11 months down, one to go!
Mileage Recap
Interesting thing #1: I ran more miles this November than last November even though this month I only ran 17 times and last year I ran 21 times.
Interesting thing #2: A third of this month's mileage was done in a single day. Crazy.
Cross Training Recap
109.55 miles road cycling
1 boxing class
A pathetic month of cycling for sure but for good reason! For one, its not worth putting the extra strain on my knees. Secondly, its freaking cold out man! Do you know what you don't do when you cycle? Warm up. 30 degrees, no thank you.
I finally had the energy to go back to boxing. I went three days before JFK, which meant that I was monumentally sore the next day and even still a bit sore at the starting line. I think I needed the extra core strength though.
What went well
Um duh, I ran 50 freaking miles! Looking back JFK still seems so surreal, like an out of body experience. I wish I could ingrain it in my memory more, but when I think about the last five months I start thinking less of the actual race day and more about all of the training miles I put in. That's where the work comes in. Waking up early 6 days a week to run in the summer humidity or the crisp fall breeze. Trudging through 20+ miles every weekend. Sure, I'm proud to have crossed the finish line, btu I'm also proud of the 20 weeks leading up to it.
What didn't go well
The knee thing. Luckily I have actually "enjoyed" not running much in the past two weeks. I put that in quotes because I'm actually not sure if I really don't care about not running or if I'm just too busy to care. I have a feeling that next week after I turn in some of my papers and have a breather that I will be dying to run again and be super dramatic if I can't.
The rest has been good though, both mentally and physically. Imagine if I trained for two big races a year and put in five months of training for each. That's 10 months a year in training. So a break is nice every so often and I appreciate not feeling like I have to get up and run at 5 am before work.
That said, I did run one whole pain free mile this morning. I diligently rested my knees all week. I even stopped crossing my legs when I sat down to remove any stress on the knee cap. I iced, I stretched, and adding quad strengthening exercises. All in all the knees feel good. Running one mile probably isn't enough to tell whether they are really good to go, but its a start!
December 2012 Goals
I've got nothing planned for December. Its wide open, which I really think I will like. I think I am going to start a new training cycle in January so I want to relax this month as much as possible. Goals are to:
Mileage Recap
A year ago - November 2011: 148
January: 181.21
February: 86.84
March: 6
April: 89.59
May: 128.43
June: 137.72
July: 200.1
August: 177.48
September: 230.85
October: 270.09
November 2012: 152.91
Interesting thing #1: I ran more miles this November than last November even though this month I only ran 17 times and last year I ran 21 times.
Interesting thing #2: A third of this month's mileage was done in a single day. Crazy.
Cross Training Recap
109.55 miles road cycling
1 boxing class
A pathetic month of cycling for sure but for good reason! For one, its not worth putting the extra strain on my knees. Secondly, its freaking cold out man! Do you know what you don't do when you cycle? Warm up. 30 degrees, no thank you.
I finally had the energy to go back to boxing. I went three days before JFK, which meant that I was monumentally sore the next day and even still a bit sore at the starting line. I think I needed the extra core strength though.
What went well
Um duh, I ran 50 freaking miles! Looking back JFK still seems so surreal, like an out of body experience. I wish I could ingrain it in my memory more, but when I think about the last five months I start thinking less of the actual race day and more about all of the training miles I put in. That's where the work comes in. Waking up early 6 days a week to run in the summer humidity or the crisp fall breeze. Trudging through 20+ miles every weekend. Sure, I'm proud to have crossed the finish line, btu I'm also proud of the 20 weeks leading up to it.
What didn't go well
The knee thing. Luckily I have actually "enjoyed" not running much in the past two weeks. I put that in quotes because I'm actually not sure if I really don't care about not running or if I'm just too busy to care. I have a feeling that next week after I turn in some of my papers and have a breather that I will be dying to run again and be super dramatic if I can't.
The rest has been good though, both mentally and physically. Imagine if I trained for two big races a year and put in five months of training for each. That's 10 months a year in training. So a break is nice every so often and I appreciate not feeling like I have to get up and run at 5 am before work.
That said, I did run one whole pain free mile this morning. I diligently rested my knees all week. I even stopped crossing my legs when I sat down to remove any stress on the knee cap. I iced, I stretched, and adding quad strengthening exercises. All in all the knees feel good. Running one mile probably isn't enough to tell whether they are really good to go, but its a start!
December 2012 Goals
I've got nothing planned for December. Its wide open, which I really think I will like. I think I am going to start a new training cycle in January so I want to relax this month as much as possible. Goals are to:
- Continue resting when I feel my body needs it
- Core work, stretching, and PT exercises every night
- No specific mileage goals
- Start finalizing spring 2013 racing schedule
- Enjoy many holiday treats
- Get to the pool
- Go to a yoga class
It's nice to have an open schedule in terms of running, isn't it? I'm feeling the same way though a bit lost. Hope the knee has resolved itself!
ReplyDeleteNot having specific race workouts and mileage goals is nice. Enjoy! And - yoga is AMAZING.
ReplyDeleteSounds much like my December! During training I got stressed about not having a goal in mind after JFK but it's been nice to just be able to exercise however, or not exercise at all! I've had another 50 miler on my mind though - maybe for spring?
ReplyDeleteHoly moly, those are some miles. I hope I can post stats like that someday. You should be really proud! There are few enough people that can run marathons, let alone an ultra. Pat yourself on the back, gear up, then hit it again! So awesome! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteYou know I feel you with the knee pain but lol to being conscious about not crossing your legs. I am hyper aware about what I am doing with my knees and legs lately.
ReplyDeleteYou have had a great November! Enjoy your December!!