End of Year Report

Last week I noticed I was nearly on track to match last year's total running distance if I simply did my scheduled mileage for the week with one modification: I'd have to move this Thursday's run a day early.  This would not normally be an an issue since this week coincides with my shortest (during which I don't run on Wednesdays), but, with rain in the forecast for most of today (and not a fan of getting wet when I run), I made the call to combine the two mid-week short runs into a 9 miler yesterday...adding a half mile just so I could top 2024's total.  Even then, I had to wait for yesterday's rain to end (roughly 2pm) before stepping out the door one last time in 2025 (and I'm not a fan of doing afternoon runs).  On the plus side, I caught glimpses of a rainbow as I started running, but the color faded by the time I reached an unobstructed view.

So, according to Garmin, I finished 2025 with 1,357.71 total running miles.  Strava displays my total as 1,357.50...exactly one half mile further than 2024...so I definitely topped it.  That said, this is not exactly a big accomplishment as I did not really improve my overall average pace, but I did manage to break 50 minutes for the first time at this year's The Hills Are Alive 10K.  Chip-timing definitely provides more motivation to work on pace, so I really should register for more races.  Uncertainty about my annual travel plans is making it harder to register for marathons though.

Longer Beach Marathon

With a trip planned for the end of July, interest in attending NSXPO in September, and another big trip yet to be scheduled (but definitely happening) later this year, I had pretty much ruled out signing up for any races in 2025 after The Hills Are Alive 10K...and, with zero control over when my latter trip would actually fly, sticking to my usual marathon training schedule seemed nearly impossible. But, in late June, I learned my end-of-July trip was suddenly off the books, NSXPO no longer seemed fiscally responsible, and I suddenly had a lot more time on my hands.

So I pivoted.

This year's Long Beach Marathon seemed early enough to be a safe date for planning a 26.2 mile run, but I would need to enter my training schedule in week 9 (of 18) and adjust distances accordingly if I wanted to have any chance of being ready to go without striving to do too much too soon (i.e. to avoid injury). My maintenance schedule gives me a solid base, but without the longer distances that help increase endurance (peaks at 10 miles every four weeks), so I knew I would have to ramp up the distances in half the time.  Since I can easily do a 13 to 14 milers at any point within my maintenance routine, I started with a 14...and then went up from there.

That said, the longest run I completed this cycle was only 16.66 miles, 17.76 if I add a subsequent walk to my peak week run...both workouts far short of the 22-23 recommended by my schedule.  If memory serves, I've only once run a full marathon without hitting this peak distance target in my training (when I opted to ride my bike 48 miles because I was too injured to run).  Despite missing distance targets, I have still managed to complete 91% of the mileage of a full marathon schedule...so 22-23 miles is doable especially if I give myself an easy route and don't attempt run at a race pace.  Worse case scenario?  I extend my schedule another four weeks and try again in early November, but I am curious to see what I can do without having fully trained. I am still in very good condition.

So I have driven down to my usual spot near Torrance Beach early on the morning of the Long Beach Marathon.  I should have started as early as the actual race because the marine layer is not present...it could get quite warm before I finish!

Fall Comes Early

Time to add another incident to my growing list: this time I tripped on an exposed root on Moccasin Trail as I approached the entrance to the Landfill Loop.  I don't recall ever seeing or feeling roots along this particular stretch of dirt (northeast of the church), but I definitely could see this one when I looked back.  I saw some people talking near a horse ahead...so I decided to ask them for help (I was bleeding and covered in dirt...just wanted to get some water to rinse off).  One of the ladies lives in the house at the corner, offered the use of her hose, and brought out bandages and hydrogen peroxide as well.  After getting patched up, I was able to continue on to the Landfill Loop and finish my five mile run.

Year End Report 2024

Strange.  I logged 1,357 miles running in 2024, my fourth highest annual total ever - behind 2021 (1,538), 2012 (1,406), 2023 (1,376), and somehow beating 2020 (1,320).  I am not sure how I managed to do so in a year where I not only took a break from running full marathons and entering races, but also didn't once ramp up my distance as if I were training for a full marathon.

I mean, in 2023 I ran at least one 26.2+ miler, but twice trained as if I was going to run the full distance (the latter to ensure I was fit for hiking in Peru).  These past two years both included a two-week long travel imposed break from running.  Heck, this year I only ran two runs that were a half marathon distance or more (a full training schedule includes at least 9...10 if you count the marathon) and yet somehow I finished within 20 miles of last year's total.  I finished 2024 with more miles than the last two years I ran full marathon races (2019, 2020).

That said, I actually should be able to run as many as 1,482 miles if I merely run my four week between-marathon training schedule.  I only ran more than this total once in all of the years I have run marathons.  In other words, I usually fall short of distance targets or missed training days for various reasons (injuries, illness, air quality, work, travel).  I know I had an injury in 2019.  Can't remember if I had any issues in 2023 (a quick review of 2023's year end report mentions injury and illness), but I did have two big falls this year neither of which caused me to skip any running days.  That said, I did think the first of the two might have bruised or even cracked a rib (not a totally different one than the one injured in 2022 and 2023).  My wife is starting to wonder how frequently I injure myself.  She didn't realize running is a full contact sport!

I am a little disappointed that I did NOT improve my pace in 2024. I actually lost a couple of seconds per mile over 2023, but that is the downside of not including any races or race-like efforts.  The big differentiator was March of 2023, when I finished a marathon training cycle ahead of running my personal "Sea to the Sea" marathon.  Though I did not run it like a race, I still completed the distance faster than 10 minutes per mile.  I also find that ramping up the distance for an endurance event and then tapering tends to naturally gives me a boost. That said, I didn't see the same boost when I tapered ahead of Peru...likely because I wasn't worried about taking an excessively long time to do a single 26.2 mile run!

There is hope though...I finished the year completing a mile challenge in 6:33, besting the times I set in 2022 and 2023 by half a minute!  I've also shed quite a bit of weight, but for reasons outside of running.

Legend of the Falls

After hearing that I tripped during this morning's run, Valerie commented that I seem to fall a lot.  She didn't buy my explanation that running is a full contact sport.  That said, I did get curious...how often do I trip without being able to stop myself from hitting the ground?  I certainly have had a lot of close calls (that I don't record) and also have been known to roll my ankle from time to time.  But how frequently do I actually hit the ground?  How often does it lead to bleeding?  Have I ever missed running because of gravity induced injuries?

I vividly recall my first crash landing. I had just recovered from my first full marathon, resuming lunch break training runs with an ultra running coworker (what we used to call "Dog Runs" because we both worked for Naughty Dog).  He was quite a bit faster than me and I was trying to chase him down as we started the final relatively flat stretch back to the office.  I caught my toe on something protruding from the sidewalk and didn't just fall on the concrete, but off the curb and on to Santa Monica Blvd.  It was quite a blow, but apparently I just picked up a few minor scrapes and was able to finish the run.

