One of my big goals this 2020 is to complete the Marquette Marathon on September 5. I’ve ran this marathon before and it took me four hours and forty minutes. It was a cold day to start, and the rain at mile 18 to finish didn’t help, but I did it.

This year, as part of my goal, is to complete the run in four hours – or less. That’s an aggressive goal, I know, but I think I’ve time to prepare, shed some weight, and accomplish. Much of this run is downhill, which sounds nice, but those downhill miles are brutal on the quads. With that in mind, I’m working in more quad exercises and downhill runs to train accordingly. I’ll also be more aggressive with my mileage and speed work this year.

A big concern for me is my ankles. I have some tendonitis that flares up and then fades away, part of which is due to the fifty pounds I’ve added over the past year. Yeah, I really chunked up, so I’m paying close attention to my diet. It’s hard; I love pizza, beer, and ice cream – sometimes all in one night. And that’s not good nutrition for weight loss or running. I’m letting go of the booze for the bulk of my diet – allowing an adult beverage only on Sunday.

Getting back to running is tough, so I’m looking for inspiration and motivation to get back out there and get the miles done. I know I feel better when I finish the run, it’s just getting up and out the door that’s the hardest part: the battle between what I know what’s good for me and the comfort of not doing it.

I’ve basically eight months to train, shed the weight, and show up to run on September 5. As part of my training, I’m also doing the Charlevoix Half Marathon on June 20, 2020. My goal for that is sub-two hours.