A Year in Running Pictures 2017

I had SO much fun doing this last year that I thought I would do another one!

January

Since Stella was laid up with IMPA, most of my first of the year pics were with my other running buddy Deuce!

February

Our winter was oddly mild.  Very little snow and warmer temps than usual! This pic is proof!  Short sleeves and sweat in February.  Great for running, not so great for getting rid of bugs and other stupid critters that i hate.

March

Deuce did his first 20 miler!  We trained all winter for the Andrew Jackson Marathon and the Prairie Spirit 50K.  I really enjoyed training in the winter for a longer distance versus training in the summer, but we didn't have much snow, so that makes a huge difference. 

April

Andrew Jackson Marathon.  Marathon number 2 in the books.  Not a PR (thanks to a two loop course defeating me mentally), but a huge nostalgic run as I ran through the streets I grew up in. I even ran past my child hood home, several schools I attended, and where my old church use to stand. I got to see the family a few times on course, which really helped my spirits!  I won third place in my age group but missed the actual ceremony since I was so slow:)

April gets three pictures because well, two epic races.  3rd 50 K attempted and 2nd finished!  Prairie Spirit 50K in the books.  It stormed, rained, hailed, blew, and stormed some more.  Mel and I persevered and got er done!

May

Ran the Bill Snyder Highway Half for the first time!  What a fun course as it is point to point.  I will be back for more and maybe a PR?

Typical Kansas spring!  May was about recovery before the next cycle of racing.

June

June found us doing our first mud run!  We had so much fun even if Andrew wouldn't do half the obstacles!  I did as I don't have any problems being silly!!!  Can't wait to do this one again next year, and maybe little red will actually play in the mud with me!

July

The dogs pretty much ran with me all summer thanks to getting up at 4 am most days to hit the road!  Stella even joined us end of June beginning of July.

August

August usually means local 10Ks.  Unfortunately, the weather had other plans.  Horrible rain and storms canceled the Brew to Shoe 10K (Pat was dressed as Phelps the swimmer) and I ended up volunteering for the other local 10k, the Speedy PD.

August gets 3 pics because I got to race with my best girlie in the whole wide world.  Back to School 5K for my son's kindergarten school/PTO.  Andrew ran the kid's race again.  Look at that form!!!!  Those kids were rocking it during the kid's race!  Next year I think we will be ready to conquer the mile run and the kid's run.

September

Another hot and humid summer meant a hot fall.  We still got some afternoon and post work runs in.  Gearing up for Chicago and my first timed 50K race!

October

October was one busy month as well!  My second Chicago Marathon and my 3rd marathon overall!  

I battled through a hot day and a hateful hip, so no PR, but I so love Chicago, and my love will bring me back again and again.  I was SO excited to celebrate my 40th birthday year with the Chicago Marathon's 40th birthday year!

Plus my very first pacing gig at the Kansas City Half. I really, really enjoyed pacing and can't wait to do it again!!!!!  I always knew my big mouth could be used for the greater good:) . I paced the 2:40 group and was a back pacer.  I made some new friends and helped a few people to a PR.  Goal met and exceeded!  Thanks to Lindsey and Livinglovingrunner for inspiring me to try this out and giving me TONS of advice before to calm my nerves.

November

November started out with my favorite trail run with my best girlie, Tails on the Trail 5K!  Stella and I are on the brochure and we love the cause it represents, so any year we are physically able to, we are so there!  The course is a mix of flat and open and trail and I just love it.

AND I finished my very first timed event!  All races are timed per se, but this one had a time limit of 50 K in 6 hours.  While I was slightly short in my goal, I did finish the distance and got 50K in 6 hours and 8 minutes!  I thought running on a 1.356 mile loop would kill me mentally, but I really enjoyed it.  I liked the fact that my stuff was always a mile away and I didn't have to be a pack mule and carrying all.the.things.  Shiny belt buckle, maybe next year????

Of course November ended with a new tradition, our local Turkey Trot.  What a fun and fast course with perfect weather to help.  Got a HUGE PR in the 5K, finally breaking into the 26s.  Thank you distance running for giving me some huge ups in the speed department.

December

December started with our GOTR 5K!!!!  I am SO proud of these girls and how hard they have worked.   In fact, we are trying to figure out how to start a run club so some of the girls can continue to run through the year.  We are not doing a spring semester team, so it is going to be hard to wait that long if we don't figure something out! 

Training started back for my next full marathon late December and I can't wait to do some actual runs on the course AND have my dog stella by my side if the weather allows on race day!

I hope you enjoyed my look back as I sure did!  I try and take lots of pictures and will continue to do so in 2018 because my new phone doesn't care about the cold and has a portable battery as part of it's case.   I am still thinking about fall 2018 and will let you know as soon as I decide what I am up to! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!