I’ve always found that the end of a marathon is always the close to some type of life chapter. When I think back to any race, I usually don’t think about the race itself as much as I think about the entire training block that went into it. Not just the miles, hours in the gym, massage sessions, acupuncture appointments, etc., but the community, the work environment I was in, the work I was avoiding, etc.
Maybe that’s why it has taken me a while to reflect on CIM and 2023. Because I wasn’t ready for this year to end.
2023 was the first year in a while in which I felt as though I wasn’t running from anything. It was truly just a great year filled with so many blissful moments and emotions. I wasn’t ready for it to end. Maybe I’m still not.
The California International Marathon was the definition of “we get to do this.” From the moment we left Minnesota, I couldn’t stop thinking about how grateful I was to be in the position I am in. Traveling across the country with my beautiful partner, wonderful clients, and dedicated Performance Running Gym members all with the same mission of running, and ideally PR-ing, a marathon. A true community feeling that I once thought wasn’t findable. And the fact that a good percentage of these individuals trust me in some way to help them across the finish line. It was surreal.
CIM may be the end of 2023 and the title of this blog, but the messages come down to what I gained/how I grew as an individual. Here are some things that stick out as I think upon the last 12 months:
- Kailee Carlson is the most selfless person I have ever met, and no one deserves how good of a human being she is.
- Hours of training with good friends throughout the year (special shoutout to Aaron Boike for all the long run help on the roads, but also in CO. When I first walked in the doors at PRG, I knew one thing and that was that I needed and wanted to learn and grow from you. Thank you.)
- No one is going to believe in you more than yourself. I believe in me. I belong in this community, not just as a member, but a leader and I’m going to make an impact. The rise of the hybrid athlete is among us.
- Communication with friends, family, members, that made me think, reflect, develop as a person and coach.
- Stepping into/accepting my role as a leader in the run community.
- Confidence in myself and doing what I want and know to be right.
- Dropping negative habits that don’t serve me.
- Accepting my strong body and showing what it can do on the road, but also in the gym.
- Taking risks in business in the short term that have started to pay dividends already.
- Being blessed to work with well over 50 athletes this year (even more if you count the Highland Park track team).
- Discovering who my ideal clients are and understanding that not everyone will like me, but also knowing that in most situations, I can take 50% of the blame.
- Stepping away from comfortable situations and putting myself into more growth opportunities.
- Massive PRs in every distance, easy pace dropping, accepting myself as a faster individual and knowing my worth to push and drive towards faster times.
- Colorado kicks ass. Specifically, Boulder.
- Take the risk, take the trip, quit your job, take the first step.
- No one is coming to save you, BUT there are a lot of people that want to help you if you are ready to help yourself.
In terms of the the number on the clock, because I am also human, I ran a 3:17:32 at CIM.
- Over an hour faster than my first marathon.
- 7:33 mile pace which was about my HS 5K PR pace.
- 18 minutes off my last marathon time.
- I’m capable of running sub 3 in 2024.
2020-2022 were very hard years. 2023 had its downs for sure but was a huge turning point in my story and when I look back on it, I think about more highs than lows. And that is what is hard about moving onto 2024, I feel comfortable. Things are good. I wanted to sit in that and enjoy that because I spent 2020-2022 waiting for tomorrow and even though a lot of days were hard and I was okay rushing through them, I also skipped over good times too. Too often, we just want to move on to the next thing, but never want to sit in current feelings, good or bad. I’m trying to work on that.
All that to say, I spent the first part of January making some moves and doing a lot of thinking regarding what I want to do in 2024. Let’s just say I am excited. Blog post coming next week on that topic… Stay tuned and happy new year y’all!
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