Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon

I last posted in January, solid. A few things have happened since...

• Ran the Green Valley 10-miler in February and only a minute slower than my PR, which is a miracle considering the weight I've put on in 7 years.
• Didn't run Tobacco Road Marathon in March - had another case of vertigo. Ah memories of 2009-2010. 
• Ran the Smoky Mountain Relay with the most fun team. Warning: this relay is mountainous AF.

  

  Bootleggers - Van 1

• Minimal spring/summer training - April (102 mi), May (41 mi), June (39 mi), July (35 mi), August (54 mi). Yes, those are month totals.
• Ran a (slow) half in Olomouc, Czech Republic in June (off all that stellar training above).



Before the start of the Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon

• Went streaking in September in an effort to get my rear back in gear - 129 mi. 
• October holiday in Greece broke the streak (although there was lots of walking). Had signed up to run a 10k in Athens but overslept. Oops.



Being a nerd - running a lap around the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens

• Did a CrossFit 'competition' (charity fundraiser) with my little sister and came in 2nd!
• Ran the Paris Mountain Road Race 20k. Ok, if we're being honest there was walking too.

About that Czech Republic run though - the ladies I traveled to Tulsa with for the Route 66 Marathon last November planned another runcation and I tagged along again. We spent a few days in Prague before taking a train out to Olomouc for the Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon. This race was AWESOME. If you are looking for a destination race I'd highly recommend it. It's an evening race (in June, so it's still light out if you finish in 2 hours) and only 30-45€. It draws top talent runners (Mary Keitany won in 2016) and is well-organized. Olomouc is a small town, but everyone comes out and cheers. The streets were lined with spectators and even though I could not understand a word they were shouting, the atmosphere was incredible. The one slight negative to the race is the brief period on cobblestone streets at the start and finish, but it's manageable.

Czech-ing out Prague

As for what's next, I'm almost afraid to stake any claims. I really want to get back to marathon shape / running marathons 1-2 times a year. Just need to stop with the lazy streaks.