There's Nothing Like A PR - 2013 Knoxville Marathon Recap

A beautiful morning for a race. Let's do 26.2!

P - FREAKING - R!

There! That's my recap!

Now, you know better than that. I love to talk, especially about running. So, sit back because I fear this could get very long.

I went into the 2013 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon with several different goals I wanted to achieve, and I met all but one. And with a little extra work, I might be able to hit that goal next time if everything else comes together like it did for this year's first.

My goals were: 1. finish (check). 2. sub-5 hour time. (check). 3. PR (check). 4. hit 4:45 (not quite). And 5. have fun and enjoy the fun (double check).

In the end, I posted a time of 4:51:11 - 7:32 faster than last year's race (and my first marathon). While I feel I can improve on this, I know I gave it my all because after I crossed the finish line, collected my medal and running hat, I found my beautiful family in the front row of the stands and just collapsed against the padded wall, lying my head on top of the wall.

I had laid it all out on the course. I had nothing left to give. So no regrets on not getting my ultimate goal time for this race of 4:45.

A Year Later And I Keep Coming Back For More

Yesterday marked the 1-year anniversary of my first full marathon. It's crazy to think that it's been a year since that amazing day, and it's even crazier to think about how far I've come (and gone) since then.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined I would be running my third marathon in just over a year after my first. (In case I hadn't mentioned it before, I'm running the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon on Sunday.) Heck, I am still in awe I even ran one marathon!

I remember crossing the finish line of my first half marathon, loving the feeling and already planning to run my next half. But one other thought prevailed: "There's no way I'm ever running a full marathon!"

Funny how things change.

Not only do I love the marathon, I love training for a marathon.

And before all of you question my sanity, in the words of the Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper: "I'm not crazy. My mother had me tested."

OMG! I Did What?!?!

This picture seemed appropriate for this post.

Funny how some things take you by surprise.

As runners, we are notorious for setting goals, giving us things to shoot for and strive for. To make yourself better and stronger, you need to put goals out there to challenge yourself.

I did that last year when I put out there I wanted to post a 175-mile month. It didn't happen last year, but that did not deter me. I simply put on the list again for 2013.

And then without really striving for it, I FREAKING GOT IT!!!

Funny thing is, I didn't really try for this goal. It wasn't something I set out to do this month, but it just happened.

Is It Race Day Yet?

Scenes from my 22-miler this past weekend.

On the one hand, I can't believe I am in week 14 of my marathon training. Yet, on the other hand, I can't believe the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is still 17 days away!

As per my normal insanity, I am enjoying marathon training. Call me crazy (FYI, you won't be the first nor the last to do so), but I really do enjoy training. The constant challenge, the upping of the mileage, the tons of miles being logged, hill and tempo workouts.

I mean, what's not to love?

But while I do love training, I am so ready for race day to be here ... LIKE NOW!

StrideBox: The Next Big Thing In Running?

Don't you love contests? I do, especially when it comes to free running gear.

(Hopefully, one day I will be able to hold a contest giveaway or two. I love sharing the wealth, just need to find some of that wealth to share. :) )

A couple weeks ago, I saw a tweet from Rebecca (@complexmomruns) about a giveaway on her blog - Complex Mom. She was giving away one free StrideBox, so my interested was difficult piqued and I entered the fray. Never in my wildest dreams did I really think I'd win.

But I did!

I was pleasantly surprised when I got an email from Rebecca letting me know I had won. I couldn't wait to check out StrideBox. And yesterday, my prize came in the mail.

My Running Love Affair

From the folks at Garmin

It's Valentine's Day, so love is in the air.

With this in mind, I thought I'd share a few of the reasons of why I love running.

I can't take credit for this blog idea being original with me today. I'm sure it's been done hundreds of times over in the past, and I happened to see a post by David H. on his love affair with running this morning. So, a hat tip and a "thank you" to David for this idea.

So without any further ado, here are some of the reasons I love running.