Keeping on...

I ran the PNC Atlanta 10 Miler. Ten miles with about 700 feet of elevation gain in perfect weather. My goal was to finish in under 1:25:00 and I did it in 1:22:58. My Garmin says I set my best times for the 2 mile (15:22), 5K (24:38), 10K (50:37), and 15K (1:16:22) along the way.

A 1:22:58 10 mile translates into a 3:50:08 marathon prediction using the Vickers Vertosick algorithm. Remarkable progress after less than 170 days of running.

Goals now:

• Run sub-50 in the Signal Mountain Pie Run 10K this Saturday. (I'm going to start using regular races as tempo runs. I won't taper for them. They're just weekly tempo runs.)

• Run under 1:45:00 for the Invesco QQQ Half Marathon at Thanksgiving in 5 weeks. Another tempo run with little tapering.

• Run Tokyo in under 3:44:43 which would be break a 42 year old PR. That's an 8:35 a mile pace versus the 8:11 a mile I ran the 10 mile in. I have 131 days (18 weeks and 5 days) to train to make that goal.

If I can hit the Tokyo goal, everything else falls into place on the goal of qualifying and running Boston in 2027 at age 60. I will have actually run the qualifying time I need though not in the qualifying window for that age group. I'll just need to repeat the performance during the 9/25-9/26 qualifying window.

But here's the real challenge. Assume I run under 3:45:00 at Tokyo. That wouldn't qualify me for Boston in 2026 as I'll be 59 with a qualifying standard of 3:30. But if I finish Tokyo in under 3:45, could I complete another training block and run under 3:27 to qualify for Boston in 2026? I'm guessing that I couldn't. But if I hit the goal in Tokyo, I'm certain that I will try at either Grandma's or maybe Erie.

Erie is an interesting option. It's a good qualifying race if the weather cooperates and it falls in the qualifying window for both the 2026 and the 2027 race. I could run it in a last ditch effort to qualify for 2026. If I fail, I might get a 2027 qualification as a consolation prize.

My knowledge of these things will be far greater after Tokyo so for now that is the target. Once I see the results there, I'll know what to do next.

In the meantime, registration for Chicago opens tomorrow.