Goals for 2014

My goal was to run 1,000 miles in 2014.

I was off the road for about six weeks in January-February and had to work on my rehab. Part of my rehab was using the elliptical in my gym. Many people use the elliptical for cross training so I’m going to include the 29.36 miles I rehabbed on the elliptical.

At the Ultra Around the Lake I walked 4 laps around Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield. I was walking with my buddy Jose who was on the tail end of a 12-hour Ultra. We jogged a little and walked a lot.

Normally I wouldn’t count walking but it was a race, I did a half marathon and I felt it the next day. Those 13.24 miles count.

Actual recorded running miles totaled 977.82. There were a few miles here and there when I either didn’t have my watch, the battery died or somehow I did not start the watch.

For 2014 my total recorded miles were 1,020.42.

I made my number, but it was close. Even while training for three marathons I beat my goal by only 2%.

The six weeks when I was recovering from my injury made a big difference. During that time I only ran 29.36 miles. Even if the weather had been bad those six weeks, I would have run well over 100 miles during that time period.

Looking to 2015

My primary goal for 2015 is avoiding injury. As runners, we all know how hard this is to do. Almost everyone I know has sustained an injury while gearing up for a marathon.

My injury was during my Boston Marathon training. I did not get injured while training for Bay of Fundy or Baystate. The mistake we all make is to push the miles up too quickly and tackle courses that are beyond our fitness level.

I’m hoping that age will bring more patience. That is one of the keys to avoiding injury.

If I get to run Boston this year I will be very happy. I’ll be training with a friend who is running Boston this year, so I will be ready even if I get a number late.

My main running goal for 2015 is to run 50 5K races. I turned 50 in September, so I set a goal of running 50 5Ks before I turn 51. #505Ksat50 as my hash tag.

So far I have only run 13 races. Three were club runs with other clubs. They are listed on Cool Running, so I’m counting them. I won’t count my own club’s runs.

I have decided to take a 5K credit for any race 5K or longer. So if I run a marathon, I’ll give myself a 5K credit.

It’s a bit of a stretch, but I have a job and other bills to pay.

Going into 2015 I’m only about 5 races behind. Using the week night club runs, a few week night races and lots of weekend races, I should be able to make it.

What are your running goals for 2015?

Andy