2013 in Review

Finishing up 2013...

Thursday, November 14^th – 7 miles

Friday, November 15^th – 4 miles

Saturday, November 16^th – 5 miles (GOTR 5K - 20:39).  Windy day to run a race.  Talked Craig into running with me, and we did a 2 mile warmup before jumping into the race.  Same course as the old St. Pat’s course, and we lined up on Market before taking off west towards SLU and turning on Compton and coming back towards downtown on Olive.  Wanted to treat this race as a tempo to get in some speed, since it’s been awhile since I’ve pushed myself period.  Well, started off pretty decent with the tailwind but once we hit that huge long ascent up Market, my legs started tiring pretty quickly.  0 strength whatsoever.  Turning onto Olive was even more of a rude awakening – the wind was just really strong, and was killer coming down that huge hill and feeling like you’re running with a parachute on your back.  On top of it all, I was running by myself and had no one to work with, so that portion of the race was pretty rough on the body.  Last half mile was cruise control with no one around  me and hamming it up and pumping up the crowd.  Fun times, and hung out a bit with the BRR crew and Craig before calling it a day.  2^nd in my age group, and won a ridiculous medal.

Me and the Old Man

Sunday, November 17^th – 6 miles.  76 miles in November, 2029 miles in 2013.

Monday, November 18^th – 4 miles.  Ran Big River group run with Kyle and Craig.  First time at group run in forever!  Ran the improvised 4 mile loop, and was cruising towards the end.  Felt nice and easy, and good to have Kyle out there.  31 minutes and some change.

Tuesday, November 19^th – 4 miles

Wednesday, November 20^th – 6 miles

Thursday, November 21^st – 6 miles

Friday, November 22^nd – 4 miles

Saturday, November 23^rd – 6 miles.  Ran pretty early with Mike before heading back to Peoria for Thanksgiving with the family.  It was 23 degrees and chilly as ****.  We ran Home Depot and back, and picked it up quite a bit heading back in once we got warmed up.  Most layers I have worn in a long time – maybe went a little too overboard, as I was sweating like a fat pig towards the end.  Great to have Mike back on the trails with me!  50:04 total.

Sunday, November 24^th – 0!  No excuses, just got home late from Peoria, then vegged out all day.  Cold, turkey hangover, football contributed to my running demise.  30 miles this week, 106 miles in November, 2059 miles in 2013.

Monday, November 25^th – ~4.5 miles.  Ran Big River group run with an out of town guest, Ben Rosario!  Very cool to catch up with him, as we did the Francis Park loop and headed back.  The original plan was to do drills in the dark at DuBourgh, but having good company helped sway that.  Weather was perfect, and I found myself leading the entire group through the park which is too fast for me.  Oh well, felt amazing though!  33:26 overall.

Tuesday, November 26^th – 4 miles.  Ran with Crystal after work on the trails.  20-25 mph winds and 20 degree weather = miserable.  We ran out towards Home Depot into the wind, and could barely breathe.  It was quite funny trying to talk, then have 20-30 second pauses so we could catch our breath!  Coming back, we dropped almost 20 seconds per mile with half the effort.  Always love it when we have to remind ourselves to slow down, even though it feels easy.  30:26 (15:27/14:57) overall.

Wednesday, November 27^th – 5 miles

Thursday, November 28^th – 11 miles (2 up, KIRKWOOD TURKEY TROT 3 MILER (18:57), KIRKWOOD TURKEY TROT 6 MILER (45:00)).  Warm up with Colby and Crystal on the course, then headed back to shelter because it was bloody cold outside!  15-20 degrees, but not much wind so relatively tolerable.  First time in forever I have been home, so took the opportunity to run the popular Kirkwood Turkey Trot, as well as double up for the 6 miler to cool down.  Paired up with Fenley and we talked about tempoing the 3 mile.  I was targeting 6:25-6:30 pace, so was not overly pleased to see me take us out in 6:06 first mile (it felt ridiculously easy), so we slammed on the brakes and held back on the second mile.  Once we started coming back towards the finish, we finally got locked in and worked our way back towards downtown Kirkwood with a few inclines but relatively easy course.  Fenley picked it up the last mile and I let him go, but pushed enough to slide under 19 minutes.  Great confidence booster as the effort wasn’t too hard, and I felt very controlled despite the inconsistent splits (6:06, 6:37, 6:14).  Changed clothes for the 6 miler (cooldown), and started running with Colby and Crystal before Crystal dropped the pace and took off (yes Crystal, I know you are reading this and you did drop the pace whether you didn’t think so!).  Legs weren’t feeling the best, so didn’t make too much of an effort to catch up and ran with Fenley for awhile.  Made the mistake of wearing a hoodie, as I was getting super warm out there.  Basically jogged the last 2 miles, since they back end of the 6 mile course was pretty damn hilly and my legs were super tired.  Pleased to see a 7:30 average pace on a hilly course for my cooldown with me basically walking in the last half.

