Running highlights for most long distance runners are normally about particular race performances, but for me, the biggest running highlight for 2015 was staying injury free (yippee!) because I need to be injury free in order to have consistent training and to stand a chance of producing any run performances that I'm content with.
Other running related highlights for 2015 included:
January - Making a return trip to one of my favourite events got the year off to a good start - ie, the Hobart Marathon/Half Marathon. I did the half marathon this time and thoroughly enjoyed the new course, even though they retained that cruel 1+km climb to the finish line. It was also a bonus to hike Mt Wellington the next day in perfect, clear weather conditions.
February - Solid Coastrek training kicked in during February along with plenty of running but no particular events. I also turned 52yrs old.
March - I ran another favourite event in March - ie, the Sri Chinmoy 10km Labour Day Fun Run - and came first >50yrs female in 46mins on what is an undulating, and deceptively challenging, course. I followed this up a couple of weeks later with a solid outing in the Weston Creek Half Marathon; this time placing 2nd in my age group in a finish time of 1.42. Unfortunately, my mother-in-law died the day before Coastrek and so I was a DNS for that event. Sad all round.
April - April is always the Canberra Marathon and I was super smiley to run my 11th as a Griffin (ie a 10+ Canberra Marathon finisher) in 3.43.
May - The highlight for May was going back to Western Australia to lay my DNF demons to rest in the Kep Ultra 100km. In 2013 I DNF-ed there after a Baker's Cyst inside my left kneecap ruptured at the 66km mark. Not having done sufficient ultra training it was a tough day out making amends, but I did it :).
June and July - June and July were consolidating months. We also escaped Canberra's winter for a holiday in Port Douglas and Cairns, and while there were no running events on while we were there, running in such an amazing place was definitely a running highlight in itself. (So too was the jungle surfing flying fox adventure.)
August - One of my running highlights for August, and indeed for the year, was the 100km multi stage race from Canberra to Jervis Bay - ie, Capital to Coast. One stage on the Friday night followed by three stages each on the Saturday and Sunday, this event was one of the most gruelling, but also most beautiful and rewarding events that I have ever done. During this event I really felt like I found a new genre of running to love. Oh, and I came 2nd female outright in the 100km solo finishing in 9.58.
September -September always brings with it the annual Canberra Times Fun Run which I never really enjoy but I do every year anyway. I was happy to run the 2015 event in almost exactly the same time as in 2014 - ie, 46mins. The other big running event for September was an "incidental 50km" on 27 September. I ran the first relay leg of the Sri Chinmoy 102km for a relay team who was short a runner, and then I ran the last relay leg with Pam as her pacer. It was a long, hot day out but another very rewarding experience incorporating "good time on legs" endurance training.
October - In October I seized the opportunity to run in the unique Wind Farm 10km Fun Run. It was a terrific but tough (hilly!) event. I was happy again to come first in my age group and to win some interesting goodies,including tickets to an AFL game of my choice in 2016 :). Also in October I headed off to run the Melbourne Marathon "just for fun". I really took this marathon easy and enjoyed every minute of it. (Well, almost every minute of it. It wouldn't have been a marathon if I'd enjoyed the whole thing.) I finished in a cruisey 3.43. Note to self: try harder next time. I could run well on this course :).
November - The big (very big!) run event for November was running all three legs of the Triple Tri. With the team mates who I met the day before, we had an awesome day out smashing the >50yrs female team of three course record by over 2 hours. I had a sensational fall coming down off Mt Ainslie in the first run and really toughed out parts of the other two runs, but this was a truly memorable day. Of course there were times (many times!) when I thought "I am never doing this again" and yet we have already started talking about how much we could be able to improve on our own new course record in 2016. Hmmmm ..... Another note to self: train on this course - a lot.
December - The last month of the year and my attention turned to my regular crewing duties at the 240km C2K ultra marathon from Eden on the south coast to the top of Kosci and back down. This was my fifth crewing expedition in a row. It was another great experience, this time crewing for Rob from WA again. All up I ran/hiked 55km during this event.
So, that was running for 2015. I actually did more kilometres and events than I thought I had. However, I maintained my mix of cross training and lower running mileage than I used to (ie, pre a series of injuries between 2012-2014), which has continued to pay off.
Looking forward .... I haven't decided on all my 2016 running events yet, but there are some hints in the summary above.
Happy New Year everyone. May 2016 bring you peace, happiness, good health, and awesome running :). Cheers!
3 comments:
Cheers Liz! If you plan to go harder in Melbourne, does that mean we'll need to cut back on the Saturday shopping/walking? :-(
Happy you sussed out an injury-free training plan to provide lots of happy and successful racing. More of the same in 2016!
BTW, Ruth should do a catch-up summary like this. How hard could it be?
I think we just need to change the Melb thing around - run hard first then shop hard (til we drop!) :)
I agree. I think 2 January is the time for all our running bloggers (or are they blogging runners?) get back into doing both.
Yes! Come on Ruth, where are you? Are you still alive?
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