10 Things

Inspired by today's post on Another Mother Runner, here's my ten things:

1. Best run ever: It's a toss-up between three races, my second 10k, my first half, and my last 5k. Or maybe when I ran a sub-60 10k right at the end of the year to reach my goal.

The second 10k I ran was awesome in that it was pouring rain, I had an incredible support crew of my husband, kids and parents there, and I knew I was going to beat my previous time.

The first half was awesome because it felt good...the entire time! I didn't hurt or tire out and enjoyed the whole run.

The last 5k I ran was awesome because I ran it with my Daddy in Kansas City and beat my time goal of a sub-30 5k. Plus my husband, mom and kids were waiting at the finish line. And it was a kicka*( course of hills.

And that sub-60 10k was just perfect. I did it on my own right before the year ended. It proved to me that I could do it...that I could run faster. It was a much needed boost after a somewhat miserable RnR Vegas Half just a few weeks before that.



2. Three words that describe my running: Early. Struggle. Sanity.


3. My go-to running outfit is: black shorts (like tights, but shorts...do these have a name?), tank, and usually a BondiBand. That makes it sound so simple, but when I "gear up" to run outside, there's also a Garmin, pepper spray, a Road ID, a water bottle and a visor involved.


4. Quirky habit while running: Does putting on my left shoe and sock first every time count?


5. Morning, midday, evening: Morning. Very early morning. Maybe 4 am is really night. It's the only way to fit it in, and I like starting my day with a run.


6. I won’t run outside when it’s: dark. I'm a chicken. When I first started running, I did run in the dark and got freaked out by one guy in a trench coat. That did it for me. I've tried it since, and I can't handle hearing noises and not being able to see where...did I mention I'm pretty much nightblind?


7. Worst injury—and how I got over it: Before last month, I would have said IT band issues which plagued me after my first couple of 5ks. However, I'm now battling the dreaded PF. It's a constant effort.


8. I felt most like a badass mother runner when: I ran four miles less than a month after surgery this summer.

9. Next race is: Archer City's Shortgrass Scamper in my hometown. It's a local race my mom is in charge of. This year, there's a new distance...the quarter marathon. I'm guaranteed a PR, right? It's about a month before my half, so I'm doing that distance for sure...even if I have to crawl to the finish. I'm doing it as part of Team World Vision and don't want to give up on it.


10. Potential running goal for 2013: I would have said marathon not too long ago, but this PF is causing me to rethink a lot of things. I love to run and want to be able to run as long as I can. I'm not sure a marathon would be a good idea right now. So, my potential goal for 2013 is 1000 miles. I did 800 last year, won't come close to it this year, so I have some miles to make up.