Note
Year End Review, Part 1
2019 wasn't a great training year but it was a step up from 2018 when my annual training hours dipped 150 hrs below average. In the past two years, other priorities reduced my time available for training and affected my mood and motivation. In last year's review, I wrote, "I'll need to learn to train when I don't feel like it - or maybe there's a way to convince myself to feel like it. I'm not sure how one does this."
I'm optimistic that I'm on an upward trajectory, and I think I can get back on track in 2020 with some goals and structure to help with motivation.
There's plenty to criticize about my 2019 training but there were also some positives and reasons to celebrate. Our regular trips to Collingwood meant more XC skiing. 'Bent and I forced ourselves to do more skate skiing and learned to like it - a little, sort of. :) In July we spent an amazing week trail running with friends in the Rockies, aka "Canmore Camp", my biggest fitness boost of the year. I was 1st woman in the Orienteering Ontario O Cup Series and Storm The Trent, and Middle Distance age group champion at the Ontario Orienteering Champs. Browner, K-Way and I won the female team category at Raid The Hammer. I finished the 50-mile Québec Mega Trail, my longest run in more than two years.
But I'm most proud of the 101-km CCC mountain race at UTMB. My training plan fell apart when life got in the way so I winged it from a fitness perspective but I did not wing the other aspects of preparation or execution. I'm happy that my experience, mental focus and endurance from past years of training got me through it. I didn't expect to fail but I didn't expect to succeed either, which made the finish line especially sweet.
This year I've learned that it's possible to do more with less training than I'd ever imagined. Our bodies are amazing and resilient, which is great for emergencies but not something to rely on. I was darned lucky to avoid serious injuries.
Part 2 of the Year End Review will be "Training Goals", which I didn't write in 2018 or 2019. I think that will be key but it will take longer to think through.
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2019 Training Hours by Activity + 2019 Report Card
(2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 totals in brackets)
**Boring to read unless you are Future Me.**
Total Annual Training Hours = 387.5 hrs, 2256 km, 59,332 m climb
(333, 468.5, 495, 494.5, 470, 557, 505, 612)
I didn't set a target for total hours. I'd like to get back to the 450+ hour range but the 1 hour per week increase over 2018 was a good start.
2011-2013 training totals were higher than 2014-2017 mostly because of overnight/expedition ARs. The real drop happened in 2018 and 2019.
Top Five Activities - 2019
1) Running + Snowshoe Running - 193.5 hrs, 1153 km, 39,924 m climb, 93 sessions
(145, 222.5, 250.5, 188.5, 204.5, 153, 190, 138.5)
Two mountain ultras - Quebec Mega Trail 50 miler and CCC 101 km.
2) XC Skiing (Classic, Skate, Roller) - 45.5 hrs
(26, 20, 30, 60, 38, 45.5, 55, 28)
Stayed local. This may have been the most skiing I've done in a year without a ski vacation.
3) Paddling - 33 hrs
(30, 32.5, 17.5, 22.5, 14, 48, 31, 74)
This included our trip to Algonquin Park with Timato, K-Way, Mick, Laura and all the kids.
4) Trekking - 27 hrs
(17, 47.5, 10.5, 64.5, 38.5, 19, 17.5, 16)
5) Tied:
Mountain Biking + Road Biking - 21.5 hrs
(45, 53, 33.5, 37.5, 34.5, 60, 77.5, 89)
This is incredibly low. Half my 2019 biking hours were logged on 5 days in April in Sedona. Biking was the sport that I pretty much gave up this year when I was short of time. This number doesn't include the biking in two adventure races - but the totals in other years didn't include AR biking either. I have a great bike so 2020 must be different!
Strength + Yoga - 21 hrs
(30.5, 59.5, 82, 65, 65.5, 52, 36, 30)
Target was 80 hours and I can feel the loss in strength and mobility. The Personal Best Fitness Studio and Caron's Yoga/Core classes used to help me get this training in. In their absence, I obviously haven't been great at motivating myself but the other option is to drive to town and pay money, which seems silly when we have so much fitness equipment at home. I need a plan.
Former Top 5 Activities that missed the 2019 list:
Orienteering + Snowshoe Orienteering - 17 hrs
(23, 18.5, 36.5, 13, 57.5, 55, 66.5, 73.5)
Although I've been on the board of Orienteering Ontario for years, I don't orienteer much. If I lived in Norway, I'd probably orienteer once or twice a week but in Caledon, it's easier to do other sports.
Adventure Racing - 14.5 hrs
(8, 8, 18.5, 30, 0, 112, 26, 163)
I still think of AR as my primary interest but there aren't many opportunities close to home. I'm the Assistant RD at the only overnight AR in Ontario so I never get to race it - oh well. :)