2024 has come to a close, and it was an incredible year of running for me. I haven’t been able to write that recently, so it feels really good to have a successful year of running, especially at the age of 41 after running competitively for 25 years!
I was able to set 5 new PRs this year, and a two of them were from 8 years ago when I was at my fittest at 15-18 months postpartum with Cullen.
The year started off fairly strong, but during the spring time and into the early summer, things took a dip, and I was questioning if this was all worth it. I remember having conversations with Craig that maybe it was time I just hang up my running shoes and being done with it all. In the moment, it seemed dire, but now it is just a blimp that I am just recalling as I type this.
It was a good thing I stuck it out because it turned out to be an incredible year. And the best part is that I still feel like I have more to give and can run even faster!
A look at my running stats from 2024:
Total miles: 2628 miles
Average daily miles: 7.2 miles
Average weekly miles: 50.5 miles
Highest weekly mileage: 72 miles
Longest run: 23 mile training run, 26.2 mile race
States I ran in: Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Indiana
Races I ran: 12 races
PRs: mile, 5K, 10 mile, half marathon, marathon
Shockingly I ran less this year and my weekly mileage was less going into the marathon, but I still ran faster than ever before! I would often hear that when people cut back their mileage, they got faster, but I never thought it could be me. I often top out at 80-90+ weekly miles going into a marathon and am a pretty high mileage runner the rest of the year running 60-70 miles per week, but this year I peaked at 72 miles before the marathon, and stayed around 50-60 miles most of the year. So I guess I now have to add my name to the list of people who cut back their mileage and got faster!
Top places at a race: Now that I live in a much more populated state with a lot more fast runners, I don’t place as high as I used to, and it honestly doesn’t bug me.
Favorite race: Tracksmith 5000 was a fun one because I PRed by more than I thought possible. And, of course, Indy Marathon was incredible to set a new PR.
Biggest high: Finally after 20 years of dealing with ‘breathing issues,’ I finally figured out what was going on and was able to fix them. I ended up having EILO (exercised induced laryngeal obstruction) and can now finally keep my breathing under control at the end of a hard workout or race.
Biggest low: Fortunately I didn’t have any big lows. I did have more sickness than I have had in a long time. I had to take an entire week off for the flu/upper respiratory sickness that laid me out, which I have never taken so much time off for a sickness before.
Hardest workout: In one of my workouts I had to run an 800 in 2:36, which scared me like crazy! I also did some bigger workouts: 2 x 4 miles @ marathon pace; 3 x 1 mile + 5 x 1K; 10 x 1000m; 16 x 300m; 16 x 400m
Favorite memory: sharing miles with friends, summer runs, seeing the boys at the end of my races, and the high after achieving a PR
Coldest run: -30*F (real feel) in Minnesota in January
Hottest run: 86*F in Minnesota (It didn’t get as warm this past summer as it has in the past.)
2024 Races
3/22/2 – Hot Dash 10K (Minneapolis, MN) – 41:05
4/5/24 – Goldy’s Run 10 Mile (Minneapolis, MN) – 1:07:28
4/26/24 – Get in Gear 10K (Minneapolis, MN) – 41:04
5/27/24 – Brian Kraft 5K (Minneapolis, MN) – 18:54
6/22/24 – Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon (aka Grandma’s Half) (Duluth, MN) – 1:25:38
7/5/24 – Freedom Run 5 Miler (Waseca, MN) – 32:44
7/26/24 – Hopkins 1 Mile (Hopkins, MN) – 5:24 (PR)
8/23/24 – Tracksmith 5000 (Minneapolis, MN) – 18:20 (PR)
9/8/24 – City of Lakes Half (Minneapolis, MN) – 1:24:10 (PR)
10/6/24 – Twin Cities 10 Mile (St. Paul, MN) – 1:03:06 (PR)
11/9/24 – Indianapolis Monumental Marathon (Indianapolis, IN) – 2:56:57 (PR)
11/28 /24 – Farmamerica Turkey Trot (Waseca, MN) – 19:21
2024 was a good year for running, and I’m optimistic 2025 can be even better. My fitness has continued to improve after the marathon, and I’m already figuring out my race schedule for 2025, so keep following along. I am not done!
