2008 mileage goal: CHECK!

In 2007, I resolved to run 2,008 miles in 2008. Yesterday, I met and surpassed that goal during my 11-mile medium long run on the treadmill. Whoo! In fact, with the super-duper miles I'll (hopefully) be putting in during the next few weeks on my new plan, I'm projecting closer to 2,200 for the year (yowza). Yes, I'm a mileage junkie.

Still, I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy running A LOT. Maybe not always when it's dark and yucky outside and I would rather curl up on the couch with some hot chocolate. But almost always, once I get out there, I'm so incredibly glad I did. And I know the extra miles will help me get faster.

For 2008 I talked about shooting for 2,350, but that's only 150-200 more than what I'll end up with this year if all goes well. So I've pretty much decided I'll be going for 2,500 instead. A much rounder, cooler number. That's a tad over 48 per week. Yikes! It seems like a lot, but my last 50-mile week felt pretty comfortable. I think it's doable as long as I can stay motivated and healthy. If I can really run that much, I'm excited to see how much my marathon time could drop. Moving from a 33 mpw average to a 45-mpw average (over an 18-week period) gave me 23 minutes. For this next one, my plan will give me something in the high 50s! Another drop like that is probably a little too much to expect, but I'll settle for a mere 10 minutes for now! :D

On the weight loss front, I've dropped a whopping three pounds. Which is about what the damage was after Thanksgiving (just in time for Christmas), so I'm feeling pretty good about that. Now I can start working on the taper/post-marathon weight.