I read something today that helped me along a path. I mentioned even before Shamrock that I was having trouble deciding on long-term goals.

But after that? I’m unsure. I have two goals competing in my head, both of which are substantial and separate.

• Work toward a Boston qualification. This would require a lot of work and a lot of pain. And I might not make it. Given a single marathon under my belt with a 4:30 time it seems improbable in the highest degree. But with enough work and smart training it might be possible. If I reach my relatively moderate time goals at Shamrock I’ll have a better idea of the feasibility of this.
• Shift to triathlons. Obviously the ultimate goal would be a full ironman someday but it might have to wait several years simply due to the training amount. I’d be happy starting with Olympic distances and working towards a half ironman for a more short-term long-term goal. Swimming will be the biggest hurdle though I’m not much of a cyclist either.

I completed Shamrock while not quite meeting my time goals. But I improved. However, it’s hard to go from that level of improvement to a jump to “I’m going to qualify for Boston”. Is it even possible for a 4:00-and-change runner to somehow ratchet it up enough to reach 3:20? This guy did it. Yes, he’s younger. Yes, he’s likely a better runner; he went from a 4:53 first marathon to a 3:50 second marathon in comparison. But even so there’s hope.

I know it won’t happen this year. I know it likely won’t happen next year. It’ll take the most concerted effort I’ve ever put forth toward anything. But I believe I can do it, one step at a time. It’ll require me to rethink my own limits of pain and the amount of effort I’m willing to exert. It’ll mean convincing myself not to give in when everything is screaming that I should. In short, I have to find someone inside myself that I’ve never found.

It’s scary, yes. But I think that guy is in there somewhere, and he wants to come out and run Boston. There’s only one way to do that, and that’s stop screwing off and do it.

In the meantime…

I’m not changing anything shorter term. My goals remain the same there: get faster on my 5Ks. Frankly, that’s a precursor to anything else. If I can’t get faster at shorter distances I’m not going to maintain the necessary 7:38 average pace to qualify. So still 5K-focused training — though with longer long runs to prep for my half in May — increasing my hill work, shooting for those 5K PRs. Over the course of the summer, I’ll transition back to marathon training but at faster paces.

Wish me luck.

Posted Goals and Hopes |