2015 was my third year
of meticulously logging miles. Let's call it an... interesting... year of running. The
first quarter of the year started well, then work got the best of me and the
rest of the year went wobbly. I can't excuse my running performance by work, but
my mental energy and penchant for running uncharacteristically decreased
throughout the year. The low of the year was certainly San Diego 100. I had
strep throat and found myself uneasy and uncomfortable in Southern California
when I should've been sharp and stoked. Life had caught up to me. I'm having an
increasingly difficult time coping with work/life/run balance. The more I care about running the less I care about work, and visa-versa. I'm not sure how to solve that problem. Happy to report
that currently things are looking positive--I'm running more. I KNOW that I am
happiest when I run a significant amount of volume. The more I am outside
running, camping, being...
Without further adieu,
the 2015 numbers.
|
|
Miles
|
Vert
|
Inclusive Time
|
|
Jan
|
229.2
|
39,337
|
43:03:00
|
|
Feb
|
256.9
|
35,216
|
43:09:00
|
|
March
|
327.4
|
43,858
|
50:10:00
|
|
April
|
247.7
|
35,836
|
39:27:00
|
|
May
|
238.8
|
40,715
|
43:43:00
|
|
June
|
93.96
|
14,690
|
16:49
|
|
July
|
257.6
|
37,609
|
44:37:00
|
|
Aug
|
322.3
|
56,979
|
54:55:00
|
|
Sep
|
199.5
|
37,172
|
40:57:00
|
|
Oct
|
173
|
29,734
|
28:33:00
|
|
Nov
|
232.8
|
33,189
|
35:30:00
|
|
Dec
|
216.9
|
30,961
|
33:40:00
|
|
Totals
|
2796.06
|
435,296
|
474:33:00
|
Opposed to 3,673 miles, 575,833 ft of vert, and 630:37:32 total activity time in 2014.
Significant differences. I realize that every year cannot be more than
the previous, but 2015 was admittedly sub-par in the numbers category. I am
motivated by numbers, so they are important to me. If you're interested in what
happened in the individual months I'd be more than happy to discuss them with
you.
It was
just a different year. A full year of working in the real world, I can't say
that it was a bad year but I do have an odd taste in my mouth about it. I
learned a lot about life. I went from doing manual labor to managing a a full crew. I went from infatuation to heartbreak to independence to dependence--"all the feels" as Kelly Summers would say.
My best days were spent
with SFRC or traveling or camping. My best days are spent with the people I
love. My worst days were the regular days where I get into my head too deep and
pressured myself unnecessarily. It is difficult to be confident in your running
when you live in an ultra-mecca with 25+ guys way faster than you, but it is also
very inspiring. You get better by surrounding yourself with people that are
better than you.
I didn't meet
my 2015 goal of running 3000 miles, which was almost all due to being sick in June,
but that's alright. I didn't read a book a month either, which I'm going to try
to do again this year. I did run with SFRC a lot more and have made some great
friendships in that community. I love the ever-present stoke.
When I am with the people I love life is good.
2016 is going to see
some positive changes. I'm going to average reading a book a month, and I'm
going to run more than 3,000 miles. I'm also going to run at least one 100 mile
week again. Attainable yet not easy goals. January is off to a great start and
I'm ready to tackle the year with confidence. Let's go.
Boom.
