2008 Year in Review: Running

Highlights:

1. Running my first sub 20-minute 5k, a 19:25 on Thanksgiving at the Fort Worth Turkey Trot. This was a PR by 1:36 over a run I had just 40 days earlier. Also on Thanksgiving, 30 minutes after running my 5k pr, I ran a 10k pr (44:25).

2. White Rock Lake Marathon: OK. A 4:08 was 30 minutes slower than I thought Id be, but the conditions were awful and I still had a ton of fun despite the cramps. And seeing it all scrunched down to a 7-minute video was kinda cool.

3. First sub 1:40 half marathon: On November 2, also at White Rock Lake, I crossed the line in 1:38:59. I felt fresh and springy, despite the 60 degree temperatures and the big hills.

4. 20k race in September: This was my first race of any distance longer than a 10k in which I was able to do the majority of the miles in sub 8:00 m/pace. In fact, after the first mile, ever mile of this race was sub 8s and I wound up crossing the line in 1:37.

5. My first 20-mile training run of the year. No cramps. No bad patches. On Oct. 11, I ran 20.25 miles in 2:53, a pace of 8:33 a mile. In the run-ups in my two previous marathons, I never had a 20-mile training run where I averaged better than 9:45. On this day, it was 67 degrees (same starting temperature as the marathon. I took a Gu and two ecaps before the race and hydrated every two miles). Hmmmm. Should have used this system for the marathon.

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2008 Race Log

Marathon, Dec. 14........ 4:08:34 (pr)
10k, Nov. 27.......................44:25 (pr)
5k, Nov. 27..........................19:25 (pr)
Half marathon, Nov. 2.....1:38:59 (pr)
5k, Oct. 18..........................21:01
20k, Sept. 20...................1:37:14 (pr)
10k, Aug. 31........................48:08 (Nike Human Race. 95 degrees at the start)
25k, July 20......................2:31:57 (pr) (El Scorcho. Midnight run. 85 at start)
4-miler, June 29.................29:10 (pr)
5k, May 3.............................21:40
5k, Apr. 26...........................21:56
10k, Feb. 23.........................46:57
Half marathon, Jan. 27.....1:48:43
5k, Jan. 1...............................22:07

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2008 Monthly mileage
Month........Miles...........Pace
Jan..............114.87.........9:03
Feb.............127.78.........9:07
Mar..............54.62.........8:50 (Missed two weeks, leg injury)
Apr.............110.61.........8:38
May............128.98.........8:39
June............120.91........8:26
July.............135.54........8:34
Aug..............146.52........8:23
Sep..............169.99........8:20
Oct..............193.16.........8:13
Nov.............191.15.........8:04
Dec..............108.5..........8:22
Totals........1,602.62......8:30