Hello World!

Tap tap tap, check 1, check 2. Is anyone still out there?

My host domain prompted me to renew or cut ties with ol' chasingthekenyans.com, and I decided to renew for the time being. Why? I don't know. Maybe I'll magically find time to write again.

It seems like blogging in general isn't the same as it used to be. I still follow most of my original "RBFs" like DiscomBoBulated, MissZippy, RunnerLeana, JillWillRun, MarciasHealthySlice, CookTrainEatRace, and others, but many have gotten out of the game. CTK is in desperate need of an update, ie: that header pic is from 2009. Yeah.

So what's new since my last post back in early May?

May

• Back-to-back 5k's (Swamp Rabbit Friday evening, Pump & Run Saturday morning) Swamp Rabbit - unremarkable. Conserving for Saturday morning. CrossFit 864 Pump & Run - Benched 110lbs for 10 reps followed by a 20:53 5k. First female for the run portion, 3rd overall with bench factored in.
• PR'd Fran (21-15-9 thrusters & pullups) - 6:00 flat

June

• 1 Mile PR - 5:50! Woot!
• Also PR'd the Snatch - 100#, not my forte
• Sunrise 8k - 36:04, 1st place AG

Apparently I ran in the same shirt/shorts all year.

July

• PR'd a bunch of things: Push Press 135, Strict Press 105, Front Squat 150, Back Squat 165, OH Squat 105, Deadlift 200
• Soaked up the sun at the beach. Went on a 9-mile run!
• Celebrated the grandparents 80th up in NY.
• Finally moved everything out of the old house (we moved in March, technically).

August

• PR - Power Clean 150
• Michelin 5k - Paced sister to her new 5k PR (last race in my 20's)
• Avoided the ice bucket challenge.

September

• Got "turf toe".
• Turned 30. Celebrated in Turks & Caicos (amazing!).
• Started shopping for retirement communities (just kidding ... sort of).

October

• Got injured. Again.
• Bridesmaid duties for a college friend (complete with my pimp cane).
• Changed my first diaper. Traumatizing. But, it motivated my niece to start taking potty training seriously the next week.

November

• PR -  Bench press 145
• Still injured. Sucks.

December

• Realized my insurance was only $200 from being maxed out, so I went to the doc and had an MRI done.
• Started PT, started being cleared to do some "exercises". Just happy to be moving again.

And how about those 2014 goals? Yeah...

Running
- Run a marathon (it's been almost 3 years!). Probably something in the Fall. FAIL
- Sub-20 min 5k (current PR 20:33 from 2011). I ran a 20:53 in May which I was happy with, but still a FAIL.
- Sub-12 min 2-miler (current PR 12:32 from 2008). Didn't even run the local 2-miler. Went on vacation instead! FAIL/WIN?
- Honestly, a PR in anything would be sufficient... PR'd the mile. WIN.
- Run 1000 miles (I need to get back to this level!). Erm, I logged through 8/23/14. At that point I had 250 miles. Safe to say this one is a FAIL.

CrossFit
- Lift my body weight in 3 lifts (perhaps Back Squat, Bench, & Power Clean). Deadlift doesn't count, I can do that already. This can be achieved by losing weight and/or getting stronger... 1/3 = FAIL. Didn't lose weight or get strong enough.
- 100 unbroken DUs (double unders, with a jump rope). Close, got 98. PARTIAL CREDIT.
- Get a muscle up (since I didn't in 2013)... Yeah. FAIL.

Life
- Dress better for work. No more baggy man khakis! I've started a Pinterest board to 'journal' this in case you're interested in following along. Disclaimer: I'm no fashionista. Well, I didn't wear the "baggy man khakis" all year but there were still some days that were definitely not very stylish. Overall I made more of an effort so I call this one a WIN, although I need to work on my awkward selfies.
- Limit the junk. A bag of cheese poofs is not a lunch. I'm still on the hunt to figure out what's triggering my skin to be so bad. Sucks. I tried to jump-start eating healthy a few times during the year. The current attempt started on 12/7 and is going OK so far. (I'm working with a nutritionist this time around - taking things seriously!). I lost 5# in the first week so I was officially fat enough to be on Biggest Loser. Let's be honest, un-obese people don't lose 5lbs in one week... Currently a WIN.

So there it is. 2014. A good year, minus getting injured. I intend to write again soon, but just in case, please follow me on Instagram (and let me know your IG name if I don't already follow you) as I am much better at posting filtered pictures!

