The Halves and the Half Nots

I’ve been giving some thought in the last few days to finally putting a little more structure into my weekly running. I’d be perfectly content to continue in freefall mode, but running when I want and for how far I want will not ultimately get me where I want. So I’ve begun looking for a few local races to do in the coming months. I love the planning part because the calendar and the body’s possibilities appear limitless this time of year. But, truthfully, rarely do ambition and ability square for 12 full months.

No marathons. No ultras. And, by golly, no very expensive races that must be paid almost a year in advance to gain entry.

That’s not to say I won’t see how far I can push above the surgeons’ advice to stop at 5 miles daily or sign up ahead of time for some crowded competitions. I truly believe with some common sense and careful training, I can work up to an injury-free half marathon or two. First up will be the La Jolla Half Marathon in April -- a tough course I haven’t tackled in about five years. The tune-up will be the equally grueling El Cajon 20k, one of my favorites. This after running the Couples Run in February and a 10k trail run in March. I’m going to follow Hal Higdon’s intermediate half marathon training program for this one and see how I feel. I’ve got a lot of faith in Hal, whose plans have led to pain-free PRs in the past.

Further down the road:

Two May races – an 8k and a 4-miler that I’ve always wanted to try

An evening 10k in coastal Connecticut during a highly anticipated trip with longtime girlfriends (all runners too) in early June

The Scripps Ranch 10k on 4th of July and a splattering of evening track club fun runs

Maybe, just maybe, a coastal trail run in Sonoma County while dropping off one college kid in August

And/or the AFC Half Marathon here in San Diego around the same

And, finally, cross country courses from late August through October

In the meantime, I’m starting to greatly look forward to starting on a new wallet-sized calendar that serves as my official 2007 training log (much like 2006, 2005, 2004,...). But I’m also going to try out one of the Excel sheets Dawn’s created and been generous enough to share with anyone who wants to try them. My hope is that this year’s logs won’t contain as many blank weeks and months as my last one. Here's to healthier times ahead.