Ready or not, 2011, here I come!

Miscellaneous

As I reflect on my running for the year 2010, it’s hard not to get depressed. It has been a dismal time. I started the year out with the intention of breaking the 3:20 time goal and qualifying for Boston, and ended up with me over an hour slower than my best time. I’m also 10kg heavier than I was at this time last year, which doesn’t help the running a whole lot. I blew off many runs in favour of sitting on the couch, watching TV, drinking beer, and doing various other non-running activities.

Nowhere did it show the most than at the ENDURrun. Coming into the event with little or no training was downright embarrassing. As far as the event goes, I had a great time running it, and seeing all the familiar faces again made it so worth while. But from a running perspective, I did not enjoy it at all. The marathon on the final day, where I finished in 4:52 or somewhere thereabouts, was the lowest point.

Where did I go wrong? Well, it all started in 2009 with the Scotiabank marathon. I’d trained to do a 3:20 marathon, but ended up with 3:48. it was a tough race, and I had some major leg cramping issues, dehydration, and a host of other problems to contend with. But, that race did a number on my mental state, to the point where any runs after that just seemed futile and dismal in my mind. I let myself go, saying that I’ll pick it up again in the spring, with a new training plan. Well, spring came, and the new training plan didn’t work. I’d gotten myself too out of shape to follow it, and when I couldn’t keep up with it, I got discouraged, and gave it up altogether by the spring.

So what are my goals for 2011? Well, here they are:

  • Run a 3:45 marathon in the spring (likely Ottawa)
  • Run the ENDURrun with a better time than I did in 2009 (15:16:25 over all stages)
  • Run a 3:30 marathon in the late fall (maybe Hamilton or Corning)

The training plan is set; I’m signed up for the Running Room marathon clinic, which starts at the end of January. I will add some cross-training in the form of swimming, core, yoga, and spin class, to my workouts each week. I will do a quality trail run at least once a week starting after the first marathon. I’ve got a shiny new Timex Global Trainer to track it all (you know, it’s all about the gadgets!).

So look out 2011! It’s my time to jump start my running into high gear!