My plans for 2008 are much more modest than they were for 2007. Last year, I came within two minutes of qualifying for the Boston Marathon when I ran a 3:37 at Nashville's Country Music Marathon. I started having various injuries and ailments shortly afterward that eventually short-circuited my whole running calendar. Then came surgery, slow recovery, and at long last, a bit of sanity.
This year I'm racheting back the number of races, the distances, and the speed in my running--just as I am cutting out virtually all of my travel, outside speaking engagements, and ancillary local commitments. Instead, I am going to focus on fun, on fundraising, and on mentoring a handful of new runners on our King's Meadow Endurance Team. Simplify, simplify, simplify.
I'm still going to do the Team Nashville 10 Miler, the Tom King Half, and then finish up the spring at the Country Music Half Marathon. The CMM is just such a great event and a wonderful way to connect our community. After that, I'll evaluate what to do about the RC-Moon Pie 10, the Uttermost, and the St. Jude Marathon. For now, I am just going to slowly ramp up to the CMM.
Once again, I'll be using a modified Jeff Galloway approach to training adapted to my busy schedule. There is a great online tool at the Runner's World website that charts daily workouts from now right up to the time of marathon that I'll be using to guide myself and my running buddies as we make our way toward a healthier and happier 2008.
