11/1: 3.11 mi; 23'16"; 7'27" avg. pace
11/4: 2.44 mi; 17'59"; 7'21" avg. pace
11/18: 3.11 mi; 23'41"; 7'36" avg. pace
11/23: 3.11 mi; 24'42"; 7'56" avg. pace
11/30: 2.18 mi; 16'13"; 7'26" avg. pace
The post title should capture my feelings toward this month. I've never felt like an elite runner, but months like these make me feel like I'm a pretender of even an amateur runner. The proof is in the pudding, they say (but what the heck does that mean?). At least Em and I had another successful turkey trot (albeit a weekend early). We braved the 30 degree temperatures and plodded around the high school track while some guys gathered for flag football on the turf field. Regardless of the cold or lack of conditioning or furtive spectators, the tradition must be honored!...even if it leads to naps following a big Thanksgiving dinner.
My year-to-date mileage is at 195 through November. Even a good December will leave me somewhere around 40 percent of my best years' outputs. There's only one thing to do: suck it up and reclaim past glory. If my body can handle it, 2014 needs to mirror 2011 when I ran 550 miles. With some encouragement from Ashley, I have already registered for the Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Half Marathon in May. That should inspire hard core training in the first quarter of 2014. Time to finish this year with a triumphant December - one that is hopeful of things to come.
