2019 was rough at times, but has been pretty amazing, and I can only hope that 2020 can top it! I hope you all enjoy a look back at my 2019!
What a wild weather month it was in January! The year kicked off with a drizzly but mild temp start when the Resolution Run 5K on New Year's Day (much better than last year). A few days later I raced in my pajamas in sunny and 30s. However the absolute highlight was completing my first Goofy Challenge at Disney that consisted of a half marathon on Saturday and full marathon on Sunday for 39.3 magical miles. To this day I am still grinning about my achievement that weekend!
February felt like a whirlwind for sure.I froze some more, tried to dodge rain (sometimes not quite so successful) and did a little traveling. We went from chilly weather at the Fast Break 5K to fairly warm(er) temps the next week at Hot Chocolate 15K (especially compared to last year!). Before I knew it, Princess Half Marathon weekend 2019 was here and I ran 22.4 magical miles over the weekend (5K, 10K, and 1/2 Marathon) which was also my 99th half marathon. What a magical place to make magical memories with friends and family!
March was definitely the most race filled month for me so far. From running a once in a life time event testing the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials course at Road To Gold 8.2 miler to three obstacle course races (Terrain Race, Savage Race, and Savage Blitz) to the Atlanta Half Marathon and a local 5K, there was little time for rest in March.
April started off with back-to-back women's races. First was the Savannah Women's 1/2 Marathon - I felt like I could possibly PR here but after a strong first 9 miles I hit a major wall due to heat/sun and struggled the final 4 miles and missed my goal. After getting glammed up with my girls for the the first few weeks of April, it was time to get back into the mud! My first Spartan Race of 2019 was ran at Lake Lanier which was an absolutely amazing venue and course! I even shaved over an hour off of my 2019 Spartan Sprint time!
A fun filled weekend in Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh 5K and 1/2 Marathon started off the month. The summer sun and heat came in wicked fast once May hit - time to slow down my pace and miles a bit until fall I guess. Due to summer conditions, a lot of local races in Atlanta are mainly 5K with occasional 10K and half marathons until fall. The Kennesaw Grand Prix Series 2019 kicked off again with the Swift Cantrell Classic 5K which is always a great time. I wrapped up May by running the Beignet Dash at Walt Disney World Port Orleans French Quarter. Oh, this also happened to be the 5 year mark of my runstreak! What better place to celebrate than at Disney?!?! Thank you again to the cast members that made it a memorable day!
Then there is June. June was a wonderful month. The month was full of awesome races that we favorites of past years along with some new ones. My favorite race of the month was probably Turtle Trot 5K and the all new Hotlanta 5K. That's right, one of my favorite Atlanta half marathons added a 5K this year which I got to run with Julia by my side. For those wondering, yes, Hotlanta Half Marathon & 5K lived up to its name, but Julia and I still had a blast running it together. I also ran the Summer Steamer 5K for the first time in about 3 years on a new course which was amazing. Finally, I wrapped up June with the Never Run/Walk Alone 5K where I snagged 3rd place in my age group - a pretty sweet way to end the first half the year.
Hey there, July! The first half of 2019 really flew by and it was July with the blink of an eye. Thankfully we just had "seasonably hot" weather in Atlanta with not much "extreme heat" this year. First up in July was my annual trip down Peachtree at the 50th running of the Peachtree Road Race 10K. This is always an amazing time and this year was no different! As I geared more towards 5Ks this year, I got to run a number of "new to me" races which included two in July: Bend Your Knees 5K and Hot Fun in the Summer Sun 5K.
With August being one of the hottest months in Atlanta, you don't find many longer distance races in the area so I just went 5K crazy in August. One of the highlights was my double race day which included the Rugged Maniac 5K and Alien 5K. With twelve hours I had crossed two finish lines and drove all around metro Atlanta. Was it worth? Absolutely! It was a crazy awesome day and I would totally do it again.
September was full of more "new to me" races including my first cross country race (Wingfoot XC Classic), Dream Mile 10K, and crossing off one of my bucket list races at Mayor's 5K on the 5th Runway! My favorite moment though was participating in my second fundraiser of 2019 for the Alzheimer's Association and raising over $500 in memory of my grandma.
Summer weather greeted us for October but quickly changed to more like early winter by the middle of the month. This month was full of obstacle course racing. First, I ran my second Spartan Sprint of the year with two amazing friends (one of which was a Spartan newbie). In the middle of the month I took on Trippadoodle's 5K and the Atlanta 10 Miler. Finally, I completed my second Savage Race and second Savage Blitz of the year and earned my third and fourth Syndicate Medals.
To be honest, I was a little nervous about November. There were a lot of miles and travels ahead of me. I knew it would be worth it though. Last year I ran the inaugural Alpharetta Women's Half Marathon which I enjoyed, but this year I opted for the 5K instead. I then took on the the Run Like MADD 5K and finished on the 50 yard line of Mercedes Benz Stadium and then got muddy at Tough Mudder Atlanta.
Next I headed out to Las Vegas for one of the absolute biggest and best running parties of the year, Rock n Roll Las Vegas! Well, actually it was a triple race weekend which I called #SpartanToStrip. Saturday morning I went to Laughlin, NV to run Spartan Super then I ran the 5K on Saturday night then took the Las Vegas Strip by storm on Sunday for the 10K. While Las Vegas was fun and games, I had quite a job ahead of me a few days after coming home - Spartan Beast. I headed about three hours away to North Carolina for 14.5ish miles of cold rain, mud, and obstacles. It was honestly the most grueling experience I can remember. Just five days post-Spartan Beast, I ran my first half marathon in over six months - Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon. My legs were tired but I had a great time running it and enjoying one of my favorite courses.
After a crazy October and November, I was happy to have a lighter December calendar with just two races on tap. First, I ran in a box at the Jingle Jog 5K and my present costume won the costume contest. I then wrapped up 2019 with the Locomotive 5K which was my first time running the 5K rather than the 1/2 marathon. Having a lighter race schedule in December was definitely nice because it allowed me to spend time with family and friends during the holiday season.