2008 Numbers, 2009 Events

>> Monday, January 05, 2009

Some final 2008 year-end numbers, keeping me honest:

Swim: 56,100 yards (or 31.9 miles)
Bike: 641.35 miles
Run: 702.5 miles
Lifting Weights: 128 times
Core Work: 145 times
Crossfit Workouts: 7 times
Weight: 155.6 start, 154.2 end, 159.0 high, 151.4 low

Those are some WEIRD numbers. Yes, I ran more than I biked. This year I learned that I don’t care for biking all that much. And I’m starting to like swimming more and more.

8 highlights of 2008:

1: I ran my first half marathon (1:29) and shattered my 5K PR (17:27).

2: I debuted the “Bowl Full of Sunshine” shorts in March (and won the race!):



3: I did at least 1 event each month during 2008 (a total of 25 events - check my sidebar for any race reports). And that keeps a streak going that started with IM WI 2007, so I’m currently on a 17 month streak.

4: As far as multi-sport events go, I did 5 duathlons (2 individually and 3 as part of a team), 4 sprint triathlons, 1 olympic distance triathlon, and 1 half-ironman.

5: I won 4 races (5 all time with the one from last year added in): Race Up The Place stair climb in Feb, Joe Plant 5K in March, Doughnut Run 5K in April, and Challenge Aging 5K in Oct. I also won 2 team events: the Cannon Lake Duathlon and the Osceola Duathlon, both in Sept. And I was the age group winner in another 2 events: the Monster Dash 5K and the Tesfa 5K.

6: To counteract those wins, I also had my first DNF at Grandma’s Marathon.

7: Without sounding too vain, sometime around August, I think I was in the best shape of my life. Look at these event photos:


Finishing the St. Croix Triathlon in Aug


Stripping my wetsuit at the
Square Lake Half Ironman in Sept


Ridiculous epic pose at the Osceola Duathlon in Sept

8: I started having more fun during events (probably the most important):


Dressed as a tomato for a 6.23K


Finishing a half Ironman in a Grim Reaper outfit


Borsch's and my appearance in the
Osceola Sun as “Team Tighty-Whitie”


As far as my 2009 schedule goes, I only have a few things on the books so far:

• St. Paul Winter Carnival Half Marathon on Jan 24.
• Rochester Winterfest Trifecta on Feb 14-15, which consists of a stair climb and a polar plunge on one day, followed by a half marathon on the next day. Sounds like a real “Steve-esque” event!
• Ironman 70.3 New Orleans on April 5.
• A bunch of duathlons (hopefully some as a team).
• A couple sprint triathlons and probably one oly.
• A bunch of 5Ks.
• Maybe a trip out to Ironman WI to cheer and volunteer.

And finally, if I’m able to offer you any advice for this next year, it would be these 4 things:

1. Track your miles, workouts, etc. The majority of you already do this, which is great. But if you don’t, I think you should. It’s a great way to track how much your doing. For me, it works as a reminder to take it easy if I start building miles too quickly. I track 7 things each week: swim laps, bike miles, run miles, lifting, core work, stretching, "P.T. prescribed" leg exercises, lifting with legs, and Crossfit workouts.

2. Workout with a purpose. This past year, I think about 4% of my running was done “just to get in the miles.” The other 96% had a reason: intervals for short speed, tempo for mid-distance speed, or long runs at race pace. Every workout had a purpose, and nothing was “junk miles.” This has helped me to get MUCH faster over the past year.

In the name of full disclosure, I should note that training this way can lead to more injuries. I’m well aware of that. But if my knee or heel is a little sore from my previous run, then I’ll go for a good swim instead of another run. Or I’ll lift weights. I’ll cross-train hard instead of running hard, and give the sore area some rest. Or I’ll take the day completely off and get some much needed rest.

3. Try a TEAM duathlon or triathlon. If you’re new to the world or multi-sport, or if you’d just like to do an event with a friend, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND doing an event as a team! I did my first 3 team duathlons this year, and I had a BLAST at all 3. Team up with someone who has different strengths than you, and go for the gold! Wanna team up with me sometime? Just ask!

4. Take down “word verification” on your blog. Come on people. Robots are NOT trying to comment on your blog. And if they were, having to type in “dfyqr” before commenting won’t stop them. It just makes us humans have to work that much more to leave you a little note. ;)

61 comments:

Missy 5:48 AM, January 05, 2009  

Team tri's are my favorite and you only gotta be good at one thing:) Nice stats for the year. Does cheer/volunteer at IM Wisconsin mean a sign up for you?! C'mon 2010.

