NEW GOALS: Getting back to training

Hereby, I am announcing it. Jessica's marathon training blog is going to have a new name shortly. Because I'm giving up on marathons. At least for the time being. (Keep reading, keep reading.)

I've had a few other priorities the past couple months. All in all, I totally dropped the ball on my training.

It's kind of hard to admit. I excited about training for another full only because I was coaching with MIT. I wasn't looking forward to weekday runs, but I powered through them to get to Saturday mornings, which I lived for. It wasn't about me or what I could do. It was more about getting a group of first timers through. But I had to give that up when I took the job here in Rochester.

Since then, I haven't been that excited about running. The few times I've been out, it's felt good, but I haven't felt the motivation or drive to get it done. A big part of it is the weather, I just don't do well in the heat.

So I've decided that next year I want to earn another sticker on my car beyond the 26.2. So next year I'm going to go for the 70.3. (I will find a shorter tri to do first, of course!)

This is the one I have my eye on right now, the Musselman Triathlon in July in Geneva, right in the Finger Lakes. My other option will be the REV3 race at Cedar Point in September.

Most training plans are about 20 weeks long. So, if I'm going to do the July race, I need to start training in February. If I'm going to do the September race, I need to start training in March. That gives me plenty of time.


I have a lot to learn. First: How to swim. Second: More about the bike. I can ride, but I can't change a flat. Third, I need to get settled and in with a group here. There's a beginners womens' riding group that goes out on Wednesday nights, and Fleet Feet runs Tuesday, Friday and Saturdays. There's a triathletes group but they seem beyond what I can do.

Learning to swim will be the top priority. I'm trying to settle on a health club right now, and once I do, I'll see about lessons.

I also am going to try to run a half marathon this fall. I found a 3-day-a-week training plan to go off. It won't make me fast, but it will keep me going. I'll either run the Columbus half at the end of October, or find one here (no luck yet). Maybe I'll go for another half in early spring.

Lastly, a big priority for me right now is finding a new club to teach at. Finding a health club is hard when you have options! I miss teaching and am eager to get back to it. More on that later.

So, with a new goal comes a new focus. Stay tuned for more on my adventures learning to swim, learning more about the bike, and keeping the miles up on the Asics!

There's one more goal, but I'm wavering on if I want to make it public or not :)