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That's a Wrap 2013

It's official. Chasing the Kenyans = girl eating cookie off shoulder.*

December 2013
Run Stats:
- 12 days
- 56.25 miles
- 8:49 average pace
- No races
- Longest run: 9 miles

CrossFit Notables:
- Power Clean 1RM: 135# (up another 5# from Nov)
- Squat Clean: 105# (squat needs work... lots of work)
- Thruster 2RM: 95# (front squat + press overhead)
- Fran: 7:42 (21-15-9 reps of 65# thrusters and pull-ups); a 0:40 PR
- Max Unbroken Double Unders: 59

2013 Mileage: 255.10 - yeah, needs improvement.

Well 2013 has come to a close and (once again) it was not a stellar year for me in the running world. Some days I accept where I am with my running fitness, others I don't - it's a constant battle. Though injury and my ongoing health troubles threatened to keep me down, there were still victories to be had.

After 6 months off from running, I got to start running again in July! While I was thrilled to run again, my motivation was (is) still lacking. Perhaps it knew I needed to ease back into it. I've built up to 9 miles since July; taking the "slow and steady" approach to getting back into things.

Got back to CrossFit too! I did all-upper-body exercises from January to early May when I thought my high-hamstring was injured. I took off all-exercise for about 8 weeks in May-June-July when I learned it was my L4/L5 vertebrae. I got back into the gym in mid-July and took things slow, but happily saw consistent strength gains as the fall and winter months passed.

Dabbled in a few short races - mostly 5k's and one 2-miler. No PR's, but improved little by little over these past few months and can't complain about that.

Ran another Ragnar! Met up with good friends in Vegas and survived 17+ miles. Hopefully this will translate to good distance running in 2014!

Happy New Year! Here's to many miles and PRs for us all.

*Sorry, no music video this year. Let's face it, I can't sing anyway.

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Blog Superlatives 2013

(Carrying on from 2011 and 2012). AKA, time to see those Google search gems!

Most popular (viewed) post: Pain in the Rear: A Diagnosis

Bestest blog friends (most referrals): Angry Runner and the lovely Redhead. Third place goes to No Meat Athlete.

Most studious countries (most # of readers):
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Austrailia
Germany

Most involved (US states by # of readers):
California
South Carolina
Virginia
Florida
Texas

Most likely to succeed (top common searches):
chasingthekenyans
gu chomps review
obturator internus
glute muscles

Most clueless (randomest search hits):
salt shakers running club
fat girl eating cookie off shoulder (2nd year in a row!)
can i carry protein powder on an airplane
diarrhea my pants / stains on my running shorts (maybe you should consult discombobulated beth?)
faceplant in horse poop
how can i reunite with my ex wife / how can i reunite with my ex boyfriend
i got married in kenya is it legal here in michigan
i took the plunge went bleached blonde
my mom said to get a life
wearing butt plug tail

(I use Google Analytics to retrieve this information)

As usual, some random searches this year. The fat girl eating a cookie off her shoulder was back again, maybe I need to try this... To the souls searching for butt plugs and wanting to get back with their ex's, goodluck. What google treasures did your blog receive this year?

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2012, maybe?

hot off the presses!

let dj ctk's latest beat carry your dancing running feet into the new year and enjoy this year's "year in review".

[dedicated to b.o.b, as this was her favorite hit of 2012]

now it's the end of the year

somebody get me a beer

i have no reason to cheer

my mileage is so low

i tried elimination

m&m's, my temptation

it was a big frustration

lost all my cardio

your posts were crowin'

long runs, pr's growin'

meanwhile i'm plateauin'

so i tried eating paleo

hey, i don't know you

and this is crazy,

but here's my number,

so track me, maybe?

i ran some 5k's

as an "ali"

and as a diva

brought home a trophy

hey, i went a year,

and it was crazy,

without m&m's,

i survived, maybe?

and all the other boys,

try to chase me,

in my bikini,

some sunscreen, maybe?

i went on meds for my skin

went for a ride on my schwinn

dyed wedding dress in a tin

made my own pizza dough

running may have felt betrayed

when i drank all the kool-aid

i didn't know i'd be swayed

by other cardio

your posts were crowin'

long runs, pr's growin'

meanwhile i'm plateauin'

so i tried eating paleo

hey, now i crossfit

and this is crazy,

i'll double under

please no more burpees

still hard to run fast,

like a grand prix

but i do pullups

in a big tree

here's to the new year,

and lots of running,

a fall marathon

new pr, maybe?

and all my other goals,

i'll chase after,

achieve a muscle up,

and six-pack, maybe?

