Launching Into 2015 - Who's With Me?

Okay, it is time to talk about the future. It may be clear by now that I am a “goal setter” and tend to guide my everyday life in pursuit of my goals, they may be months down the road, or just a task I need to complete by the end of the day, no matter what, I set a goal, and set out to achieve it. Usually I endure some kind of adventure along the way toward that goal which makes for an entertaining story, so really it is the journey along the way that keeps me coming back for more.

This brings me to today… About a year ago, (I realize that felt like a time/space continuum), I was ripping through marathons every few months along my 35 by 35 journey, and I started to ponder what my next goal would be? I will deliver three high fives to anyone guess what my first idea was??? Actually, I have shared this idea with one person, so now here it is unveiled to all of you… I want to qualify for the 2016 Olympic marathon trials. In case you were wondering what this Herculean task entails, I will need to run a marathon under 2:43 hours before the trials take place on February 13^th, 2016, (Hannah’s birthday) in Los Angeles. Obviously this is a lofty goal, but will my life go on if I don’t qualify? Yes. Would it be a miracle if I could lop off 37 minutes from my current marathon personal record in order to qualify? Yes. Does that mean I won’t try? No. What are we here for if not to go for it, and enjoy the process along the way? I’m an American for goodness sake! 

However, I do fancy myself a bit of  a running "expert", and as such I know that I do not have the body type and/or fleet-footedness to go under 2:43hrs. Maybe if I never grew those four inches in-between Freshmen and Sophomore year in high school and was not a schosch below 6',I would be in a better spot, but I am a large lady, so a 3:00 hour marathon may be possible someday, but sub 2:50 is a little ridiclulous. That said, I am a creative person, so I came up with a different Olympic Qualifying inspired plan that is sending me back to two of my favorite marathons in early 2015, the LA marathon in March, and the Boston marathon in April.

I have already launched into an 18 week “Advanced” = (75 - 100 miles per week) marathon training plan for the LA marathon, whereas Boston is only 5 weeks after LA, so the name of the game for that training plan is enough rest and recovery after LA to be ready to rock again in Boston. 

I am so excited to race the Boston course again, ten years after my first go-around in 2005, I was not in proper shape back then, so this time around I plan to give the course the respect it deserves and be in best shape possible come race day. 

Here comes the juice, my goal is to race LA around 3:15 hours, and Boston 3:11 hours, exactly one hour faster than my time as a 25 year old; clever, huh? Will I cry tears of disappointment if I don’t make those times? No. Will I push myself every single day to accomplish the training, nutrition, rest, and assessment required to reach my goals? Yes. Will I respect my body, and love every moment that she allows me to keep going? Yes. Will I hug Hannah before leaving for every work out, no matter what time it is? Yes. Will I have an amazing husband and training partner with me along the way? Yes. Will I write it all down, and share the journey with all of you? You betcha!

On another note, I have plans cooking for the back half of 2015 which include LOTS of swimming, biking, and running… Happy Thanksgiving my friends!