Goblet – I am coming to get you!

In 2 weeks today I will be on my way to the prize-giving to collect my goblet. That’s what I dream about anyway and what I am busy visualizing! And visualizing is such an important part of preparing yourself I hear. So that’s what I am and will be doing in the next 2 weeks. I can see myself at various points of the route, the checkpoints, the meeting points with my crew, I can see myself running through Tyndrum and onwards to Bridge of Orchy. And I can see myself eventually on the last few miles down into Fort William approaching the finish …

My training has gone very well and all credit goes to Thomas. He has been a superb coach, keeping me calm when I wanted to panic, when the legs felt like lead especially during weekday runs after work or when other things got in the way of running. We had a general plan with higher mileage weeks pencilled in or scheduled around other events such as the fantastic Fling, but the motto was to listen to my body and adjust the plan accordingly, week by week to ensure enough recovery between my runs. And so most of my long runs were very enjoyable, I did quite a few on my own and then others in various company, the last one being the West Island Way on Bute last Saturday. This coincided with the Jubilee weekend, which I was using as a last high mileage weekend. It started off with 29M on Bute. These were a bit harder than expected due to the terrain so the next 2 days were changed with a rest day strewn in. Then I wanted to do Milngavie to Balmaha in WHW Race pace to ensure I was not getting too close to the cut off time at Balmaha if I took it easy. So all in all I managed to cover 85Miles in 6 days, my highest mileage yet!

And now the taper has truly started. Yeah! Long lie-ins and lazy afternoons at home to get the all important support crew lists and any other details typed up and ready for my support crew meeting next week! In fact since Thomas has been given an additional spot in my support crew he has taken it on to configure lists and schedules that previously were only in my head. I don’t think I would have bothered with too many schedules but as we kept arguing about what and when who of my support crew was doing, even though I had explained it to him, he came close to being banned! I guess he has had it really easy for the past years, just me and Nancy, if the schedule said he would arrive at 10:28, that’s when he would arrive, +/- 5min. Well, be prepared for improvising team! I am very glad though that he is not running himself as I am not sure how we would have survived race week with two of us getting ready for it. And now Thomas can concentrate 100% on me and if he thinks I am unreasonable I just need to remind him how he used to be during the weeks before the race and he keeps stumm!

I am getting excited about the race and I know I will be very nervous in the days leading up to it. My biggest worry now is to catch some stupid viral infection of a patient or anyone else for that matter and I am seriously thinking of working with a face mask and gloves, but I guess that would really scare people off! I love those kids that want to show you how bad their cough is and before you know it they have coughed right into your face and over your desk.

My crew will be briefed next week with Nancy and Katrina doing the 1^st shift up to Auchtertyre. Thomas will join them on Saturday morning and meet me at Bogle Glen and will then be there until the end. From Auchtertyre or Tyndrum depending on my arrival time Yvonne and Heather will take over with Thomas as back-up as they have never supported before at the WHWR. Katrina will then join me later again for the last stages after having had a rest in the B&B in Fort William. They are all ready for it and I hope I can do them proud and put in a good performance. It feels like such a luxury to have everyone just look after me. We have the added bonus of raising money for Ardgowan Hospice, Greenock and already I have had so many people supporting this great cause! So many well-wishers and people wanting updates on the day, it is quite overwhelming but I am sure a great motivation to keep going when it gets tough! And after Debbie’s adventure in the canal even a fall into Loch Lomond would not count as an excuse to stop!

I think I am as ready as I can be. For me it is a great adventure, a bit like an expedition covering 2 nights to get to your “summit”. It will be a journey that I can’t wait to start! I will share it with some of you at some points and I am sure at other times I will be on my own, concentrating on my own pace and the way ahead. But in the end we will all meet in Fort William to collect our goblets. What a moment that will be!

Highland Fling 2012 – my 2nd affair

It had been 2 years since my last Fling and in fact my last ultra race (this being only my 3^rd), but I was very excited about this year. This had more to do with the fact that I knew a number of people running it for the 1^st time including Katrina and Lesley, but also Jude, Thomas’ friend. And then there were 3 Glenpark relay teams entered! I could not wait to see how they would all get on.

For me the Fling was part of a bigger plan this year, it was a milestone in my preparation for the WHW race in June. And to be honest I had not looked beyond this.

