It sounds cliche, but I can't believe that another year has passed. 2010 was a great year for me when it came to running. I feel as if I made some really big gains and have built a strong base for more improvements. I couldn't let the end of the year pass without taking this chance to look at the numbers from 2010--I am a therapist by trade and analyzing progress and creating goals is something that is innate to me.
I set a goal to run 1,000 miles on 2010 and I am happy to say that I passed that goal on December 26. My yearly total stands at 1013.35, which is an increase of 136.92 over 2009 and an average of 84.45 miles per month. A look at the quarterly totals shows that I was fairly consistent over the year:
1st Quarter 251.20
2nd Quarter 258.38
3rd Quarter 267.43
4th Quarter 236.34
1st Half 509.58
2nd Half 503.77
The slight drop off in the 4th quarter can be attributed to a busy travel schedule in November, unexplained hip pain, and days off in December (once I saw my goal would be met I took some time to rest). I was very pleased that I didn't have to cram a bunch of miles in December. Steady and consistent training is the key! Each of my goals served their purpose, but this one might have been the most helpful of them all. I ran extra miles in August in October to reach my 1st and 2nd 100 mile months. It should also be noted that less than 10 of these miles were on a treadmill. I would rather run in rain, cold, heat, or wind than face the "dreadmill". I also believe that it is important to train in all weather because one never knows what race day will bring. This year brought some crazy weather as you know from my race reports!
I ran a total of 19 races during 2010, including 11 half marathons, 1 20K, 3 15Ks, 2 10Ks, and 2 5Ks. I was able to set new personal records in each distance, and was able to better my half marathon, 10K, and 5K records during the course of the year. I had some good 5K success this year and placed 2nd and 3rd in my age group in each of those races. My biggest improvements were in the 15K with an improvement of 6:24 over my 2009 record and in the half marathon with a 5:17 over my 2009 record. I also had a sub-goal to run most of my half marathons in 2:00:10 or less (in honor of 2010) and I ran 6 or them in 2:00 or less. I also started a bit of a "streak" with 3 consecutive half marathons under 2:00 and 2 consecutive halfs under 1:55. I will be looking to extend some of these streaks in 2011.
Many people are under the assumption that I run every day of the week. This is not true, I typically run three days a week (2 short runs and 1 long run) for an average of 22 miles. I believe that cross training is very important and spend my other days in the gym. My cross training includes boot camp, weight classes, yoga, pilates, and the occasional kickboxing and spin class. I track these sessions in my log as well and I am happy to note that I spent 191 hours in the gym in 2010. Perhaps I will speak more about cross training in a future blog entry.
I am thankful to have such a great running year filled with good health and great successes. I had some real adventures, learned from the journey, and stretched the limits of my comfort zone. I am grateful to my husband Erik for being such an encouraging training partner. Many of these miles were run with him by my side (or just in front of me...) and I know that I would not have made some of those early morning runs without him. I am very lucky to have a spouse that shares my same excitement for running. I am also thankful to have such great friends and supporters who read my blog and cheer me on. I couldn't do it without your support and encouragement...seriously, ya'll make me feel like a rockstar! I hope that you keep reading in the new year and I would like to hear from some of you right here in the comment section. I would love to build a community of people who are committed to a fit lifestyle and I think that this blog is a great place to do it! Let's hear from you...tell me about your 2010 success and share your 2011 goals with me.
I will be back very soon to reveal my 2011 running goals...looks like that comfort zone will be stretched yet again!
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