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New Year; New Goals

It has been a hot minute since I have talked about running on the ol' blog...and if we are being honest it's been awhile since I have talked about anything other than my sweet little guy. People aren't lying when they tell you life is all about your kids once you become a mom...and I have to tell you I don't mind one bit :)

While life has been #AllAboutBenny since before he was even born, I have still managed to make running a big part of my life. Running has been important to me for years, and while I am not putting in near as many miles as I was pre-baby, running still plays a really important role in my life.

Many people assume that I run to stay in shape...and while that is a perk of it, I run more for my mental well being. Running gives me an outlet for life's every day stresses and since having Bennett it has given me something that is all my own.

Life changed drastically (for the better of course) when he was born, and for several weeks after I struggled with feeling like myself. Returning to running and training for the Gobbler Grind marathon allowed me to grab onto a little piece of my old life, and while at times it wasn't easy, it was so worth it when I crossed that finish line. I knew going into 2018 I wanted to set some running goals, but I also wanted to be realistic and not put too much pressure on myself. Running a postpartum marathon was a feeling like no other, but the pressure (and early mornings) of training for 26.2 was a lot.

4 years ago I signed up for my very first half marathon as a part of the Heartland 39.3 series. I ran my 1st, 2nd, and 3rd half-marathons all within 5 weeks of each other. It was a lofty goal at the time, but it was so satisfying. Since that first year I have since run that same series 2 more times. Last year I had Bennett and couldn't run in the series but promised myself I would do it again in 2018 as a "comeback"

As I started getting the emails about registration for Heartland 39.3 I started to second guess myself. While I wanted to run these 3 races, I also didn't want to put the pressure of training for 3 half marathons on my plate. I then thought about just doing one of the races...but again wasn't sure I wanted to train for a half at all.

While looking at the Garmin half I noticed there was a 10k series with 4-10ks in 5 weeks all being held close to my house. For the first time in awhile I got really excited about a race(s) and decided that THIS would be my running goal for the spring.

Not only do I want to run the 4-10ks, but I want to get a 10k PR. I am not 100% sure what my 10k PR is since I have only ran a handful of them...but I think it is around 50 minutes.

I'm really looking forward to training for a shorter distance than normal. This will allow me to focus on getting some speed back and long training runs won't take over my life ;)

I'm only making a goal for the spring...and once those races are over I will reevaluate. I am thinking I might want to run a half this fall...but who knows. I'm just doing life by the seat of my pants these days ;)
Posted by Heather Smith at 3:42 AM Labels: #BuildThePath, #RunGum, New Years Resolutions, Olathe 10k Series, Races, Running

