Saturday, October 26, 2013

Registered. Registered.

It's not a typo.  I registered for not one but two events.  I have been going back and forth about what I should take on.  Should I train for 5ks to allow for effective workouts in less time because of the time crunch I'm feeling?  Should I take the plunge and go longer?

Drum roll....

I registered for two half-marathons.  I couldn't help myself.  There is nothing better than the feeling after a long run.  There is no such thing as a bad day at work when you can say to yourself all day long "I ran 10 miles this morning."  I know that 5K training would be better for my schedule and I could definitely use speed work and strength work, which I am much more likely to fit in while training for 5Ks, but I just love that long run....I'm not looking for a marathon long run right now, but hitting double digits might be just what I need.

The first race is the Half at the Hamptons in February 2014.  This race is 17 weeks away and I have decided that my race approach for this event is all about building mileage.  No time goal.  Get back to longer runs, rebuild my fitness and have some fun.  I am going to follow a 16 week beginner half marathon plan that has four training runs per week with a long run each week building up to 12 miles.

My second event is Boston's Run To Remember.  This race happens to be in my favorite city and on the lovely Memorial Day weekend.  I have watched my better half run this race the last two years and I have had my eye on it....it's time!  I understand it's a pretty flat course, highly motivating...and in Boston so sign me up.  My approach for this event is going to be different.  There are 13 weeks between the two races and I have a time goal in mind.  Four years ago, I ran the Providence Half-Marathon when my first bundle was just over ten months old.  For that race, I followed the FIRST Training Plan from "Run Less Run Faster" based on my finishing time for a 5K I did right before I started training.  I crossed the finish line in 2:06.  I want to break 2:00.  I know 6 minutes is a lot to take off a half-marathon, but I think it's doable.  The 5K time that my training was based on was significantly slower than what I was running right before my pregnancy, the Providence Half Marathon was really my first event post-pregnancy that I fully trained for and bundle #2 will be almost 11 months old when this race rolls around.  I don't have a specific training plan in mind yet for this race- I can't think that far ahead!  I will see how training goes for event #1 and then go from there, but I do welcome any suggestions!

There you have it.  I'm excited to have some events and goals on the calendar.  I'm a little nervous with the winter training and not having treadmill access at the gym on the weekends with work schedules, but I will figure it out.  It will be done!

Any races coming up?  Have a great week.