Turning 40 has not been good for my running. 

I made a last ditch effort to go sub three at Pikes last year, and once again came up short.  I lost motivation, got injured, had a disaster of a race at NYC in November (3:30, off a 1:30 first half), then quit physical activity for two full months.  By far the biggest break I've ever taken from running since I picked up the sport almost three decades ago.  I used all that extra time to drink beer and eat lots of junk food, packing on 20 pounds by the time new years eve rolled around.  I had a lot of fun over the holidays, but I was quite the disgusting human being by the end of that break.

At the Rescue Run 5K I was unable to answer the challenge from my 12 year old female neighbor over the final half mile of the race, and I started thinking about getting back into shape. That's been rough for me, as I'm not a fan of any temperature below 60F, but I'm getting there.  Still dealing with some foot injuries, but I can manage those issues pain free if I stay around 40 miles per week.  Much lower mileage than what I'm used to, but I've been biking a lot with the extra time and I feel that's helping the fitness.  At the very least, I'm trending in the right direction, and I should be back to pre-binge weight by the time the Tortoise & Hare 5K rolls around.

I've decided to make one last ditch effort to run a 2:59 ascent at Pikes.  That barrier has now been mocking me for ten trips (six ascents, four marathons) since I first ran the race in 2005.  I know I shouldn't be trying for PRs at an age when my body is starting to fall apart, but I truly don't feel I've had an outstanding race there yet.  This HAS to be the year, because I'm not getting any younger, and I'm definitely not getting any faster.

I will post updates from time to time on how training is going.  Have some other good stuff along the way - I'm hoping to finish the Dirty Kanza, a 200 mile bike ride through the sticks of Kansas on gravel roads, as well as a return trip to the San Juan Solstice after a disappointing DNS there last year, shortly after breaking some ribs in a bike crash.  Going to be a challenging spring and summer for me, hopefully capped off by taking care of some unfinished business on our local mountain.