The Next Steps & Future Plans

As I absorb the race I ran a few days ago, I am beginning to find the new runner I have become. The Shamrock Half Marathon was a "jump" to a new level that I have gotten to as a runner. The training is paying off. The discipline and consistency is paying off.

Now it is time to RACE and use this new strength I have to my advantage. Shamrock Half was the first of my Spring races, and I have parts 2 and 3 coming up in April: The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler(part 2) and finally the Pikes Peek 10K(part 3). These races will not however, be the final conclusion of my Spring racing season. There is one final race I have lined up in mid May, an outdoor track 5000m race at Swarthmore College. That will be the conclusion of Spring.

Summer plans are to as always run the Twilight 8K Festival in July, this may be the only race I do however. But who knows, I may do a 1 Mile summer track race and try to PR in that.

Fall I am starting to get really excited about attacking the Half Marathon again. I think Philly Rock n Roll in Sept would be a fantastic race to enter and to compete with some world class runners as well as go for (dare I say) 1:07-1:08 in the half. I am also starting to see the possibility of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials(2016). 2016 is very realistic for me and a good time to do it. But I have plenty of work to do. And honestly, I just want to focus on running as fast as I humanly can. So if I ever qualify for the OT, I will not stop there. I will keep running, and keep pushing the barriers within me.

One other thing about the fall is my indecisiveness(if there is such a word) about a fall marathon(gulp). Marine Corps seems to keep calling my name, and I cannot help but be attracted to the race yet fearful since I have not been successful in the Marathon recently. I don't know. I need to go with my gut. But if there is one Marathon option, its looking like it will be Marine Corps. Perhaps I will run in it but not take it very seriously. And, if I want to focus on the half, which I think that I should, it is hard to run a good full also.

I'll figure it out, I think eventually, I will make the decision that I want to make, which is what I always do. For now, I am attacking my Spring races and focusing on one at a time. Cherry Blossom is next and I have a pretty good idea of a time to shoot for. As far as placing goes I am going to try and beat as many runners as I can, and fight with this new passion I have found in my running. The goal is simply to run under 5:12 pace, which would break 52 minutes.