Goals for 2010

I didn't get to do a 3 hr run. Too sore. Maybe this year!

My antibody blood tests are in a few days, after which I will give up wheat. I was going to continue eating it in case they needed to do further testing, but I was told that I probably have just an intolerance, in which case further testing would not be necessary. If it turns out that I have to undergo it after all...my bad! I actually wasn't told specifically to keep eating wheat and I overheard that the wait times for the next sort of test is quite long. That would give me ample time for wreckage.

So that's my main goal this year: dietary improvement: cutting out what doesn't agree with me (hopefully wheat be enough) and not eating 2-3 hrs before going to bed (which I've been neglecting to observe recently). Plus I'm going to try to cut back on salt&vinegar chips, especially a certain bewitching brand which lures me into the store many evenings and subsequently busts my digestive curfew. Hopefully these improvements will get rid of the inflammation.

Running goals: I'm still waiting to see what happens with inflammation and muscle soreness. I still haven't dismissed the Winterman race, but my hopes aren't high. Regardless, I can still work on form, mainly keeping a strong core with relaxed jaw and shoulders and driving from the hips. I'm hoping to get more sprinting in as well. I woke up today and decided to jog for 20 min. Well, I can no longer just 'jog'--the discomfort is considerable and my muscles are drained no matter how slowly I go. So, as usual, I felt more and more discouraged. Near the end of the run, it suddenly struck me that I would be paying for whatever I did, so why not do a few sprints? I did 6X 10ish seconds (between light posts) and it was very enjoyable to really throw down for a change. I haven't sprinted since summer and it was encouraging to feel the change in my core: stronger, more solid. Less twisting. I think resuming this level of exertion in snow is a very good idea--less impact and actually less sliding around than when running more slowly. I seem to land with more weight which packs the snow a bit more and makes my landing more secure. I still have to see how things go and how I recover, but maybe what my body really needs at this point is short fun hard workouts. If it turns out that the sprints work well, but I can't handle the longer runs (having to go on antibiotics after the last long run wasn't a promising omen), then I won't do the marathon. If I can get a couple of 3+ hr runs in before then, then I'll do it. My longest run has been almost 3 hrs and at my present pace, I feel I need at least one 3:30 run. That's doable assuming that I start to recover.

I also hope to get stronger in general. I've been looking at some different routines--my husband bought a book with some interesting core exercises which I would like to try out.

At any rate, 2009 started off on a good note (good winter races) and then soured with worsening gut/absorption problems, the heart operation, and then the gradually increasing inflammation and muscle soreness, but I honestly consider all this retrenching. I had to plunge in to sort things out. I had to get the heart operation soon--it was a sharp decline from a few seconds to nearly a 1/2 hr of SVP at a time--and I've had to stuff myself with wheat to determine if this is in fact the thing that has been mucking up my action for the last 8-9 years. Hopefully this will make me a stronger person in 2010.