2012 review

Let's look back to 2011 first:
I finished the year at 33 wins- 17 losses (2 wks off) with a 3.04 average while covering 2,092 miles.
-set PRs in the 10K and Half marathon as well as adult PRs in the Mile and 5K.
-Performance of the year was the Statue 2 Statue 15K.

2012 Training stats:
The final numbers look very similar to last year but it was a year of more extreme highs and lows:
34W-16L, 3.06 average.  Distance was 2,072 miles.

Heresy #1- I value my training just as much as my race performance if not more so.  Why?  It is the best indicator of my day to day health.  I only raced 10 times this year and lived another 356.  I would rather train well and under-perform a little on race day than the other way around.  If I feel lousy most of the time but get lucky with the occasional good day when the race comes, it won't make me happy long-term no matter how well I perform. 

Heresy #2- Long slow distance makes me feel sluggish and I don't enjoy it either.  Sure, I could boost my mileage by slowing the training paces but I won't enjoy it as much.  The marathon is a different beast that requires high mileage for optimal results but I am unsure if it would improve my performances at the shorter distances.  I tend to feel my best at 45-55 MPW with easy runs at 7:30 pace and tempo runs at 6:30ish.  It's a good plan for a 10K or half marathon but not the best strategy for a full.  As long as I continue to improve, I'm sticking with the same basic principle.

Highlights:
-Nipped my adult PR in the Mile (5:18.3) in 85 degree heat without a proper taper.
-Tied my HS PR in the 5K (19:13).  Because of rounding, it was probably a 19:12.x and I consider it my best time ever.
-Broke the 40 minute barrier for 10K (39:44).  Yes, it was on a track but as long as I know I covered the full distance, it counts just the same to me.
-Smashed the 1:30 barrier in the half marathon (1:28:12).
-Scored a massive PR in the marathon with a respectable 3:21 on a moderately hilly course.
-Silver medal in my age group at Rumpshaker 5K  and Possum Trot 10K.
-Course PRs at Peavine (58:42) and Vulcan (41:32).

Lowlights:
-Scored a PW (worst time in more than 2 years) at Denver (half) and Crescent City (10K)
-DNS (Did Not Start) at Kentucky Derby due to a flu bug.
-Mediocre races at Tupelo and Charlotte.
-Extreme sugar intolerance during late summer-early fall
-No lost time due to injury but did battle a bit of plantar fasciitis
-Unstable in late Fall due to copper toxicity.

Performance of the year:
My vote is the 3M half in Austin but my readers seem to value my Rumpshaker 5K a bit more.  I can see why.  It is not common for 30-somethings to match their times from high school cross-country but I did in spite of adrenal fatigue and a long road back.

2013:
Non-running goals:
1. GET A GOOD MEDICAL REPORT- literally everything depends on it at least indirectly.  My numbers are about the same as when I had my first false hope in the summer of 2010.  Am I really closer to freedom or is my current hot streak just another short-term breakthrough?  Life will be SO MUCH better all around if I'm healthy almost every week.

2. Promotion at work- That will take a bit of luck and it's too complex to report briefly here.

3. Have a steady girlfriend or at least a few dates- I will not pursue anyone until I get the good medical report.  I don't believe it can work unless I am stable chemically though I would not turn down a "dream girl" who loves me unconditionally in spite of it.  As of now, there is too much potential for hurt on both sides.  I basically know what I'm looking for but will not get into that on this blog.

4. Restore my trust in the Lord- Hate to say it but only a good medical report can do that now.  It's been over 6 years since diagnosis and I could deal with a plateau or even stability at lower levels of performance but not the false hopes and flips from blahs to anxiety.  I have big dreams for a book deal.  There are lots of Christian books out there and lots of books on alternative medicine but I'm not aware of any that integrate them.  It could help a lot of people but again, only a good medical report can make that happen.  By March, it should be clear how this will play out one way or the other and we'll see how I feel at that time.

Running goals:
I will not be running a marathon until late 2014 or early 2015 and I've gotten times I wanted in the 10K and Half so the focus will be on the Mile and 5K.  I will be doing fewer tempo runs and more interval training.  Mileage will be cut slightly to the 35-45 range.  Stated goals are 5:15 and 19:00 but with a medical miracle, I know I can do a lot better than that (more like 5:00/low18). I also want an official sub-40 for 10K on a road course.  As for the 400, I'm not conceding yet but if I can't break 60 seconds in 2013, I don't see it happening after age 33.  I planned a couple serious attempts in 2012 but was derailed by the plantar issues.  I will be running 4 half marathons as part of my Half 2 Run challenge and definitely want another sub-1:30. 

As for training stats, I expect to be below 2,000 miles and I'm okay with that but I do want at least 38 wins out of 50 weeks of training.  That would mean that my health is good more than 75% of the time.
I'll shoot for 1,750 miles with aggressive targets of 38-12 and a 3.25 average.