Obligatory Year in Review Post coming up. I won't do a whole huge recap, since everyone is no doubt super bored of these year in review posts by now and I'm way too excited about 2014 to spend a whole lot of time mulling over 2013. But, a few words to finish off the year:
2013 started in an odd place. In November of 2012 I sprained my foot, which it turns out is a thing you can do (I lost count of how many times I told people, no, not my ankle, my foot). Something slipped out of place in the cuboid joint something something I don't know. But it hurt a lot and kept me sidelined for a solid 6-7 weeks.
January 1st was one of my first real runs after the injury, so it was a strange way to start the year. Yes, I was running again (exciting!), but every footfall was fraught, waiting to see if the pain was really gone. And I had a daunting task ahead of me, rebuilding my weekly mileage to somehow get ready for 30k Around the Bay at the end of March. But even with a cautious start, it's a year that ended up being pretty damn awesome! In some ways the injury turned out to be a good thing, because not being able to run showed me just how much I really do love it, and when I was able to run again I was far more committed to training.
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One of the highlights of the year - heading towards the finish of the Mississauga half marathon, my first sub 2 half. Chip time 1:58 - a 7 minute PR at the time. |
2013 is the first year I took my run training really seriously, committed to running 4-5 days a week, and did crazy things like get up at 4:30 in the morning to get in 15k before work. And it's paid off. Instead of rambling on about individual races, I think the best times I ran speak for themselves:
Distance |
Best 2012 time |
Best 2013 time |
Difference |
5k |
27:45 |
24:32 |
-3:13 |
10k |
56:29 |
51:56 |
-4:33 |
Half Marathon |
2:04:48 |
1:51:24 |
-13:24 |
How'd that happen? I ran a lot more and a lot more consistently than I ever have before (I ran 1310 km in 2012, and 2278 km in 2013, almost a thousand more). As a relative beginner, running more miles led to big gains. Yes, I did speed work, etc, but I think just running more was what led to the biggest improvements in my times.
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Also can I get a big HELL YEAH for the skirt brigade? These ladies motivated me so much, especially through some tough long runs that I would definitely have cut short if I was running solo. |
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Kilometers run through the year. May was an off month while I recovered from a lingering hip issue and focused on cycling to prepare for the Ride for Heart. In addition to running, through the year I logged 394 km on my bike (damn I wish I'd done an extra 6 at some point!). |
I know the gains won't come as quickly or easily now, but I think those numbers lend themselves to some obvious goals for 2014 and beyond (sub 24 minute 5k, sub 50 minute 10k, sub 1:50 half). And there's that small matter of my first marathon, of course.
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Setting a new 10k PB in Oakville after running probably my best paced race of the year. |
Farewell to an awesome 2013, and bring on 2014!