Goal setting for 2021

Now that I mostly achieved my goals for 2020, it's time to start planning for next year...  first a review of 2020 goals:

What went right:

-12500 steps a day.  This one is usually easy, but focusing on keeping my body active every single day has been helpful in keeping me going.  Streaks can be problematic if they result in overtraining, burnout, and fatigue... but streaks can also be motivating and seem to work with my mentality.  This streak works well because it is low impact and attainable but just hard enough that I occasionally find myself in the situation where I'm eeking out steps at the end of the day.  Overall it just keeps me moving more through out the day without wearing me down.

-5000 push ups/bench.  Potentially too easy but I made it.  Probably will build on this one.

-5000 pull ups.   This one seemed just about right.  

-2020 miles.  Started with the goal of 1560 and bumped it up to 2020.  Was surprised to hit this one.

-No junk food January.  This went very well last year and I wound up losing a bit of weight even.  The overall year for weight loss was a bit of a bust but I'm still 20-25lbs lighter than before I started working out.

What went wrong:

-50 hours on the bike.  Stalled out at 38 hours.  Just can't bike every week and run all the miles (at least not yet).  

-10 races...  not my fault but, 2020.  

Goals for 2021:

-12500 steps a day

-5000 pulls ups.  Same goal as last year with the caveat that I'll try to get it in early and get even more if possible

-10,000 push ups.  double last year.  Will be more of a challenge but no reason I can get these done.

-2021 miles.  Why not.  I'll do more if I can (and less if I get hurt) but should be able to match last year.

-26 hours on the bike  (30 minutes a week).  Part of by biking problems were that I was working too hard and not taking real rest days.  30 minutes at low intensity on an off day could be helpful for recovery though.

-52 weight workouts.  Want to start lifting weights at least a bit.  Nothing serious but just some all around toning stuff to compliment my running.

-90 days of no junk food.  I would really like to go into spring at a good racing weight.  No junk food January worked so well that if I can actually watch what I eat for 90 days I might actually make some progress.

-setting racing goals seems frivolous but I'd like to run a marathon this year if it works out (the Peoria marathon or maybe even CIM).  Also would like to run a OCR at some point, break 18 in the 5K, break 40 in the 10K, and break 1:30 in the half marathon.

Treadmill tempo run, going long, and running with the eagles

After hitting my yearly goal on Wednesday I had a lapse in motivation.  Combine that with my 7:17 pace half marathon effort the pervious Sunday I wound up taking an unplanned day off on Thursday.  It was much needed extra recovery and I think it was a good call... yet, come Friday (xmas) I was still not so motivated.  Sometimes a day off is harder to recover from than a workout!

After procrastinating all day I finally got on the treadmill for an afternoon workout, and somehow talked myself into a tempo run with the rationalization that it would get done quicker and be less monotonous than an easy run on the treadmill.

I stretched out with a .5 walk.  Then bumped the pace to 6.8 and started the warm up, slowly increasing to 8.5 over the next 1.5 miles.  I then bumped it to 9.0 mph (6:40 pace) with the plan of doing 3 at 6:40.  After the first mile I was feeling good so I increased to 9.2 mph (6:31 pace).  This was tougher but doable so after the 2nd mile I took it to 9.5 mph (6:18).  Now I was going hard and my heartrate was in the 170s approaching 175.  After the 3rd mile I decided to tack on one more, but dropped the pace back to 9.0 (6:40 pace).  Heartrate dropped a bit to the 169-171 range.  After that I bumped it down to 8 minute miles and got in a 1.5 mile cooldown.  

Total distance: 7 miles

Tempo Distance 4 miles

Total Duration: 50:07

Tempo Duration: 26:09

Total pace: 7:09

Tempo pace: 6:32

Saturday I went out for an easy 7 miles at 8:19 pace.  Just went by feel and HR stayed below 140.  Saw an eagle on the North side of Brimfield and followed it down Illinois street as it casually circled above me.  

