Run Commute

On December 16, I ran to/from work for the first time. I took my clothes and toiletries to the office on Tuesday so that I didn't have to carry much with me. I used my new GoLite Rush backpack to carry the few items that I needed, inluding my breakfast, keys, wallet and phone. I've used the backpack/hydration pack three times and so far it is relatively comfortable to run with.

The run to work was about 3.85 miles and the run home was about 3.75 miles. There are good sidewalks most of the way - but crossing Interstate 35 is a bit tricky.

Turkey Trot

I ran in my third straight Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. Even though I'm terribly out of shape my ego wouldn't let me run anything less than the 8-mile race. This year they had an official 5k rather than the usual 3-mile run, but that event is so extremely packed that running isn't really an option. And because the events start at the same time, you pretty much have to walk/jog the first two miles of the 8-miler as well.

The Turkey Trot has become my favorite holiday tradition and I've already started working on Paige to run with me next year. I have a year, so hopefully I can make this happen. Due to my lack of fitness, I decided to run with no time goal in mind and just enjoy the sights and sounds of the race. I kept a steady 9:30/mile pace and felt great the entire time and had no soreness afterward.

Additionally, the Trot has helped me build my motivation to get back to a steady running routine. 2009 has been a tough year as far as motivation is concerned. I strained my Iliotibial Band early in the year and put in few miles. I updated my running log over the weekend and was saddened by the extremely low numbers. I felt as though I wasted a year of running that could have lead to great improvement.

Year in Review (Running)

This chart shows my running mileage by week throughout 2008. You can easily see the progressive increase in mileage as I went through marathon training.

This chart shows miles run each month. As you can see, I definitely blew it in December. I think this drop in mileage played a large part in my marathon performance.

My total mileage for the year was 1,564.2 miles. That's the equivalent of running from Dallas to New York City. That averages to right at 30 miles per week. That's not bad for a beginner, but is something I definitely plan to improve upon in 2009.