Resolution Race 2013

Roll back to January 2013. I had been running for about 9 months. I had only participated in one race. I enjoyed it. It was a hard, long  10K and  I wasn't really ready for it. But I finished it. Took me 1:10 to finish, and I had to walk quite a bit. I had signed up for the Hot Chocolate 5K with some friends in January. That is when I got the idea to do a race each month. I had really begun to love running, and I thought this would be a great way to make sure I always had something to look forward to. I would also learn many other things along the way of this journey! After my first race, month by month, I signed up for more. I began to take on more challenges, more distance, learn more speed. I had no idea how many things I would learn from this resolution! I have never before in all my 32 years had a resolution like this! One that I stuck to. One that challenged me, made me grow. Each race, each training brought about new trials, new excitement, and fun! I actually ended the year with 14 races, 2 more than I had intended. I decided to blog about the races and my experience with each one. Some I did alone, some with family, some with friends. Each one has a special place in 2013 for me.

January: The Hot Chocolate 5K in Atlanta at Turner Field. This was my first 5K, also my first race in Atlanta. I did this with several of my closest friends. I trained to run this non-stop, which I did. The hills in Atlanta are always a challenge, but I had so much fun at this race! There is nothing better than a chocolate haven waiting on you at the finish line. 33:08 was my official time.

February:  The Shape Diva Dash 5K Obstacle Course Run. This was a bit more than a run. This course included 12 different obstacles. From climbing, to swinging, to jumping over hurdles.... this was more physically trying. Not only were they obstacles, but it was 30 degrees and pouring rain!! This made it an extra hard run. The race was over an hour from home, and I had originally signed up for it to do with my friends.. both of which backed out last minute. So I did the race alone. I think it would have been more fun with my friends though. I finished this race in 37:52, 37th overall.

March: The Publix Half Marathon in Atlanta. I decided to train for a half. 13.1 miles. I went into this with a friend by my side. Due to knee injuries, she was unable to continue her training and left me hanging, once again!! ;) But I decided to carry on and do it alone. I am so thankful for this race. Not only was it a really big, exciting race- but during the training I learned a lot about myself and my strength. Half marathon training requires weeks of long runs. All of which I spent alone. Alone time out on the road is a place to deal with stress, do your deepest thinking, and hear the Lord! I finished the race in 2:10.

April: The Color Run 5K and The Crosspointe 5K. The color run really wasn't very competitive. I was a little disappointed in the route as well. It was mostly just "fun". And lets be real, I am NOT in running for the "fun" of it. I was a little ticked it wasn't timed also. But I still had a great time with my family and friends! I finished this in 22 mins... I think because the route wasn't a full 5K. :) The Crosspointe 5K was much more competitive! It was a local run with only about 100 runners. It was an out and back down a country dirt road. I thoroughly enjoyed this run! I finished 1st place female and my son finished 2nd place for his age group. This was the first race I really pushed myself HARD to get a good time, and it paid off. I finished this 5K in 26:11

May: Brooks Beat 10K. FINALLY my friend who repeatedly stood me up came through on this race! I have to give her a hard time about it though. This race was really good for me. It was my first 10K in 6 months. I wanted to give it my all, and I pushed myself really hard to finish first in my age group. I was neck and neck with another runner almost the entire race. This pushed me to run a sub 8 min mile pace for a good portion of the race. There were several hills, and most of the race was out in the country. This is my best 10K time of the year. I finished 1st place for my age group. Official time was 50:42. Still looking to go below 50 mins on a 10K soon!

June: Dirty Spokes 15K Trail Run at Dauset Trails. I signed up for this race thinking a trail run race would be fun. I had done some trail running (3 miles) and I thought I could handle this 15K (9 miles) with no problems. Well... this race was definitely more challenging than I thought it would be! I hit these trails HARD. Literally, I tripped and fell 3 times- just look at my knees below! I started out fast, and got tired quickly. By mile 6 I was done. I finished fairly strong, even though I was miserable. I somehow came out with a time of 1:31. I love to trail run, it's so beautiful and peaceful! But it requires more thought about foot placement and focus on balance. I will definitely be doing more trail runs next year! This run was a little more fun, because my husband came and joined me by running the 5K.

