Quest 2013

Most of 2012 I spent learning how to be a runner again after my heart attack. With all the physical and emotional ups and downs, adjusting to meds, paranoia of whether or not I was going to drop dead on a training run, having to carry a phone like a JOGGER, I was just happy with the fact that I was out in the great wide open putting one foot in front of the other and really did not have any grand goals for the year. But...now that is over. It is 2013 and I am starting on my first quest of the year; a sub 36 10,000 meters on the track. Most of my running buddies started their training for the Boston Marathon today. Over the course of the next four months they have carefully laid out a plan in which they hope will carry them to a successful Boston Marathon experience. There are fartleks, track work outs, and long runs inked on paper to guide their steps. They will carefully plot out each build up race and mark milestones along their journey. Each morning run will bring them one step closer to achieving their goal. Myself on the other hand, really do not have any plans on running a marathon again until I am 50. Instead, I want to focus my energy on becoming the best masters track runner that I can be. After stepping onto the track at Hayward Field this past June and running those four beautiful, symmetrical ovals, I have been aching with a desire to return to my first true love...the track. Some may ask, why not just run some road 10ks? Simply put, it is not the same. The track is brutal. There is no hiding in the mid pack, there is no guess work if the course was short or long, it is raw, pure, and simple racing. The track requires of you to show up having done your homework and ready to be tested. There is a reason why many runners are intimidated by the track, she is completely honest with you and you cannot give her excuses, she does not lie to you. If I run 36:01 and miss the All American standard for my age group, then I missed the time and cannot cry that the course was a few seconds off. I like that in a woman, brutal honesty. (Ummm, just don't tell my wife!) So here we go 2013, today is the first day of my quest to once again be an All American athlete. Even though I am much older, hopefully a little wiser than when I first accomplished this goal my senior year in college, with a well planned training schedule, the help of my running buddies, the Visalia Runners, and a little luck, come June 19 in San Diego, I will circle the Mesa College track 25 times in under 36:00 and once again earn the title of All American. Starting today, my focus for the next six weeks is simply building up my mileage. My goal over this period is build up to 70 miles per week. No hard track sessions. No killer fartleks. No brutal 2 hour runs. Just easy miles with a couple of tempo runs and a 12 mile long run. Let the quest begin! Time to lace up the Nikes, head out the door and begin the first week of phase one of my training, a six week base mileage build up. As always, stay healthy, keep running and set yourself some running goals for 2013.