This post won't be very useful, because most of my limited blog posts are race recaps, but it will be fun to look back at the year with an eye toward 2020.
I started off this year really having a hard time staying motivated. I called it my "hibernation" mode, but I wasn't exactly totally hibernating and not running. Basically I became a big baby about the cold and the dark and started running in the gym a bunch. I'd go to the gym, set the treadmill at 6.0mph (10:00/mi) and run for forty minutes. I'd do that twice a week on the weekdays, then do a run on the weekend. Sometimes it was ten miles, many times it was only 6 or 8.
Long story short, I lost a LOT of fitness over the winter despite running three days a week. Basically any speed I had was gone. This was pretty apparent when I ran a 1:56 in Miami just four months after a 1:42 in Boring. It wasn't even like I could blame the hot weather all that much either. It was kind of a wake up call for me... I wouldn't be able to just kick it hard for a couple runs and be magically back into shape, I'd have to do some real work again.
That being said, I still was being a baby and didn't have the greatest February or March. I tried to kick my pace up a little in the weeks leading up to Shamrock but didn't really do any actual speedwork minus one progression run. I thought for sure I'd end up getting a PW at Shamrock, but much to my surprise, I ran WAY better than expected that day and ending up beating my time from 2018. Which isn't saying much given I was only a few months back into serious running in 2018 after my hiatus, but still, it was enough to light a little fire and give me some positive momentum toward training season.
The fire was pretty light though. Before I knew it I was hosting a friend and running the Bridge to Brews 10k. I barely got my goal of under 8:00/mi with a 7:59 there, but hey, it counts. The main issue was I still wasn't doing any speedwork. While I was seeing minor improvement from somewhat more consistent long runs and slightly faster easy runs, deep down I knew I needed to do actual speedwork if I wanted to see real improvement and give myself a chance to beat my MCM time.
Finally, toward the end of May, I started to add tempo runs and other speed work once a week. It was something I was planning to do since January, but it took not cold and not dark outside before I mustered the resolve to do it. Better late than never. I started my serious training with an eye toward the Portland Marathon in the fall. Four runs a week, one speedwork, and then a long run every weekend. I saw results, posting a 1:43 at the Independence Day Half. I had gotten a 1:47 the year before, so I was hoping I was ahead of where I was last year.
Unlike 2018, I did not have another race to gauge my progress before the marathon. However, once I started officially training I was VERY good about hitting all my runs. You cannot cheat a marathon training plan and hope to achieve the results you want. So I hit all the runs as prescribed, including all the speedwork. I could feel myself getting into better shape, and while I didn't have another race to make sure, going into the Portland Marathon I felt confident I could beat last year. And I did. A hard summer of training paid off!
Since the marathon, it has been back to the "blahs." I am running three times a week, twice on the weekdays and then the long run on the weekend. My goal this winter is to not lose as much shape as I did last winter, so I need to consistently do a long run (check so far) and one speed workout most weeks (check-ish so far). I ran the hilly Give n' Gobble 10k at 7:46 pace, so I feel okay about my current shape. If I can get to Miami in early February and run a 1:4X, I'll be in a good spot to see continued improvement in 2020. So my focus at the moment is to just keep hitting at least three runs a week... easy, speed, and long.
Cheers to a successful 2020!
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