Hey, remember me? It’s ok if you don’t. I just disappeared for nearly a year, without a single peep. Sorry about that. I actually have no excuse whatsoever. I just got busy, then lazy, then I fell out of love with running (more on that later). But now I’m back on the train(ing), and I just felt like talking to/at you guys.
So what’s happened since last February (aside from nearly every single super famous person dying)? Well, the biggest news I have is that we’ve relocated. Back in June, S and I packed up our bags and our lives and moved to Denver. It had actually been in the works for a while, but things really just fell together for us last spring and we ended up out here rather quickly.
It’s honestly been amazing. Since arriving out here we’ve spent a ton of time outdoors, I’m seeing my parents more than I ever have since high school, and overall things are going really well. The only thing that’s been tough? Running.
Altitude is a thing, you guys. And it’s been kicking our asses. Pair that with a disappointing performance at Boston 2016 and the heat of summer, and my motivation hit rock bottom. It was the first time in years that I willingly took a long hiatus from running. I signed up for races and skipped them (a nasty, expensive habit to get into—wouldn’t recommend it). I ran when I felt like it and I didn’t worry about pace or distance. I got into barre for a while, we did a ton of hiking, camping, and dabbled in trail running. And while my mind 100% needed that break, my body is paying for it now.
Since November, S and I have ran 3 races and oh my, have they been tough. First was a 4 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. Honestly, I went in with ZERO expectations for pace. After taking so much time off from “seriously” running and having never raced at altitude before, I had no idea what to expect. And while my time wasn’t awful (30:48)…it definitely wasn’t great. I ran 4 miles at a slower pace than I ran a half marathon back in May. And I wanted to die. Here is a picture of us post-race and I believe my exact words were “Oh my God, that was so freaking hard.”
A few short weeks later, we ran the Fa La La 10k and that was definitely worse. BUT it was my first 10k ever so it was an automatic PR me (49:50). Yay. And for reference, my pace for that one was only a few seconds faster than my marathon back in 2015. HUMBLING. I will say though that I was the 5th female overall, so that was neat.
And lastly, today’s run—the Resolute Runner 5k. Now, I’ll admit, I felt a lot better going into this run than I had the other two. Over the last few weeks I’ve finally been sticking to a regular running schedule and I’ve been watching my paces improve. So while it was still a FAR CRY from what I was running just 6 or so months ago, I was actually pretty happy with today’s race. I PR’ed for starters (22:43), I came in the 5th female overall again, and I was FIRST in my age group, all of which I’m overly proud of.
I also think it’s worth mentioning that this was the first race EVER, where I puked at the finish line. Go, me!
So that’s where I’m at now. But, despite being wildly out of shape (for me), I signed up for the Eugene Marathon in May. So I hope you’ll stick around to hear more about that and help keep me accountable. I pinky promise that I won’t ghost on you again.
Happy New Year, guys. It feels good to be back.
Annie's on the run 