TITLE: 2005 Running in Review
AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford
DATE: January 15, 2006 11:15 AM
DESC:
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BODY:
Our weather this winter has been a collection of extremes.
The first couple of weeks of December dumped nearly 20"
of snow on us. And it was cold. The next three
weeks were 100% cloudy -- as gray and downhearted as it
could be. Now, the last couple of weeks have been
unseasonably warm, and we've seen the sun almost every day
for the last week or so.
The result was that I spent a lot of time inside on the
track during December but lately have been back outdoors
enjoying an un-January on the roads. This morning, I took
in a nice 12-miler, my second Sunday 12-miler in row after
five or six weeks of shorter long runs.
After one hour, my mind said, ah, this is a great January
run. After one hour and five minutes, my legs said, yeah,
but didn't you run eight fast miles on Friday? I finished
off the run with no thought of speed, just basking in a
bright sun.
Last year, I
summarized my 2004 running
when I broke 1900 miles on the second to last outing of
the year. I finished the year at 1907 miles, up from
1281.8 miles in 2003. That blog entry suggested that
I would probably not be able to increase my mileage
by even 300 miles in 2005.
My running log backs me up, but... In 2005, I ran 2137.7
miles. Almost 100 miles of this increase came over the
first three months of the year, when I ran consistently
in the mid- to upper-30 mile per week range. After that,
the increase in mileage seems to have been spread pretty
evenly.
My shoe locker bears the evidence of all these miles, too.
I went through four pairs of shoes, and have two active
pairs in use right now. My wife is beginning to wonder
what I plan to do with all these shoes...
The year was good for my times, too. I PRed in the 5K
twice, first
in June
(20:50), and again
in December
(20:44). I also lowered my best time
in the half-marathon
to 1:34. My
2005 marathon
didn't go as well as I had hoped, but I did improve on
my debut marathon time.
More miles. Faster times. Plenty of enjoyment. A good
year.
I do not yet feel really strong and powerful on the road
yet, and my weekly track times are still a bit slower than
I've grown accustomed to. But I am getting the itch to
run longer miles again, and the the prospect of beginning
to train for a marathon again sounds palatable. Where
shall I run this fall? Twin Cities, for personal vindication?
New York, for a "big event"? Another Chicago, still my
gold standard for marathons? Perhaps Des Moines again,
for a flat fast course that might buoy my spirits?
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