Since this is it for 2012, I wanted to talk a final look back at my running goals for the year. I was a little bit sidetracked by a femoral stress fracture in my right leg, which caused me to miss the entire month of September, along with 3 full marathons and 1 half marathon. However, in spite of this, I still consider 2012 to largely be a success from a running perspective with new PRs in both the half and full marathons. Here’s a rundown:
- Goal #1: Complete 2,000 training miles. My total for 2011 was 1,763, so this will be a pretty big increase. Will take over 166 miles per month to reach this goal. I know it is attainable, but only if I stay healthy and disciplined.
Achieved – Up until the last week of August, I was WELL ahead of pace for 2,000 miles in 2012, but not running for the entire month of September, and some of October, made this goal very questionable up until the end. However, my return to running program went so well that I ended up with just over 2,022-miles for the year, which is 259-miles ahead of my total for 2011.
- Goal #2: Complete my “Quest for 3:15” in a full marathon. This has been a very public goal for quite a while, and I hope to break through in 2012. I would also like to take this a step further in 2012 and break 3:10 which is my Boston qualifying time. I know this is pushing it, but I’m dreaming big. Really want to run my first Boston Marathon in 2013. To do this I will not only have to be disciplined to my running schedule, but will also have to be committed to quality runs, cross-training, diet, and sleep.
Partially Achieved – The “Quest for 3:15” was officially completed at the Rock n’ Roll NOLA Marathon on March 4 with a finish time of 3:12:28. However, due to the stress fracture, my fall marathon season was wiped out, and with it the goal of running a BQ in 2012. I’m hoping that next year both Nathan and I can run a BQ so that we can both experience Boston together for the first time in 2014. That is unless Nathan decides to completely forego road marathons for trail ultras after finally finishing “Born to Run” (not kidding).
While not an official marathon, I did end up running 26.2-miles at the 26.4.26 event just over a week ago. This was a very special experience.
My next scheduled marathon is the 2013 Rock n’ Roll NOLA Marathon at the end of February, but I’m having serious doubts about my ability to break 3:10 in this race. Coming back from the stress fracture has not allowed me to run the type of mileage I would like leading up to this race, so I might have to target a race in the fall.
- Goal #3: Finish at least 5 full marathons. I ran my first 2 full marathons in the fall of 2009, and then completed 4 full marathons in both 2010 and 2011. As of now I’m only registered for the Rock N’ Roll New Orleans Marathon in March, but I have also submitted my request to be the 3:45 pacer in the St Jude Country Music Marathon in May and have my eye on a handful of other races. Whether it is as a pacer or participant, I want to do at least one marathon at a slower, conservative pace where I can enjoy it.
Not Achieved – I completed two full marathons in the spring, and was registered for three more in the fall, but as mentioned above, the stress fracture wiped all of these out. As for running one at a slower, conservative pace…I was the official 4-hour pacer for the St Jude Country Music Marathon back in April and had a blast!
- Goal #4: Officially break 1:30 in a half marathon. I had an unofficial 1:29 finish in the Murfreesboro Middle Half Marathon in 2011 (due to course misrouting), but want to have it in writing in 2012. My best opportunities will most likely come at the 500 Festival Mini Marathon in May or again at the Murfreesboro Middle Half Marathon in October.
Achieved – I officially broke 1:30 for the first time at the Oak Barrel Half Marathon in Lynchburg, TN on April 7th with a 1:29:52. I was hoping to take it even lower at the 500 Festival Mini Marathon in May, but the 91% humidity throughout the race was a deal breaker on that front. As for the Middle Half mentioned in the goal, this race was also a casualty of the stress fracture. I ended up running the Chickamauga Battlefield Half Marathon in November as my first race back after the injury (I was originally registered for the full). This was obviously not the occasion to run really fast, but I was pleased to finish in 1:39:06 even though my longest run prior to the race was 8-miles, and I used a 10/1 run/walk strategy throughout.