As you all know, I’m not so great at posting here anymore. My we’ve come a long way (and in the wrong direction) since I posted for 28 days straight leading up to the 10-10-10 Chicago Marathon!
Anyway, this post concludes the ‘highlights’ I wanted to point out regarding 2011. Find Part 1 here. Upon further reflection, this post is not so much about anything in particular I did in 2011, and so the ‘highlight’ title is a bit of a lie, as this is more a celebration of January running (for me), and my inverted bell curve of running over the last 13 years.
Below you will see my total miles per month, from the years 1999-2011, covering 13 years.
- Jan – 798.6
- Feb – 706.1
- March – 631.7
- April – 659.7
- May – 517.7
- June – 316.1
- July – 433.8
- Aug – 532.4
- Sept – 692.7
- Oct – 706.4
- Nov – 682.7
- Dec – 730.7
What is striking about this is that I ‘peak’ in Jan in mileage, generally decline through June, and then start another steady increase, peaking again in Dec.
For one, it is clear backup for the statement I keep repeating to anyone who might listen, namely, “I hate running in the hot weather!” What more proof do you need?
For two, it is a clear indication of the other statement I keep repeating to anyone who might listen, namely, “January is the month I always renew my love for running.” Partially it is the clean slate of a new year, and partially it is probably due to my birthday, which occurs early in Jan, but whatever the reason, January is the month I most consistently run. I can only count two years where January was my highest total month of the year, so it is not that January is always my biggest month, however, it is my most consistent month, and every year is among the top few months in total miles. Since 2005 (past 7 years), January is at least in the top 4 monthly mileage for the year.
If you look at the numbers above, the inverted bell curve is quite clear. However, it is not perfect. My goal for 2012 is simple. March must have at least 28 more miles than April, and November must have at least 24 more miles than October. If I can accomplish both of those, and keep the other months in their relative places, then I will have attained perfection!