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blog superlatives 2012

[continuing what i started in 2011 because it's not like i've done any running of note this year. thanks, skin]

most popular (/viewed) post: paging dr. house

class clown: reader request: running in bikin

most likely to lead to my new career at blue sky studios: boom

biggest imposter: ali asname

bestest blog friends (most referrals): angry runner and maurlene on the run (they flip flopped spots from last year). third place goes to sun safety barbie.

most studious countries (most # of readers):

• united states
• canada
• united kingdom
• spain
• india

most involved (us states by # of readers):

• south carolina
• california
• virginia
• new york
• massachusetts

most likely to succeed (top common searches):

• chasing the kenyans
• gu chomps review
• dr house/dr. house (um?)
• thanksgiving funnies (how do these result in a success?)

most clueless (randomest search hits):

• 40's vegetable people
• how to draw a giraffe
• belly suck in eat
• boobs popping buttons
• long ugly toes
• my boobs grew
• my boobs shrank
• activewear for older women
• alligator eating cereal
• can people see in between the gaps of the bathroom stalls
• men who need sports bra
• m&m a good pre workout snack (duh)
• sports bras that work your arms as you run
• how to pop a squat on the side of the road
• fat girl trying to eat cookie off shoulder

(did i really talk about boobs that much in 2012?)

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goodbye 2011

2010 was the year of nausea and 2011 was the year of irritated skin (or as big clyde said, my redshirt season). here's hoping 2012 brings a full return of "normal" health.

the obligatory mileage tally:

2005 - 735.94 (started march 14th)
2006 - 623.43 (did not log may-september)
2007 - 1335.95
2008 - 1618.95
2009 - 2025.10
2010 - 1545.00
2011 - 873.76 (no running august-december)

january - 130.10 miles. ragnar relay. 12-days of no-running; longest run, 11.5 miles.

february - 106.11 miles. had the plague. my first dnf. 14-days of no-running; longest run, 14.1 miles with the redhead!

march - 166.53 miles. nothing too exciting. 6-days of no-running; longest run, 17.35 miles.

april - 138.93 miles. new 5k pr. 11-days of no-running; longest run, 14 miles.

may - 107.24 miles. got a ride home from a stranger during a hail-storm run. ran a windy green bay marathon. 13-days of no-running; longest run, 26.2 miles.

june - 100.66 miles. went to the emergency room. new 8k pr. 12-days of no-running; longest run, 9.15 miles.

july - 59.20 miles. 20-days of no-running; longest run, 9.05 miles.

august - 0.00 miles.

september - 31.25 miles. went sugar-free mid-month. 15-days of no-running; longest run, 3.5 miles.

october - 17.95 miles, mostly walking. 24-days of no-running; longest run, 4 miles.

november - 13.44 miles, all walking. 25-days of no-exercise; longest walk, 2.55 miles.

december - 2.35 miles (one walk). extremely lazy. 30-days of no-exercise, but still sugar-free! longest walk, 2.35 miles.

"trip" of the month - tour of my own town. hey, christmas was expensive.

went to a "painting class"

(those new trendy ones where you paint drink wine)

dined at trio

(photo from flickr)

went to a minor-league hockey game

and learned that babies will find every morsel on the ground

and try to put it in their mouth

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blog superlatives 2011

most popular (/viewed) post: product review: gu chomps

most popular post (written in 2011): product review: sony w-series mp3 player

most entertaining (most popular non-product-review post): ten things i know about suar

most likely to walk down the red carpet: relay with ragnar

bestest blog friends (most referrals): maurlene on the run and angry runner

most studious countries (most readers):

• united states
• canada
• spain
• united kingdom
• new zealand

most involved (us readers):

• california
• south carolina
• virginia
• washington
• texas

most likely to succeed (common searches):

• chasing the kenyans
• gu chomps
• goofy challenge training plan
• national m&m day
• ryan hall

most clueless (randomest search hits):

• floppy ass running
• feel wife's boob
• women who eat red clay
• a man in a party looking his ipad
• attitude is everything little dude
• fat boy cries on rollercoaster
• hippopotamus vs great white
• i gave up sugar for lent could this cause my legs to ache
• i need support for my man boobs
• my butt claps when i run
• vanilla orange roctane tastes like smoked ham

looks like we need to firm up those cheeks in 2012!

(concept from running slowly to the finish)

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brief summary of 2011

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cost of running 2011

money is usually a taboo subject, but i've seen others tally up their cost of running for the year and thought it was interesting.

i've never considered the lump sum of race entries and travel expenses, but at least this will be a "light" year since i haven't even been running for the last 5 months. [wow, 5 months? geeeeze lindsay. didn't realize i'd been out of commission that long. time flies.]

ragnar florida keys (race entry): $90

ragnar florida keys (travel/food/lodging): $500 (estimated $200 plane ticket, $30/day for meals)

donut run: free

green valley 8k (dnf): $25

come see me 5k: $20

swamp rabbit 5k: $6

green bay marathon (race entry): $75

green bay marathon (travel/food/lodging): $500 ($250 plane ticket, estimated $30/day for meals)

sunrise 8k: $27.50

total cost of running: $1,243.50

i suppose that's probably a lot for the few number of races i did, but it sure doesn't seem like an expensive habit as you're signing up from race to race. i'd much rather spend money on an experience like these than have more clutter in my house that i have to tidy up and dust, and if finances were tight i'd certainly think twice before traveling to races further away.

edited to add: i am purposely not including the cost of running shoes because i didn't buy any this year. i did buy some new running attire but not much - a few pairs of shorts and 2 shirts (that i recall). that might be another $100 or so. i'm low-maintenance, i still run in cotton sometimes.

how did your running habit affect your wallet in 2011?

