And just like that 2016 is over.
With one final run on December 31st, I finished off the last 7 miles I needed to hit 1500 miles for the year. 1500.40 to be exact.
2016 ended up being the year of running for me. There was a 5k PR, a half marathon PR, and a marathon PR & BQ. I ran my highest mileage ever at 1500 miles, my biggest week ever at 46 miles, and my biggest month ever at 180 miles. Whew! So with so many great milestones why am I still feeling so meh about running?
The end of marathon training coincided with the start of our long New England winter (ie. pure darkness at 4:30pm), a very disappointing end to the presidential election, and some super stressful family stuff. There’s been a lot of time spent eating my emotions and worrying over things I cannot control – not the most conducive to feeling good and active. So with the end of 2016 it’s time to shift the focus and channel my energy into healthier outlets – like running!
What about freezing cold, dark, early mornings doesn’t scream love of running? The real bummer of this was that I woke up at 4:25 AM to meet friends for this run only to turn around 1/4 mile in because my car was sliding all over the road.
Even though I feel like I haven’t been running much, not running much has now taken the meaning of still hovering around 90-100 mile months. Plus, the desire to test out some new running gear – thank you very much to my in laws and my mom! – has been too good to pass up. We haven’t had much snow so far, but we have had a fair amount of icy sidewalks. My in laws gave me a pair Nanospikes and I loved them! Last year I tried out DIY screws in my shoes which led me to a very painful 10 mile run. These gave me great traction in the snow/ice sections and were still comfortable to run in on the clear sections. I do worry about wearing them out too quickly running on ground that isn’t snow covered so I will have to report back on that later.
My dad sent me this awesome bib and medal holder for Christmas. There are still a few slots empty waiting for more medals so I can’t leave those empty! 
What are your 2017 goals?
Do you find yourself in a running rut after meeting a goal or ending a training cycle?
running (Bos)s 
Those Nanospikes look good. I might have to use my REI gift certificate on them… hmm. Fear of slipping on an icy sidewalk is a huge deterrent for me this time of year. Are you super confident in them?
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That was something I was nervous about – that I would be overconfident in their abilities and end up wiping out. There were some areas that were long stretches of pure ice and I was completely fine going up them. My heel slipped a little in spots, but I never felt like I was going to fall.
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Good to know. Thanks for the recc!
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I think it’s normal to go through slumps, especially after great races. Something that was a huge part of your life and attention is abruptly over. But it’s also in a way a good thing: achieving your goal brought you some closure, it seems like. I usually love winter running but I’m having a hard time getting excited about it this year too. Although it’s nice to not have to worry about maintaining a heavy training load in polar vortexes and on icy sidewalks!
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Yes, not feeling like I have to fit in a specific amount of miles or pace is very freeing! Especially when you never know if there’s going to be ice or 5″ of snow to contend with.
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Wow! Super great year for running! If my 2017 could be on par with your 2016 that would be great. I’m so glad that we have reached the part of the year where the days are starting to get longer instead of shorter. I too lose motivation to run when it is already dark at 4:30.
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Oh man, I am struggling with winter running and it’s NOWHERE near as bad here as it is in your parts, lol!!
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