2016 Year End Review

Training

Mileage Total: 3,051 miles*
Time Spent Running: ~18 days, 15 hours*
Average Pace: 8:48 pace
Longest Run (Distance): 26.2 miles at the 2016 Boston and New York City marathons
Longest Run (Time): 3:41:37 at the 2016 Boston Marathon
Hottest Run: 92 degrees on September 14th
Coldest Run: 15 degrees on January 19th
Days of Running: 324 (41 days off)*

Most Memorable Training Runs

1. March 27th – The Fall.  I fell and busted my knee three weeks before the Boston Marathon.  It healed quickly but it took a while for the swelling and pain to go away.
2. August 27th – The Breakdown.  A hard workout in the heat left me feeling so exhausted tat I sat down on the base on an electrical post and almost cried.
3. August 21st – Treadmill Viewing of the Men’s Olympic Marathon Final.  This race helped me get through a grueling 18 mile long run on the treadmill.

Racing

Number of Races: 12 races (2 marathons, 1 20 miler, 3 half marathons, 2 10 milers, 1 10K, 1 5 miler, 1 4 miler, 1 5K) and a relay.*   (My Race Reports)

Personal Records:  One –  2016 DCRRC National Capital 20 Miler

Most Memorable Races

1. 2016 Ragnar Cape Cod.  Another fantastic weekend with a group of incredible women.  Coming into Exchange 7 in the lead, sensing the shock of the crowd and seeing my teammates was one of my favorite racing moments.
2. 2016 Wild Horse Trail Half Marathon.  I ran my first trail race this year!  Although it was a half marathon, it felt like a full.  I really enjoyed the atmosphere at the race, too.
3. 2016 Parks Half Marathon.  This race was memorable, but not in a good way.  I was so disappointed in the result that I decided to make some changes in how I was training.

Most Memorable Weather

1. Snowzilla.  The snow moved in on Friday night.  I was housebound for three days!  I finally made it to the gym on Tuesday and was able to run outside the next Friday.
2. Hot Summer in D.C.  The region experienced the third hottest summer (June through August).  It definitely impacted my training for the 2017 New York City Marathon.
3. 2016 Boston Marathon.  The race was surprisingly warm.

Clothing & Gear

Favorite New Clothing

1. Lululemon Swiftly Tech Long Sleeve ($68).  I suppose I really discovered this shirt last year but the love continued into this year when I bought two more.
2. Asics Marathon Pull Over w/Hood ($85.00). I’ve been wearing this pull over as lounge wear since the New York City Marathon.
3. Saucony Endorphin Singlet. This singlet is very light and great at wicking away sweat.

Favorite New Gear

1. Garmin Forerunner 630 ($399.99).  I’m glad I have a touch screen watch again.
2. Yaktrax Run ($39.99).  I finally tried these out during Snowzilla and they were fantastic.
3. Mizuno Wave Rider 20 ($119.99).  I was worried about the new version of this shoe but so far, they haven’t disappointed.

Nutrition & Hydration 

Favorite Nutritionals

1. Crank Sports e-Gel.  It’s hard for me to believe I hadn’t tried one of these until January since they’re such a staple in my running now.  It’s a very salty tasting gel but I love it.
2. Accel Rapid Energy Gel.  I liked this running gel, as well.  It went down very easy during my training runs back in February.

Routes

Favorite Developments

1. National Airport Water Fountain.  The upper 7 miles of the Mount Vernon Trail had been without a water fountain until one was installed early this year.
2. “Still Life With Spirit and Xitle,” installation at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.  I see a lot of things on my runs but this made me do a double-take.
3. Fixed Sidewalk Hazard.  I wrote about this long-standing hazard in my neighborhood and a day later it was fixed!

Media & Motivation

Favorite Running Pictures

1. New York City Marathon Finish.  A friend took this picture from the Grand Stands and I absolutely love it!

2. Flower View of the Monuments.  I think this is the most artistic picture I took this year.

3. Sunrise over the Lincoln Memorial.  I think this was the most breathtaking.

Favorite New Running Songs

1. “Coming Home,” by Diddy feat. Skylar Grey.  I discovered this song while training for the 2016 New York City Marathon while visiting Chicago. And, I had just been back to my hometown, San Diego.  Outside of Washington D.C., I feel most at home in these places.
2. “On Top of the World,” by Imagine Dragons.  This is a get motivational running song when I’m a little tired due to the, “Get up, now!  Get up!  Get up, now!” refrain.  It also reminds me that my life is pretty great.
3. “The Greatest,” by Kendrick Lamar feat. Sia.  This is a good swagger song.  Some days, it’s nice to pretend you’re ‘The Greatest’ and remind yourself,  “I got stamina”.

Favorite Running-Related Podcast Episodes

1. Dick Beardsley, by Run to the Top.  I read Duel in the Sun recently and knew some of what he talked about but he’s such a dynamic speaker that I enjoyed his recount.  I was glad to hear this was the host’s favorite podcast, too.
2. Shalane Flanagan and Frank Shorter, by The Runner’s World Show.  Two elites sharing stories about their struggles – on the road and off.
3. Episode 25 – Matt Centrowitz Jr, by Pace the Nation.  Learning about his life was great and all but the candy discussion was the best part (1:09:37).  He also got the field hockey question right (1:01:19).

Favorite Running-Related Book, Article, or Movie

1. The Science of Running, by Steve Magness.  It took me months to finish this book but it was well worth it.  Some of it was confusing but I think a few principles stuck and will help make me a better runner next year.
2. Two Hours, by Ed Caesar.  I finished this book on my flight back from Boston.  It was fascinating to read how the best marathoners live and train but also the impact of good coaching and technology.
3. “Barkley Marathons,” I hate roughing it but this documentary had me thinking, Hmmm…  I liked the idea that failure is expected and yet people try it anyway.

Favorite Running Stories

1. The Olympics.  “The Top 15 Running Moments at the 2016 Olympics,” from Runner’s World covered most of them.
2. The U.S. Olympic Trails.  The Womens 800m Final had to be the most dramatic and controversial event with the Brenda Martinez / Alysia Montano clipping incident.
3. Bobbi Gibb.  I didn’t include it in my race report for the 2016 Boston Marathon, but her trailblazing story was inspiring.

*These statistics assume I run the 2016 Fairfax Four Miler tonight.