12 for 2012 - Run 12 Races

I set several goals for myself this year, including one to run 12 races.  Basically, the goal was one race per month.  I hit this goal this past weekend.  Let's review:

January
I started the year off right by racing on the very first day with the Columbus River Run (1).  The race featured the Columbus Marathon race director who started at the back of the field and raced.  Anyone he did not pass received a free entry into the marathon.  I thought I had a shot.  I didn't take into account, however, that (a) I was really out of 5K shape and (b) Darris, the race director, is crazy fast and passed pretty much the whole field except three people.

I raced again in January at the Houston Half Marathon (2).  Our "group" had decided to go to Houston to watch one of our own in the marathon Olympic trials and we would run the half or full marathon too.  This weekend was an absolute mess for me.  I was at my lowest point for my depression/anxiety/nervous breakdown.  I couldn't leave the hotel room for anything.  I was able to get out to watch the marathon trials and ran in the half marathon.  Thank goodness, the year could only go up from here.

February
Now that I was on the upswing of my total mental mess, it was time to race again.  I did my favorite winter race, Last Chance for Boston (3), the half marathon, and did WAY better than I thought I was going to do.  Maybe this year wouldn't suck after all.

March
I didn't race in March, but did tackle another one of my "12 for 2012" goals of running every day for a month.  I did most of these runs without a watch and without any idea how far or fast I was going.  I had no idea what a HUGE difference this running would make for me.

April
A former athlete of mine decided in June to meet up and do a half marathon.  I really wanted to train and race well for it, so in April I started following the "Run Less, Run Faster" training plan for this half marathon.  The plan was intense and had a lot of speed work, so I decided to do one of the speed work sessions as a 5K, the Bunny Hop 5K (4).  I was like a total amateur at this race, forgetting my watch.  Turned out to be a good thing as I raced myself to a new PR.

May
To test where my fitness was for my June half marathon, I decided to do the Cap City Half Marathon (5).  I didn't expect much but sure had a great performance, with one of my fastest half marathons ever.  Excitement on a stick!!

June
The big half marathon, Deckers Creek Trail Half Marathon (6), for which I had been training so hard!!!  And it paid off with yet another new PR this year.

July 
This was the month of races.  I started out with the Westerville Rotary 5K (7), which was kind of a disaster after having no power for most of the week and then my parents' house not having power.  Very little sleep and it was hotter than balls outside.  Whatever!  You can't PR every race.

Then the very next weekend I decided to do the Columbus Running Company's 1 Mile Run (8).  With all the speed workouts I had been doing I thought I would smash my PR.  Instead I got my pride smashed by husband who destroyed me in this race.  Little did I know there was something else that affected this race.

The last race of the month was the Giant Eagle Multisport Festival 10K (9), which I did great in with a new PR and 3rd place overall female.  Funny enough, I found out the next day I was pregnant.

August and September
With the new revelation that I was pregnant and feeling like crap during my first trimester, I didn't race. Heck, I didn't run much at all, but I was doing enough to keep off the extra pounds and just stay in shape.  I, obviously, missed my marathon I was training for which I was training so hard.  There will always be other marathons.

October
Now into my second trimester, I found running to be mostly enjoyable again, albeit slow.  Dave and I found a race last minute to do, the Celebrity Ghosts 5K (10), and although I was crazy slow, I really had fun.

Just a few days later I did another 5K, originally a 2 mile walk that my mom was supposed to do.  The Step Up for Stefanie 5K (11) netted me a new 5K PR - pregnancy record.

November
Now, I'm not one for gimmicky races, but the family wanted to do the Hot Chocolate 5K (12), so I signed up too.  I had fun and the loot was great.

In two days, on Thanksgiving, I will be doing the Flying Feather 4 Miler.  This will be the longest run I've done since I found out I was pregnant.  Race report coming on Friday.

December
Races get harder to come by around here when the weather gets colder.  I might have one more race up my sleeve if the price is right.

There you have it - 12+ races for this year.  Not bad considering I've been pregnant for half of this year.  I'm hoping to repeat this feat again in 2013, which will be even harder.  Who doesn't like a challenge, though?