Recap of my first year of running

I’m fairly certain 1-year-ago-Marya would not believe what current-Marya has accomplished this year. Several 5k’s, 10k’s, and SIX half-marathons! As of a few days before New Years, I have run 801.5 miles, and will probably add a few more on before rolling over into the new year.

Overall, I think it was a successful year! And I can’t wait to see what next year holds…including the Eugene Marathon! Here’s a run down of the past year:

January:
We ran our first running race, the First Run 5k at the strike of midnight. What a great way to ring in a great year of running! We finished in 29:16, and were ecstatic to finish under 30 minutes. Our times have improved, and we’ve certainly run further, but it was our first great running accomplishment, and I’m still proud of it!

Unfortunately, while I was finishing the Couch to 5k plan, I got a little too goal-oriented and injured myself. Too much running for my legs coupled with the wrong running shoes = injury in the form of shin splints and I was sidelined much of the rest of this month.

After purchasing some new shoes, I thought I had been magically cured, and attempted my first 1 mile race, the Be The Change Mile (pictures can be found here). I finished in about 9-ish minutes, but I'm fairly certain I can finish faster than that now… Looks like I need to find another miler to race!

The rest of the month was full of cross-training in the form of hiking and recumbent biking. Blah. I continued my shin splint self-care, and hoped February would be better.

February:
I continued my road back to recovery, with more hiking and more self-care, and I eventually got back on my feet. It was a slow, hesitant recovery, but I ended the month running nearly 3 miles, relatively pain free! And that’s all I could ask at that point.

March:
I continued my recovery this month, and made my triumphant return at the Shamrock Run, with a new 5k PR: 27:40! We also signed up for 2 races: Bridge to Brews 10k and the Helvetia Half Marathon! I must have been feeling better; I was getting ambitious!

In preparation for half marathon training, we completed our first “long” runs of 4 and 5 miles! Hey that was a big step back then! :)

We also did our first volunteer gig at the end of the month, at the Fort Vancouver Race, and we made a very important running friend!

April:
This marked our first opportunity to run on vacation, down in sunny so-cal! It was hot and I contracted allergies, which impacted my running for the rest of the week after I got home, but I still ran a successful 6 miler!

I eventually was able to breathe again, and was able to celebrate J and my one year anniversary, with our first 10k! (pictures can be viewed here) We finished in 56:07, good enough for a PR (you know, since it was our first one! :)

We finished out the month by volunteering again with friends at the Earth Day Races, and attempting a 7-miler on a difficult trail, on full stomachs, and trying Gu for the first time, and ultimately failing by completing only 5.3 miles. Oh well…

May:
We started the month with something new and fresh. Our first track workout! Later that week, I “ran” an almost-5k with my Girls on the Run buddy…Oy.

Our follow-up week included a second trip to sunny so-cal, where we failed on yet another long run, but came back the next day to complete 8 flat miles for the first time ever!

We completed our first “Tempo” workout the next week, and took part in our first of many First Thursday Runs. We finished out this very successful week with a 10-miler on Leif Erickson!

We followed up this “best week of training ever” with a very poor showing with a too-fast track workout and a terribly disappointing long run on the Banks-Vernonia trail.

We made up for it the next week with a passable 12-miler, and J totally smoked a 5k race, getting first in his age-group, and setting a new PR in 21:34! Holy smokes fasty! This also marked our 3rd volunteer gig, at the Rum Run. Overall, we completed this peak week with 26 miles, and were quickly closing in on our first half marathon!

The last week of May was devoted to tapering, and our long run was only 9 miles! Totally easy after a 12-miler! Only 1 more week until Helvetia!

June:
I started out the month with the Starlight Run with Girls on the Run…it only took us 55 minutes to complete the 5k, but hey, we beat the bus! :\

In preparation for our race, we adopted a new kitten. Hey, why not? But soon enough, it was time to get ourselves to the start line, and do this thing!

And then we did it. We completed our very first half marathon! I was slightly disappointed just after the finish, since we were so close to breaking 2 hours…but in retrospect, I think 2:01:46 is pretty respectable for our first 13.1 miles! I learned some lessons that I was able to take into my next goal race, about aid stations and fueling, as well as confidence that I could complete the distance! It was so great to complete that first half, and I think it gave me a bit of a bug for the distance, as we will see later in this recap.

After the race, I continued on with my new addiction, yoga. The week after the race was devoted to yoga only, 3 yoga classes in the first week, and I became more familiar with the types of yoga that suit me best.

We finished up a great month with the Epic Oregon Relay. It was a great fun time with running friends, and I can’t wait to do another one of these relays, maybe next summer. I still had a great time even after biting it on my last leg. I think you look pretty bad-ass with blood streaming down your leg as you cross the finish line!

July:
This month started the theme of running for fun and continuing with yoga. With no real “race” planned, we just ran/yoga’d when we wanted to, and it was really fun!

I started the month out by taking part in my friend’s Sleepover Marathon. I honorably completed my “half” as my friends struggled to complete 15-17 miles. It was a very hard endeavor; much harder than we had anticipated, but it was still fun to be with friends. We also volunteered at an aid station for the Flat Half/Full Marathon; fun with cowbell!

