The first thing that happened was a job change. I left my Engineering position at ATK in January for a position as the Compliance Manager of Smith Optics. So I went from 25 years in the defense and aerospace indutry to a job in the consumer sporting goods industry. Quite a change, but so far I like it. Much more relaxed (I wear shorts to work in the summer) plus there's some perks that you don't get when you work in defense. I didn't have to move, my commute is the same distance, the money is about the same. What's not to like.
2011 started off with an entry into the big dog of 100 milers, Western States. I got picked in the lottery on my second try. There are people that try for five years or more and don't get in. With my entry into Western States, I figured that this might be my only opportunity to try for the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning. I immediately signed up for the Leadville and Vermont 100's and threw my hat into the ring for the Wasatch 100 lottery.
Long story short, I managed to finish the four races, and actually feel pretty good. Wasatch left me a little tired, but during none of the races was I ever at any point where I thought I would need to dnf. By the time Leadville rolled around, I was getting a little on edge hoping I wouldn't get injured either during a race or during the time in between.
What else did I do this year besides the slam? Well, the year started off with the Moab Red Hot 55K. I've never run this race, but had heard great things. The race sells out in a matter of days, but I managed to score a spot on the starting line. It was a tough race, 40mph winds the entire day didn't make things any easier either. Still, I managed to finish (6:34) and the post race party is pretty good. Karen went with me and we made a weekend of it.
March rolled around and the 6th annual Antelope Island Buffalo Run. This year I had 780 runners sign up and 705 actually show up. Things went well, but they could have gone much better. Part of it was the addition of a 100 mile distance this year. Still, the experience has led me to impose entry limits for 2012.
Next up was my now annual pilgrimage to the Grand Canyon. I went with the usual misfits I hang with here in Ogden. None of them had done a R2R2R before, so I ended up being the defacto tour guide. We had a great time and we're doing it again next year.
May saw me run the Red Mountain 50K down in St. George. I've never spent any time in St. George, so that was a nice treat. My time would have been much better had some asshole not altered the course markings and sent a bunch of us frontrunners off in the wrong direction. I was on track for a 50K PR and hopefully a sub 5 hour race. I ended up doing an extra four miles and still managed a 5:33. Oh well, those things happen at times.
In June I did my first triathlon. I did the Boise Half Ironman with Sally Shadle, a friend of mine. She stomped my butt by about 20 minutes, but my time still wasn't too bad for a first time. That lake water was so cold (1.2 miles, 53 degrees), and the 56 mile bike had to have been one of the most boring rides I've ever done. The run (13.1 miles) was great though. I managed a sub 2-hour half marathon after doing the swim and bike ride. I had trained most of the winter riding a stationary bike, and getting back into my swimming. I haven't done laps in years and once I got back into the groove, it was nice. I think the cross training helped my running a lot.
June also saw me run Western States. July saw me run Vermont in near 100 mile PR time (23:27) and the Speedgoat 50K. Running Speedgoat was probably a mistake. Two weeks after running Vermont and two weeks before Leadville? Not a good idea. I found out the hard way what a 15 mile bonk feels like. I wanted to quit so many times, and probably should have, but I just couldn't bring myself to. The result? A 10+ hour 50K and a near the back finish.
August? Leadville, I finished and did better than I thought I would. I did miss running Waldo 100K this year, oh well, I'll be back there in 2012.
September? Ah, lovely Wasatch. I love this race. It's kind of like a black hole, once you run it, it kinds of sucks you in year after year. Had a good time there, but not a particularly good finish time.
In November I did a sprint tri at Weber State just as a lark. 5K run, 10K bike, and 300 yard swim. It was good fun. My 5K time kind of sucked, my bike time would have been better had I been able to clip into my pedals, but my swim was ok. It was a nice cold day near Thanksgiving and the run from T2 to the pool was 100 yards while being pretty much naked. My feet froze and the rest of me was pretty cold too. I did manage a top 25% finish though and I'll probably do it again next year just for fun.
So, I haven't done any racing since the tri, although I have been keeping up with the running. Next up in January is the Kahtoola Snowshoe 25K. Should be a good time if we get some snow.
Since Wasatch, I've been keeping up a pretty good running schedule. I did slack off a little in Sept/Oct, have picked up the mileage again in anticipation of 2012. The goals are around 3000 miles for 2012, not quite as much racing, and more adventure runs.
By the numbers -
2011 total mileage - 2138
Miles racing - 502
Average miles per week - 41.00
Average miles per day - 5.86
Number of days running - 206
Average miles per running day - 10.38
Miles biked - 303
Miles swam - 25
Here's a few graphs (hey, I'm an Engineer, I love data and graphs).
Here's a few graphs (hey, I'm an Engineer, I love data and graphs).
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| Annual Mileage for the past six years |
You've had an awesome year! The graphs you posted are awesome. I think it's fascinating to see what people are doing for build-ups to 100s and what their recovery looks like.
ReplyDeleteWell done!