It’s time to train.
The fallow period of crossfit training and bootcamps that has been the last few months is drawing to an end. It’s time to focus on running and set goals for my 2012-13 season.
The season falls into two halves this year: preparing for the marathon at the Baltimore Running Festival in October, then tackling the Austin Distance Challenge that culminates with the Austin Marathon in February.
Phase 1: Why the Hell Are You Running in Baltimore?
Mostly because of my friend, Kevin. For years, I’ve been reading Kevin’s blog where he frequently chronicles his daughter’s struggles with Juvenile Myositis and how his family has coped. I’ve also long been impressed by his efforts to find a cure through the foundation he established. One of the primary ways that the foundation raises money and awareness is through the team they sponsor at the Baltimore marathon.
It’s pretty easy to understand why I’m all in for this one. I want to be on Team JM.
My goal is to raise $1000 for the foundation. You’ll be hearing a lot from me as I beg and plead for donations to help me make my goal. You can shut me up sooner by making your donation today.
The official prep has already started, or should have anyway. I’m following this schedule, published for free by Nike+. It’s titled “Set a New PR,” but I’m not really interested in that (my PR is 3:42). I want to run under 4 hours, but that’s about it. I like this schedule because of the emphasis on track workouts, and less on really long runs (notice the absence of 20 milers). I am hoping this will make it easier to balance training with the kid schedules — we’re going to have lots of games in the fall. I’m a few runs behind out of the gate because of travel and vacation — and still have traces of plantar fasciitis, but I’m hoping to overcome both in the coming weeks.
As in the past, I’ve got the Nike+ website to track my progress. I’ll also post most runs on twitter. I’ve picked up a heart monitor to keep me honest about my pace on my early morning runs. Audible books will help me pass the hours. New to this training cycle: the ElliptiGo. This hybrid bike is going to offer all kinds of opportunities to cross train and avoid or treat injuries along the way. The model I have on the way is the 8C — orange — which I won through a contest on the ElliptiGo Facebook page. I’m so incredibly grateful to have access to this piece of equipment during my training.
The biggest challenge may be the transition back from New England into the teeth of the Austin Summer, mid-week 6 of the training. I’m also hoping to be able to maintain as much of the strength training as I can without over-training or burning out.
Phase 2: The Austin Distance Challenge
The ADC is basically a composite of all of Austin’s best and most popular races, serving up a nice variety of distances and race experiences. Participants in the challenge compete in the series for overall low time in overall and age group categories. I’d love a top 20 finish in my age group, 45-49. Just completing the challenge earns you a cool jacket.
The races in the series are:
IBM Uptown Classic 10K (10/7)
Run for the Water 10 miler (10/28)
Decker Challenge Half Marathon (12/9)
3M Half Marathon (1/13)
Rogue 30k (1/27)
Livestrong Marathon (2/17)
I would probably run most of these races anyway, The Challenge puts a nice overall layer on top to make it more interesting. The IBM will be a new race for me, but a very familiar distance. I’m most curious about the Rogue 30k — it’s an inaugural race and a new distance for me. I’m really looking forward to checking this one out.
Bonus Round: Dallas Rock’n’Roll Half, Austin 10/20
I ran both of these spring races last year without straining too much, so body and spirit willing, I’ll tack these two on at the end, bringing my race total to nine. An ambitious schedule — taking on two marathons in a year, and a higher total number of races.
Wish me luck. I sincerely appreciate in advance the support offered on Facebook, Twitter and in person. Feel free to join Team DadLabs — let me know if you’ll be running any of these events. And please help me get this journey started on the right foot by making a donation to the Cure JM Foundation today.
