Point to Pinnacle - it begins!

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

No, it's not what you think. Rather it's that old Starting Over Syndrome, where you rule a line through the spreadsheet and start the training program all over ... again. Some people need that kick start after successfully completing a running goal. I however have the opposite problem - my running tapers off after the failure to reach some goal, generally through injury or illness or occasionally some other regrettable circumstance. My last failure was painful enough to be etched into my psyche probably forever - I had collapsed exhausted for half an hour just inside my front door after aborting a "non-negotiable, absolute minimum 25km run" after just 16km. I awoke knowing the campaign was over, and since then I have doggedly avoided any serious race goal, not being able to face the prospect of another searing disaster.

However, a very close friend's quadruple bypass and my mother-in-law's heart valve replacement/bypass surgery (both within a week of each other very recently) together with more favourable circumstances in the MLCM tangled web of mystery and intrigue sometimes referred to as "life" have unearthed a surprisingly fierce determination to have yet another crack at a decent running ... well, let's call it a "season". I'll not yet scratch at that scabby itch called "marathon", because from this lowly starting point such a lofty goal seems just too intimidating. Instead I'll aim for a decent bunch of races throughout the rest of this calendar year, starting with the previously mentioned local 10km race in six weeks time, and the Sydney half marathon a further 6 weeks beyond that.

Training will consist primarily of 3 or 4 runs per week with the usual mix of easy runs, tempo runs and long slowies, with increasing intervals and hill sessions as we progress. The most arduous session will be a 2-hour long run 2 or 3 weeks before the half. That, I am certain, is most manageable. To further reduce unnecessary mental pressure, I'm not setting any race goal times or aiming for PBs. I'll just let the race times that happen, happen. My only real goal is to put in a "respectable" effort at the Point to Pinnacle in November (whatever that means).

On non-run days I will endeavour to either walk for a minimum 45 minutes or jog for 15, with swimming or cycling as other possibilities (no kayaking regrettably, as the tub has gone to a better home). These too, are definitely manageable as I generally do this anyway, and which has maintained at least a modicum level of fitness in recent weeks and months. So I think I'm on a good footing here. But then again, I've thought that many times before. Still, last year I did actually manage to cover the half mara distance a number of times, so it's certainly not a daunting prospect. However maintaining that level for the rest of the year is another matter.

But I mean to say: three sessions a week. How hard can that be?

Of course some of the ancilliary things that go with training, e.g. food and alcohol minimisation, and fitting family matters in with the training can be harder than the actual running, but I think my relatively modest goals will make that all quite tolerable. I've already tested the water a little with Mrs MLCM so I know where the boundaries are... and it's good to know such vital information before getting in too deep.

So, this really is it. We genuinely are getting the band back together... woot!