Looking Back at 2013: A Year in Running

December 18, 2013January 2, 2014 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

How was your year in running? A few blogs I read have started posting their 2013 running recaps to look back at how their year went, with regard to running. In fact, Miss Zippy is doing a Year In Running Linkup, and after reading her post, as well as a few others, I decided to participate as well.

My Year In Running

2013 was certainly an interesting year for running for me. 2012 was the year I trained for a marathon, and two days before had to drop out of the race from injuries. I’m still not really over that pain yet and am not ready to spend all that time training again, only to be let down again. But in 2013 I regained my sense of running, got my running groove back (somewhat), and found that I really kind of like running half marathons.

Anyway, here are a few other highlights from 2013:

Best race experience? As far as overall race experiences, I really enjoyed the Rock and Roll Cleveland Half Marathon. I loved the bands on the course, the excitement of all the spectators throughout the city, the people I ran with (B and his sister), AND my parents were even there to cheer me on! Really I loved the run in general – everything but the hills!

Best run? Definitely the Women Who Run race. I somehow ran the 4 mi race much faster than I typically run AND since I came in 3rd in my age group for this women-only race, I got a picture with firefighters at the end of the run (see the bottom right photo in the collage above). Can you beat that?

Best new piece of gear? My best gear for 2013 hasn’t been super high tech. I’d say it’s either my running headband (I love the headbands from owl be sweating!) my hot pink PROCompression socks, or my armband. Not high tech, I know, but having an armband for my phone so I can listen to music or record my runs on Nike+ while I run has been incredible!

Best piece of running advice you received? “Push yourself.” Simple advice? Yes. But it works. B is always telling me that I need to push myself when I run – he somehow thinks that I am actually faster than I think I am – and sometimes it helps to hear him saying this as I’m doing speedwork or doing a race.

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be? Learning that running for me is whatever I want it to be. If it’s about number of miles, so be it. If it’s for speed, that’s fine. If it’s just for fun and stress relief – that’s fine too. It really is whatever I want it to be!

Here are some of this year’s races (and posts about them):

Turkey Trot 5k in West Virginia (November)
St. Luke Pilgrim Run 5k (November) – came in first overall female somehow … I swear it was a small race
St Martin Cristo Rey 5k (November) – came in first in my age group – another small race 🙂
MidTown Cleveland HealthLine Classic 10K (October) – ran my first official 10K!
Rock N Roll Cleveland Half Marathon (October) – didn’t make our goal of a sub-2 hour half … oh well, there’s always next year 🙂
Women Who Run (June) – came in 3rd in my age group and had my fastest split times (for me)
Notre Dame Holy Half (March)
Inaugural Bockfest 5K (March)

AND my goal for the year, you may recall, was to run 1,000 miles. I passed that in August but kept going. A few weeks ago (nothing like a last minute goal, right?) I decided I’d try to get to 1,500. I’m hoping that if all goes well and I can fit in a few runs over the holiday break (hard without my gym!), I can meet that goal.
2013 year in running

A few questions for you:

How was your year in running? (You can read all my running-related posts here) Set any goals?
What was your favorite piece of running gear?
Any advice that you’ve learned this year?
How do you stay running during the holidays with travel, friends, families, etc.?

1,000 Miles … Achieved!

August 27, 2013August 26, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

If you’ve been reading my blog for more than a few months, you may know that I like to run. I’ve trained for a marathon, run half marathons, tried running streaks … but I’ve never seemed to hit 1,000 miles in a year. So this year, as part of a 2013 goal (I’m not much of a Resolutions girl) I decided I would run 1,000 miles. The goal seemed achievable – but I still was worried. Even when I trained for the Cleveland marathon last year, I didn’t hit 1,000 miles. Would I be even close without marathon training?

Yes! The answer is yes. In fact, last week I hit my 1,000 mile goal! AND I didn’t even realize it until two days later. So much for anti-climatic, right?

See the cool chart? It’s proof!

handy dandy excel chart

This is me super excited to have reached my goal. And post a 10k run with B so please excuse the sweatiness.

I’m pretty pumped.

And some scenes from my week running – what a gorgeous few days it’s been!

Not a bad view!

Yup, pink skies in the morning – meaning the days are getting shorter!

Some questions for you:

Do you set running goals?
Do you set New Year Resolutions? How are you at keeping them?
What should my next running goal be?
How do you track mileage?

