Monday, December 29, 2014

2014: The Year in Review

I remember writing this post last year. I distinctly remember two things: How full of numbers it was, as I excitedly reported on the tremendous progress I made. This one is not gonna be like that at all. I also wandered how I was gonna write the next one. How much progress would I make in 2014? But I digress...

Fast forward 11 months. I'm reading the year end review from the gals over at We Run Disney and one of them reports how 2014 was a year of ups and downs. In the comments, I wrote about how my year was essentially a bunch of bad races and missed goals and an injury up until my huge mega race in Philly and that while the year as a whole could have been better, I really couldn't complain. A couple of days later, as I was putting my thoughts together for this post, I realized that what I wrote there really wasn't true.


Its hard for my big head to get around this, but I actually had my greatest running accomplishment in 2014. It just doesn't feel that way. The way it's set up, with the race being held in January, I did all my training in 2013 (and most of 2012) so in a way, running the marathon feels like a 2013 accomplishment but in reality it was this year. And what an accomplishment it was. Even now, its hard to put my head around the fact that I was able to run 26.2 miles. Not only that, I was surprised at how well I was able to do it. I ran strong and followed every interval. Sure I was sore at the end and I was walking funny for a week but man... That was pretty high on the awesome scale.


And that I guess, is part of the problem with having your greatest moment at the very start of your year. I'm not gonna say that there is no way to go but down but it becomes quite easy to do so.

Spring 2014 -  Superman Syndrome and I try for a Tri

So I ran a marathon. That means I can do anything right? Well, it sure felt that way. Suddenly, every other distance seemed like a walk in the park. At least on paper it looked that way but it is really faulty math. I figured, hey I ran 15 minute miles for the marathon so that means I can travel at the speed of sound for a 10K right? Wrong! A pretty loud wake up call in the form of The World's Best 10K let me know that wasn't so. I took off like a galloping horse and forced to walk after 4 and a half miles. Very humbling. While I PR'ed for that particular race it fell short of my overall 10K PR. I did get to meet Jared, the Subway guy before the race though.


On top of that, I also had a horrible case of Runger. After the marathon, I was like...


I gained some weight back of course, even though I was pretty active at this time. Some of you might remember it was around this time I took my first attempt at triathlon training. All I can say is, don't bring a knife to gun fight. It's not that you have to go buy the latest and greatest gear but you do need some basics and I did not have them. It sure made for some funny moments though. The image of me riding my wife's mountain bike (which I, you will also recall, broke) around the neighborhood is one of them. But hey quitters are not the ones who fail, its the ones who don't get up and try again and I will try again. But that's another post.



Summer 2014 - The Summer of Speed (Not)

To close out spring, I sort of dared my friend Al, that if he signed up for the Philadelphia Half Marathon, I would join him. He is a very busy guy. I wasn't sure he was gonna pull the trigger but sure enough, he did. And to be honest I was kind of happy about it though the pressure was on for sure. I had set a goal to run a sub-3 hour Half Marathon in 2014 and this race seemed like the perfect one to attempt the feat. But I had to get cracking. This, in hindsight, seems to be the point where I got my knee injured. As I focused more on speed, I might have stressed my joints a bit more than I should have. It was around this time where I ran a trio of 5K's that ended up being a bit frustrating as there seemed to be no progress in my times. I failed to PR in all of them. The 5K for Values, Altamesa 5K and Popular Bank's 5K all felt like I was behind. It was really a case of me aiming too high. By the end of the last one, my knee was feeling funny.


On the good side, near the end of summer, Mindy from Road Runner Girl introduced me to the concept of the Diet Bet. A game that allowed me to get back on track and lose what I had gained thanks to the bad case of Runger gone amok earlier in the year.

Fall 2014 - The Thrill of Victory... The Agony of Defeat

What a roller coaster of a season! It was at this point where two very important happenings took place. First, after returning from Las Vegas, I went to the Doctor, found out what was wrong and was asked to rest. The Philly Half was right around the corner and I was freaking out!. On the other hand, I was also featured on Today.com on an article about overweight people that have tackled a marathon. It was kind of surreal and the blog traffic sure went up during that time. I'm sure I've said this before but when I started this blog, it was for me and if some friends wanted to read it that would be awesome but here we are. The fact that people actually read this stuff is mind boggling.

