I have two goals.
Goal 1: Run a marathon.
Goal 2: Set new PRs in the half-mile, mile, two-mile, and three-mile distances.
I really have no idea how attainable these goals are. For all I know I could be setting myself up for utter failure. Though I know if I put in enough time and effort I can run a marathon, for I'm not setting any time goals there -- my only concern would be finishing it. But for the second goal of breaking my personal records, I may be shooting too high. The only reason I think I may have a shot at accomplishing goal #2 is that none of my PRs are that fantastic. They are as follows:
1/2 mile - 2:23 (1/28/95 @ Mt. SAC, Walnut, CA)
1 mile - 5:28 (3/28/95 @ Rancho Cucamonga High School)
2 mile - 12:53 (9/13/95 @ Rim of the World High School, Lake Arrowhead, CA)
3 mile - 19:52 (10/12/95 @ Chaffey High School, Ontario, CA)
As you can see, these times are not exactly stellar. I've always held the belief that I could have run faster in high school, that my PRs were not representative of my potential. I know I didn't apply myself like I should have, and had I trained harder and been more motivated, I truly believe those times would be lower. Or perhaps I'm wrong. It could be that those times are about as fast as my body was ever meant to go. What I now want to do is find out once and for all which case is true. All of those times were set in 1995 when I was 16 and 17. Fifteen years have passed and I am now 31. This is obviously the biggest obstacle. Will the increase in age be too much to overcome? Or (as I'd like to believe) will I be able to run smarter now and use other means to beat those times? Whatever happens, it starts now.
I'll be documenting my progress. I'll be virtually starting from scratch, since I haven't really been in complete shape in about six years. After a few weeks of running in the summer of 2009, I didn't run at all until April of 2010. That April run was torture. It was so discouraging that I didn't follow it with another run for a whole month. That run was last night -- a simple mile down the street I live on. It felt a little better than the April run, but I know I still have mountains to climb before I reach either of my goals. But all that matters is that I have embarked and I am on my way, marching towards my goals.
Man, how I've fallen away! Since highschool I've been a non-runner simply by the choices I haven't made. That is to say, I'm not choosing to NOT run, I'm merely not choosing TO run; and I've been OK with that. But every time you bring it up again there's a tug at some inner part of me that desperately misses it. I believe I even decided a couple years back I was done, out for good. However, as a distance runner, there is something missing from my list. This marathon talk has me quite intrigued.....
ReplyDeleteOnce a distance runner always a distance runner.... :) I hope whatever is tugging at you continues to tug. Tackling a marathon would be much better with company.
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