Well Chicago turned out better than expected.  So it leads me to ponder what’s next on the agenda for this Mike’s life.  Not all that long ago I made the sweeping declaration that I’d be transitioning my efforts over to the world of triathlon.  With the recent sign up for the Austin Distance Challenge and the even-more-recent success in Chicago, it’s hard for me to consider abandoning running for the multisport world.  And so here is the plan I lay before you for your approval.

Firstly, the Austin Distance Challenge is going to take up the rest of my 2011 and early 2012 with a 10 miler and three half marathons.  In a bit of unexpected news I got the results of the ADC after the IBM 10k.  Looks like I’m in fourth place in my age group!  I’m trailing first by a little over 4 minutes, but I can justify that by saying I was just warming up for my 8 miler that followed.  In any case, my new goal for the immediate future is to win my age group.  As Shakespeare once probably said, “It’s on like Donkey Kong”.

Taking things to a creepy level of analysis, I result-stalked some of the competitors who were ahead of me in the results.  There wasn’t much, but I did find that the second place guy finished the Run for the Water 10 Miler last year only 55 seconds ahead of me.  That same guy finished 5 minutes behind me at the 3M Half Marathon.  My plan is to focus the next few months on speed.  Maybe I can even bust out a new half marathon PR at 3M again.

Beyond the Austin Distance Challenge is my longer term goal.  Where qualifying for Boston was once an impossibility, now it is merely an implausible possibility.  Here’s a little bit of data to back me up.  One thing Ev realized shortly after the Chicago Marathon is the pattern I’m following.

Fall 2009 – Chicago: 3:28:02

Fall 2010 – San Antonio – 3:22:34 (minus 6 minutes)

Fall 2011 – Chicago – 3:16:29 (minus 6 minutes)

The obvious conclusion: Boston 2014, here I come!  If I take 6 minutes off my PR each year, I’ll be down to 3:04 in 2013, just in time to register for Boston 2014!  Ok, I realize taking 6 minutes off per year is not a sustainable or reasonable expectation, but it’s all I got.  This goal is going to take a lot of dedication and focus, but based on what I was able to do with a self-evaluated substandard training regimen and only partial focus for Chicago, I think I can actually do it.

That’s the plan for now, but you know me.  I really think I can take the Men’s 25-29 age group title in the ADC.  Less confidently, but not ruled out completely, I’m hoping I think I might be able to catch a break and qualify for Boston maybe some time.  Please?  I’m recovering from Chicago now, but my immediate plan includes getting in some speed work in prep for the Run for the Water 10 Miler on October 30th.

Let’s do this thing.

Update

Looks like I may have jumped the gun… If someone ran the IBM 10k, the Austin Distance Challenge registration doesn’t technically close for them until October 29th, just before the Run for the Water 10 Miler.  Well, either the keepers of the data had missed a lot of people, or lots of runners recently signed up, but I’m now in 7th place (instead of 4th) and the first place person is way fast.  One big factor will be how many guys are doing the “Full” challenge vs the “Half” challenge.  I’m doing the “Half”, so hopefully a few of these speedsters are doing the Full, not that I want an easy road… just an easier one 🙂