A Running Year In Review - 2010

Had you asked me in April when I started blogging if I thought that I'd have enough to write about at year end I'm not sure that my answer would have been yes.  I probably would have told you that I ran a couple of races and that was about it.  But last night I was drafting this post and found that a lot more happened to me than I realized.

• I completed my first half marathon, the Historic Half Marathon in Langley, BC,  on 21 February.  It was cold, but clear.  Hilly, but not too much of a challenge - if you can pre-run the route, do it! What a huge difference it makes.  I finished in  2:16:58.6.  Considering I went into it wanting to finish and hoping for a 2:30:00 I was thrilled!
• I completed my second half marathon, the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon on 27 June.  Hip Hip Hooray I got a PR!  2:11:38.  And that was despite some dire TMI circumstances.  I probably could have broken 2:10:00, but it wasn't to be that day.  Maybe in 2011.
• I trained for and completed my first marathon!  I finished the Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon on 10 October after training for the whole summer.  Ups and downs in the training and the race, but wouldn't trade that first experience for anything.  Finish time of 5:07:18 for an automatic PR.  
• I just started my training for my next marathon this week.  First clinic session was held last night.  I surprised myself by running just over 6km in just over 40 minutes.  It was probably a little faster than I should have run, but was a lot faster than I thought I could run.  This bodes well for my training!
• I started blogging in April.  Has it kept me more accountable (my original reasoning)?  Probably not.  But I have gotten far more out of it than I ever expected.  I get to use my SAHM brain!  I've found so much inspiration from other bloggers and have even made a few "friends" (Colin, you can roll your eyes here) even though we've never met in person.

Overall I have had a great year running.  I have made good friends: consistent running partners (who I am so thankful for - you know who you are!); facebook friends - some I know in real life, some I've yet to meet; and some through my blog.  I've found an online community that is supportive, funny, and encouraging.  It's been a rewarding year!

Come back tomorrow to see what 2011 has in store for me!  Or at least what I think I can achieve.  Hint: my new key word is FOCUS!