Monday, May 13, 2013

2013 Goals, revised

I can't believe we are nearing the halfway point for the year! It seems like a good time to check in with my goals for the year... and to be honest with myself.

I didn't set many goals, but I did make some big ones.

#1: run 1000 miles this year. Yeah, NOT going to happen. Even if I weren't 9 days away from surgery (that will take me out for 6 stupid weeks), this goal just wasn't going to happen this year. Despite training for Circular Logic, my mileage stayed low (again). I haven't even broken 300 yet. Call me a slacker. I ran 227 miles from Decmebr to March for that marathon training, which is oddly enough 1 mile LESS than I ran during training for the AF full last year. At least I'm consistent in my low mileage.

#2: Complete 3 more marathons. 1 down, 2 to go. I know, barring injury, I will finish. So I feel ok about this. But I know semi-secret goal of one of those marathons being under 4:30 is in jeopardy.

I think I'll approach the AF marathon as a long training run for the Veteran's marathon. And between now and then, I'll keep reminding myself the a DNF will NOT affect my self-worth.

And, who knows. The optimist in me is reminding me of last fall's Freedom Half- I felt like I had taken the whole month off beforehand, and yet I still had that massive PR. Maybe, just Maybe, 6 weeks off will leave me feeling rested, refreshed, and ready to tackle this training cycle with renewed vigor.

#3: Run the HUFF 50K, my first ultra.  I'm still confident it will happen. But, like the semi-secret time goal for the marathons, I'm not sure how fast it will be... I could very well be racing the clock to meet the cut-off time.

{I'll be honest: I just got home from my pre-op appointment, and while I took the "you're sure you are ok not having kids" discussion in stride (calm acceptance, I really am ok with that part), I straight up BAWLED when I was told no running for 6 weeks.

Running is my therapy, my hobby, my way of calming my mind... running is the friend that is always there when needed, and never gives me (too) much crap if I skip it once in a while, since it knows I'll be back. Running has taught me to appreciate my strength, to read the scale as how Strong I am rather than how heavy. So, 6 weeks without it will be rough. The NP offered to ask for some Xanax for after surgery, but I've been down that road- I told her no thanks. I'd rather force myself to find a way to cope (like cross-stitch binges or knitting) than medicate. I don't like the way that crap makes me feel. I'd rather be present than checked out, even if present means being fully aware of how much I'll want to run.}

2 new goals

#4: 13.1 miles on May 21! I'm adding this one to the list. I know I'll be a ball of nerves the day before surgery, so right now, my plan is to run a half marathon on the base 5k trail- 4 laps plus a few of the running track should get me there. If I time it right, I'll finish around the time the running group is meeting. It would be awesome if some of them would joins me for the last lap.

#5: have fun at Track Day. Track Day is this Thursday- I want to put on a good showing for my 1.5 mile race. If I can round out the last of my races with another strong one, I'll feel a tiny bit better about time off. So far, I've set 3 new PRs this spring (full and 5K twice), which helps.

How are your goals for the year coming along?

2 comments:

  1. Good luck with surgery! Hope you get in some great runs to reminisce about during your time off:-) At least you would choose a cross-stitch binge...I'd probably choose cake;-)

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  2. Hope the surgery goes smoothly! You are making great progress toward your goals. Enjoy Track Day this Thursday!

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