Running on Eddie: December 2023

Thursday, December 28, 2023

2023 Year in Running

In Mesquite Nevada - along my favorite stretch of bike trail

Total Miles: 1898

I am very happy with the total. I would've liked to have hit 2000 but given how much I raced and the training I did, 1900 miles is a good consolation prize.

Products of the Year:

I found three products that made a huge difference in my running. First off, though, I should state that I am not really a product hound. Meaning, I pretty much have run with the same type of equipment year after year. I suspect seeing some of these items on YouTube convinced me to give them a shot.

The Zipper Flip Belt: I used to stash my keys under a tire during a race and I'd go running without a phone. Now -- I don't have to worry about it. This belt holds gels, keys, and even a phone. Usually while running, I forget it is even there. I don't always use it, but it's been a nice addon for races and long runs and it is super secure -- even hotel keys don't slip out of the back of it. Well worth the investment.

Brooks Glycerin: I went to the store seeking a more cushioned shoe over my steadfast Brooks Adrenalines and I was sold on these. The shoes aren't pillow soft but they are a definitely a smoother ride over the Adrenaline shoe. I found myself working less hard and ran faster for my easy runs with the shoes. They also lasted MUCH longer than the Adrenalines... with my first pair hitting over 425 miles (and I suspect I could've gotten more out of them). These might make my new daily trainer over the Adrenalines. The downside is that they are slightly more expensive (about $20)

Saucony Endorphin Pro 2s: There are later editions to this shoe out, but I got these last year during a blowout sale and I bought them on a whim -- sight unseen. Normally the shoe runs for $150 or more -- and I got a pair for $89. After my initial run with them, I came home and immediately ordered another pair. I could run significantly faster compared to even the speedy FastTwitches and they became my go-to race shoe. I used them for nearly every race after the St George Half Marathon and I think I got a nice boost from them. It took a bit for my feet to get used to them, but the times I was turning in were awesome. By the end of the year, I had snagged another 2 pairs of shoes and managed to make the initial pair work for over 400 miles. Just an incredible product for the money.

How Things Went

I set out with some pretty ambitious goals for 2023. Most of them I successfully completed:

Work on Speed: Very Successful. Throughout the year I made it a point to at least once a week do some sort of speed session. I collected several from YouTube and implemented them frequently. This is the one thing I am most proud of: I was dedicated to working during my daily runs.

Smash 24 for the 5K: Mildly Successful I ran several sub 24 minute 5Ks throughout the year. My stretch goal was to hit 23:30. I had higher hopes for even faster times, which I didn't hit.

Keep doing Easy Miles: Very Successful. Most of my runs were at the zone 2 heart rate. I embraced the 80 / 20 (80% of my miles are easy, the rest are work). I over raced though which interfered with this ratio. The 80% helped me bulk up my mileage without causing undo stress. I am happy to report that I also didn't suffer any significant injuries this year either.

Embrace Racing Longer Distances: Very Successful. I don't recall ever setting out to do this specifically but this I did well -- running 8 half marathons. I had some grand visions of potentially running a full marathon, but I never committed to it. I did way too many of these races, but it felt good covering that distance.

Do Strength Training: Mildly Successful For the most part I was successful at this. More or less, it depended upon my energy levels and what was on TV. But I was more consistent than not and I think it is one reason why I stayed injury free this year.

Do a Destination Race: Successful. The one race I did that qualifies was the Cedar City Half Marathon. It wasn't quite a "new" destination but it was a race I hadn't done before and it did require a hotel stay. I thoroughly enjoyed it despite having a tough race.

Goals for 2024

Race Less: This sounds very easy, but for me, it is a bit of a "do I really want this?". The short answer is that it is probably for the best. I can't think of many races that I did in 2023 where I felt 100% rested. I think largely it was because I carried a fairly large training load and I went into every race thinking it might be my day to PR. Some races have more meaning than others and I need to learn to hold back on races that don't offer a lot. This will allow me to train a bit harder throughout the week and not get overly fatigued from racing too often.

Do a New Race: The question is which one? I definitely will need to start to do some race shopping to successfully complete this one. Also the asterisk next to this one is that I should try to do one that isn't local -- some place new.

Run 1750+ Miles: This one just takes consistency and staying injury free. This really is a "given" in my yearly goals and not much of a stretch goal

Goal Times: This is the area which will require work / dedication and is my primary focus for this year. My goal times for the year: 23:30 for the 5K, sub 49 for the 10K and 1:51 for the half marathon. All presume flat, certified courses. By building up a solid base and doing my weekly speed sessions, I think this is doable.

Clean up my Diet: This year saw the return of all the weight I had lost during the pandemic. The culprit to some extent is the return of eating out at restaurants too much. I also bought too much junk food for around the house. The weight I've gained -- about 15 pounds -- has definitely slowed me down. I need to get back to basics and watch my portion control.

Upcoming Races

01/13: 2024 Virgin River Half Marathon - St George, UT (Confirmed)

02/10: 2024 South Davis Recreation Center Sweethearts 5K - Bountiful, UT (Confirmed0

02/25: 2024 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

03/02: 2024 March Madness 10K - West Bountiful, UT (Confirmed)

03/30: 2024 Eggs Legs 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)

04/20: 2024 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

04/27: 2024 Apple Blossom 10K - Santaquin, UT (Confirmed)

05/27: 2024 Run of Remembrance 10K - American Fork, UT

06/01: 2024 Utah Valley Half Marathon - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

07/24: 2024 Deseret News Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed

08/17: 2024 PC2PG 10K - Lindon, UT (Confirmed)

09/07: 2024 Cedar City Half Marathon - Cedar City, UT (Confirmed)

09/28: 2024 Witch Run 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)

10/05: BLOCKED OUT WEEKEND

10/19: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

10/26: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

Thursday, December 7, 2023

2023 Race Summary

By far my favorite photo of the year

Introduction

I was busy this year! I didn't really intend it to work out this way, but I simply couldn't turn down a chance to race it would seem.