That was back in 2009.

I didn't always write about my falls in my running blog, make note of it withing my running data, or even mention such incidents in the captions of my running photos.  In September of 2013, I vividly remember falling while crossing a cobblestone intersection near the end of one of my longer runs in Paris, but there's no mention of it in my photos from that trip (pun intended).  And at some point I fell and nearly ruined my favorite running shirt (a technical shirt I picked up at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca)...but I cannot find any photo evidence of when that happened.

Here's what I could retrieve by reviewing Strava activities and looking through my photos:

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

I was not entirely surprised the sometimes uneven dirt trail between the Hollywood Riviera and Palos Verdes tripped me up.  I was not injured as it was a soft landing, but I needed to rinse off my shirt and water bottle in one of the beach restrooms.  What's interesting is that I don't often do long runs on Tuesdays and this fall happened only 3 miles into a 14 miler.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Another dirt landing, this time on the hard packed median trail of Palos Verdes Drive North only 2 miles into my usual 6 miler.  I don't recall any injury from this fall either.  

Friday, March 29, 2019

Got "punched by a tree".  This time I got knocked me down by a branch from a bush or tree that was protruding into the sidewalk towards the end of my short four miler.  Scraped my knee and the branch scratched my shoulder.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Toe caught a bit of raised sidewalk next to Peninsula Center and I fell hard...scraping the ends of four fingers and the palm of my left hand.  My Nathan water bottle took the brunt of the damage.  During the fall, I landed on my chin, I dirtied another running shirt AND my brand new running shoes, my glasses went flying and got scratched upon landing (I started using a strap to keep my glasses on shortly thereafter).  I was only a mile into an 8 miler and not happy about having 7 miles to go.

Saturday, April 3, 2021

I successfully sprinted down the rocky Burma Road trail only to trip on what appeared to be a smoothly paved section of sidewalk during my cooldown jog home (toe must have caught the smallest crack).  Got road rash on palm, elbow, and hip, but somehow didn't scrape my knee.  Happened roughly seven and a half miles in a 9+ miler just when I let my guard down.  And here I thought the side-effects of my first Moderna vaccination were going to be the worst thing I'd experience that morning (I did get hit pretty hard after I got home, but only for a couple of hours)

Sunday, June 26, 2022

Two miles into a 10 miler, the tip of my shoe snagged a root hidden in a patch of softer dirt on the boundary trail between the Hollywood Riviera and Palos Verdes...and I thankfully landed in the softer dirt.  Though I was not injured, I did soil another white running shirt and cap.  My water bottle was so dirty I didn't want to risk drinking from it even after I rinsed it at the beach.  Dirt made it into the package of Shot BLOKS (that I had only just opened minutes before I fell) inside of my pocket.

Saturday, December 17, 2022

What started as a 21 miler ended as a half marathon.  I somehow tripped in the middle of a intersection along Palos Verdes Drive South not far east of Terranea Resort...and I fell so hard on to the pavement that the top of my water bottle completely sheared off, spilling most of its contents on to the pavement before I could use it to rinse my wounds.  The fall tore one of my running gloves, scraped the skin on my palm underneath.  I was bleeding from my hand, my elbow, and my knee.  I continued running until I reached the restroom at Pelican Cove, where I could finally rinse my wounds while waiting for a ride from Valerie.  I couldn't really continue since I no longer had the means to hydrate.

Sunday, August 13, 2023

This fall seemed to happen in slow motion: my toe caught a root under the wood chips on Veterans Parkway roughly five miles into a 14 miler.  I seriously thought I was going to be able to stay on my feet...I took as many as four strong strides fighting to stay vertical, but gravity ultimately won.  I thought I avoided any injury as I rolled when I landed, deflecting the energy of the impact, but I picked up a few scrapes.  Surprisingly none of my wounds bled.  My left arm was sore around the elbow (point of impact) as was my chest (where I landed on my arm). My right foot apparently took most of the stress simply from my effort to stay upright ...the whole top of my foot was now tender to the touch. That said, I could stand and run on it without feeling much pain, so I was able to finish my run. My shoes, socks, shirt, and water bottle had collected some of the wood chips in the fall. I'm so glad I fell on the trail and not the pavement.

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

As I ran out on to the mobi-mat on the beach to take a photo of the #SirensOfSilence lifeguard tower, my toe caught one of the grooves and I couldn't stop myself from falling. While the mat itself is soft under foot, the texture of the mat's surface is very rough (to prevent slipping) and of course I slid on it. The cuts on my knuckle and knee and the rash on my thigh weren't the worst injury... I landed hard on my chest and probably bruised a rib.  My chest bothered me for awhile, but I did not miss a single day of my usual running routine.

Sunday, December 22, 2024

My left toe caught uneven pavement at the end of someone's driveway on Palos Verdes Drive North, roughly 12 miles into a 14 miler.  This is the kind of thing I would have guessed happens more often than not...as it happened late in what was relatively a long run, when I might get sloppy and not lift my feet as much.  The surprising thing? This was the first time people actually came up to me to ask if I was ok...two people on bike, a hiker, someone driving a truck.  They must have all seen it happen.  The driver offered a ride.  The hiker was a former marathoner who had been in my shoes on many long runs.

I thought I fell as much as once per year, but looking at this I can definitely see the frequency of falls has increased in recent years.  I also assumed my falls happened towards the end of longer runs, but, if that were the case, I would expect to see more Sundays in this list...and some of my falls happened early into runs too.  I thought there might be a correlation between falling and new shoes, but I am not seeing that in my data either.  And trail running doesn't seem to increase the risk.

One Bud Flatlines

Just over a week ago, on runs leading up to a rare business trip, one of my Galaxy Buds+ earbuds starts refusing a charge, the left earbud.  I did all sorts of things to try and get it working again, from cleaning it, to resetting it...jiggling it in its case trying to trigger the green charging light...but nothing works.

I decide to pack both my failing Buds+ and my new Buds Pro.

The funny thing is that I have not been willing to run with my newer buds...partly due to how much more expensive they are (though mine was included in the price of my S24 Ultra), but mostly because of how much I have liked my Buds+.  Yes, I am the same guy who bitched and moaned when Samsung dropped the headphone jack from the Galaxy series of phones, but my Buds+ have outlasted any of the wired headsets that shipped with my phones over the years, likely reduced the wear and tear on my SPIbelts (since nothing needs to protrude from the0 zipper pouch), and I no longer worry about tugging on a wire pinched to my chest shirt (lost many clips).  

