2008 Numbers, 2009 Events

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. ;)