My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Do do that, I need to eke out a time of 3:15:59 or faster (that’s the time for the Male 35-39 age group). This is achievable, but I will have to run a little faster in training than I did for for Yakima, where my main motivator was getting to the starting line injury free and finish with a respectable time. Thus, I took a fairly conservative training approach and willed myself to run slow in training. With one marathon under my belt, I feel it’s time to up the ante.

The training conditions should be considerably more pleasant this time around. We typically don’t get a lot of rain in Portland from July through September, so I don’t expect many long runs on cold, windy and wet days. If anything, I’ll probably have to pay more attention to staying hydrated and properly fueled.

My only concern is a quirky left Achilles tendon that has bothered me off and on since just before Yakima. It has never interfered with my running but it’s always making its presence felt and I’m afraid that any serious speed or hill-work will make it flare up. I’m hoping that lots of stretching and icing, plus strength exercises, will keep it in check. Only time will tell.

I’m pumped about this. It feels great to train with a purpose again. On top of that, my buddy from Sweden (Ola P) has signed up and is planning to join us a week before race day!

Time for my first “long” run tomorrow. 8 miles.

Finally, a shout out to my occasional training buddy, Brian Strohl, who’s competing in the Coeur d’Alene Ironman tomorrow. I’m confident he’ll pace himself to a strong finish.

Three adults and two kids left Beaverton last Friday morning for a trip that took us east through the Columbia River Gorge and then north into Washington. Lots of interesting scenery along the way.

Yakima itself is a nice little town but what struck us most was the number of closed shops and empty buildings.

It was COLD when we left Yakima and even colder when we arrived in Ellensburg – 25 degrees F! I was starting to get seriously worried because I never train in shorts in cold weather like that. It turned out it wasn’t much of a problem. I kept my extra layers on until the last minute and warmed up quickly on the course.

Approximately 530 runners had signed up for the race and it was a mass start with no timing chip. I was somewhere in the middle and a bit surprised at how crowded it felt. There wasn’t enough room to break free without elbowing people so I decided to take it easy and use the first mile as a nice warm-up, figuring I could make up for it later (which never happened).

Holland’s goal (and mine) it to get you to the starting line injury free and properly rested. Check. I felt great.

My time goal was to break 3:20 by pacing myself carefully for the first 20 miles and then crank it up at mile 20 (figuring I would have some juice left by then). Under no circumstances did I want to run a positive split.

As my GPS beeped off the first mile, I slowed down to a walk for ten seconds and sipped some Powerade from my FuelBelt. I continued this practice every mile for the first half of the race. Two of my bottles were pre-mixed with GU gel, and I took in the equivalent of one gel pack every four miles.

Because of the slower pace and cool weather, my fluid intake was a bit on the high side and I was forced to use the restroom at mile 11. I didn’t want to waste the time but had no desire to be uncomfortable for another fifteen miles. It was well worth it and I my bladder said “thank you.”

My plan had been to minimize the time loss going up and turn on the afterburners on the way down. When the road leveled out at the top I realized it wouldn’t turn out that way. I’m not sure why, but my quads were completely cramped up and it felt like someone drove nails into them for every step I took. This was a surprise but I’ve developed a theory: Going up a long hill you work your hamstrings and calves very hard and my thighs were probably idle for too long after having run 20+ miles and got all stiff.

After a mile of funny-looking downhill running the quads started to warm up again. At mile 25 I splashed some cold water in my face and cranked it up for a strong finish. Crossing the goal line was a great feeling and a validation of my training plan. The clock read 3:21:45 and I was 100% OK with that.

This was a long, slow, distance (LSD) run.

For details, check out the Garmin Connect link: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/25891745

Put in a solid 8-miler on Thursday with my friend, Brian, including five hill repeats. My left Achilles tendon keeps nagging me but hasn’t flared up yet. I’m praying it will hold up for another month of stress.

On top of sore muscles and an achy Achilles tendon, I had to deal with 40 degree-weather and pouring rain during the entire run. It was a rather miserable affair and I’m glad it’s over. I was so cold at mile eight that I decided to pick up the pace to get home faster. I would normally stick with my long distance training pace but not today. Oddly, I felt much stronger during the last five miles than the first ten. That’s probably a good thing!

Feeling comfortably sore and tired now and should be able to sleep like a baby tonight.

The kids are spending the night at their grandparents’ house, so Xan and I took the opportunity to go on a date. A happy hour meal at McCormick & Schmick’s in Bridgeport Village, followed by a movie. Xan has wanted to see Up In The Air with George Clooney ever since she saw the first preview. I give it a B.

I just completed a good 12-mile run. The weather was perfect: around 50 degrees and overcast. I loaded up my Fuel Belt bottles with Powerade and water and a couple of GU gel packs. The Fanno Creek Trail was mostly dry but still very muddy in the tunnel under Scholls-Ferry, so my brand new running shoes got all messed up.

It probably wasn’t the brightest idea to break in a pair of new shoes on a long run but they’re the same kind of Under Armour that I just replaced, so I figured the risk was limited.

This marks the end of week 4 and I’m very encouraged so far. A few aches and pains here and there, but that’s to be expected. Week 5 is a recovery week, so next Sunday’s is a 9-miler. Then it’s time to build up the distance again.

This was my running schedule last week. I mixed in a couple of swim sessions and it all felt good. I have done some preliminary training the past month to build up a base but ktook a complete brea from running before Week 1 due to knee pain (which went away completely and never re-surfaced during Week 1).

Feeling good this Monday morning. A bit sore, but that’s to be expected. No physical activities today.

So, new plan: Start base training sometime in the spring and focus on a late season race. Most likely the half-ironman at Lake Stevens in August. I’ve had my mind set on a longer distance for a while and did a couple of Olympic-distance races in 2009 with this in mind. Time to kick it up a notch.

What to do between now and April? I’m not sure my body will hold up, but I will give it my best and try for a Marathon at the end of March. I kicked off a 16-week training schedule last week and finished with an 8-miler yesterday. This will build up over the next few months and culminate in a couple of 20-mile efforts before the taper period.

My body has never responded well to big training volumes in the past, but that might be due to youthful exuberance and careless ramping up of intensity. I’ll train smarter this time and will listen to my body. Hopefully it will work out. If not, I can live with it.

Whether it’s triathlon or marathon, I’m a firm believer in sticking to a plan and I’ve decided on Tom Holland’s Marathon Method. Holland’s #1 goal is to keep his clients injury free, with modest volumes (relatively speaking), strength training and stretching.

I’m very excited to get this underway and pray that my body will hold up. Stay tuned.