1:45

Coming off my big Rockford PR, I'm super excited to get back into running and back into running FAST.

As I mentioned in previous posts, my work life is going to get even worse starting July 1st. Read: 1 day off a week for 12 months, 10-12 hour days every single day. Relentless.

So, unless I want to spend every single day off doing a long run (I don't), my thought was that I'd need to put marathons on the back burner for a while. But I really love them. Despite the truth behind the concerns I addressed in The Marathon: A Race Too Far? post, running 2 marathons in 2 weeks confirmed for me that I really enjoy running 26.2! And I'm so close to sub-4!!




Maybe I Shouldn't Follow "The Rules"....
On further thought, I remembered that I didn't train "properly" according to traditional marathon training rules for any of my 2011 marathons (Maui, Rockford, Madison) but yet I still performed at or above where I would expect for myself. Part of that may be because my expectations are too low but another part is that maybe the "marathon training rules" that we all hold dear are not true for everyone. And not being able to follow those rules certainly shouldn't be a reason not to keep running distance.

I've mentioned before that I've been following Run Less, Run Faster since November 2010. I credit this program for my massive improvements in speed over that time. But- don't tell- I've been cheating left and right. I'm NOT one of those runners who never misses a training session. I don't have that "type A" personality and even if I did, my work schedule would not allow for such dedication anyway. So I've missed runs. Lots of runs. Probably 1/3 of my training runs flat out didn't happen ESPECIALLY the long runs which are supposed to be the most important piece.

So what am I going to do?  I'm going to *hopefully* run my 10th marathon, The Fox Valley Marathon on September 18th in hopes of getting sub-4. But my training schedule is going to be super non-traditional. I've basically created a half marathon training schedule in terms of short and medium run distances and paces but I'm peppering in some additional long runs to help me get through Fox Valley. (My current training schedule is posted on my home page, or you can click here.)

Specifically, my goal will be to get my half marathon pace up to Boston pace so I can shoot for a BQ in late 2012/early 2013, once my year from h-e-double-hockey-sticks is over. This means- if all goes to plan- I could run Boston in 2014.

Late- or should I say slow?- Bloomer

Now I know there are all kinds of folks out there who BQ'd during their first marathon, or during their first year of marathoning, or whatever. It'd be awesome to be that person but I'm totally not so planning in 2011 to qualify two years later in 2013 is a must.

So, this summer, my focus will shift to the 1/2 marathon distance, and to getting FAST at the 1/2 marathon distance. 

How FAST you might ask?

Some Calculations

In 2013 (assuming they don't change the rules again), my posted BQ time is 3:40. But we all know shooting for the posted time won't get us anywhere since the folks w/ the fastest times get to register first. So let's just shoot for an even 3:30.

3:30 for a marathon is an 8 min mile pace. Holy Guacamole, that's fast. But I love that it's a round number, don't you? Makes all the on-the-run-math that much easier.

So my 1/2 marathon goal time (after months of dedicated 1/2 mary speedwork, etc):

1:45

Another nice round number, right? I think it's meant to be.