2015: My Year In Bling

I got this idea from Holly over at HoHo Runs and thought it was fun! Here’s my version…

2015 RACE STATS

2 Ragnar Relays
2 Half Marathons
1 20K
1 Ten Miler
2 10K’s
5 5K’s
13 Total Races
2 Age Group Wins
2 Age Group Second Place Finishes
3 Age Group Third Place Finishes
89.6 Individual Racing Miles
44.9 Individual Miles in Relay Races
134.5 Total Racing Miles
 

On Valentine’s Day, my MRTT friends and I ran the For The Love Of It 10K. Not only was it a holiday race, but it also happened to be my 100th race, and the day after my good friend Erin’s birthday.  We had so many reasons to celebrate, including this being my first race after a five-week-long injury that sidelined me from running. I was thrilled to have my friends Erin and Amanda stick with me the entire race even though they could have run it much faster. We finished in 57:52 (9:20 pace) with smiles on our faces!

Bill and I have been running the George Washington Parkway Ten Mile Run off and on since 1999. Because of an injury, Bill wasn’t able to join the Cruisers and me for his favorite race, but he was on hand to photograph us as we came running into Old Town Alexandria. My dear friend Beth and I had a great run, sticking together to the very end with a time of 1:38:48 (9:53 pace).

My MRTT friends and I enjoyed an overnight road trip to Annapolis for the ZOOMA Annapolis Half Marathon.  ZOOMA Women’s Race Series mission is to inspire women to live healthy, happy, and active lives, so what better race for a group of busy moms to attend! We had a great time, but the hills, heat, and humidity just about killed us! I finished in 2:12:04 (9:57 pace) which was good enough for a third place in my age group. Later I learned that I missed winning my AG by only thirty seconds…

When invited to join my MRTT friends and run Ragnar Trail Appalachians in West Virginia, I jumped at the chance.  With my buddy Meagan joining us, I knew we would have a great time, but didn’t expect the weather to have such an impact on our experience. Two words – rain and mud! Our team had to triple up at the end to finish on time, and we finished the 118-mile relay in 26:23:24.

For the third year in a row, I started my Independence Day off with a bang by running in the Firecracker 5K put on by Potomac River Running. We started out dry, but with rain starting mid-race, and absolutely pouring by the time we finished we were soggy. I finished in 25:56 (8:21 pace) and snagged a third place in my age group.

When every day is Saturday at the beach, why not run in a race on a Wednesday?  I did, and had a great time at the Outer Banks Lighthouse 5K put on by Outer Banks Runcations!  The race started and finished at the Whalehead Hunt Club and ran along Route 12 in Corolla. Despite being in full sun for most of the run, I managed to finish in 25:55 (8:21 pace) and place first in my age group. We didn’t receive a prize, just bragging rights.

The Leesburg 20K has become one of my favorite races despite the risk of facing brutal August heat and humidity.  The out-and-back course allows for cheering on fellow runners while enjoying a speedy down-hill return to the finish line. I finished in 1:51:39 (9:01 pace), and managed to snag second place in my age group.

I ran the Parks Half Marathon with my son Daniel which happened to be his first half. We experienced a near perfectly organized race from start to finish, and even the weather gods smiled upon us! Daniel; however, didn’t stick around to wait for his mom, and beat me big time! I had a few fueling problems, nearly hit the wall, and finished in 2:06:10 (9:38 pace).

It’s not every day one has an opportunity to run on an airport runway, and when I heard about this race a couple of years ago, I desperately wanted to participate.  This year the stars aligned, and I was able to join in on the fun at the Dulles Day On the Runway 10K! I ran the entire race with my friend Erin and we took our sweet time, stopping for many pictures along the way – we were running on a runway after all! We finished in 1:03:36 (10:15 pace) having a blast.

When I scored a place on our MRTT Ragnar DC team, I knew we would have a great time, but had no idea just how much fun we would really have, and how close our team would become! We finished the 204.2-mile relay in 35:15:59 (10:21 pace) with only one person getting lost – me.

My first ever Halloween themed race was the Ghost, Goblins & Ghouls Spooktacular 5K.  I donned my cat ears, tail, and whiskers and joined my fellow MRTT friends for a fun-packed Halloween afternoon of racing. Hoping to break 25-minutes for the first time this year, I pushed and finished in 25:04 (8:04 pace). I just missed my goal, but finshed first in my age group.

Our Thanksgiving morning tradition continued with running the Ashburn Farm Thanksgiving Day 5K with our Cruiser and MRTT friends, followed by our annual post-race brunch back at our house. Again, I just missed breaking 25-minutes, finishing in 25:08 (8:06 pace) and earning a second place in my age group.

Once again I joined my running friends for another holiday themed race, the Run With Santa 5K, a race that I felt necessary to dress up for! Who am I, and what have my running friends done with the old Deb? Apparently my festive shirt didn’t slow me down too much because I managed to finish in 25:25 (8:11 pace) and place third in my age group.

• Questions:
• How did your racing year end?
• How many races do you plan to run next year?
• Are you running in a New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day race?