21:11

I clinched a new 5k pr today!  That makes a pr in both 5ks that I've run this year.  A little over a month ago I ran 22:04, and today I ran 21:11.  I told myself that I was going to focus on shorter distances for the first half of this year while trying to build up a base of mileage for fall marathon training, and I'm enjoying the results.  Plus, I actually enjoy speed workouts, so I've enjoyed this shorter race focused training.  Hopefully, I can break 20 minutes by this time next year.  That is a goal that I am setting for myself now: sub 20 by May 2015.

I just read Jack Daniels' Running Formula, 3rd Edition, and hope to incorporate its training principles into my own training.  I don't know that I'm experienced enough to throw myself completely into his training programs, as they are very tough; but I hope to do as much as I can while building myself up to that level.  Currently, I'm following his 10k training program in anticipation of the Peachtree Road Race this year.  Unfortunately, I didn't read his book early enough to start the plan from the beginning, but I already had a base of speed work, so I cut out some weeks from Phase 1, and the first week from the other Phases in order to line up with the Peachtree.  So far this focus on shorter race distances is showing improvements, so I'm excited to continue.

I plan to perform this type training again at the beginning of next year as well, and possibly well into the future.  We'll just see how it goes.  I'm sure that at some point, I'll need to take an extended period of just easy running so that I don't beat my body up too much, but for now it's working.  Lately, I've been going two weeks "hard" and one week "easy."  I feel that this is helping my body to recover from the growing mileage that is so new to me.  The hard weeks are my higher mileage weeks, and the easy week is a week of much lower mileage, while still getting a couple of quality workouts in.  For example, I just finished an easy week, so my last three weeks were around 43 miles, 46 miles, and 25 miles.  I think this is a great way for me to build up my weekly mileage considering that I have no history of running high mileage, and last year was the highest average mileage training that I've ever done.  Even then, I was only averaging in the upper 30s a week for marathon training.  That is just not enough mileage to get to where I want to be, so I've been trying to gradually build up mileage.  I hope to be in the 60s this fall for marathon training.  I'd love to go higher, but I am afraid I won't have the time to run higher mileage.  I may try to do a few higher mileage weeks though when my schedule allows.  For now though, I'm very motivated to keep climbing due to the improvements that I'm seeing.

Introduction

Okay.  So this blog isn't about running after ambulances and suing people.  I am an attorney though, and my passion outside of work is running.  Therefore, I thought this title was a great fit for me.  After all, who doesn't love a good lawyer joke?

I am starting this blog in order to share my adventures in running with the outside world, and to hopefully aid in forcing me to stick with a consistent and healthy training regimen.  My dream is to qualify for, and run in, the Boston Marathon one day.  I would love to do this while I'm still in the 34 and under age grouping.  Luckily, I still have a handful of years left to work on this goal.  Currently, my PR is 3:42:58, which is a far cry from a Boston Qualifier at my age, but is leaps and bounds better than my prior PR set two to three years prior, a 4:21.

Running was not an activity that I took seriously until after college.  It was mostly something I did periodically for overall fitness.  I was much more into lifting weights, or having fun.  In the year and a half between college and law school though, I started taking running more seriously.  First, I ran in a bunch of 5Ks, then I ran a half-marathon, then I tried out my first marathon, running that in 4:30 something.  Running took a little bit of a backseat while I was in law school though.  I did run some 5Ks, a marathon, and two half-marathons while in there, but I never really trained as seriously as I should have.

Now though, I am hoping to be able to focus more on running.  The many distractions of college and law school are out of the way, and I've now joined a running club.  Being a member of a running club, even though I freely admit that I have not participated much since my marathon this past November, has been an incredible help.  Simply having support from the members, and having people to run those long, early, Saturday runs with, is wonderful.  Also, this club really helped to get me on track to a more serious, and structured training program.  I've since modified it to fit my schedule and physical abilities better, but simply following their schedule for my last marathon was worth joining by itself.  Also, the guilt laid upon me if I missed a long run was a great motivator as well.

So, armed with the support of a running club and a more focused training regimen, I hope to whittle the many minutes and seconds off of my marathon time, and one day ship up to Boston, hopefully with two fresh legs.