So with 10 days to go severe taperitis started, something new for me. I suddenly had a severe stiff neck and could hardly move. My calf was suddenly tight and uncomfortable with 1 week to go, also something new. It all eased off in the last 2 days. My training had gone very well with a couple of long runs up to 30-32M on my own on the WHW with the last one 2 weeks before the race when I finished really strong. On that day I had also discovered the power of coke! In fact my training had gone so well that I was waiting for something to go wrong, reading other people’s tales.

I had briefly looked at my times from my 1^st Fling but did not make up any splits or schedules. I will include these in my report though as Saturday’s splits and the comparison with my previous ones have given me a lot of information and were really interesting if not spooky! 

So off we went on Saturday at 6am. I ran with Nina from Manchester first, on her 1^st outing over this distance, chatted to Lesley, also on her 1^st attempt at this distance. I had done a long training run with Lesley last year and it was great chatting to her. In fact I caught up with her another 2 times later on which was really good. Before Drymen I noticed that I wasn’t really very relaxed, I felt some nausea starting and thought about the things I had already eaten (nothing I had not tried before), a toilet stop was required and I continued on my own into Drymen. Where the Garabandhan forest used to be Thomas came storming past, which gave me a huge boost and I caught up with Fiona, Pauline and Sue. I then noticed my right shoe was not laced up tight enough, my feet were wet from all the puddles and I noticed a small blister starting. Not good so early on! I walked up Conic Hill chatting to Fiona and tapping into her enormous experience. The views were fantastic, so clear! 

Arrived into Balmaha and met Helen and little Daniel for the 1^st time – so cute – got a little cuddle! Got my dropbag, it was opened for me and Janet Cornall was going to help me refill my bladder. Only we could not unscrew the top so had to zap into one runner’s energy and with all his strength he eventually got it open! Thank you! Bladder refilled I left the carpark only to notice all my energy drink was running down my bottom! O no, my race is over, a hole in my bladder. I stopped and must have looked around me in panic, a girl went past me while I blurted out my bladder is broken, but luckily Robin Wombill came to the rescue. He stopped, helped me get it out to inspect it and it turned out I had not screwed the top on tight enough. Phew!

By now I could feel a blister on my right foot and I thought, well then, this is turning into an equipment test and could hear others saying to sort out problems when they appear. So I decided to stop at the public toilets to inspect and put Vaseline on. My feet looked like trench feet and I applied plenty of Vaseline. Paul Giblin’s support were there and they made the mistake to ask how I was and I told them my latest problems. I am sure they did not want any details but I did feel better once it was out. I went on my way again but felt that I somehow was not getting into the run. My thoughts were occupied with these problems and in particular went to June and I started to ask myself what I had let myself into! If there are issues like these so early on, what will it be like in June? Do I really want to put myself through all of this? Running along the road section I suddenly heard cheers from a car and it was the Glenpark men’s team on their way to Rowardennan. That picked me up. Soon after I was overtaken by David Gardiner and we exchanged a quick hello. A while later Richie came past. Then back on another road section I caught up with Victoria and Fiona. And then Debbie and Marco waved from the car already returning from Rowardennan on support duties for Thomas today. This all distracted me nicely and the miles passed. 

Shortly before Rowardennan I came across the injured Ellen and stopped to see what I could do. Nothing much really as there was no way she could be moved without “gas&air” but at least I was able to give her the strong painkiller Sandra had and wasn’t allowed to by the 1^st aider. Best wishes for a speedy and full recovery Ellen!

I ran on into the carpark and was met by Alan from Glenpark who ran in with me to the checkpoint while Stephen, also in Glenpark’s relay team got my dropbag, refilled my bladder and off I went. That must have been my quickest turnaround! A quick word to Hazel, Jude’s wife, who unfortunately later pulled out at Rowardennan due to a pre-race groin/hip problem that played up.

I left Rowardennan and realized I had passed the half way point! I also started to realize that I have had no further food problems, I had forgotten my blister (for a while) and was admiring the views across the Loch. And I was still feeling fairly strong. In fact I told myself to just pretend I had started my run in Rowardennan. I caught up with Jon Cornall who unfortunately struggled and he waved me on after a few words. I then caught up with Lesley again which I was really pleased about and we chatted for a while. She also told me to keep going as she had a difficult patch. Then Stephen from Glenpark came zooming past us up a very steep hill! Fantastic! His speedy legs helped to get 2^nd place for the men’s relay. Superb! I realized that I was still going well and had to chuckle to myself at the thought that it had taken me 26M to settle into a run! How crazy is this?

