Jul 1 2011

Goal update, Independence Day

Aaron
Goal update, Independence Day

Quick update for my 2011 run goals:

In 2011 here are a few things I will accomplish, God willing:
  1. Complete my 5th half marathon, the Mini, in 2hrs or less. Preferably <1h 48m but this year I’ll take <2hr.
  2. More than double 2010’s mileage goal and step it up to 730mi. Though I only run a max of 3 days each week, that is 2mi x 365 days.
  3. The route may be too dangerous, but if I can do it safely, run from my house to my friend Zach’s house. It will be around 18-20 miles.
  4. Run 50km (31.06mi). All at once.
  5. Run my first full marathon. The Indianapolis Monumental is what I’ve chosen on 11/5.

I just finished 20.1mi this AM in 3h 5min. I feel great. God must be a runner, as he rolled in the clouds to block the sun about 20 minutes after I started and a cool breeze…which totally rocked to keep me cool and prevent sun burn. That beats what the forecast said, 91F and no wind.
Though I didn’t get to run it from my house to Zach’s as I’d have liked, but I had to be honest with myself and decided the route, no matter how I picked it, was too dangerous. It just isn’t worth getting hit by a car in order to say I ran to Zach’s house. So like a rat in a maze I ran 8 laps on the 2.5+ mile course I’ve laid out in my neighborhood. Regardless, that’s one more off the list for 2011. I’m +56mi in the positive for goal #2 at the year’s halfway point, a nice cushion in case I need to take a break for reasons yet unknown.

I’m also somewhat proud to say that I ran the entire 20.1mi this morning without eating anything since 8pm the previous night. I drank about 8oz of a zero calorie electrolyte drink (Zip Fizz) at the end of each lap to stay hydrated, but the goal was to build endurance, stamina, and teach my body to build larger glycogen stores instead of operating off of carb calories like what would happen if you eat before and during a run.

Anna and the kids made a nice sign on the driveway whilst waiting for me to finish. I let them draw a chalk outline of me if you look closely or zoom in. A nice long weekend to recover too! Have a safe Independence Day, and don’t forget to reflect on our nation’s glorious history.