Today is New Year’s Eve, so it’s time for a look back over the last year of running. How did things go in 2022, and what am I looking forward to in 2023?
Review of My 2022 Running Goals
I looked back at my year-in-review post for 2021 to see what I wrote as goals for this year.
Firstly, I wanted to set PRs in the mile, 5k, 10k, half, and full marathon. Basically every distance.
I had set tentative time goals of 19:00 to 19:30 over 5k, 40:00 to 41:00 over 10k, under 1:30 in the half marathon, and under 3:10 in the marathon. With the timing of the Philly Marathon, this would also be my first opportunity to BQ for Boston 2024.
I also wanted to up my mileage – peaking around 70 mpw in the spring and 75 to 80 mpw in the fall.
Finally, I planned to incorporate weight lifting into my training, with heavy lifts once or twice a week.
Race Results – Goals Met?
Looking at race results, I think I can chalk these goals up as partially met.
I did manage to PR at very distance, but I didn’t quite hit the time goals I was hoping for.
During my spring training block, I ran a mile time trial and finished in 5:55. I wanted to get under 6 minutes, and I did. There’s a lot of room for improvement here, though.
I wasn’t able to fit a 5k in during my spring training, but I did run one on Labor Day during my fall marathon training block. It was hot and humid, so I wasn’t really in peak condition. But I managed to run 20:59 – a slight improvement over my previous best of 21:07. I’ll take it, but I really want to run a legitimate 5k this year and get a time under 20 minutes.
I ran the Cherry Blossom 10k in April, and I finished in 42:03. Not quite the 40-41 minutes I was hoping for, but a solid PR.
I ran the half marathon at the Coastal Delaware Running Festival, and I finished in 1:32:59. Again, not quite my goal (sub 1:30), but a solid PR. I ran another half in the fall in 1:33 – not quite a PR, but a solid performance in atrocious conditions.
Finally, I ran the Philly Marathon last month. My training was compromised by a mild injury, but I finished in 3:20. It was a solid PR over my previous marathon in 2021. My pacing was a lot more even, and I finished stronger over the last six miles. But I fell a good ten minutes short of a 3:10 Boston Qualifying time.
Other Running Stats for the Year
As I increased my mileage at the end of 2021, I started to run seven days a week. I managed to maintain that running streak throughout 2022 – I ran every day. This included a week on a cruise ship, a mild bout of COVID, and marathon recovery.
Over the course of the year, I ran a total of 3,069 miles. That’s a significant increase over 2,321 from 2021.
I hit my peak mileage goals in both training blocks. I hit 75+ in five weeks, 70-74 in six weeks, 65-69 in ten weeks, and 60-64 in fourteen weeks. All told, that’s 35 weeks at 60+ mpw.
My easy pace continued to improve slightly throughout the year. When I’m feeling good, and I’m not weighed down by fatigue, I can easily cruise at 8:30 or so. Even on days when I’m tired, I’ll still usually drop down to 8:50 to 9:00/mi after I’ve warmed up.
Goals and Plans for The Year Ahead
My plans for next year are a little more fluid than they were last year.
I am definitely running the Jersey City Marathon in April. I plan to finish under 3:10 to secure the BQ I need for 2024. Even if I think I’m in shape for an attempt to break three hours, I’ll try and keep it conservative – with a goal of 3:05 to 3:10.
I will likely run the Cherry Blossom 10k again in April, as well. That’ll give me an opportunity to improve my 10k PR. I don’t want to race a half during this training block, so that might be the only race I run this spring.
I’ll use a 12 week Pfitz plan – likely the 85mpw plan – to train for the marathon. That starts at the end of January. In the four weeks preceding that, I’ll do some easy workouts on Tuesday and Friday with a tentative goal to time trial a mile and/or a 5k before I start marathon training.
What happens after April, though, is a bit fuzzier. If I’ve secured a solid BQ, then I might run the Twin Cities Marathon in October. But if I haven’t, then I might look instead for an earlier fall marathon to give me another shot.
And without the fall race in ink, it’s hard to plan out the rest of the year.
I do want to race a 5k at some point, though, and get an official result under 20 minutes. I know I can accomplish it – it’s just a matter of finding and scheduling a decent race.
I also want to continue to increase my mileage – with at least a few peak weeks at 80+. I’ll probably stick with 85 as a peak target in the fall. I think 3,500 miles is a safe goal for overall mileage, with at least eight weeks at 80+.
And that’s it. Once I see how things go in April, I’ll re-evaluate and set some more permanent plans for the fall.