On my way to Inversnaid I met Norrie from Falkirk on his 1^st Fling. He had never done a marathon before, had longstanding foot problems and when I looked down to see his shoes he wore the oldest pair of trainers with big holes at the sides! But he said these were the most comfortable ones. His family were in fact waiting to see him at Inversnaid and they were so proud of him when he got there. He did finish and they were even prouder! Well done!

In Inversnaid my 1^st coke was waiting for me and some caffeine gels. I applied more Vaseline to my blisters, saw Victoria and Fiona and Colin Knox coming in and set off. I again caught up with Lesley who was now running well following her husband who had started 1 hour later. So we “skipped” over the bolders together for a while until he set off and I later on passed Lesley for the last time. She also finished her 1^st ultra on Saturday! Well done!

I stopped at Darios post and had my picture taken and admired the views across the Loch. Then I was on my way to Beinglas looking forward to meeting all the Glenpark relay girls and guys and getting another coke and some peanuts. The cheers were huge and I became emotional. I told myself this was not the finish yet and to get a grip. They were waiting for the 3^rd leg girls to come in. And I was excited as I thought the 4^th leg girls would catch up with me and drag me with them to the finish. They never did though as they had to wait for another while and I was still going well myself. At Carmyle Cottage Andreas, a friend who I had run my 1^st ultra with (the Devil) was waiting for me with more coke. Another Vaseline application to my sore and blistered right foot and off I went. 

In the forest above Crianlarich I started to overtake a number of men including some that had started at 6am with me! I was still stomping up the hills and in fact thought I could get in under 13hours. But my Garmin had given me a wrong distance and in reality I knew it was further than it was showing but I still kept up my pace. Just before the A82 crossing I caught up with Fiona, Pauline and Sue again and we ran together into Auchtertyre. On the very last section now and I was still running and passing people who were walking. I could hear the piper and was filling up, got myself together and could hear cheers from Thomas on the bridge, Glenparkers near the gate and so many others I could not make out. And there I was at the finish! 13H:01Min:45Sec Brilliant!

Here are my splits from my 2 Fling races and a few key points:

 

                                 2010         2012
---------------------------------------
Drymen                    2:16            2:19
Rowardennan          5:52            6:06
BeinGlas                  10:02          10:02

Tyndrum                  13:23          13:01

How spooky is it that I arrived in Beinglas at exactly the same time, after 10:02 hours?!

I knew I was going slower in my first 26M on Saturday, I did not feel I had settled into the race until Rowardennan for various reasons, I could hear people before the race saying I’d be faster this time as I had done much more training etc but somehow it did not feel that way. And I had discussed this with Fiona going up Conic Hill earlier in the day.

So looking at my times from Rowardennan is really interesting for me as it shows that in fact I had become “faster” and had a really strong 2^nd half. It took me 14min less for the section to Beinglas and another 22min less to reach Tyndrum than in 2010. I was feeling better and stronger than 2 years ago and I would go as far as saying my last leg from Beinglas was the best. If you look at my positions for the individual legs I was in position 202 for my last leg compared to 338 in the 1^st, then 341, then 282 to Beinglas. So I was working my way up the field! :-)

 

So a real confidence booster for the WHW race you would think? Well my initial reaction after the finish was I am not sure about it any more. I think the enormity of it all had hit me. I had not looked past the Fling before but as the Fling was done & dusted now, the WHW was right there now. And I got scared!

But having had a couple of days and having looked at how I did the Fling, it really is a confidence booster and I am well on course for my attempt of the WHW Race. So yes, of course I will do it!

A huge thank you to all who made this race possible! You were all brilliant!

  

32m WHW Solo Run

Yesterday I managed to spend a great day out on the WHW running from Tyndrum over and across to Rannoch Moor and back, altogether 32M. My running time was 7h:15min and I was on my feet for 7h:35min but decided to have a couple of stops as it was just too nice to rush past especially near Ba Bridge and Bridge of Orchy so I stopped the watch then.



