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.