trail running

As I work on my strategies for living and growing in my current environment, I decided to do an Annual Review, an activity I haven’t done since 2015. Since I’ll be writing more about my personal Annual Review within the next day or so, I will simply say here that one of my goals for 2023 is run a trail 1/2 marathon and the Virginia 10 miler. I did the trail 1/2 marathon this past spring for the first time, and the Virginia 10 miler for the second time this fall. I learned a lot from both races.

When I did the 1/2 marathon in May, I came off of Covid in January and had a twisted ankle in March. I was happy with my time of 2:36:09.48. However, I struggled with the final month of training and was pretty wiped afterward. Then, I hurt my right knee in June, had an ear infection in late July/August, was diagnosed with high blood pressure, was put on medication, and injured my right knee again. Whew! So, when it was time for the 10 miler at the end of September, I reset my expectations and switched to the 4+ mile race. Of course, I had another ear infection in November!

For 2023, I set the goal of doing both races again. I’ll be using the Hal Higdon Novice 2 Half Marathon training plan for both. I reset my expectations in terms of pace, particularly for the trail 1/2 marathon. This year’s race was MUDDY and cold, meaning I walked a bit more than expected. I’ll be doing sprint training once a week on the treadmill to help my pace though I’m prepared for another muddy race.

While I’m training for both races, I’ll be doing the Mindpump Anabolic program and Performance program 2 days a week and kettlebell training 3 days a week. I’m doing the strength training for maintenance and the kettlebell training for performance, mobility, and functional movement.

Strength training has become a fun passion of mine. I started several years ago with kettlebells and added in barbells and other equipment when we moved into our new home in 2021. In addition, I have a daily list of 6 exercises I do to improve them: pull-ups, dips, pistol squats, lean backs, push-ups, and burpees. My goal is a minimum of 10 reps daily; anything else is gravy.

Finally, I will be working hard on my overall health to ensure I stay healthy and injury-free during 2023. I started taking glutathione for my immune system plus a probiotic. I’m also eating a lower carb/high protein diet emphasizing foods to help my immune system. While I feel my best on a keto diet, I know I need healthy carbs to support endurance training, which I think is a mistake I made preparing for the half marathon this past spring.