Hey friends!
I have come up with a fun challenge for myself for 2024. My goal is to go for every Alabama age group state record from the mile to the marathon! I will turn 39 in August. This likely goes without saying, but any records I go for before my birthday will be based on the current 38 year old records and any records I go for after my birthday will be based on the current 39 year old records. This goal is perhaps better suited as a birth year vs. a calendar year thing, so my thinking is that once I turn 39, I will circle back and try to get any that I don’t have (i.e., the ones that I *hopefully* get when I am 38) before turning 40! Wowza. I can’t believe that 40 is so close on the horizon!
I had a lot of fun creating this schedule! I learned about several races that I had no clue even existed.
| Date | Name | Projected Time | State Record for 38 | State Record for 39 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/11/2024 | Joe Cain Classic 1 Mile | 5:11 | 5:39 | 5:36 |
| 02/17/2024 | Battle of Mobile Bay 5k | 17:49 | 17:52 | 18:42 |
| 03/23/2024 | Azalea Trail 10k | 36:56 | 36:58 | 34:49 |
| 04/20/2024 | Old Mobile 8k | 29:13 | 30:44 | 30:57 |
| 08/10/2024 | Satsuma 2 Miler | 11:06 | 12:03 | 11:50 |
| 10/12/2024 | Monte Sano 15k | 56:46 | 1:01:42 | 1:04:25 |
| 11/16/2024 | Turkey 10 Miler | 1:01:11 | 1:02:02 | 1:06:38 |
| 11/30/2024 | Coastal Half Marathon | 1:21:42 | 1:21:16 | 1:25:10 |
| 12/07/2024 | Bayou 4 Miler | 23:15 | 24:44 | 26:28 |
| 12/15/2024 | Rocket City Marathon | 2:50:41 | 2:59:58 | 2:50:14 |
There are a lot of things to consider, such as timing, access to races, travel, feasibility of goals, etc. I will likely need to make multiple attempts at some of the distances and I haven’t accounted for that at this point. My projected times are based on my current VDOT score. The 5k, 10k, half marathon & full marathon records are all really, really close to what we think I am currently capable of, but the challenge will be maintaining, or ideally improving, my fitness throughout the year to achieve these goals. Also, if I get sick or injured, I will have to juggle and potentially scramble to find other race options. There are very few 4 mile, 8k & 15k races to choose from. I think this kinda adds to the fun of it! Granted, I am certainly not hoping to have to juggle things around too much, but I have a toddler … so … sickness is inevitable!
I realize that these goals are all more outcome than process oriented goals, but my process goals aren’t really changing with the turning of the calendar year. Here are some of the processes that I have been and continue to remain committed to in the new year:
- Running 6-7x/week w/ 1-2 quality sessions/week (depending on where we are in the training cycle)
- Pilates 1x/week
- Strength training 1-2x/week
- Cross training 1-2x/week (my primary forms of cross training are walking and the elliptical)
- Sleep 8-9 hours/night
- Bloodwork 1x/quarter (my current goals are to increase iron stores and decrease cortisol levels)
- Daily supplementation (current rotation includes AG1, Vital Proteins collagen, Thorne adrenal cortex (for cortisol), Thorne iron bisglycinate, Ferrosom liposomal iron & Vega protein powder)
- More attention to hydration needs, including electrolytes (mainly sodium, potassium and magnesium)
- More whole foods (seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables, protein, whole-grain carbs, etc.)
- Less reliance on processed foods (protein bars, protein shakes, etc.)
I plan to continue documenting my training in some form here on the blog. I’m not sure if that will be weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. at this point, but I hope that it is on the more frequent than less frequent side of things. On that note, it is time for me to start on this week’s training log!
Talk to you soon!