Miscellaneous

This article was originally posted by Ed at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

Just wanted to put it out there that this year while inconsistant is leaps and bounds over last year at this point.

Last year 1/1 through 4/3 I had only run 22 times for 83.83 miles and I still had a pretty good racing year.

This year 1/1 through 4/3 I have run 40 times for 258.63 miles.

I know I should have had nearly 500 miles so far but I have plenty of time before my goal races to step it up and work extra hard. Looking forward to the five races I have planned for the year.

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

A less serious topic, just because (and it’s not even my birthday, this was spurred by a conversation with another runner who recently celebrated a birthday).

I have often been asked why I don’t celebrate my birthday with a race. Maybe it’s because I’m not a huge fan of racing in Wisconsin winters, which complicates things with an early February birthday. Maybe it’s because, while I’ve always thought of myself as a competitive runner, I’m a runner first and competitive second. Racing is an incredible experience and my running life would have a huge hole in it if racing wasn’t a part of it but I don’t run to race. I race because it’s a part of the running experience for me. I sometimes enjoy a relaxing long run through nature even more than I do a race.

Or maybe it’s because last time I did a birthday race, not running well was only half the story. Guys in the age group I joined just days earlier took 3 of the top 4 spots overall. What a welcome to a new age group that was.

This article was originally posted by Andrew A. at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

With a new team for the new year, I am once again wanting to blog more. I have committed myself to a seasonal summer focus on middle distance (800m-5000m) and leading up to that will race 5K-21K on the roads. The ideal is to be ready to compete in either 1500m or 5000m at Masters Track Nationals in mid-July in Kansas. I will likely be blogging more about my own training than I have in the recent past, hence reviving the blog I had used for that in the distant past.

Today I went and spectated at C.U.’s early-season home meet, the Jerry Quiller Classic. It was invigorating to be around a track meet setting again, to see competitors getting after it in spikes. The crack of the starter’s pistol, the field bunching together and then dispersing, the labored gasps, the rhythmic coordination of arms and legs, the grins at the finish. Part of me wanted to be racing the 3000m, though I am keenly aware that today I would have been drubbed royally by the guy who finished last. I take that to mean that I should move one of my weekly workouts to the track, though.

This article was originally posted by Ed at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

My feelings are a bit diametrical regarding my running so far this year.

On one end I have placed my distance goal of 2,013 miles for the year in jeopardy because of a bad Januray and bad February. As of tomorrow I should be hitting about 414 miles for the year so far to be on the correct pace. I am only going to be at 202 miles for the year. That is a differnce of 212 miles! That is a lot of ground to make up.

On the other end I am way ahead of where I was last year at this point. Last year at the end of March I had 62 miles and this year I will be close to 300. So I have a great shot at achieving my race goals of cutting my times down significantly and placing well overall as well as in my age group.

This article was originally posted by Ed at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

I have registered for a fall Half Marathon. The Chicago Monster Dash on October 20, 2013. This looks to be a very flat out and back course. I am hoping to run a PR there. My current PR in the half marathon is 1:27:00. I am aiming for 1:22:00-1:23:00 (or better of course.)

I have a lot of work to do if I am going to hit that goal. But I am willing as well as able. Hard days ahead but the prize will be worth it all.

I am glad I have Coach Ryan to guid me along!