most people like to make resolutions or set their intentions for the upcoming year on January 1st. i have found, through many years of living, that making resolutions on that day simply doesn’t work for me. it just doesn’t. so what i have started doing over the past few years of this journey is taking a day, watching the running of the Boston Marathon, and think about what i want to accomplish over the next 365 days, what exactly i want to go for and crafting my goals from there. Marathon Monday is the runners’ superb-owl. this is the day that about 30,000 people toe the storied line in Hopkintown to run 26.2 miles through Wellesley College through the Newton hills, up Heartbreak hill and into Boston. these folks have done the impossible in qualifying for the race, they’ve put many many miles in through good conditions, bad conditions and everything in between just for the chance. it is a dream of mine to qualify. a big dream. i may not ever do it but it doesn’t mean i won’t try my damnedest to.
over the past few years i have watched this race either on my iPad or my phone or like this year on the tv. its amazing to watch the elites run, they look like gazelles. last year i watched Des Linden cross the finish, winning the race as the first American woman to do so in many many years, completely inspiring. this year i got to see Worknesh Degefa take a commanding lead early in the race and keep that 2 plus minute lead all the way to the finish. She is simply amazing.
after the elite field finished, the regular mortals began crossing the line for their respective races. there’s a lot that one goes through during a marathon, it is absolutely life changing. while i have completed that distance and would love to do it again, i know i have a lot of work to put in to get there… now here’s where the goals come in. in watching Boston yesterday i started thinking about what i wanted to do. the past year hasn’t been the best for me running wise. its honestly been a struggle and i am over it. i need to put my head down and start putting in the work on a more consistent basis. i just do. its time to start knocking down numbers again. little by little, one step at a time. i have to go back to basics, running more than twice a week, adding some strength training in twice a week and getting my yoga on.
for perspective, my half PR is 3:07:54, my 5k PR is 37:10. its time to lower those numbers. so today, i am putting it out there - my goal is to hit 2:30 for 13.1 in October and 30 in the 5K sometime in the fall. this is achievable. i just have to put in the work.