Happy New Year!

"Don't screw this up!"

The voice in my head was firm in its convictions.

"You're on target...don't do anything stupid!"

I had come through the half way point at the Disney Marathon at about the 1:40 mark.  Less than an hour later, the 20 mile marker went by at 2:34.  With just over 6 miles to go and nearly an hour to run them, I felt pretty good about my chances of finally qualifying for Boston.  Sure it had helped that by turning 45 I had gained an extra 10 minutes cushioning, moving my QT from 3:20 to 3:30, but as the last few miles dwindled by, my energy level was good, my legs felt strong and my pace was consistent.  And I was on track for a PR....

Still that voice in my head was pretty convincing.  So I listened.  For the last few miles I pulled back my pace, determined not to do anything stupid - like bonking, struggling to finish and missing the cutoff.  I became a tourist, noticing the scenery at the Hollywood Studio Park and the crowds along the riverside run through the resorts to the back entrance of Epcot.  Sure enough, they went by pretty easily and I enjoyed every minute of it.  I finished in a non-PR of 3:25 but didn't really worry about what could have been.  I had finally qualified for Boston, and had energy to spare to spend the rest of the day walking the parks with Samantha, James and Julia...stopping at Mexico first for a quick caloric reload. 

In the moments after the race, my plan for Boston was simple...I had qualified.  My plan was to run it for fun.  Not worry about the time.  Put in just enough training to finish.  Heck, I was tired...it all made perfect sense at the time.

One year later, naturally all this has changed.  I figure if I'm going to run Boston - and was one of the lucky few that managed to register that fateful Monday - I might as well throw fun to the wind and turn this into the torturous experience it was meant to be.  Which means instead of plodding casually up Heartbreak Hill, I'll be head down, doing my best to keep up my pace and hopefully hearing those same voices telling me not to screw up.  Afterall, I can't imagine a better course to call my PR...

January 1 is day one of my training.  Over the next 3+ months my plan is to knock off 500 miles in preparation for April 18.  I'm hoping they are entertaining enough to write about here.  If not, well, maybe it will at least keep me on track.  Either way I'm heading to the start line in Hopkinton.  It will be interesting to look back and see how I got there.