Like most parents of young children, there are a lot of things which I used to really enjoy, that I have trouble finding time for these days. I don’t travel to many conferences, I don’t take on as many DIY projects, and I’m definitely not writing as much as I used to on here. One thing that I’ve tried to maintain is my consistently infrequent running routine. Back in 2013, I wrote a post sharing some of my running data. I’ve continued to track all of my runs since then, so I was curious how I’ve been doing. As it turns out, not so bad…
I was surprised to see that 2018 was my best year on record with almost 150 total miles. While I’m tracking a bit behind to hit that for 2019, it’s nice to see that I’ve already run more miles than either of the 2 years when my daughters were born. I try to get out for a 3-4 mile run at least once a week and like to run a few 5k races each year too. When life gets crazy though—which it often does—running is the first thing that gets pushed off. It’s not uncommon for me to go 2 or 3 weeks without a run, but I’ve only ever missed a full month once since recovering from the sleep depravation of my 2nd daughter’s arrival in 2014.
While a download from RunKeeper is my primary data source for those stats, it’s not the app I start when I step outside. Since the Summer of 2015, I’ve been tracking my workouts in iSmoothRun, and then exporting to RunKeeper and Strava. One of the many features of iSmoothRun is that it keeps track of shoe mileage. At the end of July, I decided to compare the data I had for my previous Asics to the Brooks Glycerin shoes I’d been running in for the past 2 years.
Seeing that my average pace in the Brooks was a full minute slower was a bit of a surprise. Many of my runs over the last year were with a neighborhood friend, who I tend to chat with instead of pushing my pace. Another factor is distance – I ran a lot more 4 mile routes over the last 2 years than I ever did before. I’m still not happy with an almost 10 minute pace though, even for a 4 mile run.
Those Asics stats above aren’t entirely complete either. I bought that pair in December of 2014, so there are 8 months or so of runs in those that aren’t connected. I try to get at least 300 miles out of my running shoes before they get relegated to yard work, but it felt like a good time for a change. Instead of waiting until I’d completely wore out my Brooks Glycerin 15s, I decided to switch back to Asics, with a fresh pair of blue GEL-Nimbus 20s. They’re actually my 3rd pair of the GEL-Nimbus series. My first was a pair of GEL-Nimbus 12s that I bought in 2010:
First run in a couple months. New pair of Asics from Strictly Running and no knee pain. Woot!
— Jason (never joined X) (@jasongraphix) July 23, 2010
So, here I am, 9 years later, still running and breaking in yet another pair of Asics. I’ve already been out for a couple 5k runs in my new kicks this month with an average pace of 9:03. Hoping I can keep that number low, even as I start mixing in some 4 mile (or longer) routes again. Even if I don’t, I’d still like to work in a few extra workouts to try to make it over 150 miles in 2019. We’ll see!