I alluded a couple weeks ago to the fact that the running fire has ignited again. I also spoke of aiming for the Little Rock Marathon, putting it out there. A bit of that has changed but not much. Today I want to talk about this fire and the goals I want to chase.

Since coming back from the month away, I have become increasingly frustrated with my sluggish speed and long for more. Things have not gone according to my original plan for the build up but I do not feel defeated. I wanted to get my mileage back above 30 miles per week before I started 5k training but have not quite gotten there. Work has overwhelmed, often at the expense of sleep. These things might indicate that I should feel defeated and give up my goals. On the contrary, the fire remains lit with so much more stoking it.

Right now, I want to chase the faster times, specifically the 5k and then the marathon. I want to try for a PR at the December Jingle Jingle 5k in Hilton Head. Once I turn towards the marathon, I again want to snag a BQ, really go for it. At first, I wanted to make that my goal for Atlanta (more on that in a moment) but that would be a huge ask based on my current fitness. As such, I think I will use Atlanta as a springboard, aiming for a sub 3:45 to qualify for Chicago and then run Chicago as a BQ attempt.

Part of this inspiration first came as I watched the women’s world championship marathon. (Which they ran in absolutely ridiculous conditions but that’s not the point of this post.) At various points during the broadcast, the announcers mentioned the US Olympic Marathon trials which take place in Atlanta next February. I decided to Google the race and see if they planned to hold the race for the “regular” people the next day like Los Angeles four years ago. Bingo. The Olympic marathon hopefuls run on Saturday February 29 and the regular people run the next day, March 1. Without hesitation, I decided to make a weekend of it, drive down Friday, spectate Saturday, and race Sunday. That way I don’t have to take any time off and can save money on flights. Plus, I get to see Olympic caliber athletes in person for the first time ever.

I know that this fire is for real. Last week I had my first structured speedwork in over a year. (I have already completed several fartlek sessions in the previous few weeks.) When I woke Thursday morning, the day I planned to complete the workout, I felt absolutely exhausted incapable of completing a decent workout. I knew I made the right decision to not attempt the workout and risk injury but I still wanted to get in a run. After a YIG meeting at my old school plus a stop at Dollar Tree for prizes for my current students, I still pressed forward, stopped at home to change, and headed to the gym, written workout in hand. Instead of just running easy like I could have, I completed still completed the workout session. While hard to put into words, this proved to me that the fire is real. After so many months of taking the easy way out with my runs, I took the harder route.

I still need to work on getting enough sleep, of course.

While I do not know how I will achieve the necessary balance, I know that I will. I feel invigorated by the renewal of the fire and hope to keep that fire stoked over this next year as I chase these big goals.