Fall Racing Schedule

Vacation is over, Labor Day has came and gone and now it's time to plan out my fall/winter racing schedule and come up with new goals. This summer was not a pleasant summer. The heat and humidity along with my idiopathic hypersomnia just got the best of me and training ended up being a second thought more than a priority and I ended up only participating in 1 out of the 4 triathlons I had planned to do. Now with temps hopefully getting cooler, it's time to get out there and moving again.

Goals:

Sub 30 min 5K - I'm finding this goal so difficult to achieve but I've came close so many times. This is my ultimate goal and I have plenty of chances with a 5K pretty much every other weekend.

Workout every day - My goal is to run 3-4 times per week and do at least 30 mins of cross-training on my off days such as swimming, cycling or yoga. I'm hoping by working out everyday, I can create some sort of consistency and if I miss a day, no big deal as long as I can get back on schedule the very next day.

Racing Schedule:

September 15 - Plaque Busters 5K - This is a race near where my parent's live in Georiga. I decided to start with a fun run/walk just to get an idea of where I'm at. It's my base race to determine what my training paces need to be.

September 29 - Wadsworth Trail 5K - It's on a paved trail but this race is only 1-1/2 miles from my house so I'll be jogging to the race as my warm up and jogging/walking back home as my cool down.

October 13 - iRecycle 5K - One of my favorite 5Ks in Spartanburg although they moved the course from the YMCA to the high school where there is now a huge hill so I doubt it will remain in my favorite races list. It's partly on the Cottonwood trail and partly on neighborhood roads so I really don't know what to expect.

October 27  - Spinx 5K - My "A" race of the fall! Hoping to smash my 5K PR and finally break that sub 30 min barrier. Going to have to start closer to the start line this year so I don't waste precious energy weaving myself through slower runners like I have in year's past.

November 22 - Spartanburg Turkey Day 8K - A fun run that I use as a training run. It's free and allows me to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner guilt free.

December 15 - Jingle Bell 5K Trail Race - It's a trail race and it's a lot of fun and usually my last race of the year.

First Year Running Stats

Today is the final day of my first year of running and thought I would share some stats with you:

• I did 155 runs totaling 430.2 miles for 84 hours,12 mins and 3 secs.
• December was my longest mileage month with 51.2 miles averaging a 11:28 pace.
• November was my fastest month averaging a 11:04 pace over 39.2 miles.
• January was my fastest 5K race, the Race for Grasshopper where I finished 3rd in my age group (30-34) with a time of 32:27. It was also the coldest run and race I have ever done at just 27°F. 

My goals for 2nd of year of running:

• Sub 30 min 5K, whether it comes in training or in a race.
• Finish a 10K. 
• Finish a half marathon.
• Add 2 days of cross-training to my week...either swimming or cycling.

2010 Running Goals

Well 2009 was my first year of running, well 8 months considering I started in April. I stuck with it and didn't give up even though at times I wanted to. So it's a new year and with that comes new goals.

1. Sub 30 min 5K - Right now my PR is 33:57 for a race and 32:37 in training. 
   
2. Reedy River Run 10K - This will be my first 10K road race. I did an 8K on November 21st and finished in 53:56 so I hope to finish a 10K under 70 mins.
3. Greer Half Marathon - I'm still scared about this one as my longest run so far is 1 hour or 5.5 miles. I feel confident I can finish as long as I go with the run/walk approach on all my long runs. Time is not important.
   
4. To run 700 miles this year.