Back to Racing

2015 was a different year than 2014 and 2013 were in my running life.  I did not do a whole lot of racing.  I mean, I raced, but I didn't race as much as I have in years past.

If you recall, 2013 was my very first half marathon - Disney Princess Half Marathon in Disney World.  I was afraid to stop running after that.  I knew that if I stopped training and racing, I would stop running.  So I ran...and ran...and ran.  I ran 24 half marathons in 2013 and 2014.  That's basically one a month for 2 years.  It's 314.4 race miles in half marathons alone.  I'll let you think about that for a minute.  

2015 was different.  2015 was the year of the marathon.  The whole marathon....the main event.  I ran 2 full marathons in 2015 - Walt Disney World Marathon and the Marine Corps Marathon.  I did a lot of training.  Life got in the way of racing.  I couldn't really travel for out of town half marathons, so I ran the races in my backyard.  It wasn't too shabby - I ran 7 halfs in 2015 and all but 1 required a hotel stay.  Heck, I ran a half in Florida and a half in California to earn my Coast to Coast medal.  But, it was a light year for me.  I may be off, but it was only about 170 race miles in 2015.

So, 2016 is back to what I love.  I love racing.  When I started training with Coach Ryan, he made a comment about how I love running.  I laughed at him and told him that I really hate running.  

He proceed to show him the racing schedule that I had just handed him and called my bluff.

I like racing.  I like the energy at the starting line and the feelings of accomplishment at the finish line.  I don't always love the miles in the middle, but the excitement of other two keep me going.

So, here's the plan for 2016 - race more and love running again.

February - no races planned.  Eyeballing the Race for Chocolate 10 Miler on February 13.  Chocolate and wine are worth racing for!!

March - Shamrock Half on March 20.  Every year I say that I am never running Shamrock again.  It's cold...it's windy...it's boring.....but I will be there.  Trying to get my BRF a sub-3:00 half.  It's going to happen!!

March - Castaway Cay 5K.  It's a "free" Disney race since we are going on a not free Disney cruise.  Running 3 miles on vacation means I can have an extra drink of the day!  :)

April - Garden Spot Village on April 9.  Mom of the Year is going to drive to Lancaster, PA, run the race on Saturday and drive home to put on an epic 5th Birthday party on Sunday.  This is the first race of 2 to earn the coveted Road Apple Award.  If you do not know what a Road Apple is, just go ahead and Google it.  I'll wait.

May - Richmond 13.1 on May 21.  Continuing the tour of speedways, this race is going to take the place of my beloved Run for the Dream, which was cancelled.  It's going to be an up and back to Richmond for the day.  Gonna have to practice my burnout for when I get to Victory Lane!!!

September - Bird in Hand on September 10.  One of my favorite races ever.  It still holds the prize as my personal worst clock time, but it was an amazing experience.  Heading back with the Running Harem to conquer the Fireman Challenge and earn the Road Apple Award that we will start in April.  

October - Crawling Crab Half on October 2.   Not sure if I am all in for the Shell Yeah Challenge, but I am pretty sure that I am going back to Hampton after missing the race last year.

November - Harbor Lights Half in November.   This race is always the week before Thanksgiving, so I am thinking November 19 and 20.  I need redemption after the cold and rainy 3 hours of misery this past year.  

November - Turkey Trot 10K.  The more I run, the more I eat.  This race holds my 10K PR and I would love to see if I can get close to that again.  

December - Surfin' Santa 5 Miler  No date yet, but I really had fun in 2015 and I am looking forward to doing this race again.

All in all, a light year for me.  I want to enjoy running again.  I haven't really run alone in over a year.   I've been enjoying the togetherness of my running friends.  

And all of the training runs will help me get to Sophie all the way in Chicago!  As of today, I have 918.5 miles to go!