I really appreciate the Bud Pro's active noise cancelling...works well to filter out the portable AC in my home office when I need to join an online meeting during a hot day, to listen to alternate content when my wife is watching a show I'm not interested in...and I loved using them during my recent five hour flights.  I do not plan to use the noise cancelling while running (too dangerous...I don't even hear my foot falls), but I fully expect they will last longer (a Bud+ dying during a run had been a pretty rare thing until now).

For this morning's run, though, I somehow tricked one of my dying Bud+ to give me one more run.  It came back to life with what appeared to be a 100% charge, but I decided to run with it while it was actively connected with my phone.  Much to my surprise, it lasted the entire 8 mile run...but it didn't look like it would.  15 minutes into my run, it had already dropped to 32%.  30 minutes later, it was down to 28%.  An hour into my run, a really strange thing happened...the charge went up to 33%!  But that was a short-lived gain as the watch dropped back to 27% over the next half hour.  When I finally got home, the bud's charge was -1% (yes, below zero), but it was still playing audio. I returned it to its case at 10:40am on August 18, 2024.

That would be the last time I ever heard audio from the left earbud.  It would never accept another charge.  Even worse, the bud would rapidly drain the case's battery (it was so bad, that I thought the case was failing).  But the right bud continues to hold a charge and, with only the right bud in the case, the case still provides a week worth of charging before it needs to be plugged in.

I continue to run with a single bud and will continue to do so until it dies.  And then I will consider running with my Buds Pro.

Year End Report 2023

My last run of 2023 was rain delayed into the afternoon, but not abbreviated, deterred or deferred to 2024.  I wanted to do at least 10 miles and was determined to see what yesterday's high tide and waves did to our local beaches, so there was a decent amount of elevation change.  I was especially glad I dressed for cold weather because the overcast sky kept afternoon temperatures unusually cool, noticeably dropping as I climbed towards my neighborhood.  With this final run, I managed to beat my annual average pace (not hard to do) and return home before the sun (which finally appeared through thinning clouds) dipped below the hill.

I clocked nearly 1,376 miles running in 2023, my third highest annual total behind 2021 (1,538) and 2012 (1,406) and easily beating 2020 (1,320).  If I factor in walking and hiking activities, I match 2012's running total.  Since I resumed running in 2007, I've totaled over 1,000 miles in nearly twice as many years as under 1,000.  That all said, I am somewhat disappointed in my performance this year.  As with last year, my goal was to focus on pace, not distance.  And I continue to get slower...10:33 per mile was my average annual pace.  In terms of total time spent running, this year is second behind 2021...I spent 25 more hours than 2012 to run 30 fewer miles.  I'd very much like to reverse this trend.  Reducing my total mileage and increasing my pace should help me get quite a bit of time back.

The two things that consistently help me improve pace are track intervals and registering for races. I entered my first race since the pandemic (The Hills Are Alive 10K) and finished in just under 51 minutes...not my best time, but certainly not my worst.  I barely did any track intervals in 2023, but did end the year with a 7:01 mile (beating the mile challenge I did in 2022 by a few seconds).  Still, I should be able to run in the 6's...and my annual average should be under 10 minutes per mile.  I will need to register for more 10Ks and maybe even half marathons before I attempt another 26.2.

I was really feeling the distance in 2023, especially as I approached the end of my second marathon training schedule. Though I was not planning to attempt a second 26.2 mile run within the calendar year, I felt I needed the routine to improve my fitness by October since my wife and I had planned a few high altitude hikes during a bucket list trip to Peru.  As our travel date approached, I started feeling like I needed more recovery time between runs. I started waking up with really sore heels and found wearing sandals with arch support helped reduce foot pain whenever I walked on our hardwood floors, especially on cold mornings.  Long runs were again aggravating an old ankle injury.

In mid-August, shortly after the Hills Are Alive run, I had a pretty hard fall during a 14 mile run.  I initially thought the way I tumbled into the fall had reduced the force of impact since I was able to resume running.  It wasn't until I lay in bed afterwards that I realized I had likely bruised or re-injured the rib I broke a year before. This injury didn't affect my routine as much as the previous one, but it did make sleeping uncomfortable until I found a position that didn't aggravate the pain...at least a month later.

I didn't run for two weeks due to our trip to Peru and then got sick shortly after we returned...a nasty cough made running impossible until I had completely shaken it.  And I had really been looking forward to getting a performance boost from having spent time approaching 16,000 feet above sea level.  Oh well.

So the trick in 2024 will be to increase pace but not so much that I accelerate injuries.  Increasing my ratio of trail to road runs should help (as will frequenting the track).  Not attempting a marathon training schedule until I'm naturally running faster will likely be the key to success.

Sea To The Sea 2023(NOT L.A. Marathon 2023)

For only the third time since I started running marathons, I have decided to run 26.2 miles without entering a race.  This is the second time I have trained specifically for this distance without any intention of registering for a timed event.  I had zero incentive to focus on pace...I only needed to ensure my legs would be willing to carry me to the finish line.

On that note, just before I reached my peak training distance in my usual schedule, I realized I had repeatedly fallen short on what should have been 20+ milers.  I made the tough decision to reset my schedule by six weeks...shifting my target marathon date from what originally would have aligned with Surf City's race on Super Bowl Sunday to Los Angeles' this overcast March morning.  That means I actually repeated six weeks of serious mileage buildup right around the time I would normally have begun to taper.  I didn't want to risk pushing pace just when I was already asking a lot from my legs and blistered feet.

Keep in mind I am not doing this for a medal.  There will be no finisher's t-shirt.  I will not be photographed running on this course.  And, for the first time, I will be attempting to go the distance without anyone running with me, cheering me on, and/or providing water along the route.  This whole ordeal is an exercise in self-motivation.

I have chosen today's route in continued protest over LA Marathon's 2021 course alteration.  I first signed up for LA in 2010, when event organizers first announced their now famous and much loved Stadium to the Sea course.  Since I last completed the race three years ago (just days before the initial COVID lockdown), event organizers shifted the finish line to Century City...effectively removing my favorite final stretch to any marathon.  I have experienced some of my strongest kicks while descending from Brentwood into Santa Monica.  As long as Stadium to the Stars remains the official course, I will run my own Sea to the Sea course...or not at all.

I have arrived at my starting location...the parking lot for Torrance Beach, above the ramp to the Marvin Braude Bike Path.  If I just ran the bike path one way, I would make it all the way to Will Rogers State Beach, but I would be over four miles short and need a ride home...but I plan to make this a narrow loop, heading just a hair little inland in the early miles to take advantage of the soft wood-chip covered trail through Hermosa and Manhattan Beach.  And I expect I will turn back somewhere in Marina del Rey (my furthest runs north from here have only made it as far as Playa del Rey Beach).

As with any race day, I have arrived ahead of my start time: 7:00am.  Yes, this matches the L.A. Marathon...only I won't need to start from one of the corrals behind the elite runners.  In this race, I am elite.  I am guaranteed to finish first...as long as I finish!

