I'm Getting Nerdy- 2012 Year in Review

You knew it was coming. This post is really more for me than it is for anyone else to read, but since I am an open book, feel free to read along and learn what worked for me and what I did not do so well. This year I took a more analytical approach to reviewing my yearly numbers because I do want to get faster, but I also want to make sure I am being efficient and getting the most out of my workouts. So I had to take in some factors, like how many days did I actually workout, and I reviewed my monthly logs and found out how many days I worked out in a year and even broke that down by month. I then went a step further and was able to find out how long my average workout was per month and per week and per workout. You can review my training log data below:

This chart breaks down my workouts every month. The top row is yardage or miles, below that is the time spent doing that segment, with totals on the bottom. The very bottom chart signifies my yearly totals.  The red areas are there because I did not ride my bike at all! Also some of my overall workouts are off a bit because after September, I was strictly focused on the marathon. So what does all this tell me?

I think I had some pretty solid months of training, especially in the swim and biking. I think my run mileage could have been higher at the first of the year. The thing that bothered me the most when I broke it down was the number of days I actually trained. I averaged about 18 days a month training and only about an hour a session. (I understand that some workouts were longer than others, so all my workouts didn't only last an hour)

I need to do more quality workouts. I basically trained 219 days in 2012 which broke down to 20 hours a month or almost 5 hours a week, and that tells me I am going to have to do a lot more work if I am going to complete an Ironman this September. I did totally blow away 2011 results though, so that is something good. I also realize that I can't get to caught up in the training numbers, but I was honestly surprised at the numbers when I broke it down. I felt like I followed my plans fairly well and tried to limit the missed workouts, but hey, life sometimes gets in the way.

In 2012, this was my fastest year ever. I also was able to hit 8 PR's out of 12 races, and when I say I set new PR's, I am talking about massive new PR's, some were over an hour difference! So I count that as a huge win.

Another huge win for 2012 was that my wife placed 1st in an indoor triathlon and won her Age Group in a 5K race! My two oldest boys ran a triathlon and did really well, and even little Jesse completed a small fry Tri! So every member of my family competed in a triathlon in 2012!

So to wrap this up, what does my 2013 expectations consist of? I am not sure that I want to do the whole resolution/goals that people come up with at the beginning of the year. I mean, I do have goals, but I do not want to set them to numbers. I want to stay healthy, I want to continue to have fun racing. I also think I want to dive deep into my training on a monthly basis instead of waiting till the end of the year. I want to continue to get faster and I want to get leaner (better diet).

As for the blog, I have had a really great time putting my thoughts to paper and I have enjoyed every comment people have posted, so thank you all for reading and participating in my little journey. I have also learned a lot from reading other blogs! I appreciated Endorphin Warrior, Dane Rauschenberg, SockGuy socks and RockMyRun for the giveaways we have done together this year and I hope to be able to continue the giveaways in 2012. I am still looking to hit 100 followers in 2013!!!

Also I picked out my theme song from 2013. Right Now by Van Halen. This is the song that will get me through the tough workouts!!!