January Gone...Already?

It's hard to believe 1/12th of 2013 has already passed. In terms of running and fitness, it was a very good month.

Number-wise:

Runs: 23
Miles: 120.7 (5.25 miles/run average)
Time: 16:55:09 (8:24/mile average)
Races: 1 (45:36 @ Nookachamps 10k…not a good day)

I also joined a challenge on Facebook to do 20,000 pushups in 2013. I finished the month with 2800 pushups on 100 sets, which puts me on track for almost 33,000 pushups for the year. We'll see how long I can keep up that pace! I also did a lot of pullups, situps, dips and work with dumbbells. As usual, I got a little lazy with the stretching. I'll get better, I promise.

Back to the running. As I hinted at above, I ran one race in January. I didn't feel it was worth a race report. Why? Partially due to laziness, and partially because it was a very tough race. The course was the toughest 10k course I've run. There was a 3/4 mile long hill between miles 2 and 3, then another short but STEEP hill at mile 5. Not being in top shape (and because I was still fighting an upper respiratory bug), they both wiped me out and I coasted to the finish in a rather disappointing time. I even suffered my worst age group finish in a race EVER, percentage-wise, anyway (10th of 15).

But…lately my running has been going quite well. I'm training for another 10k (Feb. 23rd) and have managed to build my base back to over 30 miles per week, on currently 6 runs per week. I feel like I'm settling into a groove again. I feel a few little niggles from time to time, but no injury pain. Next week, I'll start introducing some speed work into my training…very cautiously. One of those niggles is my right hamstring, so I don't want to blow it out with some ill-informed repeats on the track.

I know I can't milk this "comeback" idea forever, but I still hesitate to say I'm all the way "back." I still haven't tested myself with any runs longer than a single ten miler. As I'm currently training for 5 & 10k's, I don't feel the need to. But I do hope to return to the half marathon distance by the end of this year, so I'll eventually get a healthy diet of double-digit runs…attempts, at least…later this year.

As I mentioned in my 2012 wrap-up post, I'm also doing the Seattle to Portland bike ride in July, so soon I'll be putting in quite a bit of time in the saddle. That'll affect my running, at least temporarily. That bums me out a little, since I'm really enjoying the running right now and would like to see if I can continue to improve and increase the volume. I'm sure, though, that swapping out some of those run miles with bike time won't do anything to hurt my fitness.

One month down, 11 to go. Onward!