Streaking! (Okay, not really)

July 7, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

It’s been waaay too long since I gave you all a running update. I know what you’re thinking – it’s summertime and I fell off the wagon. I didn’t keep up with my 20 mi/week goal and am failing miserably at my 1,000 miles in the year challenge. Wow – thanks for all your support (don’t worry, I know that most of you weren’t actually thinking that … right?). But no – I’ve actually been rocking along with my runs and am well on my way to meeting my goal. Here are some highlights from the past few months:

1. Completing the Runner’s World Running Streak – I ran every single day from Memorial Day to July 4th. Which meant running throughout B and my vacation – he probably deserves an award for letting me do that and holding off starting our day until I got my run in (but honey, wasn’t I a much more bearable person after I ran?).

RWRUNSTREAKBADGE

2. Reaching 143 miles, my all time monthly high, two months in a row. Yup – I hit 143 miles for May and 143 for June.

This is what running on vacation looks like. Tough life, huh?

3. Getting to 2/3 of my goal! Yup, I’m at more than 750 miles of my 1000 goal. So unless something happens (knock on wood), I’ll definitely get there!

Yes, I’m keeping track in Excel of my runs. Here’s the super fancy chart that shows how I’m doing.

4. Reading What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. If you’re a runner, then you will love this book. My brother got it for me for my birthday, and it was a perfect gift. I related to SO many of the author’s quotes and POVs. So motivating.

“Running is both exercise and a metaphor. Running day after day, piling up the races, bit by bit I raise the bar, and by clearing each level I elevate myself … I’m no great runner, by any means. I’m at an ordinary – or perhaps more like mediocre – level. But that’s not the point. The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday. In long-distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.”

Making an awkward race photo a little more awkward .. adding a quote

5. Placing in my first race! Yup, saved the best for last. I got 3rd place in my age group in the small Cleveland race, the 4-mile Women Who Run race. I signed up for the race the day before and my knee had been bothering me, but when I hit the one-mile mark, I felt great. And decided to try to stick with this one family the entire race who kept me on pace. I finished at 32:04 – my new PR at 8:01/M!

Pre-race photo opp! Cari and Reanna also rocked the race.

The firefighters gave me my 3rd place medal and then posed for a photo. Yup 🙂

So sorry to the family holding hands I passed at the end! But you guys are super cute.

How about you? Some questions for you:

How are you keeping up with your yearly goals? (Running or not-running)
Do you take awkward race photos?
Do you run on vacation or take the time off?
Are you training for anything right now?
What’s your favorite running book?

Belated April Running Update!

May 16, 2013May 15, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

This week is the Cleveland Marathon Week! It’s crazy to think about where I was this time last year. I had just finished my last long run and was ready for the race … and then found out that I couldn’t run because of the foot and tibia stress fractures. As you may recall, this year I did not sign up because I’ll be out of town – but I do plan to run this week AND give you all a running update. It’s been a while since I gave a running update – I have no idea where May has gone. I am embarrassed that May is halfway through and I haven’t told you all about how I’m meeting my goal. Spoiler alert – I am!

Last year on this date … My parents had come to watch me run the marathon and instead I had the boot for 2 days.

My goal is to get to 1,000 miles this year. I won’t tell you where I am now (since we are in the middle of May) but April was a good month, as you can see by my training screenshots (thanks Dailymile!). It’s actually even my best month thus far – I beat January by 3 miles.

Year To Date Monthly Miles:

January	136
February	111
March	113
April	139

Some April running highlights:

I can’t claim the weather helped me too much this month – April 1 it was flurrying out and later that week it was in the 20s. Which isn’t my happy running weather. I’ve decided my happy running weather is 55-65 – that’s the weather I enjoy the most to run in.
If I bring my phone, I can’t stop taking pictures while I run. I love it. As long as I’m not running for time, I don’t mind stopping and taking a photo.
The week of the Boston Marathon was rough for me. I had a few days where I just felt really down, emotionally, as a runner, a former Bostonian, and a human. Still, I made it my goal to run at least 26.2 miles that week (my typical goal is 20 mi/week), a goal I met easily.
I got in a few longish, unplanned runs – about 9 miles – over the weekends. I tend to only do these sorts of runs when I’m training for something, but with the weather being nice (toward the end of the month) and my motivation being high, I couldn’t help myself.
I did NOT run the Cleveland 10 miler. And, go figure, the weather wasn’t rainy and chilly as it had been in years past. I was out of town that weekend, but still was able to run 12 miles that weekend on my own.

A view from one of my runs. Yes, I stopped to take a photo.

