Jumping into 2024

 Well, here I am the day after Christmas pondering.... 😀 Usually this time of year people (including me) are looking back and thinking of what they accomplished during the year, what was their highlight, what was their disappointment, etc.  As I sit here thinking about my 2023, I remember starting out the year in a bad FUNK.  I was physically and mentally down.  Physically I was worn out and I was having so many issues with my back and hip.  I could barely run without pain.  It was so bad I was going for shot after shot and doing lots of PT.  The doctor finally told me that the shots didn't seem to be working and the next step would be to burn my nerve roots in my lower back. 😓😕😖  I talked with a couple of people who had that done and they both said it was very  PAINFUL.  So I decided I really didn't want to do that.  Instead I lowered my run miles and basically took a little break.  Mentally I was like so sad.  I had no major races on tap....  no big travel plans.... It just kind of felt like a big let down after the blowout year I had in 2022 when it came to travel and running big races.  Penny and I often complained about not having any major races to plan a trip around.  Basically I was having a pity party.  and I know not every year can you travel to places like Europe to run.. but my mind sure wants to!  😁

I had to SNAP myself out it! I was like ...  oh no... you aren't going down this rabbit hole.  I started enjoying running less miles and my body FINALLY started to respond and heal.  It's hard to take some downtime..... but WE NEED IT.  😍  I started back biking more and signed up for a bike ride in May.  I knew the route would be hilly and challenging so I increased the bike miles and slowly built back in running miles.  I had a great bike ride back in May at Farm to  Fork event, but afterwards basically stopped riding outside.  I would still hit my peloton during the week for a short ride inside, but no long rides on the weekends outside.  I kind of regret this... I should of kept at least one ride outside once a month.  Now it feels like FOREVER since I've been on my bike.  

I had a new grandbaby born in August (my highlight of 2023) so I tried to focus more on family and not worrying that I was not getting that long bike and long run in on the weekends.  💓 it literally takes Saturday AND Sunday to be able to get both those in... that's why training for an Ironman is so hard ... it's very time consuming.  

Only through God's grace and strength was I able to complete 5 marathons in 2023! along with a couple of half marathons and a few shorter distance races.  Looking back .... maybe I didn't take too long of a break to be able to do 5 marathons! 😂 2 of them were early in the year and the last 3 at the end of the year.  No majors... but each one that I did was unique in that I ran with friends and each one had it's on difficulties... 

1. Mercedes, Alabama (Penny, Felicia and I ran this because Felicia never had and it was also the last year for this race after 20 years! oh and HILLY race!)

2. Little Rock, Ark .. NEW state for me (again.. Penny, Felicia and I) ran this very hilly race! It was a bucket list to get that HUGE medal and we got it. 

3. B.O.B., Alabama -- Boston or Bust - Ran this with the PPRF girls.  7 of us traveled together and Felicia had her first experience of taking a shower at a camp site. 😁

4. Poconos -- Got me a new state! PA  ... ran this one alone.... Gary and I were in Pa visiting his mom.  Beautiful scenery... challenging course

5. St. Jude, Memphis - My heart race! Traveled with mom and ran with Felicia, Penny and Tammy.  Virginia and Susan did the 5K and we all went to eat afterwards.  

I did NOT do a single FLAT race. 😂 All these marathons were hilly! What the heck was I thinking.. 😏 and I have 3 toes missing toenails to prove it. 😕

There were many, many Saturdays of long runs with the PPRF girls.  Some boring and some were adventures.  The boring ones were the ones we stayed mainly on the trace and ran.  The adventures were ones where we ventured off the trace and toured Hattiesburg and even the coast one time.  It's been a great year training with these girls.  They'll never know how much each one of them inspires me! 

