Wednesday, August 6, 2014

2014 - Racing Review Thus Far, Part 2

Sorry I missed out on a posting this past Monday.  I took a little mini vacation (basically a long weekend), and wasn't free to draft something up.  Plus, I didn't want to post any random, dumb crap... so, there's that.





Anyway!  Back in June I posted about my racing progress for 2014.  Since then, I've ran quite a few more races, so I thought today I'd update the schedule to show how things have shaken out since then.  Here goes:


      Jan & Feb
      Spent my time hiding from -50 degree temps.

      March
      Tried to marathon, had course closed on me.  (Little Rock Marathon 2014)
      Made up for it with a 7K instead.  Same thing, right?  (Get Lucky 7K 2014)

      April
      Went to Chicago and ran a St. Paddy's day themed race... that took place two weeks too late.
      (Shamrock Shuffle 8K Chicago 2014)

      May
      Relived the hilly hell.  (Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon - Relay 2014)
      Acted like a nurse.  (Chaska 5K/10K 2014)

      June
      Tried out another relay.  (Lake Waconia Half Marathon - Relay 2014)
      Ran for bananas and got nothin'.  (Rainbow Run 5K 2014)

      July
      Lived it up as Lady Liberty.  (Siren Freedom 5K 2014)
      Kept it spicy in Chicago, again.  (Chicago Chinatown 5K 2014)
      Chased the bacon, and then ate it.  (Bacon Chase 5K Minneapolis 2014)


If you followed me on the above, you should have caught that in 2014 I have run:

      Four 5Ks
      One 7K and one 8K
      Two half relays
      AND made a Marathon attempt

That's nine races, or just over 50 miles.  Not too shabby!  Especially given my new race strategy for 2014, and my lack of training overall this year.  (Yes, none of these races have been PRs.  Or even "good" times.  But all of them have been fun.  And that's what matters most to me.)

Not to mention the fact that in addition to the above, I've done two Lazyman Ironmans, one Run100, kept up with some basic running - once or twice a week, continued teaching twice or more per week, and tried to start bike commuting (which unfortunately has become a fail due to trail closures).

So, what about the future?  What do I have left for 2014?


August

This coming weekend I'm running the Webster Education 5K.  Last year I managed to take 1st in my age category.  Without training, I'm hoping I might be able to at least still hang in the top three.  But I think that's a pretty big thing to hope for.  Wish me luck.

I'm also planning on sharing the Minneapolis Duathlon again with my neighbor.  Last year it was a fun but hot race.  Let's hope it's a little cooler this year.

And then there's the Lake Run 5K ... which I'm wavering on.  I've run it for a few years now, so I'm not sure if I want to repeat it or not.  You'll know my decision on that soon enough, I'm sure.


September/October

If I'm wavering on the Lake Run, then I'm definitely wobbling even more on what my plans are for fall.  Depending on how quickly I can start getting my mileage back up, I am considering the Women Run the Cities 10 miler in late September, which is totally new to me, and the Mankato Half in October, which I ran last year and absolutely loved. 

I'm a little nervous about longer runs right now given my total lack of base miles, so that may impact my race goals for the fall.  Well, that and the fact that I'm dealing with some mild plantars fasciitis right now.  Let's hope I can work that out quickly with some basic stretches and various other healthy choices.


November/December

Let's face it, I have NO idea what will happen this late in the year (if anything).  Let's not even go there for now.



In summary, what's my ultimate goal for 2014 racing?  Aside from having fun, like I said last time:

"If you recall, I ran 15 races last year.  And I'm competitive with myself.  So, I'm trying to stay as close to 15 as possible for 2014 as well.  It's totally an arbitrary goal that means pretty much nothing to anyone except myself."

Yep, I'm still holding myself to that dumb gold standard.  But I'm already 9 of 15.  And with for sure 2 more on the schedule already this month, you may as well call that 11 of 15.  Not to mention, if I go for the Lake Run, the women's race and Mankato, that would put me 14 of 15. 

That means, only one more random add and I hit my goal.

What race should it be?!  Hmmm....

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