Wonderful 2017

Happy New Year!  Well, 2017 wasn’t my year for blogging.  I really needed some mental rest and just drop some things for a while and the blog happened to be one of them.  But things are turning around lately and I think I am ready to get back into the swing of things.  So let’s start with a 2017 Recap and hope I can get my 2018 Goals up in a reasonable amount of time!

2017 Races

This year, I got back into running but not quite the way I should have.  I definitely put the cart before the horse.  I kept signing up for races but not really properly training for them (not advised).  Luckily I didn’t get hurt and only suffered a little bit.

• Philadelphia Hot Chocolate 15K
• Atlantic City April Fool’s 11K
• Wildwood Half 8K
• New York Mini 10K
• 5000 Yards Dash
• DogfishHead Bikes and Beers 15 Mile Ride
• Cooper Norcross Bridge Run (10K)
• Ugly Sweater Run (3 Miles)

I missed a few race recaps and maybe I will go back and remember what I can but I am not sure I should bother.  I kind of want to just look forward!

2017 Successes

I managed to succeed in less measureable ways this year:

For one, I worked with a gastroenterologist to try to figure out what the heck has been wrong with my stomach these past few years.  I haven’t talked about it too much here but long story short, my stomach was always sensitive and then spun out of control after a bout of food poisoning in 2012.  I got tired of constantly feeling horrible so I called a specialist.  While I don’t have a diagnosis (IBS is NOT a diagnosis, sorry its just a catch all for digestive distress without a known cause) but I do have a prescription that controls my most major symptoms and allows me to eat healthy again (veggies were a major trigger).  That means I am on the path to healing!

I started running again!  Yes, I know I just listed a bunch of races but like I said, I wasn’t training consistently and probably shouldn’t have run most of them.  In November, I read about the Runner’s World Run Streak in the magazine and I got this crazy idea to try it.  You just have to run 1 mile every day from Thanksgiving to New Year’s.  I decided to try it.  WHY NOT!  While I couldn’t run the whole mile, I did max effort of run/walking every day and I managed the entire 40 days!  In fact, I ran day 43 today!  In my hallway!  Because there’s a blizzard!  Who have I become?!  Oh right, the person I used to be who loved running and races and all that jazz.  It feels so good to be back into the swing of things.

I also switched jobs this year.  While it isn’t totally great leaving my old job (I miss my old coworkers sooooo much), it gave me more time for myself and less stress outside of work.  This change was one of the reasons I was able to join a crossfit gym and go regularly without guilt.  I think it also allowed me to get that running streak done!

2017 Overall

In general, I am pretty happy where I ended the year.  It had its ups and downs.  There was quite a bit of family tribulations over the year but we all managed to pull through.  I am looking forward to a much calmer 2018, getting back to my old habits, running regularly, reaching for big goals, and just spending with friends and family!

Happy 2018!