It’s that time of year again.

It’s that time of year again. Time to bust out the training log books.

Over Thanksgiving week, I signed up for two half marathons. Bill Snyder Highway Half in May and Prairie Fire Half in October. I have yet to PR a half marathon in the spring, but we’ll see what happens at Bill Snyder. It’s the half that Mr. Neon broke 2 hours for the first time. It’s a mostly downhill race, and it’s in our favorite town. The town where the Neon Runner family was created.

I’ve thought about going back to 80/20 running, but I had to most success with Train Like a Mother, so I’m sticking with it. The plan right now is to follow the Own It version in the spring and the fall. I won’t need to start half marathon training until the middle of February. I’ll probably write myself a maintenance plan for the first 7 weeks of the year using the IronFit book, which I will also use in the summer, in between half marathon training plans.

I’m ready for 2018. Like all previous years, 2017 saw another list of goals bite the dust. I haven’t gone back and actually looked at them, but I’m pretty sure I fell short on nearly all of them. A 1000 mile year was once again an enigma. It wasn’t an official goal, but it’s always there, taunting me.

And yet progress has been made. I’m looking forward to December 31st, when I can sit down and analyze my Garmin data from the last four years of running. FOUR years. When did that happen? I can still remember those first months when running felt impossible and glorious. It still sometimes feels impossible and glorious. And I’m still head over heels in love with it.

Today is a double run day. I got up and did my speedwork this morning. 3 x 5 minutes @ 8:34 pace. It feel comfortably hard, just like maintenance training should feel. Tonight’s run is a Christmas light run with our tri club.

Stay neon!