My 2011 racing schedule

In the past few days I have started to think hard about what races I want to run in the New Year.  I threw around the idea of running the Shamrock Marathon in March but after thinking about it long and hard I don't have the confidence that I will have the time to get my conditioning to where I want it and hit the goals I am thinking are attainable for me.  Instead I'm going to do a spring Half Marathon, which I did last year and really enjoyed, and a fall Half, then possibly the Marine Corps Marathon.  Below are the races I'm thinking I want to run, all but 1 is organized by Pacers Running store which always puts on a pretty high quality race.  Maybe I'll sneak a 5k in a few different places, but who knows.  I'm not very good at getting my self all excited about running a 5k or making it part of my training routine, at the same time if I don't have a big race on my calendar then I am less likely to keep my training up.

April 10 - G.W. Parkway Classic - Tentative

May 15 - Pacers Running Festival Half Marathon.

October 2 - Wilson Bridge Half Marathon

October 30 - Marine Corps Marathon - Tentative

Marine Corps Marathon Weekend Recap

Despite not running in the Marine Corps Marathon this weekend, my life was surrounded with the MCM festivities.  On Saturday I spent the day working at the expo for Injinji and GU which was a great experience and I'll probably make a new post about that in the days to come.  In short though, GU is a company I have supported since starting running, it's pretty much the only gel I've consistently used and have always preferred.  Injinji was a new company to me, they produce 5 finger socks and they're super comfortable and help prevent blisters, I'll likely begin using them for long runs and report back accordingly.

Sunday morning I went to the MCM to cheer on the runners, specifically one of my good friends Ryan.  I met him 3 years ago at mile 23 as we were making the turn in Crystal City, and have been great friends since.  In 2008 we finished the race together and in 2009 we started together, so in 2010 without me running I felt it was a good idea to cheer for him.  I caught him at 10.5, 15, 17.5, and 19.5, and he finished with a 4:40 time, not bad for taking a month off from training!

I think I have figured out my running calendar for 2011, I'll make a post about that in the next couple of days and start training hard to make the goal times!

Getting back in shape

Right now I'm working on getting back in shape, I feel like it's going to be a long road back to feeling like I can handle some of the longer distances.  I had planned on running 4 miles, but I must have hit something wrong in the mapping program and I ended up doing a little over 3. 

The route was on some back streets and it was pretty dark and it had a decent uphill both ways so I wasn't to upset that I went a little short.  I feel no pain in my foot and the only thing I really need to work on is getting conditioning back up and not injuring myself in the process.  Luckily I have some good routes in the area that are nice and hilly, which will provide a nice butt whooping.  I want to try and get another run in sometime in the next few days and start the 5 mile route home sometime next week.

Marine Corps Marathon Medal

The Marine Corps Marathon unveiled this years medal.  As soon as I saw the new logo for this year I knew it was going to be a sweet one, and I was not disappointed, except for the fact that I won't be getting one around my neck this year.  Check it out!

Pacers 2011 Running Series

Anyone living in the Washington, DC area the slate for the best races around was just released.  Check it out here!

One of the great things about the Pacers Running Series is that you get awards and gear depending on how many points you earn, based on how many races you run.  All of their races are professionally run and a great time.  Last year I went to quite a few of the early races and despite the cold weather everyone was having a great time.  My favorite was the Four Court Four, it's a 4 miler that starts on a huge down hill then finishes on a brutal up hill, but the post race party is at a pub...what can be better?  Go to the Pacers web-site for more information on the races!

It's been a while!

It's been a long time since I've blogged, mostly because it's been a while since I've run anything near consistently. Around Memorial Day I ran with a really good friend Ryan and I was feeling in great shape, but didn't get around to blogging it. Over the next week the weather started to peak and anyone that knows DC humidity, knows that running at 5-6 PM is unbearable then with all the humidity. The only decent time to run is 5 AM and that just does not work for me anymore. As a result, I was pretty much forced into a break for the summer and now that it's cool I'm back at it.

