2011 Goals

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2010 was the year I started running. Sort of my Running 101 year. I began last January with Couch to 5k, and finished with a half marathon in December. But the one thing I'm most proud of is that I managed to be consistent with my running for the entire year. Everything else I accomplished can be traced back to simply being consistent. There were too many people and things that kept me motivated to list here, so I'll save that for another post. But, I will say that I love racing, and found that having an upcoming race on my calendar was huge for keeping me going.

So with all of that in mind, here are a few things I'd like to accomplish in 2011.

First, continue being consistent with my running. Pace and distance improvements are great, but at this stage I still feel that I'm very much a beginning runner, and as such, I'm told that consistency is key. So I've set a mileage goal of 1000 miles for 2011 in order to help me achieve my more general goal of running consistently. It will take a year-long, consistent effort to reach 1000 miles. That's an average of about 19 miles per week. It's very reachable, but only if I stay consistent.

Second, I want to keep a busy race schedule. I think it will help me achieve my first goal because racing is such a big motivation for me. The last thing I want is to show up on race day feeling unprepared. So on days I don't feel like running, I think about the upcoming race and how much better prepared I'll feel if I got in all of my training runs. That's usually enough to get me out the door. So in 2011 I plan to run 7-9 races. That's about one race every 5-6 weeks when you consider that not much racing goes on in Texas between mid-July and mid-September. I think that's about right. (although I have 2 races this month - how did that happen?)

Third, I want to get more consistent with core training. I would like to look back on 2011 this time next year and see that I became as consistent with core training in 2011 as I did with running in 2010. My goal is at least one core training workout per week.

So that's really about it for 2011-specific goals. I have other goals that I keep listed on my goals page, but those aren't necessarily goals that I feel like I have to accomplish in 2011 (although running a full marathon is something I would like to shoot for in late 2011). I'm sure that over the coming days and weeks I will think of other things I'd like to accomplish in 2011, but I think this is a pretty good start for now.

Super Bowl 5k!

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One of my goals for 2011 is to run more races than I did in 2010. That means at least seven, but I'm aiming for 7-9 races this year.

I'll be getting a quick start on this goal by running my first race of 2011 this Saturday. Last night, on a whim, I registered for the Super Bowl XLV 5k. The registration fee was only $10, and they are giving away a pair of tickets to the Super Bowl. Plus, I get a long-sleeve t-shirt. The race will be run through what looks like a pretty nice park area that I'm not familiar with, so it's also a good chance to check out a new park. It's a bit out of the way for regular runs, but it's always nice to have options when I have the time to drive a bit for a run.

My primary goal for this race is to win Super Bowl tickets. Other than that, I'm not taking the actual race too seriously, although it may really depend on how competitive I'm feeling that morning. Considering that I'm just coming off a bout with the flu, I'm not really feeling 100% ready to go out and PR. But who knows? Anyway, it's always fun to go run a race. I can't wait to win those Super Bowl tickets and post my first race bib for 2011.

On the road again

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Despite what my DailyMile widget over in the margin might say, I have been back to running the past couple of days.

Saturday afternoon I decided to try to go for my first run in about a week and a half. The weather was nice - sunny and 39 degrees, no wind. Almost perfect running weather (I prefer it closer to 50). I headed down to a local park that has about 6 miles of running paths. It's great for runs when I'm not feeling my best because I can get in a long run without ever being more than about a mile from my car. So I got to the park and got going, and almost quit immediately. Each step I took jarred my aching sinuses, so I was feeling a sharp pain in my face over and over again - not fun. I experimented with clenching my jaw and holding my face muscles tight- which helped a bit. Eventually after about a mile or so the pain eased up (or I just got used to it). Other than the sinus pain, the run went pretty well. Physically, it felt like I hadn't really lost anything. But mentally, it was way more challenging than normal for a 3.3 mile run. But I got through it just fine and decided to try to get back on the training plan on Sunday.

The training plan called for an easy 6 mile run on Sunday. I headed back to the park on Sunday afternoon, enjoying more great running weather. The sinus pain was gone, so physically the run went great. Mentally - still more challenging than normal. Usually I have a pretty good feel for how far I've run - I'm usually accurate within a 1/4 mile or so. But on Sunday the run kept feeling alot longer than it actually was. The first time I checked my distance on my Garmin, I expected to see about 4 or 4.5 miles...instead, it was less than 3.5. Guess I'll need to recalibrate my mental Garmin just a bit.

So, it's good to be back out running again. Just in time to get started on my 2011 goals...




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