2010 Review: How Fast? Faster, but never fast enough!!

I went into 2010 with three goals:

1) Break 3 hours in the marathon
2) PR at as many race distances as possible
3) Significantly increase my mileage

I had no idea what to expect with my huge mileage increase, and never could have predicted my final results.  Goal #3 was a huge success, my mileage from 2009 to 2010 increased by about 70% for a 2010 total of 2700 miles (pending the 31st).  All that extra mileage transformed me into a significantly better runner at all distances.  Here is an example of a few:

5K 17:24 to 16:53
10K 38:45 to 34:52
15K 57:53 to 54:11
1/2 Marathon: 1:29:15 to 1:18:09
Marathon: 3:09:12 to 2:44:54

My 5K times became much more consistent from race to race.  After that 16:53 all my "fast course" times were between 17:00-17:05, a couple of others that were hilly were slower.  Overall though, that was much more consistent than my 2009 times.

In the "lactic acid threshold range" 10K-half marathon, I have become a little better at running hard from start to finish rather than running negative splits.  In general, I've become willing to accept more pain and suffering early.

At the marathon distance, after running my first in March 2008, I can finally say I have the endurance needed to actually run the event hard.  I ran an evenly paced effort at just about the right pace.  My marathon time is also finally "in line" with my other times.  No longer does my 5K predict a much faster marathon time!

In general, I'm better at running through rough patches, knowing that those patches eventually fade.  It takes a lot more for me to give in now than it used to.


2010 has been by far my most successful running year ever.  I directly attribute it to my more aggressive training regiment.  I run to answer the question "How Fast?"  The answer: much faster than I could have dreamed, but not fast enough!

2010 is not my highpoint but merely the beginning.  Training builds on itself over days, weeks, months, and eventually.......years.  I've experienced months of successful training.  Let's see what another year brings.