Today is the day. The day I turn the big 3-0.
In my younger days, 30 always sounded so old, so adult. Now that I’m here, I don’t feel particularly old (or wise, for that matter).
Instead, I start my 30th year the healthiest I’ve ever been, having reclaimed my life and health over 2 years ago now. And I vow to make this my best year ever! I’ve got plenty of running plans lined up this year, with 2 big goals in particular:
- I will break 4 hours in the marathon this year. I’ve already been doing lots of speedwork at the indoor track once a week, and I will continue to do more of the same as we move towards the summer and Mayor’s Marathon in June. One other thing I’m doing to help accomplish this goal: finally lose the last bit of weight that’s been hanging around. In 2010, I lost 90 pounds, going from 290 to 200. Then, I put back on a little bit and spent most of 2011 in the 215-220 range. Ideally I think I’d like to be down around 190-195. The rule of thumb I’ve seen is that for every pound of extra weight that you’re carrying around, you lose 2 seconds per mile. That may not sound like much, but over the length of a marathon, that works out to about 20 extra minutes for me. So in theory, I could go from my current PR of 4:00 down to 3:40 just by getting to my goal weight. On January 1, I tipped the scales at 221. Today I weighed in at 212. Let’s do this!
- Finish my first ultramarathon (a 50 miler in July) – hopefully with a smile still on my face! I haven’t officially signed up for this race yet, but I’m mentally committed to running (and training for) this.I’m sure it won’t be easy. I’m sure there will be times that I’ll ask myself why I’m doing this. I’m also sure that it will be one hell of an adventure that I’ll never forget.
Here’s to an epic year, may 30 be my best year yet!
Fun fact: I share a birthday with Oprah, so happy 58th birthday to her! Sorry, I don’t have any cars to give away.
Happy birthday Brandon! You can hit all three of your goals as long as you don’t tell yourself you can’t … have a great day and a great year!
Happy Birthday!
I’m with you on goal #1 this year. And like you I need to get the weight down to do it. I think we are in exactly the same place weight wise at the moment!
Thanks Andrew! I definitely think getting my weight down is going to be the #1 performance factor for me this year.
I love your perspective — you recognize how far you’ve come and how much you have going for you. Now I need to figure out how to do that, since I always seem to dread birthdays and getting older.
And I do think you’ll nail both goals this year. Wanting them is half the battle. Then, when you’re out there running, the other battle is to avoid losing sight of the goal. You’ve got the willpower to do the training (all that running in single-digit temperatures!!), and your training is definitely showing sub-4. As for the other goal, I can’t wait for an “I lost 100 pounds and just finished a 50-mile run” report!
That’s a great way to look at it – and that will certainly be a fun blog post to write 🙂
Welcome to the 30-34 age bracket!!
Great point David, something I hadn’t even thought of yet!
Happy [belated] Birthday, Brandon! May you achieve all of your goals and realize your dreams this year! 🙂
I am with you!! along with losing weight and being healthier I have given up soda and caffeine, with the hopes of when I get to ultra distances and fatigue and sleep deprivation become an issue I can get a pick-me-up from the caffeine that I would take. So if I continue with my weight loss goal for the year I should gain about 140 seconds per mile. Plus the general benefits I get from CONSISTENT physical exertion/ running. Thanks for the motivation.
Happy belated birthday Brandon! You’ll get your goals this year. No Problem!
Also, you have been tagged -> http://michaelrunner.com/2012/02/tagged.html
Brandon, I’m not sure the 30-34 age bracket is much less competitive than the 25-29 age bracket, unfortunately. But happy birthday (belated) anyway and kick butt towards your goals.
Unfortunately I think you’re right Mac. At one of the small marathons I did here in Alaska last summer, I got 2nd in my age group. If I had been in the 30-34 age bracket at the time, I wouldn’t have placed at all.