My running dreams and schemes: Looking forward to 2012

I'm a man of few wishes, and that will probably stay pretty much the same this year when it comes to my running.

My major goal this year is to train better to run stronger and faster. It's best to keep it simple.

For the early part of the year, I have set my sights on two races. I have committed to run the Philhealth 17K race in Koronadal City on February 5 with friends from the broadcast company I used to work with. In March, God-willing, I will do the Araw ng Dabaw Phoenix Marathon where I hope I can improve my Davao Finisher's Marathon time of 3:52:52 last December.

I look forward to doing more races after these although I would remain selective. Included in the probable races in my list is the 36th Milo Marathon 21K regional elimination race in Davao. If it will be run on the same hilly route as last year, going for a finishing time faster than my 1:42:11 last November would be a very welcome challenge. Running in the 42K national finals later in the year if I qualify might be a long shot but is something I would definitely love to do. Running in a big race in Metro Manila has been a dream. What would be better than fulfilling that in the country's longest-running and most prestigious footrace?

If I don't make it to the Milo Marathon national finals, there's the 29th Davao Finisher's Marathon in December 2012 to look forward to. I would relish taking on that difficult course again and conquer it once more with an even faster finishing time. That would definitely make my running year.

Doing an ultra? A 50k trail race could be on my list if I can put in the mileage required to be ready for one. I know there are those who would say I could do it and I should do it. Maybe I can, but to then again to finish well is always better than to just finish, even on the first try.

As for running gear, I'm thinking of a pair of second shoes, maybe even another pair for third shoes. Those second shoes would definitely be racing flats that would help me continue with my foray into minimalist and more natural running. It is a choice between the Asics Piranha and the Mizuno Wave Universe.

Asics Piranha

Mizuno Wave Universe

As for third shoes, a pair of Innov8 F-Lite 230's for trail runs and races would be it.

Innov8 F-Lite 230

Finally, I guess it's not yet too late to wish everyone a Happy New Year and great running in 2012 so that's just what I'm doing.