The year, 2016, brought several PRs but is also brought one serious injury.
As I close out 2016 with my running, I thought it would be fun to reflect upon the year. Plus there are plenty of new readers as well. Thinking out loud, I also never expect you to read remember what happened on LOLZ blog. Reflecting allows me to look back on the year too.
January:
In 2016, January was probably the best month running wise for me. I PRed in both of my favorite distances, the 5k and half marathon.
Starting the year off, on January 1st, I ran the Resolution Run 5k (18:22) and PRed in a prom dress. 
Then we went on vacation to Carlsbad and I PRed at the Carlsbad Half Marathon (1:22.57).
The rest of January was relatively quiet. It is definitely hard to top a PR in my two favorite distances.
February:
February brought a better PR in the 5k and I PRed in the Flower Show 5k (18:13). They threw flower petals at the start and you can clearly tell I was amused.
After that, I raced a few races but nothing of note.
March:
The biggest race in March was not my best race. In fact for all of 2016, Shamrock Half Marathon was my most miserable and unenjoyable race (The Philly half is so very close).
I love the Shamrock Race series, but 10 minutes before the start, it started to downpour. It was 40 degrees, downpouring and windy. Long story short, I paid the price and went from 7th place overall to 14th in the final mile.
My favorite race of March was the Phillies Charity 5k (18:27) I ran an 18:27 and surprisingly won the race for females. I received an autographed bat which was one of my favorite awards to date.
April:
My most memorable race was running the April Fools Half Marathon. While it wasn’t a PR, I did run a great race and surprised myself. The theme of my 2016 racing season became bad weather and we had wind gusts of 50 MPH.
Another race my husband and I did in April was the Totally Awesome 80s run. We attempted to dress the part and win the “best dressed” but there were many other couples dressed far better.
In April, I also ran the Broad Street 10 miler. This was one of a few very good 2016 races for me. Even though the weather was awful (what a trend), I ran a 10 mile best of 61:58. I learned a lot from racing in Shamrock the month before and I ran the race in my Gortex jacket. Bulky but I wasn’t defeated by the weather.
May-August
May began a series of runs that felt like garbage. I knew something was off and even with rest I didn’t feel good. Later I found out I had a small break in my ankle and had a very rare form of food poisoning. Honestly, it gave me plenty of time off and I didn’t miss running.
I spent most of the summer resting and then slowly easing back. The summer of 2016 was my down period.
September:
In September I jumped into RnR Virginia Beach and ran a 1:31. It was my first official race in a few months and I had no idea how it would go. A hurricane had just blown through and conditions weren’t ideal, but I finished as fifth women overall.
In September, I also won the Flying Fish 5k which gave me one of my all time favorite race photos.
Finally in late September, I ran RnR Philadephia and ran a 1:27.37. It was extremely hot day and I was pleased with my improvement.
As you can tell, September was a great month, running wise for me. I began to feel motivated that I was coming back from my injury strong.
October:
As great as September was, October was better!
I had an incredible time at the Runners World 5k and half marathon. I attended my first November Project, ran an 18:41 5k and then the next day a 1:24.17 half marathon. It was one of my best weekend performances of 2016.
The following weekend, I ran the Base Half Marathon. Even though it was close after Runners World, the race itself was important to me. My husband was deployed at the time. It poured rain but I ended up running negative splits (1:25.30) and was second overall (including men and women).
November:
Similar to March, my noteworthy race was not because of a positive experience. I felt terrible at the Philadelphia half marathon and ran a 1:27. I was in shape to run faster but like anything bad races happen. I crossed the finish line and didn’t think too much about it.
Five days after the Philadelphia half marathon, I ran a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 5k and ran an 18:30. It restored the motivation I had lost in myself. Plus I was race number 1, which was probably my greatest achievement of the year.
December:
December is obviously the most fresh in my mind, and I only raced once. The Dallas Half Marathon was my only race but also my favorite race. I ended my half marathon racing with a 1:23.44 which was close to where I started in January (1:22.57 at Carlsbad). 
I also announced that I was being coached by James Mckirdy.
Favorite Races of 2016:
Phillies 5k (18:27)
Flower Show 5k (18:13) PR
Broad Street 10 miler (61:59) PR
Carlsbad Half Marathon (1:22.57) PR
April Fools Half Marathon (1:24.04)
Base Half Marathon (1:25.28)
Dallas Half Marathon (1:23.44)
You can see all of my races here.
So what’s next for 2017?
That is a can of worms post that deserves it’s own day. I have a lot of goals but honestly running healthy and injury free is still the first priority. Like any runner I would like to continue to PR. I have no plans on marathoning soon and I’m happy racing shorter.
Questions for you:
How was your year of running?
It’s official – you’re a ROCK STAR!!! What an amazing year Hollie. I loved all the pictures, fist bumps and PRs 🙂 Bring on 2017!!
AMAZING recap, so inspiring, cant wait to see what you do in 2017 xo
I often wish I could have a year of great running — not necessarily all PRs (cause that’s not gonna happen anyway), but just feeling strong and no injuries. I think if you’re going to run, things are gonna happen, and it’s hard to appreciate the good without the bad.
All we can hope for is that the bad isn’t too bad, and that there’s more good than bad, I guess!
Here’s to happy holidays & a strong 2017.
Damn! Excited to see what’s next for you!
I appreciate that Sarah and I’m really excited to see what’s next for you too.
I managed to get through an injury. It still lingers, but I’m better.
Hope to run at least one marathon in 2017.
Congratulations on a great year, Hollie. I know it was full of ups and downs but that’s how running and life are. You ran some great races and times despite the bad weather ones in there, and you came back very strong from your injury. Best wishes in 2017 with the new coach and with your future non-marathoning plans 🙂
Woohoo! Wow, you faced some tough race-day conditions this year. Really excited to follow your progress into 2017 and see how things with the new coach shake out. I *may* do the Philly Half again next year too–we’ll see. 🙂
Your year of running gives me hope Holly! Although I’ve just discovered that my ankle isnt in fact broken, and that it’s just a ruptured ligament (just!), I’m so heartened that you were able to make a great comeback from injury and hopefully that means I can do the same. Wishing you an even better (injury free) 2017! xx
What a great year! This was fun to read because I didn’t “find” you until about June of this year, so it’s great to see what you were up to earlier. You’ve accomplished so much, in spite of being injured. Happy Holidays!
Great year, Hollie! Happy New Year!