A Decision Has Been Made

In my posting the other day, I pondered whether my next running goal should be a sub-22 minute 5K or a BQ for the Spring. I did hear from many of you, and received much food for thought. I've considered all of it carefully.

Several of you suggested to go for the Spring BQ, because you never know what's going to happen and then you have Fall to fall back on (pun intended). One good consideration was to go for the Fall BQ as a goal, as the Spring marathons have more unpredictable weather and can be windy. You're body is simply better prepared to run in potential heat of Fall, with no wind, after a summer of training. (I'd happily take a repeat of '08 Chi again as opposed to many other possible conditions.)

In any event, I'm grateful for everyone helping me think through this. But, I've made up my mind. I'm going for the sub 22 minute 5K this Spring. There are a couple of reasons for this:

1. It's something new. I've been training for the marathon distance for years now. And although I'll give Vince credit for never giving me the same workout twice, it's kind of exciting to think I'll be training my hardest.. but differently.
2. It'll make me a stronger runner. This goal to me actually sounds way harder than a 3:50 marathon. I think it's going to take more work than I've ever done. And that makes my heart beat faster just thinking about it.
   
3. It'll lower my threshold. I can't really comprehend running the 22 minute 5K. That's over three 7 minute miles. My threshold pace is somewhere in the 7:30s. This will naturally lower my threshold.
4. My BQ is there to be had. I only missed it by a little over 3 minutes in the extreme heat. By Fall, I may actually be looking to run a 3:45 or even a 3:40. Although I have to "get back up there," I don't think I need to worry about multiple BQ attempts for 2010.
5. I want ripped arms. Ok, silly, I know. (Just wait until you read tomorrow's post.) But, I never wanted to add any bulk for marathon training. Nor did I really care that my arms are absolute sticks at the time. But, frankly, I'll need the muscle mass to help with the lactic acid processing. I'm going to continue the arms and shoulders workouts I've been doing these past two weeks through this training, and bump it up a level. While I'm thrilled with how I look from the core down, now I can work on the rest.
   

There are other reasons as well, but these are a few key ones. I know it's probably also going to take more than a few attempts to pull it off. I'm not going out there in 8 weeks and knocking 98 seconds off my 5K PR--even in my dreams. But, I like to dream big. And, I'm confident I'll get there!