From storms that cancelled a triathlon to running my first international and first 10k, 2018 was filled with ups and downs! I excitedly begin 2018 as an Ambassador for Honey Stinger, Nuun, and Skirt Sports – what an opportunity to represent these three companies, talk about what I liked and why with others, wear some great fitness clothes, and share discounts with fellow athletes (see promos page). I signed up for ten races including 5k, 8k, 10k, and indoor and sprint triathlons but the Naperville Women’s Tri was cancelled by PEM due to weather.
The year began with an indoor triathlon with Lifetime. The January indoor tri is a great way for me to test where I’m at (or not at) in training and is an opportunity to determine which sports I need to dedicate more time to. The Shamrock Shuffle is the opening to running season in downtown Chicago and is a fun 8k to do with friends. This year was my slowest with a 57:05 finishing time. I also tried a new race, a 5-miler, for May Day. Fantastic music and energy but the route wasn’t well marked and many of us ran further but I made new friends as we encouraged one another to put one foot in front of the other and cross the finish line.
Sadly, after these running races, I went to my first sprint tri for the season to have it delayed then cancelled by PEM. A few of us went for breakfast and mimosas but were kind of lost (see previous post). Some even went to complete their own tri that day as the weather never came. We all had to shake that off and prepare for other triathlons. For me, that was the Naperville Tri, my first mixed gender triathlon and one that requires you to self-seed based on your anticipated swim time. Some are better at self-seeding than others – I frequently was zig-zagging around other swimmers. In the end, and with plantar fasciitis, I finished with a personal record of 1:42:23. Wow! I wasn’t expecting that since the plantar fasciitis flared up on the run and forced me to walk a lot.
After some rest, the next race brought me my second fastest 5k time at 33:25 since I began running then off I went to my first 10k at my first international race. Time wasn’t a priority for me, but enjoying the experience and finishing was. It took me 1:11:37 to cross that finish line but considering I train on flat instead of hills, I was happy with this (see prior post). Unfortunately, I was also injured during this race but didn’t know it quite yet.
The year ended with running in the Hot Chocolate race with my dad (well, a mix of running/walking for me due to that prior injury) while in the middle of physical therapy. Chocolate on the course then a bowl of yummy items after is fantastic.
Overall, I am happy with my 2018 season. Could I have ran faster? Yes! But, I had the opportunity to experience new races and travels with friends and family which I wouldn’t trade for anything. My goals for 2019 is to complete 3 sprint triathlons and improve my running. I’m hopeful to create new personal records, improve nutrition, and build endurance (it dropped with physical therapy). What are your fitness and/or race goals for 2019? I wish you well on your own race goals. #HSHIVE #HoneyStinger #StingorBeeStung #nuunbassador #nuunlife #skirtsports #skirtsportsambassador