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It’s been quite the year. For a lot of reasons. But let me just stick to talking about running!
I am so happy with the way 2016 has turned out for me as a year for running. I had some big goals and I’m happy to be ending the year in a positive way. I’m still taking things easy since running the Philly Marathon, but before you know it, I’ll be back in training mode in January 2017 for the Love Run Half Marathon!
So I thought it would be fun to look back on my racing accomplishments from 2016 and give out some racing awards! I did the same thing for 2015 and had a lot of fun with it, so hopefully you’ll enjoy!
Today I’m linking up with Susie, Debbie, Lora, and Rachel for the Running Coaches Corner, Annmarie, Nicole, Jen, and Michelle for Wild Workout Wednesday!
2016 was a very busy year of running, and I’m so grateful I was able to do so much this year and grab a few PR’s along the way. I can’t believe that I was able to do as much as I participated in:
Most Scenic Course: The ZOOMA Cape Cod weekend had beautiful scenery and I wish I had more photos to prove it! I ran a 10K with ZOOMA that Saturday followed by 15 solo miles on Sunday. The weather was so crisp and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. I can see why so many people enjoy visiting Cape Cod, what a beautiful place!
Most Challenging Course: By far, the King of Prussia 10 Miler was physically the toughest race that I had this year! The KOP course has hills, hills, and MORE hills! There were moments when I wanted to laugh at how steep the hills were, but all I could do was keep pushing through. It’s also a challenging course because it’s not the most scenic and you have to keep an eye on oncoming traffic. I’m not going to sign up for this race again, but I think I did a respectable job with all things considered!
Best Course Support (aid stations, volunteers, people cheering you on, etc): Without a doubt, I have to give credit to the Broad Street Run. We had the most miserable weather I’ve ever experienced for a race and there were still so many people out cheering us on (while holding an umbrella), dancing in the streets, and the volunteers had amazing energy. I had my reservations about running Broad Street for a third time, but I had a blast running this race and was happy to earn a PR to boot!
Such a soggy race!
Best Expo: I’m not crazy about race expos, but I really loved the setup that the Love Run Half Marathon organized. There was plenty of Love Run merchandise to buy, a nice variety of vendors, live music, and free beer! I really appreciated the expo being outside of the typical convention center setting!
Best Swag: Rock ‘n Roll Races always have great stuff, but The Love Run had THE best swag! It also didn’t hurt that I was an ambassador for the race. I have coffee mugs, a really nice medal, a hat, a zip-up sweatshirt, and a nice T-shirt!
Most Unique Medal: The Rock ‘N Roll DC half marathon is one of my all-time favorite medals! And the guitar-shaped remix medal for RNR Philly was also very unique!
Best Post-Race Food/Beverages: Initially, I was going to give props to the 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Half Marathon that is always reliable for great food, but the VIP experience at the Rock ‘n Roll Philly Half Marathon was fantastic! I don’t know who was the caterer but they had an amazing spread, including some desserts that I smuggled home! Plus, I was able to enjoy mimosas!
Best Race Shirt: You know what, I think that the Broad Street Run shirt is one of my favorites! In previous years, the BSR shirts have been absolutely hideous, but this year they look and fit great! I also really liked the shirt from the Cherry Blossom Run!
Wearing my Broad Street Run shirt at the Perfect 10 Miler!
Favorite Overall Race: It’s so hard to choose a favorite race because I ran so many new races this year that I really enjoyed. The Love Run Relay was fun because I was able to finish with sub-2 hour half marathoners (aka I felt “fast”). The 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Half Marathon was challenging but so fun and friendly and a great way to close out the spring season. And the Rock ‘n Roll Philly 5K was on a beautiful day and I had a wonderful time! But much to my surprise, the Rock ‘n Roll DC Half Marathon was my favorite overall race for the year! Great crowd support, great course, great swag!
RnR DC Half 2016
Race You Are Most Proud of Yourself for Completing: Philly Marathon, by far. It was such a miserable day, cold with fierce winds, and I had so many doubts leading to the big day, even though I trained well and worked hard for months! While it wasn’t perfect by any means, I’m so grateful that I had a positive experience and that I had so many people there to support me.
Such an emotional experience!
What racing awards would you give out for 2016?
