Sunday, December 26, 2010

Time to Come to Grips

As we get ready to turn the page on 2010, it time for me to come to grips with the year that was. In one word - disappointing.

Everything started out pretty well. The battleship was turned the right direction and all systems were go. Out of the gate I was able to start hitting my goals. I set a new HM PR in February, followed by a new 5K PR. Through first three months of the year training was going well. My goal of 1250 miles on the ground was well within reach. Weight was down into the 2' teens. Bottom line was everything was pointing to another year of success on the trails of Southern California.

Little did I know that something had broken though in March. There was this little death procession in late May that broke something. I'm not sure what happened, but it's been a struggle ever since. First it was getting my head back on right and treating training like training and not like a job. Once I got that settled then the tweaks and niggles started. And eventually they progressed into full blown pain. Then it became the harder I tried the more it hurt. The final injustice was having to shut things down around he holidays and just taking the time to heal - both physically and mentally.

Here's the ugly truth when I look back to my 2010 goals:

1. Lose 30 pounds and rename my blog: FAIL. Not only did I not lose, but my extended time off has allowed me to put 20 pounds back on to my already Clydesdale-esque frame. At least I have my new blog title reserved...

2. Run 1250 miles and row 310 miles: FAIL and FAIL. With one week left in the year, I'm at 928 miles run. Wow! That many? That's somewhat amazing taking into account how inconsistent my running has been the past few months. I'm also sitting at about 130 miles rowed - quite an accomplishment in itself if you've ever sat on an ergometer for more than 15 minutes. All thing considered, I'm not entirely unhappy. Sure - this is well below my 2009 total of 1500 miles on the pavement, but everything considered.... So why am I 20 pounds heavier?

3. PR at 5K, 10K and Half Marathon distances: Okay. Two out of three isn't so bad.

4. KEEP IT FUN!!!! This is what has me most concerned. I can say without a doubt, running has *not* been fun for a while. During the summer it was the boredom of the same trails over and over again. Then it got worse. Drudgery followed by the pain of knees and the dejection of not
getting stronger and faster. In short a real bummer that turned a great healthy hobby into abject drudgery.

That was my year. Sorry for being such a Nelly Naysayer...

Tomorrow - what I'm doing about it....


16 comments:

  1. Of all of the goal misses, not keeping it fun was probably the worst to miss on. I hope you can put fun into it again next year.

    :-)

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  2. you set yourself some lofty goals.. I am so not even close to 900+ miles of anything! I'm also looking fwd to tomorrow's post, and I know you'll get your mojo back soon!!

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  3. Not keeping "the fun factor" is what killed it for you Glenn. If you don't enjoy it, you will be simply filling in numbers on the calendar. Hoping for a good start to '11 for you and looking forward to the follow up post!

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  4. Glenn, you and I have talked through these many months about your similar 2010 fate and how demoralizing it is. I think sometimes we become so fixated on performance that we forget the fun factor in it...but truthfully, it IS fun when we are performing well so it's very hard to train the brain to throw out the pace and the mileage and just enjoy the running...but when we can, I truly believe that things will turn around. That's what I'm trying anyway. Looking forward to seeing what you have for tomorrow! :)

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  5. I'll wait for tomorrow, then, with all my sage wisdom and advice. :-)

    Until then, focus on those PR's, gosh darn it!!! Well done!

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  6. When I had running taken away from me after NYC, I decided to put FUN first. Try different roads and trails, run with the groups and friends and never take the fact that I CAN run for granted.
    I also started trying different things, just in case I couldn't depend on running like I did before.
    Stepping back has helped me appreciate running more but I'm also putting my eggs in other baskets and guess what? My fitness has improved.
    Swimming? Biking? If I can do it, anyone can. Maybe mixing it up a bit will help.
    Don't worry about the weight and the mileage...these things come along WITH the running and you've got to do it to make yourself *happy* and inspired.
    I can't wait to hear your plan and chin up, Buttercup, you'll be back!!
    I still remember finding your OC Blog and being inspired by your enthusiasm!! Keep it up, Glenn!

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  7. You need to enjoy it or you will end up quiting. Perhaps do more cross training to make the runs more fun.

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  8. LOL...Only Meg could get away with calling a grown man "buttercup." Dontcha just love her?

    Running can be such a solitary endeavor, but you, of all people Glenn, are not a solitary person. Having weekly runs with friends is key (to me anyway). If it weren't for the fun-social part, I can't imagine doing this at all!

    Here's to a much more fun 2011!

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  9. Aw, here's to a brand spankin' new year with a nice clean slate!

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  10. Sounds like a challenging year, Glen, but now is a great time to get back on the wagon! Good luck in 2011, I look forward to reading about your progress!

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  11. I think being realistic about how things played out will help you find your focus in 2011. I have faith in you Glenn and things WILL get better!

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  12. well, you didn't give up at least! that counts for something... you kept trudging along through this rut.

    hopefully '11 will truly be a 'new page' - i'm looking forward to seeing what the plan is!

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  13. Here's hoping for a better '11! I feel your pain!

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  14. Looking forward to Part II and the full half of the glass!

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  15. It's a process. But I think you know that. :)

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