I'm back.....

Well, I'm back at it....I mean, I've been "at" it for a long time. (10 years, to be exact) But, for all intents and purposes, I'm "back at it". After a lackluster 2 years of off and on running and rarely ever racing, I've started putting the pieces together for what I hope to be a very rewarding year of running. There are so many things I want to do, and so many things I want to do so much better than before. I've always had the drive, and almost always had the structure, but I've almost never combined the two in a way that is truly effective. There IS a perfect combination of disciplines that I'm seeking. I want to be honest with myself and I want to be able to look back at this year when it's all over and know that I did everything I could to accomplish my goals.

So what the heck am I doing this for? Well, first of all, I love it. I really do. It's my "thing", and it's like that nagging pulse in the corner of my mind that never stops beating. Maybe it's heredity that gives me that weird passionate sense of competition. Maybe it's the 'firstborn syndrome' that makes me crave structure and discipline. Maybe it's just something that's built into all of us that just so happens to be prominently in the foreground of what I consider important in my life. Who knows! All I know is that I love this, and I'm going to do it to the best of my ability. This year is about discipline, honesty, the 'humble' approach, consistency, and just straight up GRIT. And yes, this sounds like a New Years resolution, and YES, resolution are (say it with me know) "made to be broken". But, this is quite a bit more than that I think. I'm aware of the sacrifice needed, and I'm also aware that this year is going to be really tough. I'm also aware that there's a chance I may not accomplish everything I want to accomplish....but I have to try, and I will.

So here's the gameplan! Starting right now I'm on the warpath to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Hopefully that'll be the 2011 BM, but depending on how things go it could very easily be the 2012 race. I don't know yet. But for starters, lets focus on the 2011 race. Here's what I need to do:

Boston Qualifying time (Male, 18-34): 3:10:59
Pace Needed to Qualify: 7:17 / mile
Time frame: (Feb 2010 - Dec. 2010)

There it is...plain and simple. This will be bold text that I see in my head when I'm out there putting in my daily work. This is what the next 10 months is for...it will be my accountability and my motivation.

The next year of blog posts here will most likely be less poetic, and more driven by the minutia of the daily training grind. Dont' worry, it won't be TOO geeky, but I must warn you in advance, it might just borderline on 'runner nerdy'. There is a certain cultic vibe that runners give off, and the details surrounding my efforts may sound a little obsessive. So there it is, you've been warned and can now read and check up at your own risk.

That's enough of an intro....more details to follow!

Happy running....