So now the year is closing...  No more races for 2023! What's on tap for 2024???  WELL, I'm going to BOSTON!  It still seems like a dream to me!  I've been given the chance on a charity bib.  I'm super excited!  I've already book mine and mom's plane tickets.  YAY!  I'm so grateful she loves to travel with me.  Gary is just unable to and honestly doesn't want to. 😔  I have 2 other marathons that the PPRF girls will be traveling to that will get us all 2 NEW states!  We will be going to the Houston for the Chevron race in January and to the Flying Pig race in Ohio in May.  Both of these races come highly recommended by other runners so we are looking forward to traveling together and making memories.   AND.... I'm considering do Ironman Chattanooga again...  Going to see how the first of the year goes with getting back in the grove of riding outside and more swimming.  I told the girls that if I can build a good base in the beginning of the year that after Flying Pig in May ..... it's game on for Ironman and I won't see them as much because I'll have to focus on Ironman training, which will mean Saturday bike rides with the Hattiesburg group so that I have people to bike with and then I'll have to do my running on Sunday mornings.   That DNF at Chatty in 2019 has haunted me even though I went on in 2019 to finish Florida.  There is just something about having a DNF that bothers me.  I want to go and finish that dang thing!! We'll, see if 2024 is the year.... 

I'm so grateful and thank GOD that my pain I was having in the beginning of the year has gotten so much better!!! yes, some days I still hurt somewhat after a long run, but nothing like back then.  Now it's more like the typical hurt any runner has after completing some hard. 😉  I mean we all know there is some suck to it! 😁  It's that accomplished feeling afterwards that keeps bringing us back.. 😍   I NEED and WANT to get back to more strength training like I use to do in the old days.  My body needs it and I think it will help me.  I've just got to get it figured out how to work that in and not overdo....   I hope to start going to our gym at the office at lunch a couple times during the week and work on that.   Maybe if I can get in a habit of doing that... It won't hinder my run, bike and swimming I do prior to work.... and I'll still have some downtime after work. 🙏  It's very hard to fit it all in when you want to training for a triathlon.  

My prayer is that God will lead me down the right path in 2024.  He is my anchor in all that I do.  💗

So far as of 12/25/2023 ... Miles are:

Run = 971.9

Bike = 751.9

Swim = 34.6

for a total of 1,758.40 miles ... not to shabby for a year... not 2,023 miles like several of my friends have accomplished... But moving is moving... and also MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE.   So let's move in 2024.

update:  miles as of 12/28/2023

as you can see I started out swimming in the beg of the year then slacked off...but getting back to it. 

As I mentioned, I kind of took a step back on run miles the beginning of the year ... 

and as I mentioned I did some biking early in year... and then totally slacked off! Got to get back to it! 

I looked this up today to see my swim miles the year I did Ironman... for your reference that's over 100 miles of swimming in a year.  Wonder if that's what 2024 is going to look like??  😁

St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend- December 2, 2023

 

For the last 11 years, I've closed out my running for the year with the St. Jude Memphis Marathon weekend.  Every year I have ran the marathon, except for one, in which I ran the half with my daughter.  My mom started going with me around the 3rd year of me going and she walks the 5K.  We've made it a girls weekend for several years.  We often go visit Graceland because my mom is a die hard Elvis fan. 😍  I love our time spent together each year.  This year we decided to venture over to Shelby Farms on Thursday when we arrived to the drive through Christmas lights in the park.  Even though it was raining slightly the whole time, we had a great time.  The lights were so pretty.  It was not crowded at all... probably due to the rain.  

We ran by the Expo Thursday night also real quick and picked up our race swag.

On Friday we ventured over to Graceland Crossing where there are some shops.  We just happen to end up at a "Snow Village" show display.  The sign said it was the worlds largest display and I believe it.  There were 100s of villages.  The display took you through time showing villages that were created in each year going back to like 1960.  It was amazing!  They even had Halloween villages!  I was thinking it would just be Christmas, but it was much more.  Besides Christmas, they had Disney, Halloween, and even villages that were made just like places like the Buckingham Palace.  It was pretty cool and mom LOVED it.  They even had one that was Graceland.  We thought about buying it, but it was $300! I was like wow!  They had several others for sale too and they were ALL expensive.  These were the real collector items.  

