Annual Summary/New Year’s Eve Midnight Run
2008 is a week old now. And it’s gotten off to a good start. We actually started 2008 with a run – the four mile Midnight Run in Central Park. We weren’t sure what to expect, but it was a blast! It was a cold night with temperatures in the low 30’s, but it was clear and there wasn’t any wind. Elizabeth and I stayed at home until about 11 when we went up to the Park to meet up with Emily and Olivia. As the announcer started the ten second countdown to midnight, we lined up for the run with 5,000 (!) other runners. The fireworks started exploding overhead and we were off. I wasn’t out there to race, I just wanted to enjoy the night and run with my wife and friends. Everyone was in a great, celebratory mood and many runners were dressed in costumes. The finish line was near the Bandshell at the 72nd Street transverse and there was a pretty big party going on after the race with a DJ and dance party. Not that we went dancing… But we had planned on going out for a drink after the run, but by the time we finished and got our stuff together and left the Park, we just decided to call it a night. Earlier that evening I ran into a guy who I see walking his dog pretty often, he told me that some say that whatever you’re doing on New Year’s Eve is what you’ll spend the coming year doing. I’m not sure where he heard that, but if it means that I’ll spend 2008 hanging out with my wife and running, I’ll take it!
Looking Back on 2007
2007 was a great year for me athletically. By far my best since, well, probably the best in my life. In July 2006, I set an aggressive goal for myself, deciding to attempt an Ironman. I spent the first seven months of 2007 training my rear-end off to prepare for the race. I never doubted that I could do it. And it worked out great! Ironman USA was a ton of fun, I was very proud of my time and when I finished I was very excited to come back for another go at it in 2008. If that had been my only big race of the year, I think I would have felt accomplished. But it wasn’t – just four months after the Ironman, I was back out there for the JFK 50. Added to those two “A” races were a bunch of “lower” priority races: I toughed out the Harriman Half Iron in miserable conditions, I set PR after PR in half marathons and actually won my age group in a local duathlon.
2007 Training/Racing totals:
Swim: 276,238 yards (157 miles or 11,050 lengths in the 25 yard pool)
Cycling (Outdoor): 1,655.25 miles
Cycling (Indoor): 101 hours
Run: 1,078.30 miles
Strength Training/Yoga: 62 sessions
Approximate total training time: 478 hours
2008, Here I Come
2007 was a big year because I accomplished a lot, but it was also a breakthrough year for me. After a life of trying to be active and fit, and a few years of triathlons, I participated in a few races that very few people in the world ever even consider doing. I learned a lot about how far I could push myself and how hard I am willing to work with a goal in mind. For 2008, I’m mostly doing events that I raced in 2007 with the goal of improving my time or racing stronger than I did in 2007. Every time I do a race I realize things that I can improve on to make a difference in my time or my comfort or my enjoyment or all of the above. During 2008 and the second time around for most of the races I’m doing, I’ll be looking to improve on all three of those factors. I’m looking forward to a fun year of training and racing; thanks for following along!
2008 A/B Priority Races:
Boston Marathon – April 20
Harryman Half Ironman – May 17
Ironman USA (Lake Placid) – July 20
Survival of the Shawangunks – September 7
Run – January 1
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39 minutes
Average heart rate: N/A/ (Didn’t wear HR monitor)
Course: Central Park (Emerald Nuts Midnight Run)
Conditions: Cold (low 30’s), clear, no wind
Indoor Bike – January 1
Time: 45 minutes
Average heart rate: 118
Swim – January 2
Distance: 3,650 yards
Time: 1:10
Strength – January 2
Run – January 3
Distance: 6.1 miles
Time: 56 minutes
Average heart rate: 145
Course: West Side Highway, Strides
Conditions: COLD! Brrrr! 12 degrees, with a real-feel of about 0! Gusty winds 10-15mph!!!
Swim – January 4
Distance: 3,100 yards
Time: 1:07
Bike – January 5
Distance: 34 miles
Time: 2:05
Average heart rate: 131
Course: West Side Highway to Central Park
Conditions: 42 degrees, partly sunny
Run – January 6
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 47:30
Average heart rate: 146
Course: West Side Highway
Conditions: Cool (mid-40’s), cloudy, no wind
Indoor Bike – January 6
Time: 1:20
Average heart rate: 118
Swim – January 7
Distance: 3,000 yards
Time: 1:06