Resolutions

As January 1, 2010, looms ever more nigh (less than 30 hours as of this writing), the thoughts of many turn towards New Years Resolutions. I am no exception to this, as earlier this evening I found myself pondering what my resolutions will be for the upcoming year. For 2008 I resolved to run a race every month, and I achieved that goal plus one more. For 2009 my goal was to run a 5k race each month in addition to my other races. For most of the year that averaged out to 2 races a month. Some of these were what I have called "traditional" races that I have run in years past (Bolder Boulder, Garden of the Gods, Donor Dash). Some of them were one-time "bucket list" type races (Wild West Relay, Zooma Women's Half). Some were new races that I'll gladly add to my "traditional" list and run again and again (Mile High Mile, Parkinson's Awareness). And, were it not for an extended period of unemployment (in the sense of not having a permanent position; I did a lot of contract work in the summer and fall), I would have easily hit my goal. It was only limited finances that forced me to skip my October, November, and December 5ks, and so I consider my goal for 2009 to have been met in spirit, if not in actual fact.

And so I find myself wondering what running goal(s) I should set for 2010. Part of me thinks that the next logical step would be to aim for an even higher number of races (like 25, since I ran 20 races in 2009), or a bigger distance benchmark (a 10k every month). But as my coach has occasionally chided me, too much shorter distance racing could potentially lead to injury and sideline me from what I acknowledge to be my major goal: 50 marathons in 50 states by my 50th birthday. This, by the way, is a surprisingly tight time schedule for me: I have just over 16 years to run 43 more marathons. In both 2008 and 2009 I ran 3 marathons, which meant that I was essentially training all year with very little down time between. I'm not sure I could squeeze more marathons into my calendar year without some negative effects, physically or psychologically.

What then should be the focus, if not quantity? The answer seems obvious at this point: quality. Not to run more races, but to run them better. On the one hand, this solves the problem that I had in 2009 which resulted in the St George Marathon being my last race for that year: less races means less money spent. On the other, it poses a very real challenge for me: In addition to posting a record number of races in 2009, I improved my performance and set a new personal record in every distance I ran, from the 5k through to the marathon. I even set and then re-set my marathon record. And most of those PRs were by considerable margins. It will take a lot of effort to beat some of those times.

I believe, however, that this is a reasonable goal. Yes, I had a lot of improvement in 2009. I am a much faster and stronger runner than I was in 2008. But I know I have not yet reached the limits of my potential. Through my association with my training group and friends Runner's Edge of the Rockies, I have acccess to a wealth of training resources which can help me further explore those limits. I took advantage of some of those resources during 2009. If I continue to do so in 2010, and expand upon that with a view towards improving quality rather than quantity, then I believe I will continue to see improvement.

So, For 2010, I Resolve to Set a New PR in Every Distance I Run--the Mile, 5k, 4 Mile, 5 Mile, 10k, 10 Mile, Half Marathon, and Marathon. This is a good goal. To beat my current records in these distances will require focus and a concerted effort.

"But Doug," I can hear some of you say, "You've improved so much in 2009, you'll be able to reach this goal easily. Maybe even more than once. I thought you said you wanted a challenge!" I did, and I do. And I believe that setting new PRs in these distances will be a challenge. While it's true that I saw a huge improvement in my marathon times in both OKC and St George, I believe I won't see the kind of continued improvement I want without changing something up in my training. Even my smaller distance PRs like that Mile and 5k were only met by giving everything I had. I don't believe it will be easy to improve on those times even just a little. However, never let it be said that I don't have lofty goals. So, I present the following table, listing my current PRs and the records I'd like to set this year:

Distance	Existing PR	Ideal PR
Mile	0:6:31	0:6:00
5k	0:22:59	0:20:59
4 Mile	0:31:48	0:29:59
5 Mile	0:48:17	0:40:00
10k	0:51:42	0:49:59
10 Mile	1:32:12	1:29:59
Half Marathon	1:56:21	1:49:59
Marathon	4:25:34	4:07:59

(Please note that failure to meet an Ideal PR will not mean failure to complete my goal. A PR is a PR. But you can bet your ass I'm going to try my hardest to hit all those times in that third column.)

I'm going to set one more Resolution for 2010. For the past 2 years I've talked and talked about my desire to branch out into a new racing experience and complete a Triathlon. And for the last 2 years I've always found some excuse to avoid it. Enough is enough.

So, For 2010, I Resolve to Complete A Triathlon. After all, all the cool kids are doing it.

Friends, what do you think? Am I setting my bar too low? Or too high?