OK – the first month of 2013 is over. In terms of my running, anyway. Some stats, courtesy of my Garmin 410 that has accompanied me throughout:
Count: 33
Activities
Distance: 272.40
mi
Time: 39h44’49”
Elevation Gain: 15,293
ft
Avg Speed: 6.9
mph
Note: one set of runs to and fro chippie split into two as there was the food-sourcing in between; similarly, one run in Atlanta got split into two by my Garmin as I tried to have it tell me a route out there. I never went out running twice in a day – that’d be just nuts! Far saner to run once a day, every day, right? The way I have done for the past 112 days?!
How does that measure against my plans, I hear you all ask. Well, to be honest I didn’t have a monthly target. I have a weekly target and try to clock 50mi/week, and it’s one I’ve so far hit every week in 2013. Next week will be a challenge, as I’ll be spending the working part of it in Sweden, where it will be cold (I can deal with that), dark (hmmm… let’s see) and where I’ll be busy. As long as it’s bright enough, I should manage to get out there… but for, say, 35mi, leaving myself 15mi for the weekend? We can but wait and see. Or get out there and see, indeed.
There is something called “The Strava Run Mile Blast”, allowing Strava users to log their January mileage. 10,370 people joined worldwide and I’m… well, 85th. Surprising. Humbling. Now it’s 8:20 on the East Coast and no doubt I’ll be relegated to treble figures as the American day progresses, but for now 85th sounds good. As does, quite frankly, 272.40mi. I’m kinda happy with that.
Note: one set of runs to and fro chippie split into two as there was the food-sourcing in between; similarly, one run in Atlanta got split into two by my Garmin as I tried to have it tell me a route out there. I never went out running twice in a day – that’d be just nuts! Far saner to run once a day, every day, right? The way I have done for the past 112 days?!
How does that measure against my plans, I hear you all ask. Well, to be honest I didn’t have a monthly target. I have a weekly target and try to clock 50mi/week, and it’s one I’ve so far hit every week in 2013. Next week will be a challenge, as I’ll be spending the working part of it in Sweden, where it will be cold (I can deal with that), dark (hmmm… let’s see) and where I’ll be busy. As long as it’s bright enough, I should manage to get out there… but for, say, 35mi, leaving myself 15mi for the weekend? We can but wait and see. Or get out there and see, indeed.
There is something called “The Strava Run Mile Blast”, allowing Strava users to log their January mileage. 10,370 people joined worldwide and I’m… well, 85th. Surprising. Humbling. Now it’s 8:20 on the East Coast and no doubt I’ll be relegated to treble figures as the American day progresses, but for now 85th sounds good. As does, quite frankly, 272.40mi. I’m kinda happy with that.
Incidentally, I might be 85th out of
10,370 runners globally… but I’m ‘only’ 4th out of a group of 15
(including myself) whom I ‘follow’ on Strava! Runners with whom I engage on Twitter, on
Strava itself… yes, I’m a quarter of the way down the ladder on there, rather
than being in the top 0.81% globally! Shows you just how mad my online buddies
are.
Not that I would go as far as saying I’m particularly sane, mind. The last few days have been particularly trying, more because of my intestine than my legs. My legs moan but generally get on wi’it, eventually: but if my intestine’s in a fowl mood there’s really not much I can do about it… My most sincere apologies for touching upon this but it genuinely is a concern of mine as races approach. I don’t like not feeling in control of something (read that as you will) and trust me, over the past few days there have been instances of limited control. But today all was in order again and I nailed 10.25mi at 8’09”/mi – a nice way to end the month, if I do say so mi’sen! Indeed, stats don’t lie (right?), and according to them it was my fastest run of at least ten miles. Sounds nice, does that, after the past couple of days I’d had.
14 of my 33 runs have been 10mi or longer, with two of those coming in at 15mi, one at 15.45 and one, on January 2, at 18.66. One goal for February ought to be a 20-miler: I feel I’ve got it in my legs, as much as anything I need to find the time for it! It won’t be the end of the world if I don’t exceed 15mi in any single run in February but it would be nice. As it’s nice that, of those four 15mi or longer runs this month, three were at sub-4hr marathon pace (8’11”, 8’27”, 8’38”), although the longest was run at 9’23/mi. But it is hilly round here… honest!
Not that I would go as far as saying I’m particularly sane, mind. The last few days have been particularly trying, more because of my intestine than my legs. My legs moan but generally get on wi’it, eventually: but if my intestine’s in a fowl mood there’s really not much I can do about it… My most sincere apologies for touching upon this but it genuinely is a concern of mine as races approach. I don’t like not feeling in control of something (read that as you will) and trust me, over the past few days there have been instances of limited control. But today all was in order again and I nailed 10.25mi at 8’09”/mi – a nice way to end the month, if I do say so mi’sen! Indeed, stats don’t lie (right?), and according to them it was my fastest run of at least ten miles. Sounds nice, does that, after the past couple of days I’d had.
14 of my 33 runs have been 10mi or longer, with two of those coming in at 15mi, one at 15.45 and one, on January 2, at 18.66. One goal for February ought to be a 20-miler: I feel I’ve got it in my legs, as much as anything I need to find the time for it! It won’t be the end of the world if I don’t exceed 15mi in any single run in February but it would be nice. As it’s nice that, of those four 15mi or longer runs this month, three were at sub-4hr marathon pace (8’11”, 8’27”, 8’38”), although the longest was run at 9’23/mi. But it is hilly round here… honest!
And let me make it most clear that I have no intention of going beyond 272.40mi in February,
not even on a pro-rata basis* to reflect the fact that, with its 28 days, February isn’t really a proper month. But there is one
stat above I’ll be targeting, namely the last one as I look to break the 7mph
average. Hopefully without shying away from them here hills..! Remember, I’m running the Bath Half on March 3rd, and I would dearly like to set a new HM PB after Bristol’s 1h49’46”..!
p.s.: looks like I’ve burnt 33,147 calories this month, too, although I’ve yet to sort out my heart rate monitor so these stats are of dubious credibility. Still, what I can tell you is that I’ve been eating a lot of Mrs S’ home-baked cakes and I’m none the heavier for it!
* 246.04mi, in case you were wondering. I wasn’t.
p.s.: looks like I’ve burnt 33,147 calories this month, too, although I’ve yet to sort out my heart rate monitor so these stats are of dubious credibility. Still, what I can tell you is that I’ve been eating a lot of Mrs S’ home-baked cakes and I’m none the heavier for it!
* 246.04mi, in case you were wondering. I wasn’t.
Since setting myself a 7mph average target, my beloved online running friends have set a challenge for achieving the highest hillage:distance run in February. Sadly, there is somewhat of a conflict for me there..!
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