2019

So, I started this post, and then I did the math on how far I ran in 2019.  And I am blown away.  (I will let you know where I started originally, I won't delete, just so you can see it.)  It completely changed where I was going to go with this post, but that's okay. Numbers are numbers, they tell the real story.

After I did the math on my yearly distance I decided I was going to go back and look at all my past yearly posts, and I have to say, I really enjoy having that record of my life.  If nothing else, I want to continue that . . .  I suppose I will "start" and then tell you where I ended up.

*Original starting point*  2019 was the year I lost all running motivation.  I ran one "race," the Ragnar, which I don't really consider a race. 

The one big thing I did was run every single day in 2019.  I started my run streak November 2018 as the runner's world runstreak, but then continued it through the year. 

smashrun.com

I ran in Hawaii . . .

and on a boat in Alaska . . .

Everyone does these end of year/beginning of year posts, and with my lack of accomplishments I almost didn't do it, but I suppose I will just for the fun of it.  *end of original start*

My yearly running total is actually pretty high.  In 2019 I ran 1053 miles.  Like I said above, I went back to look at my past yearly totals because I suddenly had a "wait a min, over a thousand miles ran? that can't be my highest year" thought.  And in reality, it was.  In 2019 I ran more miles than I ever have in a calendar year.  I want to break this down for you, because this blows my mind.

I started running in 2012, I started at the end of February and ended that year with 607 miles.  In 2013 I set a lofty goal of running 100 miles a month but was plagued with plantar faciitis and ended that year with 822 miles.  2014 I ran 818 miles.  And in 2015 I decided to run my first marathon, thinking that should be my highest yearly mileage, but no, I ran 856 miles, and that includes one month of 133 miles (my highest monthly mileage).  In 2016 I had the goal of running one race every month, but sprained my ankle in the spring, and I ended up with 672 miles for the year.  2017 was my "comeback" year, I did the Washington Half/Full Marathon Series and I ran 4 half marathons and one full marathon.  I did start having issues with my hip, which reduced my running during peak marathon training.  Surely with 4 half marathons and a full, 2017 would be my highest yearly mileage? I ran 965 miles in 2017.  In 2018 I started out strong but my Mom died, and I lost motivation and I ran 766 miles.   So 1053 miles in 2019 is pretty amazing.

I did no 5ks, no 10ks, no half marathons, no full marathons.  I didn't even run the Tulip run, which I have been doing since 2012.  I also did not do Bloomsday this year, another yearly staple.  The one thing I did was that I ran every. single. day. in 2019.  I ended the year with my average weekly runs at only 3 miles, with a "long" run of 4 miles, which seems like would equal to not that many miles.

My highest monthly mileage was March (which is an odd month to have high mileage) at 102 miles and my lowest was September at 74 miles.  This means that I did not run under 74 miles a month for the entire year.  Strange.  This also equals 172.51 hours of running or 7.19 days.  (I spent an entire week of my year running.)

Outside of running, 2019 was a pretty good year for me.  I went to Hawaii and I went on a cruise to Alaska (two bucket list items).  I also became a Grandma (at 43 😲). 

My Dad with Asher

I lost weight, only to gain it back.  In January 2019 I was 157, and in December I was 160.  My low weight number was 147 (which is not on my Scale page because it was in the middle of February, just before going to Hawaii).  (Speaking of my Scale page, I kept track of my weight . . . on my mirror, I didn't realize that I hadn't updated here since May until a few days ago.)

I have no plans for 2020.  I have no running/fitness goals.  Will I run? yes.  Will I run races or even another marathon?  I don't know.  Maybe, maybe not.  Will I run every day in 2020?  Probably not, but who knows, I am still streaking as of this writing (429 days).  Actually, I have one goal, I will buy a treadmill, probably this weekend.  I will probably work on my weight (I've already started, I didn't wait till 2020, 160 scared me), but I'll likely fluctuate.  A good friend mentioned yoga, so I thought I should start that again, which I've already done, but I'll likely not keep it up. 

Another thought has occurred to me, I like even numbers.  So I always think of years that are odd as a "bad" year.  This is not true, 2015 I ran my first marathon and lost a lot of weight, being my lowest since high school.  2017 I ran 4 half marathons and one full.  2019 I ran every day and got my highest yearly running mileage, I also had a very good personal year everyone one of those years.  2014 our house was foreclosed on, 2016 I sprained my ankle, 2018 I lost my Mom.  So maybe I'm not looking forward to 2020 . . .

One last thought . . . my 1053 miles and my 160 lb weight, shows you that exercise does not equal weight loss.