Tuesday, July 1, 2008

June and YTD Training Summary

June was a good month. I got my miles in, 231 running and 138 on the bike. Per the plan, I increased the ratio of trail to road miles. 34% of my miles were trail running, which is about 15% higher than it had been in the first five months of the year. My left knee and right Achilles have forgiven me for the brutal, unfair way that I treated them in the first half of the year. I put them through miles upon miles in ridiculously bad weather, preparing for Boston and Cleveland marathons. When they complained, I ignored them. The more I ignored them, the more they complained. Finally, they gave up the fight, shut up, and got back to working they way they should. As a reward, I am taking them on 50k trail race filled with hills, water, hills, mud, hills, and hills. YEAAAAAAA!!!!!!

Just as a side note, I have totaled 1139 running miles in the first six months of 2008. That is nearly exactly my total for the year in 2006 (1170 miles), and a couple of hundred miles shy of my total for last year (1362 miles.) The best part of this is that I feel great, I am looking forward to the BT50k, the Chicago Marathon in October, and a few distance races to be determined in between.

The Bike:
Ive been riding to work two days a week for over a month now, and I am in a groove. Although it is a road/racing style bike, I equipped it with a rack and panier like a commuter bike. It nicely accommodates my notebook PC, my office clothes and shoes, and my lunch. The round trip is 25.5 miles, filled with hills. Seriously, there is not one flat stretch of more than 1/4 mile. I leave in the morning right at dawn, about 5:45 AM this time of year, when there is very little traffic. Even so, I must look like the a UFO with all the flashing lights and reflective clothes. (Note the neon yellow top and red reflective vest. Stylin', oh yea.) Coming home, the traffic is much worse, so I take the longer way that winds through the Bedford Reservation. It takes about an hour and twenty minutes, but it is a scenic, less stressful ride.

5 comments:

Graham said...

Those are some awesome numbers! I could only hope that someday I can reach numbers that even shadow those.

Janet Edwards said...

Fantastic numbers...no wonder why you are running so strong!

Hardcore roadie pic there with all the neon and gear...haha! Way to get in those extra miles!

Papa Louie said...

Thanks Frank for your kind words.

You got some great mileage in this year so far.
Keep up the good work and stay injury free.

Steve Stenzel said...

WOW! Those are some CRAZY numbers for the month! And that's one loaded up bike! Nicely done!!

Wyatt Hornsby said...

Frank: I admire you for commuting to work on your bike. I wish I could too but I have to pick up Noah by 6 and getting to his childcare place from UH Case Medical Center in 45 minutes by car is a bear as it is. Anyway, it's great you're commuting. Not only are you saving $$$ on gas and wear and tear and being a good environmental steward, but you're also helping yourself as a runner. Oh, question: Do you have a shower at work? I wish we had one.

Nice job!

Wyatt