After the disappointment of having to forfeit the entire 2016 running season and having it be the first lost year of my running career, the 2017 running season is on, if with a somewhat quiet whimper. I’m going local this year.

Being that I was hospitalized last year for stroke symptoms, I decided to keep 2017 low-key. I’m running a half marathon in September. It is going to be the first time I have ran a race where there is no medal involved. I’m doing this one not for the competition, but rather for the accomplishment. After surviving a stroke and losing an entire season, I just want to cross the finish line to be able to say, “I did it. I can still run.” What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?

Not only will I be running a local race this year, it will be my first time running a distance event that is on a Saturday as opposed to a Sunday. In my geographic area, 5ks are traditionally on Saturdays, while half and full marathons are traditionally on Sundays. Running a half marathon on a Saturday is going to be a new experience. It has totally given me a new training schedule than normal this summer.

I will be running a race where I can sleep in my own bed both the night before the race and then return home within 30 minutes after it ends. The race is a fundraiser for the local YMCA a worthy cause in my own backyard. You know if I’m not running for a medal, I better be running for charity. There is also that whole “for the love of running concept” that was the slogan of the 2013 Philly Marathon as well.

Speaking of Philly, my second reason for a toned down 2017 running season is to hopefully be able to gear up for a spectacular 2018. 2018 is going to be a huge year in my running career, quite possibly the biggest one yet.

Here’s what’s in store for 2018: I’ll be 39 and plan to fun the full marathon in Philadelphia. It will be the 10 year anniversary of my first full marathon (which was Philly), it will be my 15^th medal overall, it will be the 5^th medal I receive from Philly, and it will be the 25 year Anniversary of the Philadelphia Marathon. 2018 is going to be a huge year. A quiet 2017 running season is just what I need to be able to get back in the game and prepare to go full force into a glorious 2018.

I’m hoping to have a positive experience at this local race in September. I have so many races in my backyard, its probably time I have checked some out. I have been hitting the race circuit pretty hard the past decade. It was only a matter of time before I was knocked on my ass.

I’m also toying with the idea of retiring from the full marathon distance. I want to do at least 3 more full marathons before I decide for definite. I’m going to do Philly in 2018, then 2 more yet to be determined. I will still keep running half marathons, but I think I might be near the end for the full marathon distance. The half marathon is actually my best distance competitively, although I love the challenge of full marathons. Full marathons will always be my first love. Depending on how next year goes, I may only have a few more full marathons left in me. We will see what the future holds. My health situation seems to have other ideas.

For 2017, I am staying local running a tiny half marathon that is raising money for a great community organization. Sometimes when you are knocked down, like I was with the stroke last year, you are forced to realize what is all around you instead of continually reaching for something farther away.

Based on my training so far, I’m a little worried that my half marathon next month is going to be slow and not the sub-2:00 times I am used to running normally in the half marathon distance. I’m okay with that. After the year I have had, I just want to be able to say, “I’ve still got it.”  Then I have an entire year to work on preparing for a huge 2018.

What I do know is that whether competitively on the race circuit or locally in my own backyard, I won’t stop running. When I was down with stroke symptoms last year that was what I cried about the most. If I couldn’t run, I at least needed to walk. This has been a long year for me. I may be downgrading by going local with no medals, but the real reward is that I am still able to do what I love doing the most. That’s what matters.