2017 Running Review

Last year I did a running review of 2016 and thought it would be fun to do again this year. I had high hopes for 2017 to be more PR filled than 2016 but those high hopes led to overtraining in the spring which carried over into a less than ideal fall season, but I'm just happy to be running and enjoying myself! I'm thankful for the lessons I learned from the 2016 spring season. Less is often more and forcing workouts when I'm not feeling quite right is a mistake. The mistakes I made during the spring led to fun and totally no pressure fall season which ended with a marathon PR after 8 years! It also led me to be more cautious than usual coming back after the marathon and I've already made some smart decisions that have helped me come back strong. I ran my first tempo run of the season this morning with 5 miles at 7:06 pace! I'm pretty excited about where I am already and how far I think I can go! Dealing with minor injuries caused me to pick up some good habits like foam rolling and strength training. I was always too lazy to do stuff like that before but when it is what I need to keep myself healthy so I can run, I'll do just about anything. I am hopeful that 2018 is going to be my year for that half-marathon PR but I'm not going to put pressure on myself. I'd rather enjoy the process and be excited to get out for my runs. Just like last year, I had a few runs where I ran with my phone instead of my Garmin or my Garmin died part-way through a run but I still want to include my year's information from Garmin Connect:

Total Miles Run: 1,546.41 (compared to 1,332.6 miles in 2016)
Total Time Spent Running: 223 hours, 36 minutes, and 38 seconds (191 hours, 33 minutes, and 32 seconds in 2016)

The Year's Stats:
Number of 5ks Run: 8 (15 in 2016)
Number of 10ks Run: 4 (same as 2016)
Number of 15ks Run: 1 (same as 2016)
Number of Half Marathons Run: 1 (same as 2016)
Number of Marathons Run: 1 (0 in 2016)
Times Under 22 Minutes in the 5k: 7
Times Under 21 Minutes in the 5k: 3
Times Under 20 Minutes in the 5k: 0

Weeks With 20-29 Miles: 21 (24 in 2016)
Weeks With 30-39 Miles: 8 (11 in 2016)
Weeks With 40-49 Miles: 9 (7 in 2016)
Weeks With 50 Miles: 7 (2 in 2016)

January
Dec. 31st/Jan. 1st- Race Into the New Year 5k, (it was long, actually 3.5 miles) in 23:28 (6:36 pace), 1st overall female

Ready to run the Race Into the New Year.

February
18th- Sweetheart Run 10k in 42:35 (6:43 pace), 2nd overall female

March
11th- St. Patrick's Day 5k in 20:14 (6:28 pace), 6th overall female/1st in my age group

Running a cool down with mom after the St. Patrick's Day 5k.

April 
1st- Aquarium Run Half Marathon in 1:34:11 (7:10 pace), 3rd overall female/1st in my age group

Taking off at the start of the Aquarium Run Half Marathon.

May
20th- Joplin Memorial Marathon Relay in 3:32:14 (I ran my 7.74 mile leg in 7:36 pace), 2nd place co-ed relay team

Jeremy and Me running to the finish of the Joplin Memorial Marathon Relay with dad.

June
10th- Starry Night 10k in 45:23 (7:16 pace), 1st overall female

Finishing the 10k at the Starry Night race.

July
4th- Firecracker 5k in 21:08 (6:43 pace), 1st overall female

In our race shirts after the Firecracker 5k.

August
12th- Blue Moon 10k in 46:04 (7:24 pace), 1st overall female

Finishing the Blue Moon fun run with Carter.

September 
1st- Little Balkans 5k in 21:50 (7:08 pace), 1st overall female
23rd- Corn Dog Challenge 5k in 21:51 (7:05 pace), 2nd overall female

Me and Jeremy running at the Little Balkans 5k.

October
7th- Zoo Run 10k in 44:59 (7:09 pace), 6th overall female/3rd in my age group
21st- Twilight Thriller 5k in 21:13 (6:46 pace), 2nd overall female
28th- Tulsa Run 15k in 1:07:39 (7:14 pace), 34th overall female/8th in my age group

After finishing the Tulsa Run 15k.

November

10th- Run to the Lights 5k in 20:40 (6:53 pace), 3rd overall female
19th- Route 66 Marathon in 3:38:58 (8:17 pace), 23rd overall female/3rd in my age group

Excitedly finishing the Route 66 Marathon in PR time!

December
16th- Ugly Sweater 5k in 23:24 (7:11 pace), 7th overall female/6th in my age group
16th- Ugly Sweater Beer Mile in 6:09, 2nd overall female

Sprinting to the finish of the Ugly Sweater 5k.