Winter 2014 - I Surprise Everyone, Even Myself

Ans so it was time for the Philadelphia Half Marathon. The Doctor cleared me to run -but being careful of, course- and I trained as best I could under the circumstances. I knew I could PR. If there was anything good about the time of my first Half is that there was room for improvement. But under three hours? After the year I had? With a questionable knee? It certainly looked improbable from where I was standing.

But what ensued on that cold November day, I never would have guessed. With the help of fellow Team Run Disney member and friend Natalie (who I thank for running with me every time I tell this story) I ran a race I just never thought I had in me. Not at this point in time anyway. You would think running so high above what I'm used to would be hard and tedious. That with every mile I would be panting and squirming in pain but to cap it all off I had an absolute ball doing it. I ran, I talked, I high fived spectators, I cheered and I even danced a little. What a race...


I learned so much about myself during that race. About what I can do and could be doing. During the year, there wasn't much progress from a numbers standpoint. But the Philly Half was more then enough proof that sometimes you can't measure progress from a numbers standpoint alone. I can say that I am a much better runner today, crap knee and all, than I was last year. And if this year was interesting to say the least, I can tell you right now, my plans for the next one are even more exciting. Sure, there were some hard lessons to be learned but I intend to use those lessons to the fullest next year. Looking at 2014, I see a "rough" sandwich. Two incredible experiences acting as the bread for a pretty rough middle in between. But here's to new beginnings. A new year full of potential and I hope that you dear readers, are able to tap into that potential and fulfill whatever you are cooking up for 2015.

18 comments:

  1. Great recap Frank! Looking forward to following your adventures in 2015!

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    1. Thanks Sarah! And Happy New year to you and the Hubbo!

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  2. Great recap and amazing year! I love that there was a great experience to begin and end the year. Here's to 2015 being even better :)

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    1. Absolutely! You also ran a pretty amazing Half as well. Happy New Year!

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  3. You definitely had an amazing year Frank even with all the ups and downs! I know 2015 is going to be EPIC for you!

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    1. What's a year without some downs? It's like bad runs. They make you appreciate the good ones. We'll see how epic 2015 will end up but it's sure shaping up to be that way.

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  4. What a year! Even though there were some bumps in the road, you came back strong, and you are ready to take 2015 head on! Keep at it!

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    1. Thanks Jennifer! Hope 2015 is good for you too.

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  5. Wanted my real name. But for you, great year in retrospect. Can't believe your full was so long ago, but you have accomplished so much since then. Can't wait to ready what 2015 has in store for you.

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    1. Thanks Ron, you are one of the people who have been reading this since the beginning and I thank you for your support so much. You too had some epic races in 2014 like the Marine Corps Marathon. Hope you and your family have a Happy New Year!

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  6. It's like a blog post themed with all things yummylicious. And I am SO stealing the "Runger Gone Amok" line. I even wrote it down for future reference. Really. I did. Feliz Something Ano mi amigo! :) Or something like that. Spanish is a little shaky. Or it could be the vino.....

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    1. A word of warning my friend: Year in Spanish is Año (notice the little wiggly line on top of the n) Ano on the other hand is a very fancy, PC way of saying ass. And not the animal either. LOL Happy New Year! Feliz Año Nuevo!

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    2. I think I just snorted tea out of my nose..... In my defense, I don't have a little squiggly line on my keyboard. :)

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  7. I think having mush in the middle of the sandwich is way better than a bad end to the year. Christine is still lamenting her Richmond Marathon and that makes me sad. You train so hard for a big race and yet we all seem to care alot about the number, myself included. My big high spot of the year was at the beginning too, Dopey Challenge and then my BQ marathon in March. Here's to a great 2015!

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    1. Absolutely I agree. Ending on a low note would be much more frustrating but that should give us the determination to do even better next year. Have a great 2015 as well!

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  8. You've just got to learn those lessons. Sounds to me like 2014 was pretty darn OSOM all things considered. Happy New Year, Frank!

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    1. It was. Sometimes you focus on a certain period and think your year pretty much went like that but that's the awesome thing about these recaps. They really help put things in perspective. I would wish you a Happy New Year as well but I know you are well past that in your part of the World. Hoping to hear from you as we both keep on running and cycling! Awesome bike by the way.

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  9. What a great recap of your year! I'm glad my hometown of Philly was a great run for you! Let me say, I follow you on IG but I don't think I have jumped over and read your posts before... LOVE it! I will be back to read more of your running adventures in 2015! Happy New Year!

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