A New Chapter

In my five years of being a runner, I have been self coached.  I took advice from others, but ultimately it was me who dictated what I did.  Being self coached requires a great deal of discipline.  The only person you are accountable to is yourself, which can be both a blessing and a curse.  I think that worked out fairly well for me in the past.  I achieved some respectable PRs under my own guidance.

But, I want to become better.  I don't just want to be "average"...I want to be considered "good".  I don't think I can achieve this on my own, which is why I am going to start working with a running coach on Wednesday.  My coach "W" is a runner himself.  He actually coaches my best runner friend, who I have trained with for the past year.

The self-coaching door is shutting come Wednesday and the "getting coached" door is opening wide.  With it come all sorts of excitement, dreams, and goals that I hope to accomplish.  I realize my goals are ambitious, but W says that they are attainable.  This scares and excites me at the same time.  In the next six months, my goals are:

1.  Break 1:30 for a half marathon (sub 6:53 average pace)

2.  Break 20:00 for a 5k (sub 6:24 pace)

3.  Break 3:20 for a marathon (sub 7:38 pace)

And as Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."  It will take work, but I believe my body and mind are capable of running these times.