A Glass Half Full

I would like to announce publicly that I must be crazy. Yesterday I was reading the Daily Update e-mail from Weber State, and I noticed that the Ogden Marathon was mentioned. It is held each year in May. So no, I'm not silly enough to want any part of it this year. But 2009 looks awfully inviting. See, I took up running (really jogging) for exercise two years ago. As I way to keep myself motivated, I entered the Team Relay event in the Baltimore Marathon in 2005. By October I was able to finish the 7.1 mile leg that I chose. Since then, I have had two lifetime goals in running which may prove unattainable.

My first goal is to run a 5k in under 20 minutes. This would mean that I would need to improve my speed significantly. My best 5k result currently is 23:39 on a very flat and fast course. This averages out to 7:37 per mile. To hit 20 minutes, I'd need to reach 6:27 per mile. I'd really settle for a time where I could run a mile in 6:30, but this is a long way off for me.

My second far-distant goal is to finish at least one marathon in my lifetime. Yes, insane to even contemplate when I've never run a distance greater than those 7.1 miles in Baltimore. I realize that these goals are best attained sooner rather than later. I am in my prime running years from what the experts say. Once I reach age 32 my body will start to slow down. Also, my wife and I will probably have children by then, which will take a lot of time and effort away from what would need to be a fairly rigorous training schedule. So I've decided to strike while the iron's hot!

My plan is to prepare to run a half-marathon this fall. I have downloaded a 16-week training schedule (from saltlakerunningco.com) that should help me to get started. I plan to bump my current running load up each week for the month of April, until I am again running over 10 miles per week, as I did in 2005. This should get me ready enough to start the training schedule in May, and to run a half-marathon in September. My biggest concern is the training time commitment. I will have only one day off each week, and will be cross-training on my non-running days. The good news is that the early-bird registration for the events that I'm considering isn't until June 30. If I'm not on track by then, I'll scale back my plans and just run a 10k.

The two events that I'm considering are the Pocatello Marathon (1/2 marathon event) and the Spanish Fork Half Marathon. Both are about equally distant from my home, but are far enough that driving in the morning of the race would not be feasible. If I ran Spanish Fork, I could stay with my in-laws, who are much closer, the night before. Spanish Fork also costs only $20, while Pocatello costs $40 because it is a much bigger event with larger support staff. Pocatello is held on September 1, while Spanish Fork is one week later on the 8th. Most of you know about my irrational aversion to the number eight due to its association with spiders. Still, Spanish Fork seems like the more logical choice (closer and cheaper), while Pocatello looks like a better organized and more fun event. I'd like to hear your opinions. Please visit the websites for these two races if you have time, and leave me your comments concerning either or both options. I'll keep you all posted on my progress with the training schedule. Hopefully that will give me added incentive to stick with it.