My Plans for the Remainder of 2014 and a Race for 2015!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been feeling a little less than motivated lately. I am still running but not really following any type of schedule or plan. I guess you can say that I just run with no particular pace or distance. That has kind of been my spot lately and it feels like of nice to take a little break from it. I feel like I have been in a consistent training cycle and maybe I need a break. Not a break from running but maybe just a break from the pressure of training for a race.  

So what are my plans for the remainder of 2014? I have only committed to one race for the remainder of the year and I will be running it with my other half. It will be his second half marathon and he will be running it in one of his favorite places.

 

I have also thought about running a Turkey Trot (5K) on Thanksgiving Day but I have not committed to one yet. I can sign up at the last minute without worrying about a price increase so I will wait on this one. This is a fun one and I love that I get to see some of my local running buddies, like Megan, who also run this race.

Sometimes I feel like signing up for a race is the answer to getting yourself motivated so maybe these races will get me back into the groove. Having that said, I am going to commit to one more race that is more than six months out. I ran this race with a friend this year and paced her to a sub-2 half marathon PR. After experiencing the race, I really thought about running it to see what I could pull off on my own. I call it a cheat race because it is downhill but sometimes it is nice to fly without needing a pair of wings. It is local and cheap so what the heck. I am going to give it a try!

My running club also runs some local races that they incorporate into their training so they might twist my arm to sign up. I say no, but we will see.

 
Who else is thinking about signing up for some year end races? 

What about races for 2015?

Claremont Sunrise Rotary Turkey Trot 5K: 11/28/13

I woke up at 6:00 a.m. to a fully cooked turkey that had been roasting overnight in the oven. The house smelled so good and my dogs were hanging out by the oven hoping to score some turkey! Cooking the turkey ahead of time makes things much easier and allows time for things like early morning Turkey Trots on Thanksgiving morning.

This was a local race which about is about 15 minutes from my house. Parking is easy and close to the start line and the race is reasonably priced. The course is mostly flat but the first two miles are slightly uphill and the last mile is all downhill. I have not been doing any kinds of speedwork for some time so I went into this 5K with zero expectations. I told my son and my other half that I would probably finish in about 25-26 minutes.

I was more excited about meeting up with Caroline and Megan. Caroline and her family were running their first family race so I was looking forward to seeing them cross the finish line. We wished each other well and then we were off. I took it easy for the first two miles and then just let myself glide into the finish. I don't have a finish line photo to share with you because apparently my other half did not see me until it was too late. I waited for Caroline and Megan to finish in hopes of snapping some pictures of them crossing the finish. I finished in 23:35 which was not a PR but I was happy with my time in spite of zero speedwork. I swear I am going to start doing speedwork again since I would really like to run a 5K in under 23 minutes.

After the race I headed to Starbucks to grab my favorite Caramel Brulée Latte and then home to finish my Thanksgiving cooking. I ate way too much but I enjoyed it!

How was your Turkey Trot?

Claremont Sunrise Rotary Turkey Trot 5K: 11/24/11

Instead of waking up early to cook a Thanksgiving feast, I was up early to run a 5K with Shawna and her sister Kristy.  I took Wednesday off so I decided to pick up my bib and timing chip the day before so I could sleep in.  The race was located about 20 minutes from my house so it was not a far drive at all.

It was a bit chilly out there but we warmed up pretty quickly once the race started.  I drove the course a few days before just to see if it was something that I should even attempt with the sore leg problem.  It was not a flat course but most of the first two miles were at a gradual incline.  Prior to this race, I had done absolutely nothing in the exercise department since last Sunday when my leg starting hurting. I was feeling bummed all week just hoping that I would be able to run.  I was feeling much better on race day and most of the pain was gone but still a little sensitive to the touch.

I started out pretty slow and the plan was to pick it up in the end if my leg was able to tolerate it.  The last mile was pretty much downhill so I figured that I could catch up in the end and finish strong.

This Turkey Trot went exactly as planned as you can tell by my splits:

My official time was 23:17 which is a 59 second PR for me!!  I placed fourth in my age group but no medal this time since I did not place in the top three. I will take my PR and be very happy with just that. The pain in the back of my right leg has kind of reappeared again so I am not sure how well my second Turkey Trot will go tomorrow.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!  Was anybody brave enough to battle the Black Friday crowds?