I run for...a happy new year!

This view at the top of Table Rock cannot be beat!

New year, new blog post!! I have lots to catch up on. My last blog post chronicled my experience at the Table Rock Ultra 50K. It's 4 months later and I feel like I'm still reveling in the awesomeness of that day. I think it's a positive sign that it's stuck with me this long. I am definitely using it as fuel for my 2018 goals. More on those later.

Such a happy day! Completing my first 50K!

After the Table Rock Ultra 50K, I had the super strong desire to get to that next step. Because I finished relatively unscathed, I wanted to capitalize on all my training to spring board into my first 50 mile race. There just so happened to be one right in my back yard...the Tunnel Hill 50/100 on November 11, 2017. So I had 5 weeks to get in some extra back to back runs if I really wanted to go for it. I gave myself a one week break and I completed 26 miles (7 & 19 miles respectively) the very next weekend. It seemed like it was going to be possible but then I changed my mind. The crazy part is that I changed my mind because I felt like it would be too easy. Lol. I've come to the conclusion that I crave elevation change in a race. In my opinion it keeps it interesting and it is definitely more challenging.

Once I opted out of doing the 50 miler, I began focusing my energy on completing our local Trick or Trot 5K sponsored by the agency for which I work. I do this race every year as a final cap on my racing season so it's more for fun than anything else, just an opportunity where I can dress up in costume and hang out with family, clients and coworkers. To my surprise this year, I won first in my age group and for best costume! That was an added bonus to an already amazing year for my "Year of the Comeback".

First in my age group and for best costume!

I took somewhat of a "break" over the holiday season but researching the whole time as to what was coming next and keeping my mileage up in case of a spontaneous decision to run a race. Sometime in December I finally decided what I wanted to do. Without further ado here are my goals for 2018:

1. Running streak of at least 100 days

2. Spring Marathon

3. First 50 mile race

Current status:

1. I started my running streak on New Year's Eve with a 7.6 mile run. I have run every day for the last 28 days and still going strong. Total running streak mileage equals 82.4 miles. I've learned so far that there is time in every day for at least one mile if not three or four. It's not that much time out of my day! So my goal is 100 days but I highly anticipate that it will go beyond that. After 100 days, I just can't imagine myself being like "Okay, that was cool. Now I'm done. No run tomorrow." I also recently saw on one of my ultra running Facebook groups that one of my idols (Catra Corbett) has been doing a running streak for over 5 years!! Say what?! This amazing woman had to drop from a 100 mile race because she had the flu but still managed to shuffle for a couple miles to keep her running streak alive. I strive to have that kind of determination. I guess in 5 years we'll see. Lol. :)

2. My decision to do a Spring marathon was kind of just because it made the most sense. For the last 2 years my mom and I have done the 10K on the weekend of the Illinois Marathon in Champaign, IL. Last year we both had a great race. For one, we didn't lose each other like we did the year before. Secondly, we both got PRs! Last year my mom went on to complete her first half marathon and has discovered that just crossing that off a bucket list is not that easy. Lol. So this year for the Illinois Marathon weekend she is going to do the half marathon. I looked at my training schedule and my mileage and I'm practically already trained for the half marathon so I thought I might as well do the full! April 28, 2018 is the date. We are 12 weeks away and training is going exactly to plan. I'm excited to potentially get a PR for the first time at the marathon distance.

3. This is the big one. There are literally hundreds of different 50 mile races I could choose from. I spent hours upon hours researching, planning, crossing off, prioritizing, wondering, dreaming, etc. about which race to choose. And wouldn't you know it that the race I've chosen is not for the faint of heart. It's a challenge for sure! I have finally settled on The Hitchcock Experience 50 mile race on December 8, 2018 in Honey Creek, IA. The race consists of a 12.5 mile loop (4x) with an overall elevation gain of 9856 ft (that's almost double what I did last year in the TRU 50K). The challenge of it is a big reason why I chose this race. Another is the location...I've never done a race in Iowa and I'm trying to expand on the number of states where I've done races. I ultimately would like to do a race in every state. (currently: IL, MO, OH, NC, GA). This race also has a 100 mile race along side it. In my research, I have found that cutoff times for the 50 mile race were more generous when a 100 mile race was going on at the same time. That will be of huge benefit to me, especially in a race that has so much elevation gain! Even though training won't officially start until August, you better believe that everything that I do this year is in preparation for this race. I want to achieve this goal SO bad I can't stand it. Because the truth is....I really want to be doing the 100 miler but I am trying to have patience and go through the proper steps first. Finishing this 50 miler will mean I'm finally ready to make the leap to the 100 miler - a dream that seems elusive now. One day....

There you have it! My goals for 2018. The beginning of a new year also means that I do a lot of reflecting on my running journey as a whole. It helps keep things in perspective for me and I get a lot of inspiration from how far I've come. Here are some of the more interesting things that I've found:

Since November 5, 2011 when I started my running journey, my total mileage equals 3,759.

My initial commitment to myself was to run at least once a week. In the entire 6 years and 2 months since I started, I've ran 282 weeks out of 320.

I ran the most miles in 2014 - 804 miles.

The most amount of miles in a month - August 2016 @ 106.28 miles.
The least amount of miles in a month - February 2017 @ 3.43 miles (chronic sinus infections)
Number of miles in my first month (Nov 2011) - 6 miles
Number of miles in the last month (Jan 2018) - 82 miles (with 4 days to go)
Number of 20+ mile runs - 17 (10 in the last 2 years)

While my running journey is mine, I also seek to inspire others. I'm here to tell you that once you ignite the spark inside of yourself, you'll never know what you can accomplish. I share a lot of my past and my stats because in the beginning I was where so many of you are now. It's not easy but it starts with the simplest of steps/goals. If all you can commit to is once a week (that where I started), then do it! I promise you that after you conquer that, you will be on to the next thing and then before you know it, you'll be running marathons or even ultras. :)