2013 Race Schedule, 1st Edition

If you've followed me here from the other blog, then you might recall that I was not sure that the way I had the new page set up would really meet my expectations.  After trying to add a new post last night, I discovered that was in fact true.  What was going to happen was that all the posts were going to be in one big column, not sorted and difficult to follow if you ever wanted to refer back or read older posts.  So, here I am, at a second blog.  I'm hoping that they will still be able to link together somehow, so stay tuned for that.

I've gotten a few suggestions from you on what sorts of things you might be interested in my opinion on, in addition to basically just filling you in on the odd sorts of things that generally seem to happen to me on long runs (seriously, you can't make this stuff up....wiping out on a sheet of ice, falling into a snow bank, tripping over a tree trunk, the raccoon!, dogs...it's comedy, people).  In all, I have a list so far of about 30 topics to cover, so hopefully that will give us a great start.

I wanted to start at the beginning for this first post.  Running, in my mind, should always start with a goal, no matter how loose.  From there, I recommend trying to define your goal a little more.  Rather than say, for example, I want to get in shape.  Specify what "in shape" means.  Or, I want to run a race.  Pick a race, set up a schedule, and get after it.  Or if your goal is weight loss, then spell out what that means.  But, try to be specific by the end of the process.  It's much easier to measure progress, and you'll feel better about the small accomplishments you're making along the way, rather than feeling overwhelmed by, what can feel like, a lack of progress halfway through.

My goal, obviously, is to return to pre-pregnancy running condition and to continue on the path of improvement that I was on this winter.  Specifically, my goal for 2013 is to run a Half Marathon in 1:48:00 or under and to finish another full marathon with a time of 4:15:00 or under.  I like to use a pace chart, which you can find here, to set my time goals.  If you'll notice you can find pace charts for "per mile" and "per kilometer" times.  

I plan to resume my normal training schedule, which I'll post more about later.  And, I have a full "wish list" of races to run next year.  Here they are....

• Run the Bluegrass (now the Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon Lexington) 3/30/12 website
• Smoky Mountain Relay 4/19-4/20/13 website
• Flying Pig 3-way Challenge (5k & 10k on Saturday, followed by Half Marathon on Sunday) 5/5/13 website
• Rock n Sole Half Marathon 6/15/13 website
• Redlegs Run 10k TBD June 2013
• Rock 'n Roll Chicago Half Marathon TBD July 2013 website
• Big Ten 10k TBD July 2013 website
• Madison Mini Marathon TBD August 2013 website
• Miller Park Half Marathon TBD September 2013 website
• Hudepohl Brewery Run 14k TBD September 2013 website
• Bourbon Chase TBD September/October 2013 website
• Chicago Marathon TBD October 2013 website
• Indianapolis Marathon or Half Marathon TBD October 2013 website
• St. Louis Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon TBD October 2013 website

Now, clearly, all of these races aren't happening.  Since so many of the dates aren't even set for 2013 yet, some of them might overlap or be too close together to make sense.  It's a working list, expected to change, but a start anyway.  

If anyone is interested a team for the Smoky Mountain Relay, leave me a message in comments below as I'm trying to piece together a 12-person team in order to register.  Hopefully the links get you to the right places....

How, you might ask, did I come up with this list of races?  Excellent question, and one I will address in more detail in my next post.