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rearview mirror - 2010

2010 was the year of nausea, have i mentioned that yet? it finally cleared up in september/october and these last 2-3 months have been soo nice to feel "normal" again. hopefully i won't have any lapses in '11.  the constant "off" feeling kept me from running consistently all summer, but gave me an excuse to be guiltlessly lazy.

it was still a good year - i ran a decent amount of miles and stayed injury free once again (i don't consider the random health issues an injury).

2005 - 735.94 (started march 14th)
2006 - 623.43 (did not log may-september)
2007 - 1335.95
2008 - 1618.95
2009 - 2025.10
2010 - 1545.00

january - 180.05 miles. ran on the treadmill a lot, but also had a few runs with the old kentucky crew.
7-days of no-running; longest run, 17.1 miles.

february - 177.36 miles, the (original) month of no m&m's! ran a 10-mile race for an automatic pr.
8-days of no-running; longest run, 17.1 miles.

march - 121.20 miles. vomit-inducing vertigo. when i quit responding to text messages because i was puking my brains out, josh left work and drove 6 hours to check on me.
11-days of no-running; longest run, 9.12 miles.

april - 155.81 miles. ran two marathons - boston and kentucky derby.
13-days of no-running; longest run, 26.2 miles by default.

may - 143.55 miles. looking back on this month now, i probably should not have re-inserted any speed/hard workouts so soon after my double 'thons.
7-days of no-running; longest run, 12.75 miles.

june - 129.61 miles. moved home from kentucky! apparently i never gave june it's own recap. sorry june. i think it was because this was when my mac crashed.
9-days of no-running; longest run, 10.4 miles.

july - 51.60 miles. health issues. wedding! tahiti!! 'nuf said.
23-days of no-running; longest run, 10.05 miles.

august - 88.65 miles. finally started feeling 2% better. began rebuilding the exercise habit.
15-days of no-running; longest run, 8.15 miles.

september - 101.60 miles. ran 3 races in one night and hope to repeat in '11.
13-days of no-running; longest run, 11.45 miles.

october - 112.45 miles. ran/walked a 5k with my sisters. spectated josh and my sister in their first half-marathon!
11-days of no-running; longest run, 10 miles.

november - 128.08 miles. another month of no m&m's. ran a trail half-marathon.
12-days of no-running; longest run, 13.1 miles.

december - 155.04 miles. ran/walked a 5k with my sister. ate a lot of cookies.
7-days of no-running; longest run, 14 miles.
time spent running: 23:27:40
days off: 7
abs/yoga: 10 ab workouts/3 yoga sessions
avg temp: 41.25*

december tends to get gyped out of it's own monthly review. i don't know about you but i'm kind of tired of 2010 reflections so i'm jamming it all together.

all in all, it was another good year of running. the day-in and day-out dealing nausea and other health problems sucked, but hopefully those are all behind me now as i continue to feel a little better every day.

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brief summary of 2010

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raise your 'ade

jillian laid out a challenge for this week's mbe to do a 2010 wrap-up in poem form and left the definition of "poem" wide open. since my original rap was a flop (only 27 views on youtube? not the viral takeoff i was expecting) i've taken a slightly different route this time.

disclaimer #1: i am well aware that i cannot sing, even though i was selected for an easter duet when i was 6 and a solo in the church play when i was 13. i attempted to doctor it as much as i could. please don't hold it against me.

disclaimer #2: i do not yet know how to upload to youtube without losing so much photo quality :(

in case you want to drown out my awful voice sing along:

right, right course turns right

i'm gonna lose my gu tonight

what's the dealio?

i love running so much

4am turn the radio up

time to rock and roll

morning running, makes me stunning

call me up if you are coming

don't be lazy

just get crazy

why so serious?

