10: Monuments and Maniacs. "Goaling" My Way Through the First Year.

The "Goaling" Game

I've been a bit slow to post here, but I have some ideas percolating, so perhaps I will catch things up a bit. Let's start with a bit of a year-in-review.

As I have stated before, as I came into my new-found commitment to fitness, I quickly discovered that vague goals such as "get in shape" or "lose weight" were not going to inspire me. So, as my first year of marathoning took shape, so did my goals. So, in a nutshell, here is my progression of goals as they developed through the year. It's all part of the grand "game" that has become my unreasonable midlife fitness challenge.

1. Complete a marathon before turning 50. (Goal was inspired in 1/1/2012, committed to on 6/9/2012, and completed on 11/3/2012)
2. Train toward completing a 50-mile ultramarathon. (Committed to goal on 1/1/2013)
3. Run This Year (2,013 miles in 2013 as my training wrap-around). (Committed to goal on 1/1/2-13)
4. Complete a 50 km ultramarathon (assess the legs for the possibility of a 50-miler). (Completed 5/11/2013)
5. Upgrade Run This Year goal to "Bloomington-to-Bellingham" -- 2,346 miles for the distance from where I live now to where I went to college. (Goal committed March, 2013, and completed 12/18/2013)
6. Qualify as a "Marathon Maniac." (Goal committed 8/3/2013, completed 9/28/2013 at 1-star level. Upgraded to 2-star status on 10/19/2013, the day on which I completed my "year" of 2,013 miles
7. Upgrade final "Run This Year" goal to 2,413 miles because and even four centuries for an overshot just sounded fun. (Goal committed 12/18/2013, and completed 12/31/2013)

Milestones

All told, my first year of running marathons turned into quite the amazing adventure, spanning from my first marathon on November 3, 2012 to to my ninth marathon (or longer) November 2, 2013. I was fortunate to remain injury-free throughout the year. Deciding on goals that I felt were realistic was key, but even more important was to maintain the primary goal: HAVE FUN! Here is the basic list of milestones:

1. First ever marathon. Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, November 3, 2012.
2. First trail marathon was completed on the Tecumseh Trail on December 1, 2012.
3. Having set a goal of completing an marathon before turning 50, I ran my THIRD a week before my birthday at the Southern Indiana Classic in Evansville, Indiana.
4. Completed my first Ultra Marathon at Dances With Dirt in Gnawbone, Indiana. I completed the 50 km distance.
5. Declaring 2013 as "The Year of 50," not only did I turn 50 and complete the 50 km ultra, but I also completed my first 50-miler at Run Woodstock in Pinckney, Michigan.
6. After completing the inaugural Mill Race Marathon in Columbus, Indiana, I found myself qualified to enter the ranks of the Marathon Maniacs, having completed 3 races in less than 90 days for 1-star status. As an added bonus, the Indianapolis Marathon in October bumped me to 2-star status, being my eighth in less that a year.
7. My training wrap-around as I prepared for the 50-miler was to RunThisYear -- amass at least 2,013 miles in 2013. I was fortunate to spend all of 2013 free of any injury or illness. As a result, my miles came with relative ease. And, as I approached the October 19 Indianapolis Marathon, I measured my training to hit my 2,013th mile as I crossed the finish line of the marathon.
8. And, finally, on the 356th day after my first race of at least 26.2 miles, I returned to the scene to complete my NINTH at the 2013 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. Thus, my tally on my first year of running was:
• 5 road marathons
• 2 trail marathons
• 1 50 km (trail) ultra marathon
• 1 50 mile (trail) ultra marathon
• 2,329 total miles from November 3, 2012 to November 2m 2013.

...And here's a corny picture to go with the milestones. Not quite as impressive as Mark Spitz or Michael Phelps, but I'm just having fun with it.

First-Year Marathoning Bling!

Take-Aways

It is not my intent to boast but to inspire. As I neared my 50th birthday, I was overweight ("obese" according to the BMI charts) and unhappy with the shape I had become. By committing to small attainable goals, and then building on those over time, I have been able to do things that I had never imagined this body could. Running has become not just something that I DO, it has become a part of who I AM. And I am having a lot of FUN with it.

New Goals for 2014?

This year, I plan to try my first 100 km ultramarathon. So, my training wrap-around, naturally, is to RunThisYear. I am also trying to do a better job of incorporating a more varied running and workout routine, Including a little speed work and more time in the gym. I'll let you know how it goes.



Up Next: My First DNF - And I'm OK with It