I did have some opportunities to run on the cheap -- or even free. It started with some of the Black Friday deals that came out in 2022. I snapped up any bargain race I could. I also know a timer, who would occasionally give me an entry into a race (part of his contract).

Had higher hopes at the Riverton Half Marathon

Number of Races Run (35)

5Ks: 17
10Ks: 10
Half Marathons: 8

Most of the races were 5K / 10K distances, which was my primary focus for the year. Late in the year and early, I wound up doing a few half marathons as well. I found the half marathon getting a bit harder. A decade ago, I could mail one in and get it done without too much stress. Now, they are a bit more work and take more out of me.

The over-racing did take a toll on me, particularly in the summer. I'd race on Saturday and try to run long on Sunday. Sometimes I could do it, sometimes I couldn't. Usually by Tuesday I could attempt a speed session and then the rest of the week would be prepping for the next weekend's race. I'll be honest, the racing did interfere with some quality sessions and my weekly training.

I love to toe the line and get a t-shirt, medal and see friends. It was fun at times and other times I asked myself why I was putting myself through this. I never felt 100% recovered at most points in the year. I remember standing at the starting line at some of the races and asking myself, "Why am I here?" Mostly the answer came back as "This is what I do and this is what I train for".

Overall Performance

I am pretty happy with my times this year. With consistent speed training, remaining injury free, and the Saucony Endorphin Pro 2's on my feet, I ran well. I had higher hopes but overall my times are in line with what I was training at.

I've found that as I get older, my ability to perform great gets harder and harder. I've raced for nearly 20 years now, so ultimately I'll probably never reach where I was at when I was in my 30s. I do think I can get faster though, which was the goal for 2023.

I dedicated the year to speed work and smart training sessions. The speed sessions in particular helped and built my confidence and pain tolerance. I also boosted my mileage up to about 40 miles per week. I think I could've gotten this even higher if I had dialed back the races a little more. While it wasn't quite the breakout year I had envisioned, I do feel like I am a stronger runner than now compared to where I was at the start of the year.

Below, I have listed my best and worst race performances of the year. These events are in no way reflective on the race organizer. It is a day where I showed up ready to race and either something good came out or something didn't work out. I have excluded the super fast downhill races, for the most part. While just about any massive downhill race can be considered a great race due to the usually fast times, I don't think they are reflective to how I ran.

Overall, though, I am really happy with the way my race season turned out in 2023. I raced a lot, felt like I ran well and improved. There seemed to be more focus in my training and I really enjoyed the experience throughout the year.

Best Race Performances:

Run SLC 5K

The year started off with a bang on this race. I set out a goal of running sub 24 and despite it being very cold, I ran really well. This race is fast and I believe a measured course that is truly 3.10 miles. While my time was pretty much the same as when I ran it in 2022, I felt like I was on target for hitting my goal of running a 23:30 5K.

Rock 'n Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon

I hadn't run particularly well for my inaugural half marathon in 2023 and I've only run "well" in Las Vegas one or two times, so I had my doubts that this race would make it to my list. But for the second year in a row, it did. The race started off without a lot of excitement and I was able to settle into an easy relaxed pace. As the race progressed, my pace got a bit faster. It was aided with a tailwind and a new pair of carbon-plated shoes. I was still running strong well into the race, despite now having a headwind and late in the race I decided to really push. What did I have? I managed to finish with a 1:54 -- not exactly a stellar time, but I felt like I had finished strong and persevered through what is normally "not a good race" for me. Honorable mention goes to the Salt Lake City Half Marathon as well.

Utah Valley 10K

This is the one race I put on the list that was downhill. The course was also short, according to my Garmin. However, it wasn't an insanely downhill race and I felt that the way I ran it and pushed hard at the end, gave me a ton of confidence in that I was heading in right direction. I was also coming off a great 10K at the Eggs Legs Race, so I knew my training was going in the right direction. I still remember the young man who paced me in the last mile and made me not give up. Hopefully I'll run into him again.

Worst Race Performances:

Virgin River Half Marathon

So the year started off not so hot. I stepped into the Virgin River Half Marathon and it was a new course. Armed with some decent training, and a lot of confidence, I expected this race to go well. It did for about the first half of the race. After that -- the wheels slowly fell off. My initial pace was fine, but it just wasn't there and I knew it. Perhaps my endurance wasn't the greatest, but I remember the last 2 - 3 miles being dreadful.

Snow Canyon Half Marathon

This race was a tale of two races. And I really wanted to PR here. I felt rested, well-trained and I knew the course. The weather was cool with only a mild headwind. This the day for a PR.

The first 15K were a blast ... running the downhills at near 10K race pace. The final 6K? There were times were I just wanted to sit on the side of the curb and cry. I got it done and my overall time wasn't bad, but it could've been so much better.

Lindon Days 5K

This was a race I had no business racing. I think a friend was going to be there, it was cheap and there was nothing else going on that Saturday. The course was hilly, long, and I had raced a lot in the past few weeks. I remember feeling just awful at the starting line and questioning myself why I was there. From the get go, it wasn't there and it was a race that left me frustrated with myself.