One Last Look Back

These were the goals I set for myself at the start of 2011 and how I fared:

• Run 1600 miles - Total 2011 miles 2347
• Complete my first ultra race - Completed 3 50k's & 2 50 Miler's
• Get my marathon time down to 3:30 - Close but not quite, Vancouver - 3:35:25
• Run a 21 minute 5K - Didn't race a 5K this year. Even if I had, I think this one was out of reach.
• Run 1:15 15K - Close, but not quite. The only 15k I did was the Shamrock Run which was the day after the Gorge 50k. My time was 1:17:01 (PR of 2:24)
• Run 1:42 half-marathon - Done, Race for the Roses, 1:41:04 (PR by 5:54)

Making it Count

I am a goal-oriented person. I need something on the horizon to keep me moving and motivated. Whether it is a race, a new distance, a new trail run - something to keep me excited so I get myself out the door. I've spent a lot of time thinking about what my goals are for 2012. Should they be distance? PR's? Coming back from foot surgery, I'm not sure if there are going to be PR's in the cards - especially not for the early part of the year. I want to take a bit of pressure off for a bit and not worry so much about time. It's so easy to feel the pressure of performing well. Comparing yourself to what you did the previous year, comparing yourself to what others are doing - you can get lost in all the comparing and forget why you are out there.

This year, I've decided that my goal is to make each workout to count. So each one will have a purpose. For running and cardio those purposes are: speed, tempo, distance, time and...FUN! As I look at training plans and schedules it is starting to stress me out. This run needs to be done at this speed, and I need to be on my feet for so many hours on this day, blah, blah, blah. I can do all of that, as long as I get to keep my fun runs. Some folks and  training plans might call these junk miles. Those runs where you go out without any purposes, you don't work on your speed, maybe you zone out and just let your mind wander. You simply head out because your body wants to run. I love running trails and long distances. I want to head out to Forest Park or the Gorge and run until my body decides that it can't go anymore. These runs may not get me a PR in Boston, or a half-marathon PR at Race for the Roses, but what they will do is feed my soul and keep me sane. Training plans be damned.

Recap of 2011

The end of 2011 was a bit of a disappointment. I wanted to run 80 miles over Thanksgiving weekend and finish the year strong. Severely strained hamstrings just before Thanskgiving and foot surgery the week after put a crimp in those plans. Regardless, the year was a good one running wise. I ran almost 1000 more miles than 2010, ran my first 50k and 50 miler, dropped my marathon time by 8 minutes, and requalified for Boston. Overall, I can’t complain.

Stats:

Hagg Lake 50k (road) - February 19: 5:50:53

Gorge 50k (road) - March 12: 7:01:35

Race for the Roses Half marathon - April 3: 1:41:04

Avenue of the Giants Marathon (road) - May 1: 3:43:45

Ridgeline Ramble (trail) - May 28: 4:26:24

Beacon Rock 50k (road) - June: 7:00:12

Vancouver Marathon (road) - June 19: 3:35:25

Fueled by Fine Wine Half Marathon (road/gravel) - July 10: 1:57:35 

Mt. Hood 50 Mile (trail) - July 39: 9:54:25

Cascade Lakes Relay (road/trail/gravel) - August 2 & 3: 5 legs - 36 miles

Autumn Leave 50 Mile (road/trail) - October 29: 8:24:35

Red Baron Half Marathon - November 6: 1:46:27

Total miles run:  2345.69

Total number of runs: 254

Time: 376:28:01 hh:mm:ss 

Avg Speed: 6.2 mph

Avg HR: 145