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Wednesday, January 3, 2024

2023 Running Recap

Quick stats:

  • Miles run: 3619.7
  • Teams/Support: rabbitELITE, UCAN, Nike, Miles from Mentor
  • Races run: 11
  • Races won (OA female): 5
  • Races won (masters female): 10
  • PRs: 30k, by default, though I have run much faster 30ks during numerous marathons
  • Records:
    • Missouri state road racing record for 30k for females age 43
    • Kansas state #2 female 50k of all time (behind my 2022 50k record)
  • Highlights:
    • My amazing running group continued to grow!
    • I was accepted onto my third rabbitELITE team.
    • I was "promoted" to Team UCAN Inspire.
Longer Impressions:

I nearly didn't write a running recap for the year, which is why this is being published later than Dec. 31. On one hand I feel like I didn't necessarily get much performance-wise out of the miles I put in this year, but on the other hand it's all relative and I enjoyed running just as much or more than ever! The day-to-day is my favorite part; I genuinely love getting up early every morning and running in all seasons and circumstances.

I enjoyed running many races on a whim and racing (for places vs. focusing on times). I enjoyed aiming for masters wins in nearly all of the races I ran (the only exception being Chicago). I never really understood the masters category, even when I was 39-40, but now it's one of the best things ever in running! Going for overall female wins is still nice, but not having to compete with 20-30 year olds in a division is also nice.

I ran 3 marathons and a 50k, which is quite a bit of long racing for a year. My spring marathon was a training run for my 50k, then I hoped to run sub-3 in a fall marathon and believe I was there fitness-wise, but I ended up with the beginnings of COVID for Chicago and was feeling weak post-COVID at Bass Pro, so in the end I got two 3:07s instead. Another lowlight of my year was a weird imbalance issue that resulted in pretty low mileage in April and May.

I love my training group and it has continued to grow this year. We have 5:30 a.m. runs with 10-15 people often. I coach many of my training buddies free of charge, and I love seeing my friends excited about running and running fast! I hope I can help others through running since it's given me so much. The sport continues to be a cornerstone in my life, and I am thankful for every run!


Race Recaps:
Monthly Recaps:
Previous Yearly Recaps:
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