Blinging It in 2019

The year was 2019, and it served me well.

Lots of races run, 19 in total. And, there was a nice haul of bling brought home.

Shall we play a quick game of Show and Tell?


Here's where my racing shoes took me...

Freezefest 5K (Feb. 16th, Marian, IA). A cold morning, but with a lack of wind, it was quite nice. I ran this race (accidentally) sans music and Garmin, and finished in 25:56.

2nd place AG

Leprechaun Chase 10K ( March 9th, Des Moines, IA).  An annual favorite, this year blessed us with non-stop rain and giant snowflakes at the finish line. I ran the race strong, but definitely not a 10K (nor a course) PR.  The weather, I believe kept a lot of people away, so my 56:13 enabled me to snag a 2nd place AG spot on the podium. No bling, per se, but a commemorative glass pint and a free registration for the 2020 Chase.

Heroes Memorial Run 10K  (March 22nd, St. Petersburg, FL). A unique race run on the downtown streets of St. Pete, this race happened on a Friday evening while the hubby and I were on spring break. My finish time was a pleasant surprise (54:51), and rewarded me with a 2nd place AG and a top 20-(female) finisher plaque.

Chocoholic Frolic 10K (March 30th, Iowa City, IA) My third 10K of the month, this one had me facing a fierce Iowa wind on a chilly spring morning. Apparently the tailwind counter-acted the headwind well, and pushed me to a near 10K PR (53:57).

1st place AG

Cherry Blossom 10-Mile (April 7th, Washington, DC) A long-time bucket list event, I got to enjoy all the beautiful trees in bloom in our nation's capital city.

Drake Road Races Half Marathon (April 20th, Des Moines, IA) Another favorite race, this hilly route showcases some scenic neighborhoods and ends with a lap on the famous blue oval in Drake Stadium. We had beautiful weather this year, which is seldom the case this time of year in Iowa.

A course PR, with a finish time of 2:04:32

Grand Blue Mile (April 23rd, Des Moines, IA) This was my second year running the Grand Blue Mile...if you run one of the Road races (three days prior) and run the Blue Mile, you're given the Bull Dog Double medal. I beat my 2018 time by over 30 seconds, clocking 7:23! It took me several minutes to catch my breath, a few hours to re-hydrate my scratchy throat, and almost a week for my legs to recover...but it was worth it.

4th place AG out of 73

Market to Market Relay (May 11th, west/central Iowa) A fun-filled, though LONG day spent with a team of co-workers. The route is 76 miles long, and there were five of us taking turns over the span of 10 hours. No medals, but we all got glass pints.

DAM to DSM 20K (June 1, Des Moines, IA) A favorite race with a new name. This was my 12th time running the Dam race that will always be my favorite.

2:02:14, one of my better finish times

Fifth Season 4th of July 8K (July 4th, Cedar Rapids, IA) This was a new-to-me race. The temps were warm and humid (just the way I like them LOL) and the route was fun with non-stop crowd support.

43:10, 3rd place AG

Midnight Madness 15K (July 13th, Ames, IA) This is a fun, action-packed event held in the evening (hence the name). There's a 5K route, which you can run once (for the 5K race) or you can run it twice (for the 10K race). Some of us even run that same route three times, all in one evening. The longtime race director was retiring, so they had commemorative medals honoring him (for the age group winners). This event is also the Iowa Games 5K and 10K championships, so there were AG awards for those as well. I was able to snag a third place AG finish in both the 5K (27:00) and 10K (56:58)...so I brought home four medals on that hot summer night. 

Quad Cities Times Bix-7 (July 27, Davenport, IA) It had been five years since I'd last run the Bix and I was ever-so-eager to return and take on the 7-miles of hills this race is famous for. It's always hot, and it's always humid...but that's part of the allure. No age group honors, but I set a new course PR with my finish time of 2:04:22. I beat my old PR by 52 seconds, which was from nine years ago.

NewBo Half Marathon (Sept 2, Cedar Rapids, IA) This was my second year running the NewBo, and it's already a race that has become a new favorite. There's a great mix of rolling hills (with a couple of big ones in there), country roads, and several miles of woodland trails (some of them gravel). I didn't quite make my sub-2:00 goal, but I came close...2:01:10, which was still a significant course PR. I was good with that!

Kickoff to Kinnick 5K (September 21st, Iowa City, IA) The weather gods didn't want to play nice...after a couple of delayed start times, the race was finally called off. By the time we'd waited inline for our medals, though, the threat of lightning had ceased and the rain had cleared. Several of us decided to run the race course anyways.

Run for the Roses 10K (October 13th, Ames, IA) With the Marine Corps Marathon looming a couple weeks away, I was in taper mode. I still wanted to do a tempo-ish run, though, so this race was a perfect fit. It was another hilly adventure (I'm not sure how I keep finding these), and the morning temps were damp, cold and windy. It was a route I was not familiar with, which I guess worked to my advantage. My finish time (53:38) wound up being a legit 10K PR, squeaking by a long-standing PR from seven years ago.

1st place AG

IMT Des Moines Half Marathon (October 20th, Des Moines, IA) Many people probably thought I was crazy to run a half marathon a week out from MCM, but there are some races I simply cannot miss, and this is one of them. I had no finish time goals and my only race day objective was to run by feel and enjoy the morning. The weather could not have been more perfect...all the clouds parted, giving us sunshine and temps in the low 40F's. I felt strong and nailed the fueling. No fatigue and no achy muscles, and my finish time made me smile...2:04:14.

Marine Corps Marathon (October 27th, Arlington, VA/Washington DC) I've had this race on my bucket list from the beginning, and it was an amazing event. Granted, there were almost 19 miles in a downpour (and occasional standing water to wade through), my wet clothes (including my socks and shoes) never dried out because it was so humid, and it got really hot in the final miles when the sun did shine brightly on us. So many runners DNF'd, but I was not one of them. It truly was a great day despite all the frustrations of the circumstances. Even my finish time (5:09:34) was nowhere close to what it should have been...but I have no regrets.

#MissionAccomplished #OORAH

Hillbilly Hike Half Marathon (November 2nd, Carlisle, IA) Yes, a half marathon six days after a marathon! It's not unheard of to do another race, after all there's a whole lot of endurance and training still in one's arsenal. I'd run this race twice before (2015 and 2016), and knew it was a scenic course along a rail trail. This particular year, though, the temps were freezing, literally. The trail was slick in spots and the numerous bridges had ice. Oh, and my Ipod had died (at mile 2 of MCM), so I was without music...but I just wanted to run and enjoy myself. Again, no finish time goals and just a run-by-feel strategy. Well, it worked...I felt great the entire 13.1 miles and crossed the finish line in 2:01:16, which was actually a course PR (and 5th place AG).

Jingle for a Cure 5K (December 7th, Newton, IA) A new to me event, I registered onsite as a spur -of-the-moment decision. I wanted to get in at least one holiday-themed race before Christmas, and this was only 20 miles down the road. Not actually any bling brought home from this...but a generous gift card sufficed since it was for finishing first place overall for females. Trust me, that's never happened before.

So, there's my 2019 bling. It's been a busy year, and a productive year.  That said, I'm already eager to see what 2020 has in store.

How did 2019 play out for you? Any great races? Fun events? Proud moments? Pretty bling?

 I'm linking this with Kim and Zenaida for the Tuesday Topics Link-Up

**I'm also linking this with Debbie and Marc  for the Running Coaches' Corner

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