I have declared 2017 my year of rebirth and rebuilding. My goals are not about running my fastest or hurrying the process to find my fiercest self, but rather regaining my strength and helping my body find its way back to what it considers to be normal after pregnancy and child birth. It’s the year of the comeback, or more accurately, the start of the comeback.

As I strive to slowly re-build my running base (which has been even slower than I anticipated), I want to run a half marathon as a fitness test this fall to assess where I’m at as I think about my running goals for 2018 and a true running comeback.

I’m excited to announce that I’ve finally selected my race!

I will be running the Seacoast Half Marathon in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on November 12. I’ve selected this race for several key reasons:

• The weather is consistently cool, boasting temperatures in which I run my best (40s F).
• The course is mostly flat, promising faster times that align with my race preferences.
• A handful of my close friends are running this race, which will allow for a special reunion with some of the most amazing runners I know and love.

My goal is to run this as a fitness test, preferably running to as close to 1:40 as possible.

I will be running a 5K next month on June 3 (Best Damn Leftover 5K run by my good friend Discombobulated Running and her boyfriend) as a fitness assessment after 10 weeks of base building to help me set paces for when I’m ready to run pace-based workouts again. I’m still running extremely slow and easy for me, and I plan to continue doing so until I’m running 20 miles per week. I’m currently running three times per week for a total of 12 miles per week. My longest run so far has been 5 miles with one walk break. I’ve been doing a lot of cross training, and I plan to increase my weekly mileage to 15 miles per week by the end of May.

I will likely run another 5K in the September/October time frame to reassess my current fitness level and adjust training paces as appropriate.

I will share my training journey with you as I continue to balance running as a full-time working mom. I just got approval from my doctor today to run with Baby rUnladylike in my running stroller, so that will be my next adventure! Stay tuned!

What is your goal race for 2017? If you’ve ever run the Seacoast Half Marathon in New Hampshire, tell me about your experience!