While I was away...

Ah, yes, it does feel good. Very good. Since this last post in October, I've gone through quite a few changes. I moved out to Wilmington, North Carolina in November. Business or pleasure, you ask? ...Hmm, how about both? My Beebee and her family live in Wilmington, so I found a job here and hopped, skipped, and jumped on over. Oh, and I ran. Oh, did I run.

I set my eyes on the Wrightsville Beach Marathon (wrightsvillebeachmarathon.com) on March 20th, 2011. And I am happy to announce that I just entered the taper phase of an 18-week training program. That's right, I know. The things that happen when the winds of change are a-blowin'...

This training plan has actually gone without too many hitches. There was a little spell in the 11th week, where I rolled my ankle on a planned 18-miler. That was a dark day. A dark, dark day. And, probably on a related note, I got sick-as-a-dog later in the week and had to cut some miles out of the plan. But I was able to get back on the gravy train and enjoy the ride to where I am at today. Woot and a half!

Oh, I almost forgot to confess my dirty little secret. My goal time for this marathon. Last time, I pounded the streets of Tokyo and came out with a 3:59:31 finishing time. This go round, I'm shooting for 3:15. I'll take a 3:30. And in a perfect world, I would come in at 3:10. We'll see how it goes. But I'm sure I can finish faster than last time.