2012 Goals

It’s been awhile since I’ve made any real running/biking goals, ones that I’ve felt sure enough to write down anyway. Probably my last goal was to do the Madison Marathon, but when was that May, 2009? It’s been three years since that and athletically I’ve felt stagnant without direction. I feel better with some goal work myself forward towards. With that said here are my goals for 2012 –

Run the CrazyLegs Classic

Begin training to run a 5K under 20 minutes

Run commute to work

Bike a century (100 miles) on my single speed bike

First off, you can see that running is back into my world. I always seem to go back and forth with my focus, back and forth between running and biking. Running has taken a back seat the last two years really, so its return has been a long time coming. There were also a few things with running that I felt a really needed to do. The first of those was to do CrazyLegs this year. The 5 mile race is the largest running event in Madison, one that I really feel shamed not to do. I did it back in 2009 and had a blast – even in the rain.

The second goal there maybe needs some explanation. Ever since high school cross country, a sub-20 5K was always a goal. Back then, I just couldn’t quite get there. Now, a decade later, who knows if I still can but I want to give it a good try. I’ll have to run many miles to get to the 6:26 mile pace needed (my best run lately was an 8:15), so I know it won’t happen this year. I do want to reach the goal though before I turn 30. I’m tentatively calling this my “20 Before 30” goal.

The next goal – to run commute to work – was my latest goal to dream up. Yes, it’s a bit odd and random but also a fun idea (I think anyway). I’ll bike to work the morning of day one and then run home that afternoon. The next morning, day two, I’ll run to work and then bike home that afternoon. I’ll have to plan ahead and bring an extra change of clothes with me that first day when I bike but that will be easy. The running might be the hardest part as it will be a 4.5 mile run each way. I can’t fathom running 4.5 miles right now, let alone back to back one afternoon and then the next morning. Still, it’s not like it’ll be a marathon or anything.

The last goal, my only biking goal, is also a bit goofy. I’ve given up on really being competitive with biking (I last raced in college), and instead just made it a point to have fun and have adventures. That’s really what a single speed is all about. You can’t take yourself too seriously, go that fast, or miss the scenery. With that, what better way to enjoy a day of biking than on a single speed for a distance of 100 miles? There’s a 140 mile loop all on bike trails that I wouldn’t mind doing, or biking 120 miles from Madison to my parents in eastern Iowa. I don’t know if either of those will end up being my century ride or if I’ll just plan out an exact 100 mile course, but either way I’ll have fun on the bike.

Those are my four running and biking goals for 2012. Hopefully not only do I accomplish them all, but also write updates about them here. I also have a goal of eating better and losing 10 – 15 pounds, but that’s for another post and a different blog.