Posts Tagged ‘2012’

I’ve had an issue in the past month or so in which I have a lot of things on my mind, but they haven’t made their way to my blog.

This past weekend’s race is a perfect example – I signed up a couple of days before Christmas, but it only got a small mention in a post last week. I had a lot of thoughts about doing a trail race and running an event in January, but I just never put those thoughts together.

While some may say it’s no big deal or who cares, it comes down to something I need more of – focus. During last night’s #runchat, Scott and I asked fellow runners what their word for 2012 would be to help achieve their goals. Out of nowhere I came up with “focus.”

I was definitely focused last year, but I’ve lost a lot of that lately. It’s weird to say that, especially after the holiday run streak and ending the year strong, but I feel like I’ve lost something.

So now it’s time to get refocused and do the things I say I’m going to do. Lists of goals and letters to myself sound good, but I have to put those things in action.

I have the Shamrock Half Marathon in 68 days and then something after that a little more than 2 months later. And that “something” is something I have to save for another post …

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In the past couple of weeks, I spent a lot of time reflecting on a great year. Now that the calendar has flipped to a new month and a new year, there’s a feeling of starting something new. The great thing about this year is I don’t have to start over like I did last year.

The Runner’s World Holiday Run Streak — running at least a mile every day from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day — gave me some solid miles and solid runs that makes for an easy transition into training mode. I actually hit day 40 today of consecutive running days, but today was different — the first “official” day of training for the Shamrock Half Marathon.

So with this run, my focus shifts to the year ahead, and here are 12 thoughts for the next 12 months that are on my mind.

1. My “A” goal for the first quarter is a PR in the Shamrock Half Marathon on March 18 in Virginia Beach. Two winters ago I trained in one of the roughest winters around here in years and still managed to set a PR. This year is looking much better weather-wise (although I would love some snow at some point), and my mind will once again be set on beating my best time, which is 1:42.52.

2. I’m still undecided on whether or not I’ll run a marathon in the spring.

3. I want to get my weight to under 180. I don’t know what it is right now, but my letter to myself the other day is something I’m staying focused on. Weight is just a number, I know, but if I could stop eating stupid, I know that my race times would drop even more.

4. Barring injury, I will pass 5,000 running miles since the beginning of 2007 (I didn’t log miles from 2004-06). I have about 750 to go, so that should happen in late summer/early fall.

5. Speaking of mileage, I will not set an overall mileage goal again this year. It was definitely a great thing to focus on in 2010, but I liked how last year went with my “finish it stronger than I begin it” goal — a little more than 400 in the first half of the year and a little more than 600 in the second half. Right now I just want to run; mileage goals will be secondary whenever I realize I’m close to something.

6. I will buy a new GPS watch sometime this year.

7. It’s weird in January to think of things that will happen 11 months from now. It’s that feeling of that time will never get here. I know it will, so assuming everything goes like I hope, I want to return to the Christmas Classic 5k in Bedford and break 22 minutes.

9. I’m going to start riding my bike at least once a week when the weather warms up and I have a little more daylight in the evenings. I fully intend to continue to increase my cross training this year and I want the bike to be a part of it.

10. My sister is running the Monument Avenue 10k at the end of March. I’m not sure how much I had to do with talking her into doing it, but it will be just her second race. I’m really looking forward to her completing it.

11. When May rolls around, I will hit the campaign trail hard for Relay for Life where I will once again run lots of laps for a great cause. My donation page is active now.

12. I have failed to mention it on here, but I am doing the Mountain Junkies’ Frozen Toe 10k this weekend in Roanoke. It will be the first race I’ve ever done in January, but it certainly won’t be a race for time. It’s a trail race around Roanoke Mountain with some generous elevation change. Similar to the Trail Nut 10k last year, I’m looking at this event to gain trail running experience. I think it will be a great way to kick off the year.

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Dear Me,
Remember 8 years ago how you finally made that decision to lose weight? Remember how you looked like this:

In the past 8 years you’ve done a lot — you lost 40 pounds, you have run dozens of races including three marathons, you even like salads.

You know, though, that you’ve been saying for a while you want to lose those “final” 10 pounds. In reality, those “final” 10 pounds consist of several pounds that have been gained or lost over this 8-year span, nagging at you when your jeans get a little tighter.

Remember that drive and determination from the beginning of 2004? The running, the lifting weights, the drastically changed diet — it was truly a new lifestyle. You have done a fairly good job at keeping a lot of those things going, but there are times you let that slip.

But as the calendar changes to another year, there’s no better time than now to recommit, get back to eating much better all of the time, cross train consistently and to make 2012 an even better year than 2011.

Yes, you, it’s time …

Sincerely,
Me

“… I would love to go back there for a third time …”

Those are my words from my last post, which may explain this email subject line:

There are lots of reasons for this, which I don’t want to get into right now. It’s the right thing for me and I can’t wait to run Richmond for a third time. That is all, for now.

No, I did not fall off the edge of a cliff. I’m alive and doing very well. I just happened to get caught up in the madness of life, got some extra sleep, and then traveled to Ohio to visit the in-laws and go to a wedding. The few days off the computer (besides my phone a few times) has been nice.

No hills in sight around this northeast Ohio greenway.

Fortunately I’ve had time to run twice on this trip too — on a nice, quiet paved trail that pretty much goes through the middle of nothing. While it can easily become boring, my two runs on this trip — 4 and 6 miles, respectively — have been great. It’s just been me and a few of my favorite tunes, as well as some cool weather in the mid-30s.

(Complete side note here — I thought this was northeast Ohio where everyone brags about how they can handle cold weather? I saw a lot of people bundled up on this morning’s run while my southern self was in shorts and a thin long-sleeve shirt with no issues.)

Anyway … I took advantage of the flatness to get in my first goal-oriented run since Baltimore — I did a progressive run on Friday with splits of 9:11, 8:54, 8:17, and 7:57. Today I started a bit slow, but finished my 6-miler under a 9-minute pace. These two runs are the first ones in three weeks in which I felt completely normal.

It’s left me with thoughts all over the place abut what I want to do this spring. I know I’ve mentioned going for a PR in the Shamrock Half Marathon in March, but I’m also thinking about upgrading to the full marathon. I’ve had other thoughts of still doing Shamrock Half and then maybe doing the Charlottesville Marathon in April.

Other races and other goals have been on my mind quite a bit too, but I’m still not ready to commit to anything yet. In a way, I want whatever is next beyond my upcoming 5k series to feel spontaneous, kind of like when I signed up for Baltimore. Maybe something even more random that I haven’t even thought of will pop up in the next few weeks.

For now, though, it’s all about those 5k races and the last 97 miles or so until I hit 1,000 miles for 2011.