Now that a new year has just begun, I find myself reflecting on this past year and how far I have come with my running in just one year. It has been an incredible journey and, after having my son 5 years ago, I have finally found my rhythm again with training and racing. It has not always been easy, but as I started to accumulate mileage and workouts, it all started to come together. Below is a bit of a recap of my journey this past year and a bit about where I want to go with my running as we head into 2025.
Before I go into detail about this past year, I wanted to share a little about why I took such a long break from training and racing and some of my struggles in 2023. After my epic year in 2017, which included the Boston marathon and 50 mile trail race, I was a little burned out of running. I started training for power lifting and wanted to focus more on building strength. So most of 2018 was spent doing some running, but mostly lifting. I was actually training for a power lifting competition when I found out I was pregnant in early February of 2019. So once I received that news (and started to suffer from severe morning sickness), I decided to step back a bit from any serious training with the goal of just staying in shape during my pregnancy.
My son was born in October of 2019 and, as many new mothers are aware, this also means that there is a bit of a recovery period. Once I was given the clear to start exercising, I did start walking again and going to the gym. I actually started to run again more seriously in early 2020 because I had more time on my hands and needed something to help me cope with the uncertainty. My son could ride in the running stroller, so I would take him for runs most days of the week. My fitness was improving and I could start to feel that urge to start training/racing again. I even did my own virtual half marathon in Steamboat, Colorado in June of 2020. I did this on the exact day that the Steamboat Marathon would have been if COVID did not shut everything down and caused all of the races to be cancelled. However, as COVID cancellations continued and there was no end in sight, I started to slowly resign to running just for fun. This also coincided with a change in my work schedule as I started working for a company called Nutrisense and had to balance being a working mom with having a toddler. This is not easy and my son was enjoying our stroller rides less and less as he became more mobile. So most of 2021 was spent just going for runs when I was able and doing workouts in my home gym. It was just enough to stay in decent shape, but not enough to be in race shape.
I actually started training more seriously again in the fall of 2022 when I started doing more long runs with my running buddy and training partner, Bob. I slowly started to increase mileage and was doing some consistent long runs. However, in January of 2023, I sustained a mysterious knee injury in my left knee. It was mysterious because I was not sure how it happened and because I could do almost every other type of activity, except running. The physical therapist thought I had a meniscus tear but it was never confirmed with an MRI. So I took 1-2 months off from running and did only cross-training. Then towards the end of March and into April I started a run/walk program and slowly worked my way back into running without pain. I started consistently running again in May of 2023. I did my first race in several years that June, which was a 10k averaging 7 minutes per mile, which was challenging at that time. I continued training through the summer, but started having issues with my calf and hip on my right side. This slowed down my progress and made it hard to run consistently. So my plans to run a half marathon in the fall were replaced by a 5k, which was a bit of a disappointment. I was beginning to feel that my body had changed after pregnancy and that it might be possible that I would never get to where I was before having my son.
Now fast forward to January of 2024. This is when I really started to get into a groove. I was a little weary after all of my running injuries in 2023, but optimistic. I also had my sights set on the New York City Marathon that fall. I finally felt like I was in the right body again or perhaps I was just adjusting to my body post pregnancy. This may explain my injuries and feeling more sluggish within the first several years after his birth. I finally felt like the running was more fluid again and there was less effort. So as the spring approached, I decided to run the Steamboat half marathon in June of 2024. Training was going great! I was making huge progress in my training. The week before that race there was a serious of misfortunate events, which included my son having to spend two days home with me instead of daycare. This caused me a larger amount of stress and I started to feel like I was getting sick and my sleep really suffered. We made it to Steamboat, but with lack of sleep and not feeling 100% I had to change my goals for the race. I knew I was capable of a 1:27:30, but ended up with just under 1:30 for that race. I was just glad I was able to hang on and finish under 1:30. However, this did not give me the confidence boost I needed and I was doubting my ability to run a marathon under 3 hours (which was my goal for the New York City marathon in the fall). Despite my disappointment (and getting sick with strep throat the next week), I was able to dust off and continue training.
That summer I was able to focus a bit on speed and managed a 19:04 5k in July and a 5:35 mile on the track. This focus on speed started to shift to more endurance based work and by September, I was back to training for the half marathon distance. I was able to run the fall Equinox half marathon in 1:24:30 (downhill race), which was a hug confidence boost for New York. I was able to increase my mileage with a peak mileage week of about 70 miles along with some consistent strength training and cross-training. By the time I was set to travel to NY, I was feeling excited. All I had to do was stay healthy and make it to the race feeling good and fresh, which I was able to do. On November 3, 2024, I lined up with about 55,000 other runners and ran the NY City marathon on a beautiful and perfect fall day. It was amazing and tough and there was some challenges that would hav been impossible to prepare for. I had an amazing race, but finished just shy of my under 3 hour goal with a time of 3 hours and 15 seconds. I was not disappointed with this because the course was tough and I was able to keep a fairly consistent pace throughout, which has been a struggle for me in the past.
I decided I was not done after New York. I was still excited to train and still feeling wanting to hit my goal. I knew that on a fast course I was capable of running at least a 2:58, which would be a personal best for me. So I decided to train another 6 weeks along with my training partner, Bob, and signed up for the Tucson marathon in December. It was a bold move, but after an initial few rough weeks with illness and recovery, I noticed my running was actually starting to improve.
I had 3 solid weeks of training before I had to start tapering and I could tell my fitness was actually better than before the NY city marathon. I was excited, but my son got sick the week before with a GI bug. I was feeling great that Wednesday before the race, but by Friday I did not feel quite right. We traveled to Tucson, but by the time we got there my body was achy and I was experiencing nausea. Luckily, I did not experience any vomiting so when I woke up Saturday morning feeling better, I was optimistic. The nausea had not gone away, but I was not achy and my headache was gone. I slept okay the night before the race, but when I woke up with some nausea and GI issues I was a little worried. I can sometimes experience issues like this related to nerves, but this did not seem normal. I decided to go for it anyway and as we lined up for the race, I just hoped everything would work out. I felt okay and was able to maintain my pace until about mile 12.5 when I had to make a porter potty break. Then I tried to get back on pace, but by mile 16 I could tell my core temp was rising and I started to feel terrible. I hung on until mile 18 and then realized it was not going to be my day. I slowed down and had to stop another 4 times to use the porter potty. It was not pretty, but I did finish in a time of 3 hours and 12 minutes. Not anywhere near what I knew I was capable of and that was disappointing. Of course, this is how the marathon works. There are so many factors and it is kind of like you need to have all of the stars align to have the perfect race. So many factors like illness, weather, stress, or even improper taper can hamper performance.
So after all of the ups and downs of 2024, I have to decide how to move forward in 2025. Do I want to go for my marathon PR again? Running a fast marathon is not an easy task and there is no guarantee I will hit my goal. Do I stick to half marathons? This is arguably an easier goal with less time to train.
During 2024 I did put a lot of pressure on myself to hit my marathon goal, so I do know that this year I want to take a step back. I want to continue training and maybe do 1-2 marathons, but I want to keep these light and fun and with less pressure. The goal now is to continue working hard and training, but to make sure I am still enjoying the process. I don't want to get burned out again. So if I do run another marathon in 2025, it will be with the acceptance that I can only control the variables that are within my control, and to enjoy the journey. I have not signed up for any races yet, but I am in the process of working on my race calendar for this year. All I know is that it will be filled with a variety of races from track races to 5k to even a possible trail marathon.
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