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Since today marks the end of the first quarter of 2012, so I thought it would be good to review my goals for 2012 and see how things are going:

• 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.

  For the first quarter I completed 588-miles which puts me on pace for 2,352 for 2012. This is obviously well ahead of 2,000. Now that I have hired a coach to train for Milwaukee this fall, I’m thinking that 2,500 might be in my future for this year if I stay healthy.

• 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.

  The “Quest for 3:15” was officially completed at the NOLA Marathon on March 4 with a finish time of 3:12:28. I am now only 2:28 from a BQ and have hired a coach to train for Milwaukee this fall. My training target for Milwaukee will be 3:05. 

• 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.

  I have completed one full marathon in 2012, and am registered for two more. This includes the St Jude Country Music Marathon in April and the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon in October. I am in the lottery for New York in November, and my fall-back plan is to the the Chicamauga Battlefield Marathon in Georgia. Whether or not I do a fifth marathon will depend completely on how I feel. Even though I really want to run five, I’m not willing to sacrifice 2013 to hit this number. As for running one at a slower, conservative pace…I was selected as the official 4-hour pacer for the St Jude Country Music Marathon.
   

• 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.

  My first opportunity to break 1:30 in 2012 will come a week from today at the Oak Barrel Half Marathon in Lynchburg, TN. Even though I’m not treating this like a goal race, I’m still hoping to shoot for something in the 1:29 range and then take it even lower at the 500 Festival Mini Marathon in May. The big variable at the Oak Barrel is “Whiskey Hill” which is a mile-long, very steep hill at mile 5. Whether or not I’m able to break 1:30 will depend a lot on how well I handle that hill, and how quickly I’m able to recover at the top. 

Well, so far, so good with regard to 2012 goals….Beast Mode…ON!!

This morning the Nashville Striders group training run for the Country Music Marathon was a 20-miler on the Stones River and Shelby Bottoms Greenways. There were several members of our group who were planning to participate (most of them are running Boston), so I decided to join them for at least part of the run. My coach had told me on Thursday that for the next couple of weeks he just wants me to try and keep my mileage up as long as my legs feel good, and then we would start thinking about the specific training plan for Milwaukee.

Since I’m only two weeks removed from the NOLA Marathon I decided to just play it by feel with regard to how much distance I would go for today. Most of the route was an out-and-back, so shortening the run would not be a problem.

However, I ended up feeling good for the entire run and actually completed 21-miles. I love this route and the run was fantastic. My overall pace was in the 8:30s, but this was a mix of miles from the 9:10s in the beginning to 7:40s at the end. I was especially pleased with how well my legs felt on big hills near the end of the run. Dan and Mary pushed the pace through this section, and my legs felt strong all the way to the end (BTW…Dan and Mary looked great).

Right now my confidence is still pretty high from NOLA, and I’m excited about the things my coach has in store for my training over the spring and summer. Beginning tomorrow, my Dad and I leave for an 8-day mission trip to southern Honduras. Not sure how much I’ll get to run, but any mileage completed will be up in the mountains at 5,000 ft above sea level.

Two weeks after we get back I’ve got the Oak Barrel Half Marathon in Lynchburg, followed 3-weeks later by the Country Music Marathon (as the 4-hour pacer), and then the 500 Festival Mini Marathon (in Indianapolis) a week after that. Busy Schedule!

Beast Mode…ON!

My thoughts on the 36th annual One America 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis, IN

One America 500 Festival Mini Marathon
May 7, 2011
www.500festival.com/marathon/

My Run:  Overall, the One America 500 Festival Mini-Marathon (Mini) in Indianapolis was my eighth half marathon.  This was the third year in a row that I have run the Mini, which is the largest half marathon and fifth largest road race in the U.S. with 35,000 runners.  The Mini is part of the month-long 500 Festival that leads up to the Indianapolis 500.

Getting ready for @500Festival #MiniMarathon in the morning w @OliviaAgee.

With @OliviaAgee & @PaxtonB at the @500Festival #MiniMarathon Expo

My training for the Indy 500 Festival Mini-Marathon this year has been focused on breaking 1:30:00 for the first time.  However, just found out today that the first 500 finishers (out of 30,000+) receive a special medal (pictured above).  Last year, the time to make the top 500 was 1:28:40.  Not sure that I have this in me, or even a 1:30:00 for that matter, but it is very tempting to give it a shot (keeping in mind that the time could be completely different this year).  Is this crazy?