2018 Running Review

One of my friends did a running review back in 2016 and I thought it was a fun idea so I did one too. I've made it a yearly thing and love looking back over a year of running and racing in January each year. Read my 2017 review here and 2016 review here. I went into the 2018 season again with high hopes. I was shooting for a half-marathon PR in the spring which I actually ran but the course was long and the official timing was off (they have my time as a 1:15) so I can't actually claim it but I feel like since my official time is messed up in the results, I kind of can. I just don't know what exactly my time would have been for 13.1 miles, somewhere in the 1:31:01-1:31:06 range if it was exactly 13.1 but I know no race is ever exactly 13.1 and that race typically reads around 13.12. In the fall I hoped to go for that official half-marathon PR and follow it up with 15k and marathon PRs. I was semi-injured during the half and the 15k was the worst race I've run in a long time but the marathon lived up to all my hopes and dreams. Even though I was hoping to attain 3 new PRs this year, I am completely content with just the one! Shaving 13 minutes off my marathon PR and having an amazingly fun and flawless race was the best experience and left me feeling satisfied with 2018. I joined Strava right before the start of the year and have really enjoyed following friends that way and being shown my progress and fastest times on certain courses. Here are some stats according to Strava...

Total Miles Run: 1,918 (compared to 1,546.41 in 2017 and 1,332.6 miles in 2016)
Seeing this year's total made me want to try for 2,019 miles in 2019 but I don't want to increase the likelihood of injuring myself by attempting to run a specific number of miles in a year. Although I did increase my mileage by almost 400 miles from 2017 to 2018 so 100 miles doesn't sound too daunting of an increase for this year!
Total Time Spent Running: 271 hours (compared to 223 hours, 36 minutes, and 38 seconds in 2017 and 191 hours, 33 minutes, and 32 seconds in 2016)
Total Elevation Gain: 70,513 feet
Total Active Days/Days I Ran: 308

This Year's Stats:
Number of 5ks Run: 10 (8 in 2017, 15 in 2016)
Number of 10ks Run: 3 (4 in 2017, 4 in 2016)
Number of 15ks Run: 1 (1 in 2017, 1 in 2016)
Number of Half Marathons Run: 3 with one on trails (1 in 2017, 1 in 2016)
Number of Marathons Run: 1 (1 in 2017, 0 in 2016)
I also ran a 12k as a leg of a marathon relay and a 25k trail race.

Times Under 22 Minutes in the 5k: 10
Times Under 21 Minutes in the 5k: 5
Times Under 20 Minutes in the 5k: 1

Weeks with 20-29 Miles: 5 (21 in 2017, 24 in 2016)
Weeks with 30-39 Miles: 25 (8 in 2017, 11 in 2016)
Weeks with 40-49 Miles: 17 (9 in 2017, 7 in 2016)
Weeks with 50+ Miles: 3 (7 in 2017, 2 in 2016)
Highest Weekly Mileage: 53.5
Although I had fewer 50+ mile weeks than last year I had consistently higher mileage with only 2 weeks below 20 (the 2 weeks following the marathon) and only 5 weeks below 30 miles. My average weekly mileage for 2018 was 36.8 miles.

January
Dec. 31st/Jan. 1st- Race Into the New Year 5k in 21:53 (6:59 pace), 1st overall female
13th- Runway Run 5k in 21:33 (6:57 pace), 1st overall female

Ready to race in the coldest weather I've ever run in!

February
17th- Sweetheart Run 5k in 21:18 (6:49 pace), 1st overall female
17th- Sweetheart Run 10k in 45:02 (7:08 pace), 2nd overall female/1st age group
Jeremy and I were the 1st place doubler team! We also would have been the 1st place 5k team and the 1st place 10k team.

Jeremy and me finishing together in the Sweetheart Run 5k.

March
17th- St. Patrick's Day 5k in 20:25 (6:34 pace), 7th overall female/3rd age group

Jeremy and me running together on the return trip of the St. Patty's Day race.

April
7th- Aquarium Run Half Marathon in 1:32:05* (6:57 pace), 1st overall male or female
*turn around was placed wrong and the course measured 13.25 miles
29th- Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Relay 12k leg in 51:17 (7:04 pace), 2nd place female team

Finishing the Aquarium Run Half which would have been a PR of around 1:31:06 but they put the turn around in the wrong place so the course was long!

My relay team after finishing the OKC Memorial Marathon Relay!

May
5th- Get Busy Livin 5k in 19:46 (6:34 pace), 1st overall female

Finishing the Get Busy Livin 5k.

Carter going through the kids' obstacle course at the Get Busy Livin event.

Elise going through the kids' obstacle course at the Get Busy Livin event.

June
9th- Starry Night 10k in 44:15 (7:06 pace), 1st overall female
17th- Armadillo Trail 25k in 2:37:59 (10:13 pace), 1st overall female

The kids ready for the Starry Night Fun Run.

Finishing the Armadillo Trail 25k.

July
4th- Firecracker 5k in 21:29 (6:46 pace), 1st overall female

With our awards after the Firecracker 5k.

August
11th- Blue Moon 10k in 44:13 (7:05 pace), 1st overall female

Wearing our Blue Moon race shirts after the race.

September
22nd- Corndog Challenge 5k in 20:15 (6:30 pace), 2nd overall female/1st age group
23rd- Red Dirt Shuffle Trail Half Marathon in 1:54:34 (9:20 pace), 1st overall female

Everyone after the Corndog Challenge 5k.

October
14th- Prairie Fire Half Marathon in 1:32:55 (7:03 pace), 6th overall female/2nd age group
20th- Gorilla Grind 5k in 20:52 (6:37 pace), 1st overall female
27th- Tulsa Run 15k in 1:06:20 (7:04 pace), 3rd age group

Jeremy and me at the start of the Prairie Fire Half Marathon.

Finishing the Gorilla Grind 5k.

Ty ran a PR in a gorilla costume, his first time under 24:00!

Finishing the Tulsa Run 15k, my worst race of the year!

November
9th- Run to the Lights 5k in 20:04 (6:46 pace), 3rd overall female/1st age group
18th- Route 66 Marathon in 3:25:27 (7:46 pace), 10th overall female/2nd age group

Finishing the Run to the Lights.

Finishing the Route 66 Marathon with a 13 minute PR!

December
15th- Ugly Sweater 5k in 21:13 (6:53 pace), 1st overall female
15th- Ugly Sweater Beer Mile in 6:01, 1st overall female

Thomas destroying the field during the Beer Mile!