After a bit of a whirlwind week, I’m heading over the indoor track to run 12 miles with another runner who I met a week ago. He’s training for a marathon, and I’m working on getting back into specialized marathon training.

A solid weekend of running last weekend – even despite being bit by a dog – gave me high hopes for my mileage goals. But a series of events, and a trip to the Twin Cities, interrupted those hopes. On the drive back, though, I looked for some perspective and found it: I didn’t take any time for a break after the marathon 2 weeks ago, so the rest might do me some good. Now I’m excited to get in 12 today and get ready for the upcoming challenges.

My calendar for the next several months has some interesting challenges: two 15-mile trail races one weekend in February, a potential 50K race in March and now I’m looking at a 50K or 50-mile race at the end of April – and then a combination of 3 races in 29 days in May and June. To pull it off, though, I need to bump up my daily running mileage.

Later this year, I’m also attending a running camp in Arizona put on by Greg McMillan, who has coached many elite runners and offers online training for anyone. For those who have read my blog for a while, you’ll recall I had Greg design a marathon training program for me. My plan is to follow it again this spring, but with all the races, I’ll need to deviate from it a bit. Some long runs will be replaced by races, and I’m planning to incorporate some light weight lifting into my routine. This spring’s training cycle begins after next week, ending with Grandma’s Marathon in June, and I’m sure I’ll have plenty to write about during the journey.