I continued on with fun running, finding new routes, and even getting lost sometimes. Then we decided to finally “race” again at the Bowerman AC 5k, where I got a new 5k PR (24:25) in the heat! (85° is hot to me) and got to meet Kara Goucher! Overall, a very fun month!

August:
We continued on the with the running theme of “fun”: First Thursdays, volunteering, track, all while still continuing with yoga.

And then I did it; I made plans! Well, first of all, we officially joined the Red Lizard Running Club. We’d been running with their group for awhile, so it seemed only right to make it official. And as for plans, I signed up for several half marathons, including a “goal” race for November: EWEB’s Run to Stay Warm…Soon enough I would be “training”, although I didn’t really end up following a “plan” as I did previously!

September:
I started out September by running a half marathon for fun (old Marya would say, “HUH?!”) The inaugural Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon. It was a fun time, except for that few miles of gravel…

Next up, a 10k race, and a new PR (49:47) at the Pints to Pasta 10k race. I left my old PR in the dust! Woot!

Continuing on with the shorter and shorter races, the next weekend I raced the Oktoberfest 5k, and ran yet another PR (23:28). Guess I got a bit faster than the beginning of the year!

We finished the month with a wedding, and just kept running!

October:
3 race reports, none actually “raced”.

First up: Fall Finale 5k, pacing a 30 min 5k. It was fun preparation for the next weekend’s activities, and I won free shoes! Not bad!

Next: Portland Marathon Pacing. So. Much. Fun. I ran 17 miles total with my pace group, and it was fun to see who was still with the group after a bit of a break at the aid station. I definitely want to do this again next year!

Finally: Nike Women’s Half Marathon + San Francisco Vacay. What a great way to sightsee, first walking around with J, then running a half marathon with thousands of my closest friends! I don’t think I would ever want to “race” a destination marathon, but we’ll see!

November:
The month of my new half PR. It started with a trail half marathon, our first ever race on a trail. Super difficult, but really fun! The perfect adventure for a camera! I got a lot of great pictures out of it.

I finished my last week before the race with lots of trail running. Excuse me. Lots of muddy trail runs. Super fun and super dirty. It’s what fall is all about!

And then it came, the race I've been running toward the last few months. I didn’t really stick to a “training plan”, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t train. I did track and long runs, plus other “easy” mileage throughout the week. I got my miles in, but I was still nervous! And then I ran what felt like a perfect race. Pretty even splits throughout, it wasn’t tough until the end, and I finished with a smile on my face; completely satisfied. A new PR of: 1:48:49; I’ll take it!

After this run, I officially became Half Fanatic #652, and fessed up to signing up for our first full marathon!

I also took it easy, but still managed a turkey trot, and paced a 30 minute 5k again. This race was packed, though, and I’m not sure too many people knew we were there. We still managed to get one kid across under 30 minutes, and he was definitely proud!

December:
Lastly, we have the Holiday Half; another fun run with friends. We got a great cowbell/finishers medal at the end, and I’m sure I’ll be able to use it to cheer on fellow runners at some point!

I’ve got some plans lined up for next year, but I need to get things somewhat more finalized. I’ll try to get a plan/goals post after the new year. Until then! Have a Safe & Happy New Years!

Holiday Half Run Report + Weekly Recap

Another weekend, another half marathon! ;) But first, recap of the week:

Monday:
Day Off

Tuesday:
Back to Track
This week’s workout:

1 x 600 @ 2:48 (200 recovery)
1 x 800 @ 3:44 (200 recovery)
2 x 1000 @ 4:41 (400 recovery)
1 x 800 @ 3:44 (200 recovery)
1 x 600 @ 2:48

Here’s how it broke down:

600 @ 2:37 (a little speedy)
800 @ 3:37 (a little less speedy)
1000 @ 4:41 (dead on)
1000 @ 4:44 (oops)
800 @ 3:44 (dead on)
600 @ 2:42 (strong finish!)

It was a good, dark workout. Nice to run fast again. I was afraid that I forgot how! It was my first track workout in (probably) over a month; before my Achilles started to bother me. No pain afterward (well maybe a little sore…)

Wednesday:
Fulton Pub Run
5.22 miles (9:16 min/mi)
A tad bit speedy, but it felt pretty good. Nice run with friends, and trivia afterward! Good times!

Thursday:
3.1 miles (un-timed run, with a story)
We had a bit of rain just before rush hour, which caused traffic to be horrendous. Literally the second worst commute of all time, right behind the time it snowed right at evening rush hour. That night it took me 4 hours to drive 12 miles….yeah, it was awful!

To be fair, it only took me 1.5 hours to drive 10 miles (to NW Portland) where I was supposed to be taking part in Fit Right NW Light Up the Night Holiday Fun Run. When I finally arrived, everyone was just finishing up their 5k run, and I was so upset (I absolutely hate traffic, like it tops the list of everything I hate in the world…) so I decided to do my own 5k. I had no Garmin, no plan, and no watch, so I just took off. I know I was running fast, but I didn’t care, I just needed to run.

