Josh Steinberg <
[email protected]> wrote in message news:<
[email protected]>...
> Donovan Rebbechi wrote:
>
> > In article <
[email protected]>, Globaldisc wrote:
> > > I clocked 1600+ training miles in '03, missed several weeks due to injury.
> >
> > I think I'm narrowly edging you out as the most woefully undertrained runner, having done around
> > 1366 miles in '03. The good news is that about half of that came from the last 4 months of
> > training.
>
> Gentlemen,
>
> Way to go on good reports of another good year of running.
>
> However, let me inject a personal observation and request: please be careful about how this
> thread is going. Whining in a self-deprecating fashion about how you both suck as runners --
> only accomplishing 1300-1600 miles training, only achieving miles around 6 min/mile and
> marathons only around 3 hrs -- will make an awful lot of folks here feel so inferior as to be
> alienated. One of the strengths of rec.running is that it caters supportively and
> enthusiastically to runners at all levels and alienates no one. So keep on competing with
> yourselves and each other, but please be careful not to boast of great accomplishments in a
> way which will alienate others and thereby diminish rec.running.
>
> Best regards,
>
> -- Josh in Syracuse
Hi Josh,
Just to provide a little of that balance, I'll post. I wasn't going to since things have gone so
badly the last couple years. First the down factors: my training and milage had been decreasing and
my weight increasing for several years due to work. Then in '02 hurting my hip caused a total
stoppage of running for several months. getting back to it seems to be harder that starting new. And
then being out of work, you would think would allow me time to get back into it. But the stress of
job hunting dropped my motivation even more.
Okay, so it's '03 and I struggled without work for the first 5 months of the year. Then starting
work I feel like I need to put the job as top priority.
So for the year I haven't lost much weight (but stopped the weight gain pattern) I haven't gain back
any speed (typical easy pace is now about 12minute miles where I used to be able to count on
10minute or better pace) I ran one race (5k turkey trot) Mileage for the year will be about 350.
(Yes that's about 1,000miles less than some others posting here)
So, am I upset? No. I know I can do better. And that is my montra for '04.
That is the one lesson I've gained from running. Most folks take up New Year's resolutions and
expect to instantly change from January 1 onward. That's not how life works. Pick a resolution that
you will achieve at the end of next year, IOW a goal line, not a target.
So since you've drawn me out Josh, here's some specifics. I plan to achieve these goals in 2004:
* Lose at least 10 pounds
* Increase milage back up to about 20 per week, or at least 500 for the year.
* schedule several races, including a fall half marathon (I'd really like to do a spring one, but
I'm trying to be conservative).
* stretch every day (I still have a habit of only stretching after a run. I need to separate these
somewhat.)
The first three goals are pretty much tied together, the running will help the weightloss which will
improve my pace which will improve my distance. I'm going to try a variation of the timing golas for
a couple months for increasing mileage. The pattern is: run an out and back course, outbound for
10minutes at slightly above conversation pace, and try to beat that time back. When I can run the
split negatively three times in a row, then I'll up the outbound time by about the difference (ie if
the difference was 30seconds, I'll make the next run 10:30 outbound).
I've started this already. I'll start posting in the weekly thread on my progress next week (year).
So any other slower runners can post now. Mine should be near the back of the pack, if not last. 8^)
So Josh, what's your goals?
Enjoy the run. Ed