Talk about coming in under the wire …
My blogger peeps have been posting a survey about their running year. It began with this post from Ms. Zippy who I follow closely and I wanted to do one earlier but life kept getting in the way, until now four and a half hours before the New Year. Here goes my running year in review.
Favorite Race:Miami Man Half Iron Distance (review here). This is the second year that I did it and I felt so much more confident. I was not nervous, I knew what to expect and there were people cheering all the time. I also struggled on the run and learned some valuable lessons for next year: I need to watch my nutrition on the race, and I can’t take my brick workouts for granted. Getting second place Athena was not a bad deal either!
Best Run: I had a four mile run while my kids were at soccer not too long ago. I was by myself, the air was cooler than usual, and I ran faster than I ever did. It just felt amazing and where I realized “wow! I really can enjoy running after all.” This is the picture I posted on Facebook after this run.
Best Piece of New Gear: Though I had a lot of great gear to review, especially my new Mizuno’s when it comes to gear, this year is a no brainer … I got my new TT bike … a Cannondale Slice that I called Slider based on this poem:
Life should not be a journey to the gravewith the intention of arriving safely,in an attractive and well preserved body.But rather to skid in sideways,body thoroughly used up,totally worn outscreaming “woo hoo” what a ride.
Love is an understatement when it comes to Slider.
Best Piece of Running Advice I Received: You don’t have to look graceful running, just run: hips forward, high cadence.
Most Inspirational Runner: This is a tough one as I have met so many through the Twittershpere, but I come back to a teammate Robert. He began running last year and I remember he could barely keep up with the slower group. This year, he is training for his first marathon and has become a confident, fast runner. I don’t know him that well but I’ve watched him change and he shows me that I can change too.
If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be? Unexpected chances for dreams to come true. Like Fearless in this picture, I am flying high.