The State of the Runner

Since it's the start of the second half of 2009, and I'm starting another cycle of training I thought it would be the perfect time to sit down and look at the last two years and see if it would tell me anything.

So I'm looking at July through June 2007-2008 compared with the same time frame for 2008-2009. Why? Well that time period of 2007-2008 I was on top of my running game. I ran two half marathons in 2007 (2:14:57 in Cincy at the Flying Pig and 1:57:08 in Grand Rapids - still my current PR) and cut 17:49 off my PR. Then in May of 2008 I ran a 50:35 10k and ran my first marathon (Grandma's) in 4:39:41. Not too shabby of a year.

Now, turn and look at the same period in 2008-2009 and it's a whole different story. I got sick last summer then proceeded to deal with injury after setback after injury. Attempted to run two more marathons that resulted in a horrible performance in Chicago and the DNF in Toledo and that is a pretty good statement on that year.

Now to look at some numbers comparing the training for those time periods.

First up is a graph showing my monthly totals.

Big differences there over the time frame. December and January I did okay, but everything looks like I fell off a cliff.

Big drop off there no? That's a 318 mile difference from one year to the next (1433 to 1115) and going back to the graph above where did that take place? October-December and January to now.

Now if you look at my monthly and weekly averages:

A drop off of 26.5 miles from 2007-2008 to 2008-2009 or as the next graph illustrates

just where the difference is - miles per week. That's a difference there of just about 5 miles per week. It doesn't sound like much, but it adds up.

So what's the purpose of all this? To illustrate that consistency is king. In order to get myself back to where I was in 2007-2008 with my running (and fitness wise and other physical components like weight, and mentally, and etc, etc) I need to do one thing and one thing only:

RUN.

The thing is I'm doing a better job of that recently. Out of 30 days, and 26 scheduled runs I ran 22 times in June. Two of those four extra off days were at my physician's orders so I really only skipped two runs. If I can keep that up along with just completing the mileage on my training plan each day and week I'll be back to that 2007-2008 version of me before I know it.