Shannon 5:56 AM, January 05, 2009  

Great year in review and I'll also take some of your advice. Your Awesome!

Ordinarylife 6:15 AM, January 05, 2009  

I am glad I found your blog. It definitly made my 2008 more entertaining.

trigirl82 6:31 AM, January 05, 2009  

Hahaha.. Word verification is dumb and annoying. I agree. :-)

Mel-2nd Chances 6:41 AM, January 05, 2009  

You've had an amazing year! Great job on 2008, here's to hoping 2009 will be just as good if not better!

Carolina John 6:42 AM, January 05, 2009  

Sounds like a great year, bud. Have a good 2009!

btw, i ran a half marathon saturday talking to a guy who lives near your st paul's college. he had never heard of you, so i pointed and laughed. he obviously did not know what he was missing.

duchossois 6:50 AM, January 05, 2009  

Congratulations on a great year, and thanks for all the laughs. I appreciate all the work you do to make your blog fun and interesting.

Unknown 7:01 AM, January 05, 2009  

It was fun following you this year!

Jade Lady 7:26 AM, January 05, 2009  

Great stats! Love the pics - the tomato and tighty whites are my favs. Happy New Yr to you!

Mendy 7:31 AM, January 05, 2009  

Thanks for all the advice. I also think tracking activities is helpful.

Good year in review! Lots of races you did with great race reports. Always enjoy reading them.

Happy New Year!

IronGambit 7:51 AM, January 05, 2009  

You don't really enjoy the bike? I'm the opposite of you !

X-Country2 7:52 AM, January 05, 2009  

That tomato picture still makes me laugh. Great year!

Jeff 8:19 AM, January 05, 2009  

Congrats on a great year, Steve. Thanks for keeping it all light! Looking forward to plenty of entertainment in 2009.

Jess 8:23 AM, January 05, 2009  

I hope we get to see more of the Grim Reaper in 2009!

P.S. Sorry about the Vikes!

Maria 8:29 AM, January 05, 2009  

Thanks for the entertaining blogs, I cant wait to see what this year brings!

Unknown 9:11 AM, January 05, 2009  

Just starting reading your blog, but man do you have fun. I am just starting to try and get in shape and the fun isn't there all the yet. Keep it up.

tfh 9:30 AM, January 05, 2009  

Great year! You're right-- I DEFINITELY want to try a team event this year.

Kelly 9:34 AM, January 05, 2009  

I can't believe you won 4 races! That's amazing, congrats!

And as for word verification... I have debated with that many times (my grandpa likes to leave posts and those things always mess him up), but the last time I took it down, I got tons of spam comments. Hmm...

Amy 9:38 AM, January 05, 2009  

I didn't even know we could take down the "word verification" from our blogs. Thanks for the tip! Great job last year (and Pharmie) too. Hopefully I can meet you guys at the New Orleans half in April! Happy Training.

Unknown 9:48 AM, January 05, 2009  

Thanks for the review of your year. I found that other than spending time on the stationary bike at the gym, I'm not much for riding either. Pretty much why I stopped doing triathlons. I'm wishing you luck for a great 2009!

Jim Smith II 9:57 AM, January 05, 2009  

Great tips! I do have a question about your biking - Is all of that on the road, or some of that on the trainer? I've been tracking my trainer riding by time ridden instead of miles, thoughts on that?

Congrats on a great year and thanks for bringing us along for the ride

Jess 10:02 AM, January 05, 2009  

I might have to consider your advice #4. I'm just so used to having it up that I forget its there. Back in the day though, when I started blogging in 2005, robots actually did leave spam on the blogs!

GoBigGreen 10:08 AM, January 05, 2009  

You and Pharmie should do the 10 hour burrito tri up in duluth. I mean, you, burritos, likely other steve-esque food, that would be epic!
But in september in duluth i dont know if i would want to be plunging in and out of the water:(

Happy 2009 Steve!

Glaven Q. Heisenberg 10:30 AM, January 05, 2009  

Great year, Steve!

Funny you should mention it - I finally decided to start track my mileage this year.30.29 miles so far this year. Ironically, those are all walked because I'm still nursing a bad knee. But at some point I hope to get back to running

Thanks for all the laughs this year.

Anonymous,  10:35 AM, January 05, 2009  

You forgot to mention that you won the #1 Endurance Blog for 2008! That is huge!!!

