Everyone should have goals.

I started this blog several years ago in an attempt to chronicle my efforts at running the Marine Corps Marathon. What I found out was that training for a marathon is hard, maybe even harder than the race itself, though I wouldn't know since I have yet to complete the 26.2 miles. Depending on one's pace, at the height of the training program, one could spend seven or more hours a week pounding the pavement. If you have a full-time job and a couple of side jobs, running for the equivalent of a workday can be a little hard to accommodate.

Training time for the half marathon is much shorter, the longest runs are around 10 miles, which is eight-plus miles less than most marathon plans' longer runs. At nine minutes a mile, that's only 90 minutes of running, plus cooldown. Doable.

From what I've read, just the physical toll that the marathon takes on a body is another reason to pick a shorter distance. If the marathoner is walking a little slower and missing a couple of toenails, the half-marathoner, by comparison, is kicking up his heels, ready to go out dancing.

So, I am changing my goal to the half. I was signed up for the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon, but it's a spring race and I hadn't been training during the winter, which is an absolute necessity. I'll focus on building up my distance and strength over the summer, and maybe pick a 13.1 miler in the fall, and combine that with a couple days away with my wife.

Of course, I'm not doing this just to run a half marathon. The overarching goal is weight loss

In a nod that being over-40 means I'm not as flexible as I was in my 20s or 30s, I am also exploring other ways to get in shape. Never a gym rat, I'm not a fan of the lift-things-up-and-put-them-down way of exercising. It works for other people, just not me. What has piqued my curiosity is the disciplines that focus on strength and flexibility, and yoga seems to offer both. I have picked up a copy of Sage Rountree's The Runner's Guide to Yoga. A friend of mine, also a firefighter and an avid runner, says it helped him with flexibility and balance while running.

In the days ahead, I'll try and post every run, on the same day if possible. I welcome any comments and helpful hints, particularly on what apps and training gear people use. I'm always on the lookout for better ways to do things.

Back at it...Again

It seems a bit like Groundhog Day, but once again I'm trying to get back into a regular routine of running. Only this time, I've actually gotten out there, four times in the past week.

It hasn't been much, a mile and three-quarters in the longest one. And it hasn't been easy, which makes me a bit wistful of the way I was running last summer, a time when five-miles was a breeze. Of course, I realize that getting out there regularly will eventually get me back to that point, but in the interests of instant gratification...I want to be there now. (In a small indication that I'm progressing, I have lowered my average pace on the 1.25 mile course by 40 seconds or so, from 10'34" to 9'51". It didn't feel that way, though.)

At the moment, I'm concentrating on running just in the local neighborhood, either Old Freehold Road through the Walnut Street School yard, then Walnut Street back to OFR, or up to the High School and back. The weather has been largely cooperative, but we are getting towards the winter months, so I'd like to establish a regular routine before then, because I'm not going to be wanting to get out there when the temperatures are at freezing or below if I haven't.

I'm aiming for a near-term goal of five miles per run, which I should get to by December 1st if I keep this up. Last year, while training for the marathon I didn't run (yet...someday I will, when I can devote four hours on a Saturday to training), I found out about the Manasquan Reservoir, which has a beautiful 5-mile perimeter course around the water. Now, if one could only do it without the assorted other walkers, runners, and bicyclists, it would be perfect. In late spring, I'm going to try again for the Historic Half Marathon, and by try, I mean run the whole thing.

I'm still using Nike+, which seems to be pretty accurate. I've thought about trying one of the other apps, such as RunKeeper, but if it works, why change it. My Nike-sponsored cheerleaders for the first couple of runs have either been Shalane Flanagan or Sanya Richards-Ross.

For a little bit different take on things, check out my friend Roseanne Rappoccio's blog. She's a fellow never-was-a-runner, and has really gotten into it. She says she still doesn't like it, but I'm not quite sure I believe her.

Finally, I've changed up my playlist, too, trying to get a fresh start.

First five songs, old and new playlists:

·         “Armageddon It”, Def Leppard	·         “Out of Our Heads”, Dropkick Murphys
·         “Already Gone”, The Eagles	·         “Sing the Changes”, The Fireman
·         “I Want It All”, Queen	·         “Danger Zone”, Kenny Loggins
·         “She’s A Rebel”, Green Day	·         "If I Should Fall From Grace With God”, The Pogues
·         “Back In The Saddle”, Aerosmith	·         “We Didn’t Start The Fire”, Billy Joel