It nearly did not happen due to work but I guess you've got to get your priorities right! I had been asked to swap my day off from Thursday to Wednesday but when I checked on Tuesday I realized instead of being off one day I was down working on both! Well I was not pleased at all. I had set my mind on doing a long run and the weather forecast was for a dry day. And I had originally planned to do a long run with Karen R at the weekend but then felt unwell and there was no running at all for a few days. So I was very keen to do this run. I did offer to come into work half-heartedly but was told "If you want to..." - I certainly did not and as there was no expressed pressing need I decided to stick with my planned run.

My "coach" has been really great in making sure I don't panic when the loose training plan he has made for me must be changed and adjusted if and when required so when I could not run last week he just reassured me to get over the virus and take it from there. So by Monday I was feeling much better and made up my mind to do a solo run. It actually turned out I had done the same distance on the same route on my own exactly 2 years ago to the day when I trained for my 1st Fling. Spooky or what?

So I filled my backpack with far too many goodies, fluids and other items I might need and set off with it weighing 3.7kg! Won't happen in the race but I was out there on my own after all. Met a few nice walkers and chatted. Took photos, had a wee picnic, tried out a few food items, got a text from MtM just when heading back up from Inverornan over to BoO! Where were the jelly babies?! Ah, I had some in my bag and took them passing the top!

I arrived back in Tyndrum and immediately took my recovery shake as instructed by my coach and after a prompt reminder from him after my finish! Nice vanilla flavour - only afterwards my Pizza and chips cravings from hours before were gone... Thanks! Thomas is a firm believer in these recovery shakes and he has started to convince me. Today after work I did 4 easy miles and it was not too bad.

Tomorrow is a rest day, then we have a 10M Club Handicap Race and I hope to do another 20M on Sunday to give me another higher mileage week.

Exciting times ahead

We have just returned from a fantastic warm weather training camp (or should I say holiday) on Gran Canaria. In 6 days I covered my highest training mileage ever, 72 miles and 16.000 feet ascent. My legs have felt fine throughout - surprisingly! Thomas thinks it was due to the recovery shake he made me drink as soon as we were back at the hotel. Or maybe the beer later on in the evening?! In any case, this should set me up nicely for the times ahead.
We are well into March now and the Fling is getting closer, but before I turn everything to all things "ultra" I am planning to run a flat 10K on Saturday. I had 5M PBs recently so I want to see what I can do with my 10K time.

After that I will be concentrating on the Fling. I am really looking forward to it. Next Sunday will also be the next Glenpark Fling Relay training run, Rowardennan to Inversnaid and back. Then a number of back to back runs at the weekends should see my weekly mileage increase steadily to a peak. We are having visitors over Easter so I will have to build up to a peak around this.

After the Fling we will be off to Skye for one week in May, i.e. 5-6 weeks before the WHWR. I will be attempting the Cuillin Ridge Traverse with a friend (and a guide). This should give me plenty of time on feet, lots of ascents/descents and hopefully a great adventure with an overnight bivvy on the ridge as we plan a 2-day traverse. Thomas will stay at base camp due to his fear of heights! :-)
My highest mileage peak will then coincide with the Diamond Jubilee weekend 3 weeks before the WHWR when I will be joining the West Island Run on Bute. After that it will be tapering down for the race.

Apropos WHW Race. I have decided to fundraise for our local hospice in Greenock, Ardgowan Hospice. I was asked by a number of people if they could sponsor me for my WHW Race. It had crossed my mind before but I felt a bit awkward about it. But then I thought it really is a huge challenge for me and my support crew, so why not using this team effort to also raise important funds for a very important charity here in Inverclyde. So, please click the link on the right side of the web page if you would like to donate to Ardgowan Hospice. It will take you to my sponsorship page.

2011/2012

So with 2012 approaching very fast, a quick recap of 2011 before my full attention is needed for the New Year.

I had a great year running wise, with new PBs in 5M, 10K, HM and Marathon, but what was more important was getting under sub 1:50 for the HM and sub 4:00 for the Marathon for the first time. I had worked hard for this in the past couple of years and finally achieved it and it felt great!

Thomas also had a great year so on the supporting side it was a good year too, really. Well, if I leave aside his dramatic delayed finish at the Fling and his knee operation! But running for Scotland in the 100K, a new sub-18 WHW PB and a fantastic 2^nd place in the Devil were brilliant highlights for me too. And worth all the hard support work.

