Met My Run Goal Early!

Today I met my annual goal for running distance. I planned to run 366 miles this year. That way I could say that I ran an average of 1 mile per day. Today is number 340 of the 366 days in this year and today I ran past the 366 mile mark. In fact, today I hit mile #369. I ran yesterday and after I gathered all of my data from the Forerunner 305 I found myself to be 0.05 miles short of my goal. I thought about running to the end of the block and back, but that isn't really a training session. So I figured I run again today. And if irony isn't funny, I am now less than a quarter mile away from 370 miles.

Today I underestimated the level of cold associated with 22 degree temperatures. I also somehow forgot that the trail section I run wouldn't be plowed from the snow. This slowed me down just a bit. So my times for the run today are little slow. But that should make me faster in the long run when there isn't the extra 'terrain'

Info about the Forerunner 305: This is possibly the best training tool ever (besides the BeginnerTriathlete.com website, of course). I started to use SportTracks, a free program, to gather the data from the FR305. It automatically overlays my run info onto a satellite image or street map or whatever I select. Tracks my time in each heart rate zone, which translates to telling me that I'm not as tired as my legs may feel. There's so much information that it's actually a bit overwhelming.

It's good to think that I've reached a goal that I trained for over this whole last year. I've spent a lot of time 'working out.' I look forward to continued base building over the next several months. I am very excited to think about this coming race season with anticipation of racing a few races as compared to simply running a race for completion. I hope to make significant improvements this coming year and race in longer distance triathlons. I hope to post my 2009 race goals soon.

Thank you again to everyone who has been supporting me over this last year!

On another note: Michael Phelps was interviewed on 60 minutes recently. At the end of the interview Anderson Cooper saught to challenge Phelps: