Folks, have you noticed that there is usually a little widget in the sidebar that lists my upcoming races? Have you noticed that since last week that widget is GONE? Yes, indeed. I currently have no races on my calendar. Part of this was by design as I had only figured out in the last month and a half where I'll be for 2013-2014.
My friend P commented that racing was like a drug for me and Barry. I totally agreed. I wondered hypothetically how much a cocaine habit would cost me annually and whether that amount was more or less than my current racing habit. It's only been a week since my last race and I'm ITCHING to sign up and start training and thinking about the next one.
I've decided to not run a marathon this fall. There aren't really any marathons past mid-November in the Midwest within driving distance, and a November marathon would be too soon to do a good job of training. I rushed and half-a$$ed the training for my first marathon, and I didn't feel like trying to do that again. Instead, I have my sights on the LA marathon on March 9. It'll be an expensive marathon, as all California marathons tend to be, but it's the marathon that first inspired me to dream of running one.
Since I'm not doing a marathon for the fall, I'm planning on doing 2 half marathons. That way, I'm still racing the same distance, but split up so it's easier. I'm looking at Quad Cities half marathon the weekend of Sept. 22, and looking for something the weekend of Oct. 26. I've got a couple of choices for Oct. 26. There's the Haunted Hustle in Middleton, which I ran last year, and then there's the Monster Dash in St. Paul, MN. The Haunted Hustle is the same course as last year, which I'm not looking forward to at all. It's called the Haunted Hustle because those hills in the last 2 miles will haunt you for a while. On the other hand, it is in town, which makes logistics so much easier. Yet, I could be throwing away a chance at a PR by choosing a hilly course. The Monster Dash is put on by Team Ortho who also organized the Get Lucky Triple 7 half marathon I ran this March. I PRed at the Get Lucky half marathon, which probably unfairly colors the race favorably in my mind. As such, I tend to believe them when they promise a flat and fast course. Plus, running a new course is always somewhat more exciting than one I've ran before. Team Ortho races also tend to have great gear, i.e. awesome medals and hoodies instead of yet another dri-fit t-shirt. The hoodie I got from Get Lucky tends to be my go-to in chilly weather. But St. Paul is at least a 4 hour drive, not to mention hotel costs, travel costs, and traveling by myself to a race. Decisions, decisions.
Last week with our awfully nice weather, I've been seeing a lot of people on the bike trails in triathlon suits running or biking. I wonder each time whether they're training for the upcoming Wisconsin Ironman. Because of this, I've started thinking about the Ironman again. I'm not planning on signing up for one yet, but like the idea of the marathon that sat in my mind for 10 years as someday, the Ironman idea is also starting to germinate.
I've been training at the gym for most of the summer. It's both worked out well and not so well. I didn't get any long runs in, but speed work on the treadmill is a lot more fun. It's also easier to keep track of pace and distance on a treadmill when one doesn't own a Garmin. I've been running really well the last couple of days, by which I mean I've been feeling really good lately on my runs. I did a 9.5 mile run yesterday and some speed work totaling 6 miles today. It makes me hopeful that when I jump into marathon training again, it'll go easier than last time.
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