Temperature-wise, weather is ideal for running an endurance race...the forecast is for the high 50's for pretty much the entire morning with a chance of rain. I am feeling a few drops every now and then, but, despite getting horribly soaked during my last beach run, I am not terribly concerned.  This weather feels different.  The temperature is a refreshing change as we have had an unusually cold, wet, and windy winter.  More often than not, I have needed to cover both legs and arms during my training runs.  Today I'm wearing almost exactly what I wore during 2013's LA Marathon (same t-shirt bearing my official number, same hat, same grey shorts).  The only difference is I'm wearing compression sleeves on my calves...partially to improve blood flow, partially for warmth.

As start time nears, I am actually feeling a bit anxious. I stretch a bit, snap a few pictures to post on social media (with the question "Am I nuts?"), double check my pockets (to make sure I have my two Clif Shots and two packs of Shot Bloks), and make sure my GPS watch is ready to record.

At exactly 7am, I start my watch, put one foot in front of the other, and begin my marathon.

I quickly establish a comfortable pace.  Perhaps too quick.  While I didn't focus on pace during my recent training cycle, I did notice that I only averaged ten minutes per mile over the last month.  I usually use trends during this period to estimate my marathon pace and I was trending towards the low nines.  Right now I'm running faster than eight.  I slightly reduce my effort and focus on finding a smooth, comfortable rhythm.  I'm not at all winded, so, while I may have gone out fast, I didn't go out too fast.

The next few miles are pretty uneventful.  I'm running very familiar territory here as the stretch from Redondo Beach's Esplanade to Hermosa Beach's Green Belt Trail have been key components of many of my training runs for over a decade.  Despite having turned inland, I haven't really had to stop for lights or traffic (maybe 10 seconds total).  I pass the Manhattan Beach sign on Veteran's Parkway having barely felt the need to sip any water...but I have started to feel the need for a bio break.  I soon consume my first Clif Shot (at the 45th minute) and take my first really good swig of water from my bottle.  I soon turn down to the Pier.

The run down Manhattan Beach Blvd is largely pedestrian free at this hour (the gloomy weather is likely helping).  As I reach the pier, I decide I should make a pit stop.  I snap a photo of the Pier before taking my bio break.  I don't stop my watch and strangely it doesn't pause.  Obviously if this was a race, I would have turned off auto-pause, but that's not the case today.  I figure I have lost another 30 seconds...which I think is somewhat comparable to my pit stop during Surf City in 2011.  I managed to set my marathon PR on that day...a time I have not yet bested.  Short stops are not a deterrent.  That said, I am not expecting to reset my PR today!

I resume running along the Manhattan Beach Strand.  I cross my 10K split around the 54 minute mark...which is definitely faster than I have done the distance in a long time, but not a race pace.  I do wonder what my split would have been had I not stopped as all of my mile splits thus far have been between eight and nine minutes per mile except the last.

I am still easily maintaining a sub-nine pace as I pass Chevron's power refinery in El Segundo and the Dockweiler State Beach RV Park. When the bike path forks, I follow the path to the right (as I did when I ran a 23 miler here last month...the course thus far has matched that run).  This brings me to my first real incline since the trail.  I let my pace naturally slow as I climb and, without any effort, I make up some time on the descent.  I still manage to complete this mile in just under nine minutes.

When my watch reads 1 hour and 30 minutes, I debate between opening my first pack of Shot Bloks or consuming my second Clif Shot.  I opt for the latter as I approach the Lifeguard Operations building since I know I can discard the gel pack in one of the trash cans located in its parking lot.  I imbibe a good amount of water.  Due to the ideal conditions, I haven't felt the need to sip as often as I probably should.

I must have lost a step or two dealing with the gel as it took me more than nine minutes to complete the last mile, but now I am approaching unfamiliar territory.  I have run to Playa del Rey Beach before, but haven't gone past it...and I decide to continue straight along the path I am on until it intesects with Marine Avenue.  I follow this briefly and make a left on Trolleyway.  Something about this feels a lot like the Long Beach Marathon...it also has a course that transitions from a bike path on the beach to a road course through residential neighborhoods.

Trolleyway intersects with the western end of Culver Blvd...a street I used to connect with from Vista del Mar while commuting from the South Bay to workplaces to the north of the airport.  I run by Playa Provisions (a place I've only eaten at once with several friends who also happen to be runners) and continue on to Pacific Avenue.  The electronic scoreboard of the neighboring ballpark is illuminated, so I figure there must be a baseball game underway.  I run by the Del Rey Lagoon (I've only been on the eastern side of it before) and continue straight on to the Ballona Creek Bridge.

I haven't been on this stretch of bike path since...1984?  I remember dad and I riding bicycles along Ballona Creek en route to catch a glimpse of the men's marathon at the Summer Olympic Games (we watched the runners pass by on Washington Blvd).  Little did I know then that I would ever run such distances myself.

As I continue along the bike path, I spot a canoe team in the waterway to my left rowing towards a dock ahead.  I spot The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey...my wife's first workplace.  I'm actually not far from my first workplace.  This marks the first time I have ever run from the South Bay into the marina.  I hit my half marathon split at 1:56:23...directly across from the driveway for Fisherman's Village in Marina del Rey.  It has been awhile since I have hit 13.1 miles in under two hours, but I used to do so regularly.

Knowing my return route south is a bit more direct, I proceed a tenth of a mile deeper into the marina before making a u-turn.  I enter the eastern end of the Fisherman's Village parking lot and cross to the boardwalk along the water, but want to catch a photo of The Ritz-Carlton hotel while I am still close before proceeding west.  There are a bunch of sea lions within the frame, so I decide to record some video...probably not the best idea to stop running this long.  I resume running, but can't resist stopping again...this time for a selfie in the village.  And just when I get back up to speed again, I encounter a fence and must backtrack to Whiskey Red's so I can exit the village and return to the bike path.

As I turn south at Playa del Rey Beach, I encounter a headwind.  I cross fingers that it doesn't get too strong since it's going to make my latter miles a lot more challenging.  This also probably explains why I feel the temperature has dropped a bit since I started.  One of the reasons I like running the Stadium to the Sea course is that the route naturally helped stabilize what otherwise could be a significant rise in temperatures over the hours I am running.  Falling temperatures are a bit unexpected, especially on an already chilly morning, but I will always favor running in cool weather.

I start to feel a bit of rain around mile 17.  It kind of feels nice, but thankfully doesn't last very long.  I had my fill of running in the rain a few weeks ago.

I feel some more raindrops fall on my head as I approach the transition from the Manhattan to Hermosa Beach Strand.  Could rainfall be my wall?  As before, it passes pretty quickly.

