The Running Thread—2023

[RuntheMouse]

Hi y’all, as we near the end of the year, I thought it’d be fun to do a little recap of our running this year. How’d it go for you this year? What’s your favorite memory? What are you most proud of?

2023 was a really good year for me running wise. Started out with my first Dopey/marathon. I am so proud of myself for finishing the marathon, I have a heart arrhythmia so things like this can be tough! I had goals to run 1200 miles and to PR a 5k, 10k and half this year and I did it all! Favorite memory was running the Garry Bjorkland half marathon, huge PR and just a great race.

Goofy +10k is coming up. This will be my last full marathon so I’m really hoping for a good one!

 

[jmasgat]

2023 was reasonably okay as far as running. I ran mostly for enjoyment/ fitness. I did train for and complete my final marathon—NYC. Training went better than the race, but whatever. A positive is that I had no major running injuries. A negative is that I haven’t run since Thanksgiving due to a still not yet healed herniated cervical disc.

Still on the fence about doing Disneyland.

 

[nancipants]

2023 was the year I started running, so I guess it's my baseline going forward. I ran the Princess 10k as my first real race and loved it. I trained for a 5k that I ran at the end of September and achieved my goal of running sub-40 even in 75 degree temps. I started training for the Princess Half Marathon. I'm considering registering for the 2025 marathon.

I'm proud that I was consistent with running this year. There are some days I don't feel like it, but I truly enjoy moving my body and having that time to myself every day.

 

[Herding_Cats]

2023.....was. It's been the year what it was absolutely shoved in my face that I need to exercise in the winter for my mental health, and that taking more than 2 weeks off is a terrible idea. I didn't do any races outside of MW this year, not even virtual ones, and I feel like I need too try to sign up for things so I have concrete dates to work toward.

Positive: I finished my first Dopey, despite massive amounts of anxiety on marathon morning.

Favorite: convincing DH to sign up for the half for this-coming MW.

 

[flav]

2023 was slow. My average speed is decreasing year after year. I am not sure how much I want to invest to change that. I may put one time objective in 2024 to push myself a bit.

It was also a catch up year for many races cancelled or virtualized in 2020. So a lot of races: 5k des érables in April, SpringTime Surprise (5k+10k+10M) in April, the Ottawa 59.2k (2k+5k+10k+marathon) in May, HM des vignobles in August, HM p’tit train du nord in September and NYC marathon in November. I am proud of having completed all of them. I am looking forward to less, but probably more focused, racing next year.

We can say that I acted as coach (for DH) and supporter (for DD) and they returned the favour in many ways. It was definitely a different relation with running. It is different to convince myself to follow a plan and get out five times a week than to do it with my life partner. Most of the time it is easier. When it’s not, there is one helping the struggling other.

I have therefore many amazing memories this year. For sure DD winning the 10k and us having such a great time at Disney is a highlight. So is DH and I completing the NYC marathon (his first) together.

I am proud of the fact that I am still running, consistently, and that I am still appreciating what it is giving me. Apparently, I also find pride in some numbers… I did run more than the year in kilometers

 

[AZMermaid]

2023 was the year I got back into running…. Again. I struggled a lot with summer running and may need to get a treadmill for next year. I’m sorta over the training for the DL half but want to keep a baseline going forward into 2024. I want to stick with it!

Tonight I’m going to a reunion for my high school XC coach for his retirement. I’m looking foreward to that even if I feel very self conscious about my weight vs what I perceive to be all these fit runner people. But I’m also hoping that it keeps me inspired to keep at it in 2024

 

[huskies90]

For me, 2023 started in 2022 when a registration glitch shut me out from getting into Dopey 2023. I ended up registering for “just” the WDW marathon. Since this was the first time I was running a marathon without a half marathon the day before, and since I was turning 55 in 2023, I thought this was my best and maybe only chance to qualify for the Boston Marathon. With my half PR of 1:35:04, and since the 2024 BQ time for a male 55-59 was 3:35, I thought I should be able to do it.

However, too much FL heat/humidity on marathon day combined with a bad fueling strategy caused me to bonk at mile 19 and fall short of my goal. The good news is I did PR the marathon and with the Boston acceptance cutoff of 5:29 I am sorta glad I didn’t qualify because no way was I doing that race in 3:29:31.

After marathon weekend, I did the Toy Story 10 miler in the Spring and then 4 local races: a 5K, 10K and two Half’s. I placed in the top 3 of my age group in all of them which felt good although no PR’s and frankly, it looks like I’m starting to slow down with age.

As for the rest of the year, my mileage was way down. The number of runs was pretty much in line with previous years but I really struggled with motivation to do longer runs. The good news is, even though total mileage is down, I was able to keep my 100 miles per month streak alive. With 100+ miles cracked this month, I am now at 70 months in a row - almost 6 years!!

The running highlight for 2023 was the first time ever throwing my name into the NYC lottery and being accepted!! Since I already planned on doing Dopey in 2024, it meant two marathons 8 weeks apart but I didn’t care. NYC was awesome and more than made up for not qualifying for Boston.