I ran today though, which is what is bringing about the next bit of rambling about my new training regiment, my goals for the next few months...and whatever else comes to mind in the process.

So last week I got in 2 miles, first time in a while and I felt like I might have hurt myself a little bit, but with the cool weather that is upon us and some new ideas for what I want to accomplish I felt that there was no better day than today to start myself back up and I did a nice and flat 3 miles by doing 6 laps in our apartment complex parking lot.  I was not worried at all about time or how fast I could do a loop.  I was purely focused on how my heart felt, how I was breathing, and making sure I did not have any aches or pains.  I felt great, my left foot has a bit of an injury, I think I hurt it while walking in my dress shoes earlier this week, but it's nothing a little advil can't fix.

Training
Since my wife went back to work after the baby, 5 AM runs are now impossible. I wouldn't get hope from my run until about 6:15-6:20 and my wife needs to leave for the bus at 6:30. Once she's gone I'm in sole charge and need to be ready for work already...not gonna happen in the 10 minutes before my wife leaves. My new routine is to bring running clothes and my fuel belt to work, and run home. My fuel belt can hold my cell phone, ID, and metro card so that I can get back to work the next day, missing is my blackberry so I have to hope that I don't get any time sensitive work e-mails after hours. Running home is a 5.5ish mile run, mostly up hill, and it will help get me in pretty good shape for my next goal.

What is my next goal?
Since I started running I have run the Marine Corps Marathon every year, until now. With the new arrival I new my training was going to fall off, and did not want to get mad at my self or create unnecessary stress when runs were not being made. With the winter rolling around and the cool weather, I know that my runs will become more consistent so now I have entered the goal setting stage. I am thinking I might want to run the Shamrock Marathon down in Virginia Beach on March 20. This race has always seemed really interesting to me, I blogged about it before I knew we were expecting a little bundle of joy but with the due date being that race weekend, I wisely did not pursue it. I have a friend running it this year, and he has some family and friends down there and if I run it, I might be able to find cheap board which would make it an affordable race. It is my birthday weekend and the day after my daughters first birthday, I don't know about you but I cannot think of a better way to spend a birthday weekend! After all, soon she will be calling the shots, I need to take control while I still can.

 Pacers Ambassadors

Despite my lack of running recently, I still managed to get in all of the races requested of me as a Pacers Ambassador.  I'm hoping that I get to do it again next year as I think I will have a much easier time getting in races and going to volunteer for races I am not running in.  I started off the year making it to almost every race, but as life got more complicated with the baby, it became a little more difficult to get my running in.  My favorite part of being an Ambassador however, is volunteering at the various 5k races and learning how the race system works and the components that bring a race together.  I will definitely be applying again next year, hopefully they accept me and life won't get to crazy again.

May 17, 2010 - Columbia Pike

Time: 44:15

Distance: 5.4

Pace: 8:12

Weather:  Light rain

Temp: 55ish

Time: 5:30 PM
Terrain: All side walk, somewhat hilly 

Over the weekend I was starting to get antsy to get back out running, last week the only time I really had to run I was still feeling like I was recovering from the half-marathon so I went without last week.  Over the weekend I checked out the weather forecast and realized if I wanted to get a run in, I had to do it in the rain.  The route I run is a direct 5.4 mile route that goes the entire length of my bus route, so my goal is to try and beat my bus home, which is possible because there is a lot of traffic and it takes the bus about 40 minutes to go the 5 miles.
 Today I felt great, I thought I had gone a little bit faster then my pace indicated but I think that was mostly due to the mostly uphill nature of the route.  Going up the first hill definitely had me questioning how I ran 13.1 just last week.  Once I got into the groove though I felt strong, if I noticed a light was about to be changing my goal was to pick up the pace enough to catch it, and I was successful each time.  The goal of this route is to just get this in a couple times each week after work just to maintain my endurance.  Hopefully in the coming months I can get a bike and increase my workout regimen even more.