Finally wrapping up 2008

Running Miles - 1702.57
Biking Miles - 741
23 Races
4-Marathons
3-1/2 Marathons
2- 15K's
3-10K's
8 -5K's
2- 2 miler's
1 Duathalon

Organized Bike Rides
1 50 mile bike ride - The Big Damn Bridge 100
1 35 mile bike ride - The Tour De Rock
1 32 mile bike ride - Miss Vic's 100 miler

2008 was the year of the Marathon and my introduction to Road Biking.
I started off the year training with Cheryl for the Little Rock Marathon, I was only running the half but I wanted to support Cheryl in her marathon training so I commited to doing all of her long runs with her. Along the way I recruited Kelly, Michele and Bailey to run with us on quite a few of the training runs. Together we conquered Rahling Road, Kavanaugh, HillCrest,Mamumele Blvd Martin Luther King Blvd. the list goes on and on. A lot of those runs were pretty darn tough but we always persevered and finished every run with coffee and conversation.It was only fitting that since we had all run with Cheryl at one time or another during her training that we were there for the last few miles of her Marathon. I will never ever forget seeing the smile on her face when she saw us!

#1 Country Music Marathon
The Country Music Marathon was next this was the race we had chosen as a group to run. The timing was great part of the long run training with Cheryl was also our CMM training, we were just a little ahead on the mileage.
The most memorable training run with Nashville was our wet and soggy 20miler out on Lewisburg rd. It was a pretty miserable experience but it definately prepared us for anything that marathon day could throw at us...well almost everything.
Marathon weekend was awesome!! Brenda, Michele, Kelly, Robert, Gary, Arland and myself all stayed at the same Hotel and we had so much fun!!

#2 San Francisco Marathon
In Januaruary over Apple Pie and coffee at Daily Grind Bailey told me about her plans to run the San Francisco Marathon in August. Oh that sounds like fun I probably said and the next thing you know I have commited to running it with her. How could I turn down a chance to run over the Golden Gate Bridge??? I was able to talk Michele and Cheryl into going with us. Brenda was also going go with us but after developing PF she decided not to.
So after the CMM I took a brief rest actually I had to take a rest I had been struggling with knee pain since before the marathon and it increased during and after the marathon.
Bailey, Michele and I ran most of long runs for San Francisco at the River Trail... not really the best training ground for a very hilly marathon but we had some awesome experiences and how many people can say they bathed in the President Clinton Library fountains after a 20 miler?????
The San Francisco Marathon was such a great experience not just the race but the whole week. While I was still under the influence of the "Marathon High "I decided to run the St. Jude/Memphis Marathon in December. A large group of Cabot Cruisers were running it and I was planning on the 1/2 anyway so why not just do the full????

In June Arland bought me my first road bike and in addition to the marathon training I had also started training for the Big Damn Bridge 100.. well 50 for me. Within two weeks of getting my bike I did my first Duathalon in Hot Springs and I was hooked. Biking opened up a whole new avenue of fitness for me and I loved every minute of it even when Brenda and I were yelling out bad words while climbing the hills between Maulmele and Conway. I loved the hard kick my ass rides that Arland and the Davis brothers took me on and I loved the less intense more social rides with Brenda and Michele. Biking is such a complement to running and I felt like it made me a better runner.

#3 Mid South Marathon
While training for Memphis a couple of us got a crazy idea to use the Wynne/Midsouth Marathon as a training run. We had to run a 20 miler that weekend anyway so why not?????? So that's how marathon # 3 came about. The Midsouth Marathon is also part of the Arkansas Grand Prix so we got in a long training run and grand prix points all at the same time.

#4 Memphis
I had a great time training for this marathon with the girls, and it was a great Marathon.

So I started off 2008 training for a marathon and I ended it training for a marathon not a bad way to spend a year.