2010 Race Calendar

Almost a new year. Running is going surprisingly well, though you couldn't tell by my lack of updating here. The good news is, in my busy schedule I have chosen to make time for running, not writing.

So I'm setting up a race calendar for 2010. One race a month (or thereabouts). Anything past May, however, is quite tentative. A trip to Africa is in the works and there's no telling when I'm leaving.

Here's what we've got:

January 23, 2010: Isaac Dickson Hot Chocolate 10K in Asheville, NC with a good friend, Erin.

February: Open

March 6, 2010: Alston + Bird LLC Corporate Cup Half Marathon in Charlotte, NC with the BFF

April 17, 2010 (Maybe): Elizabeth 8k Road Race in Charlotte, NC
April 24, 2010: Great Urban Race in Charlotte, NC - Have to defend that top 25 finish from 2009!

May 22, 2010: Warrior Dash in Mountain City, GA - No, really. Go to the website. That is going to be an insane race.


Not sure what to do in February. I found a 5k in Rock Hill that benefits a good cause, but I'd really like to run a longer road race (15k or so) before the Half Marathon in March. We'll see - the local running stores haven't put up their 2010 calendars yet, so maybe there's something in there that's interesting.

Also just found a half marathon in April that looks like it might be a cooler deal than the March one - it will just depend on what my best friend's schedule looks like.

What about you? Any good races on your calendar?

Take Two

In case you have been waiting for the past 14 months with bated breath, I did, in fact, finish the ING Hartford Half-Marathon last October. It was simply fantastic to hear my name (!) as I crossed the finish line and to share the entire experience with my best friend.

So we're at it again. Longer time table this time, more serious training. We're aiming for 2:30 or less this go around.

We're still trying to decide which race to run in March. The Shamrock Marathon/Half-Marathon in Virginia Beach on 3/21/10 or the Alston + Baird Corporate Cup in Charlotte on 3/6/10. The one in Charlotte obviously would be cheaper, but it hardly seems very exciting to run 13.1 miles in your hometown. I could do that any Saturday morning, I just wouldn't get a medal.

At any rate, I'm a month into the training this time and am falling in love with running all over again. I love the feel of the treadmill/trail/asphalt under my feet and the wind in my hair. Also, some time over the past 14 months, I have begun to understand the concept of "toe-off" and look less like a duck when I run. This is fantastic and means that I am able to go much faster and much further without injuring myself.

This is getting lengthy, so let's skip straight to the stats and the short and long term goals.

Days to Half Marathon: 149 OR 164, depending
Days to Dowd YMCA 5k: 30

Today's Cross Training: 30 minute Tae Bo Core Express (and I FINISHED IT)
Tomorrow: REST, unless by some miracle I am not booked solid from 7 am - 9 pm

Also, I've decided that if I run 4 days a week from now til the Dowd 5k and finish in less than 40 minutes, these puppies will be mine. That is, if they seem to be a good fit when I swing by the local running store tomorrow.