I looped down to the Pearl District and made my way back. I got a side cramp from running so fast unprepared, and had to walk just a bit. Now, while I was driving, there was hardly any rain, and the other runners had a fairly dry run. As I was walking, it started pouring, and I was so happy. It felt good, and I felt so much better finishing my run by getting drenched!

I arrived back to the store, drenched to the bone, the raffle long past completed. Luckily, J had won me a nice reflecty beanie, and saved me a beer. I don’t even know what kind it was!

Moral of the story: Best. Run. Ever!

Friday/Saturday: rest days

Sunday:
Holiday Half Run Recap
13.1 miles: 2:19.04 (10:37 avg pace)
Pretty good run for an inaugural event! The starting/finishing area was located at Adidas Headquarters, and there were a good group of people there when we arrived at 7:30am. We picked up our race bibs and shirts, then went to find the bathroom…line. Oy! What a line. We didn’t stick around for long, since we didn’t have to go too bad, and weren’t too worried about waiting in a shorter line along the race course. There were 3 porta-potties in the parking lot, and another few at the starting line. Needless to say, not enough potties for 1500 runners. I heard it took 30 minutes to get to the front of the line! Wow!

The race started just about right on time, and we all funneled through the starting line. We started on a bit of an incline, then wove through some neighborhoods surrounding the Adidas campus. I would definitely prefer to weave for extra mileage at the start of the race versus the end! As we wove back to Greeley, we continued on to Willamette Blvd. There are some nice houses that line this road. The Willamette River was towards our left side, just on the other side of an industrial area below the bluff we were on. What I remember most about this part? THE WIND!!! You had to fight to stay upright! I was certainly happy it wasn’t raining, as I thought it might be. I can handle the wind, as long as we don’t have sharp rain hitting us sideways, as well.

Eventually we passed by the St John’s Bridge, and ran through a few more neighborhoods, and turned around at about Mile 7.5. We looped back around the neighborhood we just traversed, and made our way back past the St. John’s Bridge. Soon enough, we were back on Willamette Blvd, honing in on the finish. We turned the last corner to a nice downhill through the finish line. After we finished, we received our finisher’s medal (a cow bell! for real!) I can foresee using this medal in the future for spectating. Very cool! It was also awesome that those who had already finished, and were walking back towards the race could use them to cheer on the rest of us runners!

All in all, a pretty good race. We spoke to the race director at the end, who knew about the bathroom situation, and also knew that many of the carolers that were supposed to be along the course didn’t show up. Oops! I was a bit disappointed that there were not as many carolers along the way, but I was really having too much fun to notice they were missing until the end!

I wore my Half Fanatics shirt for the first time during this race, and got a few cheers along the way because of it. I also got to meet a few fanatics at the after party, which was fun!

K and I before the race: Race swag:

One half marathon a month for a year:
So, since September, I’ve managed to run at least 1 half marathon each month, and I want to keep this streak going for 12 months. So far I have the Cascade Half Marathon in January, and the Hagg Lake 25k in February. I’m keeping my eye out for more each month through August! If you have any “must-do” halves, let me know, and I’ll see if I can squeeze them in!

Taking it easy

My legs have been a bit tired since the race, which is to be expected, so I’ve been trying to take it a bit easy. But I’ve still gotten out for a few runs!

Thanksgiving Day:
Give N’ Gobble 5k
My friend K and I dusted off our fancy pacing skirts to pace another 30 minute 5k. A lot of people showed up to this race, and I’m not sure too many of the surrounding people knew what we were up to, but we tried to grab a few people in the last couple of miles so they could reach their goal. We even had one kid thank us at the end for pushing him through the finish! Very fun and rewarding!

I was a little nervous going into this “race” since my legs were still a little fatigued (especially noticeable the previous day for my first post-race run). But they actually felt a lot better on this day. Maybe it was the “race” atmosphere that helped! All around it was a good time! Instead of a Turkey Dinner later that day, we had pizza! Mmm!

Post-Thanksgiving Weekend:
Hot Buttered Run Volunteering (Bag Check!)
Although I didn’t run this race, I had a great time volunteering, and it looked like all those out there actually participating had a great time too. There was a 5k and a 12k, and everyone (of legal drinking age) got delicious Hot Buttered Rum at the end (hence the name). Before or after the race you could enjoy the Festival of Trees in the Pearson Air Museum. Overall, a great festive event!

Last week:
I ran a few times this week, and even did a long run yesterday. Group run from Lululemon! My legs were pretty tired the whole way through, but I made it, and feel fine today!

After the run, J and I attended the Holiday Ale Festival during the Civil War game (in order to avoid the crowd.) Good planning! My favorite of the day (got 3 tasters of it, it was so delicious!):
Hopworks Brewery Kentucky Christmas!!

Next week:
Next weekend my friend K and I will be running (for fun) the Holiday Half. It looks like a really festive fun time! (Carolers!) Until then!