2012 Running Review

Me and USA Olympian, Nick Symmonds at the Lakefront Marathon

2012 was a great year in running for me. It was definitely a lot of miles and hard work, but I don't regret one second of it. I learned a lot about myself - priorities, abilities, things I can work on. I plan to take this year's running and build on it in 2013. I have big goals for the next year but here are some of the highlights from 2012:

2012 Lighthouse Run Champion in the Women's 4 Mile

• One of the most exciting and heartbreaking days of my whole life - winning the Women's 4 Mile in the Lighthouse Run in my hometown (Racine, WI.) You might not recall or maybe you never read about my related heartbreak; you can find THAT story here. I'm still not over it and I plan to get even when I rock the shit out of that course this summer. I digress.
• I started Lace & Race as a direct result of my performance and the review of my run at the LHR. L&R has been a fun way to vent and connect with the rest of you runnerds. (@laceandrace)
• I started a "Running Savings Account." This sounds weird, I guess - but I decided to reward myself for all the time I spend running. The gist of it is this: For every 1 mile I run, I deposit 50 cents into a savings account. It might not seem like a lot, but it adds up. I will be paying for my trip to Boston (which is RIDICULOUSLY expensive) with that silly little idea. You should try it - at the end of the year, that's a sweet little pot to spend on fun.
• I trained for and ran my first half marathon in the summer as part of my build up for my full marathon in the fall. I ran the Summerfest Rock 'n Sole in Milwaukee. I was pretty satisfied with my time, considering it was my first! 1:35:24  I did learn that I am not a huge fan of this distance, as a race. I like it as part of my training plan but I like shorter distances or fulls much better. I'll keep running halves though.
• I ran my first full 26.2 at the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee! I loved this distance so much. I ran 3:18:45 - and I think I was a little conservative, since it was my first. I plan to spend this whole year training to run the same course in the fall, but I want to run a sub-3 hour marathon. I think its reasonable. Go big or  die trying!
• During my marathon, I achieved the only goal I set for myself that day: run a BQ! So - I'll be running the 117th Boston Marathon in April. I don't quite have the words for how excited I am. I love that I get to participate in such a prestigious event - such history and so many talented people have run (will run) that course. I could just explode with happiness. I'm currently training my ass off for it, so I can compete confidently.