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Me after finishing 28 miles in 2015. |
- What: Real Riddle Run 22
- When: Saturday, January 30 at 8:01 am
- Where: Lake of the Woods original trails
- Distance: 28 miles (7 x 4-mile loop)
- Cost: Free
- Aid: None
A blog by a guy named Chris who writes about running. Usually trail running--often at the ultramarathon distance. See you on the trails.
"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go." -T.S. Eliot
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." -Dalai Lama
"The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art." -Leonardo da Vinci
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Me after finishing 28 miles in 2015. |
Well, 2020 is finally over. I've posted my "did I achieve my goals" and also "highs and lows" for the year. Now it's a mundane summary of my basic running statistics from 2020. With a comparison to 2019. As stated before, 2020 was a good running year for me. Actually, an excellent one!
2019 | 2020 | Improve? | |
Count: | 278 runs | 317 runs | ✓ |
Distance: | 1,420 mi | 1716 mi | ✓ |
Max Distance: | 26.25 mi | 16.2 mi | x |
Avg Distance: | 5.11 mi | 5.41 mi | ✓ |
Time: | 224:41 h:m | 264:58 h:m | ✓ |
Avg Speed: | 9:13 min/mi | 9:16 min/mi | x |
Avg HR: | 132 bpm | 129 bpm | ✓ |
Elevation Gain: | 43,597 ft | 61,056 ft | ✓ |
Avg Cadence | 163 spm | 163 spm | --- |
Longest Streak: | 23 days | 34 days | ✓ |
Longest Break: | 3 days | 2 days | ✓ |
I'm happy with, and proud of, all of these stats, with the exception of the longest run category. Only 16 miles? Really? That will change in 2021. Slightly slower pace seems odd, with shorter runs and some fast time trials, I thought it would be faster than last year. But, with more overall miles (mostly on trails), it does make sense that those would be run slower (lower average HR confirms that trend). My biggest surprise when looking at these stats is the higher elevation gain (61K vs 43K). I ran less "exotic" trails (like Clinton Lake, Forest Glen, and Allerton), but a ton more at Lake of the Woods rather than treadmill. While LOW park trails are not extremely hilly, they do have more elevation change than a treadmill. I guess quitting the gym has its benefits!
I plan to track these same stats in 2021, and hopefully review them more frequently (once/month? once/quarter?). No surprises come December 31, 2021. Time to think about 2021 running goals and races. That blog post is coming soon.
Goal #1: Qualify for Boston Marathon. Nope! Failed. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no official marathon races this year (at least around me). Not really a failure if I never had the opportunity. Could have run a virtual marathon, but that would not count as a BQ time. In all honesty, I was not ready to toss down a fast marathon time. Probably would have failed anyway, but I am embracing the pandemic excuse. Silver linings!
Goal #2: Run at least one ultramarathon race. Failed. Again, there were no races in 2020, so I couldn't really achieve this goal. Not my fault, right? Actually, I take "credit" for this failure. I could easily have run a virtual ultra. Unlike the BQ time goal above, anything over 26.2 miles would count as an ultra done. My bad. In fact, my longest run on 2020 was only 16 miles. Sad. I'll do better next year.
Goal #3: Run at least 1700 miles. Success! I ran 1716 miles in 2020. Most ever for me. That averages to 33/week. Impressive for this low-mileage runner. Feel good that I was consistent the whole year. It would have been easy to give up when we had "stay at home" orders. No major injuries, no health issues, and no long breaks from running. My longest non-running streak was 2 days! Proud of that achievement.
So, in 2020 I succeeded on one goal, failed at another, and called it a draw on a third. That's not too bad for this crazy year! Hoping for a better 2021.