2014 Year in Review! Welcoming 2015!

As 2014 comes to a close, I figured I'd write one recap post for the year. This year was an interesting one to say the least. Kimi and I started the year off by training for the Rock the Parkway half marathon in April. It wasn't our best training leading up to that race as we both have a hard time dealing with the cold temperatures and Kimi was sick for a week or two about 5 weeks prior to the half.  That definitely slowed us both down a bit. However, with that in mind, I still managed to run a 1:16:30 and Kimi was still able to win the race outright. The times we ran were a huge eye opener for us though. We knew that we were going to have to get some serious training in for the next two months heading into the Grandma's marathon in June.

This year's Grandma's marathon was one of our best experiences yet. Kimi ran amazing and qualified with a B-standard for the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon which will be held in February 2016 in L.A. I will never forget the feeling watching her cross the finish line just shortly after me.  She ran a 2:41:54 and I ran a 2:38:05. Both P.R.'s.

After that race, we were both pumped up with the results which caused us to go right back to training with very little rest. This made running for the next few months feel almost like a chore rather than something we just craved doing like before. We still managed to put in some good training but our performances were more hit or miss rather than always being hits like we're used to.

We definitely traveled a bunch this fall.  We went to KC twice, Columbia once, and Tulsa once.  The races didn't all go as planned but we were still able to learn some good lessons from each experience that will help us in 2015.  We capped off our racing season with our annual appearance at the Bass Pro half marathon where Kimi brought home another 1st place effort and I managed a 4th place time.  It was a bittersweet day for me.  I had finished in the top 3 for the past 3 years so this was disappointing to have that streak broken.  However, I am quite proud of my efforts after fighting the side stitch that nearly debilitated me at mile 8.

In all, 2014 was a pretty solid year of running. Our total miles were the least we've run in the past 4 years but our marathon performance makes everything else from this year just not seem as important. We are both looking forward to 2015's running challenges and races. In 2015 we plan to run the Rock the Parkway half again followed by the Grandma's marathon just like this year.  However, the intent is to literally 'rock' Rock the Parkway this time around as prep for our June marathon where we intend to run some new personal bests again this year.

Happy New Year everyone!

Year Recap-
2536 miles
2:38:05 Marathon - New P.R.
1:15:20 Half Marathon
16:30ish 5k

Merry Christmas and Happy Running, from Dr. Marshall Reed

The last couple weeks have been solid. Kimi and I are almost back up to normal mileage amounts for ourselves. Last week, we covered 46 miles without any workouts. We haven't started workouts just yet.  Usually when we don't do workouts, we like to have solid runs that are finished off with the last one fast one rule. This simply means our last mile is about 20 seconds faster than our fastest mile of the run up to that point. We've had multiple 'last one fast one' miles around 6:20 so far. This just helps us to stay out of a training rut as we are simply adding mileage.

This has been a great week so far. We fought the urge to stay in bed yesterday morning when the weather was just gross outside. At first, we were a bit worried about slippery conditions but Kimi decided to go outside and check the roads to see if they were slippery or just wet. Fortunately, they were only wet for the most part. There were a few bridges that we crossed that were covered in slush and slowed us a bit but we managed to keep moving right through it.  As much as I love this Christmas and New Year's seasons, that is usually the beginning of the real winter temperatures and weather. On a brighter not, it means that there are only about 60-75 more days of really cold temperatures prior to the weather shifting back to warmer conditions. When you think of it like that, it sure makes things easier to persevere through all the training.

Keep in mind, what you do over the next 2 months sets you up for the rest of the year's training and racing seasons. That usually helps keep you motivated.

I now want to take this time to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. May you have much joy spending time with your families. Have safe travels and may all your wishes come true! That last line sounds kind of lame but I hope you enjoy anyways!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

(I'll be back after the presents have all been opened!)

Getting back at it!

If you read my last post, you got a good idea of how important rest is and how much we were looking forward to having that rest this year. This is the time of year that is most difficult for Kimi and me to accomplish our runs. The weather turns cold, outdoor conditions (rain/snow/daylight) make it difficult, and our next event isn't for several months. However, this winter we are determined to conquer all of those things and better than we have ever done before.

We both have high aspirations for next year's racing seasons and we don't want to start out the year behind like we did this past year (mostly that was due to a couple sicknesses that set us back). Kimi and I have been running extremely low mileage over the last couple weeks allowing for some much needed rejuvenation prior to hammering the next 6+ months of training. We are planning to venture into mileage amounts higher than we've ever done in order to try to really see just what we are completely capable of. 

Yesterday was our first day to miss running in over 3 weeks. It wasn't due to a lack of wanting to go, but simply from the icy conditions outdoors and our lack of treadmill access. I'm not typically a fan of the treadmill but when used occasionally, it's better than not being able to run at all. I keep telling Kimi that we should have invested in one back in August when I almost bought one for a good price at a Sports Authority going out of business sale. I wish I had done so now.  Unfortunately, that just wasn't in the cards at that time to get one. 

Over the next several weeks, Kimi and I will be returning to normal mileage amounts for us (50+ miles per week).  Then we will venture into the 70's and hopefully by the time mid-May comes around, we'll be rolling in the 80's and 90's. Time will tell, but I think it's going to be a great 2015 of running.  2014 was good but I expect an even better 2015.