Spring Goals
I took a bit of a posting hiatus this past week or so as I drew up a game plan for this spring and summer’s training cycle. In the spirit of pump’s recent post I realized it’s time to put this out there for public consumption and for my own accountability.
Some unknowns remain, well, unknown. First and foremost, I still don’t have my schedule yet for next year and, given the rigors of my program’s first year, the schedule will largely dictate what races I end up doing. So I don’t exactly have “target races” as much as “I may be able to sneak in a race that weekend”. Secondly, Meg and I may be moving out of the city shortly and a different training environment and commute could influence the type of training I pursue.
That being said, some general goals for this spring and early summer are:
1) Focus on distances from 5K - half
2) PR at each of the distances above
3) Achieve a time, at least at one distance, that converts to a BQ using the McMillan calculator
4) Average a race a month
5) Focus on local races near my hometown
In detail:
Focus on distances from the 5K to the half marathon distance
Specifically, the shorter end of that spectrum. After running a handful of shorter distances during the late winter and early spring I’ve really started to appreciate the ability to gather frequent feedback on how training is progressing in the form of frequent racing. Despite my protestations to the contrary, I remain a Type A person and the random factors associated with longer distances from the half marathon on up drive me crazy. I love numbers and tracking my progress and the possibility that a bad storm, humidity, or a random infection could deter my efforts on race day is something I still struggle with and perseverate on during training. To be fair, part of what made reading race recaps from Boston this year was watching people push through some truly brutal conditions to run awesome races - the weather amplified the glory of their efforts. But factoring in the random events plus the unknowns of my fellowship schedule has too great of a potential for implosion during the next 6 months so I’m kind of forced to focus on the shorter stuff. Plus, it’s working for me right now in the sense I can feel my fitness dramatically improving - so I’ll stay this course.
PR at each distance I run this spring and early summer
Pretty simple. I’m nowhere near my ideal level of conditioning and have plenty of room to grow.
Achieve a time, at least at one distance, that converts to a BQ using the McMillan calculator
This won’t mean I’ll be ready to train for a BQ during my next marathon cycle (unless things really progress). I tend to target, on race day, a pace one “rung” down from what I trained for as a way of running negative splits and keeping myself from blowing up - so to train for a BQ, and then do it on race day, would mean I improved much more dramatically over the next few months than I’m anticipating. But this will be a way I can contemplate the bigger picture as I focus on shorter, faster efforts this spring and summer.
Average a race a month
For the feedback it provides in terms of training and the benefits I see in my fitness. I’ve noticed my training progresses more steadily when I’m getting out there on the roads on a regular basis to push my effort out of my comfort zone.
Focus on local races near my hometown
My hometown has a strong running community that I’ve been detached from during my medical training. I joined XC late - as a junior in high school - and never really got the full experience, so it’s still rewarding for me to catch up on the local races and follow the kids as they progress. The coaches both are former coaches of mine with whom I have good relationships, and the distance guy for the track team is a former teammate - they’re cool with alums stopping by for an easy run or to help out with meets. Interacting with the teams, both as a volunteer and a familiar face at the starting line, appeals to me as my medical training lightens up and I have more time for volunteering and racing.
Whatever happens, I’m looking forward to seeing you all continue to improve!
