So 2012 is wrapping up...

I suppose I should go ahead and write about what this year brought me in my running.  I haven't kept up in a great while, so here goes.

It is tough to qualify my running in 2012 as either a success or a failure.  It is easy to see both sides of the coin.  I could easily call 2012 a failure because I did not hit any of the time goals I had set for myself this year.  I was hoping to break a 20 minute 5K, a 45 minute 10K, a 1:40:00 Half Marathon, and a 4:00:00 Marathon.  Like I said, I did not hit a single one of these time goals.  Granted, I only ran one 10K, one Half Marathon, and one Marathon, the point remains that I set a goal and missed, where as in 2011 I hit every goal I set out to achieve.  What was the difference this time around?  Not pushing myself enough?  I don't think that is the case, because I thought I was more consistent throughout the year compared to the previous two years.  I would have to just guess that the smaller number of races I decide to partake in kept me having multiple chances at better times.  Oh well.

On that note, I could consider 2012 a success.  I was able to win two different 5K races (one age group, one Male division), which was awesome.  I dropped 12 minutes from my Hospital Hill Half Marathon time and nearly 44 minutes from my Marathon time.  The only 10K I ran in was solely to keep a multi-year streak of participating in the Brew-to-Shoe 10K going, and I used that race only to practice running at a certain pace.  I ran a good time and a personal best in that race, all while running at a steady, but not all out racing, pace for the course.

I guess you could take the bad with the good.  I managed to stay healthy all year with the exception of a raging case of Plantar Fasciitis that popped up right after the Des Moines Marathon.  Also had a hip issue, but that seems to be ok now.  I will end up running 817 miles this year, which feels like less than last year, but I'm not sure.

So what will happen in 2013?  I'm going to race more, first off.  It is fun, it usually goes to a good cause, and I'm much more experience at knowing how to run my best.  Second, I'm going to attempt to qualify for Boston this year.  I know, it probably is too much to ask to drop 56 minutes in one year in a marathon attempt in one year, but I've got my plan set out, and I'm going to execute it to the best that I can.  First things first is to go run the St. Patrick's Day 10K in Manhattan in March.  So, thanks again for reading, and until next time...later.