GGG

Wednesday 29 November 2017

What a year 2017 was...

November 29, 2017

When I look back on this year's race season it wasn't what I expected.

I knew my recovery after the 100 Mile Race in November 2016 would be a long one. And with a lot of patience I eased back into running and had even started to feel I was recovered when this fall I spent a week in the cardiac unit of the hospital.

I don't know if we are ever really prepared to have health issues but that came at the end of the year so instead I'll focus on the good stuff.

With a lot of patience and not much running I managed to start and finish the Princess Half Marathon in Disney in February. It was surprisingly easy because I ran with gratitude and no expectations. I didn't race, heck I barely managed to run the whole way but I did and I celebrated every single mile.

Then in March, I had what was the BEST RACE EXPERIENCE of my running life. I participated in the Rift Valley Marathon (see photos below) in Kenya, Africa. I did a combination of running and walking and dropped down from the planned Marathon to the Half Marathon [I had registered for the marathon months before the 100 Mile Race so hadn't considered injury]. What a blast. I had the company of children the entire race. And by doing the Half Marathon I was able to sprint my finish to get to the line before the first MARATHON finisher. What can I say, they are fast in Kenya. My half marathon time barely beat their best marathoners time.



In April I competed with a team of women in New York City at the More Half Marathon. It was a bittersweet experience because we are all on Team Bethany which celebrated the life of a very good friend who had passed away unexpectedly. She had registered for the race before dying and we all went to complete it for her. I finished the last 100 meters of the race holding her young daughter's hand and it meant the world to me.



Much of the rest of the year was filled with Sole Sisters Women's Race activities. Our June 5K was a HUGE success as was our October Quarter & Half Marathon.



Unfortunately for me, I've had some very serious health issues that started the week before our October race. It certainly has made things more interesting!

And since I had already registered for two big races before my problems started, I am optimistic I will still be able to to participate in both of them: the Rift Valley Marathon in March 2018 and the Boston Marathon in April 2018.



And most exciting of all, I will be bring running supplies to a team of female runHERs (Sole Sisters Kenya) that are training in Kenya now. They'll have new shoes, watches and race entries to assist them in making it professionally. So regardless of my personal running, I know running will still be a big part of my 2018!