Running Recap 2019
Overview
After a frustrating 2018 where I lost motivation and dealt with minor (but nagging) injuries, I entered 2019 with a few goals. The primary one was to have fun and enjoy running again. The secondary was to gun for PR's in the mile, 5K, 10K, and half marathon distances at various points of the year. And as always I tried to bring my camera with me whenever feasible to try to get some nice bird/scenic shots.
Races
Five races this year, including my first 10K outside of the Run Against Hunger 10K that I typically run every year. Unfortunately, due to bad timing of some rather ugly winter storms (freezing rain/sleet/snow) I bailed on both the half marathon race in March and our kind-of-a-race-but-not-really group run to the Yonkers Brewery in the Fall.
| Race | Result | Pace | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockwood Ramble 10K | 48:16 | 7:47 | Went out too fast and struggled with the hilly course. Still fun, I think? |
| Guess Your Time 2.5 Miler | 18:26 | 7:22 | Guessed 18:30 for first race win! |
| Peekskill Brewery Mile | 6:02 | 6:02 | One second off PR and another close one for breaking 6 minutes |
| Run Against Hunger 10k | 46:09 | 7:27 | Tied PR. How's that happen on a 10K? And no pie this time around. |
| Cortlandt 5k | 21:38 | 6:59 | PR and 2nd place overall (yes, it was a small field) |
So pretty happy with the results. The near-misses were less frustrating than they were encouraging that I had my training level back in form comparable to 2017. And since I didn't run a 5K that year, of course that's the one PR I managed to get! I've placed in my age group in small races before, but that's the first time I placed overall (well, excluding the Guess-Your-Time race! You can't take that victory from me!)
The Numbers
Year Summary
In the realm of arbitrary achievements, late in the year I tried another run streak to see how it would go. I ended up getting bored with it, so stopped at 10 (previous best was 6 days in a row). I like rest days so no real plan to do anything longer. It did help the last month of the year have the most "run days" at 21 (out of 31); my previous best was 19 in Decembers 2016 and 2017. It's not unusual for me to ramp up quantity as I like the cold and it's prep for half-marathon training I inevitably do in Jan-March.
I took a couple weeks off this year. The first was actually the first week of the year due to a head cold. The second was in mid-June just to have a break. I generally play it by ear, both for physical and mental breaks.
As usual, for the summary data I'm only including the past few years. This year I'm also including the elevation numbers from Strava (can't really run around here without doing some hills) and emphasizing values that represent PRs.
| Year | Days Run | Miles | Daily Mileage | Longest Run | Elevation Gain (est.) | Running Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 180 | 1,090 | 6.1 | 31.1 | 64.8k ft | 7 days, 5 hours |
| 2018 | 156 | 750 | 5.0 | 18.1 | 45.5k ft | 5 days, 2 hours |
| 2019 | 190 | 1,008 | 5.3 | 16.3 | 53.3k ft | 6 days, 15 hours |
And the monthly summary for the past two years (going to 3 makes it too noisy):
Long runs
My half training was pretty similar to last year, so no real change in long runs even though my overall work rate was a lot better.
| Year | 10+ Miles | 15+ Miles | 20+ Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 15 | 8 | 4 |
| 2018 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
Shoes
Still sticking with Altras; much better luck with 3.5 variation (both mesh and knit) as they've had zero issues with the uppers, unlike the 3 variant which had problems with the heel (after ~100 miles) and both sides of the toe box (after ~300 miles). I have another new 3.5 mesh on standby and will keep my eyes out for any 3.5 or 4 Torins that go on sale. As noted below, I should really run more trails to mix things up if nothing else, especially since I'm now up to 3 pairs of trail shoes!
My "walking around" shoes are still my old retired Asics Cumulus 18. They're comfortable, but I don't particularly like the style so I'll most likely switch to my Altra Torin 3.5 Knit Gray/Neon pretty soon once I retire them from running.
| Brand | Model | 2019 Miles | Total Miles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altra | Timp | 45 | 85 | Trail shoes I should use more |
| Altra | Torin 3 #1 | 45 | 528 | Retired |
| Altra | Torin 3 #2 | 76 | 469 | Retired |
| Altra | Torin 3 #3 | 303 | 314 | To be retired soon |
| Altra | Torin 3.5 Knit Black/White | 27 | 27 | Future workhorse |
| Altra | Torin 3.5 Knit Gray/Neon | 309 | 309 | Current workhorse, probably retire soon |
| Altra | Torin 3.5 Mesh White | 185 | 185 | Current workhorse |
| Salomon | Speedcross 4 | 7 | 7 | Trail shoes I should use more |
| Saucony | Peregrine 5 | 11 | 110 | Trail shoes I should use more |
Apps
I have my WetzRun family of projects for tracking data, along with some spreadsheet holdovers that I still need to integrate (namely, weight tracker and a worksheet for quickly calculating pacing data). Now that .Net Core supports WPF I'll probably make a new project to finally have an app I can fire up to add/edit/view data (to largely replace the existing web app).
I still use Strava, primarily for social aspects as well as sanity checking my numbers.
Future Plans
I'd like to make an attempt for a half marathon PR. Beyond that, no real plans other than trying to be consistent (perhaps going from 3-4 runs each week to 4-5). I also need to integrate cross-training into my routine; I plan to get new tires on my bike so it's an option, as well as various body-weight exercises (bands, jump-rope, pull-up bar, dumbbells). Of course I say that every year, but one of these days I'll actually do it if I ever want a new PR!
Gallery
I'm not including most of the photos I've already included in past galleries throughout 2019, so it might seem a little light on hawks + eagles. Feel free to check out those galleries as well; but for this recap, a couple of bird pics along with a lot of scenic shots and a few macro flower closeups.