There were a few club races, club outings to Glen Massan and to the Bute Highland Games, lots of long runs at the weekend with the girls and more recently the XC relays and individual races with a Bronze medal in the West District for the Glenpark Lady Vets.

On a more personal level, we had lots of visitors and it was nice to welcome friends and family into our home and spend a wee while together. This was one reason I did not even think of running any ultra race this year as I knew I would not have the time or wish to put in enough training. Family occasions in Germany including my parents Golden Wedding and my nephew’s 1^st day at school were memorable occasions. Back here there were more memorable occasions to attend, including Lee and Dave’s engagement and Helen and Richie’s wedding.

There was not much inline skating this year as once I knew we were not going to the Berlin Marathon there was not much point putting skating before running. This will be tackled again next year though as my eyes are set on a new PB with my new racing skates!

Finished the year off with an ultra in fact, the Yamaa Trust Winter Ultra, 28M to set myself up for 2012! The Marcothon was also taken up to get my mind focussed on one thing and one thing only! RUNNING! :-)

Why? Because in 2012 I will attempt the West-Highland-Way Race, 154Km or 95M from Milngavie to Fort William, a route that took us 6 days when we walked it nearly 7 years ago for our honeymoon. I am slowly getting excited though most days I try to push it out of my head that my name is on the start list. But I know once 2012 has begun, I will become focussed – and scared …! Of course I have a great source of advice available 24/7. There is just the small matter of adjusting the pace and weekly miles to my level in order not to freak me out completely!

I will also do the Fling and the Devil and hope to complete the Triple Crown. In fact I am really looking forward to the Devil’s as my brother and his family will be here and will be supporting me. For the WHW Race I have a superb support team in place with Katrina and Nancy doing the 1^st night shift and Yvonne and Heather from Glenpark doing the 2^nd one. I will do the Fling with drop bags, looking forward to it already as there are also 2 Glenpark relay teams and Katrina running her 1^st ultra!

So, once I have finished this week’s work, we will see the New Year in with a run on the Gleniffer Braes in great company. I will then head off to Germany for a week for my niece’s 18^th. When I am back the Ultra-year will begin in earnest! Bring it on!

I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year, may you take on your dreams, and may some of them come true!

How did that happen?!

Did I not see it coming? Where were the signs to warn me?

But it is true. I must admit it. I have indeed applied for a place in next year’s WHW Race!

All I know is that I already had a very experienced support team in place before I even knew if I was going to enter. And there it starts, I can’t possibly disappoint them already, can I?

Well, I think I saw it coming though. The signs were there at this year’s race. Maybe even at last year’s. Having supported Thomas together with Nancy for the past 4 years I was very certain in the first 2 years that I was never going to try myself. Having done the Devil and then the Fling, by the time his 3rd attempt was near (and he was injured pre-race and all the drama around that), I was ready to just “take his place” and finally get that goblet, but luckily he did that himself. Not that I would have been allowed into the race at that stage but the first temptation was there. Then when everyone was getting ready to start at midnight in Milngavie this year, and I saw the first-timers, this thought crept into my head: I just wonder if I could do it too?! And throughout the weekend when you support and talk to others while waiting, I noticed that I did not categorically deny any comments that saw me running the following year. Big mistake!

So a few weeks after the race (with a 2nd goblet in the cabinet) at a post-race get-together Nancy and Katrina decided they were going to be my support team for next year’s WHWR. Being super experienced, they were ready to go! Oh, wait, I don’t even know if I am going to enter!

A few months down the line, I decided I was definitely going to do the Fling and the Devils in 2012. So if I was training for the Fling anyway, why not try and give the WHWR a go? And that is where I am at. I will be giving it a go. If I get a place, I will have a great support team and all I have to do is get the training done.

And that is where my 2 questionmarks are: I know how much time on feet it takes to train for the WHW Race. I always think I am not that kind of runner who has to go out running all the time. I can easily go without it. I am more a “runner by default”. If I was in Germany I would probably be part of an inline skating club and skate throughout the year with a bit of running as cross training. But that’s not possible here so I took up running. I am not addicted or hooked though and especially after work I find it difficult to motivate myself. I do enjoy reaching certain running goals though such as my PBs this year (having reached my target times I can lay those to rest now) and I really love being out on the trails, walking or running. So I know that if I get a place, I will have a training plan that I will follow and I will get ready for the challenge. And that will hopefully give us 2 new goblets making it 4 in total, enough for a small dinner party! J

My 2nd questionmark is Thomas. How will he get on without Nancy and myself? I have “offered” him Nancy so he would have at least 1 support crew member who he is used to (and who knows his “race behaviour”), but Nancy and Katrina are all set to support me together. I don’t want to leave him without his usual support crew and decrease his chances on a great race. But then again, a change in support crew might just be what he needs for a really great race! Who knows?!

