Literally, I fell the other day and skinned my knee…its been a week and it still hurts to touch it. It also looks pretty gross. My gross knee is how I feel about this winter. As I write this there is a blizzard warning. Thus, any hope of using my fancy new Garmin 405 on an outside run is tucked away until the first tulip bud is seen.
So as I sit here, with a gross knee and a winter that has me trapped on the indoor track, I have been planning my 2009 running season. To be honest I have really let my base slip since the 1/2. To be 100% honest I have no base. So its back to square one. I guess the good news is square one is about a mile. When I started running two seasons ago I started with 1 minute and built on it extremely slowly. I took me 12 weeks to run 30 minutes. So in reality it is not square one..but when your running ten miles it sure does fell like starting all over.
My preliminary list of races I’ll probably run this year are below. I’ll add and subtract from them as the season goes on. But here is my first crack at it…
Shamrock Shuffle 8K- March 15h
Race to Wrigley – April 25th 5k
Ravenswood Run- April 27th ish
Soldier Field 10 Miler- May 10 miles – May 23rd
Run for the Zoo- June 7th 5K
Shes got Sole- June 8K
Fleet Feet Womans 5K and 10K – July 20th ish
Bastille Day Run- July 29th 5k
Urban Race – August 1st
Muddy Buddy- August
Nike Human Race- 10K – August
Chicago Distance classic- 1/2 Marathon- August
Chicago 1/2 Marathon- September
Birkie Trail Run 1/2 Marathon -September
Bucktown 5K-Ocotober
Whistle Stop 1/2 – October
Pumpkins and in the Park- October
NovemberHot Chocolate 15K- November
As for training..I’ve tweaked my schedule and in a nut shell:
January -Training to get up to 3 miles
February-Training to get up to 4 miles
March-Training to get up to 6 miles
April -Training to get up to 9 miles
May- Training to get up to 10 miles
June- Training to get up to 12 miles
July- Training up to 14 miles
August- Maintain base and pace training
September- Maintain base run a 1/2 and recover
October- Pace train and run 2nd 1/2 and recover
November- Bust out and run my best 5K
I do have one thing that I’m pretty proud of…my jeans still fit. Unlike the past few year where I’m up 10 lbs post holidays..I’m still within 3 lbs of my pre-holiday weight and 5 lbs of my 1/2 marathon weight. All good things really.
So unlike every other year (lose weight, lose weight, lose weight), my 2009 goals are only one..
1. run faster.
- PR my 1/2 marathon
- PR my best 5K
- lose weight so I’m not lugging my extra baggage.
- Run a 5K in or under 30 minutes
- Take my pace from 12:30 to a solid 11
Congrats on the weight!
I’m sure it will take you no time to get up to 3 miles.
And your goals sound achievable if you focus.
I have also let my running slip, and this weather certainly isn’t aiding my motivation.
I am so sorry that you hurt yourself. I took a knee lashing in the Fairview Lot last winter on the way to catch the train, and it seriously took me over a month to heal, so I understand how bad a bad one can be.
And congrats on the weight! I had put on 5 lbs. over the holidays, but finally got back down and am 2.1 pounds below there as of my weigh in today.
Onward and downward and fastward (WTF kind of horrible attempt at a word was that???!) in 2009!