Reflecting on Boston ... now what?

It's been over 3 weeks since the Boston Marathon. I have very fond memories of my third Boston experience and my 20th marathon. I ran a 3:09 - almost exactly as planned. The day was remarkable and I feel very proud to be a part of what was a very historic day for the Boston Marathon. Heck, I ran on the course the same day that the fastest marathon was run EVER.

I've all but abandoned regular blogging on running, though running remains a part of my life. Our move to California and our current stage of having a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old has changed me.

Still, I feel that deep desire to set some form of goal to motivate me again. I'm 35 now and have run 20 marathons in 12 different states. I've exceeded my wildest dreams with my running by breaking 3 hours twice in the marathon.

Now what...? I've let go of running since Boston quite a bit. I needed some time off and I had a medical procedure (um, we're done having kids), which required some recovery. Again, so, now what?

I've been plotting to try to go after one more marathon PR. Then do I want to push myself that hard over the coming months? Should I just enjoy running leisurely in the Bay Area since I'm still so new here?

Much to contemplate.... for now, I'm going to try to get back in shape.

What a difference a year makes

Hi runners... It's been just over an entire year since I lasted posted on this blog. "Where have you been?" one might ask. A lot has changed. I made a choice last year that I needed to invest my time in family, work and running, and this meant that blogging would need to take a back seat.

Next, let it be known, that I did not accomplish my goal of the 2:54 at Little Rock that I wrote about last year on my last post. I was on track at the mid-point with a steady 1:27 first half, but I couldn't hold. The wheels fell off and I limped in at a 3:04. It's been a year now, but I can tell you that I hurt more after this marathon running a 3:04 than I did in both of my two sub-3 hr performances, and most other races that I can even remember. So I licked my wounds, went home and readied myself for the birth of my second child.

The positive news is that I have had a great 12+ months since last wrote on February 21st, 2010. My son, Landon, was born on March 31st, 2010. He is a superstar champ and on the verge of turning one year old. My daughter, Alivia, is nearly 3 and amazes me every single day with her beauty and charm.

As of this past fall, I relocated to Napa, California with the company for which I have been working for the past 7+ years. This was a major life decision and, in the end, we decided that we could not pass up the experience to live in such a beautiful part of the country. I have continued to run throughout 2010 and completed the St. George, UT Marathon in October, as I moved my family to California. I turned 35 in August, so my 3:13 at St George was another BQ!

And I am now a Napa Valley Runner. I started this blog back in 2005 and called it "East Coast Runner" when I lived in the great state of Connecticut. Shortly thereafter, I moved to the Chicago suburbs for 4 1/2 years, and now we are enjoying Northern California.

I am presently training for Boston, which will be my 20th marathon and close to my 10th anniversary of marathon running. This is a landmark marathon. I on track for somewhere around a 3:10 or better.

After Boston, I plan to run some shorter races in Northern California and, in particular, in the beautiful Central Coast region of California. I want to enjoy the serenity of running in Northern California and spiritually connect with the amazing nature we have here. I will exploring opportunities to do so as we enter the Spring running season.

So, in closing, running is still as important in my life as ever. I've had to make a lot of adjustments to my training approach and time management as kids have entered my life. But I still marvel how running has been a very strong constant in my life, since that first marathon in Pittsburgh in May 2001.

Run onwards, friends...