December 31, 2011

2011 in Review (Andrea)

I have to say, 2011 has been an awesome year for me. This was my first full year living in Utah, and the place has definitely grown on me. I already anticipated lots of fun and lots of adventure this year, but my expectations were far exceeded. (Jake made a recap too - Link)


Just a quick recap of the year -

Ran 2930 miles! Average of  8.0 miles a day/56.3 miles per week. Wow, I've never even run 1500 miles in a year before. Quite a leap.
Ran 16 races. Lots of 5ks, a few half marathons, and a mix of other distances thrown in there as well.






58 days of skiing (mostly in the Wasatch, but also including a trip to Lake Tahoe and Mammoth).
150,000 ft climbed during ski season! I'm convinced that this is what made the difference in our athletic pursuits.


Trips to  -
Phoenix (visit family, race, hiking)
Park City (ski trip with family)
Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Lakes (ski/mountain bike/running adventure)
Knoxville (visit family, rafting)
Long Beach CA (half marathon)
Southern Utah (hiking, Moab, Arches, Zion, Snow Canyon)
Philadelphia/NY/CT (visit family, marathon)

Highlights of the year for me -

Personal record in EVERY DISTANCE I raced. 2011 has been such a special year for both Jake and I in our running. We began to realize our potential in the sport, and it was much better than we had ever expected.  For example, last year at this time I couldn't even dream of running a sub-3:10 marathon, much less than a sub-2:50. My goal for the 5k was sub-20 and I ran 17:16. My goal for the half marathon was 1:25 and I ran 1:17:03. Best race of the year was definitely Long Beach Half Marathon. I have to give a ton of credit to Jake for coaching me - helping me to stay consistent and motivated, outlining all of my workouts, etc. His knowledge of the sport is great, and I have learned a lot this year about training correctly.



Epic ski days. A couple of my favorite ski days of the year are -

Silver Fork Meadow Chutes April 4th



Stupid Chute and Elevator Shaft May 1st



Super Fun Mountain Biking - I've decided that cross country trails are the best for my mountain biking skill level!

Lake Tahoe XC Biking Trails 


Hiking - We ended up not hiking nearly as much as in 2010 (skiing and running took priority!), but all of the hiking we did in Moab was pretty awesome! I loved Fiery Furnace especially. Another trip back to southern Utah is a must next year.


Getting promoted at work. I am now a Super Engineer nerd!

Best decisions of the year - 

Joining the fastrunningblog.com. This site has been a great resource for finding other runners in the area and being able to get running groups together, train with others, make friends, etc. I have found so much motivation in my running through this site.

Buying mountain bikes. Our mountain bikes are awesome! They have become so useful in the warm months for cross training and trail riding. Because Jake run much more mileage and farther workouts than I do, I have been able to hop on the bike and ride along with him.

Eating ice cream EVERY NIGHT! I tribute at least 15% of my happiness to getting to eat ice cream every night - one of the great benefits of exercising so much!

Overall, a pretty amazing year. I feel like I missed so much of this year in this recap blog because we were so active! It's going to be hard to beat it next year, but I have a feeling we'll find some way to have more fun :o)




2 comments:

  1. Loved reading your recap. You truly had an amazing year and I am convinced it is all because you started religiously eating ice cream. :) 2012 is going to be great for you and I can't wait to watch your journey.

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  2. Ice cream every day plus PR in every distance- can't beat that.

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