What's Going On?

I haven't posted in a bit; sometimes I'm lazy that way.  Here's what's been going on since we last met:

Crickets chirp. Leaves rustle.

Alright, maybe that is a bit simplistic, after all, I am still running, usually.  After 6 months of glorious injury-free running I hit a down patch and have been treading lightly around two separate injuries in the past three weeks.  First there was some random pain in the top of my foot the day after a long run that had no rhyme or reason.  No big deal, these things happen.  More seriously is the current pain in my posterior heel that happened two Sundays ago.  I attribute it to shoes that were too tight (they were new shoes) and caused either the bursis or the achilles or the actual heel bone to get really inflamed.  I'm still dealing with it over a week later but at least it seems to be getting better.

Enough about that.  What else?  You'll notice that there is no mention of any racing, either have been completed or on my schedule.  This is unusual.  After a long deliberation I have set my schedule for the year.  I know, the whole year!  And it is pretty light, but not at all easy.  My next race will be June 11th at the New England Relay where will be joining Zac and a bunch of his friends in what can only be described as an ill-advised attempt to run an Ultra-relay.  40 miles in one day?  No problem.  40 miles per person in one day?  Ok, now you got my attention.

One week later it's vacation time in the hills of New Hampshire as representatives from the mighty GNRC once again attempt to tackle the Mount Washington Road Race.  7.6 miles straight into the clouds; always a crowd favorite.

If you look closely you can see Valhalla in the background

After that it's time to focus on the Providence Half and then most likely Baystate. And that's where it gets scary.  With the BAA setting the bar for Boston even higher (screw you BAA), qualification has just become even scarier.  3:10, 3:10! Come on.  That's hella-fast.  So the big question is, can I do it?  All indicators say that I should be able to, sort of.  I was able to pull out a 1:30 at the New Bedford Half last year and am looking to do a sub-90 minute at Providence this year (although they stuck the finish at the top of that damn hill in front of Providence Place). That will be a big indicator of whether or not I am ready.

That's the reason for so few races, to focus on the ultimate goal, the fall marathon. I made the decision to look long term and really commit myself to two big races this year. This is a radical change for me and in order to give myself the best possible chance I made one more big decision: I became a Kenyan.  No, not that, I got myself a coach.  It's true, for the first time I have placed my training plans in the hands of someone else.  Perhaps you may know her; blogger-extraordinaire and co-founder of TriMoxie Coaching, our very own Mary, aka, the IronMatron. I realized that it was time to get serious and get some stability and consistency in my routine, both of which have been lacking lately.  This way I can focus on the actual training and let someone with more knowledge than me develop the plan.  

In the few weeks that we have been working together I can definitely tell that the workouts are much more refined and intense than what I would have done on my own and this is exactly what I have been hoping for.
I can't hope to raise my game by doing the same old routine so it's nice to have a challenge again.