New Job: I started a new job the first of the year after having been laid off from my previous position I held for four years. I was a bit worried starting this new job as this was a career shift for me, but truth be told, this is the first job I have really enjoyed. I don’t grumble so much when I get out of bed in the morning. (Right, Dave?)
Boston Marathon: I came into this year’s Boston Marathon very well trained. I decided to follow the Pfitzinger 55/12 plan which meant a lot more miles than I was previously used to. But, to my surprise, I was able to follow the plan pretty closely. And it paid off. Not only did I accomplish running a full marathon without stopping for a walking break or even to walk through a water stop, I was able to re-qualify for Boston in Boston.
Coaches Dream: I have been coaching track for five years now and 2006 was the most successful year ever. Not only did we win our fourth out of five league championship, I had two runners make it all the way to States. They are now running in college.
Summer Vacation: This past summer Dave and I traveled to Dana Point, California for a little exploring and R&R. The trip started rocky as our flight was delayed several hours, spilling water all over my crotch (Nice!), and not bringing the address for our condo and having to wake my aunt and uncle up in the middle of the night. But, after those ordeals we found the trip to be fantastic. We spent a day at Joshua Tree National Park where we did quite a bit of hiking (in 100+ degree temperatures) and attended a star gazing. We also spent a day hiking up San Jacinto where we summited at 10,800 feet. Besides those two adventures and catching an Angels-Rex Sox games, we hung out with family and friends. What a great vacation this was.
Reach the Beach Relay: This was my third consecutive year that I have run as part of the Profile Deluxe team for the Reach the Beach Relay. This is also the fastest team that I’ve ever run on too. We finished 17th out of 300. Of all the years I’ve done this race, this year I had the most fun.
Chicago Marathon: Being that my last three out of four marathons were 3:39, 3:39 and 3:40, the goal for this marathon was simple: break 3:39. Again I followed the Pfitzinger plan, although I had a little more trouble getting all the miles in than I did for Boston. At the starting line I did not feel prepared, but I set out conservatively and just kept rolling. In the end, I did PR with a 3:35:05 and finished another marathon without walking. And the real joy of this marathon—seeing Bono from U2 at the airport.
What will 2007 bring? That’s a very good question.
On the running front…there’s the Boston Marathon again in April. And in 2007 it’s on my birthday. Who’s gonna buy me a drink after the race? I’m sure there will be another fall marathon, but at this point it hasn’t been decided which one. I would really like to try to qualify for NYC Marathon, but I am not sure I’m willing to dedicate that much time to training only to fall short. I could just enter the lottery! As of right now, I am planning to run with the team again for the Reach the Beach Relay if my team is planning on racing again.
Also in the works for 2007….I am going to become an aunt again. My sister is expecting a baby boy in early May. Dave and I will be celebrating our fifth anniversary in September and hopefully it will include a trip to Italy (if our lazy bums ever get around to planning it). Although I said 2006 was the last year, I have signed on again to coach high school track. I just love those kids too much to walk away. Nothing out of the ordinary to come in 2007, but I think it’s going to be a great year.
5 comments:
What a great year! Here's hoping 2007 brings even better things to you an Dave...
I am going to try to get into NYC with a half marathon time. April 1 is the Athens half, and we'd need a 1:37. Yes, it's cutting off 4 min of a half, but I think we both know our half times are soft.
Really? Our half times are soft? Dude, we'd have to run an average of 7:20s to qualify for NY. I'm just gonna see how much more time I can cut off my half and see where I can go from there.
I think they are, when is the last time you trained for a half? And weren't you hitting <7:30s in your LT runs last year?
At Marshall I hit mile 13 at 1:41:45 and my half PR is 1:41:56, so I KNOW if I were only planning to run the 13.1, I could have been pushing alot harder.
We'll see.. I haven't run in weeks, so who knows how things will really turn out. But I think I have a better chance at running a 1:37 half than a 3:23 full, at least for now!
Agreed, however, I don't know if I've ever run a half just because I wanted to see how fast I could run a half. I've always done a half as part of marathon training. I'm thinking about doing Last Chance again this year and see where I'm at. Then decide if a 1:37 is plausible. And, considering it's taken me 3 years to cut 4 minutes off my marathon time, I don't think I'm going to make 3:23 either.
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