Thanks for a great year of blogging, I absolutely love reading your Friday Funnies, your race reports, what you've eaten, what your body, toes, or feet have gone through. Let's not forget the classic 'what is the schmegma behind the watch band?'

Great post on your 2008 numbers - congrats on achieving so much this year! 2009 is going to the YEAR of StEvE!

RooBabs 11:03 AM, January 05, 2009  

Looks like 2008 was a great year for you. I'm glad that I found your blog, because I can't live without the comedy.

I look forward to all that 2009 holds!!

Aka Alice 11:28 AM, January 05, 2009  

I love that team tighty-whitey got better face time than the winner of the duathalon...

I am so glad I found your blog this year...you completely entertain me.

Happy New Year!

chia 12:13 PM, January 05, 2009  

You and Pharmie should wrestle up some hot single men to team up with me for a multisport. I apply a mean layer of sunscreen and I might even speed up a little bit if I had someone to chase :-P.

I'm such a cheese.

Happy 2009, thanks for the tips!! I'm so doing the logging thing!

joyRuN 12:22 PM, January 05, 2009  

Awesome job on 2008!

It's a good idea about the logging. I didn't start until July, so I have no idea what my total mileage was.

Sorry about the Vikings.

Ok, not really ;)

Chic Runner 12:26 PM, January 05, 2009  

Wow steve, heavy hitter with the word verification huh?! I know I've been meaning to take mine down so hold your horses. Oh by the way, 2009 you should run in a rat costume because it's year of the rat! :)

jen 1:08 PM, January 05, 2009  

Great post, congrats on an awesome 2008! You are a rare example of an athlete who is crazy fast and competitive but also in it for the fun and friendship. Love that! :)

I like your idea of trying a team event, maybe I will. Thanks!

Amy - the gazelle 1:11 PM, January 05, 2009  

what an awesome year! Although I will only be winning races if all other participants are either elderly (which is not a guarantee) or dead, I hope that I have as much fun in 2009 as you had in 2008.

I totally 2nd the word verification thing.

Anne 1:20 PM, January 05, 2009  

Maybe I'm just the acception, but every time I've taken down the word verification, I've had someone put vicious spyware -- not just spam -- on my blog and turned wonderful commenters into raging mad users. Twice the malware contained particularly nasty Trojans that led to complete system reboots.

Guess I'm just popular that way.

richvans 1:21 PM, January 05, 2009  

Taking the easy one first, I've taken down the word verification. Now if I could just make myself do some speed work. Not this year - it's all long (and probably slow for me!)

Bootchez 2:13 PM, January 05, 2009  

Congratulations on a great year, Steve. Along with all of the posters, I have really enjoyed your blog, both for the humor and the motivation (and, strangely enough, photos of your feet!) . . . keep up the good work and keep having fun at your events!

Badgergirl 2:34 PM, January 05, 2009  

Congrats on a great year Steve. I first came across your blog around the Grim Reaper's appearance. And I was hooked.

Look forward to reading about your adventures in 2009!

Marlene 2:57 PM, January 05, 2009  

Impressive year. Congratulations! Awesome pics!! I love that you have so much fun with all of this, and still WIN!

B. Kramer 3:23 PM, January 05, 2009  

Great year! Here's to a better one (and more fun) in 2009. Cheers!

And I wholeheartedly support No. 4.

Viv 3:25 PM, January 05, 2009  

Super accomplishments in 08, Steve!

Happy New Year, best wishes for a healthy strong 2009!

just in case you have not don't forget to sign up for free running shoes on my blog, pun intended.

RBR 3:47 PM, January 05, 2009  

What an awesome year you had. I thought it would be hard for you to top your IM year, but I think you did it! Huge gains, huge fun, what more could you ask for?

The tomato, oh, the tomato. Thank you for reposting that.

And, if I may be so bold, you are looking quite buff. ;o)

For the record, that is a "creepy hubba hubba" wink, not a "just kidding" wink

Swimming for ME 4:08 PM, January 05, 2009  

of course you are coming around to swimming... it's the best :)
Great 5K -- wow!

Anonymous,  5:02 PM, January 05, 2009  

Guess what? I got a little tipsy on New Years and signed up for a TRIATHLON. (The St. Paul sprint in August)

I also decided to do Grandma's full marathon this year. Eep!

Anyway, congrats on 2008, and it's going to be an exciting year!

