2018 Year End Review
Training
[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”raised” width=”875px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”4″ border_color=”#d0021b” rounded_corners=”false” outside_shadow=”false” ]Mileage Total: 2,634.5 miles
Days of Running: 281 days (84 days off)
Time Spent Running: ~16 days, 19 hours
Average Pace: 9:11 pace
Longest Run (Distance): 46 miles on January 13, 2018 at the San Diego 50 Miler. (The course was shortened.)
Longest Run (Time): 11:19:00 on January 13, 2018 at the San Diego 50 Miler[/dropshadowbox]
Most Memorable Training Runs
1. October 11, 2018, 14th Street Bridge Construction Detour. During my 11 miles w/5 x 1200m @ 5K race pace run-commute, I discovered the 14th Street Bridge was closed! I was forced to run a three mile detour to the Memorial Bridge.
2. December 23, 2018, Atlanta Beltline. This run is why I wait until the end of the year to do retrospectives. Two days before Christmas, I enjoyed the art on this rail-trail even though I struggled through the 8 x 600m @ 5K-10K pace w/400m recovery jog workout.
3. July 16, 2018, Fort McHenry. I was struggling to balance a lot of things during this workout – heat, work stress, not quite being sure of my surroundings – but, I ran well.
Racing
[dropshadowbox align=”left” effect=”raised” width=”465px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”4″ border_color=”#f5a623″ rounded_corners=”false” outside_shadow=”false” ]Number of Races: 13: one 50-miler, two marathons, two half marathons, two 10 milers, one 10K, one five miler, one four miler, and three 5Ks.
Personal Records: None.[/dropshadowbox]
Most Memorable Races
1. 2018 San Diego 50 Miler. This was my first ultra-marathon! I started faster than planned. Then, I fell at Mile 13 and skinned my knee. The course was cut short at Mile 23.3 but I wasn’t complaining. I ran out of water in my Camelbak after the turnaround. By then, the temperature was at least 80 degrees! I walked most of the second half. But, I finished in 11 hours and 19 minutes!
2. 2018 Boston Marathon. The race was miserable – cold, rainy, and windy! I stepped off the bus in Hopkinton and knew I was under-dressed for the conditions in a singlet, arm-warmers, and shorts. By the half, my goal switched to finishing as my legs started cramping. My time was 4:02:37 (9:16 pace) the slowest marathon I’ve ever run.
3. 2018 New York City Marathon. The race was magnificent – perfect running weather, exuberant crowds, and excellent logistics! My training didn’t go as well as I’d hoped, mostly due to this summer’s relentless heat and humidity. My time was 3:33:17 (8:09 pace)! See you next year, New York!
(My Racing Schedule and Race Reports)
Weather
[dropshadowbox align=”left” effect=”raised” width=”875px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”4″ border_color=”#0d29a0″ rounded_corners=”false” outside_shadow=”false” ]It was a record setting year weather wise. Washington D.C. tied the regional record for days over 80 degrees and beat the record for most rainfall.
Hottest Run: 84 degrees on October 4th.
Coldest Run: 22 degrees on February 3rd.[/dropshadowbox]
Most Memorable Weather
1. April 17, 2018, 2018 Boston Marathon. It is hard to explain to people who weren’t there how truly miserable the conditions were. The rain was absolutely freezing and the winds were unrelenting.
2. March 21, 2018, Snow Storm in Washington, D.C. During Week 9 of my Boston Marathon training cycle, the region was hit with a snow storm. Even though the scenery was beautiful, the flurries were wet and made the run freezing cold.
3. July 8, 2018, A Beautiful Day in Washington, D.C. The weather wasn’t all bad! On this day, I ran downtown and the weather was absolutely gorgeous.
Clothing
Favorite New Products
1. Mizuno Breath Thermo Pip. I bought this hat before the 2017 Fairfax Four Miler and it became a favorite this winter. When I noticed it was sale online, I bought two more. It’s very light weight, warm, and fits my head like a glove.
2. Brooks Ghost Racerback. From the website, the fabric looked similar to the mesh-like Nike tank tops that I’ve trained in almost exclusively for the past few summers. The first top I bought was in blue with turquoise stripes along the sides. It was so comfortable for summer running that I bought another in red. I bought it in extra small and it was still loos around the middle. The cut around my neck and arms provided good coverage and it hit my waist just past the band on my shorts.
3. SmartWool Cozy Glove. My hands get very cold in the winter. On many runs, I wear both gloves and mittens. I thought these gloves might be thick enough to wear alone. So far, in temperatures just above freezing, they’ve been great. They’re made of breathable Merino wool, too, so my hands haven’t been sweaty.
Gear
Favorite New Products
1. Garmin Forerunner 645 Music. After reading DC Rainmaker’s review, I purchased the watch back in September. I’ve been running with it exclusively since then. I like that it has sensors that monitor heart rate through the wrist, thus eliminating the need for a chest strap. There are various watch faces on Connect IQ but I chose a pre-loaded ones. I only tried the music functionality on a run once and had trouble skipping songs without messing up my workout so I don’t actually use that function.
2. AfterShokz Trekz Titanium Wireless Headphones. These headphones use bone conduction to deliver sound through your cheekbones instead of ear buds. The idea is that you can hear more of your surroundings. The sound quality isn’t as crisp as earbuds but it’s not bad. And, some sound is emitted from the speakers so it’s not silent to nearby runners. There’s a standard size and a “mini” version for people with smaller heads.