 

[camaker]

Hi y’all, as we near the end of the year, I thought it’d be fun to do a little recap of our running this year. How’d it go for you this year? What’s your favorite memory? What are you most proud of?

2023 has been a year of frustration for me. I started the year fighting my tibialis issue. That largely persisted on and off until it was replaced by an adductor/quad issue after an October race. My three non-Disney races all featured challenging weather conditions, one of which led me to DNF due to safety concerns (multiple severe thunderstorms coupled with steep bare dirt trails that turned to slippery mud). I never got acclimated to the summer heat, which definitely impacted my training leading into my fall races. I think my annual mileage totals really tell the story of my running year:

2020: 1878 mi
2021: 2002 mi
2022: 1801 mi
2023: 1395 mi (projected)

What I'm most proud of are the two 100k races I completed despite the training and weather challenges:

Blackbeard's Revenge 100k was in March and featured constant 15-20 mph headwinds with gusts up to 35+ mph. A point to point course heading southwards on the NC outer banks there was no respite from the constant headwind. I was just happy to finish.

The Cape Fear 24h Challenge was run in October and I had hoped to get into the 90s for mileage while trying out some new nutrition techniques. Instead, we had a rain ranging from light to downpour continuously for the first 8 hours of the race. By the time the rain passed and I was able to get into dry clothes, shoes and socks, a cascade of issues had been triggered. I didn't run the full 24h and just held on until I hit the 100k mark to qualify for a medal and then called it a day.

I'm still working out the takeaway messages from this year and deciding how to proceed with 2024.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

2023 itself has been tough in several aspects. Work has been stressful with a software integration that has been a cluster, and will continue to be so once we're live. It also means the anxiety I deal with has been kicking my butt since the summer. I'm trying to do more meditation and yoga to process it.

I got a swift kick in the rear at Princess this year when I let the wrong corral assignment for the 10K interfere with my fun, so I went back to the drawing board and asked myself why I let it get to me, and why I wanted to try to PR at Disney. It's supposed to be fun, right? I got some redemption at the Toy Story ten-miler where I did have fun, and did a non-park weekend. I made sure to stop for characters too.

I left my first running coach, tried CTP, found it wasn't for me, and turned to DopeyBadger for a plan that I can do without any pressure. I put myself out there and joined a track club where I was one of the slowest ones, but I felt like a bada** with each workout. I plan to join up again come spring.

Looking at 2024, I have the Disneyland 10K and yoga, trying Princess again for the 5k and 10k, where I swear I'll have fun, and I'm trying something new and I registered for the RRCA coaching workshop.

 

[pluto377]

2023 was not the greatest for me. Going into MW my ankle has started to hurt and I waited so long to get it checked out that I was dealing with tendonitis much longer than I probably would have had I gone to the dr as soon as I got back from MW.

After not running at all in May and June, I spent the summer building back up. I ran a few races in the State Parks summer series just for fun since I really wasn't back to full strength.

I was thrown for a loop when my son was diagnosed with a health issue in September. It's not life threatening, but it is life changing for time being and we are still adapting to it. That set my anxiety off and it's gotten completely out of control since I got sick around Thanksgiving.

Despite all that, fall training has gone ok. I've been relatively consistent and December is on track to be my highest mileage month in about 2 years. I'm looking forward to MW and trying to control my anxiety around DL weekend.

In 2024, I'm hoping to just have a more consistent year, get my anxiety under control, drop 15 more pounds (lost 8 since September!), and increase my pace.

 

[Scootin'By]

To continue the trend, 2023 was really up and down for me. It started with this really weird strain, muscle pull thing - which took almost 8 months to rehab.

Then, and this was the absolute best part of the year, I found this community. This awesome, wonderful, accepting and supportive community. And I was inspired to take my weekday jogging to the next level and see if I could run an actual 5k.

5k led to 10k and the rest is history. I've run 80 miles since November when I got my new Garmin and who knows how many before then. I'm a 3 times a week runner now who pays attention to his hydration!

Course, in between there, I had a lot of therapy, a few panic attacks, became sober, and went into a huge rough patch with my SO. But hey, tomorrow is another day, next week is another year.

 

[Bree]

2023 has most certainly had its ups and downs and I’m ready to close the chapter of this year.

The Good - I managed to FINALLY lose the 20 pounds I gained after my husbands motorcycle accident in 2015. I just had my yearly labs and my cholesterol numbers have improved Even with the weight loss and lack of consistent training I haven’t lost any fitness.

We bought a new house and I no longer run a farm. That’s a huge stress that’s been lifted off my shoulders and my anxiety is so much better. Now I can show up to someone else’s barn and love on my horse without the guilt of the never ending work.

Pay no attention to her mane. She managed to find the one spot in her paddock that had tree sap and rubbed her face, neck and tail in it



The Bad - I lost my love for running somewhere along the way, but I’m hoping with a good chunk of time off early next year I’ll find it again. I keep catching colds

The Ugly - I had surgery in May and had complications. I will be having surgery again in January and have strict rules not to run for 12 weeks. I can walk or bike. Honestly, I’m looking forward to the time off.