Christopher, Amanda, and Babies 5:29 PM, January 05, 2009  

Look forward to having you come down to my hometown for IM NOLA 70.3. We are excited about this first time race here.

New Orleans knows how to throw a party too!

See you out there.

C 5:44 PM, January 05, 2009  

That is one fantastic year you had, Steve! Here's to another one for 2009.

Also, I love your advice. I've been tracking everything as of March and will continue to do so, though now with more detail.

Trishie 5:45 PM, January 05, 2009  

awesome 08 steve and looking forward to hearing about your crazy escapades in 09 !

Michelle 7:04 PM, January 05, 2009  

i'm going to have to get mushy for like a second:
I think you are a great guy....PERIOD!!

You were very helpful to me in 08 answering all of my emails so fast and i appreciate that very much!!!

Your like the best runner i know!!! Keep it up please in 2009 and run like the wind!!!

Also, i wanna see more tightie whities!!!

Neese 9:01 PM, January 05, 2009  

your (possibly, cannot tell yet) vain photos aren't loading for me.

congrats on a great year! best wishes in 2009!

Neese 9:02 PM, January 05, 2009  

p.s. thanks for your extra effort to comment :)

Dave M 9:05 PM, January 05, 2009  

Despite Anne's experiences above, I've turned off word verification for the moment. I'm coming for her if I get spam and robots!!

I will take some of Steve's training to heart and get some upper body and core into the mix. Runner's World has convinced me that core is the way to Olympic gold.

Also, I will try to get mostly women to comment on my blog. But I will not post pictures of my nasty feet.

Anonymous,  9:26 PM, January 05, 2009  

Team Happy Pants..... Domination In 09. :)

CoachLiz 10:39 PM, January 05, 2009  

Thanks for all the spectacularly gross foot photos this past year and the extra special one of you taking a bathroom break in the corn field during the bike leg of your half Ironman distance race.

They made my year! Please promise to post more crazy costume photos from your races in 2009.

Maggs 10:39 PM, January 05, 2009  

haha. I just checked, I don't have the word verification on my blog...phew. But sometimes the words crack me up. Yesterday I had to type Booty. I always save the funny words I get. I have no idea why, but they might come in handy sometime.

b 6:18 AM, January 06, 2009  

Quite a year there Steve! I'm sure waiting for the adventures of Steve in 2009 :-)

Brian

Darcy Franklin 8:06 AM, January 06, 2009  

congrats on a great 2008. I agree - workout with a purpose. That is what I tell all of my clients. Ask youself every time...why am I doing this? Also, logging your workouts is significant in that if you do get injured, you can go back and look and find a possibly why.

Anywhoo, I will be posting on Thursday on our Women's Adventure Night at Crossfit. Can't wait. There should be lots of pics!!!

Ryan 10:17 AM, January 06, 2009  

IM Wisconsin is, dare I say it, more tiring to volunteer at than to race in (not that I'd know).

But volunteering is awesome. I'll be there this year, partly to do my part to help out, and partly to get to the front of the line for 2010 sign-ups.

Oz Runner 12:40 PM, January 06, 2009  

Just a note to say I've enjoyed your blog. I enjoy that you have a light-hearted approach to running even though you are obviously very talented and fast...thanks for the little notes of advice too.

Vickie 3:35 PM, January 06, 2009  

Good advice. Couldn't have said it better myself. Not sure though about word verification, but I'll take it under consideration.

Rainmaker 4:40 AM, January 07, 2009  

Very impressive year man! Keep kicking ass next year!

Alisa 10:37 AM, January 07, 2009  

You had a great year! Wow look at all those swimming miles..impressive.

I like your advice for the rest of us and your take on having fun at races! I think I'll be adding a Tri in late summer...I've wanted to do one for awhile!

(P.S. I didn't know you could take down word verification!)

sRod 12:45 PM, January 09, 2009  

#4 is a great point. I should probably do that on my blog...although I'm sure I'll forget in two minutes. 2008 was quite a year for you! Congrats!

Runner Leana 1:59 PM, January 22, 2009  

Congratulations on a great 2008 and all the best for 2009! You gave some great advice as well. Thanks!

Post a Comment

Thanks for your comments! Have a great day!

Twitter

Follow steveinaspeedo on Twitter

Facebook Fan Page

All content and original images copyright 2006 - 2024 by Steve Stenzel, AKA "Steve in a Speedo." All Rights Reserved.
Want to use something seen here? Just ask - I don't bite.