I just finished my last run for 2021, ending my year just shy of 1,538 total running miles...a new PR! If I include walking/hiking mileage, I would nearly reach 1,600! Not too shabby for running an entire year within a pandemic and without any races for motivation.
But my stated goal for 2021 was to run faster, not longer. Not having regular access to the local high school's track adversely affected my training. I did not get in nearly as many speed-focused workouts as I needed to see any substantial improvements in my pace. Though I hate running in circles, intervals on a track are far better than on rolling hills with varying grades. It's hard to gauge exertion and progress without consistent conditions.
That said, I did manage to improve my average running pace (9:37 per mile vs 9:43 in 2020)...but my fastest month was March. It should have been November. I am also very surprised that I ended the year with my slowest month (the only month my pace decreased into the 10's...10:03 per mile to be specific). If I subtract December, my average for the year drops to 9:35 per mile. Usually I see an uptick when I run a marathon, but I ran mine at the beginning of the month...so most of the month was spent recovering. And, as I keep pointing out, this marathon was not at a race pace.
An annual average of 6 to 8 seconds faster per mile doesn't seem like a big win, but I suppose it is still a substantial achievement when you consider how many more total miles I ran in 2021 than in any previous year. I was nine years younger when I last exceeded 1,400 miles! Of course, that's also when averaging 9:03 per mile was something of a disappointment...because I averaged 8:45 per mile in 2011!
My goal for 2022 will be to bring my average closer to 9 flat. Is this achievable without racing? I think so. If I don't have at least one month where I average 9 flat, I will be terribly disappointed.
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