2011 – My Year of Running

It was an amazing year for me, running-wise. Getting the iRun Runner’s Makeover was huge! Working with Tania, Ilia and Lucy at Goal Speed, having Lauren to guide me nutritionally and amassing all the awesome (free) gear I could want from Adidas was exceptional. I doubt I would have made the gains I saw this year without all that. Then to top off an already great year, partnering up with Ben Greenfield has been an amazing way to bring 2011 home.

It’s that time of year – more specifically, that particular day of the year – when I go to WorkoutLog and take a look at what I have done this year.

It was an amazing year for me, running-wise. Getting the iRun Runner’s Makeover was huge! Working with Tania, Ilia and Lucy at Goal Speed, having Lauren to guide me nutritionally and amassing all the awesome (free) gear I could want from Adidas was exceptional. I doubt I would have made the gains I saw this year without all that. Then to top off an already great year, partnering up with Ben Greenfield has been an amazing way to bring 2011 home.

My numbers are a little weird this year due to my change of focus from Triathlon to pure Marathon. Basically, from mid February to December, I did virtually no swimming and the only cycling I did was commuting to and from work. I ran way more than I ever have and focused more on resistance training, losing body fat and gaining lean muscle. A solid plan for a guy who turned 40 in August.

So without further fanfare – the numbers:

2008 2009 2010 2011
Type Distance Distance Distance Distance
Run (trails, track & treadmill) 1751.0 km 1512.6 km 2100.2 km 3953.5 km
Bike (Road & trainer) 472.4 km 1527.9 km 2122 km 1376.3 km
Swim (Pool & open-water) 41475.0 m 28775.0 m 65118.4 m 30150.0 m

I still can’t believe I came so close to 4000 km but was unable (more like unwilling) to hit it. With the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge coming up in less than a week it seemed supremely goofy to throw in extra kms just to hit an arbitrary number… but the A-Type OCD side of me is going nuts over those missing 46.5 km!

Here are the races I participated in during 2011:

Race Distance Date Official Time Chip Time Pace
Hypothermic 21.1 21.1 Feb 13   1:40:50 4:47/km
St. Patricks Day Run 10k Mar 20 45:19 4:31/km
Faith, Fun and Fitness 10k Apr 30 43:01 42:49 4:19/km
Toronto Goodlife 21.1 May 15 1:31:35 1:31:35 4:18/km
Ottawa 10k May 28 41:31 41:28 4:09/km
Ottawa Marathon Coach May 29      
Toronto “Free to Run” 10k July 9 42:25 42:25 4:14/km
Edmonton Intact Canadian Derby 21.1 Aug 21 1:35:15 1:35:09 4:29/km
St, Catharines “Run for the Grapes” 21.1 Sep 18 1:34:43 1:34:32 4:28/km
Montreal Oasis Marathon 10k Sep 25 42:44 42:22 4:12/km
Chicago Marathon Marathon Oct 9 3:57:52 3:57:52 5:27/km
Toronto Soctiabank Waterfront Coach Oct 16      
Hamilton Road2Hope Marathon Nov 6 3:32:06 3:31:48 5:02/km

The blue boxes are my current Personal Bests (“Personal Records” for you Americans out there – heh).

So, now I am thinking of 2012… what are my goals? Well, I still haven’t qualified for the Boston Marathon – but I am getting closer – so that is still a goal. I also want to do the Ironman 70.3 that I had planned for 2011 but got sidelined by Tania’s “Get rid of that triathlon baloney” comment (Tania, if you are reading this, I am not mad or resentful of that comment, I only bring it up because it was a turning point in my year – and is hilarious too). So, this is what I am thinking:

  • Jan 7 – Disney World Half Marathon
  • Jan 8 – Disney World Full Marathon
  • May 27 – Ottawa Half or Full Marathon
  • Jun 3 – Milton ON Sprint Triathlon
  • Jun 24 – Mount-Tremblant 70.3 Ironman
  • Aug 19 – Edmonton Full Marathon
  • Sep 9 – Muskoka 70.3 Ironman
  • Oct 7 – Victoria Goodlife Marathon

As always, this is subject to change at any time. It’s just what I have in mind right now. I’ll have to run it past my coach, girlfriend and my commonsense.

So, here’s to 2012 being even faster, stronger, healthier, leaner and even more fun than 2011 was – good luck with that!

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