You Rocked, 2015... But 2016 Is Going To Blow You Away!


"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something." - Neil Gaiman
I love statistics, so.... Here's some interesting data (well... to me, anyway) about my running and weight training in 2015.
Running (from Strava data)
  • Total Runs: 125
  • Distance: 900.3 miles/1440 KM
  • Time: 152h40m
  • Elevation Gain: 114,790 feet/34988 M
  • Longest Distance Run: 30.2 miles/50K (Mt Hood 50K)
  • Longest Duration Run: 6:09:51 (Mt Hood 50K)
  • Most Elevation Gained Run: 5,744 feet/1751 M (Herman Creek/PCT Training Run)
  • Fastest Run: 6:43 pace for 5K
I completed my first 50K in 2015. After a botched attempt at Smith Rock, I bounced back and completed the 50K at Mt Hood. Once I completed the 50K in July, I decided to back off the running and concentrate on more weight training. The result was less miles, more time in the gym, and better overall fitness.

The one problem with my running in 2015 was persistent debilitating calf cramping. I still haven't figured out how to address it, but I'm hoping that training a little more consistently for my 50K in July of 2016 will help.

Weight Training (from FitNotes data)
  • Total Workouts: 94
  • Time: 112h30m
  • Total Sets: 1463
  • Total Reps: 10,710
  • Total Volume: 736,520.326 lbs/334,080 kg
  • Exercise Breakdown
    • Legs/Lower Body: 39.71% (567 sets)
    • Chest: 19.33% (276 sets)
    • Back: 18.21% (260 sets)
    • Abs/Core: 13.38% (191 sets)
    • Shoulders: 7.84% (112 sets)
    • Triceps: 1.54% (22 sets)
  • Estimated 1RMs:
    • Bench Press
      03/31/2015: 166.18 lbs/75.38 kg
      12/31/2015: 200.62 lbs/91 kg
      Increase: 32.23 lbs/14.62 kg
    • Deadlift
      03/31/2015: 246.50 lbs/111.81 kg
      12/31/2015: 330.70 lbs/150 kg
      Increase: 84.20 lbs/38.19 kg
    • Squat
      03/31/2015: 223.24 lbs/101.26 kg
      12/31/2015: 272.84 lbs/123.76 kg
      Increase: 49.60 lbs/22.50 kg
My coach and I didn't weight train too aggressively while I was training for my 50K in the first part of the year, but we stepped it up starting in August and I'm pleased as a pickle with the results! All my major lifts have seen significant increases this year as well as significant improvements in form. I'm especially happy with my progress on the bench press and chest/shoulder/back strength in general. I believe I can deadlift more than what we've attempted so far - I've always been pretty good at deadlifts - but 150 kg is pretty respectable anyway! Squats continue to be my weakest lift, but even they're much improved.
So... 2016... What's up? I'm going to continue making gains on weight lifting for the first couple months of the year, and then I'm going to kick back into 50K training mode in March to prepare for the Siskiyou Outback 50K in July. Elevation gain is around 4200 feet, but this race is in the mountains with a starting elevation of 6500 feet! I'm going to need to keep my VO2 max high to deal with that!
This time around I'm going to be more disciplined and make sure I'm getting my mid-week miles in. While the long runs are definitely the most important piece, I believe the shorter mid-week runs are necessary for speed improvements. I want to improve my 50K time and get it down to around five hours. There's no reason I shouldn't be able to do that. I'm going to have to sacrifice some of the weight training to keep myself from burning out, but I think we can still do enough to support my running, prevent injuries and make some smaller strength gains.
I have a couple races before the 50K: the 25K Hagg Lake Mud Run in February and the Peterson Ridge Rumble 20 miler in April. I'm also looking at running the 40 mile Timberline Trail around Mt Hood in August, but that's not a race - it's a personal goal.
Adios, 2015... You were good to me and my fitness, but bring on 2016! I'm ready to amp it up a bit!