chorus:

i raise my 'ade 'cause i ran long

and ran a 5k

all my marathons, they will never be never be

anything but loud

making me a dirty running freak

won't you come on and come on and

raise your 'ade

just come on and come on and

raise your 'ade

run run love to run

green valley 10-mi was blazing fun

wish i wasn't nauseous

can't stop chasing the clock

i "ran" boston t'was more like a walk

then ran kentucky

dizzy summer; 5k bummer

three runs one night, burned some blubber

not enough though

still have fluff so

need to get serious

(chorus)

oh crap my gatorade's empty...

that sucks.

so if you're too school for cool

and you run like a fool

you should choose to let it go

'cause i always, i just always

run long on my own

so raise your

so raise your 'ade if you ran long

or ran a 5k

all my running nerds, we will never be never be

anything but loud

and nitty gritty dirty running freaks

won't you come on and come on and

raise your 'ade

just come on and come on and

raise your 'ade

---

special thanks to my blogging buddies for participating; i hope i didn't let you down.

one little tri jill
life of an aspiring athlete
my life with kettlebells
the running fat guy
caution: redhead running
runner's rambles
common objects and everyday events
age groups rock
run with jill
mission to another marathon

disclaimer #3: they are all awesome and should not be penalized for associating themselves with my grammy-winning vocals. in case you didn't get it, they were all "raising" their {beverage of choice}.

amber - 1 life

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overdosed on lsd

long slow distance makes long slow runners -seb coe

i've heard that so many times, yet always pawned off the excuse that you need "time on your feet" and "long slow runs are good for marathon training". yes, those are both true in moderation, but too much lsd* = lsr.

running has not been all cupcakes and sunshine for me since about october of last year. i've been slogging around for almost a year! this is pathetic. i've tried to do some analysis to see why this enormous rut was formed but haven't really pinpointed anything. i still don't think i was overtraining, but maybe all my nyc training plus the stress of life-on-the-road got to me. i've also had those random health issues (constant nausea/lightheadedness/feeling of malaise/inability to sweat/constant pain) that i am sure didn't help either. my training was slack before boston/kentucky derby and then i really slacked off from april to august. some weeks were better than others, but there wasn't any consistency. my easy pace kept getting slower and slower, and the speed work became less frequent non-existent. finally, i granted myself a few weeks of guilt-free laziness in july. if i ran, fine; if not, that was fine too.

after cutting myself some slack i actually started to want to run again come mid-august. now, not all days have been omgiwanttorunforhoursandhours, but i was enjoying it again. it's still a little frustrating because i seem to be getting slower and slower. yes i know i haven't done regular speedwork, but why is it so hard to get back to my cruise pace of 8:30-9:00/mile? (i've been seeing far too many 10:xx splits lately, what gives?) why do my legs feel heavy and slow; why does my form feel awkward? i've been running regularly, about 5x/week, for 5 weeks now. maybe i'm jumping the gun here, but i think after 11 years of running it should come back easier than this.

on my extremely slow "run" wednesday, i thought about the past almost-year of crappy running and all the ups and downs. i tend to be overly ambitious, and i probably went overboard trying to plan out the rest of the year to squeeze in as many miles as i can. yes, i used to run 60-70 mile weeks, but that's not something you can just hop back into (a lecture i've been having with myself). i'm living in the past like a former high school quarterback.

back in early august, i created a training plan for the upcoming 50k and (hopefully) a december marathon. i scheduled myself to be running 60-mile weeks again by the end of september... you know, 0-to-60 in 8 weeks is plenty of time, right? it's time i get realistic and focus on the big picture (running for life) instead of just my 2010 mileage. so what if i don't beat my 2009 mileage, it won't be the end of the world. i'm revamping the training plan so that i will still get miles in for upcoming fall/winter races, but with a new focus on base-building for bigger things (/better running) in 2011.

i think ice cube put it best --

tic-tic-boom
hear me banging down these back streets
bumpin blackstreet, fiending like an athlete
life aint a track meet (no)
its a marathon

*just for clarification: i can barely make myself do lsd runs, and i certainly do not/have not/will not do lsd drugs.

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my old kentucky home

(enhance the atmosphere with some background music)

dearest kentucky,

it has certainly been an interesting 494 days living in your various metropolis cities such as carrollton and danville (and frankfort). i spent a lot of time on holiday inn express and hampton inn treadmills (116 runs for 772.12 miles to be exact) when your weather was bad or there weren't many roads to run on. when i did discover routes outdoors, you certainly were gorgeous. i will miss the bluegrass pike the most; it will always be my favorite running road.

you seemed to have had it out for my car for some reason, what with the deer, locking my keys in the car, new tires, off-roading, door falling off business. i noticed you were also trying to help me fit in better with the locals, putting me in the dentist chair to have my wisdom teeth pulled, a root canal, and to fix a chipped tooth.

although most days i whined about you, you're a pretty good state overall. the countryside is beautiful and the people are friendly. i found a few awesome places to run and some cool people to run with on occasion. i even squeezed in three marathons while i was here. i toured a bourbon distillery, flew over louisville in a bi-plane and attended the famous kentucky derby.

i missed being away from home and i hated all the driving up and down i-75 (approximately 10,820 miles), but it did give me the excuse to eat (too many) m&m's so that i'd stay awake on the drive. i never did get to go horse back riding this spring because you were busy raining every weekend i stayed in town. i'm also a little disappointed that i never actually saw blue grass. what the heck is that all about?

thanks for the memories kentucky. it was fun, most days.

much love.


