Race Planning

It’s August and I’m already thinking about my race plans for 2014.

Yes, I am aware that I may have a problem.

One thing that I did differently this year was to run fewer races.  I know, I race a lot, but last year, I raced a lot.  Lots of half marathons and summer 5Ks.  And honestly, I didn’t always enjoy it.  So this year, I decided to take a bit of a step back and really focus on only racing where I wanted to race.  I dropped the 5K series because I just didn’t enjoy it all that much.  And, of course, I picked up two triathlons.  So that changed up the training quite a bit.

Next year, I’d like to add a few more triathlons, but I’m rethinking my running plans.  I will never give up the half marathon distance, but I’m going to continue to be selective about which races I run.  I’m trying to run races that I truly enjoy and not be swayed by other factors.  The only half that I’m planning that I’m ambivalent about is Iron Girl Columbia, which is part of the triple crown series along with the two local Iron Girl triathlons, both of which I would like to do.  So I might as well just finish the series.  And it’s local, which is nice.

I would also like to be able to really train properly, not just exist between races.  This year, I feel like my training has fallen off a bit and I need to get back to a committed schedule come fall.  I have a marathon in January to start off the year and I want to finish strong.  Maybe not fast, but knowing I did everything I could to get my body across the finish line in the best shape possible.