Now what?

I've done the Mud Run. Actually, just yesterday.

So now what? Where do I go from here?

I had a few goals I thought about striving for, some events I thought about participating in sometime after the Mud Run. I just wanted to see where I was at in my training to see if I was physically able to continue.

And now, the Mud Run is over. So I suppose I need to re-visit those goals, right?

RUN A MARATHON

This is the biggie. I had not really contemplated ever running a marathon before. Even when I started this weight-loss, fitness lifestyle I did not imagine ever wanting to or being physically able to handle running 26 consecutive miles. I still can't imagine really wanting to run so long.

Would I be able to run a marathon soon? No. There's no way. But I never thought of running a marathon soon after the Mud Run. Even the LA Marathon, which will be held in March of '09, would be too soon.

Still, at this point running a marathon is not something I've ruled out. It does not sound like fun but it would be a good challenge, perhaps the toughest challenge out there. Such a run would require some serious training and probably would force me to tighten the straps around my own diet. I'd have to figure out how to run outdoors more frequently. I did, after all, go nearly three months in between outdoor runs.

There will be one major determining factor in my ability and desire to run a marathon though...

RUN A HALF MARATHON

It's not the beast a 26-mile run is, but a half-marathon is nevertheless a daunting task. Running 13 miles would be a good determining factor in having the ability and/or desire to run the full 26. This is something I'd like to train for. There is a half-marathon in June '09 that I'd like to participate in. The Fontana Days 2009 half-marathon is probably on my agenda for next year.

I really don't think it's something I can't do. I think that I could probably train for it. This would take me to the next level of training. I'd have to up my runs from 4-6 miles gradually, go up to 8-10 and then 12-14, possibly even 14-16. Seems within reach but I've never ran 8 miles or more.

It might be too early, though, to think about that. It's October now so that's eight months away. I think starting off in January with the half-marathon in mind would be good. But what am I going to do for the rest of this year?

RUN A 10K

Actually, this one fell into my lap. The Mission Inn Run will be on Nov. 9 and this year in addition to the 5K the Run will include a 10K course... which is actually the 5K course twice. Oh well.

It's on a Sunday and it's definitely doable. It will be like the Mud Run without all the pesky hills and obstacles. Of course, that will also mean it won't be nearly as much fun as the Mud Run was but it will be an exciting event nevertheless.

So up next will be a 10K then. I think that will be a good way to sort of round out my training for the year. After the Mission Inn Run, I'm going to still work out, of course, but I might change it up a bit. Maybe I'll do more interval training or maybe I'll spend more time on the bike or elliptical or the stairmaster... okay, maybe not the stairmaster.

Whatever the case, I'm still a Muddy Runner. An official one at that.