[side note:  if you are ever in need of chiropractic care in the central kentucky area, i highly recommend dr. pat drury (lawrenceburg) and dr. alex louden (lexington) - they took good care of me over the past year!]

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recap of 2009

2009 kind of faded and fizzled for me as it drew on. i'm hoping to plan better and be more dedicated (/less slack in 2010). however, it was still a good year - i ran a lot of miles (though initially aimed for more) and stayed injury free once again. it was my first full year of blogging/getting more ocd about my stats.

2005 - 735.94 (starting march 14th)
2006 - 623.43 (did not log may thru september)
2007 - 1335.95
2008 - 1618.95
2009 - 2025.10

january - 120.85 miles, including two weeks off completely. ran the goofy challenge and did wayyy better than i expected (1:34 half and a 4-hr marathon, i figured i'd be walking the marathon but instead ran pretty decently). the goofy challenge (or races at disney period) are a blast! longest run, 26.2 (disney).

february - 159.58 miles, no racing, no speedwork. pretty boring. longest run, 12.4 miles.

march - 141.66 miles. the beginning of my travels on i-75/dealing with kentucky. come to think of it, the 12-hours of driving every other weekend for 9-months kind of interfered with my running schedule and mojo. hopefully 2010 won't involve so much traveling/being away from home. longest run, 9.3 miles.

april - 173.13 miles. first full month in kentucky/hotel life. logged many miles on the hotel treadmill, got an enormous blister. won a 5k. longest run, 11.3 miles.

may - 147.12 miles. more hoteling, more treadmilling. longest run, 12.5 miles.

june - 200.19 miles. more hoteling. beach vacation. got engaged. longest run, 14 miles.

july -267.60 miles. hey, even more hoteling. still no racing because they were always on weekends when i was in a different state. longest run, 18.25 on the treadmill. yes, i'm insane.

august - 200.92 miles. you guessed it, more hoteling. had my wisdom teeth pulled, took 4 days off for that. started to feel burnt out from the traveling, long work days and probably running too. longest run, 20 miles on the treadmill no less.

september - 224.51 miles, also my birthday month - turned 25, got lower car insurance, entered the more competitive 25-29 age group. ran the va beach rock 'n roll half - wasn't totally thrilled with my time (not a pr) but it was probably pretty solid considering my lack of speed work. oh yeah, still lived in a hotel. longest run, 22.71 with a malfunctioning garmin.

october - 154.52 miles. see, fizzle and fade. won another 5k. i was going to run in the bourbon chase but got 'sick' instead with random nausea that lasted for weeks. longest run, 20 miles.

november - 103.78 miles, totally fading out to blank. ran the nyc marathon for a new pr on the first of the month and otherwise piddled around with dinky mileage for the other 29 days. longest run, 26.2 miles by default.

december - 133.24 miles, a pathetic attempt to salvage my mileage. i struggled with allergies and insomnia for almost half of the month, so there were many unplanned days of rest. i was able to convince myself that coasting to the end of '09 wouldn't be so bad and to just take it easy and enjoy the extra downtime. instead of taking advantage the two weeks off from work at Christmas/new year's i mearly piddled around with a few, short runs. i guess i needed a break mentally too, i'm sure i put too much pressure on myself to log miles. my left achilles/calf was sore for a few days but went away, so i'm assuming it's good to go.

all in all, it was another successful year of running, complete with race pr's, weekly mileage pr's, and a yearly mileage pr. in 2008 i noted that "i also truly enjoyed running everyday", but unfortunately that was not always the case in 2009. i don't think my mileage ever got too crazy high (maxed out at 65ish) for "athletic burnout" but i do think that maybe a little lifestyle burnout occurred (or maybe i just like to blame things on living in a hotel for 9 months and spending 12 hours in the car every other weekend). at least that excuse means there is still hope for my relationship with running.

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in ten years

i saw a recap of the past ten years on someone else's blog and realized how this closing decade marks ten years of running for me! (on and off, but still). i'm also thinking it's probably the more exciting decade of my life because it included the college years and what will really happen when i hit the 30's and 40's. investing in a roth ira is so exciting...

