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Have you entered the Running on the Wall giveaway yet? You have until Wednesday, January 9 to enter!

Katie at Live Half Full nominated me for the Liebster Award. I was nominated back in August as well so I'm not going to repeat the 11 facts about me, but you can check out my original post here!

Katie and I met for lunch during the Nato Summit week.

Here is how it works:
-Write 11 random facts about yourself.
-Answer the 11 interview questions you’ve been given by the person who nominated you. (see below)
-Create 11 new questions.
-Nominate 11 bloggers and mention them in your post.
-Go and tell the person who nominated you, along with the people you’ve nominated about your post.



1. What’s your favorite holiday splurge? Desserts. I always end up eating way too many of them! Currently in a cheese-less, tons-of-veggies stage. Looking forward to lunch!
2. How do you hold yourself accountable for workouts? I like to make plans with a friend. I feel this always helps me get back into a good routine, if I've fallen off the wagon. Running groups and group workout classes are a great way to be accountable during the winter months when it is so much easier to stay in bed or on the couch.
3. What made you start blogging? I've had online journals and various blogs since the age of 17. However, I started this running blog after completing my first marathon when all my friends and family were sick of hearing me talk about running. Now I have lots of internet friends that never get sick of it! What a treat!
4. What keeps you blogging? I love the online community that I feel a part of. I love meeting other bloggers and sharing my thoughts with the world (or small group of people on the internet that actually read my blog)!
5. Any goals in mind for 2013? A few... but that is a post for another day!
6. What is your biggest flaw? I can be very hard on myself if I don't meet a goal or don't do what is expected of me. I can be my own worst enemy in this regard. I've self-destructed a few times during races. This is something I'm going to try and work on in 2013. I have more fun and do better when I just go out there to have fun.
7. What are you three favorite things about yourself? my energy (I've been told by others that this can be motivating during a race), that I can easily go with the flow and have a good time with any group of people, and my sense of humor (I am easily amused and any day with a laugh is a good day).
8. What is your day job? analyst. I'll just leave it at that. :)
9. What is your go to snack? pretzels, possibly with something to dip them in (cream cheese, cottage cheese, peanut butter, pumpkin butter, anything really)
10. What is your go to weeknight dinner? frozen pizza. Just one of the many reasons why I will never be a healthy living blogger.
11.What’s your favorite thing to read on blogs? I love different blogs for different reasons. I always love reading new, easy dinner recipes. There can never be too many easy dinner ideas. I also love the "off the cuff" thought-provoking posts. Those can sometimes be my favorite.

As I know a lot of my blogging friends have already been tagged for the Liebster award, either now or earlier, I will not be posting any questions or tagging anyone else. (I have my blogger survey that a few folks have filled out for guest posts that may make a reappearance when I go on my next vacation.) Thanks for nominating me Katie! Sorry it took me a few weeks (literally) to get the post up. What is just 1 random fact about yourself, that you're willing to share?

A few weeks ago, I entered a giveaway through the Zooma blog for a race medal and bib display from Running on the Wall. I was super excited when I found out that I won! I was able to pick a bib and medal display to hang on my wall. When the medal display arrived, there was a mix up in communication and it was not the holder I had ordered. When they sent me a new one, Running on the Wall let me keep the original and I would like to give it away to one lucky reader! I have been saving this giveaway until after Christmas in case Santa didn't put one in your stocking.

The medal holder text reads "Runner Girl" and it comes with hooks to screw into the holes, to hang your medals. These hooks come in a separate bag.

To enter, (1) please leave a comment letting me know your favorite race medal. Mine is from the Grand Rapids Marathon.

For additional entries,
2) Like RunningKellometers on Facebook
3) Talk about the giveaway on Facebook, mentioning RunningKellometers
4) Follow RunningKellometers through Google (click "follow" on the right hand side of the blog)
5) Tweet about the giveaway, mentioning (@kellywils0n)

PLEASE summarize all entries in a single comment!

You have until Wednesday, January 9 at 11:59pm CST to enter. The winner will be chosen (using Random.org) on Thursday, January 10 by 10am CST. The winner must contact me within 72 hours (3 days) to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen (using random.org again). If you have any questions about the product or rules of the giveaway, please contact me before entering. This giveaway is open to all readers within the continental United States.

Pepper got really tired after a few too many vlog attempts. She wanted to take a nap. Thanks again for following along in 2012. I'm looking forward to what 2013 will bring for all of us! :)

Monica at Run Eat Repeat did a fashion show with all of her race shirts one year and I totally loved the idea. Also, I think I had too much fun modeling my winter jackets... So here we go again!

February 11 - Cupids Chase 5k
I didn't understand what "available" and "unavailble" meant when registering. Luckily they allowed me to swap.

March 18 - Get Lucky Half Marathon
I wear this hoodie all.the.time. I wasn't a fan of the race, but I'm glad I ran it specifically for this hoodie.

March 25 - Shamrock Shuffle 8k
I don't understand why the shirts are red either.

April 1 - ChiTown Half Marathon
My arms are long and therefore the sleeves and thumb holes do not fit properly. I still like the pullover though.


May 6 - Palos Half Marathon
Love these shirts!

May 12 - Quarryman Challenge
The race was canceled but we still got to keep our shirts. It is a unisex long-sleeved tech tee. I am swimming in mine but it is nice for winter layering.

May 26 - Two Rivers Meet 10k
This race had menu pricing so you didn't have to buy the shirt if you didn't want to. This was my first race in Indiana, so I wanted the shirt.

