Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Looking Forward, Looking Back

A year ago I wrote this as my list of goals for 2008. I had an 87.5% success rate, achieving 7 of the 8 goals I set for myself:
  • Run half marathon in under 2 hours (SUCCESS)
  • Run a 7:00 mile (SUCCESS)
  • Run a sub-25:00 5K (SUCCESS)
  • Get a new 5K PR (SUCCESS)
  • Run a 10K race (SUCCESS)
  • Run the Detroit Marathon! (SUCCESS)
  • Reach my Weight Watchers goal weight (FAIL)
  • Run as much as humanly possible without injury (SUCCESS...sort of)
I feel pretty good about all of this (with the exception of not reaching my Weight Watchers goal weight, but at least I can say I weigh the same as I did a year ago. I'm doing a fabulous job of maintaining the weight I don't want!).

What else did I manage to do this year?
  • Ran six 5K races, taking home age group awards in four of them and setting new personal records twice (Shamrocks and Shenanigans in March; A Most Amazing Race in June)
  • Ran two 10K races, setting a PR at the Dexter-Ann Arbor 10K in June
  • Ran the Marine Corps Historic Half with my dad, which was a great experience
  • Took first place female in the Run for the Rolls, which may be the only time that ever happens, and set a new mile PR as well (6:48)
  • Ran 1330.3 total miles, which took 203 hours, 9 minutes, and 36 seconds (average pace: 9:11/mile) and burned 157,983 total calories
  • Met a few of my fellow run-bloggers in real life (I'm still waiting to meet certain of the rest of y'all)
  • Made the great leap into the 35-39 age group (does this mean I'm officially in my mid-thirties? that's only a stone's throw away from...FORTY)
In 2009, I hope to:
  • Qualify for the 2010 Boston Marathon at the Cleveland Marathon in May
  • Run a sub-1:50 half marathon
  • Run a sub-50:00 10K
  • Set another new 5K PR (less than 22:44)
  • OR break 22:00 in a 5K (this would be decidedly the more awesome of the two)
  • Run 1500 miles for the year
  • Run at least one race each month
I turned in just over 5 miles this morning as my last run of the year, a run through freshly-fallen snow and occasional swirling flurries mixed with bright sunshine. Fleet Foxes' "White Winter Hymnal" came on my iPod as I traversed a stretch of sidewalk with my shadow on the snow in front of me. It was a fitting way to wrap up the year.

In 11 days I launch my training for Cleveland. My nearly three months of the Do Whatever I Feel Like "plan" are almost over. It's time to get down to business. The business of BQ.

Happy New Year, everyone!

I shall conclude with my favorite photos of the past year.

During the Meteor 10K (April)

My Dad and I after the Marine Corps Historic Half (May)

Finishing the Dexter-Ann Arbor 10K in 50:00 (new PR) (June)

Hill work in Dexter with the RF501 Gang (July)

With my plaque for winning the women's Run For The Rolls 1-mile (August)

During my first 20-mile run (September)

Finishing the Detroit Marathon in 3:52:01 (October)

In my Obsessed Runner "costume" on Halloween (October)

And one which has not yet been seen: At the Chelsea/Dexter RF501 end-of-season party. I won a six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon (aka "PBR," aka "Pretty Bad Refreshment") in a random drawing. Victor traded me for a bottle of Unibroue Maudite for the remainder of the sixer at the conclusion of the evening. I think I got the better end of that deal.

9 comments:

Glaven Q. Heisenberg said...

You never looked to me like you needed to lose any more weight. What is you goal on this? Is it realistic? Because it's hard to imagine, Jebus!, that you could burn 157,983 total calories in a year and NOT reach your goal.

Wow. What a grand success of a year, though, overall.

You should be proud.

Good luck getting down to brass tacks with BQing at Cleveland. You'll do it. I have no doubt about that.

jen said...

Wow, what a year!! I am so impressed. Congrats on all your success. I don't know your personal goals, but I doubt you really need to lose weight and maintaining is a very good thing! So I'd say you were 100% successful. Good luck with 2009!! Happy New Year! :)

Anonymous said...

Best of luck to you in reaching your 2009 goals. You can break 22 minutes in a 5k!

Unknown said...

I have complete confidence in saying that I believe we will be running Boston in 2010! 6 minutes to drop is nothing...

Anonymous said...

Sarah, you are amazing! What a year you've had. I know deep in my bones that you and I will be running Boston together in 2010. Go us!

chia said...

You're so BQ'ing this year :-). You're right, we need a blogger meetup!

Great goals -- go get 'em!

B. Kramer said...

Good job on the goals this ... erm ... last year. Good luck on 2009!

What, you don't subscribe to the PBRMEASAP philosophy? I don't blame you. Cheers!

Sun Runner said...

GQH-- I had hoped to lose a total of 75 pounds. It's a nice round number. So is 60, I guess, but I like 75 better. It sounds so...impressive. I have a renewed sense of purpose and am confident I can finally get there.

TK-- I'm holding you to that prediction, girl!

Viper-- What, you don't subscribe to the PBRMEASAP philosophy?

OK, I'm such a loser I had to Google "PBRMEASAP" to find out what it meant, and found this, which is great:

http://beeronthebrain.blogspot.com/2008/01/pbr-me-asap.html

Nitmos said...

Well a great year. And happy new year.

Just a thought...not sure if you are already locked into Cleveland but the Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City is over Memorial Weekend and an excellent course to BQ on.