I've managed to complete my 12th marathon distance run in a very reasonable watch time of 4:11:20.  Since my watch's auto-pause failed to stop the clock during my bio-break (and was a bit slow to pause on a couple of other occasions), my actual moving time is even lower (4:10:55).  If I had been running this as a race, the clock wouldn't ever stop...my true time would have been 4:22:28.  I only stopped for one bio-break and photo before the half marathon split, just a few stops after to record some memories with my smartphone, just once to top up my water bottle.  The longest stop was to capture video of sea lions on a dock with The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey in the background.  I have quite a few good memories of the marina...my wife and I lived there for many years, her first job was for that particular hotel, and one of the office buildings that my first employer occupied overlooked Ballona Creek.

What I find fascinating is that my moving times for the 26.2 mile split on my previous not-a-race marathons were in the same ballpark...4:15:28 on the hilly Palos Verdes full marathon course and 4:05:50 on the similarly flat 27 Miles for 27 Sandy Hook Victims run.  Of course, I ran the latter roughly a month after I recorded a chip time of 3:42:56 during the Malibu Marathon...over a decade ago.

Year End Report 2022

In terms of my running routine, this year ends on an unusual note.  I had planned to do my long run today so I could take a break tomorrow, but ended up running it yesterday afternoon.  I rarely run on Fridays.  I can't remember the last time I ran after lunch.  This morning, I proceeded with my usual short run, but as a track workout...without any plan to run on New Year's Day.

If you recall, I completed last year with a personal record in terms of total mileage, so my goal for this year was to work on pace.  I pretty much failed to do this.  This morning's track workout was one of only a few I attempted to do in 2022.  I took a page out of Vic's book and did a mile challenge.  I did it in 7:04... nowhere close to a PR.  In past years, I strived to break the six minute mile barrier...not seven. In some ways, I'm happier I managed a 7:39 during the seventh mile of Friday's eight miler. That said, I'm still considering this a win because very few of my miles this year have been under eight.  

My annual average pace slowed back into the mid-tens (10:29/mile to be specific) after being just under ten in 2021.

About the only goal I successfully hit was running fewer miles...cracking 1,200 with yesterday's run and finishing with just over 1,206.  So what exactly went wrong?

Well, I lost roughly ten weeks of training due to travel, injury, and illness.

I spent much of February traveling in Tanzania and Rwanda...my first trip since the pandemic began, first time my wife and I visited Africa, our first genuine safari, a pandemic deferred 25th anniversary celebration combined with my milestone birthday...a bucket list item boldly checked.  There is really no way to run while staying in safari camps, so I didn't even bother to pack running gear (plus bush flights have significant luggage weight limits and much of my allotment was reserved for camera equipment and batteries)...but we did a bit of hiking (which included mountain gorilla and golden monkey trekking).

I am nearly certain I cracked a rib in a freak non-running accident in April.  The injury sidelined me for six weeks. Around the end of May, shortly after I had resumed running, I caught COVID-19.  By the time I finally shook its lingering cough, my pace had significantly slowed and it took awhile to get back on track. I completely lost track of time and didn't realize I hadn't started on a full marathon training schedule until I couldn't possibly complete it within 2022.  And then, just as I was getting comfortable running longer runs, I got sick again...with a fever....just before Thanksgiving.

ASICS Sizing Confusion 2022

When my wife ordered my first pair of ASICS GEL Kayano 26s in 2020, she ordered my usual size 11 shoe...and I didn't discover the size was off until I tried using them at the beginning of 2021.  What added to my confusion is that most of the industry considers U.S. size 11 the equivalent of a 29cm shoe, but ASICS lists their size 11 as 28.5cm.

So she ordered me another pair of Kayano 26, this time in size 11.5.  We just had to get used to the idea my feet would likely need ASICS shoes a half size bigger than what I usually wear.

Three pairs of Kayano 26s and two pairs of 27s later, my wife confronted more sizing confusion when she tried ordering my next pair from ASICS website.  The size guide link next to the Kayano 27s now suggests size 11 is now the equivalent of 29cm, but the Men's size guide elsewhere on the same website still shows size 11 being equal to 28.5cm.  Which is it?  My current pair of 27s are size 11.5, with 29cm printed as the size equivalent on the tongue.  I could see ASICS changing the size alignment on a new generation of shoe (like I discovered the hard way when I attempted to transition from 25 to 26 wearing the same size), but it would be most unusual to offer the same model in different sizes, don't you think?

Meanwhile, I still have that first pair of Kayano 26s...only used for a single six mile run.

Galaxy Buds+

 As I started to cross the street at the beginning of this morning's run, I realized one of my Galaxy Buds+ ear buds felt loose...but, before I could reach up to adjust it, it slid out and started bouncing on the pavement.  This was one of my biggest fears with wireless headphones, but this was the very first time in over a year I've had them that one actually popped out.  And, when I picked it up, I was surprised to discover its shiny white casing was completely unscathed.  I just rinsed it with water from my bottle, dried it with my shirt, placed it back in my ear properly, and continued my run.

I have to say that this latest generation of gear (not just the wireless buds, but my Galaxy S21 and Garmin Fenix 5 as well) have exceeded my expectations in terms of durability, performance, battery life, and ease of wireless connectivity...even after a year of ownership.  Though I initially complained about being somewhat forced to adopt wireless buds, they have worked out far better expected in all respects.  They are certainly less obtrusive than having a wired headset (how quickly I forgot that wired headsets would often get caught on my water bottle as I ran, the buttons on their in-line control would eventually stop working, the connectors would wear out so I'd lose audio in one ear or get muffled audio in both...sometimes corrected by a little jiggle, but not always). I still only need to charge the buds' case once a week (about as often as my Fenix 5).  The wired headset's connector used to put stress on the smartphone's USB port when I carried it in my Spibelt (possibly prematurely weakening the phone's USB connector, causing issues for both charging and data transfer). With wireless buds, I can now completely zip up the phone in my Spibelt...which makes the phone feel quite a bit more compact when I run.  The Galaxy S21's battery life has been so good that I have not once worried about leaving Bluetooth on when I run, even during a marathon (I'd leave cellular enabled if we had better coverage where I usually run).  The phone recognizes the buds almost as soon as I open their charging case, reporting their state of charge and instantly shifting music playback to them.  Connectivity between my phone and Garmin watch is also as easy...with the Fenix 5's Bluetooth enabled, data starts to transfer as soon as I open Garmin Connect on my phone (and my workout shows up in Strava shortly thereafter).  I used to have quite a few annoying issues when I tried to pair my Fenix 2.

Anyway, it's time for work...

PSA: Don't Use Equestrian Trails

 Every year I forget how torn up the equestrian trails get during the rainy season.  Last week we had a few consecutive days of rain (rare for the Los Angeles area)...Friday being the first dry day.  I just just assumed that five days would be enough time for the wetness to evaporate, but we have also dealt with unusually cold daytime temperatures.  So there are still many muddy patches on our local equestrian trails (the tunnel under Crenshaw Blvd is still flooded!)

