Monday, December 22, 2014

2014 in Review

These review posts are always so hard to write and tend to be long and rambling. I'm going to try to keep this one shorter than 2013's!

This year was really huge for me, both in running and personal aspects. It was a year that ended up teaching me lessons about what I'm made of, my personal worth, my strengths, and my mettle. I think I'll always look back on 2014 fondly.

In no particular order, here are some of 2014's highlights:

I finally broke my half marathon PR by four minutes.
The Paradise Coast Half was my birthday race, and it ended up being the perfect gift to myself.
I ran Ragnar with an amazing team of women, many of whom became invaluable friends.
Ragnar showed me that I am so much stronger and more capable than I ever thought!
I took my commitment to positivity seriously and renewed my love of running through it.
Sometimes just enjoying the run and smiling through it makes it magical.
I ran my first full marathon.
And finished smiling.
Matt and I bought a house.
We still have a lot to do, but it's really starting to feel like home.
I was selected as an All Star Teacher and got to enjoy three days of celebrity treatment, including being on the field with the players for the All Star Game.
For three days of recaps, go here, here, and here.
Those events alone are enough to call 2014 a success. Now, it's time to take a look back at my goals/resolutions for the year, some of which had to be adjusted or outright abandoned.
http://www.abkruns.com/2014/01/2014-resolutions-and-races.html
Click for the original post.
1. While I did do quite a bit of cross-training early in the year, including T25, yoga, and Pilates, once I began training for Space Coast I let this fall by the wayside. Had I stuck with it, I think I would have seen better results throughout the year. I'm not happy with my commitment to this one and I think I'll need to revisit it next year.

2. Regarding training, I played it really cautious. I definitely think training smarter helped me avoid injury during marathon training this time around. I was better about putting my foot down and getting sleep when I needed it. But as usual, I wasn't very consistent in eating well. Damn my sweet tooth!

3. I purposely changed this goal once we bought the house this summer. It just wasn't feasible to spend money on a bunch of races; plus, it was more important to me to race/train according to my plan for Space Coast. So I only ran eight races this year, and I'm perfectly happy with that.

4. I totally nailed this one. I really made sure to focus on enjoying myself and avoiding burnout. Even in the midst of hard races, I just stayed positive. In 2013, I had made a lot of time-related resolutions and I wanted to take a break from that in 2014. I think my commitment to being positive is what got me through Space Coast. This was a good year to relax and train a touch easier. That said, I'm excited to get back into working on my speed in 2015.

Where does that leave me? Well, I need to take some time to carefully craft my 2015 goals, and that includes researching future races and such. But one thing is certain: next year has some big acts to follow.

Did you accomplish your goals for this year?
Are you excited for 2015?
Do you make resolutions at the new year?

ABK

13 comments:

  1. You had a HUGE year, Ali!!! Congratulations again on all you accomplished. I would but buying the house and running the marathon at the top of the list. Except that you were also chosen as an All-Star teacher... so wait, that may be at the top of the list! So many awesome accomplishments. My goal was to take 1 rest day a week and a more or less did so. More on that in a future post! Was just doing the rough draft today!

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    1. These posts really do take more planning than the usual...I'm excited to read yours!

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  2. You definitely rocked your year :) I've loved reading your blog throughout the year and hearing about the ups and downs of training! It's awesome to know that whenever I stop over here, I'll read something positive and/or meaningful <3
    I somewhat accomplished my goals ... ish. I accomplished my goals of being positive and controlling my temper, but I really flunked the whole "stop procrastinating" and "workout before school" thing ;)
    I do have some resolutions that I am excited for this year, but I still have to really consider them because I want to make sure they are hard enough to do that I really have to work, but realistic enough that I can attain them :)

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    1. It's definitely smart to take your time thinking about your resolutions before you broadcast them...you want to make sure they're right! It sounds like you're being smart about it.

      Thank you for the nice thoughts - I'm so glad you're enjoying my blog!

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  3. This is a great post. Very inspiring! I love hearing about your running. Marathon? New house? All-Star teacher? What a year!

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    1. It was definitely a crazy, unexpectedly awesome year!

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  4. Ali ... WE DID IT! We ran a marathon this year! And you did that on top of buying a house, running a Ragnar and just generally being awesome. I'm so happy for you that you had a spectacular 2014 and I'm glad I got to read along!

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    1. I am so proud of us!! I don't think I would have nailed my training without your blog to help keep me motivated! I know 2015 will be great for both of us!

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  5. You have had a very big year my friend! Congrats on all of your accomplishments and best wishes for 2015!!! :)

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  6. What a year! Congratulations on all that you accomplished. I hope you spend some time relaxing and just enjoying the feeling of accomplishment during these last few days of the year. Then it'll be time to kick butt again in 2015!

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  7. You had a great year - both running / non running! Looking forward to 2015!! Happy Holidays!!

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  8. Sounds like you had an amazing year! I can't wait to read about your 2015!!

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