Sunday, I headed of for a long run of 15 miles.  Took off by the same easy feel as Saturday with slightly more effort.  Kept the HR in the low 140s and averaged ~8:10 pace for the first 10 miles.  My left groin and hips were a bit fatigued and stiff but mostly I felt okay.  At the 10 mile mark I turned into the 13 mph wind and my pace dropped to ~8:30 for the next couple miles.  The wind was a nuisance but it wasn't too cold and it didn't bother me that much especially since I slowed down the pace so wasn't really using any additional effort... my main complaint was that it was hard to hear my earbuds with the wind so loud.  I even changed my course to run into the wind for a bit longer instead of turning so I could get it over with... then I saw an another eagle way North of Brimfield which I would have missed if I took my planned route.  As I got back into town I picked up the pace and finished strong with a 8:08 mile and a 7:36 mile for the final.

Total Distance:  15.01 miles

Total Duration: 2:02:56

Avg Pace: 8:11

After taking today off I have 3 more running days planned for 2020 and should get over 200 miles for the months.  I'm hopefully training for the fly with the eagles half marathon.  I'm not sure if I'm actually signed up or am on a wait list... also not sure if the race is actually going to happen.  Seeing eagles the last 2 days seems like a good sign (if I believed in that shit).  If the race does happen I should be prepared...  Last year I ran it and it was a breakthrough experience.  This year I'm in way better shape with 7 weeks to go and should be killing it by the time the race is expected to happen.

Race or no race I'm going to be in a good place at the start of 2021 with hopes of killer workouts and improvements come spring.

Mission Accomplished

Did not feel particularly enthused this morning.  Legs were fatigued more than normal.  Sunday's fast paced long run really took it out of me... it was a great workout but definitely not something I should be doing too often at least not at this point.

Regardless, I had a mission to accomplish.  Today I was the day I would finally reach my mileage goal for the year.

I started out with a mile walk on the treadmill to loosen up.  It seemed to do the trick as my legs started feeling a bit better.

Then 5.25 miles in 42:20 (8:04 avg. pace)… started out slow and ramped up to 7:47 pace for the last 3 miles.  HR stayed mostly low, getting up to the mid 140s by the end but averaging 136 BPM.

And as of that run I am officially at 2020.33 miles for the year.  2020 for 2020!  Plus 5000 pushups and 5000 pull ups... nothing left but 8 more days of 12500 steps to meet all my goals.  

Starting to plan my goals for 2021.  Should be similar to 2020 but some modest increases.  The main thing I really need to focus on is losing the last few pounds.

 

Another contender for run of the year

Sunday, I decided to bust out a hard half marathon... I'd say it's in contention for run of the year.  Probably not really but definitely a top 10.

I ran easyish on Friday and Saturday to get myself rested up for a Sunday long run workout.  

I dropped a Gatorade off on at around the halfway point on my course in preparation.  It was 28 degrees with a 9 MPH wind.  I wore my Gore-Tex jacket and tights... turned out perfect, not too hot but not too cold and blocked the wind on the hard stretches.  I wore my Saucony Endorphin Speeds which are quickly becoming a favorite.  Warmed up a bit with some treadmill walking and then took off.

As I started my run I made a decision to not look at my watch for the first bit.  I just ran fast but easy by feel.  At around the 4 mile mark I peaked at my watch finally and saw I was averaging 7:27 pace, and things were feeling pretty easy.  By the 6 mile mark I took another peak and saw that my pace was getting faster.  At this point I decided to skip the Gatorade and go for a Strava half-marathon PR (with no stopped time for drinking)… I didn't really feel like I needed it anyway.  I got to the 8 mile mark feeling pretty good but then turned and was suddenly heading uphill into the wind.  

At this point I was starting to get tired and could feel the fatigue a bit.  The wind definitely made the effort feel harder but I powered through and didn't slow down.  I figured I should at least hold on until the 10 mile mark and then access where I was at.

At 9.5 I turned out of the wind and suddenly things felt easier.  I hit the 10 mile mark averaging 7:19 pace.  At this point I was thinking I could run 8 minute pace for the rest of the run and still average under 7:30 pace.  I let myself relax a bit from 10 - 10.5 but I don't think I actually slowed down.  Then I turned back into the wind for another high effort mile.  From here I was pushing it in, trying to sustain the effort but not going too much faster.  I wasn't breathing exceptionally hard but I could feel some niggles in my groin a bit.  I didn't feel like I was doing any damage but it was like my body warning me not to over do it.