But even the dry patches are no fun to run on right now...the ground is really chewed up.  It's not just uneven, but there are some especially large ditches in the downhill stretches, obviously carved by flowing water.  One wrong step and I could easily trip or twist an ankle.

The hard packed dirt trail on the Palos Verdes Drive North median strip is still in pretty good shape...it rarely gets affected by the rain.  That said, this latest storm toppled a tree across the entire median and into another tree, so that trail is currently obstructed.

In other words, I'll run upon roads more than trails for the foreseeable future...

Year End Report 2021

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.

1500 Miles YTD

In 2012, I made sure to run on December 31 so I could push my annual total past 1,400 miles for the very first time.  Since then, I have only exceeded 1,300 miles twice...last year and in early November of this one.  Though I fell short of 2012's total in 2020, I managed to top it before I ran my not-a-race PV Marathon.  I set my new personal best during Thanksgiving week without even noticing.

Just before I finished this morning's run, I surpassed 1,500 miles year to date.  Took me 232 runs and nearly 240.5 hours to accomplish this feat in 2021.  Every step I take in runs between now and New Year's Eve will reset my record.  I have six scheduled runs remaining.

Palos Verdes Marathon(2008's 26.2 Mile Course In 2021)

A big question leading up to this day was would I be able to start by 7:00am as if this were an actual race.  Last night, I didn't exactly place myself on the right path by setting the alarm for 5:30am.  When I ran the Palos Verdes Half Marathon from Point Fermin in 2008, I woke up at 5:30am...and that race started at 7:30am.  For nearly every marathon I have registered, I aimed to arrive at the event an hour ahead of the race, minimally a half an hour before.  For last year's Los Angeles Marathon, I had to catch a shuttle in Santa Monica ridiculously early on the same morning we lost an hour due to time change.  For LA, I spent an entire week shifting my hours earlier and earlier.  I had no need to do that for this run.  In fact, last night was the first night of the week I went to bed at a reasonable hour.

Sure I wake up as soon as the alarm sounds at 5:30am, but I don't exactly rush to get out the door.  I make a Nespresso latte and enjoy it with a Porto's Refugiado while still lying in bed.  If I want to reach Point Fermin by 6:30am, I really should leave the house by 6:00am.  It's already 6:15am.  Should I wear short sleeves or long?  I check the outside thermometer and the forecast for Rancho Palos Verdes.  I'm definitely wearing calf sleeves, but why am I still on the fence about what shirt to wear?  I decide to wear long, grab a sweat jacket for after I finish, and a towel to cover the car seat.

I finally make it out the door after 6:30am.  I should be able to make it to Point Fermin in time, but I am cutting it close.  Thankfully this is not a race day.  I do not anticipate traffic, I should not be competing for parking spaces at this early hour, and I will be able to park just steps from where I plan to start running.  Damn!  I forgot to grab a water bottle I had planned to sip on while driving over!  There is no need to turn back though...I do have my full running bottle with me and a plan to swap for another mid-run.  I think I can safely sip on this one without fear I'll run out.

I stood closer to the middle of Paseo del Mar in 2008 because the road was closed to traffic

I arrive at Point Fermin Park just five minutes before 7am.  It is even cooler here, but there is no fog and the marine layer only appears dense to the west.  I find my way to roughly where I stood in the starting corral for the 2008 half marathon.  Yes, I'm in the middle of the street.  There are no people (and thankfully no cars) around me...I capture the moment with my smartphone, send the photo to my wife and mom along with the message "7am is a go".  With less than two minutes, there is no time to warm up.  Does a warm up even matter?  This is not a race.  The route I will be doing will actually be longer than a marathon due to a necessary detour.  My warm up will be the first few miles of the run.  I watch the seconds count down and...

...I start my Garmin watch at exactly 7:00:01am.   I'm off to the not-a-races!

This may not be a race, but I have photos of
me 14 miles into the run thanks to my wife

Since today's run was not a race, I won't go into details like I would in my typical race report.  However, I did complete this attempt in a manner that is far closer to a race than any of my long training runs with surprisingly few interruptions caused by red lights at intersections.  I rarely had to slowdown for or detour around traffic...vehicular or pedestrian.  Thanks to my Garmin Fenix 5's ability to navigate an upload course, I strayed only once...and it was an insignificant distance.  The only thing I would not have elected to do during an actual race was wait a few minutes for a park employee to open a public restroom (I think my only mid-race bio break was during Surf City in 2011...still my all-time marathon PR).  Thanks to my wife, I was able to stay sufficiently hydrated, exchanging water bottles 14 miles into the run...a handoff as smooth as any relay baton exchange I have made.  I carried exactly the right amount of Clif Shots and Bloks to maintain my energy level throughout.

Comparing my start with the half marathon I raced on nearly the same course over 14 years ago, I actually maintained a faster pace on each of the first six miles today...though it is somewhat unfair to compare the two runs.  In May of 2008, I had not yet run a full marathon (had only begun to train for my first) and it was unseasonably warm.  Though starting that race slower, I was actually running faster than my target pace, especially on the climb up Western, because I anticipated suffering on the back half...whereas today I was just maintaining what felt comfortable.  Another reason I cannot directly compare the two...today's numbers include a necessary detour (around the stretch of Paseo del Mar that collapsed in 2011).  This came after the first mile.  In other words, subsequent mile splits in my GPS track data do not align.

Today, I reached the 13.1 mile mark in 1:57:27 (at 8:58:49a).  If this had been a race, I would have tried to run the first half faster.  I often have half marathon splits of under two hours on longer runs.  Of course most of those are flat or downhill trending...not constantly rolling like this.  It took me 2:16:23 to complete the 2008 PV Half Marathon!

As expected, the back half of this mostly out-and-back course proved a lot more challenging than the front. What were gradual westward descents became painfully long eastward ascents.  Based on my experience from that 2008 half marathon, I knew the climb from the lowest point in Portuguese Bend to the peak in San Pedro would be a grind.  Heat was thankfully not a factor this time, but I was already feeling the elevation change as I left Lunada Bay.  And I ran into a headwind, first around Terranea Resort and again closer to the finish.

PV Marathon Finisher Selfie at Point Fermin Lighthouse

I completed 26.2 miles in 4:15:28 (at 11:17:59a) and crossed the finish line at Point Fermin Park in 4:19:44 (at 11:22:12a).  Even if I include the bio break, I still managed to do the whole 26.59 mile course in 4:22:11.  All of these numbers are better than my chip time in Maui by a considerable amount.  My marathon split was comparable to Los Angeles in 2015.  Of course, I got injured during Maui (which was also my very first marathon) and didn't realize I was sick during the 2015 race...but those courses lack the punishing rolling hills of this one.  The total amount of elevation change in Palos Verdes' full marathon course is nearly double than that of LA's Stadium to the Sea, more than double of Maui's, over six times more than Surf City's nearly sea level course.  I have not raced upon a course that compares, but now have a fairly good idea of what I might be able to do.

