2010: 1241.17 miles

Love that my running has been taken to a new level. Enjoying the great running weather all year long down here and love the group I started running with in June. I've had running groups on and off throughout the years and I've always enjoyed the social part of it. Some of my best conversations with friends have been during runs. Life's problems get figured out, ideas are bounced off each other, solutions for something totally minor are found... The folks you run with are there 3x a week, rain or shine, cold or hot. There's nothing better than battling out some tough miles with others who love it as much as you do -- and then to top it off with some hot coffee, breakfast, a cool dip in the ocean, or even just 15 minutes of stretching and talking about what we just accomplished. I absolutely love it.
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My goal for 2010 was to run 1200 miles. An average of 100 miles per month seemed realistic given unexpected things in life, vacations, etc. I'm thrilled with this year's total miles run!
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Goal for 2011: 1500 miles. Bring it.

December: 139.28 miles

November: 122.38 miles

Turkey Trot at the Oregon Zoo

Note: This is not a photo of me.
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This morning Mike and I ran a very cold Turkey Trot at the Oregon Zoo. The course is a 4 mile out and back that ends with the last .5 to .75 miles zipping down inside the zoo. There were snowflakes falling when we arrived an hour before the start. The temperature never got above freezing which made for some slick conditions on the forested, leaf-covered roads. Despite the cold and slippery conditions, it was a great way to start the holiday! My time was just under 33 minutes. Mike ran a quick one, finishing about 1.5 minutes ahead of me!

October: 115.57 miles

St. George Marathon

St. George (Utah) Marathon

4:27:11

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Not even close to the finish time I had envisioned but nothing about this race was what I expected. I didn't think altitude would be as big of an issue as it was, but it definitely played a big part in my race day. Running up hills was very tough and when I hit the first big one around mile 7, I realized then and there that it wouldn't be the race I had hoped it would be. I stopped at nearly every water station because of the warm weather, was rubbed down with Icy Hot when my calves started to cramp, had to re-apply Vaseline, lost my running peeps on the hill at mile 7 and was plagued with an obnoxious side stitch the last 8 miles of the race. I tried everything I know to do but was unable to get the stitch to go away. The whole race was just not a good one for me. My next one will definitely be local and at sea-level. I'm pretty sure the four others I train and ran STG with feel exactly the same way. It was a tough day all around -- only one of us made our goal and two were left feeling very disappointed. Three other friends who ran that day also missed their goals. Boo. Onward and upward, right?

my SoCal running peeps

September: 136.18 miles

August: 147.88

Highest month ever. Woo-hoo!!

July: 133.70 miles

Training with this new running group is definitely pushing me! This is the most miles I've ever run in a single month. And probably the fastest miles, too! The marathon is just 61 days away!!

June: 100.97 miles

I've started running with a group and the last three weeks have been great! I love group runs. They are very motivating, hold you accountable, can push you to run further and faster, and runners are just really fun people to be around. I've been running with a small group within the larger group three times a week. We're all training for the St. George Marathon in October and we all would love to qualify for Boston. We'll see how training goes!!!

Camp Pendleton 10K Mud Run

I ran the world famous Camp Pendleton 10K Mud Run this morning. What a fantastic event! I've been waiting all year to do this one and it was definitely worth the wait. Super fun morning spent with friends sloshing through mud, climbing over walls, wading across a lake and more. I can't wait for next year's race!

May: 67.72 miles

April: 38.15 miles

Ouch.

Have you heard of Pure Barre? It's my new obsession. I have 10 days left in my one month unlimited trial. I. Love. It.

Carlsbad 5000

I'm leading the pack!

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This morning's Carlsbad 5000 was a great race, as usual. It is definitely my favorite 5K because of how well organized it is, how family friendly the whole weekend's events are and just the great crowd support. I love that kids can participate the day before (both of mine did!) and today it's the adults' turn, followed by the elites who run the invitational. It's truly an amazing and very fun event.

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Not a PR for me this morning, but I was pleased with the results today. Running hasn't been easy these last two months and to just get out there and run was awesome. And a 7:52 pace for me is pretty good!

March: 58.02 miles

starting over

It feels like I am starting over with the whole running thing. January was a fantastic month with high, quality miles and a PR at the Carlsbad Half Marathon. Then came along February. I had a last minute 4 day trip back home the first weekend, surgery mid-month and no running the second half of the month. I'm just now starting back after giving my body some time to heal. Probably way more time than was necessary, but I didn't want to push things. My body needed the rest. However, now I need to get back to running and, as always when I take a break, I feel like I'm starting over. It was almost 3 weeks between my surgery and yesterday's first run back. It was hard and this evening's run was also hard. I'm looking forward to 5 miles being quick and easy again.

February: 28.92 miles

January: 101.20 miles

Carlsbad Half Marathon

seeing my family at mile 11 along Hwy 101

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The Carlsbad Half Marathon has become my favorite 13.1 race. You just can't beat the scenery, the size (10,000 runners today, but it doesn't feel like it due to the wave start), course support is unmatched and the weather is always perfect for running. This morning I ran it for the second time -- last year was the first. I'll be running this one every year for as long as we live here!
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This morning's race was my 10th half marathon since I started running them 8 years ago. My first half was finished in 2:32. Today's finish? A new personal best (by a full 2 minutes!) of 1:52:29. The 8:35 pace felt very comfortable and my overall pacing was pretty consistent. The first 7 miles I ran with the 1:50 group. My strategy was to stick with them through the entire race and then kick it up at the end to finish just under that mark. However, I slowed to take some GU with water and never caught sight of them again. I'm very pleased that I was able to continue at that pace for the remainder of the race.
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Next up: Carlsbad 5000 in April and the world-famous Camp Pendleton Mud Run (10K) in early June.

2009: 1019.87 miles

After knocking out 1019.87 miles in 2009, it feels a little strange to be starting back at 0.00 miles. Today I ran a quick and easy 4 miles up and down Hwy 101 with the glow of the gorgeous sunset alongside me. Looking at my 4 miles and thinking about my goal of 100 miles a month this year, well... it feels a bit overwhelming, but I know I'll get it done.

December: 70.3 miles