Start Your Engines

New Year's Day is a chance to start over.  I welcomed the new year by meeting my MRTT (Moms Run This Town) friends for a New Year's Day group run.  We met at The Little Gym in Virginia Beach.  Some ladies dropped off their kiddos  (I didn't have to, thanks to the awesome hubby) and then we set off.  The course was a 3.1 mile loop around the shopping center, through the neighborhood, and ending up back where we started.

I really wanted a great run to start the year.  I was even prepared to run 6 miles if it was feeling good.  It wasn't.

The company was great, but I just wasn't feeling it.  It felt slow and heavy and sluggish.  I was hot in my layers and uncomfortable when the layers started coming off.  I willed the watch to beep so I could just walk.

Maybe it was staying up too late for New Year's Eve.  Maybe it was a change in the pre-run routine because the run was at 10:00 in the morning.  Maybe it was just an off day.  Whatever it was, hopefully it was a bad practice before game day, because I have a race on Sunday.

Either way, my engine was started.  (It blew smoke and sputtered a lot, but it started.)  I am ready to tackle the New Year.

Just in case you are wondering, here's the race calendar (so far) for 2014:
January -

• Run to Read, Fairmont, WV, January 5

February -

• Myrtle Beach Half Marathon, Myrtle Beach, SC, February 15

March (now check this out):

• North Carolina Half Marathon, Charlotte, NC, March 8
• Shamrock Half,, Virginia Beach, VA, March 16

April

• Still undecided.....

May

• Frederick Running Festival, Frederick, MD  May 4  (Doing the Nut Job Challenge, 5K on Saturday, Half on Sunday)

June

• Run for the Dream, Williamsburg, VA, June 1

July (it gets better....I hope I can actually do this!!)

• Jamestown Half, Jamestown, RI, July 12
• Shipyard Old Point Half, Portland, ME, July 13

August

• Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon, Virginia Beach, VA, August 31  (Yep, doing the whole thing this year)

September

• Bird in Hand Half Marathon, Bird in Hand, PA, September 6  (Doing the Fireman Challenge - 5K on Friday, Half on Saturday)
• Neptune Festival 8K (TBD)

October

• Hershey Half, Hershey, PA, October 19
• Wicked 10K, Virginia Beach, VA  October 25

November

• Undecided, but either the OBX Half again or the Freedom in Norfolk

December

• Undecided Half
• Christmas Town Dash 8K (TBD)

It's a big year!  14 half marathons in 2014!!!