Day: January 6, 2007

2007 New Year’s Resolutions

OOOOK, Ladies and Gentlemen!

So, it’s 6 days late, and I haven’t had a chance to check on anyone else’s plans for the New Year. But, it’s about time to crank out a goals post for 2007 – But first, a little bit of

reflection

This is my third set of running goals. The first, in 2005 was too ambitious – I don’t think I was ready to tackle marathon training, and, even though I was ultimately successful in running the marathon in pretty close to goal time, 2005 almost made me a couch potato again. Although, looking back through those posts, I really cannot find anything that comes close to capturing the near depression I was feeling at the time.

Last year, for 2006, I did two – one back in November, when I was still going through “Denial” part of my post-marathon funk, and a better one in January, when I was going through “Coping”. For the goals in November – well, missed every one of them except for running New Haven. I’m at least 5 lbs heavier than I was then, didn’t run Bluff Point (I give myself an out on this one, since the Wife did, and our babysitter backed out), and didn’t do any of the Terramuggus tri series. For the resolutions in January – I think I finally lived up to “Fun” – I liked working out again by the end of this year.

advice

Seein’ as how I’ve been around the block with this running thing at least a couple of years (an infinity by internet standards), I’d like to offer a couple words of experience to anyone looking to get started this year:

  • listen to your brain as much as you listen to your body. At least for the first couple of years, don’t completely devote yourself to a plan. setting out to run a marathon may be a great way to get started running, but not at the expense of a physical injury, or worse – a mental injury
  • I cannot emphasize the mental bit enough – unless you’re in high school or college, you’re running for long-term health. Burning out and getting disillusioned is the biggest reason folks quit running. They may blame it on injury, but the mind is the easiest part to injur.
  • Lastly, be ambitious, if that’s your style. Me? I like having a mountain to climb. My wife, on the other hand, just likes having a quiet half hour each day.

resolution

  1. Against my better judgement, I’m going to sign up for a fall marathon. Probably Mystic Places again, but I’m dropping an application for NYC. We’ll be up at Hartford for moral support – Missy’s thinking about doing the half.
  2. The fall marathon will be in support of either Austin or Oklahoma City in early 2008 with my little brother.
  3. Continue to maintain the 20 mile/week baseline until marathon training starts in May/June, but begin to add some cycling and swimming again. I do want to get back into triathlon, but don’t want to burn out again.
  4. Drop weight. I don’t drop weight if I don’t think about it. I need to start thinking about it.
  5. Start writing for CRN again.

XC Running

Meeting up in Northeastern Mass yesterday. Absolutely cool meeting – the company we were at is putting HUGE amounts of computing power into small spaces. My work on Monday is going to be to actually translate their marketing material into small words so that I can understand it. I really am feeling the need to go back to school – this stuff is completely cool.

The meeting was really close to Great Brook Farm, which is apparently a pretty decent place to XC ski. However, there was absolutely NO SNOW at the park, and temps in the 60s. So, I ran.

The run was great – not sure why, but probably because it was

  1. in the woods, and
  2. during work hours – it was somewhat on my way home from the meeting, but I still felt like I was playing hooky. I made up the time once I got back to the house.

But there’s something just absolutely great about running through the late fall/winter woods – the leaves were off the trees and had been off long enough that they were quiet while I ran through. The overcast and light fog in spots was great, as was dodging babies heads on the trails.

I didn’t run the entire thing – did about 2.5 miles running, walked for about a half mile, ran another 1.5 to get my 4 for the day, and walked another mile in a half.

In shorts.

In January.

In an XC Ski area.

Deene – stop hoarding snow.