2017 Recap

ADDENDUM: Miles Run/Walked - 616.35
                              Miles Biked - 334.92

This year has really been different than what it was intended to be. At first thought, I want to be quite negative about it but as I look at the year as a whole, I see a lot of positive. I am VERY hard on myself and this is hard for me to work through when issues present themselves or I don't live up to what I expect of myself.

I had such high hopes to jump back on the "lose weight" wagon and hit the races like I did 25 pounds lighter leaving smoke in my path. High ideals just didn't translate like I thought they should.

Signing up for a series was to motivate me, making me stronger and get my running back on track. January and February were the first two of the three half marathons in the series.

As late spring came, I began riding my bike a little more. My like for riding increased. Getting my friends onboard was nice, too. We all rode together many times. We did the Good Life Ride in May. Boy, did I realize that the bike I had was not going to work any more if I wanted to go further than 5 miles. I decided that maybe biking wasn't my thing. I was so much slower than my friends and it became more like work than fun...very frustrating. They all kept asking me to ride with them after this but I really didn't want to. Something inside me wanted to get back on my bike but I couldn't take the embarrassment my rides were giving me. Come July, Kent talked me into purchasing a "good" bike. Now, it's hard for me to want to spend more than my Walmart bike but I knew if I was going to enjoy riding, I needed to take the plunge. After a test ride at Infinity Bicycles and a bit of a push from Kent, I ordered a bike. It was a Trek in beautiful sparkly blue with red/orange accents. When it came in a week later, I rode it on the Backcountry Trails. I was immediately "in love". There's no comparison with a good bike against a big box store's bike.

Ain't she the purtiest thing?? I never knew there would be so much difference in a ride on a good bike. It was smooth as butter. I'm in love!! Before I knew it, I was adding better pedals, lights, riding gloves, a better tire pump and getting new biking shorts and shirt. It's addictive. And, yes, I want a few more things.

Then for eight months, I struggled finding some balance. It was fall that I decided to join a Boot Camp and was scared to death. My body began to change and my running faltered off and on. For the first time in FOUR years, the range of motion of my left shoulder I broke years ago improved drastically. Who would have thought that!

As the end of the year approached, several of my friends were doing the MS. Gulf Coast Marathon Double Down races. I've wanted [for some time] to run back-to-back races...not two long ones but to say that I did two. You know, one of those check-off-the-list things. Knowing I had the last of the three half marathons to do to finish the series, I knew that I would be trained to do this half just two weeks later. So, I signed on. It was so much fun, too, and I'm glad that I did them. I do plan to do this again.

I want to say that the only thing mentioned to accomplish for 2017 was the Run The Beach Half Marathon Series. I felt "DOWN" so much this year but as I look it all over, I find that I accomplished way more than I realized. Here are a few things that was unplanned:

1. Back-to-Back running races
2. Two official bike rides
3. Joined a boot camp [and LOVE it]
4. Ended the year with FOUR half marathons! 2016-1;2015-0; 2014-1; 2013-4. Way excited about this!

I'll end the 2017 year with this:

1. One of my goals was to NEVER give up. I must say I exceeded at this, fighting negativity and depression all through the year. VERY, very proud of keeping on!
2. I didn't quit after a terrible fall in my third half marathon with more than half to go. [See #1]
3. Quitting processed sugars for almost four weeks was huge. Then came Thanksgiving! I will start over again next year in hopes that I can control/stop this 90% of the time.
4. I did not lose the weight.
5. The 1,000 miles goal was not achieved.
6. I joined a boot camp, scared to death, and found I loved the workout, ha!

All in all, it was more successful than it was not. Therefore, I will keep on keeping on and continue to

Run 4 It

Double Down

I've been interested in doing a back-to-back race for a while. Several of my friends have done them but I thought they just weren't "right". I mean, who wants to put their bodies through this, right? It still drew me to want to put it on my bucket list...I know...I'm not "right" either...probably wouldn't call these friends if I WAS right. Anyway, some have done back-to-back long races and I applaud them even though I have no interest in doing that. But I did want to try a short race with a long race. When I saw several friends signing up for the Double Down at the MS. Coast Marathon, I just couldn't resist giving it a try. There was a 5k on Saturday and a Half or Full Marathon on Sunday. Here was my chance. I mentioned it to Kent and he was okay with it and told me to go for it. After all, I would have done a half marathon a couple of weeks before so I should be trained already. Almost immediately after that, I signed up. I was so excited to do this and with friends.

Let me start by saying I didn't think this one was going to happen. Read my last post and you'll definitely know why I said this.  After my fall, it took me a while to get to where I could walk again. The entire week after, I was so sore and beat up. My chest hurt every time I breathed and couldn't lay down to sleep, my knees were painful and my face still looked awful as well as pain over my brow. The second week [and the week of the Double Down] I was feeling better...except that my knees still hurt. I guess I fell flat on my stomach on that bridge because everything hit it and everything was so sore. I've never gotten hurt like this.

I decided that I would go ahead and walk the 5k with Kent, as planned anyway, and see how the ole knees would do. I had basically done NO running with only a very little walking before this weekend. This would determine if I would go ahead with the half on Sunday. Friday a cold front came in with rain and wind. The temperature dropped so much that it actually snowed! Yep, on the coast at the beach...SNOW! It was so pretty even if it didn't stick.

Saturday we headed out to do the 5k. It was an absolutely gorgeous day!! Clear blue skies and temps at 32 with a wind chill of 28...yikes!! Yes, it was cold! We hooked up with several friends and took some quick pics. Here are a few of them:

Nestor, Kent, me and Pete. Photobombed, by who?? LOL 

The Professor, me and Kent after the race.

Me and Diane. Brrrrrr..... 

Alabama running friends. Love these guys! 

Kimberly, Marsha and me. 

Justin, Jojo and Michelle

Heading back to the truck we saw a great photo op. 

5k Finisher's Medal

Sunday was another gorgeous day. I am so happy the rainy weather came in on Friday. The half proved to be another dang cold day but clear, blue skies. I think I was the only one without earmuffs of some sort. Yes, I was cold but I didn't want to worry about carrying it around when I got warmed up so I decided to wear a hoodie and I could pull it up over my head when I got cold or slip it off. I was SO glad to find my hometown friends. I knew they were there but hadn't seen them yet. And, we just "happened up" on each other lining up before the race began.

Deleica, Krista, Frank and me.

Here are some end and after race pics. I was "lucky" enough to get blisters all over the bottom of my feet...again!!! I am really struggling with this. It makes me walk when I don't want to and my gait is completely off. The last mile of the race was going up Interstate 10 curving around and over Highway 90. The grade was tough at such an angle causing me to put all my normal weight on the areas of the blisters!!! I was totally in pain!! All I wanted at this point was just to finish and an Alleve. Needless to say, it was mostly walking at the end for me.

I had on so many clothes but layered just perfectly. 

Here's the Finisher's Medal for the Half.

Several of us connected again afterwards but I didn't have a camera of any kind with me. It was still pretty cold. I found the booth where I picked up my Double Down Finisher's Tray. I am so excited that I could do these races considering the injuries from just a couple of weeks ago.

This was really a nice weekend of running and friends. I LOVED the races! When I get back to running good again...and I WILL...I'd like to return and do this series again. Next time, I hope to see more buddies. Until then,

Run 4 It