I finished up strong with a kick at the end:

13.12 mile

1:35:35

7:17 pace

Mile 1: 7:35

Mile 2: 7:24

Mile 3: 7:25

Mile 4: 7:27

Mile 5: 7:17

Mile 6: 7:14

Mile 7: 7:07

Mile 8: 7:14

Mile 9: 7:18

Mile 10: 7:10

Mile 11: 7:13

Mile 12: 7:13

Mile 13: 7:04

Last .12: 6:29 pace

Super consistent pacing, starting out fast but not too fast, easing into the run, and finishing strong without ever really slowing down.  

_____________________________________________________

I finished up my pull up goal for the year today and am currently at 5006 pull ups, and 5121 bench/pushups.  

Mileage is at 2008.83 so 11.17 miles to go.  With 10 days left that means I could either run 1.117 miles a day for the rest of the year or run my normal routine and hit my goal on Wednesday.  

I work out

Woke up a bit early today (before my alarm) and got on the treadmill before 6AM.  I had planned to have a bit of a workout.  Initially I toyed with 2 X 2 miles at 6:40 pace.  Since I always play things by ear I switched it up a bit as I worked out.  

Warmed up for 2 miles starting at 6.8 mph and bumping up to 8.6 mph by the end of the 2nd mile.

Then bumped the pace up to 9 mph (6:40 pace) at 1% incline.  It was a good effort but not too hard.  HR was in the 160-165 range.  Planned on doing 2 miles but at the end of the 2nd decided to do 3 straight miles instead for a 20 minute tempo.  By the end of the 3rd mile I was feeling it.  Dropped the pace to 8.0 mph  (7:30 pace) and ran another 2 miles.  HR dropped a tad but held in the 158-160 range.  

I continued slowing the pace for the 8th mile going from 7:30 down to 8:30 pace by the last bit.

The workout was harder than I've done for a while but also different then some of my sustained hard efforts.  I did a lot of long sustained efforts in the 7 min/mile range but the one thing I've lacked is the faster paced 'tempo' runs.  

I've always had the intent to do more real tempo runs.  Maybe 2021 will be the year.  Writing now, I'm kind of excited about this idea because I think I could see some pretty significant fitness gains with some faster paced mileage.

Feeling better Wednesday

I got a good night sleep last night... finally.  Got the kids to bed relatively early and got myself into bed not too long after 9.

I planned to do 5 on the treadmill today but wound up doing 6 over 49:08 at a 8:11 pace.  Started out at 6.8 MPH and bumped it up to eventually running 7.6.  Average HR was 134 for the run.  Stride felt normal and the run was just easy.

Maybe yesterday's run recalibrated me to the treadmill or maybe sleep and slightly reduced mileage over the last couple days is helping me recover from my fatigue.

Also, I busted out 2 sets of 50 pushups today which put me over the edge...  I'm now at 5021 pushups/bench for the year.  did the first 50 nice and slow and really felt it in my core.  

One goal done... 3 more to go.  Still need 81 more pull ups and 42.8 more miles.  

Keeping things in perspective

I did not want to get onto the treadmill today.  I was not feeling it.  Is it because I'm fatigued or was running Saturday and Sunday on the road enough to get me off my treadmill game?

The first couple miles were rough and it got better but never felt great.  I got myself up to 7:30 pace and dipped down to 7:24 pace for the last couple miles.  Partly to get a bit of effort in and partly to get the run done quicker.  I got my HR up in the high 150s, low 160s by the end and held it there for 15-20 minutes. 

In the end, I finished with 6.5 miles in 51:19; 7:53 pace.  

So what can be said... an uninspired treadmill run which was lacking in noteworthiness in regards to distance, pace, or effort.

On the other hand… despite being uninspired, I still got it done.  Today's run put me at 103 miles for the month, making it my 14th straight month over 100 miles.  Consistency might not be glamourous but that diminish it's worth.  

It's cold.  It's winter.  It sucks.  But I own my own treadmill.  It's been working great.  and I've been getting it done.  By spring, I should have another 500+ miles under my belt and then we'll see what I can do with it.