Gail's Travails: December 2012

This has been a year like no other in my life! Running has become a huge part of me, and it has begun to define me in wonderful and unexpected ways. It's the best medicine I could ever ask for, both physically and mentally. My only regret is that I waited until I was in my mid-40s to discover my deep passion for all things running and for all who enjoy the sport as much as I do!

I'll try my best to summarize the year of running through the lists, bullet points, and photos below...

The Stats:

Total miles run in 2012: 2,432
Most miles run in a week: 70
Most miles run in a month: 258
Number of 18+ mile training runs: 14
Total number of racing events: 19
Weight: 112.5 beginning of the year; 112.0 end of year

The Races:

Marathons: 2 - Albany Marathon (4:00:16) and Marine Corps Marathon (3:53:56)
Trail Marathons: 1 - Twisted Ankle Marathon (5:43:01)
196-mile Ultra Relay Race (team of 12): 1 - Southern Odyssey Relay
Half Marathons: 5 (1:40:13 PR)
15Ks: 1 (1:10:15 PR)
10Ks: 5 (45:23 PR)
5Ks: 4 (24:30 PR)
For full details on the races, please see my race history page.

The Highlights:

earning a qualifying time for the Boston Marathon during my second marathon (a sweet bonus that was not even a blip on my radar screen at the beginning of the year)
earning a spot in Corral A of the Peachtree Road Race 10K for the first time on my 20th year running it
running the Peachtree Road Race with my husband (whose time I actually beat this year!) and with SO many of my best buddies
experiencing the joy of success in winning PRs on every single distance of race this year
earning several race awards
having some training days where I felt truly fabulous from start to finish
training with my 9-year-old daughter and running her first 5K with her
meeting so many wonderful running friends online and in person
running long runs and training daily with several very special friends (you all know who you are!)
traveling to Charlotte, NC, to run a half marathon with a friend I met online through her blog, and then having her visit me to run the Twisted Ankle marathon
having a tremendous support group via Daily Mile; being inspired there by some truly terrific athletes; and seeing everyone who stuck with their running throughout the year make progress
participating in racing events with Adventure Runners and Running Divas, as well as many Daily Mile and Tallahassee friends
frolicking around and running at all hours of the day and night with the five other people in my van at the Southern Odyssey Relay
walking into the choir room the day after both my marathons and being treated like a celebrity!
praying with Francis before our runs and races
talking with other runners about anything and everything (Hello, nice to meet you. So, we're going to be doing this run for a looong time. Time me your life's story!)
getting gloriously and severely spray-painted in bright multi-colors as I dashed through the Color Run 5K
running with new friends from different countries and enjoying listening to their super-cool accents as the miles melted away
attending an event hosted by the ladies of Another Mother Runner and being spotlighted on Sarah and Dimity's wonderful blog
purchasing a flowery double-ruffle running skirt from Lululemon after seeing Sarah display it on a tweet (LOVE that skirt!)
keeping myself injury-free, even when the miles piled on, and seeing my legs get slim and toned, even while getting to eat more calories
experiencing an eagerness to run at an extremely high level all year long, through any kind of weather and even in the early, dark, cold winter mornings
celebrating with friends on their successes, commiserating them on letdowns, and motivating them as best I could through training
enjoying watching the seasons change on my beloved Silver Comet Trail
feeling strong support and love from my family as I pursued goal after goal

Race Bling!

There were only a few of what I'd consider low-lights:

running my first marathon through a severe thunderstorm with buckets of rain, thunder, high winds, and puddles everywhere :-(
leaping over what I thought was a gnarly root in the trail marathon and discovering in mid-air that it was a 3' rattlesnake! Still having nightmares....
losing my MCM race number in a prior hotel, discovering it the night before the marathon, suffering anguish, lack of sleep, and less-than-stellar race results
falling several times on trails and busting up hands and knees
tripping over a speed hump (of all things) and severely bending back two fingers a week before my first marathon

Major OUCH!!!

2012 Goals:

Run at least 1,800 miles this year. BLOWN AWAY at 2,436!
Run in at least 1 race per month. Got in at least one a month, for 19 total!
Run a marathon. Did two!
Run a time that served as a qualifier for Corral A in the Peachtree Road Race 10K. Qualified via a 10K, but later even qualified in every race distance except the 5K (What can I say? Short runs are just not my thing.).
Stay injury-free. Managed to do this! Hallelujah!
Have fun. Had way more fun than I even dared hope!

It has been such a successful year that, in looking ahead, I'm not at all sure what to hope for in 2013. These goals are almost all going to be stupendously challenging, but I am daring to aim high!

2013 Goals:

Run 2,500 miles in 2013.
Run two marathons. (The first one is coming up in early February. My A goal is a 3:30.)
Run an ultra distance race.
Run a 1:38 half marathon, preferably at the Berry Half since a friend and I sort of have a friendly challenge going on. :-)
Earn a mug at the Peachtree Road Race 10K. To do that, I need to aim for a sub-43-minute 10K. Yikes.
Train for another 5K with my daughter and help her place in her age group.

Having fun and staying injury-free are, of course, on my list for every year!