Looking Back on 2015 and Finding the Real Runner

This was one of my worst years of running and racing. Low total mileage, very few races, and even those events didn't go well. No injuries, but plenty of illness. Pneumonia, flu, and whatever I have right now to end this year. On the positive side, I did finally break that 100th ultra/marathon barrier I've been eyeing for some time. I stand at 101 ultras or marathons at the end of 2015.

Funny thing about this "poor year of running." I found myself. I tried new things. I know what I like. I know what I don't like. When not running, I had time to think. It was a year of discovery and insights. I can learn from these new-found truths. They'll help me in 2016.

First, I enjoy long distance running and racing. By long distance, I mean 18+ mile long runs and 26+ mile races. At heart, I'm an ultra guy. When Howl at the Moon and Barkley races didn't go well, I re-focused on shorter runs and speed. It was a nice change of pace. Unfortunately, I really only enjoyed it for about 4 weeks. Then I wanted more. More 20 milers. More gels. More walking. More hills. More ultras. I need to unleash the ultrarunner inside of me in 2016. After I focus on the half-marathon in April.

In addition to truly enjoying those longer efforts, I realized how much I hate roads. I'm a trail guy. Heck, I even prefer treadmills to roads. Just don't like that repetitive pounding. The sense of caution at each intersection. Watching for people, cars, dogs, lights. At least treadmills offer a consistent pace and an opportunity to zone-out and pay attention to my breathing, or music, or cadence. Roads suck. Treadmills are OK, and trails rule. Trails are always different. Sometimes wet and muddy, at other times hard an dry. Flat, gentling rolling, or gut-busting hills. Wide and smooth grass to technical single-track filled with rocks and roots. Open meadows and farm-fields to dense forests. I love them all. Roads are pretty similar. Trails are diverse.

Not much surpising in these revelations. But one insight that did surprise me was my keen passion for variety...including speed. I've been a slow-paced ultra runner for too long. Way too easy to settle into easy aerobic runs and leave it there. 3 miles easy. 5 miles easy. 7 miles easy. 20 miles easy. No fartleks. No repeats and intervals. No tempo efforts. No hill bounding. Just easy. And fairly slow. Nothing wrong with that...unless you discover an inclination for speed. The last few weeks of this year I've experimented with fast runs. 1-mile race pace efforts. 400 and 800 meter repeats. 2-mile tempo runs. It's been fun. I need to carry this new-found excitement into 2016. That speed will certainly help with my half-marathon training. It should assist with the marathon and ultras later in the year too.

So, what will 2016 bring for me? A combination of speed, stamina, and endurance. Mostly on trails. And a mix of race distances from 5K to 50 miles. I haven't figured it all out yet, but my overall training and race plans are coming together. I'll progress from shorter road races to longer trail ultras. Training will be structured to incorporate lots of variety and keep building endurance on top of speed. 2015 was not my year...but it taught me lessons that will help make 2016 one of my best years ever. I anticipate great training, fantastic racing, and new personal records. Goodbye 2015. Hello 2016.

Did I Reach My 2015 Run Goals?

It's time to look back and see how this year's running went. Did I reach my goals? Based on my January 1, 2015 blog post ("Running Goals for 2015") it doesn't look good. I still have a couple of days left, but I don't think any new goals are going to be achieved. Just being a realist. Let's take a look at each of the five goals I set for myself in 2015.

1. Qualify for Boston Marathon. Nope. Not even close. I needed a sub 3:30, but ran a 3:42 at the Illinois Marathon in April.  It was a miserable weather day--high winds and rain almost all day. Due to lightning, they even cancelled the race when I was around mile 24. Still, I wasn't ready. Not enough long runs and speed work to make me fit for a personal best. And I didn't try for another marathon the rest of the year. I haven't given up on the Boston dream (yet), but it didn't happen in 2015. 0-1 on running goals.

2. Set at least one new personal record. Nope. Again, not even close. I thought I'd nab the marathon PR (and qualify for Boston), plus a 50-mile PR. Maybe even a new 5K or half-marathon PR too.  I was optimistic at the end of 2014. None of it came to pass in 2015. Not much else to say. Guess that makes it 0-2 on goals.

3. Finally reach 100 ultra/marathons. Yes! Goal achieved. I am currently at 101 ultra/marathons. Howl at the Moon 8-hour was my 100th in August, then the Barkley Fall Classic in September for #101. I've been trying to break this 100 barrier for 2 years. Feels good to finally grab it. Not too many people can say they've knocked off that many ultras or marathons. Howl at the Moon was one of my worst race efforts, but I did it. And Barkley was a nasty affair, but I survived. I'm satisfied. 1-2 for my run goals. 

