Running one mile at a time…
Hello there! We are so close to saying goodbye to 2017. It was another good year for me with great trips to Utah and Alaska as well as fun times with family and friends.
I am borrowing ideas from Courtney and Elizabeth to write a blog post with my running stats. All of this comes from my beautiful Garmin 225/Garmin Connect. I bought it in November 2014 and love it. Definitely one of my best purchases.
773.11
153:43
0. Hopefully next year is the year.
7
11:56
How was YOUR year?
Happy Holiday! Just a few more days till we ring in 2018!!
I will end the year with 156 races (10 in 2017). I didn’t race as much as I would have liked to but I am happy with the races I did. I had a goal to run at least 1,000 miles but sadly I did not meet this goal. Will try again next year.
So now let’s talk about my 5 best races this year in no specific order.
1. Great Alaskan Half Marathon. In July I went on The Great Alaskan Running Cruise and ran 4 races but the half marathon was my favorite. Running in Alaska was state #38 for me in my goal to run a half marathon in each state. It was a small race and the view was spectacular! It was on this cruise that I finally met Elizabeth.
2. Elmhurst Running Club 4 on the 4th. I’ve been running this race since 2013 and absolutely love it! It is cheap, not too far from home, plenty of parking, and the only 4 miler race I do. This year I met up with a few Oiselle girls. July 4th is extra special for me because it was on this day in 1978 that my family and I came to this country from Mexico. Double the celebration!
3. Run Mag Mile 10K. This race was lots of fun! I enjoyed running along Michigan Avenue and eating some delicious food after the race. The hoodie and medal were cool too. Oh, and I love that we got FREE race photos.
4. Utah Valley Half Marathon. Utah was state #37 for me. I met up with a few bloggers (Marcia, Judy, Teresa, Holly, and Mary Beth) and had a great time with them. The course was downhill and beautiful but I was sore for days. We had great weather and while it was sunny, I never got too hot because the course through the canyon was shaded.
5. Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle. This is another one I do every year. This race was my first one this year. My goal was to finish it in under an hour and finish time was 56:26. I knew I wasn’t going to PR because I’d been running here and there due to various injuries in the beginning of the year. I already signed up to run it again next year! I love the course and the medal is a plus!
What was your favorite race this year?
I’m linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday 2.0.
Another great week of marathon training. I am loving these “easy” runs but I know that eventually they will not all be “easy”. The weather has been decent enough to continue running outside.
M Ran 30 minutes for 2.58 miles
T Quality Session (10 minute warmup, 3.10 miles, 10 minute cooldown)
W OFF
TH Ran 45 minutes for 3.85 miles
F Ran 30 minutes for 2.59 miles
S Ran 90 minutes for 7.75 miles
S OFF
Started off the week with 30 minutes of running. It felt warm and I was tempted to wear shorts. I like running in the morning before work but don’t think I’ll continue when I have to run longer runs.
I was not looking forward to Tuesday’s run. I had to run 10 minute warm up, 3.10 miles, and then 10 minute cooldown. My plan was to run along the lakefront but instead decided to run around the airport. Despite it being 50 degrees, it was WINDY. I actually did good but know I can improve and do better. My fastest 5K is from May 2011 (29:48 with a 9:35 average pace).
The rest of the week were all easy runs. It also went by fast and before I knew it, it was Friday and almost time for Winter Break. My students made a present for their parents and had fun making their own wrapping paper.
Saturday’s run consisted of running 90 minutes. Honestly I was not looking forward to it. But as always, the runs we do not want to do are also the best ones. It was in the low 30s but it was also sunny and not windy at all which made the run even more pleasant.
Overall I am pleased with this week of training. I felt great and actually enjoyed my runs. Let’s see how long that lasts! 🙂
Total mileage for the week: 21.45
Total mileage for this training cycle: 66.38
Total mileage for the year: 760.76
Here’s how training has gone so far:
• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3
Link back to the host and let’s support other bloggers linking up as they train for a marathon, half marathon, or any other event.
Illinois Marathon training has begun. This week I did minimal running because I hurt my ankle. It feels better now but taking a few days off helped and I am ready to resume training.
