Goals for the New Season and Beyond

Goal #1: Finish Chicago and Philly Marathons in Fall without injury and fatigue.

Why is this goal important?
I am unable to answer why other than the fact that I wanted to do 2 fall marathons and take the winter season off. Seemed like a good idea 2 months ago when I was putting in long lonely miles so soon after summer.

Goal #2: Get to 5:30 – 5:35 in the Fall Marathons

Why is this goal important?
Because I think this rightly reflects my ability at this point. Plugging in my 5k numbers in McMillan calculator gives me a 5:20 prediction. I’ve conservatively adjusted it to 5:30ish; which is 30sec/mile faster than my current marathon pace. Since I ran New Orleans very comfortably, I think this number is in my reach.
What I am going to do to get there?
A full plan of action will be decided when the season training starts in May. All I know right now is that I need to learn to increase my comfort pace from 13:30 to 13:15.

Goal #3: 1:10 or less in a 10k

Why is this goal important?
Again, I want to reach my predictions and I might as well start working on it from the basics. 5k, 10k, half and then the full.
When do I wish to achieve this?
While I don’t have any 10Ks picked that I could target and race, there are plenty of 10Ks along the way and I’m sure I can hit this target by the end of the year.

Goal #4: 2:35-2:40 in a Half Marathon

Why is this goal important?
The next progression into getting faster. The half distance will also help me to pace myself aggressively through 13 miles. I plan to learn to be consistent at this pace at this distance so I can learn to translate it to the full distance in the next few years
When do I wish to achieve this?
I seemed to have goofed up my scheduling a little bit when I decided on 2 fall marathons. Since that made me pick distance over speed, I’m pushing this goal to Spring 2013. I will still need to pick a target race that is flat!