2013 was an 'ok' running year for me. Maybe it suffers a bit in comparison with 2012, where I trained smart and hard to get ready for the Comrades, and ran the race of my life. This year I didn't have any big hairy audacious goals, and as the JFK 50 approached I wound up just trying to spend enough time on feet and get enough miles logged to be able to finish the race. I did finish, but it was a hard day - in some ways I thought my familiarity with the course and running experience played as big a role as my conditioning. did.
This year I will improve the quality of my training. Run faster. I've been thinking that the software I use to track my running (SportTrack) focuses on TRIMP. I can always accumulate plenty of TRIMP with lots of long slow running. My old Suunto watches calculated TE or training effect - what I need to do this year is make sure I get some higher intensity / TE runs done as part of my weekly routine.
Running highlights of 2013
There were no real racing highlights for me, but I did have some memorable runs.
- My sister Lisa and I ran the Appleton, WI 'Turkey Trot' 5 miler on Thanksgiving morning. It was a cold day in Appleton, and the first time my sister has run 5 miles that she remembers. My wife Mary was on the course at the same time, walking it with our extended family. Everyone had a good day - definitely a running highlight for me too!
- Portland OR run-about. A couple of days in Portland in September gave me the chance to run some new routes starting from in-town, going up the hill to Skyline Drive, then back into town on a two-mile downhill stretch coming down Burnside about as fast as I have run in a long time. A blast.
- Exploring and running bits of the great Leadville 100 course, and then watching the race from various points on the course. Wow ... just wow.
Keep your feet under you, and have a happy new year!
