Goals for 2008

• Join local running club and run with people: Sent in my membership application last Friday. Now that school is out of the picture, it would be nice to have a new social outlet.
• Try and buy gear: Thanks again Mom and Dad for the Christmas gift card. The pants, windbreaker and gloves are top notch, but the shoe wallet's already lost its reflective stripe. I've tried on the Asics Gel GT 2120, which may be suitable when I get the new orthotics this week. I'm also dying to try the New Balance 858, which is a hot shoe right now, but I'd hate to have a store order the shoe when I'm not ready for a new pair. No word yet on the need for a fuel/water belt or Camelbak, but we'll see when the long runs get up over 10-12 miles.
• Build mileage base: Last year I ran 555 miles, which included three 5K's (PR ~24:00) and a maximum distance of 9.4 miles. The two best months were August and December at 75.3 and 79.8 miles. Pretty good - I think this shows I can ramp up the weekly and long-run distances. I will roughly follow Bob Glover's plan in The Runner's Handbook through my first planned race at the end of March, then re-evaluate for summer races and the October marathon. This year, I plan to go well over 1,200 miles!
• Build long run experience: The two 9+ milers I've done barely break the 1:30 mark, which I can do with a good breakfast and 16 oz. of Gatorade. Two hours is in reach, but 3+ hours/20+ miles will require physical and mental stamina built with The Plan. See The Plan on Google Docs.