4. Stay injury-free for the entire year. Yes. Sorta. I didn't have any injuries, but I was really sick twice. Once with pneumonia in June, then a terrible (and harsh) cold/flu in October. Each knocked me out for 2 weeks of no running. The pneumonia had a lasting negative impact--it took about 2 months to get back to "almost normal" easy running. Even longer before I "felt right." I'm pretty sure I ran poorly at the August Howl at the Moon ultra because of the lingering effects of the pneumonia. And the October cold/flu knocked me out of the Tunnel Hill 50 miler in November (DNS). Still, on the positive side, I was not injured. Just a bit unhealthy. I'll count this as a win. 2-2 for run goals. I'd prefer to stay injury-free and healthy in 2016. 

5. Run over 1600 miles. Not achieved. Unless I hammer out about 150 miles in the next 2 days (Across the Years, anyone?) this goal will not come to fruition. That's cool. If I added back in those four missed weeks due to illness, I'd be right on target. I'll finish 2015 just shy of 1500 miles. Not my best effort, but it's still OK.

So, I end up achieving 2 out of 5 goals for 2015. Not great. I can do better in 2016. I'll post those new goals soon. 

Arthur Lydiard

If you are an endurance athlete, then you should know the name Arthur Lydiard. And by endurance, I mean any distance from 800m to more than 100-mile ultramarathons. That's basically everyone.  If you are a 100 or 200 meter sprinter, maybe even 400 meters, you can ignore the teachings of Lydiard. For everyone else, listen up! Lydiard was the greatest coach the world has ever seen. Great New Zealand runner and coach of Olympic athletes.  He could turn a neighborhood slacker into an Olympian. Pretty impressive. The main Lydiard focus, but not the entirety of his training, is on development of a solid foundational aerobic base. Lots of running at easy paces. He was the first guy to emphasize 100+ mile training weeks. Same with periodization and peaking for goals races. I'm not an expert on this, but I've read a ton and watched a few videos. Here are the best resources to learn more about Arthur Lydiard and his style of run training:

From the coach himself:
Running with Lydiard
Running to the Top

Great interpretation of Lydiard's philosophy (with modern connections to research and training):
Healthy Intelligent Training: The Proven Pinciples of Arthur Lydiard (by Keith Livingstone)

And a couple of YouTube videos:

and the second part of that lecture...

Enjoy the Athur Lydiard training method. You will get faster and stronger. Special thanks to Coach Jeff for sending me the videos and re-connecting me with this legendary coach.

Better than Yesterday, Worse than Tomorrow

It's become a part of tradition in my little household that when I return from a run, my wife asks "How'd your run go, Meb?" This is from the Skechers commercial for the GoRun Ride (which I wear). Here's the ad:



I used to answer my wife with "Pretty good, but I won't know until I download my data. Need to see distance, time, pace, heart rate, cadence, elevation, weather...compare to previous runs...blah, blah, blah."

Now, I have a new response to that "How'd your run go?" question. "Better than yesterday, worse than tomorrow." It's from an Asics and Foot Locker commercial about being an army veteran and part of a unit where you do the daily "push." Pretty neat. Nice commercial, nice idea. Here's that ad:



So my response now, my attitude now, my running life now is ruled by those words: "Better than yesterday, worse than tomorrow." I love it. Every run is better than the previous one. Maybe not faster, but better. Because I ran today. Tomorrow will be even better. It's optimistic. It keeps you in control. If you have a bad run, it's your fault. Stay positive.

Can't wait to run tomorrow. It'll be even better than today. And today was pretty darn good...even without any run statistics! Just call me Meb. And Meb don't do the dishes or laundry. He runs.

Patagonia Houdini Jacket

I was in Indianapolis yesterday and wandered into the local REI. Didn't have anything in mind to buy, but I like browsing their clearance section (and regular sales). Often there are good deals on running-related gear. I can always use another pair of shorts, or socks, shirt, maybe even...a new jacket! Found a good-looking Patagonia Houdini hooded jacket on clearance for $68. Regularly over $100. It only weighs 4oz. That's with a built-in hood. Extremely lightweight, breathable, wind and water resistant...and it packs into its own pocket the size my fist. Nice slim fit too. Sweet. I checked online review sites and saw it got great ratings. I pulled the trigger and bought the jacket in dark red (pictured at left).

Used the new Houdini jacket this morning on a trail run when the weather was cool (27F degrees) with a slight breeze. It worked fine with a long-sleeve shirt underneath. Light gloves and hat completed the ensemble. I pulled the hood up when facing the wind, pulled it down when free of the wind. Worked like a charm. No hot/humid sauna feeling. Nice and airy. This could be my new go-to running jacket. Sleeves are the perfect length (tough for this tall and lanky runner) and it has a slightly longer back to fully cover my waist. Any downside? There is only a chest pocket, no hand pockets. Considering the extreme lightness, I can live with that minor drawback.

Not sure I'd buy this jacket for full price (lists at $125, usually found at $99), but at under $70, it's a great value. Still on sale at REI (local stores and online).