 

Colby and I

Wolfpack Representation

Friday, November 29^th – 4 miles

Saturday, November 30^th – 6 miles.  140.5 miles in November, 2093.5 miles in 2013.

Sunday, December 1^st – 10 miles.  44.5 miles this week, 10 miles in December, 2103.5 miles in 2013.

December 2^nd – 8^th – 42 miles.  Long run with Colby and Jon on a ridiculously cold morning was the only run that comes to mind.  Sh*tty road conditions with a recent snow fall, and an upset stomach made for an interesting run but still got it in!  52 miles in December, 2145.5 miles in 2013.

 

Guess the runners?

December 9^th – 13^th – 29 miles.  Lots of easy runs here.

Saturday, December 14^th – 7.5 miles.  Pere Marquette trail run on a snowy morning.  Took 2 hours to drive to the race site, and Grafton got a good 6-7 inches of snow, which was going to make this race very, very interesting.  Traded bibs with Colby to give him better positioning, and started back with Marc, Gibbs, and Craig.  It was pretty evident right from the beginning that this was going to be a slow race, as the paths were covered and packed down from all the runners in front of us.  Marc would later say that he could tell his kids about the time he ran in a luge track – pretty much summed up this year’s Pere Marquette race!.  After about 5 pretty nasty falls, a few snow balls from Craig, countless mountains to climb, snow falling everywhere from the trees, and a ridiculously fun time, we finished the race.  Pretty much the trail runner’s equivalent to an IM, and what a beastly race it was!  Even though we went slow, I felt like I had ran a pretty hard tempo afterwards.  Ran with Marc pretty much the entire way, and enjoyed the experience immensely!

 

Wolfpack Runs PM

Marc and I battling through the snowy wilderness

Crazy snow

Sunday, December 15^th – 0!  Crappy conditions, exhaustion, football, and sore legs = no run.  (excuses, excuses)  Legs and back were pretty beat up from Pere Marquette – it felt like I had been in a bad car accident.  But fun weekend, and we laid low all day.  36.5 miles this week, 88.5 miles in December, 2182 miles in 2013.

Monday, December 16^th – 3 miles.  Ran Big River U City group run, since they were doing a Ugly Xmas Sweater run.  Well, I forgot my sweater, but had a red top and a green undershirt so hopefully that counts.  Had planned on running longer, but the sidewalk and road conditions in the University City area were awful.  We ran up Delmar before turning on Hanley and running through that area.  After slipping numerous times, Tim and I decided to go slower and just run the 3 mile loop.  Probably not in our best interest to slip and crack our head on the sidewalks.  No watch, but it was pretty slow. 

Big River U City Sweater Run!

Tuesday, December 17^th – 6 miles.  Gibbs arranged an impromptu Forest Park run, so Pat, Crystal, and I joined to run the FOPA loop.  Started as a group, but Crystal, Huelsmann, and Brian Lyons (STL running royalty and stud) separated and got into cruise control by the third mile.  We did reverse loop, and it was tricky because there was a ton of black ice out there.  Because I have been running so infrequently this winter, going fast wasn’t an issue like it normally is.  Typically I’m so beat up that I can barely go sub 8 on easy runs, but it’s been nice to be able to push it when needed.  Anyways, effort felt harder, but very manageable and it was a fun group to run with.  44:51 total, and our last 4 miles were low 7’s.  Schlafly Bottleworks afterwards with the group!

