At the end of the year, it’s good look back at the races you completed and reflect on your accomplishments. I usually have a long list of races to reflect on, but with 2011 being the year of my first Ironman, the list of races is actually shorter than usual.
March: Georgia Half Marathon
The first race of the year was for fun – a great way to get the race experience while I was building my running mileage for Ironman. I ran with Melody (her first half marathon) and we had a great time. Well, I think she had a great time after we were done, but I think she was thinking some mean things about me as we ran. She ran a great race though, so I think she’d agree it was worth the pain. =)
April – PT Solutions Duathlon
My first real race of the year to see how my fitness was coming along. I didn’t give myself a real taper for this one, but I raced pretty well. I actually PR’d (set a personal record) the first 5K of the duathlon (5K Run – 19M Bike – 5K Run) which was a shock and very excited. I also placed 3rd in my age group at this race!
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I’m the short one in the center.
May – Rev3 Knoxville Half Ironman
Next up was Rev3 Knoxville, the half ironman I used as a tune-up race for Ironman Austria. I wanted a hilly course, but didn’t realize how hilly Knoxville was – holy hills batman! The swim was freezing and partially against the current, super hilly bike, and then a good run. A tough race, not a fast time, but a good refocusing effort for the final build-up to Ironman. I’d like to do this race again someday and come back with a much faster time. 
July – Ironman Austria
My big race for the year was Ironman Austria – my first Ironman (there will definitely be another) and a great experience. The feeling of European Ironman races is unmatched – I love racing with people from all over the world, even if they are a lot faster than me! This was one of the most incredible accomplishments of my life and I can’t wait to do it again! I wrote a full post about this race, which you can see here.
August – Georgia Veterans Sprint
This race has become a tradition, so I attempted it despite my lingering knee issue from the bike crash at Ironman. It wasn’t pretty (and the first year I haven’t place here in a while), but still a fun day with friends.
November – Battle at Big Creek 10M
My first trail race – and what an introduction! I chose the 9M option, which was really over 10M on a very hilly, technical bike trail in Roswell. Despite a hard fall after mile 7, I sucked it up and finished the race. It was such a different experience and I know I just need more practice to try to avoid falling at the next one. I have a full list of trail races in my sights for 2012 and I hope to try this one again too! I wrote a race report here on this race, if you’re interested in more details.
November – Atlanta Half Marathon
Not every race can be great, and this was one of the not-so-great ones. After feeling “eh” at the start, I decided to try to push through anyway and fell apart with stomach issues after mile 7. To read all about it, check out the full post here.
December – Christmas 10K
The final race of the season was the Christmas 10K in Peachtree Corners. Kirk paced me to a new PR on this hilly course – a record that has stood for over 2 years (okay, so I don’t race many 10Ks). It was perfect weather, way more hills than I expected, and hard!! I found out later that it was also my first age group placement at this distance – 3rd in my age group!!
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And that’s my Race Year In Review. What was your best race of 2011? Any you wish you could try again? Any races to recommend in 2012?