2011 Review

Well, it is the end of another year where I review how I've done training wise for the year. First, let's start with last year's post about how I did. This year, I actually ran about 620 miles which is an average of about 12mpw. This is better than last year but would still like to be up to 15mpw or more. This year, I've done better in the cold weather. During this summer, it was absolute hell since it was the hottest summer on record. I ran when I could but I did it just for attrition and really didn't make any progress. I have been making progress with running lately but I was just sidelined with another injury unfortunately.

I didn't lose any weight this year and probably gained a couple of pounds unfortunately (191). That was mostly due to working out with my personal trainer where I'm just kicking ass when I'm not injured. I seem to have this "Don't fucking give up" mentality where many other guys that seem to be fitter and more in shape than me can't do the things that I do. It's pretty awesome and I can tell that my body is stronger because of it. However, I still have this layer of fat that I would love to get rid off quickly. Maybe this will be the year. My roommate and I seem to encourage each other so hopefully we can help each other focus and find the determination and discipline to get where we want to be.

I'm off for a couple more weeks while my strained ab muscle heals and then I'm in England for a couple of weeks where I hope to do some running but I don't expect to do too much. After that, I'm back to running and I'm going to take advantage of the coolish weather while I can before the summer swelter hits.

I really need to move to a cooler climate.

Damn you, Dr. Phil!

I had to call out my PT, Dr. Phil Davis, because I saw him today and he gave me bad news. It's not his fault, but it still sucks. I'm out of running for a couple of weeks. I hurt my lower abs a few weeks ago. It was lingering for a few weeks until last week when it started getting worse and worse. It got to the point where it was affecting me even when I was walking. Not good at all. I took it easy for a few days and saw Dr. Phil this morning. I have a strained lower ab muscle. Luckily, it isn't a hernia but I'm still out of running for at least 2 weeks. So, the plan is to take it easy but I can still do stuff as long as it doesn't hurt. And this isn't good with the holiday food and stuff around. I was making progress towards losing weight, too.

Last week was 10 miles before I bagged running for the rest of the week until I figured out what's wrong with my abs. I also got new shoes. Other than that, not much else going on.

Weekly run mileage: 10 miles

Asics mileage: 264 miles

I'm making progress with running. . .

. . .but I'm not making progress at keeping this damn blog updated. Ugh.

3 weeks ago was the Turkey Trot which was a good time for me. It was a tougher course that was pretty much uphill the first 2 miles and then 3 very fast miles after that. My last mile was around a 7 minute mile which is fantastic. I think my mileage may be off that week though since I had a naked run that I forgot about since my HRM battery was dead. Let's say that I ran 4 miles on Tuesday for a total of 15 miles that week with a race.

2 weeks ago was the Spicewood Vineyards 10K. Once again, this was a tough course that was pretty much uphill the first half and then downhill the 2nd. Also, it was about half a mile short. I ended up getting 2nd in my age group but it was a small field on a tough course. The good thing about that week was that it was my highest mileage in a long time at 20 miles. And nothing broke!

Last week was just a normal week. It was really cold here and I did afternoon runs instead of morning runs. Actually, I did only 1 afternoon run. Anyways, I'm really, really happy about yesterday's run though. It was 8.5 miles on a relatively hilly course and it was my longest run in probably almost a year. However, it felt fucking fantastic! I never really pushed myself that hard and was just running at an easy pace. Well, that easy pace ended up being around an 8:20/mile average. From running consistently with Gilbert's Gazelles is really paying off. I do have some issues with the program since I'm the only 10K person around so I have to seek out an individual training plan. However, I am seeing results so that's a win. I'll keep it up and see how it goes and I may actually get faster. One last thing, yesterday's run really was a "run with joy" run and I didn't have a single negative from the run. My pace was great, I felt good, and the distance was awesome!

3 weeks ago run mileage: 15 miles
2 weeks ago run mileage: 20 miles
Last week run mileage: 14.5 miles

Asics mileage: 254 miles (time for new shoes)