2000 - ahhhh y2k ahhh! i was in 10th/11th grade, had just finished my first season of cross country ('99) and ran my second season later in the fall. my older sister graduated from high school and when we dropped her off at college everyone cried but me (and i think my dad).

2001 - apparently i've done a good job of blocking out dorky high school memories because i can't think of many. in the spring semester of 11th grade i got iss (in school suspension) for lying to my teacher. my friend and i convinced our us history teacher that he (my friend) was the soccer team trainer and had to leave early for away games. we got caught because someone in the class freakin' told on us. what the heck; lame! as an honors/ap student the iss 'teacher'/supervisor didn't think i should be in there and let me run errands for her instead. (and yes, said friend was rather cute of course). also in '01 i started taking some college classes at a local college because somehow i didn't need anymore high school credits - i had "late arrival" and "early dismissal" as some of my "classes". i had a 7:30am (or so) english class and remember hearing about the first WTC plane in the car after class, and assumed it was a small plane that had malfunctioned somehow. when i got to (high) school later that morning, i broke the news to my spanish teacher who didn't believe me until we turned on the tv near the end of class.

2002 - senior year; not as glamorous as it is on mtv. i quit soccer and cross-country; went to prom. i was the last class to graduate my old high school before they tore it down and turned it into a walmart, so some of the teachers let us spend the end of the year graffiti-ing the walls. i cut out a piece of the track as a souvenir (one of the "4's" from lane 4). i started college in the fall, joined the rowing team, learned that just because i never had to study in high school does not mean college will be as breezy...

2003 - survived freshman year; had a great group of girlfriends from the rowing team. had a much better 2nd semester grade-wise, though mandatory study hall didn't help - too many distracting male athletes. moved into first apartment where we had the best neighbors and funnest block parties. i attempted to make pancakes one night and almost set the complex on fire. the blackened, crisp pancake was hung on our front door as a warning to others. i began running again but didn't keep any stats.

2004 - more college antics. moved into new apartment. still casually running, but not yet ocd enough to log stats.

2005 - worked two internships on top of my part-time job at the crack house (aka cracker barrel). also helped out with the local special olympics group - those 'kids' always brightened my day. went to nyc for christmas, saw my best friend graduate from college, began tracking my mileage/time on runs.

2006 - set my car on fire! (yes, on accident) got a new one. ran my first marathon! began interviewing for jobs. major fail at first interview - actually told the guy i wasn't planning on having kids so that wouldn't interfere with my career (yes, seriously). needless to say they did not call me back. got a job somewhere else. college graduation! sad but exciting. began my first big-girl job, made friends with the other college-grad hires and still acted like we were in college. bought a house (offer was accepted on my 22nd b-day). made running friends in my new town. ran another marathon.

2007 - most of the new running friends quit running except one (kt), began running "hardcore" 40 mile weeks with her. participated in a medical study at md anderson in houston, tx. ran two more marathons. took a random, spontaneous trip to san diego for memorial day. took a random trip to nashville in august. older sister got married. met josh, tried to flirt, he was oblivious.

2008 - finally "really" trained for a marathon, bq'd. went to visit a friend living in st. kitts, still jealous of her! started helping out with old high school cross country team. started this blog. helped josh flip a house. experimented with buying individual stock and doubled up (go ford!).

2009 - did the goofy challenge and ran another marathon. spent 9+ months living in hotels/working in kentucky and am now a celebrity at the hampton inn. got engaged. had my wisdom teeth pulled. hit a deer. beefed up my savings.

i still have yet to review my '09 in running and make plans for 2010, but i'm pretty awesome at procrastinating and not-getting things done, what's a few more days. so, until next year! happy new year all!

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looking back on 2008

2008 was my 4th year "back" to running (since high school cross country in '00), although it was the first year i really trained seriously (consistently), and that was only for the last 5 months of the year. it was a good year in which i found a groove (in the latter part of the year) and really started to enjoy running more.

mileage totals
2005 - 735.94 (starting march 14th)
2006 - 623.43 (did not log may thru september)
2007 - 1335.95
2008 - 1613.95 (plus whatever i log tomorrow)

i pr'd at every distance except the 10k this year (where i was just a few seconds shy of my current pr), and i finally, finally got my boston qualifier. what a high that was, especially since i had just added that race in as training for the goofy challenge. it definitely gave me a boost of confidence to think i can really continue whack some minutes off my marathon pr in '09 and '10. i survived the year with no injuries - a few aches and pains here and there, and a couple sinus infections, but nothing really forced me off the streets.

