Waiting 'til Next Year...: Running into a New Year

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Running into a New Year

Okay, so I didn't meet my goal of finishing a half marathon in less than 2 hours this past year. No biggie, it's not for a lack of trying, and now it's something to shoot for in 2012.

I did complete my second obstacle course race in my history. And I did it with friends!

This year I've found something even more up my alley than an obstacle course...a 5K/eating competition! There's a relay race called the Dine N' Dash in the Chicago suburbs that has each participant run a 5K then polish off local dishes before he member of your four person team may start their leg of the race. This one is on April 28th, is limited to only 80 participants, and should be an absolute blast. I'm going to try my best to register and be one of the first 80 to do so.

This past year I also managed to log over 300 miles in a calendar year for the third time in the last four years. Not bad for a guy who doesn't really consider himself a runner. Even better when you consider I don't ever really run between Halloween and Valentine's Day. Many of those 300 miles came when I trained for my first half marathon.

Here are the options for this year:

RACE A: I can't start training until after my basketball coaching duties are off, so the first race on April 7th may be too early for me. I'm not crying over that one, because I shudder at the thought of a hilly race couse that is 13.1 miles long.

RACE B: The race in Champaign is the same day as the aforementioned Dine N' Dash. Boy, I hope I'm able to be one of the fist 80 registrants! I'm not a fan of crowded race courses.

RACE C: This one is the Saturday before my high school's graduation, which my attendance is mandatory. Sitting in a car for 2.5 hours and then running is not the best of ideas, so add in a night's stay in Quincy.

RACE D: No conflicts with the date, small number of racers, and a relatively flat course. Plus, I would probably be able to stay with my BFF and maybe even have a couple of other friends run the race with me.