June 3 - Wisconsin Dells Half Marathon
This shirt is sooooo soft. It isn't dryfit but it sure is comfy!


June 9 - Ragnar Relay Volunteer
This shirt is one of the stiffest cottons I've ever felt. I never wear it as it is quite uncomfortable. It was also so hot on race day, that they didn't make us wear these shirts, which I appreciated.

June 14 - Jim Gibbons 5k
The v-neck leads to this one fitting kind of weird. It is a women's size but I just don't like how this one fits. Plus, with it being black and white, I'm not quite sure how to wash it. Bleach or not? This is why I don't buy things that are multi-colored with white.

June 17 - Warrior Dash
An ill-fitting unisex tee, but the cotton is soft and comfy. Definitely an improvement over the non-soft cotton shirt from 2011.

July 22 - Rock N Roll Half Marathon
For some reason I ordered a medium in this race shirt instead of a small. I was unable to exchange it at the expo and I forgot to exchange it on race day. So now I have a too-big shirt that I don't wear all that often.


October 6 - Old Plank Trail 5k
I love that this shirt isn't white. However, my arms are too long for the sleeves. This is a common problem.

October 20 - Zooma Half Marathon
I'm not sure how I feel about this shirt. I thought I would love it, but I think the sizing is kind of weird. I would like it to be more fitted

November 4 - Hot Chocolate 15k
I love this hoodie! This race was very poorly planned and poorly organized, but they really improved on the swag from 2011 (those jackets were just awful).

December 9 - Jingle Bell 5k
Although it is another cotton long-sleeved shirt I don't need, I liked that the shirt had a Christmas theme. This is probably one I will keep around for a little while, if only to wear while Christmas shopping. :)


I did a lot of speedwork this year, since I wasn't marathon training, and it appears to have paid off. I know I still have better times in me, and I will be working on them this upcoming year (duh). It is kind of crazy to think I ran as many 5ks as I did half marathons. Before this year, I had only run a half marathon once. I ran more than my goal of 12 races, but I had a lot of fun doing it. Some races I ran with friends, and some I ran too close to one another. Either way, I am going to be more selective with my races in 2013 and I have been restraining from registering before the price increases (those totally sucked me in last year). What was your favorite race shirt from 2012? Have you collected as much as me over the past year?

So last night I tried crossfit for the first time. I had heard about it for quite awhile and decided to see if it lived up to the hype. I was able to coerce Amanda to go with me after one of our Thursday night runs. I wasn't sure what to expect as I have heard various things from various people. Since this was our first time at crossfit, what we were tasked to do was very achievable. The instructor was very nice, friendly, and explained things well. He knew we were newbies so his instructions were easy to understand. It was definitely nice to have someone there with me who also had no clue what they were doing.

After our warm up (using the rowing machine for 500m) and some stretches, I realized that I might be in trouble. I hadn't had anything to eat since the energy bar I ate on the train (at about 5:30pm) and no water with me. I kept going through the explanation and demonstrations of each workout. Once the clock started, I think I took the first cycle a bit too fast as I lost steam and significantly slowed down during the later reps. I guess the same goes with crossfit as does any run or race. Be sure to not go out too fast! Haha. The cycle "WOD" included ball slams, sit ups, ring rows, and push ups. The push ups were what killed me. I could handle everything else, but the push ups took me forever and were very defeating. On the plus side, I can work on these at home and try to get better for next time. Maybe I have such a difficult time because of my long legs and arms? (That is the excuse I'm going with for now.) After a break, we did another thing where we pushed a weight across the length of the gym and back. This was the last item of the day.

After our workout as we were doing the end-of-class stretches, I started to feel light-headed and had to sit down. I was so embarrassed that I didn't properly fuel my workout and now I definitely know what to do differently for next time (because there will be a next time). I'm not sure if I'll get as into the whole crossfit thing as everyone else, but I had fun. It is a great alternative to stationary gym equipment that include strength and cross training all in one workout. The crossfit place that I went to was also quite reasonable and cheaper than some of the other cross training alternatives in the area (spinning, local community center classes).

Since every post needs a photo, I'm going to reuse this one of me attempting to flex in the mirror. That is one of the things I'm looking forward to this winter and spring... getting stronger!

I want to be able to lift (and replace) one of those 5 gallon Ice Mountain jugs without feeling like I'm going to die.

Have you tried crossfit before? What did you think? What is your favorite type of cross training and strength training?

Looking back on my goals in 2012, there were some successes and some not-so-successes. Some goals were much more attainable than others. I also did some other things that I hadn't planned on doing. One of the things I love about having a blog is the ability to reflect on what I've done in the past year, weeks, months, days, etc. :)


Goals for 2012:
1) Complete my first trail race -- I didn't really seek out many trail races. There were a few that came up but it was during my crunch time while studying for the exam. I still would like to complete a trail race so this may cross over to be a 2013 goal.


2) Complete 12 races in 12 months -- DONE. I actually ran 17 races in 2012. Holy smokes.


3) Finish a half marathon in under 2 hours -- DONE! Chi Town Half Marathon 4/1/2012

4) Complete a 5k in under 23 minutes (current PR is 23:03) -- DONE! Sheryl's 5k 4/22/2012 and the Old Plank Trail 5k 10/6/2012



5) Run at least 650 miles for the year (keep track with Daily Mile) -- DONE


6) Cross train with weights and cardio 4x per month -- This was a tough one. I did cardio cross training about 2-3 times per month and I haven't done weight training in about 3 months. I feel hard off this bandwagon while studying and I'm looking to get back on track for 2013.