Tuesday, January 1, 2013

2012 in Review

Hello runnahs, and welcome to 2013! I want to take a few moments to look back on 2012 and forward to 2013.

The highlights
Do I really need to tell you what the biggest highlight of my year was? Just in case you're new here (insert opportunity for gratuitous baby picture)...
From his first days--he's changed so much. It's been beyond amazing to watch him grow and learn and be adorable and cuddly.

Other highlights include losing almost all of the baby weight, entering a few 5ks this fall, our family staycation in November, and a whole host of personal and professional goals met. Life has been good. And chaotically busy. And stressful. And wonderful. 

The summary
In 2011 I ran well over 800 miles. In 2012 I ran 281. I'm good with that. I built mileage in 6 of the 8 months after having the baby. I'm back over 6 miles in my longest weekly runs. I've brought my pace back to the ballpark I was in before (though not quite there yet). Most importantly, I'm enjoying this. My return to running has been kind to myself, slow and without concrete goals or expectations, and fun. This is how this is supposed to be done after having a baby, especially a second (or later) baby. 

Looking forward
What are my goals for next year? At this point, fairly modest: two half-marathons, the second one fast. The first will be my Grand Return to Racing--yay! I want something that is low-key, not meant to be a PR but not meant to be blown off either. Stay tuned for more news on this!

Mileage: I think 700 miles for the year is a reasonable goal. With only 2 half-marathons scheduled, there aren't stretches of really high mileage weeks built in. Without much structure for much of the year, it's hard to estimate total mileage, so I think this is a good guess. 

I'm super excited to ring in 2013! I'm looking forward to reading about all of your races and training cycles, seeing how much ground I can make up in my quest back to my pre-baby pace & weight, and seeing where else life takes me. Let's get this party started!

4 comments:

Raquelita said...

You had an awesome 2012, and you always inspire me so much with the way you seem to gracefully balance motherhood, career, and running! I'm excited to hear more about your upcoming half-marathons. I'm still looking for a couple to put on my schedule this year that work with my research plans and budget.

Jen Feeny said...

Congrats on a great year girl and looking forward to seeing more of you and your running in 2013!

Also, I still owe you a gift from my anniversary post! GAH I totally suck, expect something soonish.

Unknown said...

Congrats Joanna, on the new beautiful baby. And your graph is so much more impressive than mine and you had a baby to slow you done a little.

I have started again, will run with Second Wind for training long runs. Hopefully by the end of the year I can have a colorful graph.

Suz and Allan said...

Congrats on a great year in 2012! Hope 2013 is just as wonderful for you and your family.