Looking Back, Looking Ahead...

With every new year we look back at what we've done and look ahead to what we want to accomplish. I made a huge change and commitment in my life in 2009, running. I had always enjoyed it, I ran a bit in grade school and on and off in my adult life, but never anything like this, until April.

I remember how difficult it was at the beginning to put in 3 miles and now I am routinely peeling off 6 mile runs with relative ease. My body craves getting out for it's daily run. I take great pride in what I've done so far and yet have so many more goals in mind. Before I get to those, let recap my top five runs of the year.

5) 14 Mile Run (12/20/09): After struggling with a 12 mile and 14 mile run in consecutive weeks I had a minor breakthrough by running this 14 mile training run in a 9:31 pace.

4) Chestnut Ridge Challenge (10/31/09): Definitely a tough test of my training to this point. It was a pretty miserable day, but I felt as though I had a great run and really tested my endurance.

3) Muddy Trail Run at Chestnut Ridge (10/23/09): This 6 mile run was anything but ordinary. I bought a pair of trail shoes and immediately tested them at Chestnut Ridge. Ankle deep mud, some rain and hills, a truly enjoyable run, and maybe a future inspiration for some trail races?!?

2) Lindsey's Legacy 5K (11/14/09): This was a year of PR's, mostly because I haven't run much prior to 2009. Each race was a new goal and I was most pleased with this one, 23:00. I'm looking ahead to next year to set this even lower!

1) Rochester Half Marathon (9/13/09): A year ago I would have thought you were crazy if you told me that I'd run in a half marathon. This was definitely the highlight of my running year; racing in my hometown and seeing family members at the finish as excited as me.

Onto 2010 goals:

1) Run a marathon. I have my first in my sights on 3/21 in Virginia Beach. Hopefully this will only be the first of many.

2) Run an ultra. If the marathon goes well, I intend on running at the ultra distance. A logical start to this would be the BPAC 6-Hour Ultra in April. 3.5 mile loop may get boring, but I am very familiar with the area and won't get in too much trouble physically.

3) Get a bike! I'm looking to get a bike this spring and add it to my cross training regiment. If all goes well I may be able to.....

4) Compete in a duathlon (maybe even a tri?!?)

5) Run 1500 miles. Shouldn't be a problem if I stay healthy.

6) Get weight down to 180. Diet will probably be the most helpful here.

7) Run a sub 7 minute mile in 5K. That's a 21:42 5K.

Whew...seems like a lot, but I get more committed and motivated everyday.

Today's run.

Mileage: 4.00
Time/Pace: 37:44/9:26
Avg HR: 151
T/W: 26 (13WC)/ Cloudy

Thanks to all of you out there that read my ramblings and I look forward to chatting with you more and following your successes.