2008 in review

january - 108.97 miles, how far i have come since then! i joined the local running club and decided to go after a "club running series" award for my age group. i'd have to run in and place well at most of the local races throughout the year to earn points, and the top 3 people in each age group win something at the year-end banquet. i ran a 5k, pr'd (21:27) took 2nd place for my age group, and my longest run of the month was 8 whole miles.

february - 85.53 miles, umm. wow lindsay. no comment on that slackness. i ran a half-marathon (1:40:51) with friends, placing 1st in my age group and pr'ing by 3 seconds. longest run = 13.1 (the half race).

march - 64.66 miles, and i thought february was bad. ran a 10k, placed 2nd in my age group and just missed out on a pr (by 5 seconds). otherwise i apparently sat around on my bum all month. i did go visit a friend in st. kitts and did 0 running while i was there. this was also my fattest month of the year, of which i am now down 15 pounds since my fatty-march-weight. yay for running. longest run for march - 6.2 (the 10k race). i hang my head in shame.

april - 104.87 miles, that sounds a little better. no races, and most of these miles were on the treadmill at the gym. longest run was 10.17 miles ....on the treadmill.

may - 111.05 miles, improvement is always good. about half of the runs were on the treadmill at the gym, and otherwise nothing exciting comes to mind as i review my log. longest run - 10 miles, again on the treadmill. i must've been on crack these two months running that long on the tm.

june - 111.25 miles, wouldn't want to increase the mileage too much. i got my sweet bike complete with kickstand and bell to commute to work a few days a week, and i actually did 2-3 days/week. that motivation came fairly easily when gas was up around $4/gallon. (it's a commuter/hybrid bike as i have a budget to stick by so i'm not ashamed of my kickstand or bell.) anyway, i ran my first ever 8k for a guaranteed pr, taking 4th place in my age group. longest run was 9 miles, on the treadmill again.

july - 81.59 miles, a cutback month if you will, from all that intense running april-june. no races for july, but i did continue biking to work a few days. i had to take the last week off completely for patch testing at the dermatologist to try and figure out what the crap was making me itch all the time. spent a few hundred bucks only to not find out the root of the problem, but i did learn i am moderately allergic to nickel, it's just not what was making me itch all over. longest run = 7.44 miles at the beach.

august - 145.77 miles, hello olympics. august was the start of my motivation to run more and train seriously, mostly thanks to watching the olympics all month. i continued biking to work and began training for the goofy challenge (jan '09). i started blogging about my running and ran with a local high school cross country team on the weekends. oh and i spent some more money at the doctor to find out i am severely allergic to soy, nuts and beans. good to know. i became a proud owner of an epi pen. did you know that everything delicious contains soy? it's true. long run of the month at 12.4 miles.

september - 180.07 miles, also my birthday month! i'm trying to savor the remaining months until next september when i have to graduate to the 25-29 age group where the women run way too fast and take all the age group awards. i ran a 2 mile race where i pr'd by 1:10 and took 3rd place overall female! that was pretty sweet. i biked to work a few more times and got in a 21 mile ride with my dad (yes, on my dinky little bell & kickstand trek bike!). longest run was 11 miles.

october - 213.83 miles, quite a difference from march's efforts. i ran a true cross-country 5k and a half-marathon at times close to my current pr's. i wasn't supposed to race the half anyway. i traveled up north for my grandpa's funeral and my aunt's/cousin's bunny gave me a bad asthma attack, forcing me to run easy that week. longest run was 16 miles (2 of them even).

november - 210.80 miles, not too shabby. i bq'd!!! ran the atlanta marathon and pr'd by about 17 minutes. prior to that i ran my first-ever 20-mile training run, even though it was my 5th marathon. the concept of actually training for these things makes a huge difference. obviously my longest run for the month was 26.2 miles.

december - 200.64 miles, a decent end to the year. i ran a 20k with my old running buddy and definitely did not try to 'race' it. somehow i still ended up placing 3rd in my age group. i got in my final pre-goofy 20-miler, cutting off 18 minutes from the one i did in november. i took a few extra days off this month due to some 'family drama', and had a very special Christmas hanging out with the family. i've been so focused on running for the past few months, but it was easy to set it aside and spend time with the family without feeling guilty for missing a run (or two). longest run, 20 miles.

all in all, it was my most successful year of running yet, complete with race pr's, weekly mileage pr's, and a yearly mileage pr. i also truly enjoyed running everyday, especially after my motivation jumped through the roof from the olympics. i ended up taking first place for my age group in the local track club's "running series" competition that i set my eyes on back in january. i beat out 2nd place by 220 points - all the competition is in the 25-29 age group i'm telling you! since it was a fairly easy feat (i'm not bragging i promise, there just wasn't consistent competition) i'm not going to worry about repeating in '09. i have bigger goals to chase now!

hope you all have a fun, safe and happy new year!!

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