My year in running 2014

The year is coming to an end so it’s only fitting that I recap my 2014 running. I’ve been running for my former self all year long. Not because I’m afraid of her, but I’m just showing myself how far I’ve come since that January day. In 2014, I ran 13 marathons, some half marathons (I lost count), a couple of 10Ks and a few 5Ks.  Obviously, I was only keeping track of my marathons and nothing else, I have no idea why though.  I PRed my marathon and half marathon in 2014 too.  I think that is the thing I’m most proud of from the year.  It shows me I’m going places…I have jokes.

So here it is: my 2014 running season in 4 questions. I thought this would be easier by doing Miss Zippy’s roundup.

St Jude Marathon 2014

Best race experience? This is kind of hard for me to come up with. Every race is different for me which makes me proud. But my best race experience is probably the St. Jude Memphis Marathon. It’s only fitting that this was supposed to be my first marathon last year until it was canceled but it’s probably the best race I ran all year. It had it’s own set of complications but I was able to hold it together and come out with something I really wanted to celebrate.

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Best run? The Great Wall of China. I won’t say it was the best run because it really wasn’t, but it was the best place I’ve ever wanted to run.  Being out there on The Great Wall was amazing.  Even though we were miserable for a big part of it, I couldn’t stop thinking about the place we were and how many people will never get that experience.  How freaking cool is it that I ran on the Great Wall of China with my best friend/husband?  Once in a lifetime experience.
Finished the marathon! It sucked but I finished! On to the next marathon stop! #marathonmaniac #fitfluential #teamchocolatemilk
Best new piece of gear?  Salt tablets? Does that count as gear? I didn’t even know these things existed until November and I knew immediately this was the answer to my questions. It’s amazing how a $10 bottle of salt tablets changed everything. But if that doesn’t count, I will say my Nathan Zeal hydration vest was a close runner up.
Best piece of running advice you received? To work on my core strength. In June I changed up my running routine and worked on it all summer. By the time the fall rolled around, I could really notice a big difference in my running. Cross training is important but so is working on the strength workouts and core strength. Those 15-20 minutes a couple of days a week changed everything.

St Jude Marathon 2014
Most inspirational runner?  It’s got to by my husband. He ran his first marathon this year which is amazing. But the thing that inspired me the most was his dedication and commitment to the training. He did a great job with the process, which I believe is a huge part of the marathon experience. I saw him grow and transform over 6 months into a more focused person. Seeing him cross the finish line not only changed him, but it changed me.

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If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be? Epic.

Tomorrow I’ll talk more about my favorite races of the year, but for now I must go to sleep.

What was your biggest fitness accomplishment in 2014?

Race Recap: St. Jude Memphis Marathon

Race Recap: St. Jude Memphis Marathon

Please excuse me while I talk about this race with great emotion.  This race was supposed to be my first race last year but we all know what happened.  This year it was Willie’s first marathon!  When we arrived in Memphis, I felt like I was running a marathon for the first time.  I was nervous.  I was excited.  I didn’t know what to expect.  There was only one thing I was interested in: watching Willie cross the finish line. Willie has a strict “no running with me” rule and I had to abide by it.  It’s probably a good…

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The St. Jude Memphis Marathon is happening…

The St. Jude Memphis Marathon is happening…

Willie and I hopped in the car to drive to Memphis for the big marathon.  Willie will be running his first marathon and I’ll be adding another state to my marathon quest.  It’s a moment for me but it’s a BIG moment for Willie. That’s why he drove the entire 8 hours.  But we didn’t listen to Serial which an incredibly addicting podcast.  It’s so good! This morning we went on short shake out run. Riding in the car for 8 hours will kill your legs. Plus, I had a less than desirable run on Wednesday. No one wants to…

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It’s #GivingTuesday: The children of St. Jude …

It’s #GivingTuesday: The children of St. Jude need our HELP!

Brown Thursday, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, those are all over.  It’s time for #GivingTuesday. So what is Giving Tuesday all about? Getting together to celebrate generosity by giving! We give all our money to the stores so why not give to help out a great cause. Last year we raised $2500 for the children of St. Jude. This year our fundraising goal wasn’t quite as high but we would still like to give back. Can you help us raise a little bit more money? Last year this was supposed to be my first marathon but it was canceled. It…

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The runner’s version of “Would You Rather”

The runner’s version of “Would You Rather”

I saw this game of would your rather on my friend Lauren’s site and I thought it would be fun. Everyone is always saying they want to know a little bit more about me so I thought this would be a perfect chance to shed some light on me! 1. Would you rather run a 5k or a marathon? This one is easy. I would rather run a marathon. 5ks are great but I can run those in my neighborhood. I love the challenges of a marathon and feeling like I’ve worked really hard for something. There’s nothing wrong with…

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Do you like t-shirts with motivation words?

Do you like t-shirts with motivation words?

Today is your lucky day if you do!  Remember last year when Willie and I were raising money for St. Jude’s Children Hospital to run in the canceled marathon?  Well we are doing it again!  Last year, Team We Beat Fat raised $2500 for the the children at hospital.  This year we want to raise money again. Together, Willie and I, will run the St. Jude Marathon in December and we would love to be able to sport a heroes singlet as we run through the St. Jude campus.  Every dollar counts and helps a child fight their battle with…

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Lost and broken

Lost and broken

I hate to do this to you but I’m going to have a “let’s get real” moment with you.  It’s just something I need to get off my chest because I really think it’s been weighing me down.  So here it is: When the St. Jude Marathon was canceled it broke me! I know I ran the miles, but in my mind it wasn’t good enough! I started training for that marathon in June and I did almost every single run on my training plan except for 5 runs and those were always short runs I bailed on.  I invested…

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My year in running

My year in running

When I started off the year I had only run two races in 2012, both half marathons.  Who would have thought I would run 14 half marathons the next year? This wasn’t how I thought the year would go.  The big question is: what fueled my racing desire? The answer: my running group!  I told Jeremy I wanted to do RnR Dallas and he said he was doing it so that kind of pushed me to do the race.  That was two weeks after the Gusher and I had never run a race that close together, but I did it.…

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Not the marathon post I planned. St. Jude …

Not the marathon post I planned. St. Jude Marathon was canceled.

This was supposed to be an exciting weekend for us because we had been in training for Willie’s “knock it out of the park” half marathon and my first marathon. But then a little winter storm came into our lives. We probably should have taken the hint when our flight was canceled but we didn’t. We just got in the car to drive to Memphis. Race officials said things were still ago and we didn’t want to miss out on the race. We arrived in Memphis at 1:30 am before the ice storm hit. Friday morning we woke up to…

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Marathon mind

Marathon mind

Excuse me as I take a break from talking about anything else that’s going on in life because I can’t think about anything EXCEPT the marathon.  Yesterday I was in tears because I feared the race would be canceled. NO ONE even mentioned the possible cancellation, it was just one of those things I didn’t even want to occur. Why would they cancel you might ask?  Winter weather! I intended on the weather being on the chilly side back in February, even though Willie said it wouldn’t happen like that. I didn’t expect a winter storm to literally snow on…

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