Time for the annual, pre-race mileage review. All dates refer to pre-race weeks. | 2009 | 2010 | Total miles 12 weeks pre-marathon | 940.5 | 943 | Total miles 24 weeks | 1804 | 1849.5 | Total miles 36 weeks | 2378.5 | 2465.5 | 80-89 mile weeks 24 weeks | 5 | 5 | 90-99 mile weeks 24 weeks | 3 | 4 | 100+ mile weeks 24 weeks | 4 | 4 | 15-19 mile runs 12 weeks | 13 | 6 | 15-19 mile runs 24 weeks | 22 | 17 | 15-19 mile runs 36 weeks | 27 | 18 | 20+ mile runs 24 weeks | 13 | 14 | 26+ mile runs 36 weeks | 1 | 8 | Days missed 12 weeks | 2 | 7 |
I'll admit that I didn't really want to see the stats this year, because I was convinced my sub-par August (406 miles in 2009, 337 miles in 2010) would sink me. So I was very surprised to see my mileage totals are slightly higher across the board for 12, 24, and 36 weeks pre-race. This is even more surprising when I consider how many of my runs were trail runs this year, which take significantly more time versus road runs. In fact, I didn't have a single road run for a 5 week period! I spent many, many more hours running this year than ever before, and ran tens of thousands of feet more vertical than any other time. I ran more 15-19 mile runs in 2009, and many of those were Big Workouts. I didn't do many BW this year, which is a weakness. Instead, I did a lot of 10-14 mile trail runs. Most importantly, I had a lot more long, long runs (26+ miles)- 1 in 2009 versus 8 this year. That will come in useful this week. I also had a few injuries this year that resulted in more days off. Conclusions: More miles, long runs, and vertical run than ever before = good. Slightly more injuries plus no BW = bad. I am not in the best road marathoning shape of my life, like I was last year. But I am in the best trail ultrarunning shape. Next Saturday, I put it to the test. But no matter what happens, I am excited. Not nervous, just excited to have a fun time and enjoy a great day in the outdoors.
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