Wednesday, December 18^th – 7 miles (2 up, 9x200, 2 down).  SLU Track workout with Crystal.  As this was my first track workout in months (well I did do a fartlek a little bit ago, but it’s been awhile otherwise), I was a little nervous going in and definitely need to build up slowly.  Lights were out at SLU, and we were the only ones out there which was kind of nice actually.  Some snow on the track, but lane 1 was clear which is pretty much all we needed.  Quick warmup, then some form drills and dynamic lunges (a new set of drills that recently got incorporated into Crystal’s workouts).  My God, after doing a couple sets, my legs bypassed the traditional rubbery feel after a workout right into instant sore.  That’s how I’ll always remember my first attempt at these – just pure pain.  Anyways, my plan was to do 200’s, and Crystal had 3 x (2x200, 1x600), so we decided to work together and I took a small break in between the second and third rep to help time/cheer before jumping in to help.  Desired pace was 37-38, and we were pretty much dead on the entire time.  More Satanic drills using the bleachers to finish out our work, then 2 mile cooldown to complete my successful track re-debut.  Happy 2000^th mile to Crystal!  Splits were: 36, 37, 38, 37, 37, 38, 37, 37, 38.

Thursday, December 19^th – 5 miles.  Legs were destroyed and attempted to run.  270 loop, then to the trails and back.  It was difficult to walk, let alone run.  Crystal had challenged me earlier with her “swift” 8:37 average, but after a 9:45 first mile I knew her time was safe.  Contemplated walking so many times, but I just wanted to get it over with.  Almost 60 degrees at night which was nice, but very strange for December weather.  ~45 minutes or so.

Friday, December 20^th – 6 miles.

Saturday, December 21^st – 3 miles.  Forest Park run with Kyle.  Was going to do my long run, but it was raining pretty heavy all morning so got in what we could.  Nice and easy, low 8 minute pace, and looped around the Muny and Zoo area.

Sunday, December 20^th – 0!  Travel day to Mexico with the family.  Pretty tired and stressed out, and the all-inclusive resort we were staying at was pretty much screaming at me to drink a few Coronas so who was I to deny?  30 miles this week, 118.5 miles in December, 2282 miles in 2013.

Monday, December 23^rd – 4 miles.  2 miles outside the resort with Anne, then 2 miles solo in the resort.  Went from 10-20 degree weather to 80-90 degrees!  Would have liked to explore more in the area, but we were advised by the staff to stay closeby because it could be dangerous.  The “beware of crocodiles” sign was also a great deterrent to stay nearby.  Nice and slow, and enjoyed a shirtless run although not sure everyone else enjoyed the ghastly sight of my out of shape body.

Tuesday, December 24^th – 6 miles.  Dreadmill time.  Wanted to take advantage of the nice gym, but treadmills are in high demand on vacation apparently.  Gonna have to start getting up earlier, methinks.  So got on and started adjusting speeds, and noticed that what I thought was 8 mph didn’t seem too difficult.  I kept speeding up until locking into what I thought was 12.5 mph., before my idiotic self realized I was running in KM/hr.  Oh well, one can dream, yes?  

Wednesday, December 25^th – 8 miles.  ~3 miles on the beach, then the rest on the dreadmill.  Fun to run on the coast line, but was running barefoot and got all busted up from the shells/rocks on the beach.  Not to mention, I was running on a diagonal surface so cut it off before I sustained a terrible injury.  Reluctantly went to the dreadmill to finish out my mileage.  Fortunately, no one was there, so could suffer in peace.  Slow, slow, slow...

Thursday, December 26^th – 0!  Travel day home, and considered running late at night but was just too exhausted when we got home.  Gonna miss my morning omelettes and reading in the hammock all day!

Friday, December 27^th – 5 miles.  Out and back solo on the trails.  Time to catch up on some podcasts and readjust to a colder running environment!  Very sluggish, but expected after a long travel day.

