Happy ALMOST New Years! Wow, where did 2023 go?

It was a good year with NO injuries, some cross training, and even some races with my kids!

I set out the year with these goals:

Goal 1: Add in something else besides running into my schedule. 

Goal 2: Continue to run, injury free.

Goal 3: Run in-person races again!

Goal 4: Run more miles than I ran in 2022 (1,513.67 miles)

Here’s how I did related to those goals:

Goal 1: Recently, I started adding some cross training into my schedule! B started building out our basement gym, adding a rowing machine and bike. Since then, when weather is inclement, I’ve started using those machines. Some days during work when I’m proofreading, I sit on the bike to move my legs a little. I also start most of my weekday runs with a short core workout, which I started doing in 2022 when I started doing diastasis recti exercises. It may not sound like a lot, but this is a big deal for me.

Goal 2: Yes! Yes! I ran injury free, thanks in part to sometimes stretching but also rolling my foot out each day after running to prevent PF.

Goal 3: I ran 5 races this year, including two with FW! They were:

• Cleveland Marathon Challenge Series (2 races): This included a 5K and half marathon. Here’s my race recap.

• Communion of Saints 5K: My kids and husband did the one miler, and I did the 5K.
• Cleveland Heights Happy 5K: This was FW’s first 5K where he didn’t walk. He ran it with me last year, walking most of the way, but this year we ran together. He did great and probably could’ve gone faster!  LM did the kids run.

• Stratford, Connecticut Turkey Trot: I also ran this with FW. FW, LM and GM also did the kids run. (GM wasn’t as happy about it — here’s the post with more details)

Goal 4:

Before I get to Goal 4, here’s a short weekly update — this past week, I finished my year in running by running a few runs outside (weather permitting – we had some WARM days!) and inside (yay for the treadmill!) during my time off. Getting in runs without having to wake up and run outside in the dark was GREAT. I wish I could run in daylight every day! With time off work, I enjoyed some days sleeping in, but also mostly time with the kids vs. time running by myself while the kids were off school. I got in a stroller run, AND Christmas day my oldest ran a 5K with me, which made my day. Overall, I got in fewer miles than typical (25ish) but still some runs. With that, I have reached the following mileage in 2023:

Total mileage for 2023: ~1,580 miles < — I can’t believe I did it! I’ll know the final number after tomorrow, hopefully I’ll get in a little NYE morning run.

And if you’re still reading and are looking for a way to meet your running goals in 2024, you should enter my race giveaway on Instagram! Here is a link — you can enter to win race entry to any of the Cleveland Marathon events in May.

Questions for you:

• How did your 2023 go?
• Any goals for 2024?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.