2013 - Year in Review

2013 is in the books.  Here's a look back:

First the numbers:

- I ran a total of 2,899mi = 55.8mpw average for the year.  This puts me well behind 2012, 11, and 10 where I ran over 3,200 miles in those years and enjoyed a lot of pr's.  2012 was my highest with 3,361miles.  This year's total is very close to 2009, 08, and 07 where I ran 2,890, 2,889 and 2,904 miles in those years.

- My highest mileage month of the year was August with 349 miles = 78.8mpw average.  This is typical for me.  (August is always my highest month)

- My lowest month was April with 152mi = 35.5mpw average.  I got a sinus infection that kicked my butt for 8 days.  I layed around for my entire April vacation and after I finally got healthy, my back was tight and stiff and was a real problem.  This was a huge setback for 2013 and was a major reason for my slower times this spring and summer.  I went into the summer in poor shape and couldn't build my mileage up like I usually do.  I had to DNS Tarc 50K as a result of the sinus infection.

- I raced 27 times.  I won 11 of those races.  My shortest race I won was an 800m and the longest race I won was a 10mi trail race.

- I set 0 p.r.'s this year.  I also did not set any personal bests for races that I had raced before.  This was my first year in a while with no pr's or pb's, it was a little disappointing, but I've been racing a long time and I'm not getting any younger.  I know I still have a few more fast years in me and refuse to admit that I might be slowing down. 

I had some highs and lows this year.  I'll start with the lows:

- Setting no pr's or pb's.  (as mentioned above)

- KSC Alumni race - I didn't finish in the top 5 for the alumni for the first time. (I was 7th) The new alumni keep getting faster and I'll have to work hard to get back into the top 5 next year.

- I have some arthritis that leaves me pretty stiff on some days.  It's something I'm able to manage pretty well, but some days are tougher than others.  I can't complain, there are people with worse problems.

- Wednesday workouts have been a little inconsistent.  We have a small core of guys that try to make it happen, but it's just not what it used to be.  I need to just keep making it a priority to show up and hopefully others will follow suit.

Here are the highs:

- Setting the world record in the 4x800 for 35+ was really a cool experience.  I take the record with a grain of salt.  Obviously, elite 800 runners that are 35 could absolutely crush this time.  The thing is they haven't done that, so I'm happy to have my name in the record books.

- It was cool winning the Run with the Beavers 10mi trail race and having Jonny come in 2nd.  That was our first time going 1-2 in a race and the icing on the cake was Glenn sealing the win for team Hamboj by running a strong race. 

- Winning Lil Rhody for the 7th time was pretty special.  It was a strong field and I had my doubts, but in the end I got the job done.  I'm hoping to win a few more.

- Probably my best race of the year was the New Bedford Half Marathon.  I ran 1:11:10 which was not a p.r., but it was a really great result for me.  I was thinking I'd probably run in the mid 1:12's.  I ran tough and was very happy with the outcome.

- I had a great snowshoe season at the beginning of the year, winning 3 snowshoe races.  It was a great year for snow and Jen and I had a lot of fun at the races.

I have some running goals for 2014:

- Stay healthy

- Do yoga more consistently after my runs.  I used to be so good about doing this after every run.  I've really gotten out of this habit this year, time to get back into it.

- Lift 2 x week.

- Weekly hill sprints

- Weekly speed workouts at Daniel's pace.  Don't train in No Man's Land!

- Run more trail races.  I'd like to try some new ones I've never done before.

- P.r. at the Pisgah 50K.

- Run doubles year round.

- Run over 3,400miles.

- Race some outdoor track events.

I think if I can stick to these goals, I will definitely set some new pr's in the new year.  Most importantly, I want to continue to enjoy every run I do and appreciate the people that I race and run with.  Happy New Year everyone!