2009 Running Recap

My new running year is a bit off the calendar….kind of like corporate fiscal years. My annual running ends after the Disney Marathon which is held the 2nd weekend of January. Now that Disney is behind me, I can look back on how things went in 2009.

2009 Running Goals:

Like last year, I looked back and could not find my running goals for 2009. I did find that things got insanely busy early last year and my running fell off for the first 4 months or so of the year. In general, my goal was to be out there running – focus on a single marathon (Disney) and do what I could in my other races. Later in the year, I decided I wanted to break 30 min in a timed 5K race, PR for a half marathon, and PR for the marathon at Disney. Maybe my goals are too easy since I accomplished all of them!

2009 Running Achievements:

I ran a total of 953 miles in 2009. I missed my goal to break 1000 miles but I was happy with the volume of running I maintained beginning in August.
My average weekly miles = 18.3 with my highest week = 45
My average monthly miles = 79 with my highest month = 154 (Nov)
My average long run pace in the fall was about 11:15 min/mile (last 20 miler before Disney was 11:06 pace)

I ran 10 races in 2009:
Races 1 and 2: 2009 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend running Goofy. The Goofy Race and a Half Challenge included running the half marathon on Sat (2:39) and the full marathon on Sun (5:41). I ran these races with my husband where our goal was to finish strong. The very next day we signed up for 2010 Goofy and the 5K (Dopey).


Race 3: Winter Park Road Race (10K) – My training for this race did not go as planned so I had no illusions of running a PR. I still ran a respectable 1:05:10.


Race 4: Corporate 5K – This is not a timed race, but I recall running this one in around 31 or 32 minutes. It is difficult to run a fast time in a field of over 6000 runners! This one is more for the fun of bringing my work associates together for a evening.


Race 5: Jim Payne Blue Ribbon Run for the Kids (5K) – This was a very special race because I was part of the planning committee for this event which benefits a charity I work with. This was conceived over 2 years previous and finally came to fruition. We couldn’t have asked for better participation for an inaugural race with over 900 runners registered. I ran it with my daughter and together we finished just under 40 minutes.

Race 6: Autumn Rock n Run 5K – This race was held on my birthday and I was determined to bust 30 minutes in a timed 5K race. My good running friend Maddy came to watch me run my 5K PR!

Race 7: Miracle Mile 15K – I didn’t run a PR on this race but I ran a strong, consistent race (1:42). It was a bit warm that day (as it typically is in late Sept) but I felt good about my race results.

Race 8: UCF 5 Miler & 2 Mile Race (Distance Dare) – The local race sponsor Track Shack recently added the “Distance Dare” to certain races they sponsor with multiple distances. Runners have the option to run multiple races on the same day. I normally run the UCF 5 Miler but added the 2 Mile race as well and ran them both. Just days before the race I caught a nasty chest cold but by race time I was good for a nice and easy run. I finished the 5 miler in 56:58 and the 2 mile race in 22:05.

Race 9: Race for the Cure 5K (Bandit) – Initially I was planning on running this race as a registered attendee. After sponsoring Maddy who was running this race in memory of her mom I decided to show up on race day and see if I could “participate.” Maddy and I were going to do a 16 mile long run together which incorporated the 5K race. I thought I could register that morning but was unable to, so I ran it “bandit” with Maddy. Maddy and I went on to finish a total of 12 miles together, running a few miles before the race, running the race, then running after the race.

Race 10: OUC Half Marathon – My training during the fall had gone extremely well and my paces were faster than ever. I had a couple of choices for this race – take it easy and include the 18 mile long run the week before, or go for a PR by running 12 instead of 18 the week before. Shirley let me know that I could ease off, run the PR, then jump back in to prep for Disney. She pointed out that the momentum from a PR at OUC would be a great accomplishment to build on going into Disney. With that I ran a PR (by more than 2 min) by finishing in 2:18:21.

2009 started out slowly but was a great running year. And from my previous blog entries, 2010 started out with a bang. My 2010 running goals are already captured and I will post in my next blog entry!