Year 1

I am beginning my 2nd full year of running as I begin this blog.  There was a lot that happened during the first year.  I ran lots of races, had a few injuries, basically lived and learned.

I had issues with shin splits early in the year.  I didn't get properly fitted for running shoes until after the Shamrock Shuffle.  Once I did that I was in good shape for awhile.  I pulled a hamstring sprinting to the finish of the BTN Big Ten 10k and that slowed me down for a bit.  Overall I did ok on the injury front.  I learned what my body would tolerate as far as training load and running form.

When it comes to races I learned a few lessons too.  My body absolutely hates running in warmer weather.  It just runs hot and I overheat easily.  My first ever half marathon was the Allstate 13.1 last June.  The temperature during the race reached 85 degrees which I was completely unprepared for.  I was doing well for about 9 miles until I started sputtering.  I walked most of the last 3 miles just trying to get to the finish line.  I also learned I shouldn't charge so hard up the "hills" we have here in Chicago.  It led to another situation where I bonked during the Monster Dash and wound up doing walking/jogging intervals for the last 2 miles of the race.

Since it was my first year of running, I was able to improve a lot over the course of the year.  I don't think I'll ever be super fast considering I'm short (5'6'') and on the heavier side (170lbs), but still do alright.

Time Improvements:

5K    24:24 -> 23:35
10K  53:xx -> 47:49
13.1  2:13:10 -> 1:55:07

Now that I'm in my 2nd year of running and will be logging a lot more miles as I train for the Chicago Marathon I will see my times continue to fall.