So, what's up?

So, what's been going on running-wise?

For me, I've been preparing for a solo attempt at a marathon in November.  I have several ideas in mind as to the course, but haven't settled on one just yet.  Out and back would be OK, but not ideal since I'll have to figure out how to stash supplies along the way without having an animal steal them or have the water freeze.  A loop course would be better since I could stash supplies in my car and use it as an aid station.

My training plan for the marathon attempt is pretty simple:  Run!  Mas!  That's it.  Nothing fancy.  I'll save the more advanced stuff for next year when I'm preparing for an ultra attempt.

I'll spare you the boring details, but I am on track to break 200 miles in September.  It will be a personal best month for me.  Woo Hoo!  It also means I am wearing out shoes faster.  Boo!

Fall is most definitely here.  The colors are brilliant.  Too bad when I am running in the dark in the morning I can't see them.  The stars are pretty though.  Venus is easy to pick out in the eastern sky.

The 2012 racing season is almost over for me.  There's a half marathon coming up in October and a 5K in November and then that's it until next spring.  I've started penciling out plans for 2013, but nothing firm yet.  It's looking like I will be spending a lot of time in Michigan's Upper Peninsula next summer.  There's a trail 50K, a trail marathon and a trail 25K up there that I want to run.  We'll see how it all works out.

May Reflections

From my May training log:

Total miles:  179.1 (a new personal best!)
Hottest run:  85 degrees (I nearly passed out when I got home)
Coldest run:  45 degrees
Longest run:  13.3 miles
Shortest run:  3.1 miles
Average run:  7.5 miles

May was rough the first couple of weeks as I was just coming out of tax season and ramping my miles back up.  Those first couple of long runs were hard.  By the end of the month the long runs weren't so bad and I was feeling good again.  Now, in June, I'm feeling like I need to step up my miles a little bit again.  The last 4 weeks have been at about 40 miles.  The time has come to bump that up to about 45.  I also want to add some speedwork to be quicker on the trails.  Not formal track speedwork, but some fartlek sessions on the trails.  My legs need to know it's OK to turnover quicker in the woods.

Next up on the race calendar in a trail half marathon at the end of August.  Plenty of time to work on getting faster and stronger before then.

Now that we're in the summer season I just want to encourage everyone to be careful out there.  Use sunscreen liberally and hydrate well.  Check for ticks if you've been in the woods.

April Review

April is in the history books and true to my accountant nature I closed the books.  Here it is by the numbers:

Total miles run:  103.4
Average run:  6.5 miles
Longest run:  12.3 miles
Shortest run:  2.5 miles
Warmest run:  72 degrees
Coldest run:  27 degrees

An improvement over March, which is good.  May has started out well with an average run length of 6.4 miles already.

Run safely friends!

Whew!

With the ending of the tax filing season today I am breathing a big sigh of relief.  For the last six weeks its been lots of work, too much stress eating, and not enough running.  Last week I ran 5 days for the first time in a month.  It was hard work, but felt great.  Thankfully, I don't seem to have lost too much fitness and should be back up to where I want to be in no time.

So, what has the running been like lately?  Here it is by the numbers:

March
Miles run:  94.0
Warmest run:  78 degrees
Coldest run:  5 degrees
Longest run:  10.9 miles
Shortest run:  3 miles
Average run:  5.9 miles

Yes, I cut way back due to workload, to make room for family time, some minor injuries and just because I was exhausted.  April isn't exactly getting started with a bang with a 5.3 mile average so far, but I am building back up.

What's coming up?  A trail half marathon on June 2nd.  It should be a blast.

Now, to get off my rear and get out there...

January by the Numbers

Last night I did my final run for January, 2012.  It was a nice finish to what has been a really good running month.  Even the weather was good with temps in the mid-30's and a nice waxing moon high in the sky.

So, how did January go?

Total miles run:  168.8 miles
Warmest run:  33 degrees Fahrenheit
Coldest run:  -5 degrees Fahrenheit
Longest run:  13 miles
Shortest run:  5 miles
Average distance run:  8 miles

The month of January is a personal best for me as far as total miles.  A year ago I never saw myself basically running a half marathon on my long run days.  Now, it's a weekly thing.  For February the plan is to maintain the current mileage.  I want to do about four more long runs at the 13 mile distance before trying to bump it up.