myself I earned those crap meals even when I barely ran or worked out.  That's what got me right back to the same spot I was in 2009 before I started running.  No more!  I joined Weight Watchers this fall and although my weight chart looks more like a roller coaster than a perfectly downward arrow, it is still trending downward.  I love my Saturday "workshops" so much that I chose a half marathon training group that met on Sundays so that I wouldn't miss it! 

So as 2018 closes (finally) and the door to 2019 opens I look forward to working on the goals above, going on at least one mother-daughter race-cation, and celebrating the 10-year anniversary of my first half marathon (I know - it's crazy to think about). 

Have a Happy and Safe New Year!