What's Next?

So lately, I've felt unsure of 'what's next' as far as marathons or any other distances go. I signed up for the Hagg Lake 25K because I've heard it's a great place to run and a fun race.

I'm a 'bang for my buck' kind of runner so all the stars have to be aligned for me to sign up because otherwise, I'd be inclined to sign up for a race every other week or so. It has to sound fun, be in a good location/beautiful scenery and often not too expensive.


Well, last Sunday there was a $10 off event if you registered for the Eugene Marathon at our local running store. I'd been thinking I might run it legitimately this year, so I thought "heck, $80 is practically a bargain for a marathon." Yeah, marathons have distorted my thinking. After paying $110 for registrations in the past, $80 is nearly affordable...

Feb 19 - Hagg Lake 25K
April 29 - Eugene Marathon

What's in between? Probably a lot of miles, but not much of a plan. From here until Feb 19, I'll try to run more trails and hills and beyond that, more road and longer miles.

Oh, and lots of yoga. I've been slacking lately (but it's been okay since I'm not running as much), but I really want to get back to it in 2012. Plus, yoga is like fun forced stretching!

I'll be honest, after I signed up for my first half and then first full marathon, I've never really looked back.  It's hard to run a race and not look toward the future wondering which race to sign up for next. But I know this is just a stage in life - at some point, I'll be too busy to marathon as I please. For now, I'm appreciating the fact that I have the time and energy to train for these things.






Six marathons, 10 half marathons, three relays, one 50K, a few century rides, a sprint tri and a number of other races and here I am - happy, healthy and for the most part uninjured.

The last time I ran a 25K was the Shotgun Creek Trail Blast with Kristin in 2010. Unfortunately, I think Hagg Lake is going to be much colder and wetter.

Is anyone else running the Home for the Holidays Virtual 10K this weekend? I banged mine out as part of my farlek speed workout this morning and it was probably faster than if I'd just run a steady state 6.2 miler. Crazy how that works.

Results: 6.2 miles - 49:54 - and then I kept going for a bit more to hit 8 miles with my cool down. Great way to start the holiday weekend because I know there will be LOTS of sitting, eating, drinking and relaxing. That's okay, it's all about balance! I hope you're enjoying a joyous holiday weekend with family and friends. 

Comments

J said…
Have a great holiday!! I am tempted to run a marathon but so scared to sign up because a) my knee still hurts a little and b) its a big commitment and lots of training. We will see though!
Gracie said…
Just wanted to mention that you have awesomely muscular legs in the top pic!
Anonymous said…
Did you see that the NYC Marathon is now like $227?!? Crazy!!!
Lindsey said…
Whoa, you have done lots of long races! And it's great you haven't been injured much.

Exciting that you are doing the Eugene Marathon! I'm pretty sure I'm doing the half.
Your race resume is so impressive!!
I can't believe your marathon tally is up to SIX already :) So impressive.

As runners/racers, we definitely understand the "need"/desire to always look forward and have something planned, a goal to look forward to and work towards! So far I'm still undecided on the Spring 26.2, but the National Half (Round 3) is exciting!
You have so many great running pics! I am kind of envious! I only have the ones from my Minneapolis marathon. And the ones from the finish line of Victoria. I think that's it!

I have no decided on a fall marathon yet. I just can't decide on one. Clearly I Have time but I usually know far in advance which one I will do. I have my friend's wedding in early october, so I kind of want one either before that, or a month after... But I don't have alot of money to travel very far, so I am kind of limited on where I want to go... Hmmm... I will figure it out eventually. If I can't come up with one, I might do Tucson in December with my sister.... but the downside to that one is that everyone in my run club does an October race (in general) so I would not have the company of the running club for the 2 months leading up to my race... so yah... Decisions, decisions...
Amber said…
I start training NEXT WEEK for Vancouver marathon. It really snuck up on me but I'm excited!! We'll both be marathon training at the same time now that you're training for Eugene :)
Raquelita said…
$80 for marathon registration is pretty reasonable (or I have paid way too much for races). I'm looking forward to following your training.

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