The year that was, the year that will

2006 Review (the year of personal bests):
5K: 27:19

10K: 59:48
*this race completed 8 days before I would enter the blogosphere in May, so no race report available. But having raced this particular distance for the first time in 2005, my second race ever, I can say that I took almost a minute off my time in this distance last year. My favorite spring race handsdown. After this race, I really buckled down and started to get focused on what needed to be done to get myself to the finish line in Chicago.

Half-marathon: 2:18:40, the dress rehearsal to the big show.

Marathon: 5:20:26. What else can I say about this? This was the overarching goal of the year. And while the goal was to complete the distance, a funny thing happened on the way: I found that I was capable of discipline, discovered and lived the cliche of where there's a will there's a way, trusted in a plan, made new friends, deepened existing friendships, understood sacrifice. Do I want to do it again? Sign me up.

Mileage (since keeping track from May 15): 510.95mi/822.3K. Back in November when I was thinking about the next course of action, I made up an 18-week plan that included a mix of running and strength exercises, plus room for other cardio. So far, I've failed miserably on that plan, except for sticking to the Tuesday afterwork run. Had I kept up with this plan, I might have topped 1,000Ks for the year. I shouldn't be disappointed because this is still the most running I've ever done in my life. Anyways, I'm sure I ran 177.7Ks in the five months before I started keeping track!

2007 Hopes and Dreams
I want to wish everyone a happy new year and hopes for a strong year of running. I look forward to reading up on everyone's progress and thought processes. (I like to know that I'm not alone in some of my neuroses, for example.)

Also last year, I learned I'm not addicted to running, but I sure do like it enough to carry on. I'm looking to run at least one race in each of the four distances I did last year and to set new PRs in all of them. I know I have lots of room for improvement, knowing what I know now and knowing I can learn even more.

Goals (not an exhaustive list, but things that have been occupying my mind):
1. Partner up: I started running again with the Sunday group intermittently in the second half of the marathon training after having a disastrous experience early on. And I could feel that I tried harder every time I had someone to keep up with, or in some cases, set the pace. Same with the Tuesday Afterwork RunClub. I know it is making a difference in the effort I bring. I will continue to seek partnerships but keep in mind that a solo run is also good, sometimes necessary, for the soul.

2. Training: Step it up a notch. Throw in some of those fancy things I mostly ignored the first time around. That means putting some time into hills, speedwork, strength and endurance. Maybe graduate to Higdon's intermediate plan.

3. Race declarations: A couple of days ago, I offered a sneak peek of which races I'll do this year. I'm more or less committed to those. I think the May half-marathon in Ottawa will provide some real focus over the winter and early spring months. I'll probably sign up again for the Scotiabank half-marathon in the fall as well, partly because I like the course, and partly because the timing is good.

My sister has chosen the May 10K so I guess that race distance is confirmed too. I may do the October ZooRun anyway but I have to see how the timing interferes/helps with one more race, one I have been holding back on, The Big One. The marathon.

Yup. I said it. Another marathon. Because one wasn't enough.

I am aiming to do "The People's Marathon", the MCM, on Oct. 28.

In part because my dear friend R is moving to DC soon (that means a free couch to stay on! )
In part because I know a couple of others who did Chicago last year are also headed that way. In part because there are parts of DC I haven't seen yet.

But mostly: Because I can.