2011 Running Year in Review

Last year I did a year-in-review race recap after I ran my last race and since I just ran my last race of 2011...here is a look back at 2011!

I had quite a busy race calendar this year but it wasn't by accident. I wanted to see if I could run a bunch of races in a calendar year. Turns out I can. Do I recommend it? Not whole heartedly. It took a lot of time to train, plan and travel. Not to mention the cost. Yeah, let's not mention about that. I was lucky that I had the luxury to commit as much time, energy and money to this little experiment. Running races can be an expensive hobby. Having said that, I don't regret running any of them. I had so much fun and learned a lot about myself as a runner in each one of those races. I surprised myself by PR-ing in three distances this year, the 5K, half marathon and marathon.

I started the year with the Southern California Half. It is held in early January shortly after all the holiday festivities have died down. Naturally I am a slacker over the holidays so I was really under-trained and ill prepared for this race and it showed. Even running with full effort, I clocked this race at 1:50:16.

Then I got sick around mid to late January with a bad fever that made training almost impossible. And so I went into the Surf City Half even less prepared than the first. Clocking in at a "crap-tacular" 2:01:22 but I kept the Surf City running steak alive. Four years in a row!

Then on March 20, 2011 the sky opened up and poured rain as I ran the LA Marathon. Needless to say that didn't go well (4:26:12).

After that race, I was afraid of the rain and cold like never before. Luckily Sister K and I finished up the The Coaster Run 10K before it started to rain! A big thumbs up for that.

Then I drove up to Monterey early May to run one of the most beautiful courses that I've ever ran, the Big Sur Marathon. Ran the modified out and back course in 4:19:14. Going back in 2012 to tackle Hurricane Point! Excited! Okay not really because that part is going to suck but the other parts are nice.

Then on Memorial Day weekend, I revisited a course that I hadn't ran in a couple of years and earned my current half marathon PR time of 1:44:10 at the Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half! It was a great day!

Then I was on a roll and earned my current marathon PR time of 3:50:35 at the Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon. Another great day in my running history book!

Around mid June, I ran my second trail race ever at the Billy Goat Hill Climb Half with a 2,400 ft climb! Definitely one of the harder runs I did this year. Clocked in at 2:16:47.

Then I flew up north to eat...oh and to run the San Francisco Marathon. 4:08:51

Then it was down to San Diego for America's Finest Half, revisiting a course I had not ran since 2008. Nothing spectacular happened there, except that I overslept and almost missed the start of this race. Ran the half in 1:51:25.

Then I ran my first Disney race ever at the Disneyland Half in a fairy costume! 1:51:23

Sometime around September my right knee started to bother me a bit from all the Spinning I was doing coupled with the lack of running. So I hobbled through the Long Beach Marathon in high temps and low running spirits. Clocking in at 4:26:55. That was also the weekend my beautiful niece was born so that made up for all the unpleasantness.

I did a really fun 5K around mid October and earned a new 5K PR of 23:18 at the Chapman 5K in a pretty Sparkle skirt but that was also the day that I almost fell when I accidentally stepped on a rock and twisted my ankle. The ankle is still not the same.

On Halloween weekend, I dressed up as a black cat and ran the RnR Los Angeles Half in 1:45:56.

Last marathon of the year was the Santa Barbara Marathon and I ran a 3:59:36. My second sub-4 marathon ever. I was happy with that as it was not planned. 

Capped off 2011 with the Holiday Half! Clocked in at 1:47:25.

Honestly, I'm tired and am glad that it is done! I am however looking forward to my 2012 race schedule when the fun will start all over again. Run on and on!