Running in 2013

For my last post of 2013 (one of my best years EVER!) I wanted to follow Miss Zippy’s lead with her “Year of Running” post. (I did this in 2012 too!) Here we go:

• Best race experience? Probably the Wineglass Half Marathon.

It was a weekend with friends and running in beautiful upstate New York. The course was lovely and I surprised myself with my strength and ability to pick up the pace in the last mile. Although, the Ted Corbitt 15K was super fun. And Ironman was just an incredible day in general. I’m lucky to have had so many positive experiences this year.

• Best run? This is hard. For a quick moment I debated searching for “runs” on my blog but, um, DUH. I would get a million results. I kind of want to say the NYC Marathon (does that count?) because I executed it well. My pacing was pretty spot-on, I never hit the wall, and my nutrition was perfect. As a training run though, my 18 miler with Beth and Bernadette was an AWESOME confidence booster. We did the Bronx 10 miler and then ran back into Manhattan to finish up our long run.

• Best new piece of gear? My Asics Gel Cumulus running shoes. I had been on the hunt for a the perfect shoe for years. Literally. I’ve finally found something that I want to continue buying. I’m already ready for a new pair and it feels so nice to not have to go out and try on a million different models again. Thanks to my shoe twin Kim for the advice on Asics!

• Best piece of running advice you received? Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. A couple different people (Ashley and Beth) convinced me I’m faster than I am and that I just need to stop holding back and start pushing through pain instead of coasting along comfortably. I definitely see results when I do this and it’s something I want to work on in 2014.

• Most inspirational runner? I have two: Beth and GB. Beth ran her first marathon and has more passion and excitement for running than anyone I know. She’s so dedicated and motivated when it comes to all things running and fitness. She’s accomplished so much since I met her and I’m very proud to call her my friend. Not to she’s mention kind and welcoming to everyone. I couldn’t have gotten through the NYC Marathon training cycle without her. Then we have GB. GB is simply awesome. Not only is he always working hard to improve (and is freakin’ fast), but he has huge goals and endless optimism. His positivity is contagious!

• If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be? Life changing optimism. Does that make sense? This year I’ve proven to myself that I’m stronger than I thought. I learned how to properly set goals and worked tirelessly toward them. I’ve learned that putting positivity into the universe truly brings positive things right back to you.

Thank you all for your continuous support and for actually reading this blog and sharing your thoughts. I love you guys! Cheers to the happiest of years to each and every one of you.

What was your favorite moment of 2013? Biggest achievement? What did you learn? Fill me in!