I promise this won't be a 'This is your life' length blog, as so many of my entries tend to be (I just can't help myself, sorry!) but it's been a helluva year and I need to take stock of what I have done & what I can do more of in 2014.
I originally started off with a plan to review the races and events I had taken part in this year, how the event went, what I learnt, what went right or wrong etc etc but you know, I've covered most of it my previous blog entries so where's the fun in that for you guys? (I'm all heart, I know) so I'll try and keep it brief.
On reflection, 2013 has been a good year for running and I have learnt a hell of a lot about myself and what I can achieve physically and mentally - and I know there is more I can do to continue to improve on both those fronts. Compared to 2012, I have made great gains on my fitness, aided by over 3 stone of weight loss (amazing how much lighter I feel on my feet, literally!) and completing so many events with great times, all of which I am proud of (if a little frustrated when it didn't quite go my way!) I said no long reviews so here's my 2013 achievements in brief:
Reading Half Marathon, March - 2:10 PB (by 21 minutes!)
Zest 10K Obstacle Trail, June - 1:40 (with an injured ankle!)
Runners Knees Virtual 10 Miler, June - 1:42
Dublin Rock & Roll Half Marathon, August - 2:14
Costwold Classic 10 miler, September - 1:37 PB (by 3 minutes!)
Swallowfield 10K, September - 57:21 PB (by 3 minutes!)
Blenheim Palace BHF 10K, October - 58:00
Oxford Half Marathon, October - 2:03 PB (by 7 minutes!)
Crazy Christmas Cracker Run 10K Trail - 1:18
Gut Buster 10K Trail - 58:57 (technically a trail 10K!)
Writing it all down makes me incredibly, incredibly pleased and proud of my achievements, both on the day and the training miles & hours that I put in to get there. Mid-summer I had decided to take part in as many events as I could for Ovacome, the ovarian cancer charity, to do something supportive for my friend Teresa who was battling this disease & make other women aware of the cancer and the symptoms. And for me, chucking on a pair of trainers and my Ovacome vest and challenging myself to certain events was a way in which I could help to get the message out there about ovarian cancer. The flip side is that the happy side of completing these events is tinged with a sad side as, at the end of September my lovely friend Teresa lost her brave and courageous battle against ovarian cancer. As you can imagine and would expect, it was an incredibly sad time, and continues to be so, for her family, close friends and all who knew her. But the strength that Teresa showed all the way throughout her treatment has done nothing but strengthen my resolve to do more for the charity and continue to raise money and awareness for them. The new year holds a lot of miles, challenges and the odd blister and aching muscles but with that comes a huge sense of pride that I am able to indulge in my new found passion of running whilst doing something for others.
The new year brings huge challenges for me - 5K, 10K and half marathon PBs are definitely targets. Hell Down South is the first on the list in 4 days time (dear God, what am I doing?!), followed by Wokingham Half Marathon in February and Reading Half Marathon in March. But all of these, big challenges in their own right, are building towards the big one - Brighton Marathon on April 6th. A marathon remains the ultimate challenge for me after pulling out of London at mile 8 a few years ago. But I am 100% committed to completing the 26.2 miles and crossing that line, however long it takes me. Of course I have a target time in mind but I'm not willing to share that with anyone yet, if at all; that's between the three of us - me, myself and I.
It's been an incredible year of running, physically and emotionally, all of which I would not have been able to do without the support and encouragement of Teresa's partner, Richard, my family, great friends, all at Ovacome and the people of Twitter. Your fantastically generous support is greatly appreciated and has been invaluable to me, keeping me going when the going has gotten tough. I hope you will continue to be there for me and keep me going through 2014 as I take on and tackle more events throughout the year. And blog about them when I remember to!
To everyone who has supported me with calls, texts, Facebook messages, Tweets, being there at races and those fantastic donations, I can't thank you enough but hope these go a little of the way to showing you my gratitude - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
2014? I am so ready for you!
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