Only once before have I run 26.2 miles or more without the incentives of a race...nine years ago I joined former Naughty Dog coworkers in raising money for the 27 Sandy Hook victims.  On that day I hit my marathon split in 4:33 and completed 27.1 miles in 4 hours and 42 minutes almost exactly the same amount of time as my first marathon, but I ran with a pack for the whole distance and took many breaks along the way.  If I just compare moving time, I actually completed that half mile longer run a few minutes faster than today's...upon a nearly flat sea level course.  That said, today's effort (and the training that preceded it) was 100% self-motivated and the hilly run was significantly more challenging.

So was this a race?  At this point does it even matter?  It was only the 11th time I completed the distance...a PR for the course.  My mom pointed out that this is my first marathon win.  Of course, I also finished in last place...

Garmin Data

Marathon Training #11 Complete

I aligned this training schedule as if I were going to run the California International Marathon (a race I have yet to run), but with COVID-19 variants still causing surges around the country, I didn't feel comfortable registering for any race, even though I was fully vaxxed before Mother's Day (and boosted in time for Thanksgiving).  But I also didn't want to break my goal of running a marathon per year so soon after I had successfully resumed running them...nor did I want to waste the solid mileage base I managed to maintain through the pandemic.

Without an actual race as an incentive and with my local track not being available for interval training for most of this schedule, my average pace didn't experience the final boost I usually see when I begin to taper...but I did find the motivation to more than complete my distance goals.  I wasn't sure if I could ramp up my mileage without the dangling carrot, but here I am....ready to run another marathon in 2021.

How I'll actually fare tomorrow remains to be seen. I only recently decided that I am going to attempt to run the Palos Verdes Marathon 26.2 mile course from 2008...and I didn't really train to attack a course consisting of constantly rolling hills.  My only experience starting and finishing at Point Fermin was during my final long run of this cycle and during the PV Half Marathon in 2008.  The latter was only my second half marathon...and it didn't go so well.  Will I treat it as a race? Or will it just be another long run?

Final five weeks of this cycle:

10/31-11/06: 24.05 @ 9:32/mi
11/07-11/13: 45.75 @ 10:06/mi
11/14-11/20: 35.90 @ 9:33/mi
11/21-11/27: 31.14 @ 9:50/mi (my long run and Thanksgiving kinda slowed me down)
11/28-12/04: 21.50 @ 9:22/mi

Final five weeks before the Los Angeles Marathon in 2020:

02/01-02/07: 47 @ 09:34/mi
02/08-02/14: 28 @ 09:55/mi (reduced mileage while on Oahu)
02/15-02/21: 38 @ 09:04/mi
02/22-02/28: 31 @ 08:45/mi
02/29-03/06: 25 @ 08:32/mi

Final four weeks before the Long Beach Marathon in 2019:

09/15-09/21: 23.16 @ 10:11/mi (does not include cycling on 09/15)
09/22-09/28: 53.72 @ 10:04/mi
09/29-10/05: 19.22 @ 09:28/mi (with 5K @ 08:54)
10/06-10/12: 20.28 @ 09:02/mi

Thinking About PV

With "race" day of my current marathon training schedule fast approaching, I have to make a decision as to where I actually want to run 26.2 miles. For some reason, the Palos Verdes Marathon keeps popping into my head.  PV has not hosted a full marathon since 2011. Their course was notorious for its rolling hills, but, when the event was still being held, I was new to running marathons and only considered flat or downhill trending courses.

Before PV dropped their 26.2 mile course, they had the second longest running annual marathon behind only Boston! I actually worked a water station for the PV race when I was in middle school. In those days, I had no idea I would ever consider running even a mile.  Running a marathon didn't even become a bucket list item for me until I completed my first half in 2007. Los Angeles became a bucket list marathon as soon as they announced the "Stadium to the Sea" course. When I completed Long Beach 2009 in well under 4 hours, I added both Boston and PV to my list (only adding the latter because the peninsula is my home). I checked LA off in 2010, but have yet to qualify for Boston. I considered attempting PV in 2012, but PV's organizers changed the course in 2011 (full became two laps of the half marathon course that starts and finishes near Terranea Resort).  Later that same year, a section of the previous course collapsed near Point Fermin, a stretch used both after the start and before the finish...and there were no plans to rebuild.  When the organizers dropped the full altogether in 2012, I figured the box by PV was one I could no longer check.

Since I ran the PV Half Marathon in 2008, I started looking for course maps or GPS data from runners who participated in the full that year. I couldn't find any publicly shared GPS data from runs on that day (other than my half marathon).  For awhile, the only course map I could find online was in an archived local newspaper article about the inaugural PV Marathon in 1967.  That particular point-to-point route would be interesting to try, but would also require permission to cross through the gated community of Rolling Hills.

Today, I finally found it thanks to the Internet Wayback Machine.



My biggest worry about attempting the full PV course as this year's not-a-race marathon is that its considerable elevation change may provide an excuse to just treat this as another long run.  Even during this particular training cycle, I have not had great experiences when longer runs have stayed on the hill.  I favored sticking to the beach for my longest runs to avoid anything that might discourage me from even attempting the goal.




Keep in mind, this will be my first truly solo effort to attempt the distance.  There will be no specators lining the course to cheer me on.  I won't be able to draft behind a competitor or match another's pace or reel in someone who appears to be struggling.  I may have to stop at intersections, yield to traffic both pedestrian and vehicular.  There is no carrot being dangled in front of me to even complete the course...no shirt, no finisher's medal, no post-run snacks.  Hunger will likely remain my biggest motivation...on a non-active day I don't like spacing meals by more than six hours.  I definitely have a five hour threshold for doing outdoor activities without  break.  Thus far, I have run all of my 26+ mile runs in under five...even when injured, sick, or just running for charity.

I won't feel like I have truly checked the PV Marathon off my bucket list unless I actually attempt to run the whole distance and do so within a total time in which I have completed actual races.

So...should I even attempt to run this course?

One Marathon Per Year?

With anti-vax sentiment / vaccine hesitancy far more widespread than I could have ever imagined and with the worldwide rollout of COVID-19 vaccines slower than expected, I simply cannot foresee when I will feel comfortable participating in an organized race.  Major marathons, like Los Angeles' "Stadium to the Sea" course, traverse through diverse population centers supported by both official and unofficial volunteers and spectated by the general public.  Normally these are reasons why people run them, but now I view them as uncontrollable vectors for spreading disease.   I may be fully vaxxed, but feel a breakthrough infection would negate months of erring on the side of caution.  I have done everything that has been recommended to protect myself and slow the spread.  I refuse to register for any races until this situation genuinely improves.