M Did not run
T Did not run
W Did not run
TH Did not run
F Did not run
S Did not run
S Ran 30 minutes for 2.62 miles
On Monday I went out too late for my run and by then it was snowing. It wasn’t a lot but enough to make it hard to see and slippery. I am afraid of falling in the snow/ice and hurting myself. I did run for about 3 minutes and then went back home. Spoiler alert: I didn’t slip that day but did fall the next day.
On Tuesday I did some errands and hurt my ankle. I was about to get into my car and I didn’t see that the curb was uneven. I sat in the carseat in disbelief because I couldn’t believe it. I had skipped my run on Monday because I didn’t want to slip in the snow but yet I fell/slipped while walking to my car?!?!? It didn’t hurt as much so I went on with my errands. The next day it was sore/tender but wasn’t painful. I did think that I had sprained it but realized it wasn’t swollen and it didn’t hurt to walk. I decided to take off the next few days just to make sure.
The rest of the went flew by. Work was busy but productive. The teachers in our District don’t have a contract but we have a tentative one and will vote on Monday. On Friday I substituted for a class and had 47 kids in my room. There is a shortage of substitute teachers and many of us either have to internal sub or double up. It went well. Lots of kids but we had a fun and productive day.
One more week till Winter Break!
Every year I give 2 books for Christmas to my kids. This year Lola helped!
I finally went out on Sunday for a run. It was gloomy but also in the high 30s and felt great being out there.
Another week of training for the Illinois Marathon. It didn’t go as I want it to go but life is full of surprises. 🙂
Total mileage for the week: 2.62
Total mileage for this training cycle: 44.93
Total mileage for the year: 739.31
Here’s how training has gone so far:
• Week 1
• Week 2
Link back to the host and let’s support other bloggers linking up as they train for a marathon, half marathon, or any other event.
Illinois Marathon training has begun. Now it feels like winter in Chicago. It was nice and warm on Monday and then dropped 30-40 degrees for the rest of the week. As mentioned in this post, I’m training with Mary from Lift | Run | Perform for a few weeks before I start my “official” training with a few other women that are training for the Boston Marathon.
M Ran 45 minutes for 3.76 miles
T Ran 45 minutes and 4 strides for 4.16 miles
W Cross Training 45 minutes using bike
TH OFF
F OFF
S Ran 10.25 Miles
S Ran 45 minutes and 4 strides for 4.22 miles
I love seeing the holiday decorations. It was nice and warm on Monday and I could have worn shorts but opted to wear a new to me pair of Oiselle Aero Tights. Oh, and another new pair of Brooks Launch 4. They’re on sale on Running Warehouse and at the Brooks site. Have I told you how much I love my Oiselle Lightning Layer? Seriously, the BEST reflective piece of gear you need when running in the dark.
Tuesday workout was the same as Monday but I added 4 strides (20 seconds) and 60 seconds recovery. Easy. But I was cold. It was 31 degrees. Lola didn’t care.
The elliptical machine bores me so this week Mary had me use the bike. Much better. I did get tired of sitting down and found myself moving around a little to get comfortable. I know, I complain too much. If it isn’t one thing, it is another.
Saturday’s run was tough. Another cold but also WINDY day. The first 5 miles were fine but struggled the last 5. Well, we ran nonstop for a little over 3 miles and then I told the group that I needed to walk a little. Not surprisingly, the last two miles were my slowest. Overall, my average pace was 11:28 which made me very happy.
I missed my workout on Friday because I was cold and tired. I came home from a long day of meetings and just wanted to stay in bed. I sent an email to Mary explaining the situation and she responded saying to get some rest and to do the workout on Sunday. I thought for sure she was going to tell me to just skip it. Nope. It wasn’t as cold as on Saturday and luckily it was 45 minutes instead of 10 miles. 🙂 I think I did pretty good!
Another week of training for the Illinois Marathon. It was colder than I wanted it to be but that is expected for December. 🙂
Total mileage for the week: 22.40
Total mileage for this training cycle: 42.31
Total mileage for the year: 736.69
Here’s how training has gone so far:
• Week 1
Link back to the host and let’s support other bloggers linking up as they train for a marathon, half marathon, or any other event.