July: The Peachtree Road Race 10K. This race is amazing! This is a famous race run every year on July 4th in Atlanta. It's full of excitement and spectators, hills and spunk! Not only was this a great race, but it was a really great night! This was a girls night out race. I got to stay in Atlanta with several of my friends, eat out a nice dinner, order room service cheesecake, and soak in the hot tub! I trained hard for this 10K, but with the rain and heat and people, I finished in 54:37, not the time I had hoped for, but still good.

August: Sunrise on the Square 5K. I had a great time at this 5K with a very good friend! With the exception of the killer hills we were NOT expecting, we both did really good! We finished 1st and 2nd for our age groups! Time: 26:15

September: Scrub Run 5K I really enjoyed this local race in Griffin. The course was downtown, around the hospital and through the Griffin City Park. Just barely missed first place female overall by about 30 seconds! This was a great race with lots of friends also participating! Time 24:42

October: Jubilee Jaunt 5K and Jack-O-Lantern Jog 5K. This was another 2 race month. The Jubilee Jaunt was in Concord, my hometown! It was an out and back course on my regular stomping ground. I enjoyed the race, it was small and only locals racing. I finished 1st place female! My son ran this one with me and came in 2nd for his age group! My time for this race was one of my best 5K times. I finished in 23:59. The other October race was at my sisters school. The Jack-O-Lantern Jog was a course in downtown Griffin through the houses down and around East College Street. I really enjoyed this run and had a PR for this 5K! Both of my girls ran in this race too which made it even more fun! My finish time was 23:45

November: Rock and Roll Marathon and Atlanta Thanksgiving Day 5K. This was another 2 race month. These were probably the two most memorable races of the year for me. The first race, The Rock and Roll Marathon in Savannah, was amazing! I spent weeks training for it, hour after hour of running. I spent the whole weekend in Savannah with my husband, and even finished off my marathon with a commemorative tattoo on my foot. This was the very best weekend! I finished the 26.2 mile race in 4:19. It was hard, but I did it! And I will definitely be doing this next year. The second race of November was the Atlanta Thanksgiving Day 5K. This was a very special race, as it was my Mom's 60th birthday! I am so proud of her! She ran almost the whole race, only walking briefly up hills. We spent the night out in Atlanta, had a nice hotel, fancy dinner and a dip in the hot tub. Other than the 24 degree weather at the start line (TOO cold for me!), it was a fantastic race! My sister and I stayed with my Mom the whole race, and I held a sign telling the world it was her birthday :) We finished the race in 49:02.

December: 

Silly Santa 5K. This was my last race of the year. Actually, this wasn't supposed to be my last race, but due to weather and race rescheduling, this became my December race last minute! My original race was the Jingle Jog 5K in Griffin at Cowan Road Middle School. I was going to do this race with all my friends and my entire family. But there was a chance of rain and the school moved the race to the next Tuesday. I already had plans on Tuesday night so I was forced to find a race. Any race! I found one and the price was right, so I quickly signed. My mom was sweet enough to do this with me! Little did we know this would be a COLD and RAINY race!! I am so glad I ended up  doing it though. We ended up with some friends and had the best time. I also managed to come in first place female and brought home a nice trophy! This was a great race and I finished in 22:50.

I successfully completed 2013 running one race every month! I feel very accomplished and I can't wait to start my new goal for 2014. I have decided to run a half marathon each month for the year. This will take a lot more effort. Not only will it be physically more challenging, but it is harder to find local half marathons. I will have to drive further to other cities and spend more time running races alone. This will be an awesome challenge for the new year! I encourage you to set a goal for 2014 and stick with it! It was so amazing to see myself end the year accomplishing my goal. You can do it too! Just make up your mind to do it and do it! Here's to 2014...