Rebuilding my Base
So far my running in January and February has gone really well, other than a silly fall on some ice a couple of weeks ago that resulted in some minor abrasions and a broken finger!! I’ve been pleased with how well my hips and legs have felt after the injury last year, and have been surprised at how quickly my endurance has returned. I’m beginning to get excited about my running again! After only running 32 total miles in November and 33 in December, I was able to complete 95 in January, and this included my first run of greater than 13.1-miles since the injury.
At the beginning of the year, I decided that I was going to take it month-to-month with my goals, and try not to get too far ahead of myself. Here is a quick review of my January goals:
- Run an average of at least 20-miles per week
My average for January was 21-miles per 7 days, so this was a WIN!!
- Workout for at least 30-minutes per day (except Sunday)
Didn’t come close to hitting this one, and I know that my cross-training MUST improve to remain injury free, and get back to where I want to be.
- Lose 8 pounds
Lost 8.5 total pounds in January so this is another big WIN!!
Now that I’m starting to get my mileage base back, I need to start focusing on two things for February:
- Strength
- Speed
Even though my endurance is coming back, I feel like a Mud Turtle! This was especially true during my two track workouts in January. I felt like I had a 50 lb pack strapped to my back.
To help with my strength, I did a 6-mile run with a few members of my group this week in Percy Warner park. Our total, cumulative elevation gain for those 6-miles was over 1,600 ft:
Even though I did ok, it really demonstrated to me how far I have to go!
So, with that in mind, here are my February 2014 goals:
- Complete at least 110 total miles running
- Complete at least 2 trail runs and 2 road runs with over 1,000 ft. of elevation gain (strength)
- Complete at least 2 track workouts and 2 race pace workouts (speed)
- Complete at least 4 leg workouts (strength)
- Complete at least 4 abdominal workouts (strength)
- Lose at least 3 pounds
Well, there you have it! About to head out for what I hope will be my 3rd track workout of the year so far.