It's hard to believe that my second full calendar year of running has passed by so quickly. It seems like only yesterday that I was setting my goals for 2012. Now, let's review these goals and see how they went.
2012 Goals / 2012 Stats*
*2012 Stats are estimated on the assumption that week 1 of marathon training will go as planned
Overall Mileage
- Total Miles Run: 1500 / 1686
- Average Miles Per Month: 125 / 140.51
- Average Miles Per Week: 28.85 / 32.24
- Average Miles Per Day: 4.10 / 4.61
Racing Goals*
- 1 Mile: 6:59 / N/A
- 5K: 23:59 / 23:55
- 4 Miles: 31:59 / 31:31
- 5 Miles: 41:59 / N/A
- 10K: 52:xx / 50:45
- 15K: 1:17:xx / N/A
- HM: 1:49:xx / 1:48:16
- Marathon: 4:29:xx / N/A
*N/A indicates that this distance was not raced in 2012
Miscellaneous Goals
Get over a 60% AG - accomplished in the 4 mile, HM & 5K distances
Get a NYRR bib time of 7:xx - improved bib time from 8:11 to 7:52 in April
Lessons Learned
But achievement is not just about the numbers. I learned some valuable lessons along the way
- You can plan your runs around the weather all you want, but sometimes, running in extreme conditions is unavoidable, as long as it is within reason and safe.
- It is better to DNS a race and take a blow to your pride than to aggravate a potential injury serious enough to stop a goal race
- It is ok to be sad over losing the opportunity to do you first marathon. But after a while, it is time to move on and pick a plan B.
Here are some lessons rehashed from my November blog entry
- Don't be afraid to be a tourist in your own city, within reason of course. Establishing new running routes can be fun!
- Although running with friends is fun, running long distances by yourself builds mental toughness far quicker
- Life & Running doesn't always go as planned. Do what you can to make up for it, but risking injury is never worth it.
- Getting out the door is always the hardest part of any run, especially when it's a warm bed vs. freezing temperatures.
- Make lots of running friends both through your local running club and online, as long as you're careful about it. Believe me, close friends and family, as much as they love you, will be completely bored after about two minutes of running conversation. You have to have someone to obsess with over every minute detail of the sport!
- Apparently, fashion is just as important in the running world as it is in the professional world, and that some colors are faster than others.
- Find your ideal number of races and don't pressure yourself to do more than you're comfortable with. I've gotten to the point where I don't like signing up for events just to do the distance unless it has a purpose within a structured training plan, such as doing an MP pace half-marathon during marathon training.
Not Running Related
I also had some amazing non-running related moments over the course of this year
- Business School: In this calendar year, Zahava, Brooke & I not only competed in an academic competition, but we put together an amazing Capstone project that was very close to getting top honors. Also, we graduated with our MBAs this past June, and as wonderful as the whole experience was, I am very happy to finally be out of school.
- Work: Shortly after graduating, I have started to move up the career ladder and moved up from a Staff Analyst at HSS to a Senior Financial Analyst at New York-Presbyterian. The work is more complex, and I feel like I have learned a great deal in the six months that I have been there
- Music: As much as I have enjoyed playing in Wind Ensembles over the past year, I was happy to find an opportunity to play in an Orchestra. I got to play several pretty flute & piccolo solos in December, and now I have the opportunity to improve my orchestral oboe playing for the next concert.
- Personal: Two of my close friends, my brother, and my former manager all married this year, and it was a privilege to serve as a bridesmaid in three out of four of the weddings. I also got a new sister out of the deal, who has been a great new addition to our family.
Although not all of my goals are set in stone, I already have a few of them mapped out, and I hope that I will be able to achieve them in this coming year
- Run 1750 miles this year
- Run my first marathon - hopefully in under four hours - and my second marathon. With any luck, I will be running R&R DC on March 16th and NYCM on November 3rd.
- Run a sub-50 minute 10K and a sub-7 minute mile
- Lower my NYRR bib time even further
- Win an AG award. This will be very difficult to do. However, in a smaller race, this is a possibility considering I got 4th place this year.
With any luck, at least some of these goals will be achieved. I have scheduled in some tune-up races leading up to R&R DC. After that, other than NYCM 2013, I don't have anything set in stone other than the Fifth Avenue Mile.
I also have some non-running related goals for this year, some of which will be harder to achieve than others
- Take things one day at a time. Worrying about things several months down the line is useless
- Learn as much as possible in my new job so that I can develop my career
- Develop my oboe playing skills, as well as practicing my other instruments on a more consistent basis.
- Take further advantage of the gym membership which I shell out lots of money for, especially since I should be doing more cross training and weight lifting as a runner.
- Be the best daughter, sister, relative & friend that I can be.
- Learn to truly appreciate what I have, and not unnecessarily mourn what I lack. All things will come along in their own time
Finally...
I would like to thank my supportive readers for keeping up with the blog this year. You all know who you are. I hope that you all have a happy and healthy 2013!
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