Friday, November 23, 2012

Spring 2013 Races

It looks like Cannonball will be my only half-marathon of 2012. Months ago I planned on running the Mistletoe half in Winston-Salem on December 1, but at this point I am sorely unprepared when it comes to long runs. I don't regret it at all; I've worked hard to rebuild my base, I am very healthy, and I've really enjoyed running this year. No reason to ruin running bliss by racing 13.1 miles unprepared.

That being said, I have begun planning my races for 2013. 2012 was an appropriately light racing year, but come January 1, I am back!

  • Resolution Run 5k. I won this race (not age group- overall female!!) back in 2011. That may never happen again, but I still love to start the year right.
  • Lakeside Trail Race. I've never run this one before and still don't know if I'll do the 15- or 8-mile option. Either way it will be a fun time on the trails.
  • North Carolina Half. While disappointed that there's no full marathon option this year, I'm thrilled the half is back and will definitely run it.
  • either New River Marathon or Potomac River Marathon. Although the names are similar and they happen the same weekend, these two races are quite different in terms of elevation. The New River Marathon is near Boone and very hilly. The Potomac River Marathon, on the other hand, bottoms out at 12 feet above sea level and gets up to 44 feet above sea level. Both are on gravel trails, so that will be new. The chosen race will be my dad's first marathon! (unless he decides to run the RNR Washington, DC race in March.)
I don't have definite plans after the marathon, but I think I want to focus on speed for the summer.  Pre-Alfie, I had gotten pretty speedy. I'd like to break 22:00 in a 5k and 50:00 in a 10k. For me, summer's the perfect time for that sort of training because it's not as dependent on a specific schedule. As a teacher I have lots of free time, but we travel, hike, bike, and do all sorts of fun stuff that's better suited to getting faster than going farther. In August I'll start thinking about longer distances again. I'd love to do Baltimore again, and with all of our family in Memphis the St. Jude marathon could be fun.

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