You are two thousand 13 going on 14, I'll depend on you

First of all, thanks for reading my blog. I hope that you have found something this year with which you could relate. I understand that I'm an eclectic mix. Mother. Runner. Math/Science Teacher. Cook. Quasicrafter. Adoption preparer. Jack of all trades. Master of nothing. It's a mixed up blog. It does take me a little vulnerability to put life out there, and I appreciate all the positive feedback.

I am at a point where I can look back at the past year and look ahead to the next.

Bling and swag from 2013

Last year, I didn't make my mileage goal. Not even close. Didn't even run 1000 miles. I was about 40 miles short. Looking back at this, I doesn't bother me a bit. The miles I did run were great. I had fun. I ran happy (except when I complained or cried). In short, I'm proud of the miles I did run. I did a number of trail runs this year: Bear Trax/Brownie Shuffle 20k, the Waterfall Glen Xtreme 10 miler and the North Face Endurance Challenge half marathon. When I was a kid I used to go cross country skiing, and I loved looking up to the sky ahead of me on the trail between the trees. It was majestic and regal. Trail running gives me that same pleasure. I feel strong after running a trail race. During a trail run I oscillate between invincible and exhausted.

I had a successful sprint triathlon, first one in five years. As an ambassador for Esprit de She, I raced the Naperville Triathlon with my stepmom. We will both be racing it again this year. I like that she goes into the water before I do. Her expression tells me how cold the water is. Last year it was COLD. I am pondering doing a few triathlons this year. Purely pondering.

To round out the year, I did a few half marathons including the Wisconsin Half Marathon which I did for its first two years and the did Pittsburgh for two. Doing Wisconsin again was like a meet and greet in and out and back. I waved almost as much as I ran. I ran a lot of miles and races with my friend Kate. We ran Wisconsin, and we camped then ran North Face together. We even spied out her new house when it went on the market.

The inaugural Naperville Marathon kicked my butt in a good way. Running a marathon is such a good for the soul experience. It tests limits mentally, emotionally, physically and even spiritually. I only did one marathon this year. The previous two years I ran two a year. I am still up in the air about whether I like the Spring marathon or the Fall marathon more. I need to run a few more to get a good test pool. Six marathons since Sept 2010 isn't too shabby.

This year I also sat on a jury, got my secondary math teaching endorsement, took two math classes, taught two math classes, got into grad school, completed our home study, finished and filed our dossier, drove across the country and enjoyed my family.

Mom, you have a lot of necklaces!

So what's on the docket for this year? Good question. Saturday I will be running the Frozen Gnome 10k in crazy conditions - 30 inch snow fall and post freezing rain. It should be memorable. Frozen Gnome and the Esprit de She Naperville Triathlon are the only races that I'm signed up for this year. Here's the thing, we hope to be going to China this year to meet our son. We don't know when and that makes planning races very difficult. And when we do bring our son home, our life will turn upside down for some time. Jen Hatmaker's post on after the airport echos all the adoption training we've had. We hope for the best and prepare for the worst. In terms of running, I'd like to do the Wisconsin Marathon, Grandma's Marathon and maybe even the Conquer the Capitol Challenge. I'd also like to do my first 50K with the North Face Endurance Challenge. *deep breath* Racing will have to wait and see.

Since I'm chomping at the bit, my body made it a little easier. Just before the Naperville Marathon the outside of my right foot began to hurt, sometimes during the run and sometimes while standing or walking. I took some time off (and did Insanity), taped, rested, and nsaided. I even went to the doctor. Before I go on to the podiatrist, I'm going to take a cue from my dog, Seamus.

My rest teacher

What are my fitness goals for 2014? I'd like to be able to do 10 regular push ups by the end of the year. I think that's attainable. No mileage goals. No time goals. This year is an adventure. Stick around; this could get interesting.