And yes, there is a 3rd one. It is literally my Achilles. I have had an ongoing niggle for over 1 year now. I have seen the physio, the podiatrist etc and it does not seem to be too bad. “Mild tendinopathy” is the verdict. But I need to wait and see how it reacts to the increased mileage. It hasn’t stopped me from running a marathon so why not do nearly 4 marathons in a row then?!

So, now all I need is an actual place in the race. Let’s wait and see.

My PB season

This year was all about getting new PBs for my HM and Marathon. Not only PBs but in fact breaking through "the wall" of 1:50 and 4:00 respectively.

This has been a goal for a couple of years but until this season I had never managed. So I set my goal to finally get my 1st sub 1:50 HM and 1st sub 4:00 Marathon. I did not plan to run any ultras as I knew I did not have the time to train enough and previously failed in getting PBs "alongside". So I focussed on my training plans for the desired times and mainly trained with the girls from the club who do their long runs very early at the weekend. So early that when I come back Thomas is still asleep!

I ran the Balloch to Clydebank HM at the beginning of the season and managed a PB of 1:51:18, still not under 1:50 though it was just the start of the season and not my "target" race. My first target was the Edinburgh Marathon and on the way I did the Women's 10K and got a new PB (by 15sec) of 48:40. Since last year I have had a few 10K races under 50min so that is well within my ability now and previously was a big goal. When the Edinburgh Marathon came the conditions on the last miles were really difficult against the wind but I somehow managed to finally get under 4:00 and clocked a time of 3:55:33. I am still very proud of this everytime I look at my medal where I of course had my time put on!
Then came a lazy time before picking up the training again for my next target race, the HM at the Great Scottish Run.

I was getting a bit worried that I had picked this one as my target race as the route has a few inclines but at the time of entering as an "early bird" together with the Women's 10K it seemed like a good idea.

The day was perfect for running if not a bit on the warm side. The hoses were very welcome at the later stages. I started off with Andreas, a friend from Kenilworth runners who previously ran a sub 1:50. We went off fast up the hill and in fact I lost sight of him early on as he is strong on inclines. My target was to run sub 5:10min/Km which would get me to 1:49. But as it turned out the first few km were all under 5:00 min, some even under 4:45 up the incline. By KM 4 I had stitches on both sides. I managed to catch up with Andreas coming off the Kingston Bridge but I felt I had gone off too fast. In fact I thought I had blown it because of this. But I kept running alongside Andreas and we were still around 5min/km. When we reached Bellahouston Park he announced he was now dropping back to 6min/km and good luck! No time to be annoyed though and I thought at least I had "time to spare" for the next inclines to come in Pollok park. And there were quite a few I must have erased from my memory before the race.
I set my target at keeping my steady pace in the knowledge that even if I was slower up the inclines (which I was a couple of times) I would still get my sub 1:50. As long as I could keep my pace. It was getting tough as it was getting warmer. I was overtaken by a much faster clubmate who cheered me on and when I realized there were only 3K to go I knew my sub 1:50 was well possible. That kept my momentum going. I had visualized crossing the line with a 1:48 on the official time clock and as I approached the finish I saw exactly that (as I had started later). Only my own chip time would record 1:47:20! I could not believe it and was very happy! I guess if I had not pushed it at the beginning I might have missed my goal. So thank you Andreas!

So what next? I should be on my inline skates as I type to try and break my Inline Marathon PB in Berlin next week. My target was sub 1:40 on my new racing skates! But the trip got cancelled as Thomas will have a knee operation instead on his torn left cartiledge. So my running and skating season has come to an end early and I can relax and be lazy for a while. Not for too long though as the preparation for 2012 will start. But that will be another post!

I am very happy with this season and have reached important milestones for me. I don't feel I have to "hunt" these target times any longer and can relax in the knowledge that I managed to achieve my goals this year.