2019 in Review: Leveling Up
The end of a year is always a good time to look back at what we did with the last 365 days. I often set a few goals at the end of each year (not so much a resolution gal, but to each their own!), and I check back on them at the end of the year to see what I did or didn’t get to. After CIM it was hard not to feel disappointed with missing my huge personal goal of running a sub-3, but when I took the time to look back at my year, it was clear that I accomplished so much - a lot of which I couldn’t have done on my own! I think we often get stuck on our big goal and that blinds us to how much we’ve grown, so this was really helpful for me. Here’s a recap of my 2019:
A huge goal of mine for 2019 was to enhance my business and in January, I was able to do that by partnering with Paula of Ola Nutrition to offer her expertise in Sports Dietetics to the running community and our Team Sugar Runs Athletes.
Paula joins Team Sugar Runs, January 2019
In March, Katherine joined as the very first running coach (aside from myself) for Team Sugar Runs! When Katherine got her RRCA certification in 2018, I’d already been thinking about adding another coach to expand our team. Working with her as an athlete for over a year, I knew how passionate, dedicated, and excited about running she was and knew she’d bring that into her coaching.
Katherine joins Team Sugar Runs, March 2019
In March, I also revamped my YouTube channel. My goal for 2019 was to start vlogging more, but I really wanted to create more informative videos for athletes in a different medium. Paula was a huge help in this area and we created several nutrition videos for runners based on questions from our Instagram followers and athletes! It also became a platform for me to get more personal and share about my journey in a different way by launching my Journey to Sub-3 series later in the year in my buildup to CIM. I love that this medium has allowed me to share things that aren’t on my Instagram or blog and offer something new!
Journey to Sub-3 Series - Episode 1
In April, I set a 10K PR of 39:02, smashing through the 40 minute barrier that had eluded me for so long. I also ran the Boston Marathon and had one of the most enjoyable race experiences of my life. I never thought I would be able to smile that much during a marathon, but even towards the finish I was so happy! This was crucial for me because I had so much bitterness and resentment from my experience in 2017 that it was challenging to be excited about this race for others. Weird I know, but it was definitely something I had to do. Boston was also our first real Team Sugar Runs race meetup since we had over 10 athletes racing. It was great to have our group connect not only with the coaches, but with each other and create bonds that lasted beyond the race!
Team Sugar Runs at Boston, April 2019
In June, Lindsey joined Team Sugar Runs as a running coach, bringing with her over 20 years of competitive and elite running experience. I’d gotten to know Lindsey through the Oiselle Volee and always jumped at the opportunity to share some miles with her and pick her brain about training and workouts and all things running. I knew our athletes would benefit from all the knowledge she had already shared with me and they truly have!
Lindsey joins Team Sugar Runs, June 2019
At the end of June, I ran what was at the time my second fastest marathon at Grandma’s Marathon. It was one of the most defeating and challenging races of my life, but I learned a lot from it. Responding to failure in a more productive way has been something I’ve continued to work on and not letting this race defeat me or sway me from my goals was a huge win for me.
Grandma’s Marathon, June 2019
June was a big month because I also got my NASM certification. This is a pretty tough certification and the goal of getting it is to enhance my business and be able to offer strength options to our athletes. This certification offered me a baseline of knowledge and I’m proud to have it. I haven’t offered the strength services to our athletes just yet though because I want to get some more hands on experience in this area, but I’m happy to have passed this super hard test and gained more knowledge!
In September, I not only ran a new 5K PR of 19:09 at a local race, but I brought on another amazing running coach to my team - Debra! Debra had been my athlete for over 2 years and I knew from her work ethic that she would be an amazing coach, and she’s only proven to be since getting started with our team.
Debra joins Team Sugar Runs, September 2019
In September and October, I took hold of my health after a rocky start to my CIM training cycle with the help of Inside Tracker and Paula to figure out what had been causing my fatigue and poor recovery. By changing my nutrition and supplementing, I was able to work harder and smarter to get my body to an optimal level and go after my big sub-3 goal.
In November, I ran a HUGE PR and WON my first half marathon with a time of 1:24:33 at the Santa Clarita Half Marathon. I never thought I could dream that big, but it helped build back the confidence I’d lost over the last year and a half since my PR at Eugene Marathon.
Santa Clarita Half Marathon Female Winner, November 2019
In December, I went after my sub-3 goal again at CIM, missing it by 85 seconds. But I also PR’d by 5 minutes and 36 seconds, which was still a good day. There’s no easy way to describe the feelings of sadness and happiness that are still rippling through me about this result, but you can read more about it in my blog post or check out my YouTube video on it.
CIM and a New Marathon PR, December 2019
So to close things out this year was really a 9/10 for me. In many ways, I and Sugar Runs rose to another level. I couldn’t have accomplished any of this without the help of my husband, my coach, the other amazing women that I’ve joined forces with this year who trusted me to help grow their businesses, or all of YOU and your support. And that is what makes the next year look so bright - I can’t wait to see all that we’ll accomplish TOGETHER.
J
