This month was another big one with 270 total miles covered in 21 runs. There were six runs over 20 miles, the longest of the month was 28.6miles. There was also snow and I did two of my long runs wearing the spikes I received as a Christmas present this year. Without them I could not have met my training goals. Thankfully the snow melted quickly and I was back to just cold and wet runs the last two weeks of the month.
| Stats | October | November | December | January |
| Hours | 40 | 24 | 47 | 50 |
| Miles | 251 | 127 | 241 | 270 |
| Runs | 22 | 11 | 19 | 21 |
| Workouts | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
This is the volume phase of my training, focusing on longer runs and more time on my feet in preparation for the hours expected in the 100-mile effort. Back to back runs of multiple hours can be a bit taxing on the mind, as well as the body. I resorted to a couple of audio books to help take my mind off of being cold and outside for hours at a time. I don’t listen to music or audiobooks often when I run but I find I’m doing it more often as the training weeks turn into training months and the runs get longer. I’m starting to listen to some podcasts too. I need to download anything I want to listen to because cell coverage is spotty on the back roads where I train.
The other thing happening is that I’m achieving ‘record’ times according to my Strava history. Because I run a lot of the same routes I can compare past runs and there is a definite upward trend in my speed comparing past to recent efforts on the same courses. This is happening without any specific focus on speed, but a consistent effort on increasing mileage. Yes, I’m doing some speed workouts and hill repeats, which improve leg strength and overall fitness. It looks like those workouts are having an impact. Win!
That’s about as much January as I can take. I suspect February will be colder but I’ll be lowing the mileage in preparation for my March 1st race! I feel as though I’m going to be very well prepared when the race starts! Time will tell.