Well hello again, everyone! I know I’ve been among the missing, but life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans – right? Sorry for appearing to go on hiatus for the bit – I’ll try to have more frequent updates posted from now on. As my Freshman year high school Latin teacher used to say: mea maxima culpa (loosely translated: “Yo – that’s my bad”).
So let me jump right on in and give you a quick update on my goals and objectives for this year…and then we’ll move on…
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Goal #1: Run at Least 2,013 Miles in 2013
As of this morning (May 14th), there are 232 days left in the year. Sounds like a long way to go, right? Well not for me. Since I’ve been so lazy and unfocused over the first 3rd of the year, I now need to average 6.1 miles a day for the rest of the year in order to ensure that I hit my goal of running over 2,013 miles in 2013. That means that I’ve added ½ a mile more to my minimum total daily mileage for the next 8 months. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a great illustration of what happens when you develop a decent game plan…and then fail to execute.
So far, I’ve logged 363 miles for 2013. While that sounds like a lot….it’s not. Why do I say this? Because I should be at 744 miles logged already. As I type this, I have exactly 1,650 more miles to cover before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st. I have a lot of work to do.
Goal #2: Drop to 185 Pounds
Please. Are you kidding? I am really doing poorly here as well. I have lost a couple of pounds…but the only thing less focused than my running consistency has been my attention to anything that even remotely resembles a diet. I am WAY off of my goal, and I need to fix this. Quick. I’m not even going to waste any more energy typing on this subject. Let’s move on.
Goal #3: Run the Fifth Avenue Mile in Less than 7 Minutes
This is a goal that I’ve actually begun to see a shed of hope in achieving! Several times over the past month I’ve been able to hold a pace of sub 7 minutes and 30 seconds within Central Park. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve needed to visit the closest garbage can once I finish – but I feel a bit quicker.
This makes absolutely NO SENSE. I’ve lacked discipline with my running and my diet has been a joke. So it is illogical to predict that I would actually improve my speed. Nonetheless, lately I’ve felt like the piano is slowly being removed from my back. It’s the bright spot in my training right now.
Goal #4: Run a Sub 4 Hour Marathon
I’m focusing on October 13th as the day I may be able to accomplish this, as I’ve just signed up to run the 2013 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. The course is flat and fast, and it would give me a better chance of hitting 3:59:59 then the ING New York City Marathon. I’ve run Chicago twice (2007, 2012), and I think that this goal is still possible as long as I push myself during team practices all spring, summer and fall.
Goal #5: Complete My First Ultra
This is a goal which I feel like I could complete right now. However, I would not perform the way I would really like to. In addition, I didn’t research Worth the Hurt in time to participate this year, so my first ultra event will be November 16th (the NYRR 60k in Central Park). So my first ultra event will push me to 37.28 miles in November – 11 more than the marathon distance. It should be a very solid test for whether or not I can handle my longer term goals. It will also allow me to figure out how my body responds to longer periods of athletic stress, in preparation for May 2014.
Goal #6: Complete My First Triathlon
I’m still hoping to participate in the 2013 New York City Triathlon, as a member of Team for Kids. I need to finalize this pretty darn quick. And it would be a decent idea to buy a bike, I think…..
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What’s Coming Up?
I need to log some serious miles this week, in preparation for Saturday’s Brooklyn Half Marathon. This race will be huge this year, with over 20,000 runners flying around Prospect Park and Ocean Boulevard on their way to the finish line located on the boardwalk of Coney Island. With the weather being as cool as it has been over the past month or so, racing conditions should be perfect. We’ll see….
The next major event after the Brooklyn Half Marathon for me is the New York City Triathlon in mid-July. A one mile swim down the Hudson River, followed by a 25 mile bike, and then a 10 kilometer run into Central Park. It should be fun. I get to swim with 5-eyed flounder, then bike ride along the West Side Highway (where I’m sure that all bikes will require E-Z Pass to cover the tolls), and then the 10k run into the Park (at which point I am sure my skin will glow a soft lime green from whatever witch’s potion makes up the Hudson). By the end of this race, it will be safe to assume that I’ll look like one of those diving torches that scuba divers use to lite up a wreck – just crack it, shake it, and WALA! Instant luminescence.
After my first attempt at a triathlon, I’ll continue to focus on my running as marathon season approaches. Races in Chicago (October 13th), New York City (November 3rd), and Philly (November 24th). In between NYC and Philly will be my first ultra (November 16th).
Well there you have it. That brings us up to date. Lots of goals, and not much effort to attain them thus far. But that theme will change as the weather improves. I hope.
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BY setting some pretty challenging goals for myself, I am trying to generate interest in / donations to The Dream Team Project. This charity’s mission is to raise money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, helping to grant the wishes of children suffering from life-threatening illnesses. Being s former wish-granter for the New York City Chapter of the Make-a-Wish Foundation, I can tell you first-hand just how much of an impact this organization makes in the lives of children.
If you’d like some information on The Dream Team Project or would like to make a donation to their amazing cause, please stop by the website: www.wdwradio.com/the-dream-team-project I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I really believe in what The Dream Team Project stands for. Please consider donating to this worthy cause. Thanks!
…and if you’d like a bit more information on the WDW Radio Running Team, please check out the Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/WDW-Radio-Running-Team/163606410344409
