Race Calendar for 2011

Blair asked me what my plans were after Myrtle Beach and I realized I didn't have any. Dena without a plan? What gives? 

I immediately sat down and pulled together a tentative race schedule for 2011. Whether I actually compete in all of these races is irrelevant. What matters is that now there's a list and a plan. Whew! That was a close one. 

Racing Schedule for 2011 

• 2/19 - Myrtle Beach Marathon
• 3/19 - Beer Run, 5 miles
• 4/30 - Owl's Roost Rumble, trail 1/2 marathon
• 5/14 - PTI Runway 5K (would like to try for a PR here)
• 6/11 - Mud Run
• 7/4  - Kernersville 5K
• 9/4 - VA Beach Rock-N-Roll Half Marathon
• 9/24 - Salem Lake 30K (must make up for last year's horrendous run)
• 10/8 - Cannonball Half-Marathon
• 11/19 - North Carolina Full or Half Marathon 

 The only thing that's missing is a 10K. I've only ever run two 10k's in my life, both in July in full NC heat on a hilly course. I'm desperate to get a good 10K race on the books. My current official 10K pace is the same as my marathon pace, if that tells you anything. 

I'm also not quite ready to commit to the full NC marathon in November. I'm eager to redeem myself from the terrible run I had back on '09, but we'll see how I'm feeling closer to the date. If all goes according to plan and I re-qualify for Boston at Myrtle, there's no need to kill myself with training in November. 

Famous last words.

A Really Good Run

Finally! A run I can be proud of. Conditions were perfect yesterday for a long run - 40 degrees, overcast, no wind. For all that, I still wasn't looking forward to my designated 17 miles. Mainly because I knew I'd be doing most of them alone. Poor lonely runner...

I showed up at the tennis courts, the popular starting point in Greensboro for most runners as it has a huge parking lot and leads directly to the Greenway. I ran a quick 3 miles before the formal Blueliner takeoff time of 7:30. Then I ran four miles out with the group. The majority of the group turns back at that point, but I was lucky enough to bump into a runner I'd seen before, but didn't really know. Dave overheard me say I was running 17 and he volunteered that he was going 18 and, like me, had already started the day off with an early 3 miles. Better yet, we ran an identical pace. WHAT A GIFT. The group turned back and Dave I carried on, running together for another hour and a half and chatting along the way. 

Time passes much faster for me when I'm with another runner, even if we're not talking. It's the steady beat of our feet hitting the pavement, listening to our rhythmic breathing, and knowing that even through I'm tired I can carry on a bit further, because the person running alongside me expects me to. 

During the first 4 miles of the group run, Thad, Lisa and me were talking about how, in general, most runners are really good people. If you want to get to know someone, run 15 miles with them. Hard exercise breaks down barriers and you get a quick sense if someone has a sense of humor, is driven, what motivates them, are they a whiner, are they generous... The joke is that around mile 10, everyone starts spilling their relationship and personal and work problems. You can't help it. It's something in the sweat...

So today's blog is a thank-you to Dave, for making Saturday's long run seem so very short indeed. And we pushed each other. Both of our training schedules called for a 9:20 pace but we completed our run with an average per mile pace of 8:50. Sweet.

Dena