Racking up the Miles

So I haven't been talking about training much and have focused this blog lately more on fun race reports. But I think before a big event like this it is good to go back and look at all I have accomplished this year and hopefully that will be the key that gets me through JFK a little faster than last year and with a little less recovery time.

So let's do a little comparison:

Total Miles/Training:

In 2006 I ran 1091 total miles, I cycled or rode on the trainer 927 miles, and I swam 58 miles (20 all in January)

This year so far I have run 1483 miles, cycled 166 miles, and swam 18 miles

New training for this year included weekly yoga sessions for half the year, it has been sporadic lately but still at least once a month.

We can see a major switch in focus!

Also good to note is I have not had any serious injuries this year and last year I was plagued with ITB issues in the fall.

Long Race Days:

2006 I completed 3 marathons (Boston, NCTM, and Chicago), One 50K (YUT-C), JFK 50 miler, and a Half Ironman (Steelhead)

This year so far I have completed four marathons (Cinci, Cleveland, NCTM, and San Fran), Three 50ks (BT50K (winter and summer) and Punxsy), and One Fat Ass 60K

Weekly Mileage:

In 2006 I only ran one week over 50 miles and that was the week of JFK, other than that week there was one week over 40 miles. I had three full weeks which I did not run at all!

This year I have run 5 weeks that were over 50 miles including one 60+ week, in addition to those weeks I have run 7 weeks above 40, My lowest week was 6.5 miles and no weeks completely off!

Top Performances:

2006 I pr'ed in the half marathon at River Run, Ran Boston in 3:31, Did my first half ironman, and my first 50k, and 50 miler.

2007: PR 5 miles at Bedford, Adult PR 5K at NERC Series 20:17 (second fastest 5k ever), PR 4 mile at Winking Lizard, Ran every 50k this year 20-30 minutes faster than the previous one maxing out at 5:05 at Punxsy, 3:29 at Pig not a PR but probably the hardest I have ever worked in a marathon

I'm not sure how you compare the two years. Obviously I haven't done any triathlons this year and doubt I would do very well in one with my minimal bike mileage and not much swimming. But I think it's obvious that my running has improved drastically. Not only am running well at the ultra distances but I am also running well in races 5k-5 miles. I am going to have to credit it with a slight drop in weight (down from around 130 to 118) and more running miles. Also smarter training. Now that I am adding strength training and pool time back into the mix I am hoping next year will be even better. But first I have a 50 mile race to attend to and perhaps give one more go at an additional PR in a shorter distance.

For those wondering here is my weekly mileage the past few months (since I made a conscious effort to up mileage, don't laugh I used to swear by 25-30 mpw marathon training, so this is a move up for me, I know it isn't crazy but it was a good jump for me, I'm happy that I am pretty consistently hitting 40 mpw) with major long runs (20+) or races highlighted

Starting the week of June 4th:

32
37
40
43 (23 mile long run)
51
53 (50k race)
41
40
29
43
53
25
55
42 (50k race)
35 (26.2 race)
15
37
50 (22 mile long run)
50
40 (26.2 race)
63 (60k long run)
35 (20 mile long run)
This week will be 30
And next week should be 60!

Since this is all pretty grab bag here's a few answers to comments:

Hail: Yes I run in hail, unless it is larger than a dime I'm out running. I figure if it hails at JFK I have to withstand it for 9 hours or so, what's a 6 mile run in it? I'm a firm believer that if you dress correctly you can run in pretty much any weather. Hail would require a hat and a lightweight jacket/shell and pants!

Cycling: I'm not afraid of cycling per se, I actually really enjoy riding my bike. I think I just got turned off it after the half ironman. 56 miles on my bike with no stops for beer and chips is not my style. If I want to exert myself for hours I can run, oh and I can (and have!) drink/drank beer and ate chips while running in a race! I still love a good training ride with friends and I will definitely be getting back into sprints and international tri's to take a breather from run training every now and again, there's just something about triathlons that draws me. Long bike rides while training for an Ironman just isn't one of those things though! I do think I'd like to do a century with TNT down the road, but those are so different from races! You get to stop and eat every so often, no pressure to ride in some crazy paceline. I think I am just a cycling slacker! I suppose when I slow down on the run I will be forced to work harder on the bike :) But let's hope that is quite a few years down the road!

All right enough rambling. Hopefully the next few posts will be more focused and we can get down to JFK details!