Jingle all the way

Since I began running in 2010, I haven't missed a Jingle Bell Run (I know...it's only 3 years, but it's somethin').  This year I had a goal of achieving a 5K Personal Best by going sub-20 minutes, which would annihilate my previous record of 23:23, set in last year's edition of the Harrisburg JBR.  The whole gang showed up with their best holiday socks and hats, joining around 1200 other participants on a mild December morning.

The whole gang!

We were surprised to hear that the course was changed from previous years and as we gathered near the starting line, I began to question whether I'd be able to achieve a sub-20 time with a 100' climb staring right back at us.  The worst part was, the course was two loops!  Regardless of how I felt about the course, the horn blew and we were off.  My wife and friend Ben started near me, but then it began to spread out after the first hill.

I had the Runkeeper audio cue set to give me feedback every quarter mile, so prompt adjustments could be made to my pace to keep my PR in sight.

All went pretty well until the second loop, when on the straight section around mile 2.5, where there were "four lanes" of runners on a two lane road.  For the most part, the slower runners and walkers (who we were lapping) stayed to the right on either side and the quicker runners took turns passing in the middle, but it was a mess...kinda felt like trying to run through the mall the weekend before Christmas.  Compounded by the fact that there were dogs and strollers, it was dangerous, and I hope they figure out a solution for next year.

Course Map.  See all the squiggly criss-crossing lines in the middle?  Yeah, that's pretty much what it was like.

Lucky for us, the last quarter mile stretch was less crowded and we were able to open up and really push for the finish.  I officially crossed the line (as one person in the crowd stated) as "the first antlers".  I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty happy to be one of the first "dressed up" finishers.  Couple that with my finish time of  19:33 and 17th place, I was ecstatic.  Ben and Bree also finished with amazing times, both PR'ing and Ben actually pulled out 34th place.

Checking our race packets afterwards also revealed a nice touch this year: long sleeve tech shirts in place of the normal cotton shirts.

This will be my last 5K for a while, maybe for an entire year.  Like I stated in my previous post, I'm focusing on some longer distances in the near future: 50K in January, then a Marathon in March.

Happy Holidays!

What lies ahead

I don't believe in new years resolutions.  I mean: who says you have to wait until January 1st to make a change or create personal goals?  In my case for 2013, I don't have time to wait for the new year to establish some goals and plan for new heights in personal achievement.  Next year is going to be jam packed with weekends of pushing myself to places (and paces) I never thought possible.

So what are the goals?

#1: Qualify for the Boston Marathon
yep, it's in writing...now it's official...no turning back now.

It's going to be hard, but I wouldn't set the goal if I thought it was unachievable.  Being a 4:53 marathoner at my first (and only) marathon back in May of 2011 might lead you to believe that I have absolutely no shot at attaining the required 3:05:00 for the Boston Athletic Association's standard for my gender and age group.  But hard training (and 20+ pounds lost) this past year has worked magic on the fitness of this formerly fat runner and I'm confident that if I continue on this path, it's within reach.

#2: Run an ultramarathon
I just want to get my feet wet in the sport of long distance trail running with no particular pace or finishing time in mind.  It's an entirely different animal than road running and I'm looking forward to challenging myself at these greater distances.

#3: Complete the Appalachian Trail in NJ and NY
This section is roughly 160 miles and while that may not seem like a whole lot to cover in an entire year, I'm going to have to carefully plan backpacking weekends into my running schedule.


So what's the plan?

Well, #2 is only a month away: The Frozen Sasquatch 50K in West Virginia on January 5th.  I haven't had a training run over 10 miles since November 3rd...so we'll see how this goes!

As for the Boston Qualifier, the obvious choice for me is the Harrisburg Marathon with its extremely fast course and starting line less than 10 miles from my front door, but the timing doesn't work out the way that I'd prefer.  If I run a qualifying time in Harrisburg in November of next year, I'm looking at running Boston in 2015...and quite frankly that's a long way off.  I'd rather do a spring marathon and try to get in to the 2014 race; that's why I registered for the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach in March.  While it's not listed on any of the "Top Boston Qualifying Race" lists put out there on the web, it's flat and as long as my training is solid, I should be able to achieve my goals.

The schedule for the rest of 2013 will sort of depend on how my race goes in Virginia Beach.  If I qualify, then the doors are wide open for some even crazier adventures like the JFK 50 Mile in November.  If not, then there are many options for fast fall marathons.


I've also got some secondary goals that are listed below in no particular order.  These are just some fun things I've been thinking about or working on already, and would be great if I could get them accomplished in the coming year.

Running:

• Run at least a half marathon distance in 3 new states
• Travel (run) as far as I possibly can one day (just for fun, not in a race)

Hiking:

• "Thru Hike" the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail in Western PA

Geocaching:

• Find the remainder of the virtual caches in PA that I haven't yet found.  There are only 13 left out of 99, but a few require long hikes or special equipment (e.g. kayak)
• Finish MD/DE Delorme and County Challenges
• Visit Remaining Webcams in DE, MD, and DC (there are only 4, and 3 of them are on the coast so I should probably go in winter or spring to avoid crowds and traffic)

Misc:

• Take better pictures

The FOCUS for the next 4 months will be the Ultra, then Boston Qualifying.  We'll see how it all plays out after I cross the finish line on March 17th, but the journey's going to be fun and I'm very much looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead.

New Down Jacket!

I've been in the market for a new packable insulating layer for winter hiking for a couple months now, but just couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger on a couple hundred dollar down jacket.  Well, it seems my procrastination paid off.  Last weekend I spotted a rack of down jackets at BJs Wholesale Club...the price listed? $49.99!  The brand is Hawke and Co. and it seems they're on sale at Macy's too (but not quite the price I was able to procure).  As one would expect, the quality isn't Arc'teryx territory, but you really can't beat this packability and warmth for the price.  Did I mention it weighs in at a slim 9.4oz?!  Yeah....total steal.

It's definitely done the trick for evenings walking the dog in wind chills down in the low 20s, but I'm anxious to see how it performs on the trail.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure when my next backpacking trip will be, especially given my upcoming ultramarathon in January.