You may be wondering why this post is making its way to the site so early. Frankly, I am over the holidays. There, I said it. 2009 pretty much blew in every sense of the word. We all felt the pinch from the damage to our economy which was done in 2008 and carried over through 2009. There are definite signs of life looming on the horizon, but it may take us a while to get there. That said, I decided to post my annual wish list for the coming year a bit early and, since I will probably not be awake to see the ball drop and ring in the New Year, I am going to forego the proverbial wish list as well. Instead, I decided to take a look back at my 2008 wish list and see what, if anything, came true:

…America’s belief that a new presidential inauguration will be the capitulation point in our economy actually holds true.   (This came true only to end with a thud. The economy is definitely improving, but Obama’s confidence ratings are slipping like a drunk guy on ice.)

…the aforementioned 1.3 million folks who lost their jobs over a very short period of time find new work at an even faster pace. We will all be better off for it. Ever hear of soup lines?  (Uh, now I wish the unemployment number would be this low.)

…people will stop asking me if my job is secure. I understand the rationale, but would the same question be asked if I were an airline pilot? They are affected by oil price surges, union negotiations, strikes, shrinking margins, economic downturns, reduction in travel, terrorism. Me? I am left to the whim of the stock market. Who has it worse? No on is safe in this economy. Before the question is asked again, please see Wish #2.  (This one actually came true.)

…my business continues to grow at its current pace so that Wish #2 and #3 come true.  (This one too.)

…some of the side projects I am working on begin to come to fruition and start gaining momentum.  (What were those side projects, again? So far the MBA has taken up all of my free time though I have snuck in a couple of books and a few runs here and there.)

…I do just as well in my MBA program as I did with by Bachelor’s. A great feat, that is for sure, if I can maintain a 3.5+ though I am not so sure it is possible with all of the balls that I have in the air at the time. (Also coming true. At the time of this post, I have a 4.0 GPA.)

…the Red Sox make it back to the Series and win. Hey! This is a “wish list” after all. Plus, what would be finer than watching the Yanks dole out about the equivalent of South America’s GDP for four players and a new stadium – and still lose?  (Son of a…!)

…my family remains healthy, focused on our goals, and achieves great things this year. (Amen, sister. Also happened.)

…to teach Jack how to hit off a tee, throw a ball with a general idea of where it is going, swing a club, and run to first so that we might share in some of those amazing moments many of our fathers missed. (Jack can officially hit off a tee. So hard, that he cracked the last one we bought him. Next step: set up his new Tee which actually tosses the balls in the air to see if he can hit a moving target.)

…to never let a moment go by in 2009 where I fail to recall all that I have just written. (Okay, so I am batting .500 here. Cut me some slack!)

I don’t really have any wishes for 2010. Mainly, I hope that Courtney makes a decision regarding nursing school that brings her peace. I hope that we continue on the path we have laid and all of those close to me have a safe and healthy 2010. The usual stuff, I know. However, I am not setting my sights on anything major this year. The MBA will come to an end and the time will fly; this we know. What we (I) don’t know is what amazing things will happen to us/me this year. I would rather not wish for anything in particular but rather would like to let life unfold as it is meant to.

Happy New Year, everyone. 

Now that my first half marathon is behind me, it is time to set some goals for 2010.  I have already decided that 2011 will mark my first attempt at the full marathon. Given my schedule, the half is still probably the best distance to prepare for. I can stretch myself without overstretching and take enough time to build up to 26.2. In fact, it might be too long, but I would rather be overprepared than under. So, now is time to set my sights on gathering myself together and using my second wind to face down another 16 weeks of training.

Last year, my buddy Tim and I ran the Run Through Redlands 5k which was my first official race. It just so happens that they have a half as well. Additionally, the timing works out perfectly. This will give me 16 weeks of training, allow for a couple of months off during the hottest part of the year, and then another 16 weeks of training for the L.A. Rock ‘n’ Roll I am running in October. This also frees up time to work with Courtney as she begins venturing on her first really long runs as she prepares for the same race. Of course, we will probably sprinkle in a 5k 1or 10k in there somewhere; just not sure where or when.

I used the FIRST Training Program for the first half which limits the runner to running three days per week. This, coupled with cross training, is supposed to reduce the probability of injuries while preparing the runner for the half. This time around, I am going to try Runner’s World’s SmartCoach program since the milage is higher and the program adds one or two running days each week. Personally, I find it is easier to get out of bed at 4:30 a.m. and run four miles than run 6 miles on Tues, 6 on Thurs, and 15 on a Sunday. I never had time for cross training and, by the time Sunday morning rolled around, struggled to get the long run in because I hadn’t run in three days.

This will be a good way for me to compare the two training methods (and explore others in the meantime) as I prepare for L.A. which will be my race of the year.

So, without further adieu, here is the run down.

This should help me beat my previous half time by about 7 minutes. One thing to note: there is no way I can run 8:55/mi pace. I have tried, but I can’t; this is too slow at this point. Maybe I can attempt this for the longer runs, but I ran 8:15/mi this morning at 4:40 a.m.  In the dark.