i need a goal

i am goal-driven. if i do not have something to strive for, i find my motivation waning. i have to find a goal race for this year, so that i force myself to get off my lazy ass and do what i know i need to do. i would like to find a marathon or long distance triathlon sometime this summer. the problem is that most marathons are not held in the summer, for obvious reasons. the spring and fall are difficult for me because my 10-year old twin sons are competitive soccer players, and we have games and tournaments all during these seasons, all around the midwest. i'm involved with their team, and don't want to miss them kicking the pants off of some hotshot team from larger cities. besides that, if i would have to do any traveling to my event, it's very difficult to do that when school is in session. when i did ironman florida, it was in november and i went by myself because we couldn't justify taking the kids out of school for 4 days to see me race. while i enjoyed the event, it didn't feel totally satisfying. i'd love to be able to cross the finish line of something like an ironman with my kids. that would be so cool.... so, that leaves me to find a summer event. there is a 1/2 ironman in july in muncie, indiana, about 2.5 hours from here that is a well run event. i did it in 2003. that race in 2003 was my worst ever. i completely bonked on the bike, and even though i had to walk most of the 1/2 marathon, refused to quit. i learned alot about nutrition from that race... anyway, that right now is my top choice. i'd really like to do a marathon, though. unfortunately, there just aren't alot out there in june, july, or august. the san francisco marathon is july 31, and it sounds like an interesting event. darrin and i both think it would be a fun trip. our wives, however, aren't quite as excited. it certainly won't be a cheap trip, since with my four kids, that makes six plane tickets, but i'm still working on it. i'll have to decide soon, though...
well i ran about 3 miles last nite. the weather was not too bad. mid 20s, but no wind, so it actually felt pretty nice. i ran in a sweatshirt and shorts and was never cold. i covered the distance in about 28 minutes, so a little over 9 minute miles. i find that i am having difficulty getting into a groove. i remember when i was training a couple of years ago, after a mile or two, it felt like i was on cruise control. i was never that fast, but i felt like i could crank out unlimited 10 minute miles. i would run 8, 10, 12, or even 16 miles and still feel pretty good and not get my heart rate up. now, i fight the whole time, rarely ever getting truly comfortable. i know this will come with time, but i'm innately impatient.