Archive | 4:28 am

16 weeks til Long Beach

22 Jun

Yesterday was the first “official” day of Long Beach Marathon training.  I’ve mapped out a 16 week plan for myself and, by golly, I’m gonna stick to it.  Probably.  In any sense, it’s quite pretty to look at and I have it posted on my desk at work, so it’ll keep me motivated and committed to getting my runs in–whether or not they go according to plan.

In other news, I’m going through marathon withdrawals coming off of the exciting spring season I just had: 4 marathons in 11 weeks AND my first sub-4:00… sigh…  Long Beach is 16 weeks away, so in the meantime, I’ve found a few “fun-size” races to keep me challenged happy:
Coronado Independence Day 15K on 7/4/11.  Jared and I ran this bad boy last year.  It’s the only 15K we’ve ever done, so it was an instant PR.  Coronado is notoriously “flat and fast” and this year, I’m going to tear. it. up.

Stonewall Peak Half Marathon on 7/9/11.  This puppy’s going to be interesting!  There’s a 50K, which I was almost crazy enough to sign up for, but my dad talked me off the ledge and I opted for the half mary instead, which is the smart less foolish decision given that I have very little experience with trail running and, um, check out these mountains…

  
Next up is America’s Finest City Half Marathon on 8/21/11.  This race holds my half marathon PR so, naturally, I’m running for another PR!

AFC has some nice big downhills in the beginning, then a vicious steep incline at the end… Note to self: train for hills!

Then there’s the Heartbreak Ridge Half Marathon on 9/10/11.  I haven’t signed up for this billy goat yet because I ran it last year and didn’t LOVE it.  The race shirts stink (literally) and we didn’t get medals or any goodies, really.  Also, it was a long, boring drive out to Camp Pendleton all by my lonesome, so I scratched this one off my wish list a while back, BUT it was a really challenging course with some sick hills and a nice, small field, so frankly, I kinda sorta want revenge for last year’s I-know-I-can-do-better performance.  I tentatively wrote it into my plan and will decide later.
AIDS Walk & 10K Run on 9/25/11.  This will be our third year running the 10K and it’s one of the most moving events we’ve done.  Plus, it’s at Balboa Park, which is one of my favorite places to run.

Which brings me to the Long Beach Marathon on 10/9/11.  Last year’s Long Beach put me on the “injured list.”  I limped around for weeks after the marathon before being sentenced to physical therapy and I almost lost my mind.  And you know what, it’s probably my most memorable race to date simply because I experienced every emotion under the sun… and more pain than I’ve ever experienced in 4+ years of running.  I might be nuts for saying this, but I cannot wait to go back and ROCK THAT RACE!

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