Saturday, December 28^th – 5 miles.  Early afternoon 4 miler out and back on the trail, then 1 mile to Pat and Crystal’s house in the PM to watch the UFC fights and the very gruesome ending of the Silva-Weidman title fight.  Not pretty to watch a guy snap his shin in half.  Easy pace for both runs – prob in the high 8’s, low 9’s range.

Sunday, December 29^th -~11 miles.  Did Arch loop with Joe from Forest Park.  Very cold and windy outside, and as we were looping through the Central West End I started thinking of the impending doom of a head wind coming in.  Felt like poop, and the hills were really getting to me by the halfway point.  We turned on Olive and Tucker, right at the base of a long downhill, and immediately got face-blasted by a stiff wind.  Made a decision to run through SLU and on Laclede coming back, which offered a little more shelter from the wind.  At this point, my legs were pretty toast and our pace had slowed down roughly 20 seconds/mile.  Not sure why I felt like crap, but every run since Mexico has felt a lot more challenging than it should have been.  ~8:25-8:30 average pace.  39 miles this week, 157.5 miles in December, 2321 miles in 2013.

Monday, December 30^th – ~4 miles.  Ran with Joe and Justin at Monday group run.  Chilly outside, and we looped around Francis Park and the surrounding neighborhoods.  Pretty cool that the Xmas lights are still up, as the houses near Francis Park decorate like no other.  Nice and easy pace for the 36 minutes we ran.

Tuesday, December 31^st – 5 miles.  I don’t remember this run very well for some reason, but I do remember the last couple miles and being in cruise control.  Last mile was sub 7, which is cool to see when it feels like you’re cruising.  7:20-7:30 average pace, overall.  166.5 miles in December, 2330 miles in 2013!!!

Wednesday, January 1^st – HAPPY NEW YEAR!  6 miles with the elites – best way to start off a new year of running!  My buddy Stephen was in town, and he, his wife, Crystal, and I hit up the soft trails of Glen Carbon in the morning.  Started out very sluggish, and things didn’t improve much as the pace got faster and faster as we headed back in.  We finished the last few miles in low 7 minute pace, and not completely sure of the average but was low to mid 40 minutes total.  Not the easiest run, but the company was great and had a blast!

Selfie with the fast people

2013 in Review:

Favorite Workout:

Ugh, had some good ones, but a lot of not so good ones.  This is technically a race, but was the one workout that immediately comes to mind – St. Pat’s 5 miler.  Confidence was at an all time low, and I had just started working with Kyle so he had me do a cut down tempo on a tough course.  It look a lot of discipline not to come roaring out of the gates, but stayed controlled and worked with Fenley through the first few miles before I took off at the end.  It’s always nice to perfectly execute a workout, and still feel good at the end.  Honorable mention goes to marathon pace long run solo on the trails towards Troy in May.  Nothing crazy time wise (1:09), but got locked in and hammered it out. 

Favorite Race:

There weren’t too many great ones this year, but I’ll have to go with the Macklind Mile.  Shamrock was a good PR, but disappointing because I didn’t hit my time goals.  Macklind got my mile PR closer to what I think it should be, and the 4-5 weeks of hard work really paid off.  Started out feeling kind of rough, but channeled in the pain and just drove it home the last half mile.  Had a blast, and the post race celebration was a lot of fun as well!  Honorable mention goes to Champaign Marathon Relay – didn’t have the best day, but we finished 2^nd overall and just awesome to finish with our entire team in Memorial Stadium!

Favorite Long Run:

This one is a tie, for nostalgic purposes and just overall fun in both.  First long run would be my Denver trek with Marc and Megan and running through the mountains.  Just AMAZING scenary and while altitude kicked my butt, I was fortunate to run with some good company during our mini vacation out west.  Second long run was the marathon pace run I did with Crystal.  Earlier that morning, I had paced Crystal through her tempo on my bike, and she found it in her lovely heart to do the same with me for my marathon pace run.  Just got locked in immediately, and it was a good feeling for her to tell me to slow down when I was just running effortlessly. 

2013 PR’s:

1 mile: 5:05 (Macklind Mile)

8K: 31:15 (Shamrock Shuffle)

Goals in 2014: Sub 5 minute mile, sub 31 minute 8K (if I can get fit by then), decent marathon block and training, and get back to a good race weight!