2014: numbers don’t lie. Any thoughts?

I’ve kept the last few years for comparison purposes… and my comments in Italics. I expect your comments and reviews below. What do YOU think are the wins and fails? what about your wins and fails? What is the most important factor for you? Mileage, PRs, races..??

Total Miles:
2009- 678
2010- 1217
2011- 886
2012- 1241
2013- 1109
2014- 1081
—Sad, but still pretty good considering I struggled with motivation all year!

Races:
2009- 10 (9 in NYC, 1 in Nashville) 1 marathon, 2 halfs, one 18 miler, one 10k, one 5M, two 4M, one 3 miler and a Mile.
2010- 19 (13 in NYC, 1 in Boston, 1 in Boulder, 2 in NJ, 1 in Philly, and 1 in Buenos Aires)
2011- 12 (10 in NYC, 1 in DC, and 1 in NJ)
2012- 16 (13 in NYC, 1 in PA, 1 in Germany, 1 in Argentina)
2013- 11 (10 in NYC, one in NJ)
2014- 15 (12 in NYC, one in NJ, one in MA, and one in Argentina)
—wow, that’s enough!

PRs:
2009- Six! (Out of 10 races)
2010- Thirteen! (Out of 19 races)
2011- Six + 1 automatic one (Out of 12 races)
2012- Three (marathon, 5K, mile) + 1 automatic (out of 16 races)
2013- Three (half mary, 4 miler, and 10K).
2014- ZERO!
—I need one soon. I am past the withdrawal symptoms & going into “giving up”.

Highest Age Grading:
2009- 60%
2010- 69%
2011- 68.5%
2012- 71:29%
2013- 70.23%
2013- 70.20%
—This is really how I measure success in a race. Only hit it 70%once this past year and it was in my last race. Which might mean things are looking up…

Injuries:
2009- 2 — retrocalcaneal bursitis (5 months out), piriformis syndrome (10 weeks out)
2010- ITBS (three weeks out right before the Boston Marahton!)
2011- broken shoulder, 2 broken ribs, torn rotator cuff (2 weeks before NYCM!)
2012- NOT ONE!
2013- NOT ONE RUNNING INJURY! WOHOOO
2014- just my will to run…?!?! So, yey, good!?!?!
—I fell a bunch of times but that really didn’t keep me from running. The lack of interest was my big problem this year.

Races Cancelled or DNFed:
2009- none
2010- One DNF, a 50K where I fell twice.
2011- Chicago, DNS because of 2 stress fractures.
2012- ONE DNS (snow storm!), plus the NYC Marathon cancellation.
2013- none
2014- none
—yey I guess.

Highest/Average Weekly Mileage:
2009- Highest: 40. Average: 13
2010- Highest: 40. Average: 23
2011- Highest: 36. Average: 17
2012- Highest: 40. Average: 25
2013- Highest: 43. Average 21.
2014- Highest: 43. Average 20.
—Hilarious. Barely one week down from last year.

Marathons:
2009- One (NYC). PR: 3:45:22
2010- Two (NYC and Boston). PR: 3:42:33
2011- Two (National and NYC). PR: 3:37:57. DNS in Chicago for injury.
2012- One (Berlin). PR: 3:27:44
2013- One (NYC). A MegaMESS
2014- Two (Boston and NYC), two awfully-slow-fun experiences. Not even close to a PR.
— Just like in 2013, I didn’t train for Boston and I shouldn’t have done it. I wasn’t there physically or mentally and crumbled early. I was quite trained for but made a rookie mistake. I did the Tune Up 18 miler WAY too fast. And then I just didn’t recover in time. This really bothers me because I tell everyone every year “make sure you don’t peak at the Tune up!” and then I go and do it. UGH.

Half Marathons:
2009- Two. PR was 1:45:55
2010- Six. PR is 1:42:47
2011- Two. No PR.
2012- Two. No PR. (though there was an unofficial half marathon PR in the second half of the Berlin marathon)
2013- Three. A 1:37:35 PR and two I did for training (1:45 and 1:42).
2014: FOUR! NYC Half, Brooklyn, Gretes’ Great Gallop and Staten Island. Not ONE PR!
—The half is where it’s at. I want to do more. I can see myself really getting more and more excited about getting better at this distance.

Balance: Not Great! I struggled a lot during the winter months and had motivation issues all the way from mid-2013. Eventually I stopped and it helped a lot. When I picked it up, in July, it was all great but I still have a long way to catch up to where I was and things turned out great by the end of the year. I am really considering to skip the NYC Marathon this year. I just can’t find the long runs appealing anymore. 2015 is the year of the half. yeah?

7 thoughts on “2014: numbers don’t lie. Any thoughts?

  1. Happy New Year!!! Wow, what a great runner!! I love your passion for running and your dedication!! That’s wonderful!! I’ve only run a few, but I’m starting to really love half marathons! It’s a great distance! I think I really fell in love with it at Richmond Half Marathon this past November!! I wish you many many PRs!! I have a feeling you’re going to have a fabulous 2015!! Have a wonderful Friday!! XOXO

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  2. (Eternal Optimist here!)
    My thoughts on the above:

    You have built a crazy awesome running legacy! My first thought was that 1,000 miles a year is an excellent milestone to hit any given year… but you’ve hit it 4 of the past 5 years, even! That’s amazing.

    Beyond that – getting out and getting some runs in back home (¡¡Me encanta la Argentina!!))… how can that not make any given year the BOMB?!

    What I see in the above is an amazing amount of consistency. Maybe it’s time to mix it up. You’ve done halfs and fulls for a while, now. Maybe 2015 is the year of SPEED! What’s your fastest mile? :-p

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    • Thank you! and yes, I agree!!!! I am starting the year with two short races and hoping to build my speed this year, after all that’s what older people focus on anyway. My fastest mile is 6:05 I think, from 2 years ago. I am not sure I can get there by September (when the mile race happens) but I think I can try 😉 THANKS!!!

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  3. Wow, you looked at a lot if different things! I never think to look at half of that stuff! You know, to gauge running for myself I look for my consistency, whether I am enjoying myself, and picking up an occasional age group award. At 45 I am not going to get faster though I did (barely) PR at half marathon this year. Plus, I am starting to focus a lot in obstacle racing which mixes it up a lot with strength training and trail running. My big successes were completing my first Spartan trifecta, successfully following a marathon training plan and completing NYC Marathon, the half Marathon PR (totally accidental, happened during marathon training so no taper before), and running some races in costume. 2015 will be the year of obstacle racing with another Spartan trifecta, my first Spartan Elite heat (gasp), and definitely some shorter road races of half marathon or shorter. Woo hoo!

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    • If you saw my running log.. there’s a lot more I keep track of. One thing I track and I needed to compile is ratings. I always rate every run A B C or D based on how I felt. I think that’d be interesting to see…
      you ARE getting faster if you’re still PRing (even if little) or even if you stay at the same speed, which is going to be a struggle going forward!!

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