goal-less running

The thing about this is that it's just like other years, except less so! Hmm.

At the dawn of 2012, I had two life goals for the first part of the year: one of them was about getting a new job (don't ask how it went) and one was to run Hamilton's Around The Bay 30k race, which I did and felt great about. It was the longest distance I'd ever run! It was hard but I came in 10 mins faster than my goal! Woo!

At the dawn of 2013, I had two life goals for the year: one of them was about getting one of *two* new jobs (don't ask) and one was to run the Detroit marathon. And the running one -- I DID GOOD (you might have heard.)

But 12 hours into 2014: I am zero for two. No new job plan. And no new run goal either.
(I do have a work goal for the year, which involves finishing a book sooner rather than latter, but this is not that blog, so again you are encouraged not to ask.)

You may have noticed that I am doing better with one goal type than the other? So maybe I should plan TWO running goals for this year, figuring I'll reach at least one? ... Wait, that's probably not the best idea.

I have not run a race since that pretty decent 5k in December, because the Boxing Day 10-Miler was screwed up by a pretty bonkers Christmas involving an ice storm and 60 hour power outages and blizzards and anyway, nothing doing. I did run twice over Christmas, despite the ice, and I've done a couple treadmill workouts that nearly flattened me in an invigorating way. But I'm not exactly at my peak.

Ok, so what's the plan? I am registered for two upcoming races:

1. Next weekend (after my first week of return to work, teaching, different timezone, back in my condo for the first time in 7 months, general hysteria) I'm running a low-key city trail race... uh, I think it's 10k? That's my normal outside distance these days, so that should be a decent tune-up.

2. At the end of March is the ATB race, and I'm signed up to run the first half! In relay with a lovely (much faster) friend. So, 15k, hopefully at a decent clip (I've emphasized to her the negative split we will be achieving, which she seems fine with, but I must not let down the side too awkwardly.)

I waited too long to register for a Hypothermic Half, and both cities I'd want to run in are sold out (plus that's the race at which I dramatically slipped on ice and landed squarely on my tailbone a few years ago, and my coccyx is fine but my pride may not have fully healed) ... so, ok, February is for training.

But after that??? I need some goals. I need a spring goal, a summer goal, a fall goal. At least some subset of these goals.

However! Maybe today is not the day to set them? ... New Year's Day is a heady time. You can dream big and unrealistic. You can probably sign yourself up for a marathon, if you're not careful. I remain pretty sure that's not a good idea. ... I do have my eye on this 20 mile SERIOUS TRAIL event at the end of August on Vancouver's North Shore, that I'm almost positive would kill me ( the 20-mile option being the shortest...)

So this morning when I got dressed, I put on some running clothes. I am about to download a fresh crop of running songs -- nothing I ran to in 2013; everything new. And in an hour I'll go out for a run. It's snowing, it's -10 and I am not entirely sure where my fleece pants are, so at first I will probably look like one of those resolution-makers who isn't pleased with what they've signed up for. But then I will head up the snowy path to the weird empty subdivision, past some windswept horsebarns and maybe even around the 1 mile manicured loop of the great green gleaming credit union. I will run, and I won't have much of a goal, and I won't break any speed records, and I'll come home alright.

Next week, maybe the week after, I will let myself dream big. This week, I will brace myself for the new year, the upcoming stresses. My only goal for now will be to run three days a week, no matter what, until I have a bigger goal. And I'm going to keep run-blogging, to keep the goals in sight, and to keep talking myself into getting better, at whatever it is that I'm doing.

Run good, new year! Run good. Stay tuned.