Looking Back At The Year That Was 2013

I can't believe another year has come and gone.

Time surely does fly when having fun.

2013 was a mind-blowing year for me running-wise! I posted PRs left and right and reached heights I never thought possible for me. Since I began running in April of 2010, I have ran 5,269 miles. Not bad for a guy who couldn't run a mile without stopping when I first laced up the shoes.

There are so many highlights this year that it'd be difficult to list my top 5. My No. 1 highlight is a no-brainer for me, but I'll reveal that later on in this post.

(However, if you're a regular reader and/or follow me on Twitter and Facebook, I'm sure you can guess what it is.)

One of my favorite things this past year was seeing my steady improvement in my speed as I was able to PR in 5K, 4-mile, half marathon and full marathon races this year. I hope to be able to build on this as I move forward to become an even stronger runner.

Anywho, I'd like to look back at my goals for the year and grade how I did.

1. - Run 1,750 miles in 2013 - A
I finished with 1,756. It was a little touch and go the last couple of months as to whether I'd hit the mark or not. Travel for work really reeked havoc on my running as I felt tired and rundown from all the miles I was logging not running. As the calendar turned to December, I was 152 miles away. I had decided the milestone wasn't worth an injury, so I stuck with my training plan. After all, I had already eclipsed my career best of 1,588 miles. Thankfully, marathon training kicked off in December and the miles came easy.

2. - Compile 3,000 total miles - D
I had the lofty idea of compiling 1,250 miles on the spin bike. I enjoyed working out on it as it really loosened up my legs for running. However, life proved to busy at times for me to get to the gym to use the bike. I finished with a little over 500 miles on the bike and ended up with 2,262 total miles.

3. - A sub-2-hour half marathon - C
Didn't hit the mark. I did post a PR of 2:04:20 - taking 53 seconds off my PR. I place a lot of the blame on not accomplishing the goal on my lack of mental toughness. I pretty much psyched myself out. I'm not giving up on this goal, just not sure when I'll try for it again. But a sub-2 will be mine.

4. - Record a 175-mile month - A
When I first set this goal, I wasn't sure I'd be able to hit it. But in March, I blew past this mark with a total of 187.2 miles. Guess that happens in the heat of marathon training.

5. - Keep the family workouts up - A
While my son didn't join in the fun, I was able to run with my bride all year long and my daughter even trained for and ran a race (a 4-miler!). That was No. 2 highlight of the year. The top highlight? Easy. Crossing the finish line hand-in-hand with my bride as we completed a half marathon relay.

6. - To keep enjoying the journey - A
Love running more and more each day. Even though I feel spent after most workouts, it truly gives me so much more in return.

As for the PRs, here they are:
5K - 26:13 (21 seconds better)
4-Miler - 34:53 (first-ever 4-miler race, so PR!)
Half Marathon - 2:04:20 (53 seconds better)
Full Marathon - 4:51:11 (7:32 improvement)

Thanks for reminiscing with me. Looking forward to see what 2014 has in store and what new heights will be reached.

Happy running!