Last year after I finished the marathon I didn’t have any real plans, while I didn’t have the “now what” blahs that a lot of runners experience I think not having a plan hurt my running.  I just wasn’t able to get back into a regular routine and found it very hard to want to get back into a regular routine, something I also learned a lot of marathoners go through.

Look at me trying to swallow my banana and thinking, "If this were a half marathon I would be home by now."

I had more down weeks than up and did not feel good about my running until this past August. I know that sounds a little crazy but I know of a really fast runner who experienced the same blahs and just got excited about her running again this past weekend. Hearing that made me feel so much better. Knowing that I already had a post-marathon plan made me feel even better.

Back in July I registered for the ING Miami Half Marathon at the end of January. So now I know that I have a nice rest week this week and can ease back into my training the week after. I also want to get close to my half marathon PR, if not beat it, that I set in Philly back in 2009. The Miami course is pretty flat and it is weather I love so I certainly think I can meet this goal.

After Miami things are a bit up in the air. I did not do the four NYRR half marathons to get guaranteed entry into the NYC Half Marathon in March which means I have to take my chances with the lottery (a given no selection) or participate as a charity runner (I’ll only do this if The Trevor Project has a team again). I really like the NYC Half mainly because we get to run through Times Square, but that’s not the sole reason I want to run it this year. The past two years I have basically proofed that this race can be run with little or no training. It wasn’t pretty, far from it, but I think I owe it to this race to try a little harder.

Then there is the Brooklyn Half. This was my first half marathon and I have a soft spot for it but I don’t like running in Prospect Park because I never know exactly where I am, and there’s that damn hill. Last year I didn’t train and knew I couldn’t fake it like NYC and the year before I got sick the day of the race. But I do think I’ll give it a go this year.

I’d like to improve my 10k time but I want to wait and see about which races I want to tackle for that.

But on the whole, I like that I have a solid post-marathon plan. I love putting schedules together and seeing a whole plan mapped out. I think this puts me on target to become the half marathon specialist I imagine myself to be.