Lack of Plans for the New Year

It's the new year.  Every blog you read is full of all the new goals and plans for the year and normally I'd have my whole year planned out as well.  However, for the first time since getting hooked on running in 2010, I do not have an entire map.  I've signed up for zero races.  I've let multiple 'early-registration' deadlines of 'maybe' races slip by me.

I may run a marathon in the spring, I probably won't.  I'll probably run a half-marathon or two, I might not.

For 2013, there's only one the schedule right now.  I'll register for the Baltimore marathon in the very near future.  Why Baltimore?  Anyone who has read this blog long enough knows that large, city races aren't my thing but there's a good reason.

Shortly after Baltimore last year, my husband came home one day and said he wanted to run the Baltimore half marathon as his first half-marathon.  He wanted a long term goal (he's run several 5Ks and one 5 miler) so enter the fall 2013 plan.  He still won't run with me but Baltimore half for him and Baltimore marathon for me is the plan.

For 2012, I met my final 2012 miles in 2012 goal I mentioned in December, but the last miles were anything but exciting.  Most of them were on the treadmill and were just to run miles for the numbers and get a sweat going.

I was much stronger in the first half of 2012 compared to the second when I stupidly switched to all running all the time.  Coincidentally, that's always when things started to go downhill in preparing for fall races.  I'm pretty sure there's a lesson in there so I'm getting back into a routine that isn't running all the time.  I also gained weight when I switched to my all running all the time routine.  Again, maybe another lesson in there.  Or, maybe I just need to keep my head out of the pantry.  Kasey needs to learn that particular lesson:

  

The other reason for a lack of 2013 plan is to be able to dedicate more time to Miles and Mutts.  The goal for 2013 is to double the dogs, volunteers and miles.

By the end of the year in 2012, 20 runners covered 673 miles with 26 dogs.  9 of the dogs in our running pack were adopted.  So, for the mathematically challenged, next year we'll aim for 50+ dogs, 40+ runners and at least 1400 miles.  To do this means more time dedicated to it.  More time to be available, more time to schedule, more time to plan ways to get people out there.

Since running a whole bunch of miles just for myself takes time, the mutts stuff happens mostly on the weekends and races occur on the weekends, well, planning a bunch of races to run has taken a back seat.  Either that, or find a way to get rid of my pesky job.  Somehow, I do not foresee that happening.

Of course, I can't say there aren't a few things going on in my head as far as fitness goals so I have something to track.  I'll still aim for the following:

-Run at least 1000 miles
-PR in the half
-PR in the marathon
-Increase the ratio of dog running miles to solo miles (in 2012, 536 of the 2012 miles I ran had a dog by my side).
-Do some sort of cross-training/non-running workout at least 2x/week