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for – the mileage charts:

First week in April: 26 miles total

week of apr 1

Second week in April: 37 miles! Holy cow. Not sure HOW that even was possible without a training schedule?

week of apr 15

Third week in April: 30 miles

week of april 8

Fourth week in April: 35 miles

week of apr 22

Last week in April: 38 miles. Some of which will go in May’s mileage number.

week of apr 29

Some thoughts to ponder:

Are you still keeping up with your resolutions or goals for the year?
What’s your happy running weather? Do you have a certain temperature that you prefer to run in? Yes- 55-65 degrees. I don’t even mind a little drizzle. 40-70 degrees isn’t that bad, but once it gets colder or warmer, I don’t enjoy it as much. Plus it depends on the time of year – 40 degrees in December is much more enjoyable than 40 degrees in June!
What do you to track your mileage- a Garmin? A running app like MapMyRun or RunKepper? Or do you measure it out after the run? I do it all! B has a Garmin that he uses when we run (I bought it for him). I tend to just measure after the run using Dailymile unless I know I want to go out for a certain distance – then I use MapMyRun.

PS – Not running related, but HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD 🙂

April Update: 360 miles down, 640 to go to my 1000 mile goal

April 5, 2013April 4, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

Can you believe it’s already April? I can’t. From the colder than usual temps, occasional snow flurries, and general disbelief that April means B and I will soon be approaching my second wedding anniversary, it’s hard to believe that we’re already on Q2 of 2013. That being said, I’m still on pace to meet my goal of 1,000 miles this year! March was good to me. Despite the cooler temps, I managed to make 113 miles for March, which included quite a few treadmill runs, a few longer outdoor runs, and even a half marathon in South Bend, Indiana.

Photo stolen from the Holy Half

Month by month, here’s where I stand:

January: 136 miles

February: 111 miles

March: 113 miles

Year to date: 360 miles

Here’s how the weeks have gone:

First week in March

Highlights: got in an 11 miler on Friday after work! It made for a VERY enjoyable and relaxing Saturday:)
march running recap - 1000 miles
Second week in March

march running recap - 1000 miles
Third week in March

Highlights: Notre Dame Holy Half!
march running recap - 1000 miles
Last week in March

This month, I’m looking forward to so many things! In particular:

Warmer weather! I can’t wait to run in a t-shirt and shorts
New spring running clothes! I’m due for a new tank top or two
The Cleveland 10 Miler – B will be unavailable but I’m thinking of running this 10 mile race on my own! (You may recall last year we did the race as part of our 20 mile training run)
Reading What I Talk About When I Talk About Running – my brother got me this as a birthday gift and I can’t wait to break it open! Thanks Greg 🙂

Some questions to ponder:

What’s your favorite spring running gear? Where is your favorite place to shop for running clothes?
Have you read What I Talk About When I Talk About Running? What did you think?
What’s your favorite running book?

So this has actually happened before, including this week – B will tell me to go run so I can be out of his hair while he cleans.

March Update: Well On My Way to 1,000 Miles

March 12, 2013March 11, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 4 Comments

It’s the second week in the month and I’m well on my way to meet my goal of 1,000 miles this year! This weekend we were lucky enough to enjoy some deliciously warm weather – 60 degrees – so even after a 11 mile run on Friday night, I decided to get out for a run on Sunday to enjoy some new sneakers plus a run in shorts.

There have been a few challenges – the weather hasn’t been the best and many of my runs in the morning have been on the treadmill at the gym, as opposed to outside as I would prefer. But it’s March and the weather will hopefully turn soon, meaning I’m on my way to warmer and less icy days!

Yes. (image from Pinterest)

Here are how the past few weeks have gone:

First week in February

week of feb 4

Wow… How did I get in a run every day that week?

Second week in February

week of feb 11

Third week in February

week of feb 18

Was due for a 10 miler on Saturday, but B’s knees and shins were hurting him , so I opted to go out for a run by myself on Friday after work. I felt decent for the first double digit run I’d had in a while and I was definitely glad to have gotten the run over with so I could relax and enjoy the weekend with B!

Last week in February

week of feb 25

I was out of town Tuesday and Wednesday this week, so I was thinking that getting a workout in wouldn’t be to easy — until I realized that I could set my alarm for 6:10 (instead of 5:35 a.m.) on Wednesday to work out before my meeting! It’s the little things.

We were due for a 10k on Saturday, but we were in Cincinnati and I honestly didn’t expect us to run at all – but we ended up doing the Bockfest 5k! Didn’t run for time, but felt good to get out for a run, even in the middle of a beer festival.

First week in March

week of mar 4

This past week was great, running-wise. We had an 11 miler scheduled for the weekend, but B and I decided to get it in on Friday after work. I felt much better than I did on my 10 miler (maybe because I actually drank a ton of water that day?) and it was great to just relax and use the elliptical on Saturday. Sunday’s weather was so nice, I couldn’t not go out and enjoy it? PLUS I had just gotten new sneakers! That’s right, I’m retiring the pink Sauconys (they were great though, just worn down) for some pink Nikes.