RUNNING TRANSFORMATION

 

I prefer to live in the spirit of continuous improvement.  This requires maintaining a constant state of self-assessment that relates to all facets of my life…as a husband, father, employee, friend, coach and runner.

I have been plagued with chronic Achilles pain the past 5 years that has severely impacted my running consistency.  This is the first serious hurdle I have encountered in 43 years of running and I’m FINALLY back running consistently.  And now the competitive fires are burning again.

My running goals in 2018 are to run a marathon to achieve my 33rd consecutive Boston Marathon qualifying time.  I am targeting the Providence Marathon.  I last ran it in 2009 in 3:20:39 and finished 3rd in my age group.  One week later I’m planning to run the 50 mile Ice Age Trail race in Wisconsin.  I last ran this race in 1991 (it was my first ultra trail race), I finished in 7:06:36 (8:31 pace).  Later in the year I hope to finish a 100 mile race.  I haven’t decided which race I will run yet but the Vermont 100 miler is high on the list.

This seems like a lot considering I am just returning to consistent running.  But the competitive fires have been dormant for such a long time and I’m not getting any younger.

In preparation for this new journey I have completely revamped my nutrition and focused on a LCHF (low carbohydrate, high fat) approach that has allowed me to lose 25 lbs which feels wonderful.  I’m also making a concerted effort to improve my running efficiency and economy.  Additionally, I’m improving my mobility and balance and trying to improve my post-workout recovery, hydration and quality of sleep.

I’m so excited to be committed to these ambitious running goals!

I just hope they don’t diminish my plans to also improve as a husband, father, employee, friend and coach.