January Running 2021

 

Year to Date Miles: 141 (as of 1/29/2021)

Introduction

As usual, January is a pretty lean month as far as races go.  Normally, I do the St George Half Marathon, but it fell victim to Covid-19.  If one is willing to travel, there are races down in Arizona or Las Vegas, but those races have dwindled as well.

So that leaves a big empty Zero in my racing for the month.

However, thanks to https://www.runrocknrollvr.com/ I've found a bit of inspiration.

I've been done three virtual races so far this year.  Just a brief of description of them:

Rock 'n' Roll Virtual Race #1  - 5K - 24:50 (1/8/2021)

5K Route

First race of the year.  My 5K times have been really improving and I was definitely excited to take this race on.  I use the same route for all my 5K time trials and this was my best 5K in a while.  Also, any time I can go under 25 minutes, I am thrilled.  Also of concern is that I am finding my Garmin is measuring long so my time could be even better.

Rock 'n' Roll Virtual Arizona Half Marathon - Half Marathon 1:57:55 (1/16/2021)

Half Marathon Route

This race I started WAY too fast, nailing some 8:30 miles.  I went with the aggressive pace after I couldn't hold back for a few miles.  I wound up paying dearly for it on miles 8 - 13.  

If you look closely at the Garmin route though, you'll notice that the Garmin quit recording at about mile 9.  After the "race" I traced my route on MapMyRun and I wound up running 13.55 miles.  Translated, that means I ran a 1:53-half.  Bam! Definite improvement.

Rock 'n' Roll Virtual Race #3  - 7K - 35:10 (1/23/2021)

7K Route

I don't think I had ever run a 7K before (at least not a race).  But I knocked this one out.  Truth be told though, I had an awesome tailwind for most of the run.  I definitely wasn't going to take this one on with a 15 - 20 mile headwind.  There was a point in my "running career" where I couldn't done this in under 30 minutes, but I felt pretty good about this run.  I also hit a 24:40 for a 5K...

Training Updates

I have been running about 30 to 40 miles a week.  Sometimes a little more, sometimes less.  My focus has been improving my speed for the upcoming 5K / 10K season.  In addition, I am trying to maintain my endurance so that I can participate in any half marathon that interests me.

That being said, I have gotten the bug to do a marathon again.  However, given that races are iffy at present and race directors come out and say "Hey, our race is happening" and then 2 weeks before the race they announce it gets canceled, I just don't want to put in the training / work and attempt to run a marathon virtually (yuck!).  I can do a run on my own but a full marathon-- no way.

That being said, my training usually involves some sort of time trial or virtual race on the weekend followed by a bit of easy or maintenance running.  Around midweek I do some sort of speed workout.  I have found the workouts on the Rock 'n Roll Virtual running site to be outstanding.  Also, I'll do some hill repeats.

Diet

My weight continues to be going down.  I am clocking in regularly at around 172 pounds.  A year ago, I was pushing 190.  Ditching the restaurant food and over-sized portions has helped a lot in me regaining my fitness.

My goal weight is somewhere around 170 - 175 pounds.  These last 5 pounds have been a bit more work to lose but I am pretty happy with where I am at.  

I still snack on some "bad for you" foods but for the most part I try to limit the bad stuff in favor of the good stuff.  I try to load up on vegetables and limit the sugar and chips.

I've also continued to ditch sugary snacks, like candy and cookies.  The discipline is paying off with faster times and comments saying how much better I look.

Upcoming Races

Not much upcoming for races.  The race directors, however, are starting to send out specials.  I'll see how many I decide to take advantage of and what the plan is for 2021.

02/06: 2021 Run SLC Race Series 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

02/13: 2021 South Davis Recreation Center Sweethearts 5K - Bountiful, UT (Confirmed)

03/06: 2021 March Madness Half Marathon - Woods Cross, UT (Confirmed)

03/20: 2021 Lucky 13 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)

03/27: 2021 Riverton Half Marathon - Riverton, UT (Confirmed)

04/03: 2021 RUN SLC 15K - Salt Lake City, UT (Maybe)

04/10: 2021 Eggs Legs Race 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)
04/XX: 2021 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed) - Virtual

04/24: 2021 Recycle Run 5K - Bountiful, UT (Maybe)

05/08: 2021 May the Fourth 10K - Farmington, UT (Confirmed)
05/15: 2021 Ogden Half Marathon - Ogden, UT (Confirmed) -- Virtual

12/04: 2021 Laughlin Half Marathon - Laughlin, NV (Confirmed)

02/27: 2022 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas (Confirmed)