Never too early…

Never too early…

…to start thinking about my athletic goals for 2017.

“Psychedelic Marathon Start” by brewbooks on Flickr

1. Miles in one event: I want to “run my age”, which will be 47. So 47 miles in one day… sounds like a perfect goal for Brazen Racing’s annual Dirty Dozen twelve-hour trail run. In 2016 I achieved my first “ultra” distance — 50K (actually 33.7 miles) at this event, over around nine hours. Running for twelve hours (including rest breaks) will be difficult, but I think I can do it.
2. Speed goal: I want to run an “Ageless Wonder” 10K, that is, a 10K race in fewer minutes than my age. I’ll probably do that at another Brazen event, either the Bay Breeze or Summer Breeze; these are flat, fast races which are perfect for setting new personal speed goals.
3. Race series goal: I plan to complete (at least) fifteen Rock ’n’ Roll events in 2017, which will earn me the Hall of Fame award. I’ll probably do at least one full marathon, and part of the goal will be racking up the series and combo medals.
4. Triathlon goal: I’m looking for redemption after my DNF at 2016’s Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene, and I’ll get it at the 2017 Ironman 70.3 Oceanside event. I’m well on my way to being ready for that; mostly concentrating on the swim and transitions.

So, what do you have in the works for 2017?