As a kid, report card day went either 1 of 2 ways: you desperately hoped your parents would forget they were being distributed and you were {slightly} scared for your life, or you happily shared your report card with your family and were proud of {most of} your grades. I happened to fall into the second category. However, as someone who has been a lifelong perfectionist, “A”s were really the only mark that seemed to be acceptable.

So, what might a running report card look like?

I set 8 goals for myself at the beginning of this year. My resulting grades are a bit of a mixed bag. Overall, I’m really proud of my year (aka I would show this report card to my parents without shuddering). Here is how I did, along with my 26.2 favorite moments from 2013.

Goal #1: Run a half marathon in 1:45 or faster. C+
I did not accomplish this goal, but I made a lot of progress. I believe that if I had run a fall half marathon following my half Ironman in October, I could have easily beat this time. Here are the facts: 1) I only ran 1 half marathon this year. The other half marathon I ran was during a half Ironman. To accomplish this goal, I really needed to give myself another race attempt. 2) I had a PR both times I ran 13.1 during a race this year. At the beginning of 2013, my half marathon PR was 1:48:05. I managed to squeeze out a PR at the Divas Half Marathon in Myrtle Beach in April with a 1:47:38. Then, I ran another PR during the half marathon in the Beach2Battleship Half Iron Triathlon of 1:46:54. If I can run that after swimming 1.2 miles and biking 56 miles, I should surely be able to put up a 1:45. 3) My next attempt will be in 3 short weeks at ZOOMA Florida in Amelia Island.

Goal #2: Finish my next Ironman 70.3 race in 5:45 or faster. A+
This is the accomplishment that I am most proud of from 2013. I finished the Beach2Battlehship Half Iron Triathlon on October 26 in a time of 5:29:22. Although the race started with a slow and rocky swim, I improved my bike time by 15 minutes (averaging 19.1 mph) and my run time by 11 minutes (average 8:09 pace) from my previous half IRONMAN. I trained harder and more disciplined than I ever have for a race, and I learned that I am capable of more than I think I am.

Goal #3: Run a 10K in 48 minutes or faster. A+
Earlier this month, I ran the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside 10K in 45:06. I have focused on my speed work and improving my tempo runs this year, and I’m currently running faster than I ever have. I also enjoyed a 5K PR in November of 22:09. I look forward to running more 5Ks and 10Ks in 2014.

Goal #4: Finish my first trail race. A
I finished my first trail race at the Mississippi 20K Trail Run in March.

Goal #5: Participate in my first relay race. A
I finished my first relay in August at the Hood to Coast Relay with Nuun. Running across Oregon with a group of amazing women was one of the highlights of my year and an experience I will forever cherish. I also had 3 of the fastest runs I had run to date, and this was the springboard and confidence-builder I needed to finish the rest of the year strong.

Goal #6: Get my coaching certification. B-
During 2013, I wanted to become a Road Runners Club of America (RRCA)-certified running coach. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any sessions in Atlanta or the southeast that were available and didn’t fill up in about 5 minutes. I started researching other coaching certification options and found what I believe to be an incredible program through the North American Academy of Sports Fitness Professionals (NAASFP). This is much more than just sitting through a weekend seminar, taking a test and POOF you’re a coach. This is an intense program that I truly believe will make me a better runner for both myself and others. I began my certification process in late fall. It consists of 4 parts: 1) a 3-hour test (which I’m taking on January 26, 2014)  that covers all aspects of running and coaching based on an NAASFP study guide and 2 text books on running anatomy and heart rate training, 2) a case study in which I have to review a real-life coaching situation and create a comprehensive plan – from the client background information through the coaching plan, 3) complete a coaching practicum in which I will take on a client free of charge for 18 weeks and create a training program for her that is monitored and reviewed by a master coach and 4) complete CPR and first-aid training. I hope to have this all completed by mid-summer.

Goal #7: Continue strength-training/cross-training at least 2 days per week. B-
For the first 8 months of the year, I did an organized strength training program 2-3 days per week. As my triathlon training peaked in September and I was doing 9-10 workouts a week, I dialed my strength training way back. I did little to no strength training in September and October, and minimal strength training in November and December. Strength training increases power and makes a really positive impact on running performance. I plan to become more consistent with this again as we turn the page on 2014.

Goal #8: Do more weekday workouts in the morning. B
Life is SO much easier when I get my workouts done before the day begins to free up extra time in the evenings. It’s like I’m given extra hours in the day! During my half Iron training, I was very successful with morning workouts. Since then, I’ve been abysmal at getting up early to get my workouts in. I would say that I made a lot of progress in this area this year – more so than in previous years – but I need to be more consistent. Logging at least 2 weekday workouts in the morning before work would make me really happy moving forward.

26.2 Favorite Moments from 2013

January
Kicked off the year with the Hot Chocolate 15K
Ate a paleo diet for 28 days (trust me, this was hard)

February
Was chosen as a Brooks Run Happy Blog Ambassador
Ran in the Bahamas

March
Finished my first trail race
Ran my longest run on the treadmill (10 miles)

April
Finished the Divas Half Marathon in Myrtle Beach (squeaking out a small PR)
Selected by Nuun to run the Hood to Coast Relay with them

May
Traded running for hiking in Colorado
Tried acupuncture for the first time

June
Got to run and hang out with Bart Yasso
rUnladylike became an LLC
Kicked off my half IRONMAN training

July
Celebrated my 1-year blogiversary
Made the Running Bloggers Top 100 Running Blogs List
Ran the Peachtree Road Race for the umpteenth time
Got to do a cycling workout with some awesome Tampa lady bloggers

August
Placed 3^rd in my age group at the Acworth Women’s Sprint Triathlon
Finished the Hood to Coast Relay and made some incredible friends along the way
Selected as an ambassador for ZOOMA Florida

September
Ran in some cool places, like Key West and Connecticut
Exceeded 1,000 likes on Facebook

October
Went to NYC with the Brooks Running team
Finished the Beach2Battleship Half Iron Triathlon with a smashing PR of 5:29:22 (included a bike and run PR)
Exceeded 3,000 followers on Twitter

November
Won first place female in the Run for Justice 5K with a new PR of 22:09
Ran (and hiked) in Utah

December
Ran a 10K PR of 45:06
Ran on some beautiful Florida beaches, including Honeymoon Island and Nokomis Beach/Casey Kay

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• Pinterest: pinterest.com/JesicaD
• Daily Mile: dailymile.com/people/Jesica
• Email: runladylike@gmail.com

If you graded your year of running and fitness, what would your report card look like? Do you have a favorite running moment of 2013?