PREFONTAINE

so what race did you register for? 5k? marathon? somewhere in between?

I would have loved to register for another Marathon. I soon will be registering for the Cox Sports Marathon to be run on 5/1/11.

But the race I registered for is the Manchester Road Race (Manchester, CT). It is a very well known race held every Thanksgiving Day. It is 4.75 miles. From what I recall about the race (ran it once - last year), mile two is all uphill! Or maybe I imagined that. But to confirm...guess I could refer to my journal (Garmin data as well).

Also considering doing a 5K or two during Dec.

Also the Colchester Half Marathon February 2011 will need to be done. I can not let that one go. I think that one is referred to as a "Beast of a Course" due to the extensive number of hills and elevation. It was my first race 2/09.

I looked at the Marathons you were considering actually...but they are too far for me. I would have loved Virginia! The one referred to as the Friendliest Marathon. That was probably the closest to me...but still, eight hours away (I live in CT).

My hope is to win the lottery for the New York Marathon and if so I will run that in 2011. It will be the second time I am entering the lottery. But the thing with New York...If I were to qualify for Boston, the Boston Marathon would be filled by that point. I heard what happened to you. Sorry to hear that. One day and the race was filled!

Well...wow...you asked me about which race I registered for and here I go on and on.

But for some reason, I need to have a race or several scheduled! I believe I will not slack totally with running if no race is scheduled. But if nothing is scheduled, I might not run as much as I could. Kind of a way of holding myself accountable. You seem very dedicated. I would like to be also. But I still have difficulty getting out there at times (too early, too cold, too late, tired, etc).

Generally, a work in progress. I will get there. This is one of the positive aspects of running for me as well...working it out. Getting there versus being there. For example, I just had the most amazing 18 week training program. Remained dedicated and completed most of the miles...much better than the previous 18 week training program.

i think your race plans look great. and i agree, it's always nice to have something on the schedule to stay motivated and go after a goal.

my motivation/dedication comes and goes -- it usually coincides with the weather. i don't like running in cold weather at all, so i tend to start slacking off a bit in a winter. this year i hope to stay strong though. even if i can't get as many miles in, i at least want to keep a good base so that i can get back in shape faster in the spring.

i agree with you that there are many positive aspects to running -- much more than just getting an endorphin fix from exercise and staying healthy. it teaches you to be disciplined, make plans, set goals and work toward achieving something you never thought you could do. when i first got into running i did it only for the purpose of getting exercise, but i quickly realized there is much more to it than that. i have made so many new friends and been able to connect with some wonderful and inspiring people because of running. i have also learned some great lessons about life through the process of training and racing -- successes and failures and everything in between.

this site is very helpful too, as it brings together people from all over who are sharing common goals and experiences and can relate so much to the positive and negative experiences that we go through while training and racing. i am glad you found the site and i am excited to follow your training over the next year and see how all of your races play out. i am not sure there is anyone on this site who hasn't gotten faster over time with consistent blogging (consistent blogging = consistent training = faster). it really helps to have a virtual "team" cheering you on and encouraging you to keep going. best of luck to you, PRE!

Looks like your recovery from Chicago is going well! Exciting to hear about your plans for more races. I am looking forward to "short and fast" training and running!

Hi Auntieem,

Believe it or not, I have run only twice since Chicago. I ran a one miler. Yesterday I ran a six miler. I have never taken this much time off. I needed to get at least one race in place. I am getting ready to schedule six months of training miles to the calendar. All the schedules I have seen have the numbers of miles changing for various days. I think I would prefer something like tues 8, wed 6, thurs 10, sat 6, sun 15-20. Nice and consistent and I never have to think about how many miles to run for a particular day. I don't mind thinking about the type of run (MP, long, lactate thresh, etc...but when the number of miles always change for particular days...then gets confusing. I am glad to hear from you. I think about you often. I will be checking out your blog to see what races you have planned and how you are doing. But God help you when I start blogging you...I tend to write and write I am noticing.