We managed to log one last dirt ride for the year before we head to Fairbanks this week — eight hours of soupy fog and equally soupy mud. The California drought and an attitude that "rain is running weather" has almost completely desiccated my patience for mixing bikes with mud. Hours of splooshing through a cold goo shower is just so much better when you don't involve a fast-moving, difficult-to-clean mechanical object. But I wanted to squeeze in a long ride this weekend, as we're now just three weeks out to the 200-kilometer snow bike race. Beat and I rode with our friend Jan, who had a great attitude about the grimy day. "How many times do you get to see Skyline like this?" he said, referring to fog so thick we could barely see a few meters in front of us. As I remember from March 2011, if we have a more "normal" winter ... actually, a lot.
Plugging the ride into Strava started me thinking about my "year in Strava." This is the first year I've used GPS fairly consistently to track rides and runs, which means I have a nearly complete record of my training data (the GPS did stay home from time to time.) I can be a numbers geek with the best of them. Although I don't place high personal value in my statistics (because statistics do not tell very good stories), and although I can't make much use of them because I have little interest in a structured training plan, I still have fun tracking these details. I'm glad I managed to record my activities consistently through 2014.
I thought it would be fun to crunch the numbers for 2014. I realize the year is not quite over, but like most people, my free time will be limited over the holidays, so winter solstice it is. Hikes are included in the running totals, because in my world there isn't that much of a difference between running and hiking — either way, I am trying to move in the most efficient way possible in regard to terrain, distance, and elevation change. Usually my effort levels are fairly consistent regardless of pace. Cycling is both road and mountain biking. Strava doesn't distinguish between the two.
From a "pre-holiday-party run" along Russian Ridge on Saturday. |
I thought it would be fun to crunch the numbers for 2014. I realize the year is not quite over, but like most people, my free time will be limited over the holidays, so winter solstice it is. Hikes are included in the running totals, because in my world there isn't that much of a difference between running and hiking — either way, I am trying to move in the most efficient way possible in regard to terrain, distance, and elevation change. Usually my effort levels are fairly consistent regardless of pace. Cycling is both road and mountain biking. Strava doesn't distinguish between the two.
Cycling:
Distance: 4,557 miles (including RASA)
Time: 321 hours, 13 minutes (not including RASA)
Elevation gain: 478,196 feet
Rides: 92
Running:
Distance: 1,570 miles
Time: 394 hours, 46 minutes
Elevation gain: 282,608 feet
Runs: 140
Cumulative distance: 6,127 miles
Cumulative elevation gain: 761,227 feet
This section of the Skyline Trail opened to bikes in November, but remnants of past discrimination linger. |
It was a good year. Not even including the moving time within 21.5 days of the Race Across South Africa, I spent 716 hours on the move. That's the equivalent of 29 days — nearly a month. Some will undoubtedly ask, "Why do you spend/waste so much time training?" My answer is simple: I am consistently the most happy when I am moving through the world. Even better when I am moving through the world under my own power. In 2014 I had the privilege to spend more than one twelfth of the year in this happy place — in addition to a variety of other great experiences. Yes, 2014 was pretty fantastic.
The month-to-month breakdown tells a better story, because there are some wild variations to the numbers. In January and February I was simultaneously training for the Iditarod Trail Invitational and the Freedom Challenge — so loaded cart pulls and long mountain bike rides. March was mostly snow biking in Alaska followed by the White Mountains 100 at the end of the month. April and May were highly training-focused with many hours on the bike, and June was the Race Across South Africa. July was a recovery month, although with Tor des Geants on the horizon I embarked on some long hikes. In August I increased the running mileage. Early September was the Tor des Geants, which ended in an LCL tear in my left knee, followed by four "zero" weeks. Once my knee started working again in October, I ramped up the bike mileage quickly, and started walking and then running again in November. I was lucky to get away with increasing my mileage as quickly as I did after my injury. I believe having a solid base of high-mileage conditioning helped. I also really did take all that time off, and my knee had a fair chance to heal.
Beat looking good during a day of playing in the mud. |
The breakdown:
January:
Bike: 511.3 miles, 50,334 feet gain
Run: 195.4 miles, 35,010 feet gain
February:
Bike: 78.7 miles, 9,718 feet gain
Run: 456.6 miles, 33,233 feet gain (Iditarod Trail Invitational)
March:
Bike: 327.8 miles, 16,388 feet gain (White Mountains 100)
Run: 28.8 miles, 1,349 feet gain
April:
Bike: 490.9 miles, 61,936 feet gain
Run: 110.5 miles, 19,544 feet gain
May:
Bike: 647.1 miles, 72,110 feet gain
Run: 137.8 miles, 27,270 feet gain
June:
Bike: 1,450 miles, 121,391 feet gain (Race Across South Africa)
Run: 19.5 miles, 5,866 feet gain
July:
Bike: 33.2 miles, 4,380 feet gain
Run 108.5 miles, 23,625 feet gain
August:
Bike: 183.9 miles, 23,822 feet gain
Run: 169.7 miles, 48,323 feet gain
September
Bike: Big fat zero
Run: 133 miles, 48,615 feet gain (almost entirely Tor des Geants)
October
Bike: 494.6 miles, 59,632 feet gain
Run: 12.4 miles, 1,824 feet gain
November
Bike: 263.7 miles, 39,423 feet gain
Run: 93.4 miles, 17,927 feet gain
December so far
Bike: 155.2 miles, 21,893 feet gain
Run: 119 miles, 22,172 feet gain
Some bloggers ask questions at the end of their posts. This is one I'm curious about. Do you track your outdoor/training activities? How do you feel about your "year in numbers?"