Looking Back...and Forward

It's been a crazy year for me - filled with ups, downs, and plateaus in my quest to turn myself into what I term a "real runner."  The funny thing is that my non-running friends consider me a "real runner" - I just don't consider myself one...but that's a discussion for another post.

As the year draws to a close, I'm looking forward to what the next year has to offer, and reminiscing about the challenges and accomplishments of the last one:

• Failing to finish the 2010 WDW Half Marathon in January and feeling miserable for months afterward.
• Half-heartedly training for the Lady of the Lake Relays in March and just barely finishing my leg of the relay without dying.
• Deciding in June that I was definitely going to run the 2011 WDW Half Marathon and telling myself: No excuses, no holding back!
• Realizing mid-summer that I was nowhere near "race-ready" and had some serious training to do to get myself in the shape I needed to be in for January 2011.
• Starting The Blog in August and beginning to share the trials & tribulations of my training with people outside my immediate family.
• Running the Purple Stride 5K in September
• Running the short leg (4.8 mi) of the Wine & Dine Half Marathon Relay in October
• Running the Arbor Day 10K & Turkey Trot in November
• Running the Reindeer Run 5K in December

All in all, I covered a total of 234.8 miles in 4 months!  And it's definitely a good sign that the accomplishments outweighed the challenges this year.  So, what can I look forward to for the upcoming year?:

• Largest on the radar screen, of course: the 2011 WDW Half in January!
• Probably the 2011 Dallas Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon Relay in March (if I can talk someone into running it with me).
• Probably the 2011 Wine & Dine Half Marathon Relay again in October.
• Maybe the 2011 Inaugural Savannah Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon in November.
• Training for the WDW Half in January 2012!!!

And just think, those are only my running goals for 2011 - there's so much more going on - I can't wait to start tackling this and many other lists!!!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy new year, and I look forward to continuing the blog through 2011 and hopefully beyond!