Looking Forward at 2014

Okay, enough with the nostalgia about looking back and thinking about what HAS BEEN DONE. It's a new year with new challenges and it's time to focus on what I want to accomplish in the coming year.

Mile 19 at the 2013 Shamrock Marathon

I want to continue to push myself on my running. Although I can generally sustain a solid sub-9 minute mile pace, I need to find ways to get the lead out. If I am going to have any hope of breaking a 4-hour marathon, I have got to get my mile splits down. Following the 2013 Shamrock, I noticed that they have been creeping back up and I need to reverse that trend. That means dropping my holiday weight and eating healthier in 2014.  I have a notoriously bad sweet tooth and portion control issues.

Our Cornerstone Marine Corps Marathon Team at the start line.

Speedwork is critical. Our Cornerstone group has been doing speedwork on Thursday mornings and I need to keep that going. I am not a fast runner, but that workout pushes my limits and, boy, do I need some pushing. I was complaining one morning that speedwork really hurts and my friend, Amy, was not hearing it. Her comment: "it's supposed to hurt!" I won't forget that. Thanks Amy!

Cornerstone Striders "Speedwork" Thursday

Although I try to rotate my workouts between running, spinning or cycling and swimming, I have completely neglected weight work and flexibility. During both the Marine Corps marathon and the Seashore 50K, I noticed discomfort in my upper legs and hips. While running is great for the muscle tone in my legs, it does little or nothing for the upper legs. Lately, I have been doing some weight work on my legs and that seems to help. I have never been a big yoga fan, but I need to rethink that. While endurance is important, so is flexibility.

On the cycling front, I want to maintain my endurance on long rides. The Cap2Cap Century pushed me in 2013 and I need to keep from backsliding. I want to do the Tour de Cure Century this spring and one more century before the year is out. I love my bike and my wife got me a Camelback for Christmas that I am looking forward to using. Hopefully, we will get some more mild days this winter that permit a ride.

Ready for my first sprint tri

I remain an aspiring triathlete. I completed my first sprint in August, so I am not a complete rookie, but I have yet to do an open water swim. That needs to get done this year. I am planning on doing the Smithfield Sprint in April, but that is a pool swim. That means, I need to find either another sprint or an Olympic that gets me out of the comfort of the pool. I have heard good things about the Patriot, but I just need to find the right open water race.

Well, I clearly have my work cut out for me in 2014. I am not sure that I will achieve all of these goals, but I hope to make a dent. I turn 52 this month and I want to celebrate that by working toward a stronger and more fit me. The bar is set higher and I'm not sure I can clear this height, but I'm sure going to try!

A Look Back at 2013

First ride of 2013

As 2013 draws to a close, it seems only right to take a look back at the highs and lows of the past year. This year has been a difficult one for our family. In March, we lost Courtney's dad and Anne's "Pop".  We all miss him terribly. Losing a parent is really hard. I lost my dad in 1998 and I miss him every day.

On the professional front, I will be moving to a new law firm after 25 years in Norfolk. The nice thing is that I will be in Suffolk and only five minutes from home. No more tunnels! Sometimes change is difficult, but I am excited about the move and practicing with a great group of folks here in Suffolk.

Cap2Cap Century Ride in Richmond

On the running front, 2013 has been a year of many PR's and firsts for me. At the beginning of the year, I set the goal of running 1500 miles by the end of the year. I met that goal at the end of October and just recently crossed the 1800 mile barrier. If I throw in my cycling miles, my total mileage for 2013 is over 4400 miles. Guess I will have to raise the bar to 2000 miles for 2014.

Cornerstone Striders at the Marine Corps Marathon

I had PR's in the half marathon in San Antonio in January (1:57:40), the 14K at Virginia Is For Lovers in February (1:12:15), the full marathon at Shamrock in March (4:20:18) and the 10K at Monument Avenue in March (53:01). I also ran in my first Marine Corps Marathon in October. On the other side of the equation, I had a very disappointing race at the Crawling Crab Half Marathon because of the warm day. I finished my first ultra marathon at the Seashore Nature Trail 50K last weekend, although my time was much slower than I had hoped. I also competed in my first century ride at the Cap2Cap in May, my second ride at the MS 150 and my first triathlon in August in Goochland. Our Cornerstone Century team also completed the Colonial 200-mile Relay in September.

On the whole, not a bad year. I have been blessed to have the support and love of my family and to surround myself with great runners and cyclists, who don't accept excuses and won't let you fail. Like they say, it's the company you keep!

Our Cornerstone Century team at the Colonial 200 Relay

My first tri at the Goochland Sprint Triathlon

So, what's in store for 2014? Well, I still have my eye on trimming my full marathon time down toward that 4 hour mark. Also, for the past two years, I have wanted to ride in the Tour de Cure Century ride, but have not been able to make it work. I hope that 2014 will see that happen. I also want to try a triathlon that includes an open water swim. I am planning to do the Smithfield Sprint in April, along with some tri rookies from Cornerstone and some from my old firm. 2014 is looking like a challenging year for me. But, then again, I like a good challenge. Happy New Year to you and yours!

Cap2Cap Century Ride - My First Century

Most of my posts on this blog are focused on my running, hence the name "On the Run in Virginia." That being said, I am a cyclist in addition to my running and have found that they are a nice compliment to one another. Like running, I am relatively new to cycling, but have found it to be another great community.

Until this past Saturday, my longest ride was at the 2012 MS 150 on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, where our team did 75 miles on consecutive days to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. On Saturday, I participated in my first century ride (100 miles) as part of the Cap2Cap Ride sponsored by the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation. Although the weather forecasts were a bit troubling, we only got rained on briefly and then the sun came out for the rest of the ride. If you are a cyclist and have not tried a century, give it a try. It did take some training, although I did not train as much and for as long as I should have and was feeling it by Mile 90.

The ride took us through some beautiful and historic areas of Virginia, including the Charles City County Courthouse, the Richmond Battlefield Park, Rockett's Landing in Richmond and past the James River plantations along Route 5. This was a great ride and kudos to the VCTF for a job well done.