2023 Running Year in Review

Yesterday I ran my last race of the year, and my last miles of the year. It was the Resolution Run 8k. Today I feel like I ran a half marathon. My legs are sore and I am exhausted! I was going to get up and run with my friends this morning but I could not get myself out of bed.

My running goes through ebbs and flows every year. Some years, like 2019 and 2020, have been super consistent. My mileage each month didn’t vary too significantly, there wasn’t a noticeable trend up or down towards the end of the year. My mileage graphs on Garmin from 2016 to now tell their own stories. For example, I can see a jump in my mileage for August and September most years, because I was training for the Detroit Marathon. 2019 was a year of personal bests, including mileage, and was the first (and only) year I ended with over 1000 running miles.

For a lot of reasons, my mileage and my speed has had a downward trend since 2019. There weren’t races to run and train for in 2020 because of the pandemic. Lots of personal struggles in 2020 led to me starting anti-depressants in early 2021. My mom died in April 2021 and then I dealt with toxicity at my job until I finally had enough and left in September 2022. I started my master’s degree in fall 2022. For the last few years it has felt like just surviving each day was enough of a task, and running has not been a priority. Food hasn’t been a priority either, and it’s sad, really. Running and food used to be things that brought me so much joy, that I wanted to focus my energy on, that I really cared about.

2023 saw a bit of a comeback with running. Sitting here today it doesn’t feel like I accomplished the things that I accomplished, and that is why comparison is the thief of joy! Here’s some of the highlights of my 2023 Year in Running:

• My highest mileage months were January and February because I was training for marathon lucky number 7.
• On March 5, 2023 I ran the Little Rock Marathon. It was absolutely the hardest marathon I have ever done, and one of the hardest races I’ve ever done. I ended up with 26.5 miles on my Garmin and it took me 7 hours, 5 minutes and 52 seconds to complete. My slowest marathon to date, the biggest medal I’ve ever received, and I had my brother, sister-in-law, dad and husband there to support me. It was part of a wonderful trip filled with awesome memories.
• After running that marathon with a pace that was over 16 minute miles, I surprised myself by completing the Bay City St. Pat’s 8k in 1:02:33 with a 12:36 pace. I also ran the 5k that day, completing the Irish Double for the third time.
• In June, I started training for my first trail half marathon. Trail running is hard, but I found myself falling in love with it. For someone who doesn’t like running on hot days, trail running made it much more bearable. It was magical to slip into the shaded woods on those hot summer days, to take our time and enjoy the scenery around us.
• I ran my 8th Crim on 8/26/2023. It wasn’t the Crim race that it used to be – the entertainment, the organization of the race, the party with friends afterwards was lacking the pizazz it once had. I felt really good running the race, though. I remember getting to mile 7 and getting my hands on my favorite Crim treat (bacon slices!) and thinking, “Wow, I’m already at mile 7?” It was one of my slowest Crim times. I reminded myself that I had lived a lot of life over the last few years, put on (quite) a few extra pounds, and had been training for slower paces in the woods. I was so glad that I did the race and will keep returning to the bricks in years to come to run it, even if it doesn’t look quite the same as it used to.
• On September 9, 2023, I ran my very first trail half marathon. Remember how I said Little Rock was one of the hardest races I have ever done? Woodstock half marathon was DEFINITELY the hardest race I have ever done. Those 13.1 miles took 4 hours, 10 minutes, and 9 seconds. I was really proud of my training. The terrain (like sticks, rocks, roots, etc.) did not phase me. I was prepared for that. What I wasn’t prepared for was the hills. I expected them, but I did not train properly for them. Getting stung by a bee around mile 10 definitely did not help. But I had two incredible friends who stuck by me the entire race. Without them I definitely would have quit, and I probably would’ve sworn off trail running for good. Instead, even though it was the hardest race ever, I felt super proud rather than defeated. And I signed up for another trail race not long after.
• I participated in the Detroit Marathon relay for the first time in 2023. I organized three awesome relay teams. Seriously, I could not have asked for a better group of people to share that experience with! My team was The Breakfast Club, such a fun group of mostly runners I have gotten closer to because of my newfound love of trail running. All three teams did an amazing job and had a fun weekend together. It was a much different Detroit experience (I’ve done either the half marathon or full marathon every other year) and I would definitely do it again!
• In November, to celebrate my friend Kirsten’s birthday, I ran another trail race. This one is going on my list as one of my favorite races. The Bonfyre Trail Fest 5 mile was a perfect trail race for me. It was a little bit more challenging than the trails I normally run on, but nowhere near how challenging Woodstock was. I ran the race with Staci, and afterwards we enjoyed yummy food truck food and s’mores by the fire while we waited for Kirsten and Brian to finish their 18 mile race. I was so freakin’ proud as I watched Kirsten cross that finish line of her longest distance ever! And now we’re talking about doing a 50k together…
• I rounded out the year by running the 8k yesterday at the Flint Resolution Run. I’ve only run the race one other time, and if memory serves me right, that race still stands as my 8k PR. The race was a struggle for me this year, after a week and a half without any workouts PERIOD. Plus, I am still battling the end of a cold that I got as a Christmas gift, so it made running really tough yesterday. Kirsten ran with me and we had fun struggling through the streets of Flint. We went to lunch with FSARC afterwards at Blondie’s – AMAZING. We had really great food, I got a super yummy mocktail, and we laughed and laughed with our running friends. It was a great way to wrap up my year of running.

2023 may not have looked like some of my previous years in running. It was still an awesome year, with new experiences that have made an impact on my life in so many ways other than what kind of runner I am. I never thought I’d be sitting here writing about how much I love trail running, and that I think I’d rather go run on trails than do a road race, but here we are! I am not going to make myself crazy goals or beat myself up about where I am at compared to where I used to be. Although it is hard to look back and see where I used to be compared to where I am now, I understand why I’m here, and I have the tools to work towards being a better version of myself. I hope that 2024 will be a year of getting back to a version of who I used to be, while adding in the new parts I’ve found that make me the individual that I am.