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

Hi y’all, as we near the end of the year, I thought it’d be fun to do a little recap of our running this year. How’d it go for you this year? What’s your favorite memory? What are you most proud of?

I'm happy with how my 2023 running year turned out. My #1 goal was to run more miles than 2022, which I did so, that's what I'm most proud of. I ran in 8 half marathons in 2023 and saw areas of my city, state, and country I would have not otherwise seen. I don't think I really got any faster, but that wasn't my goal.

My favorite running memory this year was running RunDisney Princess half marathon with my older daughter. It was her first RunDisney half and so special experiencing the magic of running down Main Street with her.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

For 2023...
1. Wife wound up with a work conference at Coronado Springs on Princess weekend and I managed to score a bib for the half. Completed the half, she met me afterward at Epcot, and I did another half walking around that afternoon. I slept very soundly that night.
2. Did the Roswell Alien 13.1 here in Atlanta and totally messed up my fueling and had a miserable race, which led me to do a lot of research on that topic (Thank you @DopeyBadger for your posts on that topic)
3. Had Morton's Neuroma and a searing pain in my leg (due to pinched nerve in my back) that led to weeks of missed training, and managed to get past those issues, in part thanks to Hokas and good PT.
4. Completed the Marine Corps Marathon in under 6 hours in what turned out to be a warm and humid race. The better fueling was a huge help in that feat.
5. Got myself under 200 lbs for the first time in many years, and have been (mostly) successful in keeping the weight down.

Workwise, took a new position at work that I am enjoying. And best of all, my younger son is still coming around to visit even after turning 18. I have much to be thankful for.

And thankful for this group to "talk" about running, since no one else around me wants to hear about it.

 

[The Expert]

2023 was absolutely bonkers for me. I struggled through my second Dopey and third marathon in January, went on a lengthy trip to Egypt/Jordan/Istanbul in February to celebrate DH finishing his masters, expecting to settle back into "normal" life. HA! He was quickly head-hunted for a job across the country in a state we'd never even visited, and before I knew it we were planning a massive move with six cats. Moving, buying a home, moving from rental to home, and then all the various projects a new home brings have pretty much consumed the rest of my year.

Oh, and my mom and stepdad are here for the holidays, staying in our guest room, and DM tested positive for Covid! She's fine. We spent all day yesterday getting her in somewhere to get Paxlovid when her GP couldn't be bothered, but I'm just hoping my immunity holds up. I have yet to get Covid at all, so fingers crossed I have magic immunity or something.

When I decided to scale back from Dopey to the other three races, I had no idea any of this was coming, but I'm supremely grateful for whatever bit of psychic energy guided me that direction. There is no way I would have had time to train for it. I'm barely trained for what I am doing!

I've already decided to jump back into Dopey for 2025 and have signed up for Springtime Surprise, in hopes it will motivate me to reignite my relationship with running and stick to a new routine.

As Walt says, keep moving forward!

 

[nancipants]

I've already decided to jump back into Dopey for 2025 and have signed up for Springtime Surprise, in hopes it will motivate me to reignite my relationship with running and stick to a new routine.

Yay! Can I join Team Not So Fast for the 2025 marathon?

 

[azrivest]

2023 has been overall very positive for me.

The Pros: I PR'd my 10k in May which I had been working on for 2 years. I finished my first 11M/3500ft elevation trail race in September. I've run about 1000 miles so far this year. It's going to be less mileage than last year, but I see this as a positive since I've been smarter about running then taking time off. I've had a successful training cycle for Dopey 2024. It's my first time and I'm super nervous. I've done all I can to get through the challenge so the only thing left now is to trust the training.

The Big Con: I've had a nagging butt injury for almost a year that never fully heals, no matter how much PT and strength training I've been doing. I plan on taking a whole month off after Dopey to see if it helps. I am also going to enjoy the time off and not running outside in the dead cold of January.

Running highlight: Finishing the Princess 5k with my family. My son loved it so much that he asked to do the MW5k with me. My daughter has not run another yard since then and never wants to do another race in her life

 

[The Expert]

Yay! Can I join Team Not So Fast for the 2025 marathon?

All are welcome!

 

[Scootin'By]

And thankful for this group to "talk" about running, since no one else around me wants to hear about it.

I am in the same boat for running and Disney!

 

[michigandergirl]

My first thought was that 2023 was a crap year for running for me. My speed continues to decline. Some health challenges have interfered with my normal energy levels. My two favorite running partners aren't currently running, which makes me sad and messes with my motivation. I also had some "personal worst" races.

But then as I thought about it longer, I realized that 2023 was a solid and consistent year of running for me. Somehow, despite the life & health challenges thrown at me, I managed to train for and run 2-10K trail races, a half marathon, a 25K, and 2 full marathons. I'm slowly trying to shift my perspective - that it's okay that my PR days are probably over and that it's still a great accomplishment to finish.