3. Muv365 Armbands. Available for purchase through Amazon, this fabric armband is longer than the Bondi Band I have. At 6” x 4”, the flap fully fits over my Samsung S8 in its Otterbox without straining. It also accommodates wired headphones and comes in a number of stylish color options.
Nutrition
Notable Products
1. Vega Sport Recovery Accelerator. This summer, I tried losing some weight and consciously refueled with a recovery drink after workouts. This mixture didn’t look very appetizing but the tropical flavor was actually good. With only 16 grams of carbohydrate per 12 ounce serving, it doesn’t stack up well against other recovery products, though:
2. Generation UCAN Drink Mix. This product was discontinued but I found this year. I tried their hydration product before and didn’t like it but this wasn’t bad at all! The powder mixed well with 12 ounces of water and was easy to digest on my medium-long run. The packet was 130 calories, 31g of carbohydrate and 1g of protein.
3. Skratch Labs Anytime Energy Bar. If I eat a sports bar, it’s usually before a workout when I’m rushed for time. I got some of these bars in a Runner’s World Box. They are tasty and everything free – no GMOs, gluten, or dairy- with 200 calories, 30 grams of carbohydrate, 4 grams of protein, and 8 grams of fat for a 50 gram bar.
Routes
Notable Developments
1. “Section of Custis Trail Along I-66 Closes Today for Repairs,” ArlNow. The re-paving project on this section of the Custis Trail caused me to re-route several of my runs to Lee Highway. Thankfully, the work wrapped up on time. And, the new asphalt is pretty.
2. “14th Street Bridge Improvements,” National Park Service. Back in October, the National Park Service began working on the section of trail on the Washington D.C. side of the 14th Street Bridge. One day, running into work and discovered the bridge was closed due to repair work, which meant a three mile detour to the Memorial Bridge!
3. Flooding on Local Trails. As mentioned above, it was a rainy year on record for Washington, DC region. The section of the Four Mile Run Trail between Eads Street and Route 1 in Alexandria, Virginia flooded more than once. And, high waters in East Potomac Park (“Hains Point”) threatened to re-route the 2018 Navy-Air Force Half Marathon.
Favorite Pictures
I enjoyed some breath-taking views on my runs this year.
1. Lincoln Memorial View, February 6 2018. I loved the sliver of sunny yellow just beyond the monuments and the ice coating the banks of the Potomac River.
2. Commute home, March 23, 2018. On this run-commute, I happened to look left and caught an amazing view of the Memorial Bridge and Lincoln Memorial.
3. Jefferson Memorial, October 4, 2018. My smartphone didn’t do this view of the Jefferson Memorial at sunset justice.
Media
Favorite News
1. “Eliud Kipchoge Crushes Marathon World Record in Berlin,” Runner’s World. The headline said it all. Kipchoge beat the world record by over a minute, sealing his place as one of the greatest marathoners of all time. I caught the final minutes of the race before dashing off to the 2018 Navy-Air Force Half Marathon and it gave me chills.
2. “Desiree Linden Wins the Boston Marathon,” Runner’s World. Going in, I thought Molly Huddle would take it. But at Mile 19 when I heard Desi had won, I was so happy for her. She’s come up short in so many races that it seemed fitting she won on a day made for grinders who keep showing up. (By the way, that’s two San Diegans – her and Meb Keflezighi – who have won the Boston Marathon in recent years.)
3. “2019 Boston Marathon Qualifier Acceptances,” Boston Athletic Association. For 2019, runners needed to qualify by more than 4:52 to gain admittance. As a result, the BAA tightened the standard by 5 minutes across the board for 2020. Hopefully, everyone who qualifies will get in however, the current phased application process based on minutes under qualifying time will remain in place.
Favorite Podcasts
1. “Episode 389 – Sanjay Rawal,” Rich Roll. There was a lot to unpack in this episode! The Sri Chinmoy 3100 Mile Race (39:45), running in indigenous cultures (48:05), the Tendai “Marathon” Monks of Mount Hiei (1:00:00). The overall messages were that human beings are runners at heart and the distance we run should be secondary to the spiritual pursuit.
2. “Grit Over Gift with Dr. Cindra Kamphoff,” Run to the Top. What a powerful episode! The most moving part for me was when the guest talked about how the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing affected her and she recalled telling herself, “Stop playing so small with your life” (34:16 mark). I’m still looking forward to buying the book.
3. “Episode 30 with Lauren Fleshman,” The Morning Shakeout. This was a wide-ranging interview. There were two parts that really struck a chord with me. The first was when the guest addressed retiring from the sport (24:10). I drew parallels with changes I’ve made in my career this year. The other was when she talked about collegiality among other elite female runners (45:20).
Favorite Songs
1. “Glorious,” Macklemore (feat. Skylar Grey). I think this song was being used in a commercial during the Winter Olympics and worked its way into my head. It puts me in a positive mood every time I hear it.
2. “Thunder,” Imagine Dragons. With the line, “I was the lightning before the thunder,” this was my swagger song during races and hard workouts for most of the year.
3. “The Whole of the Moon,” The Waterboys. Spotify helped me re-discover this old school alternative rock songs this fall and it found its way into most of my playlists at the end of the year.