I do not see this happening through the end of 2021.

That said, I want to stick to my goal of running at least one marathon per year.  I worked hard in 2019 to get myself back into shape, not just for Long Beach, but for a better result in Los Angeles in 2020. After meeting both objectives, I did not allow pandemic lockdowns to break my between marathon routine. I ended last year with a near record distance total and have continued to maintain that solid base through now.   It would be shame to waste this investment in time and physical effort without at least attempting to run 26.2 miles before the end of this year.

This morning, I reworked my usual marathon training schedule as if I was ramping up mileage for the California International Marathon in early December.  It is a marathon that has been on my radar for quite some time (many use as a Boston Qualifier), but not one I have ever run.  I do not plan to do so this year either...but figure I could at least learn what the training conditions when targeting a race held that late on the calendar (I've run marathons in early February and mid-November).

For an early December marathon, I will need to break out of the holding pattern in early August.  Distances will increase as temperatures rise.  This may not be ideal, but the longer runs should force me to vary my routine more with routes I have not explored since the pandemic began.  I won't worry about choosing a 26.2 mile course closer to "race" day.

My training schedule has been on a Google Sheet for a few years now (makes it easier to update and track my actual total against my mileage goals), but my latest update to the spreadsheet now automatically populates the calendar dates based on the "race" date I provide...as long as it falls on a Sunday :) 

Running One Year Into A Pandemic

One year ago today, I decided I would continue my between-marathon training schedule despite the emerging threat of COVID-19.  I had only just started working from home that Monday.  The World Health Organization declared we were officially experiencing a pandemic just one week before...which is when my employer decided our team should go remote, erring on the side of caution to remain productive.

Just days before the WHO declaration, I had been thanking the LA Marathon organizers for going ahead with the race I had spent months training for, thanking the people of our city for coming out to support us crazy endurance athletes despite the looming threat of a highly contagious airborne disease.  I did my first recovery run on March 11, the very day it was announced COVID-19 had spread worldwide.

As I said, I resumed my between-marathon training routine with the plan to not ramp up my mileage until a few months before Surf City in 2021.  My second scheduled run was just ahead of Mayor Garcetti's "Safer at Home" order which was the beginning of what would become a nation-wide shutdown of all but essential businesses...the beginning of a two week lockdown.  Fortunately, I had already started working from home, but my wife would soon find herself furloughed.  Now things were starting to feel serious, but I decided to stick to my routine.

One year later, I am still following the same training schedule...and there have been obvious health benefits, both physical and mental.  Routines are important.  Nothing has ever interrupted more routines quite like lockdown, but mine didn't really change all that much.  If anything, I benefited from staying home.  My wife, who found herself forced to abandon her yoga routine, started asking to join me on runs (not to run, but to hike while I run).  Just getting outside on a regular basis does a lot to elevate one's spirit...especially since we now spend most of our days inside our home.  It doesn't hurt that we live on a beautiful peninsula with a spectacular coastline and many trails to explore.

Without any interest in registering for a race (Surf City was postponed) until most including myself can be vaccinated (I likely won't be eligible to receive one for awhile), I have had no reason to focus on speed or increase my mileage.  Doing either have historically increased my chance of injury (as was the case in 2019), so I tend to only push myself harder when I have a compelling reason to do so (like registering for a race).  That said, when I maintain a consistent routine, I naturally get faster.  It just takes a little longer.

As recently as 2019, when I decided to register for the Long Beach Marathon, I needed to significantly ramp up my training since I had just experienced one of my lowest mileage years...among the lowest since I had started running marathons.  I went from being the heaviest I had ever been to the lightest I had been post high school (when I ran cross country and distance track).  I have maintained that low weight throughout the pandemic...which is pretty remarkable considering how well I ate while my wife was furloughed (we definitely began the pandemic with a lot of comfort food and baked goodness).  Heck, I'm probably still eating better than I did when I used to commute...largely because I never go out to eat!

Year End Stats

Given the unexpected turn of events that affected literally everyone's plans this year, I am really surprised I managed to log more miles in 2020 than in any year other than my peak.  I recorded my longest year in 2012 by running a total of 1400 miles...the year after I set my personal best time in the marathon.  In 2012, I felt nearly invincible.  I ran three races which included my half marathon PR, another full marathon, and a 27 miler for charity only a month later.  

This year I ran just one race...the Los Angeles Marathon.  This was pretty much the last major running event held before we all entered lockdown due to COVID19.  I wasn't even sure it was going to happen because event organizers had just canceled the Tokyo Marathon.  For the remainder of the year I elected to follow a between marathon maintenance schedule, some of which was interrupted due to wildfire induced air quality issues...so I was really shocked to see that I still managed to total 1322 miles in 2020.

What may be even more shocking is that in 2018 I recorded the second least number of running miles over a single calendar year (the fewest miles since 2008, the first full year I wore a GPS watch...and the first year I ran a marathon).  When I had my annual physical in early 2018, I recorded my heaviest weight.  That's when I knew I needed to commit to a race...and I signed up for the 2020 LA Marathon on the first day I could do so.

I have my weight under control once again thanks to my running and my running alone...shedding 24 pounds since that physical.  I cannot recall my lowest post-college weight (partly because my physicals often happened after I had gained weight over the holidays), but I am surely near it now.  This comes even though my wife has been cooking and baking like crazy during the pandemic.  I feel like I have been eating better than ever and I certainly have not made any effort to control the quantities I consume, but somehow have found the motivation to keep up my running routine even without any races planned for the foreseeable future.

According to my Strava stats, I achieved this total mileage in 209 runs over 213 hours and 16m minutes...which happens to be 4 fewer runs than my peak year, but an hour and 16 minutes longer.  So I officially spent more time running during 2020 than in any previous year.  I might have expected this in a year where I did not work, but I was one of the fortunate ones who could immediately work from home when "Safer at home" became a thing.  I am still considerably off my peak pace, but I am glad to see that my average is now around 9:43 per mile...I had been averaging considerably slower than 10 minutes per mile over the latter half of the decade.

I gained more feet in elevation in 2020 as well...128,064 vs 126,867 in 2012.  I am guessing this is the result of me limiting my running options to those close to home (one of the *advantages* of living on a hill I suppose).

So my goal for 2021 is to not run more miles, but to work on speed.  It hasn't helped that the local high school's track has been closed for months while the field gets renovated, but there are obviously other ways I can work on speed.  I just have to remember that every time I have focused on speed to watch for warning signs.  Unlike 2019, I managed to survive 2020 without any injuries even though I have upped my mileage and average pace considerably.