After a week that felt like it took forever, we’ve finally reached the end of January.

It was a pretty solid month of training for me, and the first solid month since the Chicago Marathon. The next step will be ramping up the distance on my long runs, because that isn’t there yet.

Overall I’m happy with the way January turned out. I ran three races with one going very well, one going OK, and one going poorly; so a nice mix. Including those races, I totaled 140 miles this month, which was my highest since September.

Longest run: 13 Miles

Like I said, getting my long runs up over the next couple months is key. As marathon training continues to ramp up, that distance needs to follow suit. In fact, I haven’t run a training run over 13 since before Chicago (excluding the NYC Marathon) so that has to change.

Best Workout: Ladders

While I enjoy my Wave Tempo runs, I really liked the Ladder workout I did with CARA in late January. It was one of the few workouts I ran where the second half was significant;y faster. It also gave me confidence that I could run fast on snow covered roads.

Worst Workout: Hills

This was bad for a couple reasons. The hill I found will prove to be extremely valuable as training goes on; however when covered with snow, it was less than fun. I also got dive bombed by a hawk which shortened the workout a bit.

Best Race: The Big Chill

If you read the blog consistently, you knew this was coming. I surprised myself with a sub 19 5k at the Big Chill in cold weather, and the day after the Pettit. I definitely attribute this to the Ladder workout from earlier in the week.

Worst Race: Pettit Half

Aims for Half PR. Fails.

What’s on Tap?

More training in February. Duh. But I only have one race on the horizon this month, which makes this an important month for getting miles in. If I’m very lucky, the weather will clear up, and allow for some more outdoor February miles. Ramp up long runs, and rebuild that endurance. The Illinois Marathon waits for no man.