Above is the last 26 full weeks of 2013 and the weekly mileage of each. The low ones were planned breaks. The year concluded with 2520 miles, or 7 miles per day and 48 miles per week average.
Below are a set of questions from that my friend Adam used to review his year.
What was the highlight of your season?
There was not one particular moment. Overall, the entire season was a huge success. I took no time off due to injury, ran consistently, ran fast, and am now quicker than I’ve ever been, over every distance.
What was your greatest disappointment?
Nothing really comes to mind. If I had to pick something, it would be my 1:29 at the Sioux Falls Half. I had hoped to beat my PR of 1:23, but the weather simply did not allow it.
Review your top three goals for this season. Do you feel these were achieved?
Goals for 2013 were simple. Run consistently while reaching and surpassing my pre-ultra marathon speeds. Which I did.
What did you do in training this season that you feel made you faster?
Trained smarter than ever before, which resulted in no time off due to injury.
Goal pace specific work.
What did you do in training this season that you feel was not productive?
Tried to lose weight. Did not try very hard though 😉
If you could change your training, mental preparation, or race tactics/strategy this past season, what would you do differently?
I did recognize the need for a change, and made it. I continually made the error of going out too conservatively during races. I fixed this during my last few 5k’s and managed two PR’s.
Was there anything missing in your training this season?
Volume.
Do you feel that you trained enough and worked hard enough in training this season?
Indeed. While my average weekly volume was lower than it has been in the past, my overall qualitative volume was much higher than ever before.
Do you feel that you had adequate rest during training and before races?
Yes, I never felt any built up fatigue from training or prior to races.
Do you have any extra comments and insights on this season?
Only that the single season did not matter, and it was only a transition from my ultrarunning training to faster runner in 2014.
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As for 2014, the goals are fairly simple.
1. Volume
I hope to at least average about 65 miles or roughly 9 hours per week over the entire year. That of course means half of the weeks will be at a lower volume and half will be at a higher volume. I don’t expect to go higher than 85 more than a few times, probably only within the few weeks before a couple A races. I also don’t expect to run fewer than 60 miles per week too often either.
2. Speed
To simply increase my running paces. For the spring, my goal is to focus on the 5k distance. I will also target a couple half marathons in the fall. I’d love to go under 17 for the 5k and under 18 for the half, in 2014.
3. Consistency
As I did in 2013, I’d love to not have to take any time off due to injury. There were a few weeks I had to lower my volume and modify my training, but never did I need to take time off for recovery.