Highlights From My 14 in 2014 Race Challenge

Last year I accepted the challenge of running 14 races in 2014 and I’ve been chronicling each race here on the blog. Feel free to go back and check them all out, HERE! I’ve gotta say, I’m really proud for achieving this goal, but I’m kinda glad it’s over. I really enjoy running races, but ensuring I had 14 throughout the year was tough at times. I was literally scheduling my life around races, not that I minded that too much (wink wink)! We got to travel a bit for races too, which I loved, except when Jason forgot to pack our bag with my race sneakers for the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon. Yea, that wasn’t too fun. Thankfully, it all worked and I ran the race in new shoes thank to my sister! We also traveled to Temecula, CA for what should have been my Spartan Trifecta weekend. I’d ran the Spartan Super in April here in Vegas and was all set to run the Spartan Beast & Sprint SoCal but the weather had other plans. There was a major heat wave and although I did finish the Beast with my girl, NinjaEve, the Sprint was canceled the following day. I really enjoyed running the Spartan Beast, even though it was a pretty brutal course, and I’m looking forward to going back and trying for my trifecta again next weekend! AROO!!!!

A few other favorite races were the Bubble Run 5K because I got to run it with my 5 year old daughter and that was just a blast! I also had fun running the Komen Race for the Cure 5K with my sister. Of course, I can’t forget Tough Mudder and facing my fear of heights. Different than Spartan in so many ways, Tough Mudder has a way of changing me for the better each time I run it. I can’t wait to see what Tough Mudder X3 has in store for me in 2015.

Running 14 races in 2014 ranging from fun 5Ks to a half marathon and physically grueling OCRs, taught me that I am capable of so much more I give myself credit for. We are all capable of so much more. Our bodies are strong and can get us through anything, it’s our minds we have to convince otherwise. I see that now. But, most importantly, this year has shown me how much support I have from my family and friends. I could not ask for better people in my life and I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve it. I just know I couldn’t get along without them. I couldn’t get along without friends willing to french braid my hair at 10pm so I don’t have frizzy hair for a race, for a sister who is willing to drive over 3 hours to watch the kiddos while we run a half marathon, for friends & parents who don’t complain when I ask them to watch my kiddos so I can run and train for races, for racing OCR peeps who run & encourage me even though I’m slower than they are! Thank you!

Yes, 2014 has shown me so much love and support. It’s made me appreciate those in my life so much and I hope to always be there for them like they are for me. I’m ready to take on 2015 running some fun and challenging races. I know I won’t ever be alone. This journey is not mine alone, it’s a journey I started for myself, but has become so much more than that. It is about finding inspiration where there was none before, it’s about motivating not just myself but those I love. No, I won’t be running 15 in 2015, but every race I run this year I will run with purpose. I will give it my best because it’s the least I can do for everyone who is helping me get to where I am going. Where that is exactly, I’m not sure, but wherever this journey takes me has got to be way better than where I was before. It’s already been a fun ride so far!

Where will 2015 take you?

2015 The Year for Finding Balance

I’ve been on this “fitness journey” for almost 3 years now. Like all these stories go, I was tired of being overweight and sluggish. I’m not saying my life was terrible and depressing, far from it! I was enjoying life, with maybe a little too much indulgence 😉 One day it just clicked. I needed to do something about my weight. So, in February of 2012, I joined a gym. One of the scariest things I’ve ever done is walk into a Body Pump class alone. But, as embarrassed and unprepared as I was, I kept going. I also started running and the weight started to come off. Slowly. Since Feb. 2012 and into the first part of 2013, it was all about the weight loss. It took 15 months or so, but I lost 30 + lbs. and I was feeling great! I was sure I would meet my goal to lose 50 lbs by the end of 2013. Well, it didn’t happen. I ran my 1st Tough Mudder in April of 2013 and I became hooked on obstacle course racing and running. I ran 6 races in 2013 and I couldn’t get enough! I blogged about 2013 being the year of the races. Never in a million years would I have said that crawling through mud and barbed wire, climbing over 6 ft walls, and running 13.1 miles would be my idea of fun. My friends didn’t recognize me. I was a changed person. Changed for the better. I was training hard and eating good, maybe too good! Hence, I didn’t lose the weight. I gained some, actually. My trainer says it’s muscle, I’m pretending I believe her 😉

Well, here came 2014 and I stumbled on a challenge to run 14 races in 2014. I was so on that. I’m running my 14th race today, but more on that later. All of this year I’ve been focused even more on running and training and getting stronger. I ran another half marathon, I did 2 Spartan races, 1 Tough Mudder, some trail races, and fun 5Ks. It’s been a very active year, but again, my weight has not changed. I’ll admit, it’s even gone up. I’m not happy about that. Sure, I feel stronger, but a part of me still knows that I’ve been totally slacking lately when it comes to making good food choices. I’ve let myself become overindulgent again, allowing way more “cheat meals” than necessary. I’ve tried to fool myself into believing that I’m “maintaining” but the truth is, I feel myself going down a path I don’t want to go down again. So, after thinking a lot about my fitness goals for 2015, I’ve decided to call this “The Year of Balance”. I want to focus on eating healthy again. I want this extra weight to come down. I no longer have a magic number that I want to reach on my scale (we broke up) or a must-have pant size. No, I am no longer going to allow myself to be hung up on a number. I know what I want my body to look like and that’s the goal I’m setting. Of course, I’m still going to be running in races and obstacle courses, they keep me focused and give me something to work towards. Plus, it’s fun 🙂 I just won’t be using my races and training as free passes anymore. No more, “It’s OK to eat this or that, I’m running 6 miles tomorrow.” Or “I’m carbing up!” OR “Good thing I work out” as I stuff the doritos in my mouth! Yeah, it’s time to be accountable for my eating habits and my results. It’s time to for balance.

Of course, I’ll be sharing lots more on goals and reaching this balance in the next few posts and throughout the year in my monthly goals blog posts. I will also be sharing my racing schedule for 2015 soon. Now, I’d love to hear about your goals for 2015 and how you intend on reaching them!

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