At the gate of Graceland looking up to the huge Nativity scene

Shopping at Graceland Crossing

Friday evening we meet up with Felicia and Penny to go to the St. Jude Hero Pasta dinner.  Felicia had never been and I wanted her to experience it.  I had bragged and bragged on it.  I was VERY disappointed in the dinner!  Not the speakers.  They were amazing, but I was terribly disappointed in the food.   It was nothing like years past and tasted awful.  None of us at our table was real happy with the food.  The speakers made up for my disappointment however.  We heard from Tyler West a St. Jude patient that was planning on running his 1st marathon the next day!  He's a senior in high school now.  And guess what he completed that marathon in 4 hours 18 minutes the next day!  We also heard from some parents of a child that had passed away in 2019.  Both talked about what St. Jude meant to them.  We were all in tears by the end of the night and ready to run that 26.2 miles the next day.   I'm always amazed at how upbeat these families are even after a lose.  How blessed am I to be able to run with for them.  

Tyler West

Saturday morning -- RACE day.. Temp was around 41.  It was perfect running temp for me.  It was calling for no sun and complete clouds..... however, the sun came out about half way into the race and it warmed up fast!  By the time we finished I was sweating and ready to be done.  Four of us started together, Penny, Felicia, Me & Tammy.   Joe, Richard, Nestor, and the others all started in other places.  I only saw Nestor as we split for the half and full marathon.  Joe finished is 100th marathon!  He started his journey in 2012.  I think this year alone he ran like 10 marathons just to get to 100 by  St. Jude race day! 😵  I've been honored to have him on our team raising money for St. Jude for the last several years.  Plus he's a good kid.  I call him kid just because he's around my daughters age. 😁  Richard got himself a PR! He's gotten really fast lately!  

Meeting up in the hotel Lobby for pics

Tammy, Joe, Penny, Felicia, Me and Richard

Sunshine walked the 5K with mom 💗

For us girls, the first half started out really well.  We all felt really good.  Penny and I had to keep telling each other to pull back and save some energy for the 2nd half. 😀  We tend to feed off each other in a race. 😅  Felicia and Tammy hung close behind us the whole first half.  By mile 10 ..... you guessed it!..... the bathroom hit me!   Mom and I were actually both sick Friday night.  We think it was something we ate that day.  Anyway, my stomach was not feeling too good at all.  I finally told Penny to go on because she was running so good, I knew she could sub 5 the race.  As for me, I ended up stopping 6 times for the porta potty!  oh and I forgot to mention that within the first 2 miles of the race a lady fell in front of us and hit her head pretty hard.  We all stopped to check on her and let Tammy, who is a nurse, really get a good look at her.   Another lady offered to call for help and stay with her that was not running but was just cheering on the sidelines so we went on.  I told Penny and them Saturday night that if that had not happened and I had not stopped 6 times for the bathroom... I MAY of had a good run time.  However, a PR was not in the books for me.  I'm thrilled I finished with all the stomach issues!  And a 5:15 marathon time is not too shabby for this old woman. 😀  We all had dinner together and then ended up going back to our rooms early.  We were all pretty tired and my stomach was still bothering me.  Mom and I ended up in bed watching a Hallmark Christmas movie till 11pm. 😇😂😇

He did it! finished 100 marathons! and of course one of his twins jumped in the picture. 💗

Us 3 have been on many journeys in 2023 and I'm looking forward to more "runcations" with them in 2024!  They inspire me everyday.  

As for the race course.... it was NEW this year!  We didn't run through the St. Jude Campus until around mile 9.  We didn't have to make that awful double loop through that lonely park area.... but we DID Have to run hill after hill.  I think they found all the hills in Memphis for the new course.  😂 and I enjoyed the new course! Close to $15 million was raised for St. Jude.  Over 25,000 runners were present.  It was another great race weekend.  🙏💓 Finish pics. 

Me and my mom 😍

I'm going to take the rest of December to recover and build back up.  We've got the Chevron marathon coming up in January. 😍